A Trail of Breadcrumbs

by D E Dennis

  “Yes. Definitely.” Samira was still dressed in her gown, although now she had a CRPD jacket to go along with it.

  “Goodness,” he grumbled. “And I thought the scariest thing I would see tonight would be the suspected serial killer emerging from the woods.”

  Samira didn’t give him the laugh he was expecting. She looked at him seriously. “Michael, you never should have gone into those woods alone.”

  “She’s my little sister,” he said, not a trace of remorse in his voice. “I did what I had to do.”

  She studied him, and must have seen something in his face, because she dropped it. “We finished processing Hazel and Gregory Antarr. You left us quite a mess to clean up after you rode off to the hospital. Spencer and I picked up Hazel while officers followed the markers he left to Greg. He was squealing and whining when they brought him out, but his father only gave him a flesh wound. We patched him up, took the gun into evidence, and sent him to the nearest holding cell.”

  “The gun was Harper’s,” Michael said. “Kaiden wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t know where it went. Harper sneaked it out and then drove off with it the night she went to confront the twins. They got it off her, killed her, and then kept it.”

  She nodded. “Then we’ll have no trouble matching the gun to the one that killed her. They’re going away for this, Michael. For killing Harper Rowe, kidnapping and attempting to kill Monica, not to mention what Hazel did to you. They sealed their fate.”

  “The Siren Woods Killers will finally receive the justice they deserve,” he said softly.

  “They would have received it a long time ago if Liam Antarr had told the truth. Harper Rowe and Rowan Presley would still be alive if he had.”

  Michael inclined his head. “He thought it was enough to tail them, let them know he was always watching, but sadly they were clever. One twin lures him away, while the other stays behind. Monica said the twins were hoping Antarr would follow Hazel tonight, get caught and the police and I would get so caught up chasing after the runaway killer, we wouldn’t notice Monica’s disappearance. They have been praying Antarr would go down for the murders so the case would finally be put to bed.”

  She tsked. “The woman was smart. I’m just glad it didn’t work.”

  “No, but it worked the other times. Antarr had no idea his children killed Harper or Rowan. Liam watched the front of the house on the night Harper was killed, but she must have come in from the back because he didn’t see her.”

  “She must have,” Samira agreed. “She had a shotgun with her; she wouldn’t have wanted the neighbors to see her with it.” She looked up at him. “But what about Presley? Why did he just disappear that night?”

  “It’s like you said before. He wasn’t under house arrest, so when the officer stopped checking on him, he slipped out to resume his vigil. The next morning, he discovers Rowan Presley is dead and knows he will be the main suspect. He’s been hiding in the woods all this time, right behind Hazel’s house, and if he hadn’t have been there tonight...”

  She reached out, squeezing his shoulder. “All that matters is she is okay and we finally have the right guys. Kaiden Rowe and Angela Engelbert are going to get closure. The Miltons and the Wests will know what truly happened to their children, and Ximena Cordova will be cleared. Well, on the murder charges anyway.”

  He looked at her questioning.

  “We stopped playing nice,” Mira clarified. “Told her we were charging her with murder and sending her down to prison first thing in the morning and she cracked. The super-secret alibi was none other than Officer Johnson. The night Harper was killed, Ximena seduced him, and convinced him to remove the transcripts from the old files revealing her true parentage, and the stupid fool did it.”

  He shook his head. “That’s why you guys didn’t have a clue about her being his daughter, and why it didn’t add up that Ximena would stop at wiping the computers, because all along she didn’t. She flipped Harper’s source and destroyed her proof. She’d have nothing and no one to back her up if she did tell.”

  “That was her plan,” Mira replied, sighing. “Johnson’s been fired and Ximena is looking at charges for evidence tampering, but it’s better than murder.”

  “I just feel bad Rowan got caught up in all this,” Michael said. “The poor woman already lost so much.”

  “Well...”

  “What?”

  She made a face. “You remember that day. Presley tore off, ready to confront her daughter’s killer. Well, she didn’t change her mind. She went home and read the letter Harper sent her. On the drive was a photo of Andrea with the doll and in the envelope was a letter explaining what Harper saw in the twins’ house and what she expected. She hadn’t seen that doll in twenty years, and she wanted Rowan to confirm it was the same one. Harper never heard back from her so—”

  “So she calls her assistant demanding to know if he sent it, and then finally decides to confront them herself. Completely bypassing the police that had let her down once before. She was going to do what she always did, reveal the truth.”

  “Pretty much,” Samira echoed. “Harper probably only brought the gun to scare them, but Rowan had darker intentions. She lured the twins to her place that day and tried to poison them. Greg spotted her slipping something in their tea and they turned the tables on her, switched the cups while she wasn’t looking, and then stuck her in the oven.”

  He blinked. “How do you know all that? Did forensics come back?”

  She shook her head. “Your girlfriend shared all that with us on the way to the station. Thought it was funny too. Rowan revealed the note and the drive to them. They destroyed both.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend,” he said automatically. “She never was.”

  Samira lifted a brow. “Really? That’s not what it looked like to me or anyone else. Homicidal maniac though she was, you were dating her. You brought her to the ball tonight.” Mira stepped away, eyes bright. “And that’s okay, because I finally have your answer.”

