Chapter 65 - Ty #2
Her eyes darted between us. “The kind you’d expect someone to get from an admirer: exotic flowers, candy, expensive perfume. The packages were always accompanied by a note, though I never read them.”
“Who were the packages from?” Dad crossed his arms, and I held my breath, hoping she could tell us exactly what we needed to hear.
“I have no clue. There was no return address on the boxes, and Cecily never talked about them… at least not to me. I did find it strange that she did not express excitement or happiness over the lavish gifts, and instead always appeared annoyed.”
“Did she receive a package today?” I narrowed my eyes at the housekeeper, paying close attention to her physical responses. If she lied or withheld information, I’d pick up on it.
“Today wasn’t any different.” The housekeeper stood, clearly uneasy, her fingers fidgeting with a crumpled tissue.
“Cecily received a box of bonbons this morning, and as usual, whatever was in the note upset her, but it didn’t stop her eating the entire box while grumbling about men being frightened of commitment, and that they’re worthless pieces of shit.
But then she started getting sick. She vomited several times, and when I tried to call for help, she stopped me and insisted she was fine. ”
“Go on,” I said, hoping she’d divulge whatever she hadn’t told the police.
“But she wasn’t fine,” the housekeeper said, tears streaming down her cheeks. “She went to lie down, and I heard choking sounds coming from her room. I rushed in and found her convulsing on the bed. Her face was pale, her lips blue. I knew it wasn’t good. That’s when I called nine-one-one.”
Cold fury settled within me. I suspected the autopsy would reveal the cause of Cecily’s death, and I had a strong hunch it was the bonbons.
Castro had killed her, poisoned her as a warning to our pack.
I would have bet my life on it. It calmed one of my fears.
Castro had managed this on his own, albeit from a distance.
I wasn’t looking for another snake in the pack.
I grabbed Dad’s arm and pulled him to the side, out of earshot of the housekeeper. “Castro killed Cecily. There’s no doubt in my mind. The candy was poisoned.”
Dad nodded in agreement. “That sounds like something Castro would do, the sick fuck.”
I returned my attention to the housekeeper. “Thank you for telling us. For your honesty.”
“Actually.” She paused, her breath hitching as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a phone.
“This is Cecily’s. I used it to call nine-one-one.
I put it in my pocket after I called. Then, with everything that happened, I forgot about it until the police asked.
I felt uneasy about giving it to them. Cecily always had such a tight grip on her private life, so I wanted to avoid getting in trouble for giving something away I shouldn’t have.
Working for her was challenging. She wasn’t an easy employer.
She instilled a healthy level of fear in me and held my job over my head most days.
I didn’t want to cross her, even in death.
But you’re right, Alpha, there should be no secrets. ”
“Thank you.” I took the phone from her trembling hands. “You’ve helped us immensely.”
She nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks.
“Your loyalty does you credit. You’ve done a great service to us today.” My gaze softened, concern furrowing my brow. Even though we had much bigger fish to fry, with a little prompting, the woman had proven to be loyal to the pack. “Do you need anything? Anything at all?”
“No, Alpha. I’ll be okay.” Despite the slight waver in her voice, she forced a small grin.
With a last nod to the housekeeper, Dad and I left the guest house.
Her loyalty had been both humbling and sobering in equal measure.
I made a mental note to have a pack member check in on the poor woman.
It wouldn’t hurt to ask around, see if anyone was looking to employ someone with her experience. It was the least we could do.
As we walked back to our vehicles, I thought about what to do with Cecily’s phone.
I’d have to hand it over to the police, but I’d rather it was sanitized before it got to them.
Without an informant to do the work for me, I’d have to improvise.
I wasn’t tech savvy enough to remove all traces of communication between Cecily and Castro without obliterating everything on the device.
Thankfully, I knew who could do it. My business partner, Bryce Fulton, worked closely with the IT department at Keller Industries, knew what he was doing, and I could trust him.
