A Glimpse of Evil by Victoria Laurie Read Free Book Online

shocked at the amount of credit card debt Jackson had run up prior to his mother’s stroke and Donald’s crash, over a hundred thousand dollars, in fact, which had been paid off almost exactly thirty-two days after Donald’s crash. Dutch checked, and was able to confirm that the insurance money had been wired into Estelle’s account on the thirty-first day, and because Jackson had power of attorney, he had control of her bank accounts, and had obviously paid off his debts using those funds.
    Dutch had enough for a warrant, but quickly discovered through a public-records check that Jackson had moved to Florida. Dutch then had a buddy of his at the Tampa office pick Jackson up, and within twenty minutes, Wyzinski admitted that he’d taken out the insurance policy on his brother right after his mother’s stroke without Donald ever knowing about it. He’d made sure to put down his mother’s name as the sole beneficiary to avoid suspicion if his brother died of unnatural causes, and because he had been granted the power of attorney, he knew he’d have access to the money. He told the investigator that the purchase of the policy was prompted by his gambling addiction, which had started to get out of control, and he figured if he ever got into serious trouble, he could take out his brother and have enough cash to settle his debts.
    Serious trouble had arrived when a bookie had sent a few muscled thugs to rough Jackson up and threaten him. Afterward, he’d called Donald and confessed that he was in debt to the mob, and that they were threatening to kill him if he didn’t show up with fifty thousand dollars the night of the accident.
    Donald didn’t have that kind of cash on hand, but he did have a 401(k). He told Jackson that he would withdraw the funds from the bank’s cash reserves, then start the process of liquidating the funds from his 401(k) the next day and replace the money in time for the end of the week’s audit before anyone was the wiser.
    He’d then agreed to meet his brother at a remote location with the cash, where Jackson was waiting to run him off the road, using a stolen car.
    However, after Donald was sideswiped into a tree, Jackson had taken one look at his dead brother and he’d panicked. He’d left the scene without taking the money and dumped the stolen car in a nearby lake. A month later, when the funds arrived, Jackson had paid off all his debts and entered Gamblers Anonymous. As part of the twelve-step program, he’d been forced to take a hard look at himself and his actions, which had brought about a wave of guilt, and he was actually relieved to be picked up and clear his conscience with the Tampa Feds.
    We listened on speaker as the agent in Florida relayed the confession, stunned that it had all come out so easily. Afterward, I got another huge hug from my main squeeze and we were able to put a big fat “2” up on the whiteboard under the heading “Cases Solved.”
    By the end of the day, Dutch and I were on a roll, and had put the clues together on one last case that closed more easily than even the first two.
    After that, I was on one heck of a high and I couldn’t help smiling gleefully at the other agents’ stunned faces as Dutch erased the “2” and wrote in a “3.” As one, they all turned to stare at me through the glass in Dutch’s office. I waved all friendly-like at them, and didn’t even mind when not one of them waved back.
    Harrison also took note, and as Dutch was wiping his hands together and walking back, Brice looked over at me through the glass and crooked his finger. I got up and dutifully went to his office. As I entered, he shouted, “Rivers! You too. Please join us.”
    I knew we weren’t in trouble, but Harrison had this way of making you feel like you could be. “Have a seat,” he instructed.
    I sat at once, my back rigid against the chair. Dutch came in and shut the door. “We’re having a good day,” he said cordially while he took the chair