Romantic Thriller: Only Time Will Tell – A Romantic Suspense and Romantic Mystery Book: (Thriller Romance, Suspense, Mystery Romance, Suspense Romance) (6 page)

Chapter Eight

The walls we build around us to keep the sadness out also keeps out the joy. ~ Jim Rohn

As they were leaving the restaurant, she had the distinct feeling that someone was watching her. She glanced around, but no one stood out. Maybe it was her imagination. But that did not make her feel any less edgy. Criminals were good at concealing themselves in the public. They acted like regular people when, in reality, they were not. They were the masters of disguise and knew how to trail a person, unseen and undetected.

Noticing her edginess, Dean asked, “Is everything all right?”

Giving him a somewhat embarrassed look, she said, “Yes. I just…never mind. I am perfectly fine.” She lied.

As they approached the car, she heard her phone ringing. Fishing it out of her pocket, she noticed that it was a blocked call.

Remembering the threatening call she had received in the morning, she hesitated, then answered in her most belligerent voice.

“What do you want?” she barked.

“Someone is just a little too tense wouldn’t you say? I would suspect someone on a date would be a little calmer and probably happy.”

Immediately, she swung around, scanning the street and the faces of people passing by. Perhaps he was in a car across the street.

“You haven’t answered my question.”

She remained silent.

“I want you to back off this case. Ashlee Thompson died because she too did what your parents did.”

This touched a nerve. “My parents were upstanding citizens and would never have associated with scum like you.”

She listened as he chuckled on the other side of the line. “You never really knew your parents then, did you? Do me a favor Preston, stay away from the Ashlee Thompson case.”

“No, I won’t.”

“That is fine then. I do hope you enjoy the present I left you in your apartment. Just know I can get to you as easily as I got in… again, I’m warning you, back of the Thompson case. If you don’t, you’re likely to end up like your parents. You’d better listen to what Justin Quincy said to you today!”

Chelsea was shaking, but tried to put on a brave front.

“I will find you, you beast! You can’t hide forever and I won’t back off and I’m not afraid of you!”

“You should be. Your parents most certainly were. If you proceed, it will be your funeral, not mine,” he said, and with a click the phone went dead.

She turned and nearly collapsed in Dean’s arm. Her face was deathly pale and her she was trembling.

“What is the matter, Chelsea?”

“Ask the Department to send a SWAT team immediately to my apartment, I think something has happened or is about to.”

Noting the condition she was in, Dean took over the driving and when they arrived the SWAT team and several other police cars were already on the scene.

Chelsea felt numb with fear not knowing what they would find. From the parking lot she could see her apartment was open and Pierce was coming out, holding an evidence bag. He came downstairs where, too weak to go up the stairs, she was still seated in the car.

“Can you tell me what is going on here, Chelsea?” His face was grim.

“What is that you’re holding?” She asked.

He showed it to her. Her heart leaped as she recognized her old stuffed teddy bear. She had not seen him for years and she remembered how she used to cuddle with him at night, especially when she was afraid.

“You look like you have seen a ghost,” Dean said.

“What is the significance of this bear?”

“He was my favorite stuffed animal when I was a child. He has been missing from the day of my parents’ murder.” She shivered as she remembered finding her parents’ bloody bodies.

“Who gave this to you?” Pierce asked, perhaps a little too harshly.

Searching her memory, she recalled that her teddy had not been a gift from either of her parents. Her teddy had come with a bouquet of flowers on her fifth birthday.

“Isaac Welsh. He is my uncle.”

Pierce nodded and he clenched his jaw. “I need you to follow me upstairs.”

Hesitantly, she got out of the car and slowly followed him up the stairs, fearing what she would find. On entering the apartment she gasped at the sight of the body stretched out on the carpet and with blood everywhere. It reminded her of her parents’ bodies and she felt like throwing up.

“Do you know who it is?”

She could only nod her head.

“And what about the message on the wall, does it mean anything?” He asked as he led her into the dining room.

The message on the formerly blank wall read:
Blood is thicker than water
. It was written in blood.

She nearly collapsed and leaned heavily on Pierce. Her mind was in a mad whir. What exactly was happening here? Who had done this? Why would they kill a man and leave him in her apartment?

Noticing her condition, Pierce took charge.

“Chelsea, we are taking you back to the station immediately.” He said.

“As a cop or as a suspect?”

“As a suspect, until we get to the bottom of this.”

“But Pierce, you know I would never do something like this. You have known me for six years.”

“Chelsea there is something else going on here. A murder took place in
your
apartment. We need to do this by the books, and maybe after that we can discuss anything else. Plus it is for your own safety.”

With a deep sigh, she agreed and went downstairs willingly with him.

Chapter Nine

The sorrow which has no vent for tears may make other organs weep. ~ Henry Maudsley

Sitting in the interrogation room where hours before she was questioning Quincy felt very odd. Now she was facing interrogation, only under less hostile conditions. Strange, how quickly things can change.

