Sweet Candy

"Is the home warm enough for you, Candace?" she asked, noting how the girl's nipples were showing against the fabric of her tee.

Candace looked into Marion's observant eyes and nodded slightly. "I was rushing when I packed, so I didn't get the warmest clothes," she said softly.

Marion looked at George and Greg. "Start eating." She stood and gestured for Candace to join her. They left the room, and Greg shared a look with his dad, who struggled not to grin.

"That's in your bed. You poor kid," George finally said quietly, giving in to his need to tease his son.

"Dad!" Greg snapped incredulously and turned to eat his meal to hide her effect on him.

Minutes later, his mom returned with Candace following.

Greg's eyes widened once more as he took in the familiar black tights with flames dancing around her calves. She still had on the tight t-shirt, but she was wearing his black running jacket partially zipped up. It wouldn't close over her breasts, but it hid her nipples from their view. She looked... warmer.

Who was he kidding? She looked fantastic!

His mom took his frozen expression as a protest. "You won't be using your running outfit for a while, and it's nice and warm," Marion insisted.

He jolted slightly as he looked at his mom. "No, it's fantas—it's fine!"

Candace's nervous smile changed to happiness as she watched him.

They took their seats, and Greg did his best to return to his meal. He was overly aware of how good Candace looked in his favorite tights. Now, he wished he'd worn tighter underwear as he was seriously beginning to tent his loose track pants.

The conversation was kept light, but Greg's mind couldn't concentrate with the increasing pain in his leg, his growing fatigue, and the sight of Candace sitting so close.

He winced as a throb went through his leg, and his mother stood up.

"I think you're ready for a pill, then it's off to the recliner with you," she said.

He nodded wearily and pushed back from the table. He looked up to see the concern in Candace's eyes. He forced a smile onto his lips and carefully maneuvered himself away from the table and over to the bathroom, where he brushed his teeth. Then he went back to the living room. As his mother hovered nearby, he eased himself down onto the recliner and sighed with relief.

Marion gave him the pill and a glass of water to wash it down. He took it obediently, then eased the chair back to make it stretch out. His mom put a blanket over him and kissed his forehead.

"Thanks, mom," he said sleepily.

"Sleep well, Greg."

She watched him close his eyes then she walked back into the dining room. Candace was also looking sleepy, but Marion had some questions.

"Who are you going to report this to?" she asked.

Candace looked into Marion's eyes. "I've identified an agent in the FBI who works on these cases. I'll give him full access to all the evidence files I've collected and let him know when it will go down. The transfer is scheduled for ten AM tomorrow, but the money won't be staying in the accounts Daddy created. I've arranged for the funds to immediately move into new accounts I set up to return the money to the pension fund and the company. Daddy has no access to the new accounts. I'll notify the investment firm of the new accounts once the transfer is complete."

"When your father realizes the money isn't in his accounts, he'll react badly. As you said, the sheriff is part of this, so he might be looking for you. I think we need to take some precautions," Marion said, and George's eyes widened in concern.

"We call in the State Police," he suggested, and Marion nodded.

Candace smiled at them and fought back a yawn.

"And that's the sign its time for you to get some rest, young lady," Marion said with a kind smile.

Candace smiled at them. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I-I just don't have anyone else..." Tears began to pool in her lashes.

Marion moved to her and gave her a hug. She gently shushed her and gave her a kiss on the temple, which brought a smile to Candace's face.

"Come on, you. Get some rest, and we'll take care of things in the morning," Marion said firmly but kindly.

Candace stood and let herself be guided down the hall to Greg's room again.

"We'll see you in the morning. Sweet dreams," Marion said, and Candace gave her a trembling smile and nodded to her, her throat too tight to let her speak.

With the door closed behind her and the room lit only by a small desk lamp beside the bed, Candace let her eyes roam. This was the first boy's room she'd ever spent any time in. She inhaled and picked up Greg's warm scent. That sent a tingle down her spine.

Fighting back another yawn, she moved to the bed and tugged the bedspread back to ease herself onto the mattress. She was a little sore from her tumble off the bike, though the hot bath had helped.

Tucking herself under the covers, she inhaled again. The sheets were freshly washed and soft, but the comforter still had Greg's masculine scent.

If she wasn't so exhausted, she might have touched herself, but the risk of messing his sheets was too great.

Instead, she closed her eyes and let the feeling of warmth and security draw her down into a deep sleep.

