Pulse pounding in her throat, Elissa huddled in what she could only guess was a waiting room.
In the adjoining chamber, Sterling cleared his throat. Loudly. “The executor is here and will explain everything.”
Eyes hardened and serious, Cole disappeared through a smaller door into another room, not the one Sterling occupied. What was going on? Elissa moved to follow, but the door swung open, revealing Cole and …
“Mr. Shelby,” she whispered, her heart stopping cold.
Or was it? She squinted at the man who looked identical to the dead inventor but had black hair instead of gray and a bandage on his temple. No, she was definitely gaping at the real Mr. Shelby.
The supposed dead man tipped his hat to her.
Cole flashed her a dashing smile, snapping her back into reality, putting her feet into motion. No way was she missing any of this. Cole must’ve read her mind, for he grabbed her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm, his muscle tight under her fingertips. He inclined his head to her. “Shelby was the intruder at my apartment. Apparently, I had something of his.”
Before Elissa could respond, Mr. Shelby strode into the large adjoining chamber.
Mrs. Shelby yelped and then fainted, slumping in her chair. Cole rushed over, catching the woman before she collapsed onto the floor. Jeffrey launched to his feet. The woman Elissa supposed to be Miss Kerns gasped then threw a hand over her mouth. The broad man with the hideous tie—the lawyer, maybe?—blanched whiter than the papers he clutched.
“Father!” Jeffrey spoke first. “You’re …” A sob ripped free. “Alive.”
Was the son’s emotional declaration because of joy or guilt?
“Indeed, he is.” Sterling nodded, eyes pensive and chest expanded. “Which is why you all have been summoned here.”
Several men in suits brushed past Elissa and invaded the room, the air thinning and hot with emotion. Cole assisted Mrs. Shelby back into her chair. Though her body quaked, and her eyes blinked rapidly, the woman remained seated.
“Even though Shelby is alive, there is a murderer in this room.” Sterling’s gaze swept the space. “And the only man who can identify the killer is the intended victim.” He set his intense stare on Mr. Shelby. “Now’s your turn to explain.”
Shelby gave a tight nod and gazed lovingly at his wife—now quietly weeping.
“It’s okay, Anna.” Shelby gave a tight smile. “I realize my presence here is a shock.”
“But …” Mrs. Shelby’s quiet protest drew every pair of eyes. “Someone died. There was a body.”
Sterling stepped forward. “Matthew Young was the unfortunate victim, ma’am. His real name was Marcus Jenkins. Not Shelby’s lab assistant, but a man employed by the United States government.”
“My project was top secret. I couldn’t tell you, Anna.” Mr. Shelby’s face darkened, sadness creeping into his eyes. “Marcus was helping me determine who was after my propeller plans. The Halloway Building on Garson Street had been the meeting place for the thieves. The day of the explosion, they had intended to sell the last installment. Too bad the plans were falsified.”
“Wait.” Disbelief still registered on Jeffrey’s features, and he blinked as if trying to make sense of it all. “You made fake plans? Why?”
“To catch them in the act.” Shelby glowered. “I was to meet Marcus at the Halloway Building that night, but he arrived first to snoop around. He used my walking stick—I’d installed a lock pick on the topper just for that occasion. The killers thought it was me and believed since the propeller drawings were safely in their hands, they would dispose of me with a time bomb. The perfect opportunity to complete their plan.” His stare turned flinty. “But let me clarify, there is not a new will. I was supposed to write one, but I didn’t get the chance. The killer didn’t want me to.”
“You’re not making sense, Dan.” MacAfferty leaned forward in his chair, his neck mottled red. “One minute you’re talking about secret plans, and now the will?”
Mr. Shelby glowered. “Let me clarify everything for you, Paul, but somehow I think you know the answers.”
“What’s that mean?” Mrs. Shelby spoke up.
“It means, love, that the will was intended to include a new member of our family, who is to arrive in about nine months.” He leveled his gaze at Jeffrey. “I overreacted the last time we talked, son. You came to me in earnest with news about your wife.” He pressed his lips together, flattening his mustache. “Yes, I was angry, but there was no chance of me disinheriting you or your family. Your wife is welcome in my home, and so is your child.”
Child? Elissa swallowed.
