Opulent

by Manoa, David

I jumped up and got in Sione face. One of his colleagues pulled a gun on me.

  I held my hands up.” “What’s this about a murder?”

  “Alex Deverau was discovered murdered last night in his apartment. We have video evidence it was Felicity who committed the crime.”

  My heart stopped. The shock and horror of my friend being murdered, I couldn’t believe it, then I watched Sione put his pistol into his holster. He moved forward.

  “That’s bullshit. Felicity was with me all night.”

  Sione brushed past me and took out the cuffs to arrest Felicity. He said, “

  I put my hands on his and said, “Felicity was setup and I can prove it! Please let me confront my colleague, Vivian. I’ll get a confession out of her. She was the one who did it!” I tightened my grip on his wrist. “You have the wrong person. Hand on heart, she was with me all night.”

  Sione stood there and looked at us both, a sheet now wrapped around Felicity, and me standing naked in front of him.

  He turned to Felicity when he took out his radio. We listened.

  “Anna this is Sione, I think the girl might have been set up. She was with Chad the whole night.”

  “An alibi? We have the footage of a woman.”

  Sione paused, then said to me, “You can put your pants on.”

  He said into the radio to Anna, “I need you to access the CCTV footage again and confirm the height of the female.”

  “Copy that. Chad, a woman was seen entering Alex’s apartment block at twenty-three hundred hours. Then gunshots were heard.”

  “Again, Felicity was with me the whole night.”

  Sione said, “The footage I saw was a woman opening the fire exit door in the corridor to access his apartment. She was wearing a black veil, black jeans dark glasses, blonde hair, but she was identified as Caucasian. There was footage captured by the door where her height was in-line with the fire exit sign.” He looked at Felicity, measuringly.

  Felicity’s head comes up to my chest. I’m 6 foot 3.

  Sione walked up to me. Face to face. He said, “How tall is Vivian? See where I'm holding my hand is about the height of the fire exit sign. “I nodded and my eyes went hot, a rush of rage and fury bleeding within.

  I grumbled, “That’s Vivian’s height, its her.”

  Sione undid the cuffs and patched through to Anna. He was talking for some time while Felicity held onto me.

  I said to Sione, “Let me confront her. I’ll get the confession even if I have to slap it out of her.”

  Sione raised his eyebrows then said, “It’s a risk, she can use the line of being under duress that might throw the case out of court. I have a better idea. Come with me.”

  We walked outside where the reality of Alex being dead hit me. I broke down by the door for minute the reality of Alex gone. Felicity held my hand as Sione took us to the boot of his police car. He took out a metal case and in it was a wire and microphone recorder. He asked me to remove my shirt so he could tape the wire.

  I looked at my watch to see it was seven a.m. Monday. When we went back inside. Sione brought the case and we tested the sound as I put on my blue suit jacket.

  I wiped my eyes and adjusted the wire for comfort. “Sione, the office opens at 8.30. Vivian is part of the skeleton crew working over the Christmas period, so I’ll call her into my office.”

  “It’s important to get a confession recorded. But we will be close by, in case.”

  I took a deep breath in and looked at Felicity she came out wearing the new outfit I favored, she was tying up her hair into a ponytail. I held her by the shoulder and said. “I need you to stay here. I’ll come back once they arrest Vivian.”

  Felicity hit back and came right up to me. “No! I want to go with you.”

  “You have to stay here, I can handle it. Listen. Vivian took the life of my friend Alex because I was too stupid to listen to the warnings he gave me. I need to know why.”

  Sione said, “It’s important that Felicity goes. If Vivian planned all this, having her there will unsettle her. It will make her think her plans have been thwarted.”

  My eyes darted around while I was thinking about what he said. I turned to Sione exhaling. “Okay…”

  Felicity squeezed my hand and I kissed her on the forehead. I wanted answers. I couldn’t wait to confront the bitch.

  ***

  It was eight a.m. and we made our way to work. Sione followed us in his unmarked police car and I took a turn-off to enter the carpark. Vivian’s car was not there yet. I parked the car and took a spare a moment for the loss of my friend Alex. I massaged my temples to ease the pain. All I could feel for Vivian was hatred.

  I grunted, “Let’s do this…”

  “Hold on, wait…” Felicity said. She leaned over and kissed me deeply; the pressing of her lips felt wholesome, good and most of all loving. She whispered, “I love you. We’ll get through this together.”

  My eyes were stinging when she said it but she brought me comfort. My mind went back to the night, and to the words I’d said when I made love to her.

