After having Destiny checked out by Doc Stevens, they ended up at the sheriff’s office. Dane wanted to hear what else Owen had to say. Finding out that a sixteen-year-old Owen had killed his parents, deliberately gunned them down in cold blood was shocking. Unbelievable.
He opened the door to the sheriff’s office and ushered Destiny in before him. Sally Anne was seated at her desk and glanced up when they walked in. She immediately stood and came over to him, wrapping him in a big hug, and then did the same to Destiny, whose eyes rounded with surprise. He smiled, knowing his gal would have to get used to it. Most folks in Shiloh Springs, once they got to know you, were caring and affectionate, and didn’t have a problem expressing their feelings. Especially Sally Anne because she was considered part of the family, having worked with them for more years than he could count.
“Your brother’s back in the conference room with the prisoner. There’s also a couple of other people back there.” She leaned in and whispered, “You’re not going to believe who one of them is.” Putting a finger to her lips, he knew she was dying to tell him, but had been ordered not to.
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s find out what’s going on.”
He made it about halfway down the hall when he recognized the voice speaking. Son of a gun, what was Brian doing here? He hadn’t seen the man since the whole Tina and Chase kerfuffle, discovering that he’d been one of those his momma called her lost boys.
“I recognize that voice. This should be interesting.”
Pushing open the conference room door, he spotted Rafe standing at the head of the table, his hands flat on the tabletop, leaning forward and talking to…Matthew MacKenna.
Wasn’t that a surprise?
“Come in, Dane, Destiny. You’re part of this and deserve to hear what Mr. MacKenna has to say.”
“Dad, don’t do this. I already confessed—”
“Son, not another word. No more cover ups, no more lies. Thomas, I mean Dane, you deserve to know what really happened. I’ve held onto the truth of that night for over twenty-five years. We didn’t know you were alive. When you disappeared, I hired a PI company to look for you. They coordinated with the head of security at MacKenna-Duncan.” Matthew MacKenna shook his head, shoulders slumped. He seemed to age before Dane’s eyes, guilt and despair written on his face.
He pulled out a chair, and helped Destiny into it, before sinking onto the chair beside it. From the sound of things, they were going to be there for a while.
“Can we start from the beginning? Owen admitted to shooting my parents. Over money.” Dane couldn’t keep the anger in his words from boiling to the top. He hadn’t wanted the money. Couldn’t care less about it. He’d lived his entire life without the millions his biological parents had. Learned from the Boudreaus what was really important in life, and it didn’t start or end with dollar signs.
“Don’t blame my father. He didn’t know what I planned. Not until it was too late.” Owen leaned back in his chair and scrubbed his hands over his face. The shiny metallic handcuffs encircling his wrists sent a wave of satisfaction through Dane.
“If I had, maybe I could have stopped what happened. My best friend, his wife, gunned down because of a stupid mistake.”
“What kind of mistake, Mr. MacKenna?” Rafe asked.
“Peter Duncan and I started MacKenna-Duncan. Right from the start, we knew we’d struck gold. The company flourished and grew to the point we couldn’t keep up with its success. Peter was the brains. He could analyze and make anything. Give him two pieces of wire and a stick of chewing gum, and he could design something amazing. I couldn’t match his skills or his desire to create. He was a bona fide genius. I had a different skill set. I knew people, had connections to money men. I’d always been called a born salesperson, and I became the money guy.”
“So, what changed? Owen said my father wanted to sell the company. That he wanted to spend more time with his family.” He slammed his fist onto the table, causing it to shake. “How was it wrong to want to enjoy a family life with his wife and son? There’s no justifying killing a man because he loved them.”
“What are you talking about? Peter didn’t want to sell the company. We planned on opening two new branches, one in New York and one in London. Nobody was talking about selling.”
“That’s not right, Dad. I heard you talking. Peter said he was pulling everything out of the company, all his shares. It would have bankrupted us.”
Matthew’s eyes widened and he started choking. Destiny jumped from her chair and pounded him on the back. After a bout of coughing, he reached toward his son. “That wasn’t what he said, Owen. Nobody was selling the company. We talked about setting aside a portion of the company for you. You and Thomas. We planned on transferring a block of stock into a trust for you both, to make sure you were taken care of financially for the rest of your lives.”
