Cursing to herself, she touched down between herself for blood after getting in a comfortable position. There wasn't any thickness in the fluid that had come out. The smell was only urine and not something else. Shane made a silent prayer of thanks for that.
In the quietness she heard the low chime of a clock.
Feeling the wall, she counted the chime marks she had scratched in the ceiling of her box with her nails and then added number twelve. In the dark, she found the vest and took out another peanut.
She was getting real sick and tired of them, plus her water was going short even though she had cut it down to ten swallows a day. She was cramping more and more, and the baby wouldn't be able to take much more.
Shane could feel herself becoming dehydrated and if it happened for too much longer, the baby would come too early.
Caressing her belly, she hummed a comforting tune to relax her worried nerves. Andrew and Paul would find her. She had to believe that in order make it through all this.
Shane just hoped they found her soon.
***
Onyx drove to Andrew's office in the morning in a black Impala company car. Walking into the main office, there was a mousy young woman sitting at the front desk.
"Ms. Heart?" the woman asked.
Onyx nodded.
"Mr. Watkins said to please come to his office," she instructed her.
Onyx walked to the office to see Andrew on the phone in heavy discussion about a work related item. She randomly looked around the office, noting the distance between his desk and the cubicle.
"Can I ask you a personal question?" she asked when he ended his phone call.
The look in his eye clearly told her, he knew where this was going to head, yet he nodded.
"Why did you insist she stay in your office? I passed by three offices that were empty and I bet if I further investigate, these offices have never been occupied since you moved out here."
Coolly, he replied, "By that time, my brother was aware she was working for me and wanted exclusivity. I did him a favor.
Onyx raised a brow in curiosity. "He was afraid of other men chasing her around the office, but he wasn't afraid of you taking her?"
"No," he stated as if it were obvious standing in front of Onyx. "You're implying I would try to take her from my brother?"
"I would think Paul would have some wariness when you're around his woman."
It was Andrew's turned to raise a brow in curiosity. "That's about the second compliment you've manage to allow slip, Onyx Heart." With great arrogance, he leaned closer to her with a playful smirk. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you didn't feel so disgusted by my proximity."
The dryness in Onyx's throat increased and for the first time ever, she took a step back to compose herself and stand down. "You must be mistaken," she said and managed to complete a disgusted snort without it sounding too much like a sigh.
He didn't pursue the subject anymore and Onyx managed to look actually perturbed.
Grabbing his pack, he opened his office door and motioned for her to go out.
Onyx could not figure out when her attraction for this overbearing obnoxious man had actually generated, but now that it was there, she definitely wanted to do something about it. Andrew Watkins had a way of growing on your heart like some kind of cancer that one just got use to. Onyx wanted to like what he had to offer despite the fact she tried to stay away from those emotions.
"Let's take mine today," he said when they stood in the parking lot.
She was all for that and let him lead the way. When they arrived at the college, they had to wait for about five minutes while Evan finished teaching a course. When the class was dismissed, they made their way up to the front of the room. Since his next hour was his lunch, no other students would be coming into the room.
Andrew introduced himself and Evan's eyes grew large. "Damn, now I see what she meant by seeing you, but I didn't think you were that big."
"You know who I am?" Andrew asked.
"Yeah," Evan said nonchalantly. "You're Shane's boss, right?"
"Yes, but I'm also her brother-in-law."
Evan stopped his fidgeting and looked rather distressed. "The paper only said she was suppose to get married, not that she was married. I didn't see nothing."
"Shane and my brother married almost six months ago," Andrew said. "It was kept private."
The news hit Evan as if someone had knocked the breath out of him. He gripped the desk. "I didn't know she married him," he said rather breathlessly. "Her aunt told me they were suppose to and.." His voice trailed off. "I didn't know." Evan was deeply troubled.
"So you are aware of her disappearance?" Onyx interjected.
“Of course I’m aware,” Evan said smartly.
“You sure don’t act like it,” Onyx said obviously. “If it were my friend… my best friend - I think I’d be demanding the police do something. And cooperating as much as possible.”
Evan sat in the nearest chair as if he were going to pass out. "Bethany said you'd probably be paying me a visit, but I don't know why? The police already questioned me." He avoided Andrew's hard glare and looked at Onyx. "I hadn't seen her since she went off on some date with his brother. She didn't say anything, but gave me her cell phone number."
"You've tried to call it recently. Is there a reason for that?" Onyx asked.
"Yeah," Evan said rather defensively. "I was worried about her. I hadn't heard anything from her in a long time, and I thought maybe that Paul did something to her. She wouldn’t answer any of my calls.”
Onyx glanced at Andrew, who didn't look as if he could keep his emotions in check much longer.
"You want to know what we did for her?" Andrew growled. "We took care of her since no one else would. We made sure at no time was she out there in the world all alone. We made sure she was safe."
Defensively, Evan sneered, "If she was so safe, where is she now?"
Andrew started for him, but this time it was Onyx turn to intervene.
"Why don't you wait by the door?" she suggested to Andrew.
Reluctantly, he did so.
