"Here is the thumb drive, by the way," Candice said and tugged the device out from her bra. Detective Wallace gingerly took it from her and placed it on the corner of the table. "I put the SD cards back, I wasn't sure if they'd go back."

Detective Wallace nodded and marked it down. "There's information on how Richard and Lynette killed his brothers, too. However, since they are all deceased, there's nothing to chase up on.

No wonder her parents had always pretended that Richard was the only child. So many lies. And Candice lied, too. The SD cards were in her bra and it felt like they were burning a hole through her. But the FBI already had a copy of everything, they didn't need the SD cards, too.It might be morbid, but she wanted to see the content for herself.

"Keep going," Detective Wallace prompted and Candice dived back to her memories.

                                                                       ——— 4 hours ago ——

"Oh darling, you look wonderful!" Viviene exclaimed. Candice was already dressed to the nines, waiting for Viviene and Howard in the living room. The two of them were clearly behind schedule but looked every bit as polished as if they were coming out of their dressing room. No doubt they had a driver.

Howard nodded his approval. "Traffic was horrible. Just give us a moment to freshen up and change. We can't be late for your celebration dinner!"

Candice tried not to show how relieved she was that they were late but still showed. She had been thinking about a crazy plan. The original one was just to have a nice dinner, then calling the FBIs in. But seeing Eva yesterday brought a new idea to mind; instead of ending the year in style only, she could end it with a boom.

Before she could chicken out, she got into her car, turned on the music, and called Eric."I don't know where the money went, but I know who might. Come to the Kuuk tonight at 9 pm."

                                                                                        ———

"You decided to get the Goodmans involved at the last minute," Detective Wallace repeated. Candice nodded to confirm. She did not expect things to turn out the way they did. The funny thing was she actually thought about inviting Meredith herself for a chance to say goodbye. If she did, the joke would be on her.

"Are they all here now?" Candice asked. Her heart was in suspension, she didn't know if she wanted them to be or not. Detective Wallace studied her for a bit.

"Yes. Do you want to talk to Viviene or Howard?" he asked, his voice laced with understanding. Candice shook her head; there wasn't anything she wanted to say to them. She got it all off her chest at Kuuk.

For a moment, she almost said Meredith. The real White daughter had her fooled the entire time. Maybe they could have been great friends under different circumstances, but the history behind the two of them was impossible to ignore. She harbored no bad feelings towards her but she also no longer wanted to have any contact with her.

But there was someone she wanted to see.

"Five minutes," Detective Wallace said, opening the door for Candice. She nodded, locking eyes with a very startled Eric Goodman. He glanced towards the door as it shut.

"Is that Detective Wallace?" he asked. Candice didn't answer, sitting down at the chair across the table from him. The setup was almost identical to the one she was just in with only some color difference. "What is going on?"

Candice raised her eyebrows at Eric. He was too smart not to have figured it all out. The two of them looked at each other and the silence grew charged between them. She was reminded of the first time they met, how she thought he was cute enough to take back to the sorority.

That was over a year ago and they were both very different people now. Maybe it was a mistake to talk to him. However, even now, just looking at Eric Goodman sent Candice's heart racing.

"Look, I really am sorry," Eric blurted. "I should have told you the truth, or gone after you, and looked you up afterward—"

As Eric rambled on, Candice finally realized why she wanted to see him again. She wanted to know that it wasn't just her. She needed to know that he had feelings for her, too. Even if it was too late.

She reached for Eric's hand and that stopped him from talking. He looked at his hand then at Candice, then again. She took a deep breath and leaned forward, locking lips with him gently before drawing back. A slight hum buzzed through her; so this was what it was like to kiss Eric Goodman.

"What? How? Is this being recorded?" Eric stuttered. Oh crap. Maybe it was. But Candice was glad she did it.

"I like you, Eric," she started, the confusion on his face was adorable. "And I think you like me too. We've missed our moment and I don't think we'll get it back. You're a wonderful brother and I have no doubt you'll make a great lawyer."

It felt like all the energy had drained out of Candice after she said it. So this was what it was like to have closure. She wished it would happen more often in life. She got up, giving the confused Eric one last smile and left the room.

Detective Wallace looked surprised to see her out of the room so fast. Candice hugged her arms around herself and followed him as they made their way to yet another identical room. She brightened up when she saw her two suitcases, even if it was next to the impossibly stoic Agent Spencer.

"Miss White, I'd like to thank you for your service," he said. It was so formal that Candice felt like she should stand in attention or something. Although this wasn't the military and she wasn't really an agent, so it would be inappropriate if she did.  "We have arranged for your transfer back to the states and for your new identity. You would be required to stand as a witness in future court hearings. All will be explained in detail once you are stateside." He nodded at her again before leaving, his footsteps also impossibly even. That man was a robot.

"So what will happen to them?" Candice asked. They had loaded her suitcases in a sedan she had never seen before. They were going to get her one state across and fly her from there."Prison for Viviene and Howard. The rest will go free after they give their statements," Detective Wallace said. "Meredith is probably going to go back with David and become the new CEO."

For some reason, Candice knew that it was exactly what Viviene and Howard had wanted. Their revenge executed and their bloodline back at the helm.

"Can I ask you a question?" Candice realized she never asked how he came to work with the FBI. Should she refer to him as Agent Wallace now?

Detective, or Agent Wallace, chuckled. "That had never stopped you before. Go ahead."

"Are you an FBI agent now? Should I call you Agent Wallace?" she asked, leaning on the boot of the car.

"No, I'm still a detective. They just enlisted me to help with the case, that's all," he answered, rubbing the back of his head. Candice could tell that she wanted to be an FBI. He could be. He was good at it. "And I think you can call me Jerome."

"Can I ask you a question back?" he asked. Candice shrugged. She had been honest today and it felt good. Why not?

"You never told me why you said yes that day," Jerome asked. Candice smiled, seemingly more herself as she adjusted herself on the seat so that she could face him better.

"You said you trust that I'm a good person," Candice smiled. "I want to be a good person and not turn a blind eye to things. I want a fresh start on my own terms."

----------

And that's a wrap on Candice's POV, I hope you've enjoyed the story. It's my first time finishing a mystery novel and I'm not sure if this genre is for me, but I did have fun writing it! Let me know what you think!

I know there are still a few things left unanswered, but in real life Candice is unlikely to get them all. But that doesn't mean we can't. An epilogue is coming next week that ties up some things so stay tuned!