  “Mira—”

  “You and I are done. You’ve moved on.”

  “Mira, listen—”

  “I waited eight years for you, but if you can’t be honest with me, after everything we’ve been th-through.” A stray tear traveled down her quivering cheeks. “Then I clearly romanticized what we had.”

  “You didn’t—”

  She slashed her hands through the air. “I gave you too many chances, Grimm, and now—”

  Samira’s speech was cut off with a yelp as Michael grabbed her wrist, pulled her forward, and planted a searing kiss on her, swallowing her cry of surprise.

  For a blissful moment, she kissed back, and everything was alright with the world.

  A whack to the side of his head sent him flying back. “Ouch!”

  He rubbed his head while Samira stared him down, hands on hips, glare fierce enough to set him on fire.

  “What is the matter with you?!” she yelled. “You can’t just— Just— Do that!”

  He laughed, dropping his hand. “But I just did. I’m also going to tell you I love you, so try to stop that.”

  “Grimm—”

  “I love you, Mira.”

  “Argh!” Her groan of frustration sent a passing patient scurrying away. “You’re insufferable. I can’t stand you! You’re the— I can’t even—”

  Words failed her and she lashed out, grabbed his collar, dragged him down, and pulled him in for a toe-curling kiss that left them both breathless.

  They broke apart, foreheads resting against each other, and Michael pulled her close.

  “I love you, Samira.”

  She dropped her head, burrowing into his neck. “You’re an idiot.”

  He choked.

  “But I love you too,” she continued, smiling up at him.

  Laughing, Michael said, “If you want the truth, I’ll tell you. Anything. Everything.”

  “I do,” she replied, smile slipping. “We should have that talk
now, Mikey, before this goes any further.”

  He nodded. “We should go somewhere private then. My parents went off to get Monica pillows and something to eat, but they should be back any minute.”

  “Okay, let’s go for a walk.”

  Hand in hand, they slipped out of the hospital and into the night. Michael spoke the moment the cool, fresh air touched his skin.

  “Mom was sick,” he began, “and Monica’s tuition was demanding to be paid. I moved out here to help take care of them, support them until Mom got back on her feet. I took up police training here, while working three jobs.” He sighed. “But you knew that part already. What you don’t know is that it still wasn’t enough.

  “Mom’s medical bills were racking up and insurance wouldn’t cover it. Her savings were completely wiped out, and I was struggling to keep my head above water, but I never told you how bad it was. I drew on a separate account, while leaving our joint account untouched. I let you go on thinking things were getting better. I helped you organize our wedding, and put down deposits and planned our future.”

  He took a deep breath. “Then the financial aid office called Mom. They said Monica’s housing payment was late and if they didn’t receive it in the next few days, she would lose her dorm. Mom broke down. She knew she couldn’t pay it, and to go to my father felt like admitting she was a failure as a mother.”

  Michael’s grasp tightened. “But still she was going to do it. She was going to ask my father for help and... I couldn’t let her do that. I was still so filled with anger back then, the thought of my mother having to humble herself in front of the man who abandoned us was too much. So I... finally gave in.”

  “To what?” Samira whispered.

  Michael stopped under a light. Turning to face her, he took both her hands. “Do you remember Freddie?”

  “Ugh, I hated that guy. I was so glad when he washed out of training.”

  He nodded. “Well before he did that, he told me about a game.”

  “What kind of game?”

  The words didn’t want to come, but Michael forced them out. “I read people.”

  She blinked at him. “What does that have to do—”

  “Please, let me get this out.”

  “Okay,” she said softly.

  “I read people,” he repeated. “I’ve always been good at figuring people out, seeing the things they didn’t want me to see. So when Freddie told me about the underground poker game behind the King’s Horses.”

  Her eyes went wide.

  “I thought it would be a chance to make some money fast,” he pushed on. “In poker, you’re not playing the cards, you’re playing the other players, and I played them well.”

  He laughed mirthlessly. “I was cleaning up, Mira. I made enough for Monica’s housing in one night and after that I saw no reason to stop. For weeks, I lied to you, snuck around, gambled, but I told myself I had to for my family. For you. To give you a future with the man you deserved, not a loser caught under a mountain of debt. Once I made enough, I would get out, but only when I made enough.”

  He swallowed thickly as he gripped her hands. “It was just after Mom’s surgery. We had spent everything we had to cover it. The money in our joint account and my secret account was gone. That was right before—”

  “I was going to buy my wedding dress,” she breathed, face stricken.

  “Yes.” He shook with shame. “You found the perfect dress. I remember you gushed about it for days, saying I would fall in love with you all over again when I saw you in it.”

  His lips curled into a slight smile for a moment, but only for a moment. “Your mother loaned you the money to buy it, but then I heard there was going to be another game. A big game. Word had gotten around, all the way across to the other side. People from Fairy Tails were interested in playing and if I could win even half of what they carried in their wallets, I could have bought you a thousand dresses.

  “Or at least that’s what I told myself when I emptied our account, took everything your mother gave you, and dropped it on that table.”

