She took a sip of her coffee and placed the cup down on the countertop. Without uttering a sound she stood and walked over to where I was sitting and threw her arms around me. I just buried my face in her proffered shoulder and lost it. How did I get from the euphoria of being newly engaged to the man of my dreams, the love of my life, to this, the horror of being engaged to a suspect of a murder?
“This is bullshit, Shelle,” I managed to get out between sobs.
“I know it is Grace. I know.”
Michelle stood by my side as Cole walked out dressed casually in a pair of black khaki’s and a black V-necked tee shirt. He nodded to Michelle, who for some crazy reason, unknown to me, could read his telepathic message, and with his hands on my shoulders, bent over and kissed me quickly. He insisted that the interrogation was just a formality, that he would be questioned and released. His lawyer would be present and nothing would happen. He would simply tell them the truth, and they would all see it for what it was, a big mistake, nothing else.
Michelle turned and went back into the kitchen to put on another pot of coffee to brew. I tentatively stood and walked towards the bathroom.
After I showered and dressed in jeans and a knit top I walked out to the kitchen pouring myself a fresh cup. I added my cream and sugar and lifted the cup to my mouth, relying on the cream-colored liquid inside to wake my sleeping brain cells.
I glanced at Michelle, who, nodded quietly and poured another cup before walking into the living room and taking her seat on the plush lounge chair, that commanded a view of the entire large open-air floor plan.
We sat for what seemed to be an eternity without uttering a sound.
I waited on pins and needles ready to spring at a moments notice, feeling super tense and uneasy. I could feel my hair growing. I wanted to run to the police station and stand with Cole, in case he needed me.
I tried to relax. I had to trust him. He was a strong man and not just physically strong. He had an internal strength like no one I’ve ever known. He had survived terrible hardships, successfully making his own way in a hard world. Surely he could handle a couple of New York City detectives.
Then my thoughts came to a complete halt…like slamming my head into a brick wall. Where is the baby? Where is Cole’s son Kyle?
I stood up and walked determinedly to my purse pulling out the cell phone inside, and I called Franklin, my mother’s husband, who, for the past fifteen years or so, I never showed the slightest interest in getting to know. This was his field of expertise and I needed him. For the first time since my father died, I needed him.
I heard the disingenuous tone in his voice when he answered my call.
“Let me make a few phone calls. I’ll see what I can do Grace.” He paused, “Do me a favor, and don’t speak of this to your mother, she has been, um, frazzled since the whole episode with what that half brot…umm, hmm, Jonathan did, and I don’t want her worrying needlessly.”
“I won’t say anything Franklin, you have my word.” The guilt I felt asking for his assistance after shunning him, basically not acknowledging his existence for all these years, bore into me. “I’m sorry Franklin,” I mumbled.
“Sorry…?” he asked questioningly. “What did you say?”
“I said I’m sorry Franklin… I blamed you for my own unhappiness, when all the time I caused my own. I’m sorry, I know that it doesn’t…”
“Enough,” he cut me off. “Grace, you and I will talk but now is not the time.” He paused. “I will see what I can do to take care of this…situation and, after all the dust has settled, then we’ll talk.” He awaited my reply. There was an uncomfortable silence that seemed to go on for a few minutes. When he received no answer from me, he interjected, “Agreed?” His question hung in the air.
“Yes…agreed…” I mumbled.
“I will be in touch.” He hung up, and I stood there feeling odd. I was totally uncomfortable in my own skin, holding my cell phone up to my ear.
I was no closer to a solution than I was before Cole left for the police station, but I was a little more relieved due to the power and influence I now had behind me. Franklin was a retired Judge, who had presided on the Supreme Court for the State of New York. He had friends in high places…very high places.
I paced the apartment, waiting for word. My head was spinning. I was trying to map out what could have happened, and how to prove Cole was not involved in any way. I pulled a pad out of the drawer and started writing. I made a list of everything I remembered, everything Cole said to me since Lauren came to town…He said he had gone to a bar after meeting with Lauren. What bar?
Saturday morning, Lauren surprised me here.
That night Cole told me she came to his office, but he didn’t speak with her.
The next day we were together all day.
Monday Cole went to meet Lauren at the bar in the lobby of the Waldorf.
She told him she’d had a baby…his baby.
She gave him the photographs and a copy of the birth certificate, which he later showed to me.
He left her there. Alive and well, needing to think—he told me—and walked the streets, trying to clear his head.
He then slipped into a bar for two drinks.
What bar, he couldn’t remember…he was distraught
He came home 5:30 the next morning - Tuesday.
He came home to me, looking for comfort, to forget, wanting a safe harbor…and what did I do? I asked him to leave.
He left.
Went to the Asbury and slept in his apartment there.
The next morning when I arrived to apologize for being such a horrible girlfriend…Lauren pretended to walk out of Cole’s private elevator, knowing I was there to witness it.
