"Come on in, Gabe and Olga. We were talking about you. It's only right that you showed up now." Jacob came out of the room.
"I like this. We wanted to frame him for the crimes and then those scientist girls got away before we could get him there and now they've walked in here. It couldn't be more perfect, could it? We can still pull this off," the third man said.
"I don't think so," Gabe addressed his words in the direction of where Jacob's voice came from. "Detective inspector Carlyle has your man in custody and the gentleman is spilling his guts about all his collaborators. It's only a matter of time before the detective inspector has officers on the way to arrest you all. He's going to take you in for these crimes. Count on it."
"You're an idiot. They'll never take me. I'm going to tell them that you planned it with Marcus and David."
"How the hell you gonna do that, mate?" the man Gabe presumed was David said. "We're right here. If we go down, we're taking you with us."
"I think not," Jacob said before two shots rang out.
Olga screamed and threw Gabe to the floor. He landed on his back with an oof. Olga lay on top of him. He rolled over and covered her with his body to protect her.
"What's happening?" Gabe whispered in Olga's ear.
"He shot both of them. Oh, God, he's killed them both." Olga cried, hysterical.
One of the men moaned, then the other one said, "What the hell?"
"I"m going to blow your damn heads off," Jacob yelled.
Gabe flattened himself tighter against Olga. "I love you, Olga. I want you to know that with my dying breath. I wish we could be--"
Before he could finish his sentence, another voice called out, "Raise your hands. Drop the weapon."
"No. You won't take me alive." Jacob's voice got louder.
"Drop it."
"I said no. I'm going to kill these men. They're murderers and I caught them," Jacob yelled.
Marcus yelled, "No. No. He was the one. Don't let him shoot me again."
"Shut the hell up." Jacob's last words came at the same time as several shots from what Gabe could tell were a couple of different firearms.
In a moment, when his ears stopped ringing, he heard Olga say right in his ear, "Thank God the detective inspector's men were right behind us. We could all be dead if not."
"What happened?"
"They came in with guns right as Jacob took aim to shoot Marcus again." Olga laughed with relief in her voice. "I didn't think your police carried guns over here."
"Some of them do. They have to these days with all the bad guys having them." Gabe hugged her lightly. "As much as I like you on top of me, can we get up now?"
"Yeah. I think we should since I see some guys coming in with stretchers and we need to get out of the way so they can take out the wounded." Olga rolled off him, stood and then held her hand out to assist him to his feet.
"Hang on a minute," the detective inspector said, "I want to talk to you. Come stand over here so the med techs can get to these clowns."
The two men, Marcus and David, wailed and moaned in the background while they were loaded on stretchers. Gabe was disappointed that Jacob was dead because he wanted to know the whole story about what exactly went on.
"What's the deal? Did the guy at the police station confess after Olga identified him? Who was he?" Gabe faced the direction of Carlyle's voice.
"He was some guy named Simon Seeger--"
"Wait, what?" Olga gasped.
"You know him, Miss Quinn?"
"I do. He's the brother of one of Marisol's friends. I met him after she was killed when they were out buying flowers for her funeral. I kind of got a vibe that he was a bit in love with her himself, he was so broken up over her death. Why would he kill her?"
"It seems it started out as a plan to get some publicity for the club. In Jacob's mind, he wanted to attract more people to come out to see Gabe spin records, so he and Simon concocted a plan to kidnap Marisol from her hen party and say it was some gang called the Wolfmen of London. Simon would rescue her and then she'd realize he was the one she should marry and not the groom."
"That's barmy. The club was already packed most nights," Gabe said.
"It seems our man Rhys was too greedy."
"So what happened? How did Marisol go from being kidnapped to killed?" Olga asked.
"The two goons Simon found and hired got a little too carried away when she resisted them. Then, in a misguided effort to try to make it up to Jacob and Simon, they grabbed two more girls and killed them, too. According to Simon's confession, the idiots thought that would help in some way." Carlyle sounded incredulous.
"But why did they grab Gina and, later, me?"
