The Summer of Me (17 page)

D
ESTINY GLANCED OVER AT HER KIDS AS THEY PLAYED
in the arcade area of the beachfront restaurant where they were having lunch. “They're growing up, Mom,” she said. “I don't think they missed me anywhere near as much as I've missed them.”

Patricia chuckled. “They miss you enough,” she said. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself and start appreciating that you've raised independent children who feel as safe and comfortable with their dad as they do with you. It's a blessing, Destiny. Trust me.”

“I hope you're right,” she said, “because I don't like this feeling.”

Their waitress returned to the table and said, “I hope you enjoyed your meal. Would you like anything else?”

“Not me,” Destiny said. “How about you, Mom?”

“No, I couldn't eat another bite. The shrimp was delicious.”

“Thank you,” the waitress said. “I'm glad you enjoyed it.”

“We'll take the check then,” Destiny said. “The kids don't need anything either.”

The waitress reached in her pocket and pulled out the check and a pen. “Take your time,” she said. “I'll be right back to pick it up.”

Destiny nodded. After looking at the check and making sure it was accurate, she opened her purse, pulled out her credit card, and placed it on top of the receipt.

“So I guess I don't have to ask if you're enjoying your vacation as much as I am.” Her mother leaned closer. “Tell me what you thought of Charlotte Wells.”

Destiny shrugged. “I can't get a read on that woman. Mary Margaret and Kenneth have been married for four years and that was my first time meeting her. Obviously, she and Mary Margaret don't have a close relationship.”

“Yeah, I sensed tension between them. Did you know that she's a surgical oncologist and Mary Margaret was accepted to medical school?”

Destiny caught the eye of their waitress, who made a quick trip to the table to pick up the credit card.

“I had no idea,” she said to her mother.

“I don't think the woman ever got over the disappointment of her daughter not becoming a doctor,” her mother continued. “She probably took Mary Margaret's rejection of medical school as a rejection of her.”

“That doesn't make a lot of sense.”

“Just like it doesn't make sense for you to feel threatened by the relationship Mary Margaret and Kenneth have with KJ and Kenae? Parental feelings don't have to make sense. You know I'm right.”

“Excuse me.” Destiny looked up to see the waitress. “I'm
sorry,” she said, handing Destiny back her credit card. “But there was a problem with your card. Do you have another one?”

Destiny frowned. “No problem,” she said. She reached in her purse and pulled out another card. “This one should work. I guess I'll have to call the credit card company about the other one. It should have worked, too.”

“We ran it twice,” the girl said, taking the new card.

“Thank you,” Destiny said.

“What was that about?” her mother asked. “Please tell me that you're not over your limit or some such nonsense.”

“Of course not, Mother,” Destiny said. “All my credit card accounts are up to date. I checked all the available balances before I left for this trip. There must be some mix-up. I'll call the credit card company tonight.”

“Be sure you do,” her mother said. “You have to keep on top of your finances, Destiny.”

“I know, Mother,” Destiny said, praying her mother wouldn't begin to lecture.

“Here comes the waitress,” her mother said. “Sign that receipt so we can get out of here.”

“I'm sorry,” the waitress said when she returned to the table, “but that card doesn't work either.”

“What?” Destiny asked. “There has to be some problem. Are you sure there's not anything wrong with your credit card machine?”

The young woman shook her head. “All the other cards are processing correctly.” She cleared her throat. “Uh, we also take cash.”

Destiny felt a flush of embarrassment flood her face. “Of course,” she said. When she opened her wallet, she realized she had only twenty dollars in cash. She turned to her mother.

“I'll take care of it,” her mother said, clearly exasperated with her and embarrassed to be in this situation. She handed three twenty-dollar bills to the waitress. “You can keep the change.”

“And I'd like my card back,” Destiny added.

“I'll be right back,” the girl said.

“I thought you told me you had enough money for this trip, Destiny. I offered to help out but you said you didn't need my help. What's going on?”

Destiny shrugged. “I have no idea. I'll have to call the credit card companies to find out. This has not happened to me since I was in college.”

“It shouldn't be happening now. I'm glad that the kids were occupied and didn't get to see it.”

Destiny glanced over at her kids, who were still at the arcade. “I'll get it straightened out as soon as we get back to the hotel. It has to be a computer glitch.”

“Here comes the waitress again,” her mother said. “Let's get your card and get out of here.”

“I'm sorry again, Ms. Madison, but the manager would like to see you in his office.”