I left, angry, betrayed. Slept all day. But she was alive and well.
That night, Wednesday, I awoke to find someone had been in my apartment. No one believed me…but I still think someone was here.
Michelle was overly worried and called Cole who came running.
Cole came home, we made up.
We had incredible sex… Okay Grace, not helping here.
Back to thinking…
Friday afternoon, Lauren called Cole, I answered and found out about his son Kyle.
Again, I acted like a total ass and went to bed, closing the door behind me.
Cole slept on the couch?
That night Lauren was murdered.
I was taping the pen on the counter, frantically trying to find the hole that would exonerate Cole…way too much coffee!
Instead of it helping me, writing this list was confusing me more, leaving more questions that needed to be answered. Did Cole sleep on the couch? I did find him there the next morning… the morning he proposed. So the place to start looking is the first place we know she was alive and work our way forward. Hopefully stumbling onto something that would help us. Ok.
“Shelle?”
“Yeah.” I could hear in her voice that she was tired.
I wish there was a place to start….
“Wait!”
Michelle spun around and looked at me. I jotted down my last note.
Is there a video of what Lauren did in the Asbury? Did she meet someone there? What did she do after leaving the Asbury?
There were cameras there, because I looked at them with Cole. That’s how I found out that she faked the whole elevator scene. So…that’s where we look. We need to start our search here. I was tapping the pen on the counter louder and louder.
I stopped tapping and looked up at Michelle, who was busying herself cleaning my kitchen.
“Shelle, stop that and come here.”
Michelle put down the sponge and dried her hands off as she hurried over to where I was sitting at the dining table taking the seat next to me. I slid the notepad with my handwritten list over to her.
“This is the first lead we need to follow,” I told her pointing my finger at the last note I wrote.
She started reading from the
top.
“The police will have the Waldorf covered, and if they are anything like the cops on television, they will work from that point backwards.” I was almost giddy. “So we will start where we know, for a fact, she was alive and work forward from there.” I crossed my arms and smiled. “Well?”
“That’s as good a place as any.” She looked up at me.
“Yeah, that’s why we’re going to start there.”
“Wait, shouldn’t we let the police handle this?” I actually saw doubt in her eyes.
“Are you nuts, I can’t wait, they are going to arrest Cole for this murder, and you know it. He’s the only one with a motive in New York City.” I was clearly talking myself into this investigation. “Michelle, she had his baby,” I confessed.
When I looked at Michelle, I could see she already knew that.
“What the fuck? Am I always the last one to find out?” I was hurt, really hurt.
“It’s not like that Grace. Dean found out today and told me minutes before he came in here this morning.”
“Did you know about this too?” I held up my left hand and showed her the ring on my finger.
“As a matter of fact, I did.” She smiled as she reached for me. I instinctively pulled back; anger and hurt clouding my mind.
“Cole needed your ring size. He also needed me to cover his ass while he went to visit his Aunt in Philadelphia.”
“When exactly did he do that?” I was still hurt and angry.
“Friday night, he came over and told me he had something he had to do. Asked me to cover for him if you woke up. Said he was going to make things right.”
“Cover for him?” My curiosity peaked. “Make things right?” A chill, like no other I’ve ever felt, ran down the length of my spine…did he have anything to do with Lauren’s murder?
I looked into Michelle’s eyes trying to see if she had the same trepidations that I had.
“Grace…I know what you’re thinking, and your wrong. He went to Philadelphia to see his aunt and get that diamond. He needed to get it to the jeweler so it could be popped into the setting.” Her tone was so resounding; I had to trust her instinct here. After all, Cole could never do something like that. He may have disliked Lauren, a lot, but she was still the mother of his son and he doesn’t have a bad bone in his body.
Michelle stood glaring at me, waiting for me to find the common sense I was born with.
I shook my head. “You’re right. What am I thinking? Cole could never do anything like that. I can’t believe I thought that, even for a second. He could never hurt another soul. He’s such a good man.” I felt horribly guilty.
“Which is why you’re going to marry him.”
All thoughts of Cole having anything to do with Lauren’s murder flew out of my head and I looked down at my finger and smiled. “What do you think about it?” I said wriggling my fingers. I really wanted to know what she thought about his proposing. After all she was the one that told me that Cole and I were moving too fast in our relationship.
“I did first think you two were moving too fast, but after seeing how happy he is, how in love with you he is, I changed my mind.” She watched me, waiting for my reaction.
I stood up and yanked her to her feet and hugged her.
“I love you Shelle. I seriously don’t know what I would do without you.” I was so relieved.
“I know you do. How could you help yourself? Besides I’m sure as hell not about to let you find out!” she laughed. The sound of her laughing was music to my ears, and I joined in laughing, feeling a little of the tension subside.