This was absurd - her being a murder suspect, although she understood the need of her colleagues to process her like anyone else. As she sat there waiting to be questioned something kept tugging at her memory. It had to do with the teddy bear found at the scene and which they had brought along as evidence.

From the night of her parents’ murder, she had difficulty remembering anything to do with her childhood, and most of all that night. Sometimes she would remember fragments but they were shrouded in a kind of mist. But something about the brown teddy bear was coming back.

At that moment Pierce walked into the room. He took the seat on the opposite side of the table.

“Chelsea there are a few questions I am going to ask you and you are going to have to answer honestly.”

“Of course,” she said, folding her arms protectively across her chest.

“You were born to Micah Charles Preston and Eileen Olivia Welsh-Preston on April 22
nd
, 1988 is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“And your birth name was Chelsea Marie Preston?”

“Yes.”

“It says here when you were sixteen-years-old you assaulted a girl in your school. This would suggest that you are capable of violence.”

She didn’t answer that one. Let him figure it out. Yasmine had caused the death of her friend, and nothing came of it. Somebody had to do something and since no one did, she took it on singlehandedly.

“Do you know the man who was murdered in your apartment?”

“No. And you know I had nothing to do with it since I’ve been at work all day.”

“Quite true, but I still have to ask. Do you really want to know the name of the man?”

She nodded.

“Austin De Leon and he is the son of a man who died years ago. Any guess to who that is?”

“Emilio De Leon, one of the most powerful men in Mexico. Are you telling me that Austin Rodriquez
is
Austin De Leon?”

“Yes. His father was declared dead in an explosion of a yacht over three years ago by. He was pronounced dead on the basis of forensic evidence at the explosion site but no dead body was found. Rumor has it that he is still alive, hidden away somewhere. Are you starting to see the connection?”

“No, I am not following.”

“Your uncle, Isaac Welsh, was one of Emilio De Leon’s drug runners. And you know he is serving a life sentence for murder and drug trafficking.”

She knew her uncle was in prison, but she had no idea of the details nor his involvement with drugs.

“You’re telling me that I am somehow connected to all this?”

“Yes, although I don’t know why Emilio De Leon would murder your parents.”

Chelsea remembered the threatening phone calls she had received earlier in the day. And now she was learning that Emilio De Leon might still be alive.

“He kept you alive all those years ago and you should wonder why.”

This has always puzzled her. Why did whoever kill her parents not kill her too? She was in the same house, her door was unlocked, and she was only a child. She could not have resisted them.

Her childhood memory of the teddy bear became clearer, but she had to be sure.

“Can I go visit my uncle in prison?” She asked.

“Does it have something to do with the case?”

“Yes, but I can’t tell you now, until I’m certain.”

“Fine, we’ll arrange for you to go tomorrow,” Pierce told her.

“Okay. But where am I going to stay tonight?” She could not go back to her apartment based on the condition it was in. Furthermore, it was now a crime scene.

“We have a guest room at my place.”

“So I am no longer a suspect?”

“You never really were. And we have evidence that someone else was at your apartment. Plus we have a dirty cop somewhere so we have to be careful and make it seem like you are under suspicion. It would make you less vulnerable.”

This made sense. She had forgotten that part. Someone was feeding her enemies information about what was happening in the police department. She wondered who that could be.

“Maybe, I should just stay at the station tonight and start looking into some of these things,” she suggested. Things were beginning to fall into place, although she still could not see the connection with Ashlee Thompson.

“Not on your life. And you’re too tired to be productive. C’mon, Chelsea, stop being stubborn.” Pierce’s voice brooked no argument.

She gave in and followed him meekly to the car. Her mind was still in a whirl but she could feel her eyelids drooping. It had been a long and difficult day. The soothing hum of the car did not help. Soon she was falling asleep. One last though flashed across her mind.

“Where is Dean?” She asked.

But she did not hear the answer. She had drifted off to sleep while Pierce was explaining.

Chapter Ten

Become the sky. Take an axe to the prison wall. Escape. ~ Rumi

The back alley smelled of sewage and rotting food and flies were buzzing about as he waited patiently for his contact. Part of him felt like leaving while the other part wanted to stay and see it through. He was torn in two directions. Should he follow his head which kept on insisting he did what he had committed to doing or should he follow his heart which was telling him otherwise? It would be a deadly choice, either way.

As he halted between the two options, he saw a silhouette appear in the distance and started walking toward him. The person approached, hat pulled down to hide his face, a thick scarf around his neck, and the collar of his coat standing up. Obviously, he did not want to be recognized.

“What now?”

“Your boss sent to ask if you have forgotten your mission.”

“Not for a moment. The trap is well oiled, just waiting to be sprung.”

“It had better be because if you fail you know what will happen, don’t you?”

“Of that I’m fully aware. Now just tell me when is it supposed to take place?”

“In two days from now. Getting to her will be easy enough, given how predictable she is in her behavior.”

He was moving away already, when he turned and said, “Remember if you change your mind we’ll find you. There will be no place to hide.”