  I got out and headed for my office. It was 8:30 a.m when I looked out the window for Vivian’s car. The morning sunrise let the streaks of light enter. I turned to her.

  Felicity stood beside me, stirring her coffee.

  “You look nice you know…”

  She smiled, adjusting the purple outfit that was shimmering with the light. She looked like she was wearing something made of out of amethyst. I walked over to my desk and I opened my top drawer and took out the velvet box to take out the diamond earrings. I sat on my desk to admire her from behind.

  “Come here.”

  Felicity edged closer, standing in front of me, both of us at the same height. “What?”

  I opened the velvet box to take out the earrings I took one and put it in her ear and then the other. I cupped the sides of her face, then held her shoulders.

  Felicity wept when I said, “One dearest…”

  She nodded, lifting her chin up. “Let’s do this.”

  I picked up my phone as I saw Vivian’s car pull into the car park. She got out carrying her handbag. She was wearing an orange tunic with black heels.

  I called her.

  “What!”

  “Come up to my office, there’s some unfortunate news about Alex.”

  “Oh yeah, I heard. I’ll be up in two.”

  I sat at my desk and Felicity sat at hers by the door. When Vivian came bursting in, she didn’t notice Felicity at her desk.

  Vivian had her hands cupped by her cheeks. “Oh my god. I heard. It's terrible news.” She took a cigarette from her bag.

  I was just appalled at the show she was trying to put on. My eyes were burning with anger, but I had to get the info Sione wanted. This would all be in vain if I fucked up.

  I watched how Vivian held her cigarette, taking in deep puffs. She even had the shakes in her fingers with those crocodile tears.

  She said, “The cops said they were looking for Felicity. I tried to get hold of you yesterday to tell you. Sione Suarvea is an undercover detective! I told him everything I knew about his investigation. They’re probably arresting that murderous whore right now.”

  I shook my head and stood up to walk in front of my desk. I crossed my arms and looked at Felicity behind her, who and got up and walked in front of Vivian, whose eyes widened when the Felicity sat down with me, she crossed her arms with a fierce look.

  The look on Vivian’s face was priceless. “What’s she doing here?”

  I started clapping my hands. “Vivian, that was an Oscar performance…”

  She dropped her cigarette on the floor, her eyes darting to both of us. “What the fuck is going on here?” she picked it up again inhaling it.

  “You tell me?”

  Vivian blinked a number of times, trying to collect her thoughts. When you corner a cobra, they start to flare up and bite.

  She picked up the phone. “I’m calling the detective right
now. She’s a murderer!”

  We watched as she called. I was insulted that she still tried to play it.

  “Sione is in the carpark. I’ll call him.” I inhaled and picked up my phone to call him. I told him to come up in five minutes. “Vivian, why? After all we’ve been through,” I said. “It’s all over. Your schemes are finished.”

  She put her phone down, puzzled.

  “Felicity was with me last night. She didn’t do it.”

  The gesture infuriated Vivian. She said, “What? You… you, slept with this ugly bitch!”

  “I just want to know why…”

  Vivian held her handbag and stubbed out her cigarette on my leather chair. She had this smug look. “You are the most incompetent businessman I have ever worked for. I couldn’t stand working my arse off while you reaped the benefits. It doesn’t matter, I‘ve planned this ever since this bitch came aboard. The evidence will be overwhelming. Your testimony won't hold up, especially with the video footage.”

  I said, “Why Alex? Why did you kill him!”

  “Ha, the idiot you thought was your friend? He was the biggest backstabber you never thought of. Did he ever confess that I was fucking him too? He was never your friend. I was giving him a blowjob after he picked me up from that party. Gushed come all over his fancy jacket. Men.”

  I speared my fingers through my hair, confused.

  Vivian started laughing. “All Alex was worried about was money. He didn’t care about you! Greedy fuck would have still lived if he hadn’t deviated from my plan. No matter how many times we fucked. Money. I killed him because he was an idiot who tried to have a change of conscience when I set up Felicity with the stock options. I wanted this whore of yours to go away for a very long time.”

  “So that was it. You purposely devalued my shares in Cerberus so I would sell my whole stake. Then you got Alex to try to do the same.”

  “Only I was too late. He sold his share to Sione, who was an undercover detective. Then when he talked to you about selling the rest, I had to do something. He was going to fuck up my options in Cerberus Petroleum. My stocks would have rocketed in value if I had his and yours.”

  “You’ll never get away with this, Vivian…”

  “I have and I will… Nothing beats prudent and meticulous planning.”

