Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

Joseph said.
    Daphne nodded. ‘I heard you tell Ford that earlier. But how did he get here?’
    Hal’s jaw tightened. ‘I want a lawyer,’ he said softly.
    She found her palm slicing through the air and yanked it back a split second before she hit his face. ‘You want a lawyer?’ she asked softly. ‘Too damn bad. Because I want some answers and I want them now. Whose blood is that on your shirt?’
    Hal looked away, fixing his gaze anywhere but on her face.
    ‘Probably his son’s,’ Deacon said. ‘His son Matthew’s body was found in the house on your street, Daphne. He was missing his fingers and toes. They weren’t found at the scene.’
    ‘Why in the house on our street?’ Ford asked, confused. ‘Why fingers and toes?’
    ‘Because Hal lives there,’ Daphne said flatly. ‘Because he’s a damn stalker.’
    ‘Cutting off fingers and toes is a signature of one of the heads of the Russian crime family trying carve out territory on the East Coast,’ Joseph said.
    Daphne looked up at Joseph, fury mixing with disbelief. ‘The Russian who owned all the rifles Doug sold to the Millhouses?’ She looked back at Hal. ‘You deal in illegal weapons? Hal?’
    Hal shook his head. ‘I. Want. A. Lawyer.’
    ‘You’re not under arrest yet,’ Joseph said. ‘Sounds like Doug had revenge planned for both of you, Daphne. I’m looking forward to finding out what you did to your stepson, Lynch. I have a feeling there’s a whole other story there.’
    ‘Hal.’ Daphne stared at Hal’s face, trying to resolve the person she’d known for twenty years with the man who stood sullenly before her. ‘Did you intercept my questions to the FBI twenty years ago? Did you falsify Beckett’s death certificate? Please. If I ever meant anything to you, tell me. I need to know the truth.’
    Hal looked at her then and Daphne fought the urge to take a step back. The look in his eyes was . . . damn creepy. ‘Yes. I faked the certificate. If you’d kept pushing, you would have stirred up an investigation and the FBI would have made you testify against Beckett. Nadine would never have allowed that. She would have made you leave. And I wanted you to stay.’
    ‘But . . . Hal, Beckett went on to kill more girls. Didn’t that bother you?’
    ‘Of course it did. I’m not a monster. I told him to stop, that he had to disappear. He promised he’d stop.’
    Daphne’s eyes were wide. ‘You knew him? You talked to him? How?’
    ‘I’d seen him, hanging around the house in Georgetown. The first time was after your mother visited from Riverdale. I assumed he’d followed her there. I was your bodyguard, Daphne. I knew who was a threat to you. He was. After you met with Claudia Baker and told her the whole story, she repeated it to me and I knew just how big a threat Beckett was. The next time he showed up, I followed him, to here. I told him that he was dead. He begged for his life. I’m not a killer. I told him he needed to disappear and never bother you again.’
    ‘Who was Claudia Baker?’ Joseph asked.
    He shrugged. ‘Just an actress I hired.’
    ‘Will we find her alive?’ Daphne asked harshly.
    Hal didn’t answer, which was an answer in itself.
    ‘How did Doug find out about Beckett?’ Joseph asked.
    Hal looked angry. ‘I don’t know. I truly don’t.’
    ‘Did you write everything down?’ Joseph pushed. ‘In a file maybe? That you kept in a safe?’
    Again Hal didn’t answer.
    Daphne met Joseph’s eyes. ‘Doug stole it from Hal’s safe,’ she said, and it was Hal’s turn to look amazed.
    ‘Told Matt not to trust that shit,’ he muttered. ‘I’m just glad that Mitch is dead, too.’
    ‘Hal, what did Travis know?’ Daphne asked.
    Hate flashed in Hal’s eyes. ‘Travis is a drunk. A womanizing drunk. He never deserved you. You should have left him years ago. Now we’re done.’
    ‘I have one more pressing question,’ Joseph said. ‘Since Doug is dead and your middle son is dead, who should we contact about your youngest son, Cole?’
    ‘Cole is not my son,’ Hal said bitterly. ‘And I am done.’
    ‘Where does he go, Joseph?’ Kate asked.
    ‘Arrange for his transport back to Baltimore,’ Joseph said. ‘Grayson’s going to have a field day trying to figure out all the things to charge him with. Kerr, can you get your ME out here for the headless bastard in there?’
    ‘Already called. We’ll take care of processing the crime scenes. We’ve already started on the cabin.