Owen shook his head, vehemently denying his father’s explanation. “That’s not right! I know what I heard. You were yelling, shouting about everything falling apart if he sold. Don’t lie.”
Matthew closed his eyes, his expression pained. “We fought about selling a large block of shares, not the company. Peter wanted to diversify his portfolio, to invest in some risky stock. I told him he was making a mistake. We were still too new a company to pull in the old guard investors. He’d never have gotten what the shares were worth. I got Peter to agree to talk with our CFO, and get the trusts set up in a way that didn’t endanger anybody outside the company picking up more shares than we could afford to sell.”
“But…no…that’s not right. He was going to sell the company. I know what I heard. He was going to steal away your future, our future. I couldn’t let that happen.”
Dane sat silent, watching the interaction between the two men he’d hated for so long, and felt nothing but pity. How many lives had been destroyed because of a teenager’s mistake?
Matthew turned to face Dane, his expression pleading. “Owen called me in a panic after he’d killed your parents. He was crying, pleading with me for help. What was I supposed to do? He was sixteen years old.”
“You helped him cover up what he’d done, didn’t you? Somehow made it look like a home invasion gone wrong. He killed your best friend. Your business partner. He killed my mother. How do you justify murder?”
Destiny slid her hand into his, squeezing tight. He silently admitted he was glad to have her at his side. Without her there, he might have lost it, but he had to be strong for her. She’d endured enough for one day, coming so close to losing her life. It scared him, how he might have missed out on the best thing to ever happen to him. All because of a lie.
“He’s my son. I couldn’t let him go to prison. I immediately came when he called me. It was too late for either of them; they were gone. I searched for you, I swear. Combed the house from top to bottom, but you were gone. I really did search for you, Thomas—Dane—but never had a clue what happened to you.”
“Tell me what you did, Mr. MacKenna,” Rafe said. “We need to know everything. Did somebody help you tamper with the evidence to make it look like they were killed by a burglar? Forensically, it couldn’t have been easy.”
“Jerrold Greenspan, our head of security at the time, helped me. He was a former detective for the Denver Police Department. We hired him when the company got big enough to need a physical building and staff. I knew I could count on him. Peter never knew because he left all the hiring decisions to me, but Jerrold left the DPD under less-than-ideal circumstances. There were unsubstantiated rumors about his taking bribes from drug dealers and looking the other way for enough money. He could be manipulated for the right price and knew his way around contaminating any possible DNA evidence.”
Dane leaned forward and stared at Matthew. “You’re using the past tense when describing him. Is he dead?”
“Yes, heart attack, three years ago. I have to admit, I didn’t mourn him or his constant demands for money to keep his mouth shut.” MacKenna made a moue of distaste, and Dane marveled at the older man’s inability to see his hypocrisy.
“You’ve hidden the truth for over twenty-five years.” Rafe towered over Matthew, and he shrugged.
“Which one of you discovered Dane’s real identity?” Destiny asked the question Dane wanted to ask, but he’d waited, wanting to hear what kind of excuse Matthew might give.
“That was me.” Owen gave her a little wave from across the table, handcuffs encircling his wrists. “Because I’m a paranoid fool. I’ve always suspected Thomas was still alive, and he’d show up one day and tear everything down from the roots up. I’ve had a computer expert who’s a pretty darn good hacker, keeping tabs on anybody accessing information on my dad or me. When Dane started digging, it set off an alert.”
“And you immediately assumed it was Peter Duncan’s missing son? Seems like a pretty big stretch.”
“Sheriff, I said I was paranoid, not stupid. I had the PI come to Shiloh Springs and get DNA from your brother. Had it tested against Peter’s. There’s absolutely no doubt he’s Thomas Elliot Duncan.”
“I’ve heard enough.” Dane rose and shoved his chair back hard enough it slammed into the wall. “Rafe, I don’t care what happens with either of them. That part of my life is over. Let the Denver PD or the feds handle it.”
Brian moved away from the wall and leaned his hip on the edge of the big conference table. He’d remained silent the entire time Matthew and Owen had been revealing all the facts about his biological parents’ deaths. So quiet, Dane had all but forgotten he was there.
“We’re not finished, Dane. Still a few things you need to know before the MacKennas get turned over to pay for their crimes.”
“Why are you here, exactly? You’re turning into the proverbial bad penny, showing up in the middle of the action. Don’t tell me, you’re smack dab in the middle of this, too?”
