by Lucy Kelly
She didn’t get home until nearly ten-thirty. She had helped log in almost every piece of evidence. She’d gotten finger cramps from having to type up a fistful of reports but there was a certain satisfaction in that. The highlight of the evening was when she got a chance to participate in an interview with the Kadyrovs. She took great pleasure in letting them know that Olga Kadyrov, aka Sheila Carson, was no longer with the State’s Attorney’s Office and was currently in her own cell awaiting interrogation on her own charges.
Their lawyer argued that they didn’t have enough Probable Cause to support the warrants they’d issued. After all, he said, the only open investigation was the battery against Mrs. Levin.
Grace then reminded him of the charge of ordering a murder, which was back on the table. She then played them the tape of Anton ordering Ron to kill Jett. She went on and played the tape of Mr. Kadyrov running the month-end meeting.
Smiling at Anton, she said, “Everyone at that meeting is now under arrest, as well as many other individuals in your organization. I’m sure when we review your Grandfather’s excellently kept records and files; they will give us what we need to issue additional warrants.”
He attempted to lunge across the table at her, but the officer behind him prevented the action by slamming him back in the chair.
Grace got up and left the room. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Captain. I needed to ‘face the devil,’ as it were.”
“You earned it, Grace. It’s late tonight, but tomorrow after end of shift, we’re having a get-together at O’Hurley’s Pub,” answered Captain Udaka.
“I’ll be there. I hope it’s okay if I bring the guys.”
“Of course, they’re welcome. Jett especially earned a whiskey on my tab,” said the Captain. “Now, go home; that’s an order.”
“Yes, Sir!” she said with a salute and a smile.
Chapter Seventeen
The rest of the week followed the same pattern as Monday. More charges were filed and more arrests were made. Grace put in long hours. She personally interviewed most of the women who had arrived Monday night. Most of them were alone and without families; they had been smuggled in from Chechnya. Jalen was acting as her main interpreter during those interviews and she got the impression that he asked them a number of questions that she hadn’t asked.
“Jalen, I get the feeling you asked those girls more than I asked you to,” said Grace.
“I am worried about them returning to their own country. They are children and don’t have families to care for them. They would be welcome on HeVan, Grace, and well cared for,” he replied.
“You explained that I’m Nephilim, Jalen. Those girls are not. I don’t think they’d be happy with more than one husband,” she said.
“We have a race of people on HeVan, Grace, who are ancient. They are not originally from our planet. Their own planet was destroyed when their sun went Super Nova. They wandered the Galaxy for thousands of years, looking for a new home. They were welcomed on HeVan, as they also have a matriarchal society.
“They don’t own land, as that is against their custom and always has been. They are called the Zingara and have always been a nomadic tribe. In the last ten thousand years, their numbers have also fallen, though not as severely as ours. They have two men to every woman and still have only one female and one male in a marriage. It is their way.
“Do you remember Gilda?” at her nod, he continued. “She has decided to move herself to HeVan and start a new life there. It turns out her lineage is gone from HeVan. Her Granddaughter and Grand-Niece are the hope of that lineage being re-established. She has inherited lands touching upon your sister’s.
“Currently, that land is watched over by a large tribe of Zingara. Their Queen is well respected by Arjun, but the current Princess Regent would like to take their women and eject the men from HeVan. In essence, we have been hiding them. Since Addie has already promised to see to their welfare, I thought, if any of these young ladies were interested, they could go to the Zingara,” Jalen said.
“And what if they were so freaked out about being taken on a spaceship that they wished to come home? Isn’t your ship currently full of horny men?” Grace asked.
“They would not be touched unless they expressly wished it. Before they even arrived, all the men on the ship would be taught their language; they would be safe. You have grown up with safety; they have not. I feel I must give them this option.”
“I’ll find out how much time it’s going to take to get them processed and sent home. You gave them your phone number? It’s possible that when they return home, they will be harassed and interrogated, as it’s a Muslim country; it depends on the laws there. Also, they don’t have any money. You can’t take them from this country because it would bring too much attention to them. What were you planning to do?” she asked.
“We have the ability to tell when we are being lied to, as you know. When I spoke to the girls, I could tell which ones were genuinely interested in making a better life and those who felt they could manipulate me. Luckily, there were only two that I would not trust,” he said.
“I think I know which two you’re speaking of. They were the only ones that checked you out. The others were still too traumatized. When Anton had whatever confederate he uses at the other end to kidnap these girls, it looks like he got a couple of pros.”
“Pros?”
“Long term Prostitutes. Women who’ve probably been in the business so long they’ve become hardened to it. They most likely started being sold to men when they were children or young girls. They’re completely desensitized and I don’t think they’re capable of having a normal relationship with a man, at least not without a great deal of therapy and healing. It may be that those two women need HeVan the most. My only worry is that they might cause a lot of trouble before they were healed. For them, sex is no longer about the exchange of pleasure, it’s about power. It’s about controlling men through their urges. And you have a world full of men just waiting to be led into trouble,” she added.
“I will give each woman a few gems...” he stopped when he saw her shaking her head.
