Gilded Craving: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 3) Read online

  "I just know both of you. Now please tell me that Ryan is going to move here and you're not planning to move to Seattle."

  "That's a good question. We're not sure. I'm open to moving if I need to. He's going to talk to his bosses and see what they can do. Ultimately, I have the more portable career. I can paint and sculpt from anywhere."

  Wrinkling her nose, Liza shook her head. "I don't want to hear that. I want you to stay here so we can be one big happy family."

  "You and Mike could always move, too," Mariah suggested with a laugh. "I'm not sure how your parents will feel about that though."

  "My parents just might buy another house in Seattle and live there part-time."

  The couple loved to travel and they didn't like to stay in one place long. Having another home they could go to for a few months a year would be something Jack and Patricia would definitely do.

  "Let's talk about the party," Liza said after they were served their food. "I've arranged for the birthday cake to be rolled in on a cart about eight-thirty and all sixty candles will be lit. I want the family - and that's you too - to gather around and sing before Mom blows out her candles. Then dad is going to surprise her with a diamond bracelet. He showed it to me last night. Impressive. Mom is going to love it."

  "You didn't help pick it out?"

  "Dad has excellent taste. But I'm betting that Mom gave him a few big hints as to what she wanted."

  "It sounds great. You know we're going to be there."

  "I just wanted to make sure that you were both around when the cake is served. No skipping upstairs to Ryan's old room for a little fun," Liza giggled.

  It might be tempting if the party was boring...

  "We'll be right by your side when it comes time to sing, although you know I'll just be mouthing the words."

  Ryan had a great singing voice. Mariah couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. She was sort of like a human car alarm - hard on the ears.

  "You're not that bad."

  "You're just being nice. You know that I am. It's okay, I know it, too."

  Liza reached out and patted Mariah's hand. "You're good at other things. I'll sing extra loud to cover up for you. Don't worry, we Becks got your back."

  If everything worked out the way Mariah hoped it would, she just might become a Beck, too.

  That didn't sound all that bad either.

  "Fuck it," Ryan muttered as they drove farther away from the prison. "That was a wasted trip."

  "He definitely didn't do it," Knox agreed with a grimace. "He didn't know shit about that night. Not the bar, not Harrington, not the mode of death. Nothing. It looks like he was just looking for his name in the papers because he's fucking bored."

  "So now we're back where we started. Nowhere."

  "Hey, I'm here now to give you a hand," Knox protested with a chuckle. "Together we can get this investigation done and over with. We just need to sit down and go back over the evidence."

  "What evidence? We don't really have any," Ryan reminded his friend. "This happened well over ten years ago and the one thing everyone is sure of is that Brad was acting completely normal that night."

  "Then that's a clue," Knox replied. "It tells us that he wasn't expecting whatever happened. Even non-clues give us information."

  Knox was right but it didn't make Ryan feel much better. This entire investigation was frustrating him. He wanted to bring the Harrington family peace but he wasn't sure that he could do it.

  What if I fail?

  "Are you heading to Steve Alton's next?" Knox asked.

  Steve Alton was Trent's former next-door neighbor that used to sit outside on his balcony that overlooked the parking lot. It was a long shot but perhaps the guy might be able to give Trent an alibi for that night. They'd tracked him down and planned to talk to him this afternoon.

  "Would you be mad at me if I asked you to talk to him? There's some personal business that I need to take care of."

  The thought had just popped into Ryan's brain that very instant. It wasn't one of his better ideas either, but he didn't think he was going to be able to talk himself out of it. "I can do that." Knox gave him a sideways glance. "Is everything okay?"

  "Yes, I just need to stop by my dad's office. I can meet you back at the apartment right after. I want you to meet Mariah. We can order in dinner and then go over the case."

  "Sounds good. I have to meet this woman that has saved you from lonely bachelorhood all in the space of a few days. She must really be something."

  "She is."

