Long Shadows

Chapter 57

I​t was midnight when they pulled to a stop in the parking lot of a bargain-rate motel outside of Naples.

He looked at her, but Roe stared straight ahead.

“Okay,” he said.

She turned to look at him. “I know that Alan Draymont was not a good person.”

“You know personally?”

She nodded.

“Because he was blackmailing you?”

She nodded again.

“How?” he asked.

“You’re with the FBI.”

“So it’s something illegal on your part?”

She remained rigid. “No, but it’s not... something I’m proud of, either.”

“Was Lancer involved as well?”

“What do you think?”

“They seemed to be quite the team, so my bet is yes. Two nasty peas in a pod.” He looked at the motel. “What was the price you paid for them to keep your secret?”

“Payment was made in... several ways.”

“One of them being here, with you doing something with Draymont you didn’t want to do? In bed?”

She swallowed, perhaps choking back a sob. If he hadn’t been watching her closely, Decker would have missed the barely perceptible nod of her head.

“How did Draymont find out?”

“I don’t know for certain. He might have followed me.”

“Followed you to where you did what you’re not proud of?”

She let out a long breath and turned to him. “I went to the home of a wealthy, politically powerful, and married person in Miami. Later, Draymont showed me pictures, and recordings of... me and the person engaged in... certain acts. I have no idea how he managed that. I was quite shocked when he showed me.”

“And did you know that Draymont and Lancer had a blackmail business going, in addition to what they had on you? And you looked the other way because they had you nailed to the wall, too?”

Tears seeped out from under her closed eyelids.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” said Decker. “And that was the other form of payment? You not exposing them?”

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t really push all that hard when the necklace went missing, did you? You said you confronted Lancer but you really didn’t, did you?”

“No, I didn’t. But I was upset. It was my business. At least with the blackmail they could keep their identities secret from their victims.”

“But they didn’t keep it secret from you. Draymont wanted you in his bed and they needed you to cover for their blackmail scheme.”

“When you say it like that my culpability seems staggering.”

“You realize that with blackmail it’s a crime that keeps on giving, right?”

“I have handled blackmail cases on behalf of clients, so, yes, I am aware of that.” She paused to wipe her eyes. “I just never imagined it would happen to me.”

He sat back in his seat and let out a long sigh.

“Well?” she said, looking over at him. “Do you have anything to say?”

“Yeah. Now the payments have stopped. And you clearly had a motive to kill both Draymont and Lancer.”

She leaned her head against the window. “I guess you’re right about that.”

“But if you did kill them, why come here and confess all this to me? If you had kept quiet no one ever would have known. You would have been free and clear.”

“But not up here,” said Roe, touching her temple.

“So why did you tell me?”

“I guess because if I want you to help me, I can’t withhold the truth from you.”

“You mean, not anymore, since you’ve been doing a real good job of it up till now.”

“What are you going to do with what I’ve told you?”

“If you’re worried about me exposing your secret, stop. I won’t unless I have to in order to solve my case. I don’t get kicks out of embarrassing people just for the hell of it. Now, on the blackmail piece I guess I could nail you as an accessory, but I’m down here to solve a series of murders, not get bogged down in that shit.”

“I guess that’s the best I could have hoped for.”

“Do you love this married person?”

“I thought I did. But then I found out I was just a brief diversion from a troubled marriage.”

“I’m sorry.”

“If my father had ever known... it would have killed him. He was a very religious man. Adultery is a mortal sin.”

“I’m not saying what you did was right. But you have to lead your own life, not the one your father may have wanted for you.”

“It’s... difficult to meet men when you’re...”

“...a highly successful woman? Yeah, I’ve seen that. Not your problem, though. The fault lies with the guys. But we’re not all like that, just so you know.”

“But the results of their shortcomings impact squarely on women like me.”

“I guess so. But the world of dating is not exactly my field of expertise.”

“But catching killers is. And since Draymont and Lancer were blackmailing people, their targets would have motivation to kill them.”

“Yes, they would. Do you have information to share on that score?”

“I might. Under certain conditions.”

“Such as?”

“Such as you doing more to find out what happened to my father.”

“Okay. Deal.”

She looked surprised. “I didn’t think you would give up that easily.”

“I didn’t give up squat.”

“I don’t understand,” she said, clearly confused.

“I think whatever happened to your father is connected to my case. So if I solve one, I’ll solve the other.”

“How can you be so sure about that?”

“The currency of blackmail is money. Lancer and Draymont were in that business. The problem is they ran into a mark that bit back, hard. And stuffed that currency right down their throats. But not any old money; they used the currency of your father’s homeland. So I’m thinking whatever Lancer and Draymont had on whoever killed them ties right back to Kanak Roe.”