Liam’s Lily Read online

  In front of him, Brianna shouted, “Give me my phone back, you thief.”

  “Is that her?” Levi asked, his tone calm.

  “Oh, yeah. She’s just a mouthpiece. Uses people like she uses shoes. Just to walk on.”

  Brianna stopped, cold, stock-still. “I do not.” Once again, her nose went up. “My lawyers will hear about this.”

  “I’ll be interested to see what lawyer you end up with.”

  She looked through a narrowed gaze. “Why? What do you know?”

  He laughed. “A hell of a lot more than you do, sister.”

  Just then a police car flew into the parking lot. A middle-aged man hopped out.

  Liam called out, “Detective Olson?” The man turned his head and nodded. “I’m talking to Levi right now. I’m Liam O’Brien.”

  Olson shook his hand, turned to look at Brianna and said, “I remember you. It was your brother’s death I investigated.”

  Brianna nodded. She flicked Liam’s shirt and said, “This man has accosted me. He’s stolen my phone, and he’s threatening me.”

  Detective Olson raised his eyes at Liam.

  “Citizen’s arrest. We believe she’s keeping her father medicated so she can get power of attorney over his estate, including the elephant sanctuary and all the land included within.” Liam grinned. “I always wanted to say something like that.” He nodded. “She’s in cahoots with her husband, and the family lawyer has already been fired, but you can bet that’ll get ugly too.”

  Olson rubbed his temple. “Does any of this have to do with her brother’s death?”

  Liam turned his head slightly. “I would not be at all surprised.”

  And then Brianna turned on the crocodile tears.

  Liam shook his head. “Save them for somebody who gives a shit.” He turned to look at the detective. “You got this?”

  He nodded and turned to Brianna. “I’d like to take you back to the station for questioning.”

  “Of course I’ll come. My lawyer will meet me there too.”

  He nodded. “That’s fine. We’ll keep you there until your lawyer arrives.”

  Liam handed over her phone to the detective. “You’ll need this.”

  Detective Olson pocketed it.

  She stared at him. “I really don’t understand what the problem is.”

  “We’ll explain down at the station.” The detective opened the back door of the police car for her. She glared at him but slid in.

  Liam said, “May I see that phone for a moment?”

  “You can’t have access to any information on it.”

  “Watch your back,” Liam said in a low voice. “The other sister’s place was searched last night illegally. We’re pretty sure it was this woman’s husband.”

  The detective sighed. “If there’s one thing I absolutely detest, it’s family squabbles.” He got into the vehicle, turned on the engine, locked all the doors and then drove away.

  Liam’s phone rang, and North said, “I’m pulling into the place. Is that Lilianna I just saw getting in the police car?”

  “No, that’s Brianna,” Liam said with a laugh. “I pulled a citizen’s arrest. Levi had already told the detective to get here fast because shit was coming down. He’s taking her back for questioning. I caught her on the phone talking to somebody about pushing the paperwork through to make sure they got the sanctuary property locked up.”

  North whistled. “Wow. This has been a pretty fast open-and-shut case.”

  “Not so sure it’s shut yet,” Liam said. “On the other hand, the good news is that Lilianna’s father has awakened and appears to be much more cognizant. He’s also pretty damn pissed he’s lost the last two years.”

  “I see you ahead.”

  Liam turned to see his truck driving toward him. He pocketed his phone and waited until North parked in front of him. He hopped out and pulled his phone from the dash. “How was last night?”

  “Uncomfortable as hell. I took the floor. She had the couch, but, considering I was talking with you half the night, I figured neither one of us got much sleep.” Liam shook his head. “What a business this is.”

  “What we still don’t know though,” North said as they walked toward Jim’s room, “is if any of this has to do with the original reason she called us.”

  “It would have to though, wouldn’t it?”

  “On one hand it makes sense they would do something like that to slow the money down,” North said. “But, on the other hand, if Brianna and her husband are living high on the hog with the charity’s money, why would they cause it to dry up?”

  “Unless they want the land for something else. Or part of the land,” Liam suggested. He knocked on the door and turned the handle. As they stepped inside, he saw relief on Lilianna’s face. “Did something happen?”

  She shook her head. “Not necessarily but maybe. My new lawyer called. He wants to see me.”

  “That’s probably a good idea. It’s also a good idea to have the lawyers meet here. We’d get to the bottom of this sooner.” He stepped forward. “The detective just took your sister in for questioning.”

  She stared at him. “What do you think my sister did beyond trying to get POA over the estate?”

  “Don’t know yet,” he said. “But we need to find out, and fast.”

  She glanced at her father.

  Liam followed her gaze to find her father curled up and sleeping. Liam nodded. “That’s probably the best thing for him.”

  “Oh, I agree,” North spoke up. “I have all your belongings here now too.”

  “Do you have any idea who went into my cabin?” she asked.

  North shook his head. “I believe it was a male. But with a hoodie over his head, I couldn’t tell you any more than that.”

  “And of course you couldn’t get any closer, or the dogs would have given you away.”