“First, they’ll be searched. Second, the strong will prey on the weak and some of them might even be hurt. You can’t save everyone, Jalen.”
She hated to see that defeated look on his face and racked her brain for a solution. “I have an idea,” continued Grace. “Becky has contacts within the CIA. We’ll get her to arrange a safe house for them. You can fund the safe house. If they remain interested in leaving everything familiar to go to an unknown country, you can make arrangements to move them, okay?” asked Grace.
“Brilliant! Would you call Becky for me and explain what we need?”
“Yes, I’ll do that after I find out when they’re supposed to be deported. I didn’t mention it before but there is a very slim—and I do mean a very slim—possibility that they’ll be given asylum here in this country. Don’t get your hopes up on that one. And if they are, then it would be very difficult to recruit them, as they’d be watched very closely.
“And another thing, have any of you had a serious conversation with Addie about what it will mean to bring several thousand new women to HeVan from Earth? It will have a profound effect on your culture. You can use the United States as an example. This Country is made up primarily of people that came from other countries and settled here. Most brought their cultures and religions with them. Are you prepared to have that happen on HeVan?
“I would expect that there will be factions that believe having your Queen back will be enough to restore your world without the added complication emigrants bring.”
Thinking over all she had said as well as remembering the personalities of many of those in power back home, Jalen realized she had made several valid points. He would have to bring this up with Arjun during their next phone call.
That Sunday, while they were having a late breakfast, Grace was explaining what brunch was when an offhand comm
ent brought her to a halt.
“What did you say?” she asked.
“I said I look forward to fixing you the traditional foods of HeVan when we go home,” said Justyn.
“I never said I agreed to move to HeVan. My career is really taking off now. Why would you assume that just because Addie is planning to leave, that I would, too?”
“Would you want to be so far away from your only family?” asked Jett.
“I don’t see Addie for months at a time now. We’re adults; it’s only natural that our paths might separate. I can still visit, can’t I, or she can visit me?” she asked.
“Females on HeVan are no longer allowed to leave the planet, especially the Royal Family. Once on the planet surface, you would not be allowed to leave again. And Addie would not be allowed to come here. We suffered much from the loss of our Queen and we are not willing to take such a risk again,” said Jalen.
“All I’ve ever dreamed of from when I was a little girl was to be a cop, to be the first female Superintendent of Police for the City of Chicago. Now, because of Addie’s birthmark obsession, I have to give all that up, leave everything behind to go somewhere else and start over?” she asked, getting angry.
“I can’t discuss this right now. I need some time alone. I’m going out for a run.” She got up and left the room; they heard the front door open and slam closed.
Justyn got up and went to the sliding door to the small balcony that overlooked the front of the building.
Grace was really steamed as she ran down the stairs; she was too angry to wait for the elevator. She was desperately trying not to cry, trying to keep her anger hot to avoid tears. She stalked out of the building and had only gone a few steps when she heard a voice call her name.
“Grace! Hey, Stilts. Slow down; I can’t keep up.”
Grace stopped and turned around; there, rushing up the sidewalk, was Margie from the club.
“Grace, wow,” she said, as her breath huffed in and out. “I’ve been keeping up in the papers about everything that’s been going on. I’ve got some money, so I’m okay. However, a lot of the employees from the casino are out of work. Anyway, I didn’t know where you lived, but I heard Jalen lived over this way so I wanted to see if I could find you. Still friends?” asked Margie.
“Absolutely, Margie, I’m glad to have a friend. I’m angry at Jalen and his brothers right now, so I need a distraction,” said Grace.
“Great, my car is back here. My uncle has a sailboat at the marina; how about a sail on the lake?”
“Perfect, let’s go. They won’t be able to chase me down out there,” she said.
They turned and headed back towards the building. Justyn was watching from up above when he saw that Grace had met a friend. He was about to go back inside when they turned around. It took him a minute to realize who he was seeing. He rushed inside and yelled out that Grace was in danger as he headed for the door.
He could hear Jalen and Jett coming down behind him as he practically jumped down each flight of stairs. As he ran through the front doors, he saw the car pass by, heading north. He immediately took off after it. Jalen, seeing him take off, ran down another flight and out into the garage, Jett right behind him. Jalen and Jett didn’t know what was wrong, but they picked up on Justyn’s worry right away.
Justyn kept running down the street. He could see the car in the distance; it was turning right off of Lake Shore Drive. He heard a beep behind him and saw Jalen pull up next to him. He jumped in and pointed to where the car had turned.
“They are headed into the park; don’t lose sight of them,” said Justyn.
“What did you see? Where is the danger?” asked Jett.
“The woman Grace went with, she is the woman in the tapes with Anton Kadyrov. His lover, though after the things he did, I don’t see how you can call him a lover. He treated her like an animal, had her crawling on the floor. He beat her, and she allowed it,” he whispered.
“You think that if she were that obedient to Anton, she would strike out at Grace?” asked Jalen.
“Yes, I think she plans on hurting Grace,” said Justyn.