  There was silence. Vivian turned to Felicity and eyed her up and down. She said, “You bought this whore earrings? That dress doesn’t even fit her too… Fat bitch.” She turned to me. “It disgusts me that you even fuck something as ugly. Hideous-looking thing. ”

  “I love her, Vivian.”

  She flinched twice. “Urgh… Give me a break, you make me want to fucking gag on your cock. You don’t even know what love is.”

  “I do. And it’s what we made last night.”

  “Fuck you!” Vivian slapped the side of my face. I fell back into my desk. My files, pens and desk lamp fell to the floor. Wincing from the blow, I started laughing.

  Vivian was heated, she said “It sickens me this little slut… thinks, she’s won your heart. After all I’ve done for you!”

  I started to undo the three buttons of my blue suit. Then I unbuttoned the waistcoat. Then my tie, removing the knot. When I began to unbutton my white shirt Vivian's eyebrows raised. I ripped open my shirt to show her the wire.

  I took out the recorder and re-wound it to play everything she said. Her face dropped. The cigarette fell out of her mouth and the red ash fell between us, breaking to pieces on the marble floor. Vivian started looking around and stepping back.

  Then she pulled a gun on us. We both held our hands up when she screamed, “How?”

  “It’s all over, Vivian. The cops will be here in less than five minutes.”

  Felicity blurted, “You’re so fucked!”

  Vivian’s eyes widened. “You whore!” She unloaded her weapon, shooting at Felicity, the deafening sound making my eyes widen as Felicity fell right back behind the desk.

  I screamed out, “No!”

  I tried to get to her and Vivian shrieked at me, “Don't you dare go near her!” I looked behind the desk to see Felicity wasn’t moving. “Vivian, you killed her!” I cried. “You fucking bitch!”

  I moved to the side of the desk although Vivian pointed her gun at me. I was moving back to the window. Tears were streaming down my face when I saw the pool of blood by Felicity.

  Vivian said, “Give me the fucking recording!”

  I started to untangle the wires, I sniffled, “Okay! Calm down!” then the cold hard steel of the pistol pressed against my chest. Vivian said, “You ungrateful cock! You never realised I was doing this for us. The sacrifices I made. To go behind your back to secure the stock options, to double our income. Your arrogance would have put this company under, if I didn’t do what I did. Did it ever occur to you in that mind of yours that I was ensuring a future for us. That when things turned to shit, I would have us?”

  I sniffled, taking my time unhooking the microphone. “I’m sick of your bullshit. You only ever cared about yourself.”

  Vivian thrust the gun at me again. Her eyes widened as she snatched the recorder from me. She cocked the gun her eyes were bloodshot, her jaw grinded. The fury and her anger vibrated through the shaking of the gun. I almost closed my eyes to accept my fate as her finger began to pull the trigger.

  Then I saw a hand tap her right shoulder. Her head turned.

  Whack!

  Felicity hooked Vivian in the lower jaw. The way it connected made Vivian’s silicone lips look like she’d had another injection. Her eyes rolled back. She dropped the gun. It was so hard and loud, and she flew like a rag doll into the window. Taking all the blinds down with her.

  A King hit. Knocked the fuck out!

  Then Felicity was panting, gasping for air, clutching her shoulder, the blood ruining her beautiful purple dress. I grabbed and held her tight. I took out my phone to call when the police burst in and secured the area. I recognized Sione. He pointed his gun at us, then saw Vivian on the floor.

  “I’m so glad you’re alive.” I said kissing her forehead.

  Felicity took her glasses off and I peeled away the dress to look at her injury.

  “Ruined my dress!”

  “You'll need to go to the hospital.”

  “It’s just a minor flesh wound. I was lucky to turn the moment she shot me.” Felicity smiled. “I'm a nurse anyways, I can sort it out. Take me home, Chad.”

  “Hospital first, just to be sure.”

  I threaded the side of her hair again; the morning sun struck our faces. I cupped the sides of her face and we kissed again. I said, “There’s a woolen rug that might serve as a good hospital bed. I promise to take care of you and make you better.”

  There was a sparkle in her eyes from the light and she licked her lips, then landed a quick peck on my lips. “You can start perhaps by doing what you did last night?”

  Smiling, I lifted her up to carry her, her head resting on my chest. We walked past the cops to the corridor.

  I whispered into her neck, “Oh, Felicity, I’ll be doing it, again and again for many nights to come…”

  You’re my girl.

  Thank you for reading Opulent

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  Thanks again,

  David