© Carey MacLean, 2012

Chapter 19

He watched as the man approached his car in the parking garage.  He couldn’t believe the gull of the guy.  They were family for fuck’s sake!  Well, sort of.  Just because the blood matches doesn’t necessarily allow you to call yourself family.

His blood boiled at the mere memory of what he had observed over a month ago at Mika Stafford’s house.  Because of the simple fact that they were in this together and that blood should have run thicker than water, he had tried to let it slide.  It all came down to the fact that he could no longer ignore his urges.  The man had to pay for his actions.

He followed the black sports car to its intended destination.  A posh home in a neighbourhood he had always detested.  The neighbourhood he had grown up in and bid his time until he had been able to leave and make something of himself.  Something he had indeed achieved if you weighed him by his bank account alone.

Waiting for the man to leave his car and enter his home, he slowly got out of the silver car and walked up to the front door.  Depositing the glass bottle of vintage cognac, he rang the doorbell and made a mad dash back to his car.  He knew that the man wouldn’t be able to resist that rather priceless vintage cognac.  He should know – after all, they had known each other their entire lives.

Exiting his car, he made his way back toward the house.  Bidding his time, he finally snuck in through the front door, making the least amount of noise as possible so as to not give himself away.  He heard a crash coming from the back of the house.  His feet followed the direction where the noise had come from and he knew he’d find himself in the den.

There, on the floor, the man laid; his eyes bulging out of their sockets and bloodshot.  He was desperately fussing over his tie, trying to loosen the damn thing.

“Oh brother, that’s simply not going to work,” he told the distressed man.  “You should have known not to have harmed what was mine.”

“W-why?”  He managed hoarsely.

“Why not?”  He told the dying man.  “Mika Stafford is a beautiful woman.  She never deserved to be harassed, dominated, and attacked by you, little brother.”

“Y-you-” the man stumbled, “Y-you b-bastard,” he finally managed.

“Stop wasting air you sack of shit and die already,” he said exasperatedly.

He waited for what felt like hours which in turn was nothing more than forty-five minutes before the man finally died.  With that, he walked away from the house and drove off.

Now if only I could find a way to get her alone with me, he thought. 

His patience was all but worn out.  He hadn’t appreciated the fact that his stealth tactics were far from that and that the presence of his company’s car had been noticed.  Officers had shown up at his place of work that afternoon and he hadn’t been too pleased with the new development.  For once, he thanked his lucky stars that he hadn’t been using his own name when signing the damn thing out.  The police could look all they want; all they’d find would be trails of breadcrumbs leading them to nothing but dead ends.

He headed into town to get a few provisions when the messages on his phone began to ping him thanks to the local cellphone reception.  Xavier groaned but knew that if he missed something important, his head would be on a platter.  After parking the vehicle in the lot, he looked on.  And that’s when he saw it – Brian Stafford had been found dead, in his home.

Dialling Connor’s number, he wondered just what kind of chaos the precinct was in at the moment.

“Xav,” Connor answered off the first ring.

“Please tell me you’ve got it under control, man,” Xavier told him.

“The Captain wants you in ASAP but I told him what was going on,” he told him.

“And that means?”

“First thing tomorrow morning Buddy,” Connor divulged.

“Alright.  I’ve got to go.”

“And?”  Connor pried.

“And what?” 

Xavier smirked, knowing all too well at what his best friend was talking about.

“She said yes, didn’t she?  I can hear it in your voice bro,” Connor chuckled.

“That she did.”

“Congrats and tell the soon-to-be Missus the same thing,” Connor said, “Oh, Suzie’s going to flip when she hears this.”

Xavier couldn’t hold in his laughter.

“All right man.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Right.”

Xavier walked through the doors with the few items he had run out for; his mood considerably darkened.

“Everything alright?”  Mika asked him as she took the bag out of his hands and proceeded to put them away. 

Last night had been magical beyond belief and as happy as he was before leaving, she knew that something must have happened for this complete one-eighty in his demeanour.

“I’m sorry Baby but we have to go back tonight,” he announced. 

He didn’t have to say any more.  She knew that the job was calling and if it weren’t important, they wouldn’t be leaving.

“It’s the case, isn’t it?”  She began.  “Something’s happened.”

“You can say that.  Our lead suspect was just found dead,” he divulged. 

Mika’s heart was beating out of her chest.  She swallowed hard but the lump in her throat never dissipated.

“B-brian’s dead?”  She found herself asking. 

Xavier nodded and walked up to her.  Despite their last encounter, the tears welled up in her eyes.

Who would do this?  She wondered to herself.

“Mika, I don’t like this one bit,” Xavier began.

No shit!  She thought.

“Someone out there, seems to be offing people you know personally.”

“I’m realizing this now.  Why me?”  She asked him and he reached for her hand and pulled her into him.

“I don’t know, Baby,” he said into her hair.  “I’m doing the best I can at figuring this out but every time we think we’ve made headway, we walk straight into a wall.”