“Dad, before we head to visit with her parents, I need to swing by the house. We can have a look through Cecily’s phone there. I’m going to message Bryce to come over and delete the exchanges with Castro before we hand it over to the police. I don’t want them involved.”
Dad gave me that look that told me he wasn’t pleased. “Haven’t you got an informant who can do that? I thought Nico left you with a list of potential candidates?”
I was a grown man, but just one look from my father, and I felt like a teenager all over again. “I know. I just haven’t had time to go through the list and schedule interviews. There don’t seem to be enough hours in the day anymore. Castro’s had us running from pillar to post.”
“You need to get that sorted, son. An alpha needs an informant to keep the pack running smoothly.” He sighed in resignation. “Come on, let’s move.”
Back in my car, with Cecily’s phone safely stored in my glove compartment, I glanced at the rearview mirror.
My father was tailing me closely. My mind raced with thoughts on how to do damage control before rumors started flying.
No doubt, word had already gotten out that Cecily had been found dead in her home, but I couldn’t let the pack think it was murder.
Not that I wanted to deceive them—we had already told the world about Castro—but I didn’t want them living in fear over it.
As I drove, my grip on the steering wheel tightened, the leather creaking. I knew what I had to do, and it fucking sucked. This wasn’t just about preserving the pack’s peace of mind, it was also about honoring Cecily’s memory as best I could, despite her betrayal.
I wasn’t sure both were possible.
Once we pulled up at the estate, Dad and I went into my office.
Together, we examined Cecily’s phone. We unlocked the phone on the first try; her password being her birthday.
Among the many messages and emails, we found the same incriminating exchanges Nico had discovered, confirming Cecily had been working with Castro. It was undeniable. She was a traitor.
Staring at the damning evidence, I decided not to share the truth with Cecily’s parents. At least not yet. I dropped the phone into my desk drawer and shot Bryce a text.
Cecily’s phone in top left drawer of my desk. Delete exchanges between her and Castro, make it natural, need to hand it to the police.
Before I’d even made it to the front door, my phone beeped. As I went down the steps to the car, I checked it, and sure enough, Bryce had responded.
No worries. On my way.
Dad and I took my car to Cecily’s parents’ house. A knot formed in my stomach as I thought about what lay ahead. The police would have delivered the devastating news of their daughter’s death already, but as alpha, it was my duty to pay my respects and honor the dead. Traitor or not.
“Are you ready?” Dad looked at me with concern once we got out of the car. As we made our way to the door, he clapped me on the back. “This is just part of the job, son. Not saying it ever gets easier, but I’m certain you’ll find the right words.”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” I steeled myself for the difficult conversation ahead.
A housekeeper led us into the living room, her eyes red-rimmed from crying, confirming the police had already visited.
As we stepped into the sitting room, I was immediately struck by the sight of Cecily’s parents.
Her mother sat straight-backed in a chair, her face pale and streaked with tears.
Cecily’s father stood beside her, his powerful frame shaking and struggling to contain his emotions.
It was a portrait of devastation, and one that twisted my insides like a vise.
The couple’s world had been torn apart, their daughter’s life and their hopes and dreams for her future taken away in one fell swoop.
As their only child, they’d placed Cecily on a pedestal and given her the best of everything.
Sure, that meant she’d been spoiled rotten, and I couldn’t stand being around the woman, but she was still their daughter, and her life had been abruptly cut short by Castro.
“Mr. and Mrs. Banks,” I began. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Her mother looked up at me, her eyes filled with such raw pain that it took all my strength to hold her gaze. “You were always so good to her, Ty,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Cecily loved you so much. We always hoped… we thought maybe one day you two would—”
“Tina,” her husband interrupted gently, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Now’s not the time.”
“I’m sorry,” she choked out, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. “It’s just… she’s gone, and I can’t believe it. I don’t understand why anyone would want to hurt her. She was such a good girl.”
I could feel the weight of the damning evidence in my pocket as I clenched my fists to help maintain my composure.
Telling them the truth would only bring more hurt and upset.
How could I tell them their daughter had betrayed the pack and ultimately brought about her own death? They’d been through enough.