Black and White Truth (The Syndicate-Born Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  When the phone rang, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Disappointment filled him when he saw “unlisted” on the screen.

  “Hello.”

  “Hello, is this Emmanuel Richards?”

  “This is he.”

  “Hello, Mr. Richards, my name is Philip Soza and I am the caretaker at Forest Lawn. I regret to inform you, sir, that your wife’s cremated remains have been compromised.”

  “What do you mean, they’ve been compromised?” Manny growled.

  “Sir, I’m sorry, but the tomb has been smashed with what appears to be a sledgehammer. Her remains are no longer inside.”

  “Oh God.” His hand flew to his chest, and he dropped the phone.

  Julia ran out the opened backdoor. “Dad, what’s wrong?”

  He let his daughter guide him to one of the chairs on the patio. “Your mom—” Manny choked on the grief swelling in his throat.

  Julia’s hands shook as she put her arms around him. “Dad, you’re scaring me. What’s going on? Should I call a doctor?”

  He shook his head as he tried to catch his breath. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Give me a minute.”

  Morgan, his youngest, joined them out on the deck with her hands on her hips. “What’s going on?”

  Julia glanced over he shoulder. “I don’t know. He won’t say.”

  “Girls, stop.” He took a deep breath and put a hand on each of his daughters. His girls meant well, but sometimes they overwhelmed him.

  “Your mom’s grave has been vandalized. Her ashes are gone.” He swallowed hard. “If you girls will excuse me, I have some calls to make and I would like some space right now. I know you mean well, but I want to be alone right now.”

  The girls exchanged a long look. God only knew what passed between them telepathically.

  His wife had been a part of those looks. She had understood them and had often interpreted their words and behavior to him. Maggie had been his link into their bizarre and wonderful world. Now he was lost and alone.

  As the girls started to walk back inside, they both turned to their father one last time, almost in unison. Julie, the unofficial spokesperson of the pair, gave him a sad, but concerned smile. “We’ll be inside if you need us, Dad.”

  “Thank you, girls.”

  The door closed behind them and his phone rang again. It was the detective’s number this time. He took a deep breath before answering. “Hello?”

  “Mr. Richards?”

  “Detective, thank you for calling me back, and please, call me Manny.” He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and wet his lips with a quick sweep of his tongue.

  “Manny, can we meet for coffee or something? I have some things I would like to talk to you about, and I know you have some concerns that you’d like to discuss, too. I’m hoping we might be able to help each other out.”

  Manny sighed with relief. “Yes, Detective, I would like that. Why don’t we meet up somewhere half-way, like Stafford? There’s a place called Bella’s. It is right off the highway.”

  “I can be there in about thirty minutes,” she said.

  “Great. See you then, Detective.”

  “Mari, call me Mari.”

  “All right, Mari. Goodbye for now.”

  ***

  San Antonio International Airport

  San Antonio, Texas

  June 20, 2025

  10:00 AM

  ~~~

  Ellie’s plane finally touched down in San Antonio, after an overnight delay in Dallas for some mechanical malfunction. She had no sooner gotten into an Alphabet car to go to her ex-husband’s home when she got a text message from one of Betty’s sons, Nathan Williams.

  I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for hours! My mother’s body’s been taken! Don’t you have connections in law enforcement? I’m getting a total runaround from the police. No one seems to give a fuck that my mother’s body vanished!

  “Great!” She weaved in and out of heavy traffic and adjusted her hands-free device. “Phone call Nathan Williams of Richmond, Virginia.”

  He answered on the first ring. She listened for over an hour as he explained everything in detail. She ended the conversation promising to help him convince the police department to cooperate.

  Her first thought was to call Jason, but her calls to him went straight to voicemail. She emailed and texted him as well.

  Where is he?

  ***

  Bella’s Cafe

  Stafford, Virginia

  June 20, 2025

  10:00 AM

  ~~~

  Mari’s hands rested on her steering wheel. She was tired and couldn’t stop worrying about Jason. All her calls to him went straight to voicemail.

  Where could he have gone?

  For a minute, she thought about contacting Ellie, but nixed the idea. If he wanted to go off the grid, he probably had his reasons.

  She stepped out of the car and shuffled slowly across the parking lot into the cafe.

  Manny waited for her at the counter. “I ordered you a coffee. I hope that’s all right.” He handed her a cup. “Bella’s freezer coffee is really good, but I can get you a regular cup of hot coffee if you’d like.”

  “No, this is fine.” Mari took a sip. “Thanks.”

  “There’s a free space over in the corner, unless you want to order something to eat first.”

  His thoughtfulness was appreciated but irritating. “No, I’m not hungry. Thank you for the coffee though. How did you find out about this place?”

  Manny led her over to a small table away from the other patrons. “My daughter Julia is in a band and they play here sometimes.”

  Mari let her body and mind rest for a second before jumping into the conversation, which she knew would drain her further. “You said you had something you wanted to tell me.”

  “Yes, I have some new evidence.”

  “Oh?” She took a sip of her drink. Even though the iced coffee tasted delicious, she would have preferred a stiff drink.