  North nodded. “I tried to tie them down and leave, but they barked.”

  She winced. “I know. They hate being tied up.” Her shoulders sagged. “Did you leave the dogs at the house?”

  “Yes, left them in the yard. They appeared to consider that normal.”

  “It is. They are used to having the run of the place.” She got up off her father’s bed, walked to the couch and sat down. “If we at least had an answer as to who searched my home, I would know something for sure. But it seems like I don’t know anything.”

  “Right now, we’re building the investigation. We’re deconstructing everything around us, pulling out all the half-truths, the known lies, trying to get to where the real skeleton of this issue is.”

  “Do you think there’s more going on here than just my sister and Carlos?”

  Liam nodded very slowly. “I think so, yes.”

  Chapter 7

  She stared at him in horror. “How can there be? How is it possible there could be more shit like this?” She shook her head. “The only good thing is my father does appear to be returning to normal. But I don’t know if he’ll slide back again.”

  “Let’s hope he doesn’t. We should be hearing from the specialist soon.”

  Just then Liam’s phone rang. She watched as he pulled it out, looked at her and said, “It’s the specialist. Let me talk to him.” He stepped out of the room.

  “He could’ve talked to him in here,” she said resentfully to North.

  North grinned. “What he doesn’t want is for your father to overhear.”

  Instantly she felt bad. “I’m not myself right now,” she said with a weary sigh. “I need food. I need a shower and a change of clothes, and I need to get my life back on track.”

  “All of that is a good idea. Gunner is on his way.”

  She gave North a ghost of a smile. “That would be nice. Gunner has always been a good friend. He came here to visit my father a couple times, until he didn’t even remember who Gunner was. It was very difficult for all of us.”

  “What we need to know is whether that was a case of his medication b
eing increased or whether your father really was declining.”

  “It’s too horrible,” she said. “I feel so damn guilty already.”

  “You can only feel guilty about what you knew and what you could have actively changed,” North said calmly. He sat down at the end of the couch and turned to face her. “If you beat yourself up over things you couldn’t have changed, there’s really no way to go forward.”

  She frowned at him. “Do you guys handle cases like this all the time?”

  He chuckled. “I’m not sure many cases are like this. But cases where there’s family doing shit to family? That happens way too much.”

  “Do you travel all over the world?”

  “We’re both relatively new in Levi’s company. But Levi handles jobs all over the world, yes. From kidnappings and terrorist attempts to simple things like drug deals and getting caught up in shootings and kidnappings and sex trafficking.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Sex trafficking?”

  North nodded, giving her a grim smile. “There was a pretty ugly case in Boston. A nurse who was kidnapped by another person who worked at the same hospital. By the time Levi’s team had cracked it open, there was quite a wealth of nastiness going on there.”

  She frowned. “Logan may have mentioned something about that.” She shook her head. “Seems like he’s talked to me about so many different things.”

  North nodded. “And of course there’s always Flynn and Anna.”

  “I remember their case too.” She sighed. “It’s so horrible when people could do good, and instead they spend all their money and time for the wrong things.”

  “That’s called humanity,” North said.

  Just then the door opened, and Liam walked back in.

  She gave him a frown. “Next time have the conversation here where I can hear it, please.”

  “Not if that means your father hears it too.” He grabbed a chair and plunked it down across from the couch. “The specialist has gone over the medical chart. I gave him an update, that your father had been lucid this morning. He wants to see him today. We’ll run some blood tests. We don’t really know if any criminal activity involves the assisted-care home or not. It could be just that this was their best guess for your father’s care.”

  She shook her head. “No way in hell that was best.”

  “Maybe,” Liam said gently. “But don’t forget, these are doctors who only see their patients for a few minutes in a day. The condition that they present at that time often determines the next course of action.”

  “Are you excusing their analysis of my father’s condition?”

  He chuckled. “Hell no. I’m just happy to see you fighting for him.”

  She shook her head. “I was just telling North how guilty I feel about not having been there for him.”

  “What do you think you could have done?” Liam asked curiously.

  She glared at him. “I don’t know. But I should have seen his decline was really bad. It doesn’t matter now. Go on—what else is happening?”

  “The specialist is on his way. He will bring his nurse, and they’ll take several vials of blood. He also wants to assess your father’s condition now. As soon as he gets the blood tests back, then he’ll go forward with the treatment plan.”

  “Do you think he’ll still need anything?” she asked hopefully. “The fact that he was so lucid this morning makes me think he just needs rest.”

  “If that’s the case, then there’s a good chance your father can go home soon.”

  She lit up with joy, but, as the words settled, her heart sank. “And where does that mean?”

  “Exactly,” Liam said. “Will he be safe at home?”

  She stared at him but understood what he meant. “I’d have said Brianna would never hurt him,” she said slowly. “The problem is, I don’t know who she is right now.”

  He nodded. “Think about that. And think about what she’s done already.”

  “The trouble is, I don’t know what she’s done,” she cried out.