“For what?” Destiny asked. “I'd just like my card back.”

“I'm sorry, ma'am,” the waitress said. “I'm only telling you what I was told to tell you.”

“What are you talking about?” Destiny asked.

The girl leaned closer and whispered, “I'm sorry, ma'am. When the second card failed, an alert was sent to the police. An officer is waiting in the back to speak with you. Please don't make a scene. Just follow me to the manager's office and no one will be the wiser. If you don't come, the police are going to come to you.”

“I don't believe this,” Patricia said. “We have rights. What's going on here?”

“It's all right, Mom,” Destiny said. “I'll go see what they want. You stay here and watch the kids.”

“No, I'm going with you.”

Destiny shook her head. “No, I need you to stay with the kids. I'll update you as soon as I know something. Keep your cell on. I'll call or text if I need you.”

“I don't like the idea of your going back there alone. I'm calling Kenneth. He can take the kids.”

“Don't do that, Mom. It's probably nothing.”

“If the police are involved, it's not nothing.”

“Calm down,” Destiny said. “I'll be right back.”

Destiny felt a bit of trepidation as she followed the waitress to the back of the restaurant. She'd never been in trouble with the police before, never even had occasion to go to a police station. Her anxiety rose with each step. As they made their way through the kitchen, she saw a man standing at the end of a short hallway. His hands rested on his hips and he had what looked like a badge clipped on his belt. She took a deep breath.

When she reached the man, he pulled his badge off his belt and held it up for her to see. “I'm Detective McCoy.
Why don't you come in here,” he said, pointing to the room to his left. “My partner and I have a few questions for you.”

Destiny's mind raced. All those episodes of
Law & Order
came flooding back to her. How did she know these were real police? What if this was a trick of some kind? Did the police really show up for mere credit card problems? She didn't think so.

Her musings must have run long, for the detective said, “We can do this here and let you get back to your family, or we can do it at the station. It's up to you.”

Destiny said a silent prayer, shook off her fears, and walked into the room, where another detective, this one a black female, was seated in a chair near the desk. The woman stood. “Thanks for agreeing to talk to us, Ms. Madison.” She pointed to the other chair in front of the desk. “I'm Detective Armstead. Please take a seat.”

“What's this all about?” Destiny asked, as she did what she was told and sat down.

The female detective glanced up at the male detective, who stood by the door, before retaking her seat. While Destiny waited for her answer, the woman flipped through the notepad she had in her hand. “Do you recall where you were on the first Monday of last month, the fifth?”

“Not really,” Destiny said. “Why is that date important? Do I need a lawyer?”

“At this point, we're just asking questions,” Detective McCoy said from his station by the door. “You don't need a lawyer unless you've done something wrong.”

Destiny had seen just enough
Law & Order
to make her
nervous. The one thing she'd learned was that the suspect was always better off with a lawyer.

“So where were you on the fifth of last month?” Detective Armstead asked again.

“I told you I don't remember,” she said.

The female detective glanced over at the male detective again. “When was the last time you were in Denver, Colorado?”

Destiny looked from one detective to the other. “What is this about? I've never been to Denver.”

“What about Sioux Falls, Iowa?” Detective Armstead asked.

“What about it?” Destiny asked, growing agitated now. Why were they treating her this way over a simple credit card error? It didn't make sense.

Detective Armstead met her gaze. “When was the last time you were in Sioux Falls, Iowa?”

“I've never been to Sioux Falls,” Destiny said. “What do all these questions have to do with my credit cards? I'm not answering another question until you tell me what this is about.”

Detective McCoy left his perch near the door and came to stoop down next to her. “We want to work with you, Ms. Madison, but you aren't doing your part to help us out. Why don't you tell us about your involvement with HR Solutions?”

Destiny's apprehension escalated. “HR Solutions? It's the temporary employment agency that I work for in Atlanta.
Why are you asking me about HR Solutions? What do my credit cards have to do with HR Solutions?”

“We're asking the questions here, Ms. Madison,” Detective McCoy said. “It's in your best interest to answer them. We'd hate to have to drag you out of here in cuffs, but we'll do it if you don't cooperate. Now tell us about your involvement with Phil Harris and HR Solutions.”

“I told you. It's a temporary employment agency in Atlanta that I work for. I don't know what else you want me to say.”

“What kind of work do you do for them?”

“Marketing and consumer research,” she said, her apprehension growing. “Why are you asking me these questions?”

“Do you want to get arrested, Ms. Madison?”

