Page 24 of Blood on the Rocks

Chapter 12

Her hand shookas she reached for her cell phone and called the number on the card she had retrieved from her overstuffed wallet. It was given to her by Detective Christopher Williams during their first encounter, and he had told her that if she needed him for anything at all, she could call him, no matter what time it was. Since it was close to noon, Seraphina doubted that she would be interrupting anything, except perhaps lunch, but she didn’t really care all that much about etiquette right now.

She knew what happened. She knew. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it before, but now that she did, it was so obvious. Those rumors, even the suspicion around Brandon Thorpe, it all came from one person. The puzzle was finally complete. The mystery was finally solved.

And once she got off the phone with Detective Williams, she would call Katella. Though would a phone call be a smart idea? Perhaps she should just go over to Katella’s office and tell her sister in person.

Hmm.

Well, if it was Seraphina, she’d want to know as soon as possible. By phone – and not a text message. If Katella didn’t answer, she’d drive over there.

There had been three rings. With every second, Seraphina could feel her heart beat increase more and more that she felt her chest vibrate.

Why wasn’t he answering? Until finally, “This is Detective Williams.”

“Detective?” Seraphina knew she sounded crazy, maybe even shrill, but at that point, she didn’t care.

She didn’t know why, but she felt as though she needed to tell Detective Williams everything she knew all in one breath. “It’s Seraphina Hanson. I know who killed my grandfather. It was” –

“Seraphina?” came his slow voice. “What’s wrong? Slow down.”

“ – and he used his cane to knock Papa out” –

“I can’t understand you,” Williams said. “You have to slow down. Seraphina, I can’t understand you.”

“ – started the rumors about Papa wanting to sell the team” –

“Seraphina?” This time, it was a familiar voice though not on the other end of the line. This one belonged to the man that had just left her office minutes ago, now back, and with a gun pointing at Seraphina. “Please. Hang up the phone. Oh, and I wouldn’t say anything else either.”

Seraphina felt her entire body freeze that it took her a while before Simon Spade’s words sunk in. She managed to swallow, and with even shakier hands, she closed the phone. It dropped from her fingers due to the fact that she couldn’t control her body’s reaction at seeing him standing there with a gun. She grabbed her shaky hand with her other one, hoping that she might be able to calm herself down.

“I was just talking to Katella,” she said. Her voice didn’t sound like herself; it sounded low and scared and detached.

He smiled at her statement. It was warm, like all his smiles were. “I don’t believe you,” he said in a calm voice. “We both know that you’re lying.” He stepped into the office, but for whatever reason, didn’t think to close the door behind him. Maybe it was because one hand held the gun while the other held onto his cane. Maybe it was because there were probably only three or four people here – besides Seraphina herself – thanks to the away game that would take place that evening. And Simon would know that, thanks to his long, professional relationship with Papa. Maybe he was just cocky. Probably all three.

“See, that’s how I know you are your grandfather’s granddaughter,” Simon continued. Seraphina didn’t understand how someone with such a nice, relaxed voice could be a cold-blooded killer. “Honesty runs through the family. Your grandfather couldn’t lie to save his life, and now I see that you’ve inherited that trait from him.”

Seraphina pressed her lips together. She wasn’t sure if the fact that she hadn’t screamed was a good or a bad thing. People might have heard her and come to her aide – maybe, if the four people that were here would actually hear her and actually think to come looking to see if there was anything wrong – but Simon might have shot her had she made any noise.

At least she knew how she’d react in a life or death situation; her entire body stood rigid, like a rock, but definitely not as strong.

Right now, she couldn’t think, couldn’t move, couldn’t speak.

“I’m not sure if you’ve been told this before, Miss Hanson,” Simon continued. He didn’t come any closer, but he was blocking the door – the only way in and out – so she couldn’t escape even if Seraphina had thought to. “But you have incredibly expressive eyes. And they, in turn, cause your entire face to react to something. I knew the instant you realized what happened to your grandfather. I realized my mistake in that moment, so I had to regroup. Luckily, I always carry this” – he tilted the gun so Seraphina would know it was what he was talking about – “in case of an emergencies. I’m an old man, Miss Hanson, and can’t protect myself. I started wearing it after your grandfather passed. Just in case.”

This time, the smile on Simon’s face wasn’t warm; this time, it was sardonic.

“So I left, just for a moment, so I could come back prepared,” he said. “And luckily I did, because you wasted no time getting on the phone, now did you? Admitting that Ken told me he was going to retire was my only flaw, you see? And maybe if I had kept my mouth shut, you wouldn’t be in your current predicament. For that, I apologize. But things happen for a reason. I slipped up, and if you would like to psychoanalyze me, I would not stop you.

“Telling you about Ken’s supposed plan to retire was my undoing because his granddaughter would never have made such a decision without getting your opinion on it first. He told me how he would seek your advice about problems he was facing about the team, the players, so he wouldn’t actually think about selling the team without at least talking to you about it first. And I know Ken’s character, and Ken would never have retired unless health complications forced him to or if you and your sister asked him to. Not even spending more time with the two of you would be enough to get Ken to sell the team and retire.

“Well, I can admire a working man. A man who earned every cent he ever made and went on to make himself a multi-millionaire, coming from absolutely nothing. But I am not like your grandfather. I want to retire a wealthy man – poor, in comparison to Ken, of course, but wealthy when compared to normal people – and spend more time with my family, who I rarely get to see myself.”

Seraphina swallowed again. She didn’t know what else to do. She couldn’t concentrate on one thought at a time due to her eyes always looking at the gun pointing at her torso. Her entire body was tense as if it had already prepared for the gun to go off, but as of yet, nothing.

So she forced herself to listen. Just in case she survived this thing and needed to retell it.

“The team, as you well know now, was losing money,” he said. “Is losing money, I should say. Though, what with all the controversy surrounding Ken’s death, business has picked up. But it wouldn’t have, had I not killed your grandfather. At the time, the team was losing money which meant I was losing money. Of course, your grandfather wasn’t worried, but why should he be? He has plenty of money to his name. I, on the other hand, could not afford such a decrease in my finances. Selling the team would have been the best way to get rid of a sinking ship. And what with Brandon Thorpe asking for even more money and the fact that your grandfather was actually considering this young, arrogant fool, I had to take matters into my own hands.”

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