Page 111 of A Scandal in Homeroom
“Having problems dealing with reality? But it’s been months since I presented you with that paternity test.”
Roger shook his head. “Is this what you wanted? To see me in jail? Was this all part of your plan?”
The person on the other side of the glass smiled. Only there was no joy in it. No humor. There was only revenge.
“Why yes, actually. So clever of you to have figured that out.”
“They’ll find out it wasn’t me who sent that email to Senator Darcy.”
“No, actually they won’t.”
Roger’s face got redder. “What did you do?”
“I hacked your laptop, rather easily, by the way. In fact, what the Feds will find is that all the blackmail emails came from your laptop.”
Roger slammed his fist on the shelf in front of him. “Damn you! You think you’re so smart. But I’ll tell them everything. I’ll tell them thatyou’reMoriarty.”
Another humorless smile from the person on the other side of the glass. “You can tell them whatever you want. You have no proof.”
“Fine. Then just tell me what you want. Money, acknowledgement? What?”
Moriarty laughed. “I have plenty of money. You know that. Also, the poker game was actually quite lucrative, as were the blackmail payoffs. Except Senator Darcy’s, of course. You see, I suspected she wouldn’t play along so easily. That’s why when Coyle took the package from Holmes, I thought it best you open it for me. Right about that one, huh?”
“You bastard!” Roger shouted.
“Yes, Dad. We’ve covered this. You made me one. Stepping out on your wife, while she was pregnant, too. Harsh. Maybe you couldn’t have foreseen all the events that would unfold, but frankly, I don’t care. You needed to pay. You need to continue paying. Because I will have my revenge on all of you.”
“All of us. Who’s your next victim?”
Moriarty frowned. “That wouldn’t be any fun. Not if I gave you advance notice.”
“I’ll tell my daughters. I’ll tell them what you’re doing. Who you are.”
“You think your daughters would believe you? You left them. You took all the money, too. Really, Dad, that was not well done of you at all.”
Roger gritted his teeth. “You know damn well I didn’t take the money. You did!”
“Oh, no. I only took it after you dissolved your hedge fund first. How else was I going to get you back to town? Besides, I’ve given most of it back to your family, so they don’t really need you anymore. Do they?”
“Why?” Roger asked. “Just tell me why you’re doing this?”
“You shouldn’t have tried to run away,” Moriarty said, as if admonishing theotherolder man. “Just because I threatened to expose your dirty little secret. Surely, if you thought your family loved you, you could have weathered the storm.”
“I came back, didn’t I? I’ve done everything you asked since. The poker game, collecting the money for you, all of it. You said you would leave me and my family alone if I just did what you wanted.”
Moriarty shrugged. “Yeah. I lied. Hello? Bad guy here. I don’t think I got my brains from you, Dad.”
Roger’s head fell forward. “You’ve ruined…everything.”
“Yep,” Moriarty said. “That was sort of the point. I’m just not done yet.”
Roger lifted his head and stared at the person he knew was his biological son. Begging for some hint of mercy. Only there was none. Just a cold, hard stare in return.
“Please, not my daughters. Don’t hurt my daughters.”
“Such a good father. Oh, wait. Not.” Moriarty stood then. Still holding the phone to his ear. “This has been so much fun. But it’s time for me to go. Plots to hatch and all that.”
“This isn’t over,” Roger said into the phone.
