Caliber Detective Agency Box Set 3 Page 13

  He offered the old man his hand, and when Jake shook it, he held on to it as he spoke.

  “You’re a part of my son, and that makes you a part of me. Come see me sometime and I’ll tell you some stories about your father.”

  “Are you talking about your son or Sam Sloan?”

  “Both of them, boy. I knew and loved them both.”

  Sammy walked to the door but paused before leaving.

  “I do have a favor to ask.”

  “Name it.”

  “I’d like to attend Jake’s wedding.”

  The old man walked over to his grandson’s desk and slid open the top drawer, to remove an invitation.

  “It will be a big event and we’ve got clients, old friends, and tons of other people coming. We can sure as hell make room for family.”

  Sammy thanked him for the invitation, but when he gripped it, the old man held onto it.

  “I know you have a thing for Velma. I hope you’re not planning to start trouble at the wedding.”

  “I’ll promise you this, I won’t start anything, but Christopher is not my biggest fan.”

  The old man released the invitation.

  “Are you bringing a date, Sammy?”

  “No, it will just be me.”

  “Well, Kelli has a lot of good-looking friends. Maybe you won’t be leaving the wedding alone.”

  “Maybe, but there’s only one woman I’m interested in.”

  “Velma?”

  “Yeah.”

  “The girl must be a magnet for Caliber men.”

  “I guess that’s true,” Sammy said, and after thanking Jake for the drink, he left the office and headed out of the building.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Days later, Jake and Chris entered their mother’s home in Forest Hills. They were surprised to find their grandfather there.

  Gail had simply told them that she wanted to see them before they left for Jake’s bachelor party, but had not mentioned that the old man would be there.

  Jake looked at his mother, then at his grandfather.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s family business,” the old man said.

  “Good or bad?” Chris asked.

  “A little of both,” Gail said.

  The old man told them the story. He could tell that learning of their father’s infidelity had diminished his son in their eyes to some degree.

  They had been sitting across from their mother in a pair of armchairs, but then moved over to sit on either side of her on the sofa.

  Chris let out a long sigh.

  “I’m hardly one to judge another for being unfaithful, given my recent history, but damn, what the hell was Dad thinking?”

  “He wasn’t thinking,” the old man said. “He was swept away by emotion. I just thank God that your mother forgave him and offered him a second chance.”

  “How did you find out about the affair, Mother?” Jake asked.

  “Your father told me himself,” Gail said, and the strain in her voice revealed that some pain still lingered from the event.

  “There’s something else, boys.”

  “What, Granddad?” Jake asked.

  “The affair produced a child.”

  Jake snapped his fingers as he had an epiphany.

  “Sammy Sloan. I knew there was something familiar about that guy.”

  Chris made a face of disgust.

  “Sammy Sloan is our half-brother?”

  “That’s right, Chris,” the old man said. “But he considers himself to be a Sloan.”

  “So do I,” Chris said.

  “He’s a Caliber, boy, and he’s got the family grit too.”

  “You mean he can be grating,” Chris said. “Plus, the man has a history with Velma.”

  “Yeah,” the old man said. “That’s true, but I want you to give him a chance, Chris. Like it or not, the man is family.”

  “That wedding invitation you said you gave away, that went to Sammy Sloan?” Jake asked.

  “Yeah, he’ll be at the wedding tomorrow.”

  Jake shrugged. “I’ll welcome him into the family when I see him.” Jake then took his mother’s hand. “How are you handling this?”

  Gail laughed. “I don’t really know yet. I was shocked when I met him, and maybe I still am.”

  “He doesn’t look much like Dad,” Chris said.

  “Neither do you,” Gail said. “But you both look like your paternal grandmother, and that’s what I saw when I met him the other day.”

  Chris made a derisive sound. “I don’t know how you could discern anything. The man is so hairy I wonder if he’s ever learned to shave.”

  “Jakey,” the old man said. “I hated to drop this on you so close to your wedding, but I thought you both needed to hear this from us, you know, before the truth came out.”

  “Yeah, I’d rather hear it from you and Mother than from Sloan.”

  “One more thing, boys. Please don’t think less of your father. He was a man and all men are weak at one time or another. Sometimes it’s sex, sometimes it’s greed, power, or addiction, but we all make mistakes. Luckily for my boy, your mother forgave him for his moment of weakness.”

  Jake kissed his mother on the cheek.

  “I would have hated having divorced parents.”

  “I loved your father enough to forgive him, but if he had tried to hide the affair I don’t know if I would have stayed with him. It’s one thing to cheat, another to lie about it. The lying shows a lack of repentance.”

  Chris let out a sigh.

  “Velma said essentially the same thing to me, that if I hadn’t told her about Rayne she would have never considered taking me back.”

  The old man pointed at the door.

  “Go to your bachelor party, Jakey, and have a hell of a good time.”

  “You should join us.”

  “No, boy, that’s a young man’s privilege. A man my age would only look like a fool at something like that.”

  “It’s not possible for you to look like a fool, Granddad, but I get your meaning.”

  After Jake and Chris left, Gail looked over at her father-in-law.