Onyx faced the young man, when she knew she could take her guard down from Andrew. "Mr. Phillips, during your relation with her, did she ever mention some place she wanted to go, or someplace she wanted to visit if she ever had the chance?"
Evan shrugged bashfully. "All Shane ever did was talk about real estate and talk about how she wanted to preserve her mother's home without her relatives being there. She was going to be the best real estate broker in the state."
There wasn't anything else to say after that. Onyx had her answers and she thanked Evan Phillip for his time without giving him any suspicion as to what she had discovered.
When she walked over to Andrew, he protested, "This little shit knows where she's at!"
"We don't need to bother, Mr. Phillips, anymore," she said with glaring eyes, hoping Andrew got her message.
Andrew saw the look and eased off following Onyx out the classroom and to the emergency stairs hallway where they could speak alone.
"Why the hell didn't we question him about her whereabouts?" he demanded angrily.
"Do you actually think he was going to tell us where to find the body?" Onyx snorted.
"She's not dead!" Andrew said with resolution.
"Damn it Andrew, she is! He just admitted to the fact by referring to her in past tense. He said she was going to be the best real estate broker. You're so damn obsessed with her you're not listening to the obvious."
He shook his head and turned his back to her not wanting to believe what she was saying.
Onyx calmed herself to make her point to him. "She couldn't have survived this long in her condition without food or water even if they hadn't caused bodily injury to her or the baby. It's been almost two weeks." Tired of looking at his back, she grabbed his arm and forced him to turn around to look at her. "Andrew, you're going to have to face the fact that she's dead."
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Furiously, he snatched from her touch and clutched her arms, pressing her back hard against the wall. "There's nothing you can possibly say to me to make me think differently! She's alive!"
Onyx went on instinct as she twisted her arm sharply, forcing him to release her and then in a quick swipe to his ankle along with the force of her body weight, she was able to throw off his balance so he landed hard on his back. This entire motion took four seconds, knocking the wind out of him.
Before he was able to realize she had gotten the upper hand, she straddled his hips and pinned his arms down over his head, leaning over him so that their faces were inches apart.
Andrew started to protest, but she muffled his voice when she pressed her mouth hard against his. His lips parted and her tongue tasted him, making her senses soar.
Chapter 43
Realizing she had just violated her rule of getting involved with a client, she lifted up to look down at him. He appeared confused for a moment and then very confident.
"How do you know?" Onyx whispered her demeanor unusually relaxed.
"I just know Onyx. I know more than ever now, she's alive. I can still feel her."
Onyx tried her best to hide her disappointment, but it was evident in her voice. "So you do love her."
For the first time since meeting Andrew she watched as this gleam appeared in his eyes making the color darker and sultrier, then a beautiful smile appeared showing his perfect white teeth. "Yes, I do."
She dismounted from his hips and stood up holding out a hand to assist him up on his feet. Warily he took it, with a silly smirk on his face that she really wanted to smack off.
It was an awkward moment for her, until he made a sort of GQ stance and chuckled.
"What?!" she snapped irritated.
"You kind of scared me for a moment," he said.
Baffled, Onyx asked, "Why? I wouldn't have killed you."
"Oh I wasn't worried about dying. I thought you were gay."
Onyx shrugged. She'd gotten that a lot from her tough and distant demeanor. "I'm as straight as they come." Shrugging, she said, "It wouldn't have worked anyway between us. I don't like my men with so much arrogance." The playful wink she gave him told him a different story. "Come on, let's go find her."
***
Paul listened to Andrew as his brother retold everything that had happened at the university today. "So you just argued on the staircase."
"Yes, but I convinced her that I still believe Shane's alive."
"And how did you do that? Onyx is a very stubborn woman. You'd have to pretty much go upside her head in order to make her change her mind. Although, I don’t think there’s a man who’s ever laid his hand on that woman.”
Andrew smiled wickedly. "I have my ways, brother."
Paul narrowed his eyes, knowing Andrew was keeping something from him, but he didn't press the subject. "So what happens now?"
"She's going to start paying more attention to this Evan Phillips. He slipped up bad, but we know if we press it, he'll cover his mess up," Andrew surmised. "We want him to think we suspect nothing, so he can slip up again and maybe, just maybe lead us to Shane."
"Her doctor called me today. I asked him if the baby were born now, would it be able to survive. He said with the proper medical treatment, yes." Paul took a deep breath. "I want you to do whatever it takes, as long as it takes."
"I have no intentions of doing otherwise," Andrew promised holding his brother's hand.
***
Shane had begun scratching at the wood with her nails first, but now had resorted using the zipper on the jacket. The indent she had started on was fast becoming a nice size hole. She didn't know how thick this box was or what it was encased in after she got through the wood, but she would find out soon enough.
The chime went off and she stopped her etching to mark the seventeenth day. Her water supply was close to nothing and her peanuts were running out. Yet, she had a feeling her baby would be okay. Shane didn't think about her own health, but if worse came to worse, she would eat the rest of the peanuts allow her body to go into a deep sleep and then hope they found the baby before her body gave out on nourishment.