“I thought for sure it would have been Brian,” she mumbled into his chest. 

Saying that she was worried was an understatement.  She had a stalker and she was more than ever baffled as to who it was.  Xavier somehow thought that her stalker was linked to Mika in the way that men she’s been involved with whether intimately or not have been dropping like flies.  Some of them evidently at her hand but no one had to know that.

“I’m not leaving you alone.  From now on, you are to be with someone until all of this is resolved,” Xavier told her as he pulled away and tilted her head up so he could look into her eyes.  She wanted to simply melt into him and forget everything that’s happened since he had returned from his errands.

He couldn’t get past the fact that this Bastard Killer or so this is what he’s named him was literally playing a game with him.  Detective Ryans detested the fact that every time he thought he was nearing a potential suspect, they would be found dead.  Clearly, he was on the wrong path.  The more he thought about it, the more he knew that Mika was at the center of all of the chaos.  Whether she wanted to face the truth head on or not, Xavier knew that Mika and he were in the thick of it with no real way out.

The more he thought about it, the more he was realizing that a good in-depth look into Mika’s past was becoming of utmost importance.  His gut told him that her relationships with the last two decedents as well as her husband may actually hold the key to blowing his case out of the water.  They all had something in common and Mika was it.  The other was their past with women and their disrespect for them.

Furthermore, the more he thought things over, there was a coincidental fact that had popped up in his mind.  Two of the three owners of a local company were dead.  Perhaps not in a similar manner but the fact that they were both linked to Mika was suspicious enough to speak to the now sole proprietor of Stafford & Stafford Limited.

Mika was in the bedroom, unpacking her bags when a previous conversation she had overheard came to mind.  It had been one between Carter and Brian; one that had left a sour taste in her mouth.

“Is everything okay?”  She heard Xavier and looked up at him.

“Uh.  Yeah,” she began.  “At least, I think so.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”  He asked her.

“I was just remembering something, an old conversation,” she explained.  “Something Carter and Brian had said.  I don’t know what made me think of that but I can’t shake something about it.”

“What do you mean?  Do you think it could be relevant to the case?”  He questioned.

“I’m not sure but it would have something to do with Stafford & Stafford Limited,” she divulged.

“What of it?”

“I think that Carter and Brian might have had another brother, the black sheep by the looks of things,” she divulged.  “I’m not sure if it’s true but he would be working at the company judging by what I had overheard.”

“You’ve been to company parties, right?”  He asked her.

She nodded.

“Is there anyone you can think of that either would have it in for Brian or some kind of infatuation over you?”  Xavier asked her.

“I mean, there were a few single guys out there that have hit on me prior to them knowing I was Carter’s wife if that’s what you’re getting at,” she told him.  “I spent most of my time around the VP’s.  I suppose that Peter Makey will have full control of the company by now.  He was one of Carter’s closest allies at work.  Brian and he butted heads constantly.”

“Okay,” he began, “I think we’ll head over there first thing tomorrow.”

He walked up to her and grabbed her hands in his.

“And you’re coming with.”

Morning came too quickly for Xavier.  He rolled over and found Mika soundly sleeping beside him.  He smiled as she stirred to wakefulness.

“Good morning,” she mumbled as her eyes fluttered open and she noticed him hovering beside her, leaned on his elbow.

He kissed her softly.  He was procrastinating in that moment; delaying the inevitable.  Detective Ryans dreaded starting this day.  Something in his gut told him that if anything could go wrong, it would.  He took solace in Mika’s lips and the fact that she would be by his side throughout the entire day.

“We better get ready,” he warned her, “or we’ll never leave this bed if this keeps up.”

She ran her hands over his bare chest and nodded in acquiescence.

A few hours later, they were walking off the elevator and into the posh reception lobby at Stafford & Stafford Limited.  Mika felt the shiver snake its way through her body as she approached the all too familiar twenty-something receptionist that doubled as the CEO’s assistant.

The woman had been one to be rivalled with when it came down to looks.  It hadn’t been her looks that appalled Mika though – more like the woman’s attitude needed some serious adjusting.  She had been nothing but short, rude and not to mention, condescending toward the former Mrs. Stafford.

“Clara,” Mika greeted her before the young woman had the opportunity to open her mouth.

“Well look who we have here,” she chirped in a faux cheerful tone and turned her gaze to give Detective Xavier Ryans a once-over from head to toe.

“This here is Detective Ryans,” Mika smirked and put her left hand that bore the sparkling diamonds around his arm and set it so that the woman saw, “my fiancé,” she added for good measure.

“Well, well,” the woman started, “we sure don’t waste our time finding ourselves a replacement do we?”  The woman quipped.  “Seems to me like you don’t trade them in.  Do me a favor.  When you’re done with this one, keep him alive.  I wouldn’t mind a go.”

“Why you little,” Mika began but Xavier gripped her waist and pulled her so that their sides were pressed firmly against one another.

She was livid at the gull of the woman.

