24. Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Four
Brooklyn Sloane January 2025 Saturday — 8:43 pm
The dashboard hummed beneath Brook's palm as she used the hard surface to brace herself, not that such an effort would help prevent an accident. Bit, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered by his erratic driving in the least. She smothered an expletive as he passed another vehicle a little too close for her liking.
“Have you checked with the lab technicians?” Brook asked in response to Kitsis’ call regarding Janet Hart. “Did they happen to see Claudia today?”
“No, on all counts,” Detective Kitsis replied, his frustration evident. “You sent Neville and Deering to the estate?”
Bit had already taken the exit needed to reach the Miles’ estate. He had done so after she had gestured to him that Kitsis had struck out at the corporation’s headquarters. Given that his officers had someone from Claudia’s building management enter her front door and discover the place empty, they were left to assume she had been with her mother since late last night.
“Yes.” Passing headlights cast a harsh glare across Bit’s features, which were currently lit up with satisfaction. She switched her focus in front of them to find the reason why—Theo’s black Jeep Wrangler. “We're two minutes away, so we’ll meet you there.”
“Don’t do anything that—”
Brook disconnected the call, slipping her phone into the pocket of her coat. She had already changed out of her heels, and there was no reason for gloves. There was no telling what situation they were walking into at the estate.
Theo probably realized instantly that Bit was behind him given how close the van was to the spare tire fastened to the back. She closed her eyes and prayed an animal wouldn’t run out in front of Theo. If he were to slam on his brakes, it would be impossible for Bit to stop before plowing into the back of the Jeep. Not even the warm air from the vents could relax Brook as she peered through her lashes.
“Bit, we’re coming up on the driveway,” Brook warned as she involuntarily pressed the sole of her right boot against the floor. “Maybe you should—”
“I got it, Boss. I’m a great driver. You aren’t worried, are you?”
“Just a little,” Brook replied truthfully as she forced herself to sit back in her seat. Theo had slowed down, causing Bit to do the same. Before Theo completed the turn into the long driveway, he wisely cut his headlights. Bit mirrored the action, and it took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. “The entry gate is wide open.”
Bit continued to trail behind Theo until he slowed the Jeep to a complete stop. They were maybe fifty yards from the house. Fortunately, a few slivers of moonlight had slipped through the thin cloud coverage. Three vehicles were parked in front of the house.
“Touch base with Kitsis.” Brook reached for the door handle. “Tell him to step on it.”
Brook didn’t want her team to have to defuse the situation. Kitsis had the manpower to cover all exits, as well as access to a hostage negotiator if the situation warranted one. With any luck, a police presence would be enough to force Janet Hart’s surrender. Besides, it was Kitsis’ investigation.
The frigid air stung Brook’s exposed cheeks and hands.
“Bit is touching base with Kitsis,” Brook explained to Theo and Sylvie as they joined her next to the driver’s side door of the Jeep. Despite the exterior lighting around the estate, there didn’t seem to be any lights on inside the residence. “He should be here soon.”
“Janet must have Mara’s burner phone,” Sylvie said as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat. She had a cream hat pulled down over her ears, and the matching scarf was around her neck and tucked inside the lapel. Should she need access to her weapon, all she needed to do was unfasten the middle button. “Mara would have instructed Janet to buy a burner phone. I’m assuming Janet realized that was how Mara was in contact with her brother to avoid any questions from Jordan.”
“I don’t think Janet initially intended to blackmail Mara,” Theo said as he shifted to have a full view of the house. “I believe Janet used the blackmail as an excuse to get Mara to delay her decision to have a child.”
“People go to extreme lengths to protect those they love,” Brook said as she heard Bit exit the van. “Janet must have figured out that Mara wasn’t going to leave her husband. Jordan would have eventually dismissed Claudia from her position, and she would not only lose her job…but him, as well.”
“Janet had every number Mara programmed into that burner,” Sylvie tacked on with a shake of her head. “By using her own, she was able to reach out to Jordan and Barry without any suspicion.”
“The woman had access to everything through Claudia—the main code for the alarm system, private phone conversations, calendars, medical records. Janet had everything at her disposal to plan Mara’s murder and shift the blame to Jordan.”
“Eight minutes out,” Bit advised them as he jostled from side to side to stay warm. “Boss, I can access the security system to locate their position inside. There are cameras in several rooms, which could—”
A muffled gunshot pierced through the stillness of the night.
Waiting for Kitsis and his officers was no longer an option.
“Theo, Sylvie, enter through the back. I’ll take the front,” Brook directed, wishing it wasn’t too late to take Bit up on his offer. “Bit, go ahead and access the security system. Make sure Kitsis knows everyone’s position before entering the house. We can’t afford any miscommunications or crossfire.”
Theo and Sylvie had already begun to jog the distance to the house.
The icy wind whipped at Brook's face as she sprinted across the heated driveway behind them. As expected, they veered off around either side of the house to regroup in the back. Their instincts and training had taken over. Brook had hoped Kitsis and his officers could take over the scene, but circumstances had forced their hands.
Brook cautiously approached the front door, giving herself some time to even out her breathing. She instinctively reached underneath the right side of her coat. Her fingers closed around the grip of her firearm. Drawing her weapon from its holster, she wrapped her other hand around the cold door handle.
With the softest of pressure, the latch gave way.