  Now I sound like Jason.

  “Yes, the flowers on our front porch have been rearranged—exactly the like the trash cans at your crime scene. More disturbing is that my wife’s grave site has been desecrated.”

  Mari choked and sputtered on her coffee. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  He handed her a napkin and she dabbed at her mouth.

  “Tidy, the killer I told you about the other night. It fits his MO. He would steal the remains and keep them as trophies. That’s how we caught him the first time.”

  Mari looked around and then leaned in to whisper to Manny. “I think you might be right about the killer being back in action. Mr. Mitchel’s body has been stolen from the CME’s office.”

  “What?” Manny leaned back and ran his hand through the close-cut gray hair at the back of his head.

  “Were you hoping you were wrong?”

  Manny gave a short laugh. “Yeah. Now you’re telling me my wife is dead because of me.”

  “Oh, Manny, this is not your fault. This is the working of a sick man.” She reached across for his hand and squeezed it. If she were in his shoes, she would feel the same way. It was another on a long list of good reasons not to be in a serious relationship. She couldn’t get hurt if she kept everyone around her at arm’s length.

  Her phone rang and they both jumped. It was an unfamiliar number, but she worried it might be someone calling about Jason. “Excuse me, I should take this.”

  “Detective Espinoza, speaking,” she said.

  “Detective, thank God! This is Elliana Forester. Something terrible has happened!”

  Mari’s palms began to sweat as Ellie told her about the older woman’s death and how her body had been stolen.

  Shit!

  “Dr. Forester, I will call the precinct and see what I can do.” She turned away from Manny and spoke softly into the phone. “I have a favor to ask of you as well. Have you heard from Jason? He appears to have left town. I’m worried about him. D
id he tell you where he might be going?”

  “No, I’m sorry. I don’t know where he is, and now I’m worried, too. I’ve been trying to get ahold of him as well. Please let me know if you hear from him, and I’ll do the same. Thank you again for helping with Ms. Williams. I’ll let her son know about you helping to sort this out. He’s really upset, as you can imagine.”

  “Yes, thanks Ellie. I’ll look into Ms. Williams’ disappearance and we’ll keep in touch.” She ended the call and took a long sip of her almost melted drink.

  Manny raised an eyebrow in her direction.

  “There’s another missing body,” she said.

  He exhaled and cradled his head in his hands. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

  ***

  Virginia Peninsula Region Correctional Facility

  Williamsburg, Virginia

  June 20, 2025

  3:00 PM

  ~~~

  Charles MacAvoy stared at his new lawyer with distaste. His old lawyer was dead. Danielle had tried contacting Penelope, wanting to ask for help and advice on getting acclimated to this particular case. The law office had informed her of the woman’s death.

  “You know you put yourself in danger the moment you accepted my case,” Charles said.

  “Yes, I know.” She sat back, seemingly unsure of the whole thing.

  Can’t really blame her if she bolts.

  “I think you’re innocent, Mr. MacAvoy, and I want to do everything I can to make sure you get out of here.” Her voice cracked a little.

  “I’d really like to believe this is something you’re capable of handling, but I have shoes older than you.”

  She gave him a shy smile and passed him the case file. “This is the evidence they have against you. I’m not going to lie—it will be an uphill battle, but I’m not going to give up any time soon.”

  Charles laughed. “Well, all right then.”

  Chapter 8

  Yellow Hat Cabin

  Millboro, Virginia

  July 10, 2025

  3:00 PM

  ~~~

  The ancient temperature gauge hung on the tree outside the bedroom window—taunting him with its ninety-nine-degree warning.

  That can’t be right.

  But the sweat pouring down his back confirmed it. It was probably the hottest summer on record and here he was cooped up in an old two-room cabin that didn’t even have a fan, let alone central air. Every day he’d sat at the typewriter in his boxers and counted himself lucky when a cool breeze found its way through the open window.

  The first few days, he puked his guts out while he dried out. Thankfully, he brought the medication Ellie had prescribed with him, which helped him get through the rough patch. It also helped that he couldn’t go out for a drink—True Blue took the keys of the other bike with her when she left.

  Writing had become his saving grace once again.

  With nothing else to do, he set a grueling pace for himself. He estimated that his daily word counts hovered around the five-digit mark. By the end of the first week, his knuckles swelled up and his fingers cramped into two ugly claws.

  When he couldn’t type another word, he would walk through the timber on the property to a clearing with a cool pond that was clean and deep enough to swim in. An ancient dock and a few scattered lures were the only evidence that any kind of civilization had ever existed there before. When he, Katherine and Scott were young, they would often come up to the cabin on weekends and swim, but it hadn’t been used now for over twenty years.

  Though the place brought up memories both good and bad, he enjoyed being there. He relished the quiet solitude, but also intensely looked forward to True’s visits—even though they were always too short.

  Much to his dismay, she never stayed the night, saying it would draw too much attention. The people of Ocean City kept daily tabs on her ever since they had offed her old man, but she would come to Jason whenever she could get away. Sometimes the visits were planned ahead of time, and sometimes she would show up out of the blue, always bringing him groceries and special treats. No matter how short the trips, they always seemed to find enough time for sex.

