“Were you hired as extra security?”
Her courage returned. “Are you here as private security, Sgt. Brogan?” She knew it was true.
“I’m still your superior.”
“Not off duty.” She motioned. “This is Walter Byerly. He believes his wife is being held here against her will. He’s filed a complaint, and I’m here to investigate.”
“Bullshit! You’re not investigating anything.” He stepped toward her.
“Don’t try to bully me, sergeant.”
Just then the screaming began, loud, high-pitched, piercing. It carried inside the house, silencing the crowd.
“What the hell is that?” She recognized Dragon’s voice.
To Byerly, the screaming sounded deliciously loud. Good girl, Doreen, keep it up, Jamie. He looked at Dragon. Rage scarred the handsome face, and his lips mouthed obscenities. He started outside, then stopped in the doorway, turned and raised both his hands. “It’s nothing, folks, just some pranksters. They don’t like us having a good time.
“Yes, some neighborhood kids, pay it no mind.”
That came from Joy Fielding. Byerly turned to her. “Then how come someone is calling my name? Listen, you can hear, ‘Walter, Walter, save me’.”
“I hear it, too,” a voice said behind him. “Are you Walter?”
“Yes, Walter Byerly and the person calling is my wife Doreen. She’s being held captive here, along with-”
“Don’t be absurd,” Dr. Joy said. She turned, “Mrs. Uberreich, please put a stop to it-and take Dirk with you.”
Byerly stepped in front of the housekeeper. “By all means unlock the door to the tower, only I’m going with you.” She tried to push him aside, but he refused to budge.
“This man is an intruder,” Dr. Joy said. “Sgt. Brogan, remove him.”
“Happily, ma’am.” He grinned. “Okay, Byerly, you’re coming with me.” He clasped his arm.
“No, he’s not.” Lupe’s voice was steely.
“Stay out of this Hernandez.”
“Sergeant, you have no idea what’s going on here. You’ve already got a lot of explaining to do. Don’t make it worse by interfering now.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Buster, you’ve bungled a murder investigation and allowed a child to be abducted. If you want to keep your pension, then I suggest you decide whether you work for the Santa Barbara Police Department or Victor Dragon.”
Byerly watched the detective’s anger slowly give way to fear. “Thanks, Lupe.” He freed his arm. “Now Mrs. Uberreich, I believe you were about to visit my wife.”
She looked at Dr. Joy for approval. Rage distorted the once-beautiful face. He grinned at her. “I guess the Joy has gone out of your life. Too bad, doctor, but the jig is up, the cookie has crumbled, the music has been faced, the piper is-”
“Let him take his lousy wife out of here.”
Lupe beside him, he followed Uberreich to the kitchen passageway. It seemed to take forever for her to unlock the door, mount the stairs and unlock the second door. At last it opened and he burst inside.
All three stood on the table across the room.
“Oh, darling, I knew you’d come.”
“Thank God, you’re safe.” She leaped from the table into his arms. “I was so worried, I thought-”
“I know what you thought.” She kissed him.
Over her shoulder he saw the other two, still on the table. “You can stop screaming now, Jamie, you did a fantastic job.”
Mandy put her hand over his mouth to silence him. “You must be Walter Byerly. I’m Amanda-”
“Sykes, the long lost. You’re a hard person to find.
Lupe extended a hand to help her and Jamie down. “Let’s get all of you out of here.”
As they returned downstairs and approached the front entrance, everyone stood aside, looking at them as curiosities. A voice said, “Why it is DeeDee.”
Doreen recognized her. “Hi, Janet, do I ever have a story to tell.”
“I’m sure you do, Mrs. Byerly, but I’m going to tell the truth first.” Joy Fielding took over. “This woman stole this little boy and hid him from his mother.” That brought a heightened murmur. “Fortunately Victor Dragon found out where the boy was, got a court order and saved him from this…this kidnapper and reunited him with his mother here at the estate.”
“What a bald-faced liar you are,” Doreen said.
“But she wouldn’t give up. Still determined to get the child back, she disguised herself in a wig and uniform and induced a friend to bring her out here, posing as a servant. She almost got away with it, too. Fortunately we recognized her and-”
Doreen laughed. “Then why were Mandy and Jamie locked up in that tower? Hardly luxury accommodations, no toilet, no running water, a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. I suppose you were protecting them from little old me.”
Joy Fielding looked around at her guests, all certainly puzzled now. “Don’t listen to her.”
“You were going to tell the truth, Mrs. Kinkaid. Then by all means tell everyone how your goons abducted Mandy off the street, in broad daylight, and brought her here. Tell them how Mandy was locked up and held prisoner in this very house just so you could influence an election.”
“This is slander. You can’t say things like that. There are laws. I’ll sue the pants off you.”
“I’m wearing a skirt, but never mind. Yes, by all means sue, so all this can come out in court. Meanwhile, Mandy will support what I’m saying.”
Byerly let Doreen fight her own battles, not that she needed help. His attention was on another drama. Mandy stood there holding Jamie, transfixed by Justin Wright. Apparently she had not seen him since…Byerly did not know since when, maybe since she slept with him, or perhaps the birth of Jamie. She was speechless, virtually unblinking.
Wright was not much better. His eyes moved, but only between the faces of Mandy and her son. At last he spoke. “Is that…Jamie?”
Mandy said nothing, just stared.
“He seems…a…a fine boy.”
Byerly waited for Wright to do something, perhaps go to his son, take him in his arms. He even sensed he wanted to. “You’re right, Governor, Jamie is a great kid. You should be very proud of him.” Now Wright looked at him. “I’m Walt Byerly. I tried to get you on the phone to tell you-”
“My husband knows nothing about all this.”
He had forgotten Edie Wright. She was tall, slender, with honey-colored hair and blue eyes, classy, patrician and regal. She was also a lioness defending her mate.
“All this is just a nasty rumor, concocted by Justin’s political opponents.”
“That’s the exact truth.” Joy Fielding jumped in. ”This is a good place to deny the rumor once and for all.”
“I’m sick to death of these…these ghastly innuendoes about my husband.”
“Are they rumors, Governor Wright?” Byerly said. “This handsome young man just might be your son, your only child. A simple paternity test would prove it.” Clearly the man wavered.
Edie Wright went to her husband, touched his hand, said, “You’ll make such a good President, Justin.”
“I doubt that, Mrs. Wright, at least he won’t get my vote. So what’s it going to be, Governor, truth or expediency?”
Wright looked extremely unhappy.
Mandy spoke. “Please stop, Mr. Byerly. Jamie’s father is for me alone to know. It is my right, and I will never tell. There will be no blood test. I want nothing from anyone.”
“Thank God!” Joy Fielding said, “At last someone makes some sense around here.”
“I want to say another thing. The Byerly’s did not steal my son. They protected him and tried to rescue me. I will always be grateful.”
Joy Fielding clapped her hands, then a second time. “My, my, testimonials all around. Why don’t you take your son, these two busybodies, and leave? We all want to hear Governor Wright speak.”
“This is my house. She may stay if she wishes.”
Byerly heard the voice, then a communal gasp. He turned to see a man advanced in years, stooped and withered, leaning heavily on a cane. His voice was that of a younger man, however. Byerly wouldn’t have known who he was except Josh was with him. “Karl Kinkaid, I presume.”