Destiny leaned closer and whispered, “Who is he?”
“Sorry, sweetheart, I forgot you hadn’t met him. His name’s Brian, and a long time ago, he was one of the lost boys who lived at the Big House.” He saw the surprise on her face and could almost see the wheels in her head turning, working out what that entailed. Though she’d never met him, he’d bet his momma had talked about the FBI agent who’d kidnapped Chase’s fiancée, Tina, in a convoluted scheme to keep her from being killed.
“Ms. Smith, nice to meet you. Congratulations on your marriage. The ceremony was lovely.”
Dane shot him a glare. “You were there?”
Brian smirked. “I’m just glad I didn’t see you in your underwear.”
Dane heard Rafe’s choked back laugh and shot him an I’ll-tell-you-later look.
“I’ve got a buddy at work who owes me a favor. He lets me know whenever there’s any suspicious activity associated with certain names.”
Destiny punched Dane in the arm. “See, I’m not the only one who’s checking up on you.” She turned to Brian, shooting him a smile. “You saw the notice about the contract on his life, didn’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am. I got the go-ahead from my bosses to accept the contract, and get it blacklisted, so nobody else could accept it. Somebody less scrupulous, who’d have no problem putting a bullet between your husband’s eyes.”
“Are you the one who took a potshot at me?”
Brian scowled. “No. Somebody shot at you? When did that happen?”
“About two weeks before Destiny told me about the contract. If it wasn’t you, it must’ve been somebody being where they didn’t belong. Happens sometimes. Usually a hunter straying onto land where they shouldn’t be.”
Rafe dragged a hand through his hair. “Anybody else feel like they’ve fallen down the rabbit hole? Brian, when you say your bosses gave the okay, you’re talking about the FBI?”
“What? He’s a fed?” Owen’s head fell forward to rest against the table. “I hired a fed, thinking he was an assassin? Might as well throw me under the jail now because I’m dead meat.”
“People, people. Let’s focus. Brian, you talk. Everybody else, shut up.” Destiny waved a hand toward Brian, as if she hadn’t just told him to continue. Dane noted the twinkle in the other man’s eyes and realized why his momma liked him so much. He vaguely remembered Brian, but he’d been young enough and still too scared that the rug would be pulled out from under his new life to pay much attention, and before he knew it Brian was gone. Too bad he hadn’t been able to stick around the Big House longer when he’d been a kid. He’d have fit right in with his brothers.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ve worked undercover in similar cases. You want more details, you can talk to your husband or Rafe. But this case was personal, so I took a keen interest in keeping Dane alive. I’ve tracked his every move, while coordinating the mercenary contract with MacKenna Junior here.” He reached over and popped Owen in the back of his head.
“Hey!”
“I fed Junior just enough info for him to think I was doing the job. I have to admit, I was surprised to find out they wanted you dead because of your real identity. Don’t be surprised when the feds come around, because there’s going to be a lot of people going down in this case. Not to mention the SEC and a bunch of other agencies with alphabet names.” And you,” Brian pointed at Dane, “you were looking in the wrong place, chasing the wrong person.”
Dane stared at the other man, realizing he’d been played by an expert. “You’re the one who sent the note. The one with the URL that pointed me onto a different course.”
“Now you’re getting the whole picture, bud. By the way, lose that URL. You never saw it. Delete it from your computers.” He shot a glance toward Destiny, and she nodded.
Rafe straightened from where he’d leaned against the wall during Brian’s recitation. “I think we’re about done here. Everybody will have to make official statements, so be prepared to come back. Owen, Matthew, you’ve both been read your rights, but I’d strongly suggest you talk with your lawyers. Yes, I know you waived your rights at the beginning of this interview, but in light of the disclosures made, I’m advising you to reconsider. Brian, do your bosses need a copy of the video of this interview?”
“Definitely.”
“Alright, anybody who’s not a MacKenna, go home. I’ve got a ton of work to do.”
“Excellent.” Brian headed for the door. “Think I’ll check in with your mother while I’m in town.” Shooting Dane a jaunty salute and winking at Destiny, he strode out.
Dane stood and offered his hand to Destiny. “Sweetheart, let’s go home. We’ve got a lot of talking to do.”
“We do, but only one thing matters. Tell me again that you love me. Nothing else matters. We’ll get through anything together, as long as there’s love.”