The Perfect Murder

Epilogue

The Valentine’s Day party Jane had suggested was a great idea. With Malcolm in custody, Sebastian felt like celebrating.

He stood at the periphery of the crowd that milled around the conference room and reception areas at The Last Stand. There were a lot of people he didn’t know-people who volunteered for the charity, legal associates and so on-but there were a few he did. Jane’s former in-laws. Kate. Jonathan, a private investigator he’d met at the office a few days ago, and his fiancée, Zoë. Sheridan and her husband, Cain. Mary, too, had come at his invitation. She’d bought herself a new dress and was smiling and chatting with everyone. Gloria and Latisha were in the corner talking to Skye. Even Luther had shown up. He didn’t mingle. He folded his arms and leaned against the far wall, watching everyone, but he seemed pleased.

“Jane tells me you plan on staying in Sacramento.”

Sebastian turned to see that Mary had made her way over to him. “That’s right.”

“For good?”

“I think so.” Unless he could convince Jane and Kate to go back to New York with him. But he understood why they were reluctant to do so. He didn’t want to take Kate from a school she liked, either. Maybe when she graduated in six years, they’d be ready for a change.

“What will you do about work?”

“I’m hoping to stay in the same field. I have some interviews this week.” He actually wasn’t too worried about finding employment. Lincoln Hawke Financial hadn’t been happy to receive his resignation, but he’d been their top performer and they’d promised him a glowing recommendation. He was eager to get back to regular life, to try his hand in this new tougher market and to start earning money again so he could buy the house he wanted for Jane and Kate. If he found a buyer for his condo in New York, he’d be able to do that even sooner.

“Wow,” Mary said, but it had nothing to do with his response.

He pulled his eyes away from Jane, who’d just smiled at him from where she was admiring Sheridan’s baby. “What’s wow?” he asked Mary.

Her grin was crooked. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a man so in love with a woman.”

“It’s that obvious?” he said with a laugh.

“You can’t take your eyes off her.”

“No,” he admitted. But part of that was simply his astonishment that he could feel whole again when he’d thought he never would.

“I hope to fall that hard some day,” she said wistfully and turned to thank someone who’d complimented her on her dress.

Sebastian was about to walk over to the makeshift bar, but he saw Jane approaching with one of the TLS partners he had yet to meet. “Sebastian, I’d like to introduce you to Ava and her husband, Luke.”

He offered his hand to Ava and then to her husband, a tall man with a military haircut and blue-green eyes. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” he said with a firm shake.

“You must be very proud of Jane,” Ava added.

“I am. She’s an excellent investigator.”

“I’ve come to that realization myself,” she said. “What a story.”

“I wasn’t the one who saved Latisha,” Jane said.

Ava waved her words away. “No, but you did your best and handled it all so well. Gloria tells everyone who’ll listen how amazing you were.”

Sebastian lowered his voice. “You heard what went down at the ranch house.”

“I did.” Glancing over at Luther, she raised her glass to him in acknowledgment, and Jane offered him a conspiratorial smile.

“Another unlikely hero,” she said.

Sebastian remembered her saying that about the old lady who’d saved Latisha’s life, but the sentiment certainly held true. Malcolm would’ve killed them both if Luther hadn’t arrived when he had. “As unlikely as they get.” Repeating David’s line from that earlier conversation, he put his arm around her.

“What’ll happen to the woman who gave Jane’s information to Malcolm?” Ava asked.

“Constance? I don’t know, but she’s going to be prosecuted. The police have a copy of her e-mail on Malcolm’s computer.”

“It’s hard to believe she’d do that. Could she really have meant to cause so much harm?”

He thought of the woman he once planned to marry-and was glad he hadn’t. “She let jealousy make her do something stupid and now she’ll pay the price. And she’s not the only one. Apparently, Malcolm paid some lab tech to help him establish the DNA match. The police are going after her, too.”

“Did she help him come by the body he burned?” Ava asked.

“No, she claims he was going to steal a body from a cemetery. But he was afraid that would make it too obvious.”

“So he killed a homeless man,” Jane inserted.

“How do you know?” Luke asked.

“He confessed,” Sebastian said. “He’s hoping to avoid the death penalty, so he’s doing everything he can to cooperate.”

David joined them. “Hey, someone’s asking for you,” he told Jane.

“Who?”

David motioned toward the door.

When Jane turned, her eyes widened, and Sebastian felt his own surprise. It was Wendy. She stood just inside the entrance, dressed for the party.

“Why do you think she’s here?” Jane asked Sebastian.

He’d dropped his arm when she turned but squeezed her hand. “I invited her. I called and apologized for upsetting her when we had dinner. Then I said it was time to let bygones be bygones and get on with the business of living and asked her if she was up to the challenge.”

“And she said…”

“She hung up on me.” He grinned. “But judging by her attire, I’d say she’s changed her mind.”

He could tell Jane was nervous. She crossed over to her sister-in-law, looking hesitant, unsure, but that seemed to melt away when Wendy gave her a hug.

Sebastian wanted to approach but didn’t. They needed time to work everything out. He watched them step into a corner. He knew from their expressions that they were in earnest conversation and smiled to himself. This was a turning point. He was sure of it the minute tears began to streak down their faces and they embraced a second time.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Sebastian took a deep breath. What he’d been through, what Jane and many others had been through, wasn’t easy. But with forgiveness and hope and the sheer determination to persevere, there could be a rebirth.

Smiling again, he went to get a drink.