“Of course. Will was a close friend, even though we were
exes. I wanna help you find who did this to him,” she said, cozying onto the
couch in the lounge.
“We understand you and Shawn are currently seeing each
other?” Mike asked.
“That’s correct.”
“How did your evening start?”
“At work; like always. I’m a medical resident at the local hospital. I’ve been putting in countless hours trying to prove myself to the hard ass attending I have. After work, I went home, showered and got to Ryan’s place at 8:30.”
“How can you be so sure of the time?” Victoria asked.
“Because I was hoping to get there before everyone else. I
needed to talk to Will and he was always the first to show for Ryan’s parties.
He liked to help with setup,” Shelly answered with a sigh.
“Do you mind telling us what was so important you had to see
Will before anyone else arrived?”
“Well,” Shelly paused and took a calming breath. It was obvious she had been up crying. Her eyes were bloodshot and it almost looked as though she slept in the clothes she was wearing. “Shawn and I had been having problems. He’s always been a pretty jealous guy and he never let it slide how he felt that Will and I used to be together. I had been confiding in Elena that I was thinking of getting back with Will. I was sick of the back and forth with Shawn. I just wanted to be with someone who was more relaxed; fun,” she said with a smile, a memory surfacing of her time spent with Will. “Will was nothing if not fun.”
“No, I don’t think so. I mean…I’d only told Elena and she
and Shawn weren’t close like that.”
“Can you tell us what you remember about that night? Let’s
start with when you arrived up to the time Will was discovered.”
“When I got to Ryan’s place, like I said I was hoping to
catch Will, except Shawn had already beat me there. Just when I was about to
enter inside, a redhead, who I later learned to be Will’s baby mama, came in
behind me. The three of us sat awkwardly until Elena and Ryan got there. I
helped him finish some of the setup and we started the party.”
“At what point did you realize Will was not coming?” Mike
asked.
“It was right before we started, actually. Ryan announced
Will called and canceled last minute.”
“Did anyone find that particularly upsetting?” Victoria
inquired.
“Yeah, come to think of it, Addy seemed a little peeved. I guess she wanted to talk to him that night too,” Shelly answered, fidgeting with her hand as she recalled her movements that night.
“No. Will was the sweetest guy. Funny, helpful, always there
when you needed him for anything. I guess his only downside was that he
couldn’t keep it in his pants; it was the reason we broke up.”
“If you can think of anything else, please let us know.”
“Of course,” Shelly said, standing and collecting her things. She turned before exiting with a frown, speaking softly but with conviction. “I really hope you find the bastard that did this. I’ll be sitting front row center on the day of their execution.”
“Yeah. I’m hoping once we comb through all of our notes,
we’ll be able to hit on something at the very least. Anyway, there are two more
interviews left, Partner. What do you think: divide and conquer?” Victoria asked,
pinning the last two players on the board.
“We could but, I like to think we work better as a pair.”
“Mmm, please don’t say ‘I complete you.’”
“Please! This is me we’re talking about. I just like the way
we hit off of one another. It helps round out an interrogation.”
“Ah. Yeah, that’s true. I’ve always enjoyed setting them up
so you can knock them down.”
“And vice-versa,” Mike added. “It’s almost like you complete
me,” Mike said with a roguish smile.
“I asked you not to say that,” Victoria said in an amused tone.
“We’re fine, thank you,” Mike answered as he and Victoria took seats opposite of Dan.
“Then to business?” Dan asked. Mike nodded. “Great. I have a meeting in about twenty minutes but I’ll try to be as helpful as I can.”
“What do you remember about the night Will Mason was killed?”
“I was the last to arrive that night. I’d had a previous engagement so by the time I got to Ryan’s place everyone was already there. And trust me, I got an earful from Ryan. He likes these things to start on time. He is very particular about everything.”
“Yeah, I’d been chatting with Shawn, he was playing a cop. But he spent the majority of the night complaining about his girl. He was pretty intoxicated and mad.”
“Do you remember what the complaint was?”
“Absolutely. He believed Will and Shelly had been having an affair,” Dan said matter-of-factly and paused for a beat. “I mean, I wouldn’t put it past him. Will slept with anything that moved. Still, Shawn was pretty upset about it.”
“Upset enough to do something about it?” Victoria asked.
“Sure. But, like I said, he was completely wasted. There’s no way he could have gotten the drop on Will. Will’s a big guy—was. And he could handle himself well enough.”
“Can you think of anyone who would have wanted to see Will dead?” Victoria continued.