  Ryan dropped Knox off in the downtown area and then headed to his dad's office a few blocks away. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to say when he got there. He just knew that he needed to see his dad. Mariah's words were running around in his head and they wouldn't give him any peace.

  Gwen, his dad's longtime assistant greeted Ryan when he stepped off the elevator. She looked surprised to see him as she should. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been here. Maybe sometime in college? Definitely not in the last several years.

  His dad was in a meeting so he cooled his heels outside chatting with Gwen for a few minutes. Her daughter had just graduated from college and was going to be a teacher in the fall, and her son was working for a law firm in the city. She'd said that Ryan's dad had been instrumental in helping him get the job.

  The door to the office opened and a man exited, waving to Gwen as he left. Ryan entered, pausing just past the threshold. Suddenly, this wasn't looking like a great idea.

  Why am I here? I should leave this alone. But I can't.

  "Come in, son," Jack urged him. "Do you want some coffee or a pop? I can have–"

  "I'm good, Dad. I just wanted to stop by."

  For reasons I don't even know about.

  "Have a seat." His dad sat down on the couch against the wall instead of behind his desk which was a first for Ryan. His father had always pulled the power play. "Is everything okay? Is there a problem?"

  Jack looked so worried that Ryan felt shame wash over him. It was so rare that he stopped by the office to see his dad that he'd made his father think he was dying or something.

  "No, everything is fine. No issues." He paused, his brain running a mile a minute. He was here for a reason. He just needed to admit it out loud. "Actually, I came by to say that I'm sorry for messing up dinner last night."

  Jack Beck could have been a professional poker player. That's how close to the vest he kept his emotions most of the time. But today Ryan had clearly surprised his dad with an apology. His dad looked like he didn't know what to say.

  "I didn't come here to get an apology from you," Ryan added, wondering if that's what his dad was thinking. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for escalating the conversation last night. It wasn't how I wanted the evening to go."

  Clearing his throat a few times, Jack tugged at his silk tie. "I–I'm sorry too, son. I got a bit defensive as Pat pointed out to me later."

  This was monumental. As in were pigs flying in the sky outside?

  Ryan had never heard his father apologize. For anything. Ever.

  For a moment, he wasn't sure that he'd heard what he'd heard. He had to replay the words in his head a few times before he could reply.

  "Thank you, Dad. I promise that the next time we have dinner together it will be more friendly."

  "I'll hold you to that."

  Now that was a little more like the Jack Beck that Ryan knew and loved.

  "How's the case going? Any progress? The newspaper this morning said that there has been a confession."

  Shit, Ryan hadn't looked at the newspapers yet today. If he had, his first stop would have been Skip and Lilly instead of his dad's office.

  "I wish they hadn't reported that. I talked to the guy this morning at the prison. He didn't do it. He was just bored and looking to get his name in the papers."

  Looks like he'd succeeded in that.

  "That's too bad. I'm sure Skip and Lilly were hopeful."

  "I'm g
oing to talk to them next."

  He'd already set up a meeting with them to talk about Brad's gambling. Now they had another topic to cover as well. He felt badly that they'd had their hopes risen only to be smashed down again.

  "You're going to ask them about Bradley's gambling."

  Jack didn't phrase it as a question.

  "Yes, I have to do that."

  "I know you do. I just wish that my friends weren't going through this."

  "So do I. I just hope that I can bring this investigation to some sort of conclusion."

  Jack stood and walked over to the large window that overlooked downtown Chicago.

  "You will. You'll find out what happened to Bradley."

  "I wish I had your confidence. I'm not sure that I'll be able to do that. Cold cases are notoriously difficult to solve."

  "I know that you will do your best."

  His throat tightening with emotion, Ryan could barely speak. He'd never heard words like this from his father.

  "Thank you for saying that. I will do my best. I hope that it's enough. I don't want to let Skip and Lilly down."

  His dad cleared his throat a few more times, his gaze still out over the skyline. "You won't."

  "Mariah says that you and I are a lot alike. You know...stubborn and competitive."

