Hot Revenge Box Set 4

Chapter 34

Michael

“James, we have to tell her. Given her condition, Mitch has to know. ”

He exhales slowly, avoiding my eye. “Yes, she does. I’ve… been avoiding it…”

“Hoping it would go away? That Klempner would contact us out of the blue and we could warn him? That just like that, everything would be alright?”

“Something like that, yes.”

“If Mitch doesn’t have all the facts, she can’t make proper decisions. She’s going to need support. And part of that support is to give her the truth. It’s not doing her any favours to be kept in the dark.”

“You’re right of course.” James squeezes his eyes closed, presses at a temple. “Let’s get it over with. Can you get everyone together. We’ll need the family with her for this.”

*****

Richard and Beth drop what they are doing, joining us in the lounge. Georgie appears shortly afterwards, strolling in from the hotel with a speculative look in her eye.

Elbow resting on the chair arm, I talk behind my hand to James in the next seat. “You think it’s a good idea to have Georgie here?”

“She’s family too,” he snaps. “And she was also targeted by that maniac woman. So, yes, she should be here.”

Turning away from me, he flips open his mobile, giving the screen a couple of taps. “Hickman? Yes, it’s James. Could you join us in the house, please… Yes, right away.”

I bite down on my doubts. Georgie sits off to one side, silently waiting, regarding me from under lidded eyes as she sees me watching her.

But it’s James’ call…

His daughter…

His problem…

Or at least, the problem he created…

Charlotte perhaps has similar reservations. She meets my gaze for a long moment, her attention broken as James speaks. “Charlotte, could you fetch your mother, please. Tell her I need a word.” He stares at his feet for a moment, then, “Don’t say more than that. This has to come from me. Try to keep her calm.”

Sucking at her lips, Charlotte nods and heads out.

James paces the room, looking as though he’s just been asked what he would like for his last meal.

Richard pushes a glass into his hands. “Calm down. We all know it wasn’t intentional.”

James knocks back half an inch of golden liquid, then thrusts the glass back at Richard. Legs akimbo, his back to the fire, he stares moodily into space, cracking his knuckles.

Hickman arrives, clean of any expression. He takes an armchair at the back of the room; leaning back, arms folded, legs outstretched, crossed at the ankles.

Charlotte returns with Mitch, one arm hooked through her mother’s. Mitch pauses in the doorway, brow furrowing as she sees the gathering. “What can I do for you, James?”

James clears his throat, then gestures to an armchair. “Um… why don’t you sit down, Mitch. There’s something I have to tell you.”

Mitch holds… “What? What is it? Is it about Larry? You’ve heard something?” Her voice snatches. “Has… something happened to him?”

“Please, Mitch, sit down.”

“Mom…” Charlotte takes her hand. “Sit by me on the settee.”

Mitch angles a glance at her daughter. “So you know something I don’t? How do you get to find out before me?”

I move in, cupping her elbow with my palm, steering her to the seat. “Mitch, please sit down. James needs to talk and it’s not going to be easy on either of you.”

She glares at me sidelong, but sits, sandwiched between me and Charlotte, who slips her hand over her mother’s.

James, skin sheened, his words slow, speaks like one making a confession…

… As indeed, he is…

How Klempner was fooled into uploading James’ Trojan to his phone…

… Set a locator on him…

… Programmed it to backup into the cloud, so that when Klempner replaced his mobile, he would be automatically re-infected…

… and then, how James himself was hacked, and that virus now has control of Klempner’s new phone.

And we can only assume that it is Juliana behind it.

Fingertips steepled to his lips, James talks from behind his hands, “Mitch, I’m sorry. I never intended any of this, but we’ve heard nothing from him. Hickman can’t make contact…” He glances to Klempner’s henchman, who simply nods agreement.

Mitch is pale… paler than usual, her complexion sallow. “Are you telling me that woman can trace exactly where Larry is? And he has no idea it’s happening?”

“I’m sorry, Mitch. But yes, that’s almost certainly right.”

“You hacked Larry? And it didn’t occur to you to tell any of us what you were doing?” Her tone would blunt the edge on a razor blade.

James doesn’t reply.

She speaks carefully, precisely, hands clasped over a still flat stomach. “What exactly is she able to do?”

He swallows…

Mitch’s voice rises an octave. “Tell me, James. What have you done?”

“As far as I can tell, Juliana… and we are assuming it is Juliana… has complete control of Klempner’s mobile. If the phone is capable of doing it, then she has control. She’ll certainly know where he is. She’ll have his log-ins, passwords and his entry codes. She’ll be able to use the camera and the microphone. If he carries it in his pocket as he usually does, she won’t be able to see much, but she will be able to eavesdrop and to record any conversation he has.”