Chapter 11

After a poor night's sleep, Byron's mood was getting darker by the minute. Doubt wasn't something he was used to feeling, but as the deadline for the funds transfer was minutes away, his mind dragged him through the mire of second-guessing.

It was too late to make any adjustments to the transfer process, and even logging in to review the accounts might raise suspicions, so he had to remain hands-off until it was done. He'd been very careful and left nothing to chance, but this was the first time a Tafferty had embezzled from their own company. That brought a scowl to his face.

"Byron, for God's sake, lighten up! You're making me nervous, and it's already tense enough!" Byron's lawyer, Preston Mathers, said in frustration.

Sheriff Todd Winslow entered the room with a scowl on his face as well. Preston looked at him in exasperation. "What's wrong with you?"

The sheriff ignored the lawyer and looked at Byron. "Your son's dead."

"What?" Byron exclaimed.

Todd glared at him. "The drunken fool lost control of his car and drove it across the lawn of the Gordon estate, through the wall of the pool house, and into the pool. He never made it out of the car and drowned. To make matters worse, he hit Hal Gordon's wife, Belinda, as he drove through the wall. She's in the hospital with some broken bones. She was lucky she wasn't killed. Hal is on the warpath!"

Byron's mind was spinning as this was too coincidental. The timing was so poor. He'd be expected to stick around for the funeral, and he was leaving today! His mind went back to wondering what had gotten into his son to make him drive so recklessly. He knew Kal was a drunk, but this was over the top.

The sheriff went on. "There is still no sign of your retard of a daughter. She left the hospital yesterday afternoon and disappeared. Where would she go?"

Byron turned on the man. "Like I know what the fuck goes on in the mind of a simpleton!"

"It's time."

Byron and Todd looked to Preston, who was pointing to his chunky gold watch.

Tossing another condescending look at the sheriff, Byron turned on his laptop, and once it was on the desktop, he opened the website for his offshore accounts. He entered his credentials and clicked on the Account Summary link. The two accounts he'd set up appeared, and the balances sent a wave of relief through his body. One held the pension balance, and the other the corporate working capital. A slow smile spread across his lips. He was an extremely wealthy man. He smiled at his co-conspirators, who looked relieved as well.

"Now it doesn't matter what the little shit did in the Gordon's pool, does it," Byron smirked, and Todd chuckled as he nodded.

Preston was watching the screen with concern. "Byron! The money!"

Byron frowned as he glanced at the lawyer's shocked expression, then directed his gaze to the webpage again. He froze as the balances now read zero.

"WHAT?"

He refreshed the page, and a login prompt appeared. He stared at it stupidly for a moment, then entered his credentials again, but the interface said his password was incorrect. He tried again, typing slowly to ensure he entered it correctly but once more got access denied.

"What's this bullshit?" Todd barked at Byron, whose face was becoming beet red.

"I've been locked out of my account," Byron said roughly through tight throat as his mind scrambled to understand how this could have happened.

"I didn't put up with your crap for the past two decades to be stiffed on the day I was to be rewarded! I want my money!" the sheriff snapped belligerently.

Bryon turned on him. "THE MONEY IS GONE! SOMEONE STOLE IT!" he bellowed angrily.

Todd laughed harshly. "I call bullshit on your trickery. You've orchestrated this to keep it all for yourself!" he snapped, then pulled his service revolver, pointing it at Byron. "You're going to give me my money, now!"

"I can't log into the account, moron!" Byron said caustically.

"You have other accounts, personal accounts, and the cost for my participation just went up to five million. Connect to your bank and transfer the funds!" Todd said grimly.

Curling his lip in hate, Byron logged in to the bank website and discovered he was being redirected to a page stating his accounts had been frozen and would need to come to the branch to resolve it. Byron's expression changed to shock. "Fuckers," he gasped quietly.

"Don't you fucking tell me there's no money!" Todd barked.

"Geezus, Todd! Get a grip!" Preston said with his hands raised to calm the man.

The moment Preston stepped between him and the sheriff, Byron shoved the lawyer into Todd. The gun went off then Byron slammed his fist into Todd's temple, stunning the man. Byron followed up his punch with a kick, and the weapon fell from Todd's grip.

Todd grabbed a glass table lamp and smashed it against the side of Byron's face, knocking him back. Blood splashed from the gash that opened on his forehead.