  At the end of every visit she always seemed sad to leave him, but maybe that was just his ego convincing him she enjoyed their time together as much as he did. The last time she came, she stayed a lot longer, making their goodbyes that much harder. His infatuation with her grew with each new day. The woman knew how to tantalize his body and his mind. It didn’t hurt that she kept herself hidden in a shroud of mystery—hell, he didn’t even know her real name—but when they were lying in bed, she tended to drop her walls a little, and he enjoyed peeling back her many layers one-by-one.

  Like the last time she came for a visit.

  ***

  He traced the scar on her thigh with the tip of his finger, making her shiver. He brought his mouth down onto the marred skin and she’d gasped.

  “What’s this from?” He smiled up at her and then returned to kissing her leg down to her knee.

  She moaned. “Juvenile Hall....”

  He stilled his actions and looked up at her again. “Little jail bird, were we?”

  She smiled. “I was framed.”

  “So what, ya got shanked?”

  True giggled. “Forked.”

  Jason crawled back up her body and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Someone stabbed you with a fork?”

  She shrugged. “What, no one ever stabbed you with a fork?”

  He rolled off her and showed off his own scar on his leg. “Nope, but my dad and his buddies got drunk on my first hunting trip and shot me full of buckshot.”

  A belly laugh rippled through her. Her smiling gaze met his, his chest tightened and he couldn’t breathe, and she stopped laughing.

  When he kissed her this time he felt it down to his toes. Afterwards, she got out of bed and slipped on her clothes—avoiding his gaze—but before she could get her shirt on, he stopped her. He touched the circular-shaped scars on her back, causing the fine blonde hair on her arms to stand on end.

  “What about these?” he asked.

  A long pause followed and he thought maybe she wasn’t going to answer.

  She slipped on her shirt and started to put on her pants. “They... uh ... they’re cigarette burns.”

  How could anyone want to hurt her? She’s perfect.

  He wanted to kill the person who hurt her—all of them. He tugged her arm so that she faced him. “Who did this to you?”

  True bit her lip and finished getting dressed. “It doesn’t matter. He’s dead now.”

  Jason wet his lips and sat up in bed. He fought with himself to keep from stopping her. The last thing he wanted to do was put her in danger.

  She leaned over him and kissed him, but he felt nothing.

  “When will I see you again?” He knew he sounded lame but he couldn’t stop himself.

  She tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “In a few days.”

  And then she was gone.

  ***

  That had been two days ago.

  Today was the day, he thought—a True visiting day—and his whole body buzzed with anticipation. He decided to go to the pond for a swim, to cool off before he embarrassed himself in front of her.

  Tiny underwater particles danced before his opened eyes as he stayed underneath the ice-cold water until his lungs began to burn. When he couldn’t take it another minute, he burst to the surface to find that he wasn’t alone.

  “I was beginning to wonder if I needed to go in after ya.” True sat at the edge of the dock with her feet dangling in the blue water.

  “Come in.” He slicked back his hair and pinched the water out of his nose.

  She stood on the end of rickety dock and peeled off her tank top, then slipped off her jeans and underwear.

  He held his breath as she stood there naked, poised to dive in. She sliced through the water, splashing him on impact, and he breathed again. Under
the murky depths her mouth captured his naked flesh and he gasped—nearly drowning. With great reluctance, he pulled her up to the surface and kissed her wet lips.

  ***

  True loved him like this. His wide grin and bright green eyes, squinting at her from the light of the setting sun, made her melt. She kept their lost moments in the woods in her back pocket and carried them with her through her daily drudgery. They gave her the strength and hope that she needed to stay the course. As a little girl, she had never believed in fantasy stories, but now she could see how they might have been inspired—especially when he looked at her that way.

  His eyes—bracketed by an array of fine lines and wrinkles--regarded her with respect and something else. Not love, surely not, but something close.

  “I missed you.” His legs moved slowly in time beside hers as he treaded water.

  “I missed you, too.” Despite her best efforts, she cared about him.

  Nothing could ever come of this fling between them. Virginia blue bloods didn’t think twice about fucking Maryland trailer trash, but they never fell in love with them. Men like him were too good for someone like her. In the meantime, she let herself enjoy every moment with him because it wouldn’t last.

  With a quick rise of his brow and a tilt of his head, he indicated they should get out.

  She knew they wouldn’t make it to the cabin this time. His intense gaze bore into her, making her tremble with anticipation.

  As they swam to the dock and pulled themselves up out of the water, he devoured her mouth in a deep passionate kiss. He pulled away from her long enough to give her a sly smile and shrug of his shoulders, in the innocent way only he could pull off.

  He wants to fuck me on this dock, like we’re a couple of teenagers and not two middle-aged adults.

  Yes, she would enjoy him while she could—before things got too complicated. After all, once he knew the whole story, it would all be over.

  He took her there on the rickety old dock, leaving her trembling and knock-kneed. While it seemed like a good idea at the time, they would both be bruised and sore later. They weren’t kids, after all.