“What do you think?” I splayed my fingers so she could get a good look at it on my finger.
“I think it’s absolutely gorgeous. Gotta say, the man’s got great taste. After all he picked you! I think you’re going to make a wonderful wife! You already got the best friend thing sewn up.” I hugged her again, a little tighter this time.
“I hope so, I hope so,” I repeated a little frightened.
I pulled the notebook back over to me and wrote a few notes next to the various items on the list.
“Time to get back to work.” I said.
“I’ll make you another cup.”
Michelle and I walked into the Asbury, wearing our finest suits, trying to give off an air of total professionalism, when we were anything but.
I strolled up to the receptionist, just as I had that day when I thought my life was over, okay so I’m being a little dramatic, and asked to see James. He came right away, looking a little nervous after my insane outburst the last time I saw him.
“Grace.” He extended his hand to me and turned his head to Michelle, “and?”
“Oh, excuse my manners, or lack thereof…this is my friend Michelle Maloney.”
“Ms. Maloney, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Michelle beamed her brightest smile and said, “The pleasure is mine.”
James cleared his throat. “What can I do for you ladies today?”
“We, well I, was wondering if it would be possible to see security footage from the day I was here…Cole and I already viewed it, but I wanted to see it again.”
He looked at me quizzically, than nodded.
“Follow me, I’ll take you to the security room.” He led and we followed.
James introduced us to Tim, the security guard who mans the monitors for the Asbury. He was the one who had set up the tape for Cole and I to view, right after Lauren put on her little charade. Tim took one look at Michelle, and was more than happy to do the same for us today. After explaining in detail how to move the tape forward and backwards, as well as slow down or speed up, we were set. I have to admit my nerves, at this point, were shot.
I let Michelle do all the technical work and we both sat there staring at the screen, looking for anything that may be of some help to Cole.
We played that tape forward and backward for what seemed like a decade, over and over and in three hours we didn’t see anything that could help us. I was rubbing my tired eyes when Michelle jumped out of her chair.
“What…what did you see?”
“I’m not sure it’s anything…but look in this area.” She pointed to the monitor. “I’m going to rewind a little, but then you have to watch closely.” Her excitement was contagious and I sat up straight in the chair and focused directly on the area she had pointed to.
At first I saw nothing, just people leaving and entering. Then I saw Lauren walk in…ok, we got to this point...lots of people entered and exited. Then Michelle pointed to a man that walked in, nothing unusual there. He was an average guy, medium height, wearing sunglasses and a hoodie. He stood looking in Lauren’s direction the entire time she was there. When she moved towards the elevator bank, to put on her award winning performance, he followed her towards the back, keeping his distance. Forty-eight minutes and seventeen seconds later she left, and when she left, he waited a fifty-three seconds, then followed her. There was something about this man that was familiar, I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
“Go back…go back Shelle, play it again and stop when he stands by the planter,” I commanded as I pointed to the screen.
We watched it again and again; that nagging suspicion getting stronger and stronger…there was something about him.
“Make the camera go in close…No, closer. A little more.”
“Grace…” I could tell she was getting a little tired of me barking orders at her, but I had no other choice but to do whatever I could to help Cole.
“THERE!” I was finding it hard to contain my excitement.
Michelle used the toggle handle and made the camera zoom in closer.
“There, see?” I pointed.
“Shit….”
The camera lens was focused directly on the man’s head. But no matter how close the camera zoomed in, the sunglasses and baseball cap blocked his face. We could barely make out a slight outline of a tattoo visible over the top of his tee shirt. It was bizarre. The image w
asn’t perfectly clear but from what I could make out...it was familiar…very familiar. I asked the security officer to print out a few copies of the man, the tattoo, and his head. After thanking him, we took them and left the Asbury, both of us exhausted.
“Do me a favor, and don’t say anything about this to Dean, at least not until we find something big,” she pleaded.
“I wouldn’t, but why?”
“He hates when I try to play cop and gives me a ton of shit about it,” she said sheepishly.
“I know what you mean. Cole would get angry if he thought we were up to something that could get us…well…you get the point.”
She nodded.
In bed that night, after we had crazy insane sex, I lay awake listening to Cole’s even breaths as I thought about the man with the tattoo. My thoughts were all over the place. I knew there was something, but until it became clear, it was nothing but a thought.
Chapter 20
The next morning I dressed in jeans and a tank top and went to the shop. I had to get out of my apartment and Michelle was working, so I thought I would do the adult thing and check on my business.
I was tired of trying to remember something I wasn’t even positive I knew in the first place, even though I knew I knew. My thoughts were going around in my head at lightning speed with no finish line in sight and it was getting me very frustrated to say the least.
After I greeted everyone, I walked to my office and sat down. I pulled out the envelope full of pictures I had in my briefcase, which I hid from Cole, and strategically lay them out on my desk.
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