Preston fell to the floor, clutching his gut, but he fell on the gun as Todd dropped to his knees to pick it up. He heaved the injured lawyer off as Byron ran from the room.

"Call... ambulance," the lawyer gasped to Todd.

The sheriff contemplated putting another bullet in him. "Call them yourself!" He raced out of the room after Byron. There was no way he'd let the bastard cheat him out of what he was owed.

Preston lay gasping for breath on the floor of his study. The pain in his gut was excruciating, but his anger at those bastards gave him the strength to pull himself to his desk. He pulled the phone down and dialed 911.

"Hampstead Hills Emergency Services. Please state the nature of your emergency," the voice said.

"I've been... shot. Send... ambulance... Preston Mathers... Seventeen Oak Lane... Sheriff shot me..." he managed to gasp out.

"Hang in there, Mr. Mathers. An ambulance is on the way. Is Sheriff Winslow still there?"

Preston was losing his strength. "No... chasing Byron... tried to kill... he's mad..."

"Stay with me, Preston. Help will be there shortly... Preston?"

-=-

In the bright and warm kitchen nook of the Hughes residence, Candace sat between George and Marion as they watched the funds move into Byron's offshore accounts, then transfer over to the accounts Candace had set up. She then reset her father's password to lock him out.

As this happened, George was on the line with the FBI agent Candace found to assist with taking him down. The man seemed stunned to have a complete case dropped into his lap. He got the bank to lock Byron's assets as these personal bank details were included in the data dump Candace provided.

Marion was speaking with the State Police, reporting the involvement of the local sheriff in a plot to embezzle funds from the mining company. Candace had already sent them a link to her evidence repository. They were sending some units to Hampstead Hills to investigate and to take Sheriff Winslow into custody for questioning.

Candace looked across the table at Greg, who was watching her with a funny little smile. She knew he was on pain killers as his eyes were a little glassy. He'd woken in a fair amount of pain as sleeping on the chair didn't help his leg. She felt bad about that.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm just so happy your brilliant mind wasn't hurt," he sighed.

Candace's face flushed with heat as he continued to look at her in awe.

Marion caught his words and gave him a closer look. "Papa, our boy is high on pain medication."

George glanced over and sighed. "Yup. He's also more than a little smitten."

Candace's eyes went to the father, who was smiling fondly at his son, whose blush was beginning to match hers.

Marion glanced at her husband. "Don't tease Greg."

Candace looked to Marion. "I-I need to call Mr. Bagley at the investment house which manages the employee pension fund. By now, he's probably panicking as the funds haven't rolled over into the new pension plan."

Marion nodded, so Candace dialed the number. She let it ring six times, then heard a fumbling as the man dropped the phone.

"Hello?" the man said tersely.

"Mr. Bagley, this is Candace Tafferty."

"Candace? Oh, Candy! Listen dear, this isn't a really good time to talk—"

"Daddy embezzled the employee pension fund, so you didn't receive the money for the new package."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Then, some gasping noises, so she rushed ahead.

"It's okay. I blocked him from taking the money. It's ready to be deposited into the new account. May I confirm the account number with you?" Candace asked.

"Who is this?" he said.

"It's really me, Mr. Bagley. Can I read you the account details?" she said.

"I thought... they said..."

"I know. I'm so sorry. I had to pretend so I could find out what Daddy was going to do. So I could stop him."

"My god. You really have the pension funds?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, sir. Can I confirm the account?" she asked again.

"Yes! Yes, please!" he said in a rush.

Candace slowly read out the characters and digits, and once she was done, she heard him sigh.

"That's correct, Candy—I mean, Candace."

"Transferring the funds now," she said and began the account-to-account transfer. Her screen soon indicated the balance in her pension fund account was zero. "It's done."

She heard silence for a moment then she heard several people gasp in relief. "Thank you, Candace! I don't know how you did it, but thank you! Today began as one of the worst days in my life, and now it's been saved!" Bagley gushed.

"I'm glad to hear it. I need to contact Mr. Stephens now as Daddy also stole the working capital from the company. That needs to be transferred back, too."

"How could he do this?" the man raged.

"He was going to run away to an island in French Polynesia. I canceled his flight tickets, too. He can't leave as the FBI wants to talk to him."

Mr. Bagley burst into laughter. "You are a wonder, Candace! Thank you again!"