  “I think they took the news as well as could be expected.”

  “Yeah, but the real trouble still lies ahead.”

  “What trouble?”

  “Velma. I know that girl, Gail, and Jakey told me how she reacted to seeing Sammy again. That girl has feelings for both Chris and Sammy. Someday she’ll have to make a choice.”

  “Oh my,” Gail said.

  “Oh yeah,” said the old man.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Jake Caliber the fifth married Kelli Elizabeth Ross in a lavish ceremony inside a Midtown Manhattan church.

  Rayne Carver and Trace Pruitt attended the nuptials, but Sammy Sloan failed to appear.

  Once they were at the reception hall, Rayne kept a drink in her hand, and Pruitt took note.

  “You were buzzed when I picked you up this morning and now you’re headed toward drunk. What is bothering you, Rayne?”

  “Christopher said he never misses me.”

  “Oh,” Pruitt said, and was regretful that he had asked. As he looked away from Rayne, he saw Christopher standing near the open bar with a beer. Apparently, he had changed into jeans and a black T-shirt after leaving the church.

  “Drink as much as you want, Rayne. I only plan to have a couple of beers since I’ll be driving.”

  “Nice try, Pruitt,” Rayne said. “But I won’t be getting so drunk that I’ll let you take advantage of me. I think I’ll take a cab home.”

  Pruitt stared at Rayne. “Tell me something, will you?”

  “What’s that?” Rayne asked, before taking another sip of her current drink.

  “You once told me that I was a pig who didn’t have a heart, but how would you define Christopher Caliber?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean what do you call a man who uses you and then tosses you away?”<
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  Rayne didn’t answer him. She fought back tears and downed the rest of her drink.

  Pruitt grunted in frustration and walked off.

  Lauren had attended the wedding on the arm of Chris’s best friend, Garth Drexel. Apparently, their first date had gone well, as they were all smiles.

  Garth was a day trader by profession. Although it was a Sunday and the American Stock Exchange was closed, the Forex currency market would begin trading during the reception. Garth excused himself for a few minutes, so he could check out the foreign news that might affect his trades.

  With Garth absent, Christopher approached Lauren, who was looking lovely in a green gown.

  “You look beautiful, Lauren.”

  “Thank you, Christopher, and you look very handsome in your tuxedo,” Lauren said.

  The two then stared at each other, but as the band began playing a new song. Chris held out his hand.

  “May I have this dance?”

  Lauren grinned, took his hand, and the two stepped onto the crowded dance floor.

  It was a slow song, and a romantic one. Chris held Lauren close and couldn’t help but notice how well her body melded against him. As the song ended, they were once more gazing into each other’s eyes, and knowing smiles lighted each of their faces.

  “It felt as if we had danced together before,” Lauren said.

  “Yes, and I hope to do so again.”

  Lauren stepped away from him as the next song began.

  “I would like nothing better, but you have Velma to dance with.”

  Chris held up a hand in apology.

  “I wasn’t making a pass.”

  Lauren stepped closer again. “Can we speak plainly?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’m attracted to you, Christopher, and I think you like me, but I’ll tell you right now that I am not another Rayne Carver.”

  Christopher hung his head.

  “I cheated on Velma with Rayne, yes, but I swear to you, Lauren, I’ve never cheated on anyone before. Rayne was an exception in my life, not the rule.”

  “Good, but we still have these feelings for each other, which is why I’m considering leaving Caliber and working elsewhere.”

  “What? No, don’t leave because of me. Besides, once Jake and Kelli return from their honeymoon we’ll see less of each other, since I’ll be leaving the agency.”

  “That’s true,” Lauren said. “But it’s also true that we should keep our distance from each other in the meantime.”

  Chris took a step backwards. “If that’s how you want it, fine, but please, don’t quit.”

  Lauren drifted away, and Christopher headed for the bar to get a stiff drink.

  Pruitt wrinkled his brow in confusion as he watched Christopher walking toward him.

  “Why did you change back into the tux, Caliber?”

  “What do you mean?” Chris asked.

  The confusion on Pruitt’s face deepened as he looked beyond Chris’s shoulder.

  “I didn’t know you were a twin.”

  “What are you talking about, Pruitt?”

  Pruitt pointed behind Chris. When Christopher turned around, his own face morphed into a mask of confusion. Standing behind him was a man who could pass as his double.

  “It’s me, Caliber,” the man said. “Sammy Sloan.”

  Velma had been walking toward Christopher while checking her phone for messages. When she looked up and saw him standing beside a clean-cut Sammy Sloan, the glass in her other hand slipped from her grasp and broke as it struck the floor.

  Sammy sent her a grin.

  “Hello, Velma honey, now you know what I meant when I said that Christopher and I were a lot alike.”

  Jake walked over with his grandfather, mother, and new bride, Kelli. Jake stared at Sloan, then offered his hand.

  Once Sammy had taken it, Jake grabbed onto Chris and pulled him closer.

  “We’re brothers, like it or not. There will be no unpleasant shit going down at my wedding. The two of you understand that?”

  “I do,” Sammy said. “And I didn’t come here to start any trouble.”

