Part 19 (1/2)
”You killed her?”
”Not exactly. Let's just say Mother Nature and the Texas sun did the job for me, with the help of an old black friend.”
Oh G.o.d! Even though Jordan hadn't held out much hope of finding Ginny alive, hearing Jeff Hamilton confirm the woman's demise filled her with sadness.
”So it was you in the security footage?” When he nodded, she continued, ”Why did you have to kill her?”
”You have only yourself to blame for that woman's death. If it hadn't been for you, I would never have known about her sitting by the spiral staircase with a perfect view of everybody who went upstairs that night.”
Jordan s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably in the seat as guilt produced a hard lump in her throat. ”Either you went up to Marco's bedroom yourself, or you're protecting someone else who did. You wouldn't be worried about it, otherwise.” She turned to face him, thinking if she could keep him talking, it would give her a chance to figure out how to get away from him. ”So which was it, Jeff?”
”I knew you were on to me and only pretending not to know.” He grinned. ”I saw it in your face when you handed me the s.h.i.+rt, which was my mistake leaving it in the car in the first place. I should've tossed it that day, but I just couldn't make myself do that.”
”Why were you in Marco's bedroom?”
The question caught him by surprise, and he nodded, before turning his head to glare at her for a few seconds. ”I couldn't chance Ginny suddenly remembering and telling the police.”
Jordan narrowed her eyes, feeling even more confused. If Marco and Kate were in one bedroom and Tina and Bernardo in the other, where had Jeff been?
”Didn't that make you a fifth wheel? Or did you have something kinky going on with Marco and Kate?” She knew that was reaching, but she was worried they were already too close to wherever Jeff was taking her. He'd mentioned before leaving the hotel that Carlita had said Ginny was ten miles outside of Plainville. Since they'd already driven at least that far, she racked her brain for a way to buy more time.
”Not with Kate. There was something going on between Marco and me, but it's not what you're implying.” He slowed down when they came to a pasture enclosed by a four-foot wire fence, and Jordan reached for the door, only to find it locked. ”You don't think I'd be that stupid now, do you” He reached under his seat and produced a large automatic weapon. ”It's amazing what you can buy on any street corner these days.”
Jordan decided if she could keep him talking, maybe somehow, she could escape. ”Then why were you upstairs that night?”
He cut the ignition and pointed the gun at her head. ”I've been Emilio's trusted friend and counsel ever since I graduated from Harvard, and my daddy held the position before that. Marco only came into Emilio's life last year, and all of a sudden, he's the Golden Boy.” Jeff's voice crackled with resentment. ”Emilio even changed his will last month to give Marco total control of his company when he dies.”
”I know,” Jordan said. ”That must've made you furious.”
”Furious is not the word I'd use. More like thoroughly p.i.s.sed off. I was the one who gave up a social life to be at Emilio's beck and call for all those years.” He eyed her suspiciously. ”And how would you know about his will?”
”He told me,” she said after Jeff pulled over to the side of the road. ”I also know he's dying.”
”Yeah, that's a b.u.mmer. When I first heard, I thought it was finally my big chance. For the first time in my life, I thought this would be an accomplishment that would make my father proud. Unfortunately, he's wasting away in a nursing home with dementia and will probably never know about my success.” He shoved the keys into his pocket and pointed the gun on her once again. ”Now get out.”
She stole a quick peek at the pasture hoping to see a farmhouse, but there was only flatland for as far back as she could see. After he unlocked the door and got out himself, she relocked her door and grabbed her purse off the floor.
In a flash, he unlocked it with his keys, pulled it open, and wretched the purse from her hands. ”Oh no, you don't. I'll need this today when I move your car to a shady part of town to make it look like you were robbed.” His eyes hardened. ”Now get out before I have to get physical.”
With no other option available, she slid her legs out of the car and stood facing him. If she had any aspirations of taking him on, the way his six-two frame loomed over her killed that idea. That and the gun in his hand. She turned her head both ways, searching for an escape route, but all she saw was the gravel road.
Since she wouldn't be able to outrun his car, she tried reasoning with him instead. ”You really don't have to do this, Jeff. Right now, you're only looking at Marco's murder.” Conveniently, she'd left out the part about him killing Ginny Bruno as well.
This time he threw his head back and laughed out loud. ”Apparently, I gave you more credit in the smarts department than you deserve.” He pointed to the hood of the car. ”Climb up there.”
A flash of terror gripped her. ”Why? So you can pick me off like I was an animal?”
His grin faded. ”I'm trying to help you out. Now get up there before you p.i.s.s me off.”