  Ryan didn't have a clue why he'd said that, but his mouth wasn't following instructions from his brain at the moment. He was being guided by his heart instead.

  Laughing, Jack smiled. "I could tell you some stories about my dad. Pat told me the same thing about me and him being just alike."

  "I wouldn't mind hearing a few."

  His dad checked his watch. "I've got a few minutes before my next meeting. How about I ask Gwen to bring us a couple of cold drinks and I’ll tell you about the time my dad caught me smoking outside?"

  Ryan wanted to hear that story. He wanted to hear them all.

  23

  Knox had sent Ryan a message that he had spoken with Steve Alton and he didn't remember anything about that night specifically. He couldn't give Trent an alibi but he also couldn't say definitely that Trent wasn't home. It was all simply too long ago.

  Jared had tracked down Isla's former roommates and Knox was headed there next to talk to them. Ryan didn't hold out much hope that they'd remember anything about Brad but it was worth a shot. In the meantime, he needed to see Skip and Lilly.

  Mariah knew the Harringtons as well or better than he did, and she had offered to go with him when he talked to the family, but after discussing it this morning they'd both decided it would be better for Ryan to go alone. As much as he cared about Skip and Lilly, he needed to keep a professional demeanor this afternoon. This conversation had a high probability of being emotionally charged. There was no good way to tell parents that their son was a gambling addict.

  Seb answered the door and ushered Ryan into the living room, just as before. Lilly and Skip once again sat on the couch while Seb perched on the arm of a chair nearby.

  "Was it him? Did he do it?" Lilly asked eagerly, a wadded-up tissue in her hand. "Did he kill my baby boy?"

  Ryan understood that the press had to do its job, but this would have been ten times easier if they hadn't reported that someone had confessed. They'd raised this family's hopes only to have them dashed mere hours later.

  "I'm afraid not," Ryan said gently. "He didn't know any of the details that he should have known. He didn't do it."

  Brows pinched together, Skip shook his head. "Then why on earth would he confess to something like that? Why would he do it?"

  "Attention, probably," Ryan replied. "But he's not our guy."

  Burying her head in her hands, Lilly sobbed into her tissue. "How could anyone be so cruel? To get our hopes up–"

  She broke off, another sob swallowing whatever she'd been about to say. Seb immediately jumped from his spot on the chair and came to sit down next to his mother, pulling her close for comfort and patting her on the back.

  "It's okay, Mom. It's going to be okay."

  "I'm so sorry," Ryan replied, feeling like the worst human being in the world. He hadn't wanted anyone to cry. He was a sucker for tears. "I wish I could have better news for you, but I don't."

  "Are you sure?" Skip asked, his hand seeking his wife's. "Really sure?"

  "I am," Ryan said firmly. "He's not the one."

  Skip gazed off into the distance for a long moment and then seemed to gather himself.

  "Then it's back to the investigation," he finally said. "Have you found out anything? Anything at all?"

  Having already made Lilly cry, Ryan wasn't thrilled that he was going to upset her further. But he couldn't back out. This was his job. It wasn't the first time he'd had to deliver unpleasant news but it was the first time he'd had to do it when the person wasn't a stranger.

  "We have, actually. We pulled Brad's phone and bank records. It appears that he was withdrawing large sums of money on a regular basis. He was also talking to multiple bookies in both Chicago and New York. It appears that he had a gambling problem. Were you aware of that?"

  He braced for the blowback.

  Lilly's eyes went wide and Skip looked like someone had slapped him in the face. Seb had buried his face in his hands.

  The couple exchanged a glance and then shook their heads. Lilly opened her mouth to speak but couldn't seem to get any words out, but Skip managed.

  "No. No, not at all. Of course not. I can't believe that. You must be mistaken."

  "I wish that we were," Ryan said softly, hating himself at the moment. He was breaking these parents' hearts. "He was definitely communicating with bookies. We know that for sure. Paired with the withdrawals and the money transfers, it looks like he was betting every single day."

