“And as you know, we never forget. Anything.”
Leopold said, “And you don’t get off that easy.”
He duct-taped the wound, though blood continued to bubble along the edges.
Ashen-faced, Decker lifted his head.
Wyatt was staring at him. “So you think his fucking life was ruined? Is that what you think?”
“Not as much as yours, no,” gasped Decker, spitting vomit out of his mouth. Things were starting to accelerate now. He could afford no more mistakes. He eyed Leopold. “How many people like Belinda have you helped find justice?”
“Not enough.”
Decker used his mind to compartmentalize, to will the effects of the pain away, for just a few minutes. He needed clarity of thought. He needed to be able to say what he needed to say. Otherwise, it was over.
“It was good that you were in jail when the murders happened. To my family and at the high school. The judge let you go because you had an ironclad alibi.”
Leopold said, “My friend here wanted to do the honors. It was only right.”
“So, contrary to what you said, you don’t do everything together. Not when it comes to the actual crimes. We have evidence against Belinda, physical evidence, but nothing against you.”
“You have nothing against me,” said Wyatt sharply.
“Your parents were murdered. The doctor who attended you at the institute was murdered. I understand why you killed him. He took advantage of you. Another supposed protector who hurt you. And you left your handwriting at multiple places. And we got your print off the mop bucket at the 7-Eleven. And another from the bathroom at the bar where you were working as a waitress.” Most of this was a lie, but it didn’t matter. He looked at Leopold. “But nothing on this guy. But like he said, you wanted to do the honors while he stayed safely in the background.”
Leopold stood and gazed at Wyatt. “I think it’s time to end this.”
Decker quickly said, “Clyde Evers paid your parents six million dollars to keep quiet about what his son did to you. The house in Colorado cost one-point-eight million. They didn’t make any improvements to it. We checked their financial records. Their expense burn rate was only about twenty percent of the amounts thrown off by their investment portfolio. The rest just accumulated over time. Stocks did well. By the time you killed them they had over ten million in liquid assets. But someone got his hands on the authorization codes to start taking money out. About a million a month and counting over the last nine months. It’s almost all gone now. Did you take it, Belinda?”
“That was bribe money to keep my parents quiet. And they told me if I said anything they would make sure the whole world knew I was a freak. They’d…they’d taken pictures of me down there. They said they would send it to the newspapers. So no, I didn’t take the money. I didn’t want that…that blood money. My blood!”
“So I wonder where that cash went? Maybe your buddy here knows.”
Wyatt’s gaze darted to Leopold and then back at Decker.
“I don’t understand anything you’re talking about,” Wyatt said mechanically.
“Leopold has apparently helped lots of folks with ‘Justice Denied.’ And the folks he helps have two things happen to them. First, whatever money is around disappears. Second, the friend he’s helping ends up dead.”
Decker had no idea if this was true, but he suspected that it was. That outflow of cash from the Wyatts’ account had to have gone somewhere. And he doubted that Leopold would want the “heir” around to find out. When he looked at Leopold the expression on the man’s face told him that he was right.
Decker said, “And did he tell you that his family was murdered? Wife and daughter?”
“They were murdered,” said Wyatt.
“Yes, they were.”
“By cops.”
“No, not by cops. He killed them.”
Decker heard the hammer of the gun being pulled back.
“Sebastian?” said Wyatt weakly.
That was not what Decker wanted to hear. That was not going to cut it.
“He’s full of shit,” said Leopold.
That was also not going to cut it.
Decker barked, “You killed all those people, Belinda. But there were gaps. Nearly twenty years go by and then you kidnap Giles Evers. Then you come and kill my family. Who was next? Your parents? Chris Sizemore? Then a gap. Then Mansfield. And then Nora Lafferty.”