Deceived by Stella Barcelona Read Free Book Online Page A

grandfather and Marcus’s father. The topic had been a systemic part of Brandon’s young life. His mother would not allow conversation about it after a fire stole his childhood home, and after Marcus’s suicide, which stole what remained of Brandon’s innocence. Tuesday night, one night before her murder, Lisa had told Brandon she’d made progress. He had again shut down her comments. He wasn’t interested in the conspiracy theory that had stolen his father’s sanity. Now though, Brandon wondered, what if Lisa’s research had revealed that Marcus was correct, that an injustice had been committed when his grandfather had been convicted? Who, after all of these years, would care, and would anyone care so much that they’d kill her?
    ***
    On Thursday morning he disguised his appearance with eye contacts, touristy clothes, bad hair, and a cap. He journeyed back to the city, merged in with the ten a.m. walking tour of the Garden District, and slipped the demand letter into the mailbox of George Bartholomew’s mansion. His demand was plain and simple:
    I have an original of the Hutchenson Letter of DECEMBER 1979. I will go public with the letter if you do not deposit, by wire transfer, 25 million U.S. dollars in the Bank of Switzerland, Antigua, account BSTBBSITW 101108072809 before 12:01 a.m. on July 4th.
    Afterwards, at The Chocolate Croissant, on Magazine Street, he stopped for a good cappuccino with thick, creamy froth and an almond croissant, that was crumbly, buttery, and sweet. The local newspaper had an article about Lisa’s murder. There were no leads and, so far, no witnesses. The police were pleading with the public to come forward with information.
    He flipped to the society section. Taylor Bartholomew, pictured with Andi Hutchenson at a party for the opera guild, was in the largest photograph in the paper’s society section. He scanned the other photographs, but did not see a picture of Collette Westerfeld, the other filly in his trifecta. As usual, although Andi was pretty, his eyes were drawn to Taylor. Her hair was down in the picture, falling past her shoulders in gentle waves. The full attention that she had given the photographer revealed confidence. Her almond-shaped eyes had a knowing look. Her cocktail dress exposed a hint of cleavage, a small waist, and the graceful curve of her slender neck.
    So perfect.
    Her special, sultry beauty aroused him, which few women now did. Yet, he despised her for having the name, the wealth, the prestige, and the confidence that came with being untouchable by the mortal world, where people worried about mundane things like having to pay a mortgage.
    Taylor’s elevated stature had come simply by breathing her first breath of air when she was still sticky from birth. He detested her for it. He was going to destroy George Bartholomew by killing his only child. He was going to kill Taylor, whether or not George Bartholomew complied with his extortion demand. His apocalypse plan was in motion. There was no turning back. Before Taylor, though, there was Collette. Then Andi. One plum from each of the three HBW families would die. He started to fold the paper, but paused when an article about the upcoming party caught his eye.
    Gala Honoring Local Families Will Precede July 4th Opening of New Wing at the National World War II Museum
    On Sunday evening, the third of July, a black-tie gala will honor Andrew Hutchenson I, George Bartholomew Sr., and Charles Westerfeld, the founders of HBW Shipbuilding Enterprises. Thanks to the current HBW families, the new wing of the National World War II museum, the Infamy Wing, will soon be a reality, and will more than double the size of the original museum. In addition to expanding the museum’s historic collections, the new wing will feature the HBW Pavilion, which will house a three-hundred seat movie theater and a restaurant. The HBW families made the financial contributions in honor of their forefathers, who designed the Hutchenson