He looked up at her, his face ashen. “I’m sorry,” he said, trying to raise his hand but lacking the strength. “Tell LaBelle … I’m sorry …”
Within moments, he was dead.
“We better wait at the house,” Sam said.
Amal saw them as they emerged from the orchard and ran out. It was clear she’d been crying. “How could he do this?” she asked. “Pretending to like Dr. LaBelle. It’ll break her heart.”
“We may never know,” Remi said.
“What if you hadn’t come along, Mrs. Fargo? What if … Maybe some of this is my fault for not realizing—”
“He conned all of us,” Remi said, putting her arm around Amal’s shoulders. “Who knows how long he was setting this up?”
“Remi’s right,” Sam said. “It’s only a matter of time connecting the irregularities in the books to his actions.”
Amal gave a slight nod as a faint siren sounded in the air. “I think I’ll wait inside until the police come.”
She walked off, leaving Sam, Remi, and Lazlo standing alone in the field.
“I feel bad for her,” Remi said. “First the kidnapping at the school, then this. Still, she reminds me of Nasha in a way.”
“How?” Sam asked.
“Extremely resilient in the face of insurmountable odds. I’m not sure the average graduate student could’ve handled everything the way she has.”
“I hope you’re right,” Lazlo said as the shrill sirens nearly drowned out his voice. In a moment, they were surrounded by the police.
CHAPTER NINETY-TWO
One who causes others misfortune also teaches them wisdom.
– AFRICAN PROVERB –
THREE DAYS LATER …
You must be glad that they found Makao,” Renee said as she sat with the Fargos and Lazlo at the kitchen table. The police investigation into the shooting had consumed much of their time with endless rounds of questioning, phone calls, and visits to the Fargos’ hotel, and they were told to expect still more interviews in the coming days as the detectives pieced together everything Hank had done. Renee, at least, was finally home. “He’s dead?”
“Very,” Remi added.
Lazlo gave a small smile as he rose and moved toward the window. “Apparently, Mrs. Fargo’s shot caused a serious infection. Had he sought proper medical care, he’d be rotting in prison instead of a grave.”
“I’m sure that was foremost in his mind,” Sam said.
“Regardless,” Remi continued. “It’s making life for Pete and Wendy a lot easier. Wendy’s hoping that with the military clearing out, the school can get back to a normal routine. More importantly, Nasha and her uncle can go home.”
José walked into the kitchen, a tilt of the head to them as he made for the coffeepot. “Did Dr. LaBelle tell you that we found a wire yesterday?”
“Where?” Sam asked.
Renee brought up a photo of the battery-operated listening device on her phone, showing it to Sam. “Taped right here underneath this table. We turned it over to the police.”
“What I don’t get,” José said as he poured coffee into a mug, “is why Hank would plant a wire when he was here the whole time?”
Sam examined the photo, then passed the phone to Remi. “It gave him a way to let Tarek know what was going on without it being obvious he was the one passing on the info.”
“I feel terrible,” Renee replied. “How did I ever believe Warren was guilty? How did I never realize how deep in debt Hank was?”
“Because Hank went to extreme pains to cover it all up.”