  “Oh, Michael.” Eyes swimming with tears, she dropped his hands.

  “I was winning,” he continued, arms falling dejectedly to his side. “It was going perfectly until the cops came in.

  She blinked at him. “Cops?”

  “Chief Jackson heard whispers about the poker game, but didn’t know where it was held. That night she got a tip and came storming in, finding one of her trainees at the table. She was livid. After she got everyone else out, she shouted herself hoarse. I didn’t know what else to do but tell her the truth.

  “She was pissed but a part of her took pity on me, so she made me a deal. She wouldn’t haul me down to the station in cuffs if I agreed to drop out of training and give up the idea of ever being a police officer. She said I sullied my badge before I even got the chance to wear one. If I did what she asked, no one would know what I did. The only problem was the money.

  “It was all confiscated in the sting and no matter how much I begged and pleaded, Jackson would not give it back. I had to go home to you and tell you—”

  “You told me your mom was on a new course of experimental drugs and you had to use my dress money to pay for it.” She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks.

  “I did,” he said, squeezing his eyes shut. “You were amazing about it. You told me you understood and that you would just find another, cheaper dress. You said that but that night, I woke up in the middle of the night and heard you. In the living room, you were sitting in the dark, crying your eyes out.

  “You didn’t know I was there, but I stood and watched and it finally hit me what I had done. When I proposed to you, I got down on one knee and promised I would spend the rest of my life making you happy, but instead I lied to you and deceived you. I was the man causing your tears instead of the man wiping them away.

  “Our lives together hadn’t even started and I had already let you down.” He released a shuddering breath. “So, I ended our relationship and I never told you why because I didn’t want to make you do what you’re doing now... cry.”

  She clapped her hand over her mouth, choking back a sob. “Michael, I...” She shook her head wildly, backing away from him. “I have t-to go.”

  “What? Wait, Mira. No.” He reached for her but she shot away, arms up. “Please,” he said brokenly. “Let’s talk about this.”

  “Now you want to talk!” She roughly wiped her cheeks, taking a breath. “Look, I just need some time to think. Okay?”

  “Yes, but—”

  She left before he could get another word out, racing across the street, her beautiful red dress not slowing her down as the woman he loved ran away from him.

  “MICHAEL? MICHAEL, ARE you listening?”

  He blinked. “Huh? What?”

  Monica frowned at him as she climbed out of the hospital bed. “I said we’re leaving, Michael. The doctors say I’m free to go.”

  Ella leaped on her the moment she was up. “I’m happy you’re okay.”

  It was the five of them now. Samira left over an hour before and Spencer left soon after. Only their parents remained, and Ella who had taken a taxi to the hospital the moment the ball ended.

  “I am just fine,” Monica said, dropping a kiss on her head. “Don’t have to worry about me, my big brother is always watching my back.”

  “And so is your father,” Glenmore said firmly.

  “And your mother too.”

  Their parents descended on them, joining in on the hug, and Michael watched with a smile on his face. That was until four heads swiveled to look at him.

  He heaved a sigh, propelling himself out of the chair. “I’m coming.”

  Throwing his arms around them, the five of them embrace, letting the stress of the night wash away.

  Michael dropped his arms and stepped back. “Why don’t we grab some dinner? Neither of us got to eat anything tonight, except for Monica, and that’s because Mom stole a nu
rse’s meal.”

  The pop over the head was expected.

  “I did not steal it,” she protested. “She was fairly compensated for that chicken salad.”

  “There might have been threats made,” his father mumbled.

  “Glenmore!”

  They all laughed and soon his mother joined in. “Come on then,” she said fondly. She put her arm around Monica’s shoulder. “I always make my babies dinner after they solve a big case, and tonight, we have even more to celebrate.”

  “We didn’t solve this case, Mom,” Michael corrected. “Monica did. She solved the biggest case in Castle Rock history, got justice for Harper Rowe and Rowan Presley, and cleared a man’s name.”

  Monica smiled. “It’s always we, Michael. We’re partners.”

  Kimona, Glenmore, and Monica walked out while Ella and Michael hung back.

  He sighed.

  “You okay, Michael?”

  “It’s just... I really let my partner down this time,” Michael said softly. “I told I Samira was good at reading people, but if that was the case, I would have seen what Hazel was.”

  “Those twins fooled everyone. You can’t blame yourself.”

  “But I do,” he said softly, flashing back to Samira disappearing into the dark. “I blame myself.”

  “You’re human, Michael. You make mistakes. But you should know that no matter what happens, you have a team behind you. Monica, Auntie, Uncle, Samira, and even that jerky cop who gives Monica sweet eye every time he’s in her presence.”

  He snorted a laugh.

  “We’re all behind you,” she repeated, “and I will be too... when I become a detective.”

  “No kidding,” he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “That’s really what you want?”

  “It’s what I want,” she said firmly.

  “You know...” He grinned. “I still haven’t heard that speech.”

  Ella laughed, throwing her head back. “How about I recite it over dinner? For the five of us.”

  “Perfect.”

  Michael thought of his family and the young woman who might as well be family and he thought perfect... was what this almost was.