"By then, Rhys and Simon were into damage control. They told Marcus and David to grab you. They got Gina instead -- they are idiots, you know -- and then Simon went with them to get you. The grand plan was to lure Gabe to where they held you and arrange it to look like he, in a state of despondency over his own blindness and injury, had hired someone to kill those girls to get attention for himself and, when it didn't work, he killed himself and his girlfriend in a fire. Since he'd lost his sight that way, he'd commit suicide that way, too."
"That's crazy. No one would've ever believed that crap," Olga said.
"I would hope not, baby, but you know, people sometimes believe whatever is told to them, especially by the media. The story could've been spun in a way that was palatable." Gabe shuddered to think how he might have been portrayed in the papers. "Thank God that you were able to get away and Martin and I could get to you." He kissed Olga's hair.
"As you probably know by now, I need you two to come back to the station to give yet another statement," The detective inspector said. "We're soon going to have to get you a room there if you don't stop being witnesses to crimes."
"As long as the room isn't a jail cell." Gabe laughed.
"We offer only the best accommodations."
"That's okay. I think I'll stay at my flat instead."
"Suit yourself, but you're missing out on some great meals." The detective inspector shrugged.
*****
Gabe and Olga gave another statement at the police station and learned that both Marcus and David, as well as Simon, would survive to be tried for their crimes. Carlyle also informed them that the investigation of Gabe's father found that he had nothing to do with the kidnapping of Olga and Gina. Both of them were pleased to learn that since, even though Gabe and his father had never gotten along, Gabe really didn't relish the thought of his father being a criminal.
Olga and Gabe returned to his flat.
They went inside and upstairs. Gabe led her into his dance studio. He walked over and selected music from the MP3 player in the stereo system.
She smiled when she heard the words to the song. "Did you find that one for me?"
"You know it, baby. It's perfect, isn't it?"
"Except for the fact that the Quinn in that song is a man."
"Well, yeah, that is a complication, but the part about when Quinn gets here, everyone's gonna jump for joy, fits for sure." He smiled at her and her heart melted with tenderness at the look on his face.
She stepped over to him and placed a hand on his cheek. "You're amazing. I can't believe how much I've come to care for you in the short time I've known you."
He turned his head and kissed the inside of her palm.
"What are we doing here, Gabe?"
"What do you mean? I thought I'd teach you another dance." He held his arms out to her and she stepped into the circle. He swayed back and forth with her for a few moments.
She leaned in to him and knew she was where she belonged. This felt right. It was the future. The move to England was going to be a success. She was sure Gabe felt the same way.
He moved away from her slightly. "I have something to tell you that I never got to discuss with you since you got abducted."
"What's that?"
"I'm going to work as a ballet master. I went to
my old studio and proved that I have something to offer the students and got hired."
"Oh, Gabe, that's so wonderful. I admire that you did that. That you stuck your neck out there and took the chance at a no and went back to your first love." Olga kissed him on the neck and hugged him.
"I know. It was nerve wracking but I had to try. I'm still going to do the afternoon radio show since the money is so good, but I'm excited to return to the world of dance and the smell of rosin. You don't know how I've missed that scent as well as the aroma of pancake makeup."
"Ahh, a man who likes to wear makeup. Hmm. I don't know about that." She laughed.
"You know you love it." He smacked her rear.
"I love you, and whatever makes you happy, makes me happy."
"Then come on and learn a tango. That would make me ecstatic." He held his arms out in what she recognized as a tango hold.
"I'll give it my best shot." She took his hand in hers.
Gabe showed her a couple of steps and she tried to follow him. After a few minutes, he put his hands on his hips and, in what she could tell was mock horror, said, "My goodness, Olga Quinn, this is a simple dance move. It's not rocket science, you know."
She threw her head back and laughed long and hard. Finally, she said, "Good God, Gabe Swicord, if it was rocket science, I could do it with no problem."
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. After a long while, he came up for air. "I'm not giving up. I have a lifetime to teach my favorite pupil how to dance."
She nodded. "Here's to a lifetime of love and happiness." She winked, "and dance lessons."
The End
About Jillian Chantal
Jillian Chantal lives on the gulf coast of Florida where she practices law and spends a lot of her free time traveling for inspiration for her stories. She enjoys hearing from readers and can be reached at www.JillianChantal.com
Table of Contents
Title page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
About Jillian Chantal
Moon Dance Page 18