She had no idea what he intended to do, but right now, keeping him talking might buy some time. ”So you went upstairs intending to kill Marco, clearing the way for you to move into the number one spot with Emilio?”
”h.e.l.l no. I didn't want him dead. I only wanted to discredit him in Emilio's eyes. I went up there to use his computer to sabotage the liquor s.h.i.+pment for the festival. I knew that would upset Emilio more than anything. I also knew about his affair with Kate-and about a half dozen other women. I thought for sure when things. .h.i.t the fan at the party with him and Tina, Emilio would think twice about handing over his daughter-and his company-to a man like that.
”I was prepared to marry the woman myself, even though she's not my type. I like my women to turn heads and use her brains for something other than what's on sale at Sak's.” He let his eyes roam up and down her body. ”Under different circ.u.mstances, you and I might have hit it off.”
The thought revolted her but she plunged right in. ”But you were wrong. In a twisted sort of way, Emilio thought Marco would eventually make a good husband for his daughter. In the meantime, not only would his company get a CEO with astute business sense, but Marco's very prosperous holdings in his own family businesses would become part of the Calabrese empire.”
She paused to see how Jeff would react to that and was pleased to see she'd hit a nerve. She'd learned a long time ago in her journalism cla.s.ses that an angry man made mistakes. She might be able to use that to her advantage since time was running out for her.
She decided to try a different technique. ”So were you in the room when Kate and Marco had the fight?”
”I'd just finished sending the liquor s.h.i.+pment to the wrong address when I heard Marco come into the room. Quickly, I ran out on the patio with his laptop and hid behind a huge plant. I needn't have bothered because he was so drunk-and high, according to the coroner-that he probably wouldn't have noticed me anyhow. When Kate came in, I had to stand by silently while he a.s.saulted her. Although it only p.i.s.sed me off more, I still had no intentions of killing him.” He shoved her against the car.
Anxiety formed a hard knot in her stomach. She had to find a way to escape. Frantically, she looked around for something-anything to use as a weapon and screamed when she felt the cold steel of the gun pressing into her back. Using the tire for a step, she was able to lift herself up until she was standing on the hood of the car.
”Jump,” he commanded.
”First tell me why you killed him.”
”I don't have to tell you anything, I'm the one calling the shots here.”
She decided goading him might buy her more time. ”I get it now. You were jealous because Marco was so much more successful that you. The only way to make yourself look good was to get him out of the way.”
The hate in his eyes was not lost on Jordan and for a minute she thought she had gone too far. Then he sighed. ”I never meant to kill the man, but when Kate went into the bathroom, Marco came out on the patio and spotted me behind the planter. He screamed that when he told Emilio, I would be tossed on my a.s.s-or worse. I guess I lost it. Slammed the back of his head with the laptop.” He snorted. ”Don't you think it's kind of ironic that he bit the dust with his own computer, which, by the way, contained all sorts of kiddie p.o.r.n.” His face grew angry again. ”Now jump, Jordan. We've wasted enough time.”
”Carlita Bruno will tell the cops you and I came out to get Ginny?”
”Maybe I really was wrong about you. Maybe you are just a pretty face.” He smirked. ”Do you seriously think I was talking to someone back at the hotel?”
”What makes you think our bodies won't be discovered out here? Sooner or later, the farmer who owns this land will venture out this way. Then your little plan will be shot to h.e.l.l.”
She stared out into the pasture, thinking if he left her here in this hot desolate field to die, just like he'd done to Ginny, she might be able to climb back over the fence and walk back down the gravel road for help.
As if he'd read her mind, he grinned. ”That wire fence may look harmless, but trust me when I tell you that it carries a five thousand volt charge. You might want to stay clear of it unless you want the jolt of your life.”
”I'm still confused about why Ginny would go willingly with you that day, especially if she remembered seeing you go up the stairs that night.”
An evil grin crossed his face. ”I told her that Emilio wanted to sit down with her to talk about operating a side business selling her Italian food and s.h.i.+pping it all over the country.” He tsked. ”The stupid woman would have gone with the Boston Strangler if she thought she'd make money doing it.”
Poor Ginny! Her taste in men as well as her judgment in character left a lot to be desired. But she hadn't deserved the fate she'd received.
Jeff waved the gun in front of her again. ”You have three seconds to jump before I use this.” He chuckled once again before firing the gun, narrowly missing her.
Quickly, she jumped, landing on the hard ground and rolling several times before coming to a stop.
”Sorry, I don't have any sunscreen. Have fun out here, though, and say h.e.l.lo to my black friend,” he said, before getting into his car, making a U-turn, and then speeding back down the road.