A knot tightened in her stomach. If the front entrance was unlocked, Theo and Sylvie might have trouble gaining access through the back.
There was no time to second guess their strategy.
Brook quietly slipped inside the house, the faint sound of Claudia's pleas immediately greeting her. Janet's voice cut through her daughter's sobs seemingly without regret. Using the distraction, Brook made sure the door silently closed behind her.
“Don’t make another move toward me. I told you that I wasn’t bluffing.”
“Alright,” Barry replied in a strained voice. “Alright. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to—”
“Mom, you can’t do this,” Claudia cried out in a panic. Brook had no trouble discerning that the four of them were in the kitchen. Their position inside the home was the reason the interior light couldn’t be seen from the front of the house. “No one is going to believe that Jordan—”
“The police believe Jordan killed his wife, Claudia. Do you really think they won’t believe he got upset with his lawyer? Overreacted?”
“And then what?” Claudia asked desperately, seemingly not understanding the scenario that her mother was laying out in front of her. Brook slowly continued forward as silently as possible. “How do you plan to—”
“Your mother wants you to shoot me, Claudia.” Jordan’s tone was void of emotion. Brook had never heard his voice so flat. No anger. No contempt. No outrage. “Isn’t that right, Janet? I take it you have a second firearm? You’ll plant the one you’re holding in my hand after Claudia shoots me in the chest?”
“Mom, this is crazy! You have to stop!”
“If y-you stop this, I-I can represent you. I’ll…” Barry was speaking, but it was obvious he was in pain. Brook came to a stop at the corner, where she lowered her weapon in an attempt to determine everyone’s location. It became quickly apparent why Jordan’s attorney was having difficulty speaking. He must have been the one who tried to take control of the situation. Janet had fired her weapon at him in warning, though Brook wasn’t sure the woman had intended to miss the man’s center mass. The bullet appeared to have grazed his arm. “You can plead t-temporary insanity. I’ll make sure—”
Barry stumbled backward as Janet raised her firearm. Claudia frantically stepped in front of him, spreading her arms out protectively as she attempted to shield both men. As for Jordan, he continued to stare at Janet without a single emotion written on his features.
Barry held tight to the wound on his arm. He was bleeding profusely, the sticky red substance covering his fingers as droplets fell to the floor. The situation had escalated to the point that there was no time to wait for Kitsis’ arrival.
“Claudia, don’t you understand?” Janet’s frustration with her daughter was visceral. “Mara wasn't going to leave Jordan. She wanted to have his child. You would have been discarded like garbage. You told me yourself that she was a whore. She should have taken the three hundred million dollars and left.”
Brook didn’t have a view of the French doors. Assuming that Janet had everyone come through the front entrance, Theo and Sylvie would have no access from the back. Brook weighed her options but was limited given the proximity between Janet and the others.
“Why blackmail Mara for money then?” Jordan reached out and put his hand on Claudia’s arm, as if to signal there was no need to defend him. Brook couldn’t decipher if he was trying to get her out of harm’s way or if he wanted a chance to disarm Janet. “Why not blackmail my wife by demanding she follow through with the divorce?”
“A woman like her only cares about money. She was about to ruin my daughter’s life. You almost ruined my daughter’s life, but I won’t allow it to happen.” Janet switched her focus to Claudia. “I didn’t let the woman suffer, sweetheart. I’m not a monster. I shot her directly in the heart after I forced her to call 911 that night. She bled out almost immediately.”
“Mom, how could you have done something like—”
“For you, Claudia. For you. I had everything planned down to the tiniest detail. Mara turned off the alarm for me, not her brother. I forced her to change into her nightgown, pour herself a glass of wine, and make it seem like any other ordinary night. I left it up to fate after that. If Jordan went to jail, he would be out of your life for good. If he didn’t, then the two of you would have been free to continue your relationship.”
“I love him, Mom.” Claudia ignored Jordan’s attempt to move her. She did her best to stand in front of both men, her body tense and protective. She was a living barrier between him and her mother's wrath, even as tears streamed down her face. “We need to listen to Barry. He can help you. He can convince the prosecutor to cut a deal.”
“No.” The finality of Janet’s response was obvious. “I won’t go to prison, Claudia.”
“Do you think I don’t know why you did this, Mom? Guilt! You did this out of guilt, Mom! You had an affair with Stewart Leone. You let Dad believe that I was his daughter! I found the letter you stored in the attic. You didn’t want me to find it until after you were gone, because you knew that I would hate you for what you did to Dad. How could you do that to him, Mom?”
The situation had become a tipping point. Emotions had gotten to an all-time high, and it was only a matter of time before Janet brought it to an end. Unfortunately, any move Brook made now could provoke Janet into a thoughtless, lethal reaction.
Brook scanned her surroundings for any possible advantage. Movement out the large kitchen window caught her attention. Theo’s face was obscured by the darkness, but there was enough illumination on his hand to recognize his gesture of urgency. He was trying to communicate something crucial, and it wasn’t until a loud knock shattered the tense silence that she understood the signal.
Sylvie had deliberately drawn Janet's attention away from the others.
The distraction achieved its intended effect, but not in the way it was planned. Janet reacted with a surge of adrenaline, spinning around on pure instinct. She squeezed the trigger of her weapon, firing aimlessly in the direction of the noise.
In a split second, one of the French doors exploded into a hail of shattered glass.