"You're welcome. Goodbye," Candace said and hung up. She smiled widely at Marion.

"That feels good, doesn't it," the mother said.

"So good! I'll make the next call."

She had a little more trouble getting Mr. Stephens to listen. He was somewhat hysterical when he discovered they had no cash in the bank.

She slowly explained what happened and transferred the money back into the account. The man was much friendlier after he saw the correct balance. She sighed.

"The company needs a new corporate policy and process for managing these transactions. Even a Tafferty shouldn't be able to withdraw that much capital without appropriate approvals," Candace suggested.

"It-it's Byron's company!" Mr. Stephens exclaimed.

"Not for long," Candace said. "Good day."

Candace sat back and relaxed. George was speaking quietly to their FBI contact. He hung up and smiled at the others. "A team of investigators will be here later this afternoon."

"What's left to do?" Marion asked.

"I'd like to go to the hospital to check on Missy and Crystal," Candace said as she looked at Marion.

"I think we'd better wait until the authorities have collected the sheriff, your father, and his lawyer to be safe. They don't know where you are at the moment, and we should keep it that way until its safe. Missy and Crystal are protected at the hospital, and I'll call for an update on their condition. Does that sound okay?" Marion asked.

Candace nodded with a smile. "Ask for the head nurse, Margaret Stewart," she suggested.

Marion put her cell on speaker phone, dialed the hospital, and asked for Margaret. The switchboard forwarded the call to the nurse's station, and Marion heard the voice of the head nurse. She sounded distracted.

"Nurse Stewart speaking."

"Hello. This is Marion Hughes. We brought our son Greg home yesterday?" Marion began.

"Ah yes, Mrs. Hughes. Is everything all right with Greg?" the nurse asked in concern.

Marion smiled at her tone. "Yes... well, he had a difficult night, and we gave him one of his pills this morning. He seems to be high as a kite now," Marion confessed.

"If they are too strong, you can split them," the nurse suggested. "Pharmacies carry devices to safely cut pills."

"Thank you. We'll give that a try," Marion said.

"Was there anything else?" the nurse asked as she went back to sounding distracted.

"I was wondering how Missy and Crystal are doing?" Marion asked, and Candace moved closer to hear the answer.

Margaret sighed. "I'm afraid I can't give out any details to anyone but family—"

"Oh! Please tell me!" Candace said into the phone. Marion gave her a cautious stare.

"Candy? Is that you, girl?" Margaret asked urgently.

"Yes! I'm safe, but you can't tell anyone where I am," Candace said as she gave Marion an apologetic look.

"Why? What's happened?" the head nurse insisted.

"Daddy embezzled the company's employee pension fund and the working capital. I blocked him from taking the money, put it back, and informed the FBI. You need to protect Missy and Crystal from him and the sheriff. They're going to be really angry," she said nervously.

"You... sound different," Margaret said uncomfortably.

"I'm so sorry I had to pretend to be mentally disabled, but it was the only way I could stay close to him to find out what he was up to. I'm truly sorry. You were always so wonderful to me," Candace's voice wobbled as tears filled her eyes.

"Easy, girl," she said kindly, then sighed. "When this is over, you and I need to sit down and have a long talk."

"Yes, I would like that," Candace said through her sniffles.

There was a pause. "I'll ask one of our security people to watch over your mum and sister. They're both healing and will be with us for a few more days."

"Thank you!" Candace said.

"I need to make my rounds. I'll speak to you later," Margaret said, then hung up.

Marion hung up and looked into Candace's eyes. "No more calls until the conspirators are caught."

Candace nodded obediently. She hoped they were arrested today.

She really wanted to speak with Margaret.

-=-

Byron rushed in the front door of his family home. He looked up at the portraits on the entranceway walls of past Tafferty patriarchs. They all looked down at him disapprovingly. Fuck them!

He ran for his office as he didn't have much time. The knife he'd stuck in the sheriff's tire would slow him down, but he knew Winslow would be here shortly. He had to grab the cash in his safe and travel bag, then get out of town quickly. Something had seriously gone wrong with his plan, but he'd figure it out later. He opened the safe and froze. He knew he put twenty thousand in there a week ago. Then he recalled Kal had been in his office when the safe was open. He'd come in to argue for an increase in his allowance. The useless shit must have grabbed the cash while his back was turned! He took his handgun from the safe with the box of bullets, which both went into a jacket pocket.