“You can’t prove anything.” I smiled and raised my hands. “But unfortunately for you, I can, if I feel like it. Things have been a bit slow here this week and I have a lot of paperwork the FBI would like to look over, anonymously left with me, relating to some financial irregularities. There are some links missing, but nothing that a good private investigator couldn’t find out. I’ve enjoyed a few quiet days, but it would be good to get my teeth stuck into some proper investigative work next week, if no new cases turn up, that is.”
Chase shook his head again, and paced the floor, clearly beaten. “You’re a piece of work, Jack.”
“Thank you.” I smiled. “How is Millie?”
He stared at me, his jaw clenched, but then he relaxed.
“I love that girl. More than anything. This whole drama has made me realize that she should be the main girl in my life. Ruby’s moved to California now, so I can finally focus on Millie.” He looked to the floor. “I couldn’t dream of losing her. She’s… she’s an angel. Just like Damon used to say.”
“I’m glad she got through this without any mental scars. She wouldn’t even know that anything went wrong.”
“She told Tanya that I asked Damon to look after her and that she got to spend some time by herself in a warehouse. Tanya went off at me.” He shrugged. “Said it was my fault. That I shouldn’t have asked Damon to care for her while I was supposed to be looking after her.”
“Looks like everyone’s a winner.”
“I’m not. I lost a million dollars.” He snapped back. For a moment, I thought he had grown a heart, but the mere mention of money snapped him back. “I was the loser in this whole scenario. And I don’t like losing.”
“Can’t win everything,” I shrugged. “Sometimes losing makes you stronger. And by the sounds of it, you have started to understand how important Millie is to you.”
“Don’t lecture me.” He raised his finger again, gritting his teeth. “How could you justify ripping off your clients?”
At first I thought he was joking, that he was employing a little sarcasm for comedic effect, and he was finding it within himself to laugh at his own misfortune.
But then I realized that he was serious.
He couldn’t see the double standard or the irony. That there really was a one-way moral mirror with Chase Martin that reflected nothing of his ill deeds back towards him. I tried to lay it out for him.
“You tell me, Chase.”
His face went white. “I don’t…”
“Tell me how does it feel, Chase?” I took a step towards him. “How does it feel to have your hard earned money disappear, not that yours is hard earned, knowing that you have no legal recourse? Do you feel helpless? Weak and beaten?” I stepped into his personal space. “Helpless like you made all those other people feel when you ripped them off?”
“Of course, I feel helpless.” As he said the statement, his voice trailed off, no doubt finally understanding the extreme hypocrisy in it. “Nobody deserves to be ripped off.”
“Well, Chase.” I walked across and opened the door for him to leave. “As you repeated often, that’s the game we all play.”
THE End
Author’s Note:
Thank you for reading Stolen Power. I hope you enjoyed the twists and turns of this story.
Thank you to all the people that made this story happen. Writing is about drawing from experience, and the characters in this book have elements of the people I’ve met throughout life. No matter how much I disagree with them, I love listening to other ideas and outlooks on life. Not many of us have it all figured out, and we can all learn a little bit from each other.
At the time that I write this author’s note, the world is in the grip of the Corona Virus pandemic. It’s a very hard time throughout the world, especially for those who have lost loved ones and are feeling alone. To all my readers, please, stay safe.
You can find my website at: peteromahoney.com
And if you wish, you can contact me at: [email protected]
Take care,
Peter O’Mahoney
Also by Peter O’Mahoney
*****
In the Jack Valentine Thriller Series:
Gates of Power
*****
In the Tex Hunter Legal Thriller Series:
Power and Justice
Faith and Justice
Corrupt Justice
*****
*****
In the Bill Harvey Legal Thriller Series:
Redeeming Justice
Will of Justice
Fire and Justice
A Time for Justice
Truth and Justice
*****