He waited until the messenger had completely disappeared before he left the alley. He had made a deal with the devil over six months ago and at that time it had meant nothing to him. This was his way of life, but now for the first time he was feeling differently. But trying to back out now would cause his death. The persons he was dealing with were ruthless and did not take kindly to betrayal. He would have to see it through, although something deep within was saying he could not go through with it.

Back on the main road, he looked up at the beautiful moon hanging in the sky, and remembered how it once felt to not care for anyone but himself – to be just selfish and heartless. But now he felt he could not be like that any longer. He was beginning to see himself differently, as someone who could love and care for another person. What he was becoming was something more than he ever thought he could be. He wondered if he could face the consequences of disobeying the order of his boss. Was he willing to lay down his life for another? That was the question.

Chapter Eleven

When you look at your life, the greatest happiness is family happiness. ~ Joyce Brothers

Chelsea woke up to find herself lying under thick quilt. It was warm and comfy. For the first time in days she had slept right through the night without waking up or having any nightmares. She felt refreshed.

Sitting up quickly, she remembered where she was – at Pierce’s house. All the happenings of yesterday came tumbling back. Only she had no memory of coming into the house and she wondered if Pierce had carried her inside. The thought brought back memories of her childhood when her dad would do the same. However, now it was also embarrassing considering the fact that she was twenty-six-years-old. No one should have to carry her anywhere – she was self-sufficient – or at least she wanted to be.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of Pierce’s wife. The pictures he had of her at the office did not do her justice. Even in her house dress she was stunning with shoulder length blonde hair and warm brown eyes.

“Hi Chelsea, I’m Emma. I am glad to be able to finally meet you, although I wish the circumstances were different. He’s told me so much about you.”

“It is good to meet you too,” she said.

“Well, breakfast is ready since Pierce said you guys are going to the prison today.”

“Yes, and it is not something I’m looking forward to… but I must do it. I think it holds a clue to all this mess.”

“I hope so. Now, the bathroom is across the hall and I brought you some clothes. We’re roughly the same size so they should fit.”

“Thank you, very much.”

“No problem, and as soon as you’re done, please come join us.”

Left alone, Chelsea had time to sift through her thoughts. It seemed as Ashlee’s murder had opened up Pandora’s Box and she had to deal with it. Deep down she wanted to run away and hide, if it was even for one day, but it was not possible. She also felt that her visit to her uncle would help resolve even a small part of the puzzle.

She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Emma’s clothes did fit and made her look much more cheerful because of the bright colors. As for her stressed look, a cup of coffee would surely bring her back to her usual self.

Splashing her face with cold water, she headed for the dining room where she could hear the twins crying. Pierce and Emma each had one and were trying to feed them. One was contentedly sucking on the bottle while the other was fussing.

“We already made you a plate,” said Pierce, pointing to a cup of coffee and some pancakes.

She sat down and immediately drank some coffee.

“Did you sleep all right?” Pierce asked.

“Never slept better,” she replied, biting into one of the pancakes. They reminded her of Sunday mornings when she was a child and her mother would make them.

“All set to go to the prison?”

She scowled. “I’m not sure about that, but I’ll manage.”

“It must be difficult, not seeing him for such a long time…”

“I won’t know how to begin. There is so much going on and I just don’t know how to handle it. To make things worse, he might not even know who I am. It’s over fifteen years.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll take it one step at a time, and I’ll be there to ask a few questions too.” Pierce reassured her.

“I know, I am feeling so overwhelmed right now,” she said as she poked her pancakes with her fork.

The clash of thunder threatened rain.

“I think we should leave before the rain starts,” Pierce suggested.

“I guess I should go get ready then.”

“But you barely ate,” Carson said sternly, almost the way a father would to a daughter.

“I guess, I’ve lost my appetite.”

Getting her handbag and other things together, her mind kept going to the horrible scene in her apartment the day before. Among the many questions flashing around in her head was why did they have to murder Ashlee? How did she fit into the puzzle? She certainly hoped that the visit to her uncle Isaac would provide some answers.

There was a knock at the door and Emma came in bringing a jacket. “Since it might rain I brought you this.”

“Thanks.”

“I can’t imagine what you guys go through. All I know is Pierce admires you for everything you have endured and the way you still try to help others even after you have seen so much that is evil.”

“How much does he tell you about me?”

“Honestly, not too much. We try to keep work at work, but sometimes he has no other choice but to talk about it. Sometimes I wish he could just retire so he could come home and be safe. We don’t want the girls to grow up without a father.”

“That I can understand, and as his partner, I will try to make sure nothing ever happens to him.”

“I know, and thanks. If you need anything else just shout.”

Left alone, Chelsea felt a tear trickle down her cheek. Others soon joined them and she could hold them in no longer. The weight of everything was bearing down on her and she just wished it would all be over soon.

Straightening her clothes after she had washed her face to remove any trace of tears, she went into the living room. She might as well get it over and done with.