Mrs. Shelby gaped at her son, eyes wide as Miss Kerns’ had been a few moments ago. “Doris is with child?” She pressed a hand to her cheek. “So that’s what the will was about, Dan? You weren’t cutting Jeffrey and me out?”
“You?” Mr. Shelby smiled tenderly at his wife. “Anna, you’re my very soul. I could never do such a thing.”
“But your affair?” Her hopeful expression pierced Elissa’s heart. “The divorce?”
Mr. Shelby sharpened his stare on Miss Kerns, whose complexion turned scarlet. “There was no affair. Miss Kerns was my secretary, possessing a character by which I’d been deceived.” His cold tone enforced his words. “But she had help, didn’t she, MacAfferty?”
“What do you mean, Dan?” The lawyer tugged his collar, face pinching. “I told you from the start not to hire her. There were questions concerning her morals.”
Miss Kerns jerked her head toward the attorney, her finger slicing the air, pointing. “Liar! You’re lying! You got me the job!”
“Enough!” Sterling bellowed over the clamor, moving behind MacAfferty.
“Enjoying the show?” Cole sidled beside Elissa. “I should’ve brought my notepad. You wouldn’t happen to have yours, would you?”
Of course she did. She never went anywhere without it. She offered it to him, but he shook his head. “You do it, Spark.” He whispered in her ear and then kissed it.
She quickly jotted the information and flipped to a fresh page.
Cole nudged her shoulder. “Note that Shelby’s real propeller plans were scribed on the back of my science test. Clever, huh?” He winked at her.
“It was all a deception.” Mr. Shelby spoke above the voices. “MacAfferty invented the idea of the new will involving Miss Kerns. To deflect suspicion. To provide a different explanation for the murder. Worked pretty well until you realized my plans were fake, right, Paul?”
“You’re mad!” MacAfferty began to rise, but Sterling set a hand on his shoulder, keeping him seated. “There’s no truth to what you’re saying.”
Sterling raised a palm, gaze sharpening on MacAfferty. “It’s easy to clear up. All I have to do is escort you to Garson Street. There was an eye witness who claimed to see both you”—he slid his stare to Miss Kerns— “and you, near the time of the murder.”
Elissa breathed out, thankful she’d told Sterling the other day about her visit to Bootlegger Alley and the hobo she’d encountered there.
“I may have gotten the wrong person at first.” MacAfferty launched to his feet, pulled a pistol from his jacket, and aimed at Shelby. “But I won’t now.”
The gun fired. Mr. Shelby crumpled to the ground. Screams pierced, and gunpowder hazed the air. Elissa jumped behind the door.
“Dan!” Mrs. Shelby reached toward her husband, but MacAfferty caught her by the arm, holding the gun to her head.
“Drop your weapon, MacAfferty!” Sterling aimed his pistol at the lawyer.
“Let her go!” Mr. Shelby shifted to a kneeling position, the bullet hole in his shirt revealing a tightly woven silk underlay.
“Japanese body armor vest, Dan?” MacAfferty sneered. “Too bad you didn’t make one for Anna.”
“I’ll surrender the plans in exchange for her.” He withdrew the paper and waved it frantically.
“Too late.” MacAfferty pulled the gun’s hammer back, the click chilling Elissa’s blood. “The foreign power cancelled the purchase.” He snorted, and a bead of sweat dripped from his brow. “Your plans are worthless to me now. Let me leave, and I’ll let her live.”
“Paul! Please!” Mrs. Shelby’s cry echoed off the walls.
MacAfferty dragged his captive toward the exit, his back toward Elissa.
Elissa held her breath, crouching behind the door. Should she run for help? No doubt the brute would notice her then. Her trembling hand slipped inside her bag, sliding out the gun lighter she’d swiped from Mr. Shelby’s office.
MacAfferty stilled in the doorway, only a couple feet from Elissa. “I’ll set her free as soon as I’m sure of my safe getaway.”
The cops approached him with their guns pointed.
“Drop them, or I’ll squeeze the trigger. Who’s to stop me?”
Elissa shoved the barrel into MacAfferty’s vertebrae. “Me.”
He cussed and turned his gun on Elissa.
Cole lunged at him, taking them both to the ground.
A shot fractured the air.
Sterling’s men piled onto MacAfferty, and Cole rolled to the side, covered in blood.
His.