Sucker Punched: A KT Morgan Short Suspense Read online

  Meredith stood as the man approached. They spoke to one another, and the man handed his phone to her. She glanced at the van. The phone rang next to Clarice. She didn’t answer. After speaking with the man once more, Meredith used the phone again. Clarice again refused to answer. The cell chirped indicating a voicemail had been left.

  The guy walked away. Once out of sight, Meredith trudged to the van, her head down. She climbed in and sat beside her sister. Though a year apart, they looked like twins with their dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes.

  “The jerk told me to call the fire department, so I called back and pretended to leave a message.” Meredith cupped her hands together in her lap.

  “You should have used tears or come on to him.” Clarice’s breathing grew heavy. She had to get in that house. “Evenie, show them how it’s done.”

  Evenie let out an annoying breath and climbed from the van, planting herself on the curb. She folded her arms over her legs and lowered her head. Though twelve, she was small enough to pull off ten.

  Clarice rolled the windows down in the van to allow some air in. There was none.

  A woman jogger in blue tennis shoes rounded the corner. The lady paused.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “I locked myself out … and left the stove on...” Evenie wiped at her nose. “I can’t get in.”

  Clarice was too far away to make out all the words but parking any closer could have gotten them caught.

  “Did you…?” The woman pointed to the phone Evenie had beside her.

  “Yeah, but she’s not answering. She’s going to kill … down.”

  “In most cases … make it smell for a while.”

  Evenie wiped her eyes. “But she’ll still be mad … birthday last week.”

  The woman smiled. “Let’s … do.”

  She walked to the side of the house, testing the windows. Within seconds, the two disappeared around the back. Time stood still. Clarice’s mouth went dry. What was taking so long? Had this woman figured out Evenie didn’t live there?

  A few moments later the woman came back around, no Evenie in sight. The woman continued her jog down the road, a slight smile on her face.

  Clarice’s phone rang causing her to startle. She swiped her finger over the screen.

  “I’m in,” Evenie said.

  10:15 a.m.

  Jonah checked himself out in the mirror. The dark blue tux jacket had a black satin lapel. It looked sharp with the black tie and black slacks. The shirt was tight around the throat, but that could be because he wasn’t used to wearing dress shirts. As an architect, he worked from home most days. When he did go into the office, he didn’t wear a suit unless meeting with a client. He might have to keep the top button of the tux undone so he didn’t pass out at the altar.

  His heart jumped a beat. He was getting married at the end of the week. Would he make a good husband? A good father? Could he really be there for her and Matthew for the rest of his life? The ins and outs of being of husband, being a father to a child that wasn’t legally his?

  “And here’s the young man.” Their tailor led Matthew over in a matching suit.

  “Wow! I look good.” Matthew strutted like a rooster in front of the mirror. His new dress shoes tapped along the wood floor.

  Jonah watched Matthew in the mirror and pictured Karen walking in the front door, rumpled shirt, hair a mess.

  Yes. He could absolutely be there for both.

  “We’re going to knock their socks off.” Jonah patted the boy on the shoulder.

  They did a back-to-back pose.

  Matthew’s smile was huge. “When you marry my mom, will you be my dad?”

  “I guess I will. At least your stepdad.”

  No one would mistake them for being related since Jonah had dark hair and features, while Matthew was about as towheaded as you could get.

  “Can I call you dad?”

  A lump formed in Jonah’s throat. “I would love that.”

  “And KT will be my aunt?”

  Why did Jonah get the feeling having her as an aunt excited the child more than Jonah being his father?

  “Yeah, but I think she’d rather you call her KT instead of Auntie.” Jonah laughed imagining the look on KT’s face if Matthew started with the nickname.

  “I won’t. I like her.”

  “I think she likes you too.” Jonah’s phone vibrated in his pocket. “Oh, oh. It’s your mother. Probably checking up on us.” He slid his finger across the screen to answer the call. “Hey, babe.”