“What do you mean?” Mike asked with a raised eyebrow. No one had mentioned anything about money problems. And it seemed to them that everyone was doing well financially.
“Oh, I’m just saying. Money makes people do crazy things.”
“Was Will having money troubles?” Mike pressed.
“Well, not in particular but I’d heard he was being pursued for civil matters with some of the women he’d been with.”
“You mean like child support?” Victoria inquired.
“Yes. But as far as I know the child’s paternity was still in question. I’m not sure how far it went.”
“Do you happen to know the name of the woman involved?”
“Of course. Thank you for your time,” Victoria smiled.
Standing to leave, Victoria and Mike paused at the door as Dan called after them. “You know, it’s funny, Ryan gave me the role of this badass mafioso which wasn’t too far off from how people saw me when he and I first met. It was in college. We had several classes together but we’d never spoken until one day when he realized we had an exam and he’d left his notes at his dorm. I don’t know what made him ask me because up until that point everyone treated me like I was a leper. Apparently, I’d had a reputation for being connected to the local mafia. My dad ran numbers for Joe Calisto. Anyway, after that, he and I became fast friends and I was accepted into his other friend group.”
“I’m beginning to think everyone’s role was meticulously crafted from their real-life situations,” Victoria replied.
“If you can think of anything else, please give us a call.” Mike placed a business card on the desk and started out the door after Victoria.
“I know who you are. You’ve been making the rounds with all
of Ryan’s party guests. I was wondering when you’d get to me.”
“Well, we like to gather as much information as possible
when we’re conducting our investigations. That can take some time,” Mike
offered.
“Oh yeah? And what information have you gathered about me?”
“Mommy!” A small, auburn-haired little boy called as he came
barreling out of the front door. “Grandma says I can have a popsicle if I ask
you first. Can I, Mommy? Please?”
“Of course, sweetheart, but just one. I don’t want you to
ruin your dinner, ok?”
“Thanks, Mommy. You’re the best.” The child threw his arms around her neck and squeezed before skipping back inside. Addy waited until the door closed completely before turning back toward her guests.
“So, Will Mason IS your child’s father,” Victoria asked,
confirming the information Dan had provided earlier that morning.
“Yes. He is.”
“How old is Connor?”
“He’ll be 6 in April.” A phantom smile briefly turned her
lips before she shook it away. “He’s a great kid. Smart, funny, says he wants
to be a dinosaur doctor when he grows up. I just want what’s best for him; give
him the life he deserves.”
“What can you tell us about the night of the party?” Mike
asked, redirecting the conversation.
“Nothing really. I was invited last minute. I didn’t have an
actual role like all the others. Ryan just thought I’d be a—dramatic addition.”
“What do you mean by that?” Mike continued.
“From what I could tell, Ryan’s entire motive for this party
was exposing secrets. At least, from what I read of the plot. Will’s character
was a total hound dog; basically, he was playing himself. I assume all the
others were too.”
“How do you know the other guests at the party?”
“I don’t, not really. And I’d only just met Ryan that day. I
had been trying to talk to Will for weeks but he was ignoring me, so I followed
him to Ryan’s place that morning. Ryan invited me up. He was there when I talked
to Will about Connor,” she said, a faraway look coming over her. “He was so
upset.”
“Ryan?” Victoria asked for clarification. Addy nodded.
“He thought Will was this standup kind of guy. But when he
learned he’d been shirking his duties as a father…he became so enraged. They
started arguing—loudly. I left before things took a turn, so I couldn’t tell
you what happened after that. I just know Will was alive when I did.”
“And what time was that?” Victoria inquired.
“Is Connor what you wanted to talk to Will about? The fact
that he was a father.”
“No, Will already knew about Connor. I went to talk to him
about child support. He’d stopped paying; told me he wasn’t sure Connor was
really his and wouldn’t send me another dime until he got a paternity test.
Kids are expensive! And Will was a trust fund baby. It’s not like the barely $800
he sent a month was breaking his bank. But it meant the world for me and
Connor.”
“Addy, you said Ryan’s goal was exposing secrets,” Victoria
started. “What secrets were you talking about?”
“Mine for starters. I was Will’s dirty little secret. None of his friends knew that he had a kid. Also, I wasn’t the only one at that party who’d been in Will’s bed.”
“Hello, Elena,” Victoria smiled as their client walked through
the door. “Thank you for coming out in such short notice.”
“Of course. When you said you’d learned something major that
might help Ryan’s case, I dropped everything.”