“No, I don't want to be arrested,” Destiny said. “I just want to know why you're asking all these questions.”

Instead of answering her questions, the two detectives stepped away from her and consulted with each other. When they were finished, Detective Armstead returned to her side. “Destiny Madison,” she said, “you're under arrest for suspicion of credit card fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and identity theft.”

D
ANIEL SAT IN HIS OLD OFFICE AT
GDW
I
NVESTIGATIONS
in Memphis and read through the latest intel on the HR Solutions case. The IT team had made great inroads in tracking this scam back to its ringleaders. They had more than enough information to take to the authorities and begin the process of shutting down the entire crime syndicate.

“What do you think?” his old partner and friend George Campbell asked from his chair in front of Daniel's desk.

“I think the team has done a great job. Have you scheduled a meeting with the authorities?”

George nodded. “Because this fraud spans state and national borders, we've arranged a joint meeting with the assistant U.S. attorney from the Western District of Tennessee and a special agent from the FBI's Memphis division. We've had some preliminary, off-the-record talks with them already. This meeting is to formalize our complaint and de
velop a strategy to arrest the guilty parties. We've done a good job here, Daniel, and you played an important role.”

“I don't know about that,” Daniel said. “I'm just glad this is about to be over. Some folks I care about are involved and I need to let them know what's going on. I feel like I've been lying to them for too long.”

“But you did it for a good reason. We had to let the scam continue to play itself out. As you can see, we've identified many of the affected people, and one of the goals of the meeting with the Feds is to decide how to deal with them. We're not interested in seeing them prosecuted and neither are the Feds. They'll all probably get off with a slap on the wrist if they cooperate the way Phil has done.”

“That's good to hear,” Daniel said, thinking specifically about Destiny and Bertice. “What about the folks who have been targets of identity theft?”

“Our plan is to get all those cases expedited so they can be resolved quickly. It's another item on the agenda for the meeting with the Feds.”

“I'm glad to hear it,” Daniel said. “Now my life and the lives of my friends can get back to normal.”

“It sounds like you're talking about more than Phil here. Don't tell me Gavin somehow got caught up in this?”

Daniel shook his head. “Not Gavin,” he said. “Two of Natalie's friends.”

“Oh man, I hate to hear that.”

“And I hated to find out about it. When I learned about their involvement, it was hard not to warn them about what
was going on. I'm relieved that now I can be honest with them. I hope they'll understand.”

“They should,” George said. “You've helped them more than harmed them.”

“That's true for one of the friends but not the other. One has been involved for over a year but the other one only became involved after I moved to Atlanta. She's come to be special to me, George. Very special. And I've been lying to her for quite a while now.”

“Well, it's about time,” George said. “Gloria would be happy that you've found somebody. I know I am. I worried that you'd never let another woman in.”

Daniel shrugged. “Maybe I shouldn't have. Not this woman. Not at this time. And definitely not under these circumstances. I hope she understands when I explain everything to her.”

“If you don't mind me asking, how did she get involved with Phil in the first place?”

“Through a friend of hers, who's also a friend of Natalie's,” Daniel said. “This friend is dating Phil and is the reason he was compelled to come to us.” He shook his head. “It's a convoluted mess of relationships, George, a real mess.”

“And this woman, the one you're interested in, she didn't know what she was doing wasn't on the up-and-up?”

“You know how it works. I think her initial reaction was that it was too good to be true. But she needed the money, so she let herself be convinced that it was all legal. Phil is a good salesman. He does a masterful job of addressing those initial fears.”

“Are you sure you're not making excuses for her because you care about her?”

Daniel shrugged. “Maybe a little, but she's a good person, George. I know her heart. I've only known her for a short time, but there's something about her. Finding out she'd gotten herself involved with Phil didn't make those feelings fade. If anything, I became protective of her. Sure, I was disappointed that she'd let herself be exploited, but seeing a victim of this scam helped me to decide to do a little something to reduce the helplessness that leads some people to become victims.”

“That doesn't surprise me,” George said. “What did you do?”

Daniel told him about the financial programs he was starting at church. When he was finished, he added, “Destiny, that's her name, is working with me on getting them started. We've been spending a lot of time together. I hate that I haven't been totally honest with her.”

“You're worried she's not going to react favorably when she learns what you've been up to?”

Daniel gave a dry laugh. “You know what's funny? Phil told me that the reason he came clean was because of Bertice, the other one of Natalie's friends. He'd fallen for her since getting her involved and knew he had to do something to make it right. We've both been lying to women we care about. Lying for a good reason, but lying just the same.”