  “Chris,” Jake said. “Shake your brother’s hand.”

  Christopher reached over and took Sammy’s free hand. His grip was more a crushing squeeze than a warm handshake.

  Sammy smiled at him. “That’s quite a grip you’ve got there, Christopher.”

  Chris released Sammy’s hand, walked over to Velma, then led her away as he headed back to their table.

  Rayne appeared beside Sammy with a look of awe lighting her face.

  “You really do look like Chris, Sloan. I’m amazed I didn’t see the resemblance before.”

  Sammy arched an eyebrow.

  “Does this mean you have the hots for me now too?”

  “I said you looked like him, but there’s only one Christopher.”

  Sammy gazed about the ballroom and saw that many heads were turned his way. Most appeared to be gossiping with the person closest to them.

  “I think I should leave before I overstay my welcome. I’ll see you in the office tomorrow, boss lady.”

  “I may be in a little late,” Rayne said. “I’ve an errand to run.”

  Rayne’s errand was a trip to see her lawyer. Leslie and Karen had decided to sell her a majority stake in their B-Girl business.

  As Sammy headed for the exit, Rayne walked over to Pruitt.

  “How about a dance, Pruitt?”

  Pruitt was surprised by the offer, but he nodded yes. Once on the dance floor, Rayne leaned her head against his shoulder.

  “I apologize for saying you had no heart.”

  “Thanks.”

  “And you were wrong about, Chris. He didn’t use me. He has feelings for me. I know he does.”

  “If you say so, but just remember one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I love you, Rayne, and whether you believe that or not, it’s true.”

  The newlyweds left for their honeymoon, and soon after, their guests departed the ballroom.

  Jake Caliber, the patriarch of the Caliber clan puffed away on a cigar as he watched the couples depart.

  Velma looked lost in thought about Sammy Sloan.

  The old man had expected he might see Christopher glancing in Rayne Carver’s direction, but he was surprised by what he saw next. Christopher was gazing at Lauren, who was staring back at him. In their eyes was a look of longing.

  Trace Pruitt’s attention was solely for Rayne, but Rayne was staring at Christopher. The old man knew that Rayne still intended to win his grandson’s heart someday.

  Gail walked over and wrapped an arm through Jake’s as she kissed him on the cheek.

  “It was a lovely day, wasn’t it?”

  “That it was, Daughter, and it will be good to have Kelli in the family.”

  “Speaking of family, Kelli wants to get pregnant as soon as possible.”

  “That’s great news. It’s been too long since this family had a child in it, and I would love to have a great-grandson.”

  “The baby could be a girl.”

  “Girls are nice, but you can’t name them Jake.”

  Gail checked her watch.

  “Jim should have the car out front by now.”

  “Things between you and Jim Tate are good?”

  “Yes, Jake. He treats me like a queen.”

  “That’s the way it should be.”

  “My Jake is married now; do you think Christopher and Velma will be next?”

  The old man remembered the look that passed between Christopher and Lauren.

  “Only time will tell, Gail, only time will tell.”

  CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY - BOOK 9

  CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY – MEANS, MOTIVE AND OPPORTUNITY - Book 9 of the Caliber Detective Agency & the Series Finale

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Artie Kelp was a short and pudgy man of forty who had gone through life hearing people call him stupid.
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  His father, not a genius himself, had called Artie stupid, the kids at school called him stupid, and his ex-wife had called him stupid for losing the rent money on a game of three-card Monte.

  So all right, he wasn’t the brightest bulb on the chandelier, but Artie never thought of himself as being stupid. He just had bad luck, that’s all it was, but his luck was about to change.

  He’d met two guys in a bar who offered him a way to make some easy money. All he had to do was be a little sneaky. The two men, who were brothers named Ian and Robby, wanted Artie to steal a set of keys, along with the codes to an alarm system.

  Artie worked for Sanchez Office Maintenance, which did business out of a storefront on Clay Avenue in the Bronx. The company cleaned scores of office buildings in Manhattan. While many of the offices they cleaned were in skyscrapers, some were located in smaller buildings, including the Caliber building.

  Some of the more modern office facilities had multiple key codes or biometric scanners. However, to get inside the Caliber building after office hours you needed only a key to the front door and a single four-digit alarm code. There were other keys for the inside offices, but once you had the main key and the alarm code you were set.

  Sanchez Office Maintenance kept back-up keys and a list of alarm codes in the manager’s office. The office was unlocked whenever the manager or one of the night-supervisors was around. The trouble was, there was almost always someone in the office. Artie told the two brothers this fact, but they assured him that if he thought of a way to get the key and the code that they would pay him ten-thousand-dollars.

  “You’ll think of something,” said the older brother, Ian. Both men had shaved heads and brown eyes, but Ian was two inches taller than his brother Robby.

  “Cause a distraction,” Robby had told Artie. “You know, like set off a car alarm or something. When the supervisor goes out to check on it, run into the office and get what we need.”

  Artie had smiled at the idea. That was something he could handle. To prove that they meant business, the brothers gave him five hundred-dollars to seal the deal. The rest of the money would be Artie’s when he met them and handed over the goods.