James presses fingertips to his forehead. “Larry uses a top-line model. It’s capable of a lot. But he doesn’t have control of it. She does.”

Mitch stares at him, trembling, stroking her stomach.

Richard breaks in. “This doesn’t get us anywhere. Hickman, how long is it now since you last had contact with Klempner?”

The heavyset man gives James a look that would etch glass then, speaking in a monotone, “Five days now.”

“How often did he normally contact you?”

“Typically about once a day. Different times. Different pattern. Mainly…” He looks towards Mitch… “… it was to ask after Miss Kimberley.”

“What was the last thing you discussed with him?”

“It was to ask me to obtain the information regarding the organised crime syndicates in São Paulo.”

“He could have asked me,” says James. “I’d have been happy to help with the research.”

Hickman swings his gaze to James. “Your help?”

James flushes. “Klempner’s in trouble because of me. I’ll book a flight and get over there…”

Hickman cuts him short, but his voice has lost its edge. “Mr Alexanders, I know you mean well, but if Mr Klempner has encountered the kind of trouble that he can't handle…” He raises brows nodding down to James’ bad leg.

“I'll go,” I say. “I can handle myself.”

“I'm sure you can, Mr Summerford.” Hickman sucks at his lips, rubs his nose. “Do you speak Portuguese?”

“Well… No.”

“Exactly. So… listen, all of you.” Hickman pins his gaze on each of us in turn, driving home his message. “Mr Klempner was very clear in his instructions to me. He wanted me here. He wanted all of you here. To protect Miss Kimberley and Mrs Summerford. He knew he was walking into trouble…”

James protests… “But his phone…”

Hickman stabs a finger toward him. “If his phone was hacked, whether or not it was Juliana, whoever it is knows exactly who you all are. They would be waiting for you. Alright, yes, it probably is Juliana, but Mr Klempner was specific that he wanted to deal with it himself. He wanted all of you out of the business.”

James snarls, “The situation has changed.”

“No, it hasn’t. Not in terms of my instructions.”

The two men move close, eye-balling each other.

I interrupt before the discussion goes south. “Perhaps,” I suggest, “we could try another tack. Given that clearly, something has happened, maybe we could ask another favour of Will Stanton: to ask his contacts if they can track Klempner down for us.”

Richard blinks, then swipes a hand through his hair. “I can certainly ask Will, but I’m not sure how he would react. Neither am I sure how pleased Klempner would be with us if he thought we’d set the Brazilian police on his trail.”

I consider that for several seconds… “If Juliana’s somehow got the better of him, he might be happy to know we have the authorities looking for him.”

“Someone…” says Hickman… “… who isn’t one of you.”

“Do it,” says Mitch. Her tone is shaky but decisive. “That bitch is clever, murderous and obsessed. If Larry’s in trouble, he needs help.”

James casts a look toward her. “Mitch, even if we were to ask for assistance, or if Richard were to ask Will to do it for us… “ He takes a breath… “With Larry’s… past record… the Brazilian authorities might not be willing to help.”

She lifts her chin. “Regardless of Larry’s past record, that woman is psychotic. She might have targeted Larry until now, but if she succeeds in killing him, do you think that’s where she’d stop?”

She stands, pacing up and down, hands flailing as she speaks. “Look at what she’s already done, how many she’s murdered as she played her games with him. If she killed Larry…” Her breath catches, then as she regains her self-control, “… what do you think would happen next? That she’d stop at that? No, Juliana enjoys murder for its own sake. She’d find some other target, some other excuse, and keep doing exactly what she’s been doing..”

Hickman stands, hooking thumbs into his pockets. “I agree with Miss Kimberley. Mr Klempner might not like it, but being captured by the police and finding himself in prison again is preferable to being killed.”

James slants eyes to Charlotte. “Anything to add?”

Her voice trembles. “I spent so many years not knowing he was my father. So many years we were enemies. I don’t want to lose him again now.”

James nods, slowly, sucking at his lip. Then, “Richard?”

“I’ll call Will now. Juliana created enough havoc on his beat that I think he’s likely to help. And I’m quite sure he’ll not be wanting her return to the City… “Hickman, are you comfortable with that?” This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

Hickman raises his hands. “Who am I to argue with a personal friend of the police commissioner?”

Mitch is trembly and shaky, her eyes glossy…

Losing it…

I take her hand, hold it between my own. The tremble in her body passes through to mine. “Try not to worry. I know that’s easy to say, but try. Larry’s intelligent and resourceful. It won’t take him long to realise that something’s amiss. After the things he's done, the life he’s lived through, can you really see some vengeful, petty-minded female getting the better of him?”

She shakes her head, but her lashes are wet.

*****