“Right, well, we’ve been working through the details of
everyone’s movements that evening and just needed to verify something with
you.”
“What do you need?”
“There’s been a rumor about you and Will,” Mike said, picking up where his partner left off. “We are hoping to get an answer on that.”
“So, it was a one-time thing?” Victoria probed.
“Right,” Elena said behind a watery laugh. “If only it were
that easy. Sadly, the affair lasted a few months; even after I’d gotten back
together with Patrick.” She dropped onto the sofa in front the window looking
despondent. “I’ve kept it secret but it’s been burning a hole through me. Every
time I look into Patrick’s eyes…”
“Did you know your brother planned on sharing everyone’s secret at the party that night?” Victoria asked, moving closer to where Elena sat.
“Would you happen to know what any of the other guests were
hiding?” Mike asked.
“No,” Elena said, near a whisper. “I have no idea. Only Ryan
can tell you that.” Thanking her for her time, Mike and Victoria took the rest
of the afternoon going over everything they’d learned from the people involved.
They discussed witness statements, suspects, the endless number of women from Will’s
many dating apps as well potential motives.
As the night grew on, Victoria stood and stretched. It had been a while since they’d had a non-supernatural case and she was enjoying the enthusiasm Mike was exhibiting as he researched and puzzled over the crime.
“Shawn said when he arrived, Ryan’s apartment door was open.
We learned from Shelly that Will usually helped with setup. However, Ryan confirmed
he made a trip just before 8:30 to the corner mart for something he was missing
because Will hadn’t shown up,” Mike said, reading through his notes as he
pinned items on the board.
“Which could account for why the door was left open when Shawn arrived,” Victoria added.
“A bookend from one of Ryan’s shelves.”
“Found where again?” Mike asked, looking down at his
notepad.
“In the bathtub by first officer on scene, Ray Hudson. The
body was removed in accordance with the county coroner’s guidelines blah blah
blah. Oh, here we go. According to the coroner’s report, there were no unusual
abrasions or otherwise signs of a struggle, but DNA from three different
sources was found on the victim,” Victoria said, flipping to the next sheet in
the three-page binder provided by the county.
“That’s interesting,” Mike replied, “Did the police not
follow-up with their own lab about this?”
“Not that I can tell. Maybe they aren’t aware the results were sent in?” Victoria suggested.
“Are you kidding? Maybe twenty an hour every hour until I
checked in to review them.”
“Exactly. There’s no way the assigned detective isn’t aware
his lab results are in. This just seems like lazy work. Like Ryan said, they
think they have the doer and aren’t really trying to complete the investigation.”
“Yeah, and this new captain they have down there is so far
from Captain Mason, it’s a joke. You know he doesn’t even bother attending the
daily roundups?” Victoria said in disbelief.
“Oh yeah? Your office husband tell you that?” Mike smirked.
“How do you keep doing that?” Mike asked, turning in
surprise at their visitor.
“It’s a gift,” Derrick grinned, slowly walking toward
Victoria before pulling her into his arms for a gentle kiss.
“Or a curse,” Victoria joked.
“Hmm, nope, definitely a gift. But what were you saying
about an office husband?” Derrick asked again, turning toward Mike.
“Ah, just that there was this young officer with a bit of a
crush on Vik when we worked with the Avondale Police department. I think he’s
her contact now that we’re private investigators.”
“Oh really? And how deep was this crush of his?” Derrick asked
with a smile in his voice.
“He didn’t have a crush. He had a professional admiration of
me and our close rate,” Victoria explained.
“He thought she was the bee’s knees,” Mike teased.
“And did Loverboy give you anything good about your current
case?” Derrick asked, watching Victoria’s cheek turn a bright red as he joined
in the teasing.
“Actually, he did. The results of the coroner’s findings. He
read the emails,” Victoria spoke directly to Mike.
“Well, we know that Ryan checked for a pulse. But
supposedly, no one else touched him and no one had seen him that day except for
Ryan and Addy,” Mike said, looking again through his notes.
“And Ryan and Addy are two of the named identifiers. We
could assume that when Addy spoke with him earlier that day, they made contact.”
“And that’s what any good defense attorney would say,” Mike
agreed. “So, who’s the third.”
“I’ll give you one guess,” Victoria smiled, waving the page around like a victory flag.
“An accident?” Mike asked. “You hit him in the head with a
marble bookend.”