  “How’s it going?” she asked.

  “Wonderful. You’ve got two good looking dudes here.”

  She laughed. “I’m sure.”

  “So, how’d the meeting go at the bank?” he asked.

  “It didn’t.” She let out a loud breath. The humor disappeared from her voice. “I don’t have enough assets to cover the twenty-five, and I don’t make enough for just a signature loan.”

  Jonah hated the thought of her being sad. Acquiring her own bakery was a dream she’d had for over a year, but with her low income, she had trouble finding financing.

  “You know, once we’re married, whatever’s mine is yours and vice versa.”

  “It’s something I’d rather do on my own. The banker suggested I try to find someone to invest in the business. After the wedding, I’ll make a list of my friends and family to see if any of them might be interested. I hate having a partner, but it might be the only way.”

  “I’m more than happy to invest in you. We can even draw up a business agreement.”

  “No, I want a true investor, not my husband.”

  He could almost picture her giving a curt nod of that pretty head of hers. “If you say so.”

  “I do. I’ll let you go. See you at lunch.”

  “See you there.” Jonah slid his finger across his phone.

  “She didn’t get the money, did she?” Matthew asked, disappointed as well.

  “No, but she’ll be fine. She’s one tough woman.” Jonah looked at himself again in the mirror. He ran his hand down the suit jacket. Maybe in time, he could convince her to take his money. She’d made his dreams come true. It was only fair he does the same for her.

  12:22 p.m.

  Jonah pulled into the strip mall parking lot.

  “Looks like Mom beat us.” Matthew pointed to the older model Ford Mustang.

  “There’s KT’s Jeep too.” Jonah nodded at the black vehicle in the corner.

  When they walked into the Italian restaurant, Jonah spotted KT and Karen seated at a booth in the corner. Garlic hung in the air. Murmurs from other patrons filled the room. As he neared the table, he could hear the talk was about the bakery Karen wanted to open.

  “About time, I’m starved.” KT glanced up at him. “You know, keeping me waiting only makes me want to have dessert afterward. And then I’d have to share with the kid.”

  “I like dessert.” Matthew slid in next to her.

  Jonah leaned over and kissed Karen.

  “Ewww. They do that a lot.” Matthew rolled his eyes.

  “Better than fighting, Kid.” KT nudged him with her elbow.

  “So, what have you two been discussing so intently?” Jonah dropped down beside Karen.

  “Your sister has agreed to become my investor.” Karen beamed.

  “What?”

  “Yeah,” KT said. “I overheard you two talking about it last night and asked her if she had a business plan. She sent it to me, I did some research, and that was that.”

  “Wait. You’ll take money from her, but not me?”

  “It’s a business arrangement,” Karen said. “She’s getting a percentage.”

  “And all the free baked goods I want when I’m in town.” KT leaned toward Matthew. “That’s what makes it worthwhile.”

  “Yeah, and my mom’s a good baker.” Matthew bobbled his head up and down.

  “I know. Those muffins last night were awesome.”

  Karen bl
ushed. “She’s loaning me the money at five percent interest, which is better than anyone else ever would. In addition, she’ll own ten percent of the store.”

  Jonah glared at KT. “You’re charging her interest.”

  “Keeps it from being a gift, so taxes aren’t an issue.”

  “You sound like you’ve done this before.”

  “I have a pretty healthy portfolio.” She nudged her nose in the air with her forefinger. “A few business dealings, some stocks, mutual funds. But there’s always room for more.”

  “You do know that lending to family is not always a good idea.” Jonah adjusted a napkin across his lap.

  KT’s gaze locked with his. “She’s not family yet, so it doesn’t count.”

  Jonah’s shoulders stiffened. There wasn’t a lot of difference between Karen taking money from him versus his sister. Not that KT didn’t have plenty. When their parents died, a huge lawsuit ensued—turned out there was an issue with the engine in their plane, one the manufacturer had known about. Jonah used his money for college and a house. KT had yet to touch hers. Instead, she lived off the interest and her income.