  “No, and, until the lawyers get together, there’s no way to know the whole story—if then,” he said. His phone rang again. He pulled it out. “Speaking of which, here’s the new lawyer.” He answered several questions before turning to Lilianna. “The lawyer wants to see your father’s condition for himself.”

  “Tell him to come after the specialist,” she said mutinously. She watched Liam laugh; then he passed on her message formally.

  He glanced at his watch. “Sure, eleven is fine.” He raised his gaze and his eyebrows at Lilianna. She nodded, and he ended the call. “Since we can’t leave Jim alone or easily take him out, I guess this is where visitations take place.”

  She smiled and nodded. “I should be damn glad he’s capable of having these conversations.”

  “True. But it’ll also take him a few days. He’s weak. He’ll tire easily, and, if he’s expecting to go home to the sanctuary and to traipse across the acres, that won’t happen quickly.”

  She sighed. “I know.”

  Liam turned to North. “I don’t know that the food here is any more edible than other hospital-like settings.”

  North chuckled. “I highly doubt it. I see you got a half cup of coffee sitting here.” He stood. “Do I make the coffee and food run?”

  Lilianna looked at him. “I hate to ask you …”

  He shrugged. “I have to eat too. Your father can’t be left alone. If he’s coming back to himself, it’ll put a major crimp in somebody else’s plans.” He walked out the door.

  Lilianna turned and glanced at Liam. “Do you really think somebody would try to kill my father now?”

  “Not initially. Not as long as the paperwork was being put into place,” Liam said quietly. “But now …” He gave her a hard smile and added, “You could be in danger too.”

  His words were a blow to her stomach. She stared at him. “You’ve gone very quickly down the rabbit hole,” she snapped. “I’m not in any danger.”

  “We’ll see,” he said. “How long have you known your old lawyer?”

  She shrugged. “He’s been my father’s lawyer since forever.” She stared off in the distance, trying to wrap her mind around dates. “Everything got a little fuzzy around the time of my brother’s death,” she admitted. “And I apparently lost my grasp on some of reality too. I let a lot of things slide.”

  “You can’t keep thrashing yourself with guilt over that,” he said. “There’s more to life than taking the blame. If you were close to your brother, and you loved him, then his loss would have been huge for you.”

  “It was,” she admitted “It was massive. At the same time, it’s not really an excuse, is it?”

  “Do you need an excuse?”

  She glared at him. “Why won’t you let me feel bad?” she complained good-naturedly.

  He chuckled. “It’s not allowed. I’m in the camp that says things happen for a reason. We don’t always know where or when or why, but it’s not always up to us to ask those questions and to expect answers. We have to deal with the hand we’ve been dealt.”

  She nodded. “I get that. But how does one deal with the fact you didn’t do as good a job as you could have?”

  “Do better next time?” he asked, a grin on his face.

  “Lord, I hope there isn’t a next time,” she muttered.

  “What would you normally be doing today?”

  “Going through paperwork. Touching base with charities, writing up several press releases and talking to a couple newspapers to see if I could get some good promo to rebuild our name.”

  “Can you do any of that from here?”

  “If North leaves me my laptop, I should be able to.”

  “Good. Then plan on staying here for the day while we get your father, the lawyers and the doctors and whatnot squared away. And we’ll get back to your cabin tonight.”

  “I’m trying to figure out who was at the cabin last night,” she said. “Some of the staff members
work directly with us. A couple men who live close by. Yet I can’t see them having any reason to go into the cabin.”

  “Which is why it comes down to Carlos, because, of course, he also was the one who would have understood from the text messages that Brianna sent you, that you weren’t home.”

  “I get that. Still, I can’t see Carlos going through my house,” she exclaimed. “There’s nothing there for him to take.”

  Liam thought for a long moment. “Maybe he wasn’t there to take but was there to place.”

  She stared at him, completely confused as to what he was talking about. She leaned forward. “I know I need coffee, but it sounds like you need a shot of something much stronger,” she joked.

  He grinned. “And I wouldn’t say no. I’m not Irish for nothing. But what if …” He stared off in space for a long moment. “What if he placed something in your cabin? Either something incriminating or something that would help him incriminate you.”

  “Incriminate me in what?” she exclaimed. “That makes no sense.”

  “Maybe he set up bugs in your cabin,” Liam said gently. “So then he could track all the conversations you had while we were there.”

  She frowned. “You mean, like listening devices? Like supersecret spy stuff?”

  His grin flashed, and she realized she’d do an awful lot to keep that smile flashing in her direction. She didn’t know what was so special about him, but something definitely made her heart jump up and down, but that wouldn’t get her where she needed to go. Forcibly she brought her attention back to the subject matter. “How would I know?”

  “We can search it when we get back.”

  She had visions of them flipping mattresses and checking inside cupboards. “I thought they were pretty small these days. How would we find them?”

  “We have a device that can usually pick up any bugs.”

  She frowned, not liking that. “Do you think anybody’s trying to hurt the elephants?” she asked hesitantly. “Because I don’t think I could handle it.”