“And you never know how women are going to react to that, do you?”

“They're funny creatures when it comes to their hearts.
Trust is hard to gain but very easy to lose. I don't want Destiny to regret trusting her heart to me. She's been through enough disappointment when it comes to men. I don't want to be that guy.”

“You won't be,” George said. “You'll sit her down next week and tell her everything. She'll probably be more embarrassed than anything. If she's half the woman you think she is, she'll understand why you kept her in the dark.”

“And if she doesn't?”

It was George's turn to shrug. “Maybe she's not the woman for you.”

Daniel didn't want to let his thoughts go down that road. It wasn't lost on him that his relationships with both Gloria and Destiny had ties to his work at GDW Investigations. What did that say about him? What did it say about them? Before he could begin to ponder answers to those questions, the cell phone in his pocket began to vibrate. “Let me check to see who this is,” he said, pulling out the cell phone. “Destiny went to California where her children are vacationing and I don't want to miss a call from her.” When he looked at the caller ID, he said, “It's her. I need to take this.”

“No problem,” George said. “I'll be in my office.”

Daniel shook his head. “No, don't leave. I'd like to finish this conversation. Let me tell her that I'll call her back.”

Daniel turned his chair so that he faced away from George and out the windows behind his desk. “Hello, Ms. California,” he said. “I'm glad you haven't forgotten me.”

Instead of giving him back the playful banter he expected, she murmured, “I'm in trouble, Daniel.”

Daniel jumped up from his chair. “Trouble? What kind of trouble? Are your children all right?”

“The children are fine,” she said, her voice shaking. “It's me. I'm in trouble.”

“What happened?”

“I'm at the L.A. police station,” she said. “It started with a rejected credit card at a local restaurant and now I'm being held for questioning.”

“For what?” he asked, his voice rising. “Surely not for a declined credit card.”

“I don't know why,” she said. “They've been asking odd questions, not about the rejected credit cards, but about Phil and HR Solutions.”

“Don't answer anything,” he said. “Sit tight and I'll round up an attorney for you. This whole thing doesn't sound right.”

“Don't hang up,” she said. “I'm scared, Daniel. Why are they asking about Phil and HR Solutions? What have I gotten myself involved in?”

Daniel's heart beat faster with each of her questions. He wished he were there to help her. “Everything will be fine,” he said. “Don't worry. You're not going to jail. Do you know which precinct you're at?”

“Yes,” she said, and gave him the precinct number.

“Sit tight,” he said again. “I'll have an attorney down there within the hour.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I need to get out of here. They ar
rested me when I was at a restaurant with Mom and the kids. I need to see my kids.”

“Don't worry,” he said again. “I've got this. I need you to trust me. I've got this.”

She took a deep breath. “It was awful, Daniel. They put me in handcuffs at the restaurant.” Her voice began to break. “What if my kids had seen me like that? It would have scarred them for life.”

Daniel wanted to throttle the cops who'd mistreated her but he was three thousand miles away and there was nothing he could do. “Look,” he said. “Don't hang up. I'll get on another line and contact an attorney. Don't hang up.”

“I won't,” she said.

Daniel turned to George, who had rushed to his side. “What's going on?” George asked.

Daniel put the phone on mute. “The L.A. police have taken Destiny to the station and they're asking her about HR Solutions.”

“Damn, damn, damn,” George said.

“I feel the same way,” Daniel said. “Can you round up one of your L.A. contacts and get a lawyer down to the jail and get her out?”

“Consider it done,” George said.

“And have Anika book me on the next flight out to L.A.”

“You're going out there?”

“I have to,” Daniel said. “She's scared. Besides, I want to be there when she learns the truth.” He sighed deeply. “I definitely didn't want her to find out this way.”

George clasped him on the shoulder. “It'll work out,” he said. “You have to believe that.”

“I'm trying,” Daniel said, “but she's so scared. I can hear the fear in her voice.”

“Okay,” George said, “you get back on the phone with her and try to keep her calm. I'll get an attorney down there ASAP, the same on the flight arrangements. We're going to make this right for her, Daniel. I promise.”

“Thanks, man,” Daniel said, though he wondered if that were possible. When George headed toward the door, he unmuted the phone and went back to Destiny. “I'm back,” he said. “We're getting in touch with the attorney now. I'll stay on the phone with you until he gets there. If we get disconnected or they force you to hang up, know that I'm still here for you. I'll always be here for you.”