  “You sure you want to do this?” he said to Karen.

  “I’m sure.”

  “Don’t worry, bro.” KT looked at Matthew and raised her eyebrows up and down. “I figure once the kid gets out of college; we can discuss a massive takeover.”

  Jonah shook his head. As usual, his sister was one step ahead and had everything planned to squash any argument he might have.

  3:06 p.m.

  Clarice paced back and forth. Haley, Sophia, and Meredith had spent the day in Stefania’s house filling bags and carrying small electronics and name brand clothing to the van parked around the corner. Clarice made sure they left one at a time, sometimes from the front door, sometimes from the back. Every girl wore gloves and had their hair up, so when they donned a ball cap, if seen, any witnesses might think they were boys.

  While waiting for Stefania to arrive, they binge-watched cable TV and played games on the computers, laughing, having fun, like a family should. All except Evenie who sat off in the corner, her face in her phone.

  The girls had eaten most of the food in the fridge, pizza, steak, and a couple of cupcakes, then they tore through the ice cream in the freezer. It didn't matter if Stefania noticed. She wouldn't live long enough to complain.

  The police would have no way to connect this to Clarice, except for that woman jogger and the man who’d spoken to Meredith. Hopefully, the woman jogger had a criminal record to end things quickly after shimmying a knife between the windowpanes to get the locked opened. Not something a typical person would know.

  The house was smaller than Clarice expected. Three bedrooms, two baths. Each kid had their own room. The television wasn’t that large either—about forty-two inches. No pool. But then Stefania didn’t need one. She had Daddy’s.

  Clarice stared at the jewelry. Rings, necklaces. Actual gold with diamonds. Seemed a waste to leave them, but the police would check pawn shops for the stolen property. And with no other woman in his life, Daddy would be sure to give the good stuff to her. Besides, leaving it lying around would make it look like a burglary gone bad.

  Evenie sat against the headboard on the queen-sized bed, her eyes staring at her phone. Clarice considered dying her daughter’s hair. Not that she’d like it. She was proud of her blonde locks. Who could blame her? Deep purple eyes with blonde hair, as beautiful as Clarice, who still turned men’s heads.

  “Car just pulled up.” Meredith yelled from the girl’s bedroom.

  Clarice rushed to the front door. She watched out the window panel. A white sedan had parked in the driveway. Stefania got out of the driver’s side. Her clothing name brand for sure. Perfectly fitted. She opened the back car door to allow her daughter out. Cute little thing, young, and blonde. Just like every girl in their family. The brown-haired boy swung his backpack over his shoulders. Stefania carried the girl’s, all three laughing.

  Clarice stepped back.

  The key slid into the lock, and the knob twisted. Clarice's pulse pounded in her ears. She gripped the pistol in her hand.

  The boy rushed in and stopped short. Haley grabbed him from behind.

  “What the…? Clarice?” Stefania stood in the doorway.

  Clarice aimed the gun at her sister’s torso. “Not going to welcome me back, sister dear?”

  September 30

  8:02 a.m.

  Jonah had slept like a log the night before. He got up early and answered a few work emails. As he headed to the kitchen, he grabbed the remote and flipped on the news, wanting to hear about the weather for the upcoming week.

  KT came in, her tennis shoes on. Ready to head out or coming in? Jonah couldn’t be sure. He wished he had half her energy.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  “Again, our breaking news this morning,” the news lady was saying. “The police found three dead this morning in a home on Suntilt Court. Authorities have asked for anyone with information to call the number below.”

  Both Jonah and KT turned their attention to the news and listened intently.

  “As you can see behind me, crime scene tape blocks anyone from getting near the home in the middle of the block.” They scanned a shot of a white house.