A cramp hit her side, and she stopped for a moment. She didn't want to strain herself. "We can do this, junior," she said to the baby and then hummed her comforting tune. Suddenly, she stopped realizing that tune was from the night when she and Andrew first made love. Smiling to herself, she continued to hum it and think of pleasant lovemaking experience with him.
When exhaustion hit her, she allowed herself to sleep, but was abruptly awaken by loud voices. Shane knew she had slept quite a while because her body was craving food like crazy.
"DO IT! DO IT NOW, EVAN!"
Shane recognized this voice clearly as Trudy's.
"OH GOD, this isn't happening. How could you do it?!" Evan cried out.
"I had to, Evan. We have to finish what we started. I told you we had to do something to make things right," Trudy persisted.
Shane could hear them very well. They sounded as if they were speaking through a phone that was really far away from them.
"I can't! I can't, dear God! What have we done?! What have we done!"
Trudy screamed in frustration, "If you don't pull the trigger, Evan, I swear to God I'll do it myself!"
Evan just moaned loudly.
A loud bang made Shane jump. Evan's moaning stopped and Shane closed her eyes as if that would stop the fact that she was thinking she was next. Trudy was going come to kill her. Shane's heart felt like it was in her throat and her lungs couldn't breathe in enough air.
'Jesus, please!' Shane prayed repeatedly. ‘Save my baby!’
Another bang came abruptly and then silence. The chime went off again and with shaking hands, she scratched the eighteenth mark in the wood above her. Her eyes were wide, even though she couldn't see a thing, terrified that any moment now she would be shot dead.
Chapter 44
Onyx arrived on the scene knowing she wouldn't be given entrance, but demanding to speak to Sergeant Avery. The officers allowed her to go over to a van where they were gathering evidence from the houses and wait for the sergeant to come to her.
"How long have you been here?" Avery asked, coming around the van with a very grim expression on his face.
"I just got here, but I would have been here sooner if I hadn't been all the way in Livonia. What the hell happened?"
Avery looked very aggrieved as he explained. "Neighbors heard five gun shots last night and called nine-one-one. Patrols came in the area, but they didn't suspect anything and saw nothing out the ordinary. This is Detroit - Murder Capital. People shoot in the air just because, all the time and the street or the house wasn’t on special attention. This morning, the nephew knocks on the neighbor door and says his nanny and buddy are dead." He paused a moment to catch his breath and read off a notepad. "Trudy Meadows too k a pump rifle registered to Evan Phillip and entered the bedroom of her mother and father about ten last night. She put a pillow over her father's face and shot him in the head. Her mother must have awoken from the noise, crawled out of bed and tried to run. She was shot in the back of the thigh, but was still alive and crawled down the hall, where she was shot again in the back of the head. Trudy must have stepped in her mother's blood, because we found some leading out the house and across the street where she put a bullet in Evan Phillips chest and then shot herself under the chin."
Onyx waited for more with a deep frown on her face, but when Avery didn't say anything else after a moment, she said, "What about, Shane? Did you find any evidence of what they might have done with her?"
"Look, we have a homicide-suicide on our hands. We don't have time to be looking for a woman who just doesn’t know how to come home!" Avery snarled.
"What about the boy? What do you plan on doing with him?" she questioned.
Avery shrugged. "Foster home until some next of kin decides to sweep him up. Otherwise, he'll get lost in the system."
"What about if his uncle-in-law wants to take charge of him?" she asked curiously.
With a suspicious frown, he nodded. "Would you like the responsibility of taking him over there?"
"Yeah, but I'll be catching up with you later on. I want first dab at the house after your department finishes with it. How long should that be?"
"Gimme a couple of weeks," he said.
Onyx gritted her teeth and snarled, "Why don't I put my foot up your ass now until waiting?"
"Alright, dammit, Heart. I need at least two days," he grumbled. "I'll make it sooner, if you don't ride my ass."
She wanted sooner, but knew this was the best they could do. Hopefully the police didn't mess over some vital information that could help Onyx find out what they did with Shane. "Fine, give me the boy and I'll take him over there now."
***
Paul was resting quietly now after being calmed down from what Onyx had told him and Donald was sleeping in a guest room that use to be Andrew's old room.
Onyx found Andrew in the first floor white room over at the bar. His hands were shaking as he poured himself a shot of Jack Daniels and gulped it down. He closed his eyes to gain control of himself, before saying, "It doesn't look good for the home team, does it, Onyx?"
"Two days max they'll need in order to gather what they can, but it's pretty much solved, so they shouldn't need anything extra."
He looked at Onyx. "Her motive?"
"Guilt, they believe. Jeremiah turned the evidence in to the police about Trudy's other son, Derrick's death. Plus the information about Bethany’s other child." She stood beside him and watched his face. "They poisoned the child slowly with arsenic on purpose to get the insurance money on him. How sick is that?"
"What makes them think the guilt is over that?" Andrew asked suspiciously.
"Because she left a note to Donald explaining everything. It said something to the point that mommy and daddy were sorry for their sins against his brother. It seemed Bethany Meadows convinced her daughter to do it, with the thought in mind that she would have Donald. Guilt from allowing herself to be corrupted by her own mother, consumed her and she killed the people she hated most."
Drawing The Line (Mistaken Identity Series) Page 34