Page 87 of A Haunting at Keystone Manor

“Ms. Danver has received immunity in exchange for her testimony and turning over evidence leading to the closure of this case. Once we find the bodies she described, she’ll have fulfilled her obligations and will be free to do as she pleases.”

“How did she get immunity anyway? She killed multiple people, right? Normally you guys don’t just let killers walk free, unless—” No Alex, don’t go there in front of a cop! I clear my throat.

“I looked into her case personally. The cops that initially collected the evidence didn’t follow proper chain of command. They also “lost” key surveillance footage. Not much of a case after the judge gutted most of it. In any event, we have bigger fish to fry. We’re building a RICO case against Elder Covington and his associates. Corruption in this department runs deep, but not all of us are on someone’s payroll.”

“So you don’t mind that a potential murderer is going to be set free?”

“Not sure what you mean, kid. This looks like an open and shut case of gang related violence. One of the victims, Andrei Sarkovski, was known Russian mafia. Had a rap sheet longer than my arm and was wanted by Interpol before his… tragic death. Ms. Danver testified that she saw another Russian beat him to death with a paper weight, after Mr. Sarkovski killed her fiancé, Jake. I guess we’ll never know for sure, as that evidence went missing. Point is, if the mafia want to take each other out, they can be my guest. We have more pressing matters to deal with. I’m just here to dot some t’s and cross some I’s.”

Fiancé? Kayla, you dog. I fail to keep a grin off my face. I can’t wait to tell Jake about that.

“Well, I appreciate your dedication to justice, Detective. Let me know if you need anything else,” I say.

He gives me a little mock salute and starts to head out, but before he gets to the door he turns. “You wouldn’t happen to know the whereabouts of Elder Covington, would you? We haven’t been able to locate him. I heard on the grapevine that the FBI may want to speak with him as well.”

Giving him a look that I hope comes off as genuine shock, I say, “No, I haven’t seen him in months. Maybe he fled the country? If I pissed off a bunch of rich people, that’s what I would do,” I say innocently.

He eyes me for a moment before nodding. “Maybe so, son. Thanks for your time.”

As he walks out the door, I look at Brandon in shock. “Her fucking fiancé, Brandon! Did you hear that? The audacity…”

He just shrugs. “She’s a sly one, that Kayla,” he says with a dopey grin on his face.

“Get back to work!” I screech in horror, slapping the desk.

Chapter forty-three

Breaking Ties

Jake

Things have been crazy at the hotel over the past few days. We shut down the hotel, and the police have been busy digging up bodies. It’s hard to believe how many victims are scattered around this place. It makes me uneasy to think about, but Alex is already brainstorming ways to market this to our advantage.

The last thing I need today is to see my estranged mother walk through the door. “Mom, what are you doing here?” I ask in shock when I see her standing in the lobby. She looks so unlike her usual put together and glamorous self. The version standing before me looks small and tired.

“Your father hasn’t come home. He said he was coming here to… anyway. He isn’t returning my calls, and we have investors knocking on our doors, asking questions about their cashflow.” She puts a hand to her forehead. “I can’t deal with this stuff, honey. Where’s your father?”

“He’s dead,” I say simply. She stares at me with wide eyes, frozen in place.

“What do you mean, dead? What have you done to my husband?” she demands.

“I didn’t do shit to your husband, mom. He came here to force me home to marry Katerina, and to steal this business. I gave him every chance to walk away and leave us alone. He put a gun to my head and tried to kill me. He tazed Sasha and threatened to hurt Alex. Sasha shot him in self-defense.”

Tears well in her eyes, and I just roll mine. “Don’t act like you care about him. Or me. In fact, you can leave now; there’s no place for you here. I have a new family that cares about me, and I care about them very much.”

“Honey,” she says, walking towards me. “Your father was very stressed out. A lot of his business partners were asking for money, he was in hot water with the Russians, then there’s the police investigation. We’re hanging on by a thread right now. Everything we’ve worked for, everything we’ve built, could come crashing down at any second. I’m going to lose everything.”

“Not my problem, sorry. Whatever mess you’ve gotten yourselves into, you can figure out a way to get out of it. I’ll tell you the same thing I told your husband: you can’t have this hotel. It’s mine. It’s been mine since he put it in my name to hide his involvement in your money laundering. I’m not giving it back, and I’m not giving you money just so you can save face to your rich friends. You’re not welcome here. We’ve turned this place into a legitimate business, something to be proud of. There is a whole group of people that stay here and love this property. It’s become a safe haven for them instead of a criminal enterprise, and I won’t jeopardize that for anything.” I’m being harsh on her, she didn’t ask for any of his bullshit, but she was complicit in it all the same.

She takes another step towards me and reaches out, but I step back and put up a hand to stop her. “Don’t touch me.”

“Jacob, why are you acting like this? Your father has done nothing but try to give you everything you could ever want. Andrei—”

I scoff, interrupting her. “Don’t finish that sentence, please. He abused me, and you were going to force me to marry his daughter. I never wanted your money. The only thing I ever wanted from you was your love, or at the very least your attention. But if I wasn’t useful to you, I didn’t exist.”

My temper is rising and I just want her to leave. She’ll never understand what she denied me. I couldn’t care less about money or power and she’ll never understand that.

“You have turned into such an ungrateful little brat. Andrei tried so hard to help you—”