  Skip was already shaking his head again before Ryan even finished speaking. "I know he bet on football a little bit. Maybe when he played golf, but every day? I don't believe that."

  "He made calls every day."

  Skip jumped up from the couch and began to pace back and forth in front of the window.

  "You have to be mistaken. Maybe his phone records got mixed up with someone else's. It was a long time ago, right? These things can happen."

  "I suppose there's a small chance of that happening, but I think it's too remote to consider."

  Lilly looked up from her sodden tissue, her eyes red-rimmed. "And this is why you think Bradley was killed? Because of the gambling?"

  "I don't know for sure. It's something we're looking into. It's simply a possibility but it's one that we need to explore more."

  She nodded as if she understood and then turned to her son. "Seb, I think I need to lie down, please."

  Immediately, Seb helped her up and was shuffling her out of the living room, leaving just Ryan and Skip.

  "Believe me when I say that I take no pleasure in telling you this today," Ryan said when she and Seb had gone. "But I can't do this job unless I'm completely honest with you."

  "Yes–yes, I see that." Skip shoved his hands in the pockets of his trousers. "Can I ask you a question? You can answer me honestly now that Lilly isn't here. Do you think that you can really find out what happened to Brad that night? Is this case even solvable?"

  It was a good question. A difficult one, too.

  "To be one hundred percent honest, I don't know if I can solve this case. I've solved cases like it, but that doesn't mean that I'll be successful with this one. Cold cases are the most difficult and there isn't much physical evidence. The odds aren't in our favor but I'm going to keep working and pushing until I'm out of leads."

  "And then what happens? The investigation ends?"

  "Yes," Ryan admitted. "Unless some new evidence comes up, which can happen."

  He wanted to give them hope, but not raise their expectations too high.

  Skip stroked his chin. "That's all we can ask for. Your best. I know you're trying, Ryan. If you can't solve this, I doubt anyone could. Lilly and I may just have to learn to live with
not knowing."

  Ryan only wished he had better news for the family.

  "What's next?" Skip asked. "Where do you go from here?"

  "I'll talk to Caroline and Danny again. Maybe Theo. See if any of them noticed Brad's gambling. We'll try and talk to the bookies that he was using. If we can find them. One's in prison and the other is deceased. The latter might have had business associates that we can talk to."

  "Anything else?"

  "I still need to talk to Isla. She's been busy but I'm hoping to speak with her tomorrow."

  Skip seemed to recognize that there wasn't much to go on. He had an utterly sad and defeated expression on his face, as if he'd aged ten years in a mere five minutes.

  "Thank you for coming here and telling us in person."

  "I wouldn't do anything else."

  A corner of Skip's mouth quirked up. "You're a Beck, that's for sure. Your dad would have done the same."

  Before yesterday Ryan wouldn't have taken that statement very well. Today? It wasn't so bad.

  The minute Ryan walked into Mariah’s apartment later, she knew immediately that he'd had a shitty day. He hadn't expected his meeting with the Harringtons to go well, and it looked like he was right. His shoulders were slumped and there were lines around his eyes and mouth that hadn't been there this morning.

  "Shit, you look like hell," Knox said to Ryan. "I should have gone with you."

  Both she and Knox had offered to accompany Ryan when he met with Lilly and Skip but he'd said that he would be better if only he were there. Knox had finished his meetings about an hour ago and he'd been sitting in her living room telling her fun stories about the cases he'd worked on with Ryan. Her man appeared to be well-liked by his coworker and for some reason that made her happy. It was clear that Knox thought that Ryan was damn good at his job.

  As for Knox, she liked him. He seemed to be a straightforward guy with an optimistic nature, although serious as hell about his job. She'd asked him if he was married or had kids and he'd laughed loud and long. He said he wasn't the marrying kind so she kind of got the idea that he might be a little bit of a ladies' man. He was certainly good-looking enough to attract the opposite sex with his dark blond hair and soft brown eyes. Plus his grin was positively infectious. It was hard to be around him and not be smiling, too.