  “The house is owned by Stefania Lathem, a divorced mother, who lived there with her two children. According to a neighbor who wished to remain anonymous, the children were Carrie, age seven and Bryce, age ten.” A family picture popped up. “We are waiting on confirmation that these are the victims.”

  Jonah stepped back. Why announce it if they aren’t one hundred percent sure? Imagine hearing your family died on television.

  KT slid down onto a nearby chair.

  “There will be a briefing soon,” the news lady continued. “Again, if you were in the area and saw anything, please contact the local Crime Stoppers at the number listed below.”

  KT’s face went pale.

  Jonah knew she’d dealt with a few ugly things over the past few years, even a stab wound which had left her laid up for a couple of weeks. Could this be bringing up terrible memories?

  “Probably murder-suicide.” He flipped off the screen. “If not, I’m sure they’ll find something.”

  “They’ll find fingerprints,” she whispered and stared at her hands.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because the back window was broken into.” She stood. “And they’ll discover the prints belong to someone who’d been in the military.”

  “How do you…” He stared at her. “Whose?” Jonah’s mouth went dry.

  She looked at him and said, “mine.”

  8:04 a.m.

  The news showed police walking in and out of Stefania’s home. Clarice glanced toward the murmurs of two of the girls in the kitchen. She tried to listen at the same time the news lady flipped the screen to her dad’s home.

  “William Seidel, the father of Stefania Latham, was being driven to the police station,” the news lady said.

  Clarice lowered the volume on her phone. She’d wanted to meet him at the house, not the station, but now she had no choice.

  The voices in the kitchen rose. Clarice got up and marched into the kitchen. “What is going on in here?”

  “I got this shirt, but Meredith won’t give it back.” Sophia pointed to the expensive Milano blouse in Meredith’s hand.

  “It fits me better,” Meredith argued.

  “No, it won’t.”

  “If she grabbed it first, it’s hers.” Clarice jerked the shirt from Meredith’s hands and gave it to Sophia.

  “You always do that.” Meredith placed her hands on her hips. “She starts whining and you give her something to shut her up. It’s not fair.”

  “I do not play favorites.” Clarice’s breathing came out in spurts. She’d never play favorites, not like her parents. “I see you all equally, as a good mother should.”

  “That’s not true. You
always give Evenie what she wants, and Sophia’s next.” Meredith batted her eyes. “I’m always last.”

  “You wouldn’t be last if you’d do what you’re told.”

  “I’m the one who watched the kids. Neither of the others would.” Meredith’s lip wobbled.

  Clarice released a loud breath. “You’re right. You did very well in the house, but trying to get into the house, you blew it.”

  “It’s just not fair.” She glared at her sister, then jerked around Clarice and stomped to the back room slamming the door shut.

  Clarice walked to the doorjamb. She might have to reconsider Meredith being a part of their family, but right now, she had other things to do.

  “I need to go to the police station,” Clarice announced. “To see my father.”

  Haley jerked upright.

  “Calm down.” Clarice held her hand up. “It would look funny if I didn’t show up after my sister’s picture was just flashed across the screen a hundred times.”

  “But what if they ask you questions?” Sophia smoothed the shirt out with her hand.

  “I’ll answer them. Don’t worry. They won’t trip me up. But being with my dad is what I have to do. It’s what family does.”

  “But you said we were your family now.” Haley’s eyes narrowed.

  “You are.” Clarice grinned. “He just doesn’t know it yet.”

  8:06 a.m.

  “Where are you going?” Jonah followed KT to the spare room. The bed had been made with perfectly tucked in corners, the spread covering the pillows. Probably learned it in her military days. It wasn’t something she’d come by naturally.

  She grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

  “KT?” He asked as she disappeared into the bathroom.

  “I’ve got to go to the police,” she hollered through the door. “It’s just a matter of time until they find out it was me.”

  “Who did what?”

  Jonah spun at the sound of Karen’s voice. He hadn’t heard her come in.

  “What’s going on?” she said. “I heard you from outside.”