“I know but I only meant for it to be a hit, not to kill
him. But then he—he fell and hit his head on the sink. I checked on him, I did.
I shook him but he didn’t move; wasn’t breathing.”
“If it was an accident, why not call the police?” Victoria
questioned.
“I don’t know. I just sort of…I—I panicked. I wiped my
prints off the thing and tossed it in the tub. I tried to get out of there but
I heard someone coming so I jumped out the window and used the fire escape
instead,” he said, running a worried hand through his hair.
“I didn’t mean to kill him. Honest, you gotta believe me. I
only wanted to talk to him; to make him understand. Elena was mine. He could
have had anyone; any girl he set his eyes on. Why did he have to go after
mine?”
“You told us Elena would never cheat on you,” Mike prodded.
“So, you killed your best friend because he was having an
affair with your girlfriend?”
“Fiancée; at least that’s what I was hoping. I was planning
to propose to her on her birthday. That was the day after I’d figured out what
was going on between them.”
“You son of a bitch!” Elena shouted as she stood gawping
from the back door. “You killed Will and you were just gonna let my brother rot
for it?”
“Elena, wait, I—you don’t understand.”
“What’s to understand? You killed Will and didn’t say
anything when the police hauled Ryan away for it.”
“Elena, I just didn’t want to lose you.”
“Are you hearing yourself, Patrick?” she said, throwing her hands up and moving back as he tried to approach her. “I can’t believe this…stay away from me!” she yelled before rushing out the door, slamming it as she did.
The brother and sister walked arm-in-arm to where Victoria
and Mike stood taking it all in. “And I guess I have you two to thank for it.”
“We worked the evidence,” Mike said, shaking Ryan’s offered hand. “I’m glad it all worked out for you.”
“Why does it feel like Ryan was actually Keyser Söze or
something?” Victoria asked with a raised brow.
“You know, I was beginning to sense that very thing myself.
What I don’t get, if he knew his friend and sister were both sleeping with Will, why
not just confront them head on? Why play a game and expose him to everyone like
that?”
“I guess this was his way of softening the blow?” Victoria
shrugged. “Either way, it’s over now. And we have a really important day ahead
of us.”
“Yeah. You can say that again,” Mike smiled, rubbing the back of his head before tossing an arm around her shoulders and guiding her to the passenger seat.
With her father on her arm and her twin sisters Anna and
Amanda acting as bridesmaids, the audience stood as she made her way down
toward the altar. Georgia, Mike’s sister, stood in as a third bridesmaid while
Marshall, Georgia’s husband, Victoria and Wesley, Mike’s childhood best friend,
stood behind Mike.
The wedding march played as she made her way forward. Mike
took a deep breath as he watched the love of his life step toward him, his
parents beaming with pride. “Hey, I’m glad you could make it,” he joked as she
moved up next to him.
“Well, I didn’t have much else going on,” she threw back at him.
“Oh, this old thing?” Aria asked with a wink.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of
God to join together this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony,” the minister
began. “The Bride and Groom are honored you could be here to participate in
this special occasion.”
The couple exchanged their vows in the presence of their family and friends. They shared their years of love and companionship as the thing many who knew Mike never would have believed: he was finally settled down. After their first dance as a couple, many others joined them on the floor including Victoria and Derrick. The bar opened up and dinner was served for the many guests who’d come to show their support.
“I’m so happy for Mike,” she whispered in his ear. “It’s
great he found his person.”
“They make a great pairing,” Derrick agreed. “And so do we.” He lowered his head to kiss her, softly nibbling her bottom lip and rolling his mouth over hers until she opened for him. Derrick captured her mouth, tipped her head back and kissed her deeply, erotically. His tongue met hers, probing and teasing for a long minute and he skirted his hands up her hips, grinning inwardly when she moaned in delight. His tongue slid deeper into her mouth and she welcomed it with a loving suck.
Derrick’s hands roamed over her sides while he looked up
into her eyes. “Victoria,” he sighed.
“Yeah…take me home, Derrick,” she said in a soft voice,
anticipating his unspoken wish. Their lips crashed together, her tongue sliding
against his bottom lip. She looked toward the couples’ table preparing to say
her goodbye when she saw Mike standing and waving at the crowd before he took
Aria’s hand and led her away. “I guess we’re not the only ones with a craving
to fulfill.”
“No, but I bet I can have you home before those two even
leave the building,” Derrick smirked, scooping Victoria into his arms. She
laughed heartily as he sped them toward the parking lot, heading for home and
the warmth of their bed.
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