“Ladies,” Xavier said firmly and when Mika eyed him, she was glad that those daggers were aimed at Clara and not her.  “Now, I know you must not be insinuating that Mrs. Stafford here is a serial murderer.  Those are harsh accusations.  Why don’t we cut straight to business?”

“And that would be?” 

The woman batted her eyelashes at him, assuming the proper demure that Mika knew Clara portrayed to perfection.  She rolled her eyes at the sight before her.

Detective Ryans handed over the enveloped subpoena to her.

“We’d like to speak with the CEO, please,” he smirked down at her.  The woman looked at him like he had two heads.

“You people have already been and gone a few days ago,” she stated.  “What else could you possibly need now?”

“That’s for your boss to know and maybe you’ll just find out,” he told her.  “Now, our time is precious and I suggest that you run along and fetch your boss.”

“But that’s just it Detective,” she told him.  “He’s not here.  Mr. Makey doesn’t physically work out of this office.  He’s only here for important meetings.”

“Until today,” a man’s voice filled the room at their backs.

Mika turned and came face-to-face with a man she hadn’t seen since Carter had passed away.  Before them stood none other than Mr. Peter Makey – the sole owner of S & S, Ltd.

“Mika?”  He looked in confusion.  “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

He walked up to her and pulled her in for a hug; one that was tighter than she ever anticipated or had wanted.  He graced her cheek with a chaste kiss and pulled away.

“Peter,” she said and gave him a forced smile.  “How are you?”

“I’m alive,” he chuckled and then eyed Xavier as she moved away from Makey and back to Xavier’s side.  “Detective.”

Xavier stuck out his hand and shook Peter’s hand in what looked like a tight handshake.

“Mr. Makey,” Detective Ryans began.

“Please.  Skip the formalities and let’s just cut to calling me Peter,” the man told him.

“I’d rather not, Mr. Makey,” Xavier said and let go of the man’s hand.  “I’m here on business.  Is there somewhere we can speak privately?”

There was something about that Makey character that was rubbing Detective Ryans the wrong way.  He hadn’t much appreciated the too friendly gesture of camaraderie he displayed when he had pulled Mika into his arms.

Maybe because she seemed put-off a little from his actions?

Xavier was starting to wonder if bringing Mika along had been a mistake.  Sure, she’d be able to make things easier by pointing faces and mentioning names, not to mention acting as a buffer by reducing any possible resistance.  He watched as Makey stared at Mika.

“Right,” he began. “Mr. Makey, I’m with the Homicide Department.”

The man’s gaze snapped from Mika to him.

“Well that’s new,” the successor stated with a hint of surprise.  “Is this about Brian?”

“Yes,” Xavier answered simply.

He didn’t think he’d need to divulge much more than that.  Whoever the Stafford’s brother was, Xavier was confident he’d find out.  If not, there’d always be Stafford’s parents.

Peter opened the envelope and eyed the page attentively.  After a few minutes, he bit his bottom lip ponderously.

“I believe that Colin Petra could help you with what you require,” he said and picked up his phone.

With the push of one button, he uttered a few words and hung up.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, there came a knock on the office door.

“Come in,” Makey called out.

A man in his early thirties popped his head in and looked at Mika and Xavier before looking at his boss.

“You wanted to see me, Sir?”  He stated.

“Come in, close the door and have a seat,” Peter told him.

The man did as he was instructed and assumed a seat beside Xavier.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Detective Ryans stated.  “Now Mr. Makey, why don’t you and Mr. Petra here show me to those files I require.”

“I think Mr. Petra is able to handle that,” Makey looked at Petra.  “Can’t you Colin?”

“Sure can, Sir,” he agreed.  “If you’ll follow me.”

Xavier got up and put his hand on Mika’s shoulder.  She quickly started to get to her feet to follow him.

“I’m sorry Detective but Mrs. Stafford can’t go with you,” Peter Makey told him.

“Why not?”  Xavier asked.  “She’s advising me on this case.”

“Yes, I understand but it states here,” and he pointed to the piece of paper that had just backstabbed Xavier.  “It’s stated that the information be provided to you solely.”

“I understand that but I’m not going to leave her behind.  She can wait in the reception area,” the detective said.

Away from you, he added in his head.

He wasn’t quite able to pin-point what it was about Makey that he disliked.

"Nonsense!  Mika can stick around,” he came around his desk and gave Xavier a large grin.  “We’re old friends she and I.  It would be nice to catch up.”

With a little reluctance, Mika eyed Xavier and nodded her head that she would be fine.

“I won’t be long,” he told her.

“Take your time,” she smiled at him and walked up to face Xavier.  “I’ll be fine, Love,” she pecked him.  “I love you,” and kissed him chastely again.

“Me too.”

He groaned at what he was about to do but one look in her eyes and knowing of her past and how strong she was put him more at ease with the idea.  He gave her an adoring smile, cupped her cheek before he turned on his heels and proceeded toward a seemingly bored Colin Petra who had been waiting on him.

                                          *************************************

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