They continued to follow the car they could see in the distance. She appeared to be turning in to the marina parking lot.
In the car, Grace continued to fume. She didn’t pay attention to where they were going and at the moment, she didn’t really care. A part of her was crying, too.
She loved them. Her sister and Grandmother were leaving in a few months and she loved them, too. Did she really love her job so much that she’d separate herself from them? Was it fair for them to assume she would leave? I’m so confused, she thought.
Margie turned into the parking lot of the Belmont Harbor; she was surprised that it had been so easy to get Grace to come along. She pulled into a parking space and then got out of the car.
Grace saw Margie get out and got out of the car herself. She didn’t really feel like a fun day on the lake. She wanted to go for a long walk alone. She turned to tell Margie that, but Margie had walked ahead towards the boats.
“Betty Boop, I hate to pull out on you like this. But I really need some alone time. Can we go sailing another day?” she asked as she strode towards her friend. She was shocked when Margie turned around with a gun in her hand. The expression on her face had drastically altered.
“You ruined everything! He was mine and you took him away from me!” shouted Margie.
Neither of the women noticed the white Escalade pulling into the lot behind them.
“Justyn, that woman’s name is Margie. Grace has introduced both of us to her. She knows us; she doesn’t know you. You may be able to get close enough to disarm her,” said Jalen.
Justyn got out of the car and ran, stooped over, until he was at the end of the lot. Then he began walking up the sidewalk towards the entrance to the piers. From this angle, he couldn’t see the gun, so hopefully the woman wouldn’t get nervous and shoot Grace.
Grace looked at the gun; it was a simple revolver, so no safety. The way it was pointed at her, she knew she couldn’t get it away from Margie right now. She stepped a little closer.
“Are you talking about Jalen? You only met him one time; how could I steal him from you?” asked Grace.
“He was mine; he trained me to be perfect. And I was. I did everything he asked. And then all he could talk about was you. How he wanted to train you. I was going to let you live after I saw that you had Jalen and didn’t want my Anton. But then I found out it was all a fake. You aren’t really Grace Kelsey, so you aren’t getting married to Jalen. You took Anton from me!” she cried.
“Margie, I’m already married to Jalen. See, I’m still wearing the ring,” she said. Am I glad I never took this off! “We really are married; he’s a police officer, too. We often work together. Anton is a monster. We suspect he’s killed many women. I can help you, Margie; you don’t want to do this,” she said.
“I’m all alone now. I’ll never get him back. It’s your fault, Grace; you took him away.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Grace could see Justyn walking up the sidewalk. She realized that Margie had never met Justyn. If his size didn’t give him away and he could get that look off his face, this could be the distraction she needed.
“Margie, we’re in a public place. You’re a good person and I know you don’t really want to hurt me. You’re in pain, and you’re lashing out. I can understand that. Can’t you see that this isn’t the answer? Right now you’re the victim. If you shoot me, you’ll be the criminal. They’ll lock you up. You won’t be able to visit Anton in jail because you’ll be in jail yourself,” said Grace.
“I did visit him. He wants you dead, Grace. That’s all he asked of me. He knows how much I love him, that I’d do anything for him, and he wants you dead. Don’t you see? I have to kill you for him. No more stalling. Start walking out onto the pier,” said Margie.
Grace deliberately walked to the left so when Margie turned to follow, her back would be to Ju
styn. For a large man, he was moving very quietly. She’d just passed the gate when she heard him shout. She dove off the pier into the water as she heard a gunshot. Coming up a minute later, Jett and Jalen were both there to grasp her hands and pull her out. They pulled her straight up and into their arms. Jett bent down and gave her a kiss. She could taste his desperation and she kissed him back with just as much fervor.
He lowered her to the ground; Jalen still had his hands on her waist. As Jett stepped to the side, she could see Justyn holding Margie securely in his arms.
“Are you hurt, Grace?” asked Jalen.
“No, I’m fine, just very wet,” said Grace with a grimace. “Did you call the police?”
“Yes, they should be on their way,” said Jett.
“He destroyed her, didn’t he?” Grace asked with tears in her voice.
“Yes, I think he did,” said Jalen. “This is what you meant when we spoke of the ladies that had been smuggled into the country. You think they’re like Margie?”
“Not to her extent; but yes, they're damaged. Do you have therapists on HeVan that could even understand all that they’ve been through? That could really help them? I don’t know; I’m not a doctor or a therapist. Perhaps being in a new place where no one has any pre-conceived ideas about them would be enough to set them on the right path. Not every woman on HeVan is a perfect being, right? You’ve got some real bitches there?” she asked.
“Yes, and we have criminals, too. Though we are too few to have the level of crime you have here on Earth,” said Jalen.
They could hear sirens in the distance and Margie weeping in Justyn’s arms. Suddenly Grace was tired.
“When all the statements are taken and the reports are filed, I want to drive out and see Addie. We can spend the night at her house. I’m not due in the office until Monday morning.”
“Alright, we’ll go as soon as we can,” said Jalen.
Grace saw that Margie was still looking at her with hatred and anger, even as the tears coursed down her cheeks.