The Lost Seal: A Seal Romance

by Bell, Victoria

  Lauren nodded and began to walk when Fernando told her to wait. She looked back, seeing his face red and shy when he said, "is it possible for me to ask for your number, Miss. Lovely?" she thought about giving him her number but thought better of it. He was young, far too young for her to be her boyfriend. He would surely find someone better. Besides, she wasn't a cougar and not interested in younger men.

  Before she could reply, Fernando spoke again. "I guess you are just as lovely as your last name." She almost rolled her eyes.

  "Leave my girlfriend alone, punk!" Joshua hissed before ushering her out of the office.

  She grunted, staring at him with disbelief on his face. "I'm your girlfriend, huh?"

  He smirked and swung a long arm around her shoulders. She tried to shrug it away, but he held on tighter. "Soon you are going to be my girlfriend. All mine, Lauren. All mine."

  "You sound like a creepy boyfriend," she muttered before finally giving up on trying to get rid of him.

  "Well better than having that asshole as one," Joshua muttered under his breath. Did she hear jealousy from him? It couldn't possibly be. A man like Baker would never find anything to be jealous about with other men. Or so at least she thought. She decided to push his buttons further.

  "Well, he is younger and better looking." She began as she inspected her trimmed nails. She cast him a glance. "Don't you think he and I would make a great couple? There might be an age gap, but I don't mind."

  He glared at her. "You never liked any guys younger than you. The men you probably have dated are at least five years older or more. Besides, I know you find him annoying. I could tell by your facial expression earlier, Lauren. There is no point in lying and trying to make me jealous."

  "I wasn't aware that I was making you jealous," she said, feigning innocence.

  "You're doing it again," Joshua said as he led them back to Edward's office.

  "What are we going to do in Edward's office?" she asked, curiosity taking place and letting her drop her playful side.

  "We're here to get the phone number of Elijah Crimson. He might be able to answer a few questions that I have. That Hugh bastard didn't answer properly at all."

  "I'm starting to think that you're going to develop an obsession with this case," she said before they reached Edward's office.

  Chapter 4

  Elijah Crimson looked to be in his late forties. He had ashy blond hair that had white hairs starting to grow on the back of his head. He had the bluest eyes Lauren had ever seen. It was very light; almost icy that made her hair stood at the back of her neck. There was something eerie and weird about this man, but there was an air of sadness that lingered around him.

  As soon as Edward had gotten in touch with him, the big boss had them sitting down in front of his desk. They all sat facing each other, Lauren sitting beside Joshua. Her partner sat still in silence, merely studying the other male as Edward cleared his throat.

  The boss was the first one to break the silence. "You wanted him here so here he is. Ask whatever questions you two want to ask so that Mr. Crimson would be on his way."

  Lauren cleared her throat and readied her notes, ready to jot down anything that would be helpful. "First of all, I'd like to thank you for being here, Mr. Crimson." She began as she gave the older man a somewhat reassuring smile.

  Elijah smiled back pleasantly, much to her surprise. "Thank you for having me here and helping out solving this case."

  "You're welcome," she smiled before opening her notebook, pen poised. "I'll just start out with a few questions first."

  "Go on," Elijah encouraged.

  "All right," she said before starting. "Where were you the night the crime happened?"

  "I was at work," he said as his tone of voice never wavered or hesitated. "I got a call from my family as soon as they found out my family was murdered. I came home as soon as I can. I didn't even finish that night's shift when I heard they were in trouble."

  "And what happened after that?" Lauren continued.

  A faraway look crossed his face as if reliving that moment. "I saw my wife lying in her own blood in the kitchen. The kids were upstairs, the same state as their mother. I didn't even think about getting blood all over me as soon as I saw them. I rushed to them immediately, tears running down my face and cursing to death the person who had done this to my family."

  Elijah reached up and wiped a tear that had fallen down his cheek, unable to help himself from being emotional. Lauren grabbed the tissue box and offered it to him, no longer wanting to continue. It was always hard to touch base with something so personal that it affected the person she was interviewing. It was her job. She couldn't get attached emotionally, but she was just human after all. She was capable of feeling the pain they were going through. Being a journalist was really tough at times.

  "After doing a few investigations, we also found out that your wife had tried to fight back?" Joshua said as he referred to his notes. "There has been a weapon that was used to defend her. Perhaps, some sort of wood that caused bit damage to the suspect."

  Elijah nodded. "I believe so, too. But the police themselves said that it might be possible while not."

  "There have been a few bruises on her upper arms as if she was shaken hard," Lauren chimed in. "There has been a definite defense mechanism here."

  "Indeed," the older man agreed with a nod.

  "Did you have any suspects in mind as soon as you saw your family's state?" It was Joshua who spoke now. She cast him a look and saw a look of concentration on his face. There was no emotion that showed in his voice compared to the other man.

  Elijah pulled himself together before nodding. "Yes, I did have a suspect in mind, but the police told me that I didn't have enough evidence to prove that he killed my wife and children."

  "Who do you think it is, Mr. Crimson?" Lauren asked, completely engrossed by what he was about to say already.

  "I believe it is my wife's cousin," Elijah declared.

  She blinked before glancing at Joshua. He looked just as clueless as she felt and they shared a look. She tried to come up with a good idea to why his wife's cousin would want to kill his family. But not a single reason came to my mind.

  "Do you know the reason why he wanted to kill her?" Edward asked gently, chiming in.

  Elijah looked at his friend before nodding. "My wife, Elisa was about to inherit a large sum of money from her parents. Her cousin, Ben, was part of the will but he only received the ownership of the house. It's a great house but it's not worth millions of dollars even if he tried to sell it. Compared to my wife, Elisa inherited a lot more, and it involved the will to the vineyard in Italy that no one knew but the two of them."

  "So, you think this is about taking ownership of the will?" Joshua asked.

  Elijah nodded. "I think so. I heard them arguing about it one night on the phone. But as soon as I walked in, Elisa hung up quickly before I could ask her anything. When I tried to get information out of her, she merely said it doesn't matter. Realizing it now, she was only trying to protect the kids and me in case anything happened."

  "I'm so sorry to hear that," Lauren whispered before laying a reassuring hand on his arm.

  She didn't miss the evil look that Joshua sent her way before he ignored the gesture. She didn't understand why he was so sensitive all of a sudden. This man was hurting, and a simple gesture of comfort could ease the pain that he was going through.

  "If it's okay to look around your house tomorrow, then we would like to do that. We just need to confirm a few things that we had in mind while referring to the police records." Joshua said before gathering all the files together. "As of right now, the only thing we could do is gather the information that could possibly lead to the right killer, and get him behind bars. I have resources that might help with capturing the murderer if the cards are played right."

  Elijah nodded before thanking the both of them. They shook hands and Joshua, and Lauren left Edward's office. She was still reeling from wha
t she had seen in the photographs, and the interview they just had with the husband of Elisa Crimson and the father to their kids.

  "Do you really think it could be the cousin?" she asked as soon as they went back to their desks.

  "It could be," Joshua said. "But there's a possibility that there might be other suspects out there that we might not know yet. Back out now, Lauren while it's still early. I don't want you getting involved in something so dangerous such as this one."

  "It would take a better threat for me to back out, Baker. And didn't I tell you to stop doing that? I'm not some kid that you could boss around. Remember that we're in this together. If someone is about to back out, then that would be you."

  "Damn this stubborn woman," he muttered quietly before walking ahead of her.

  •••

  The next day passed by and Lauren decided to wear something much more appropriate for their activity. She wore a pair of faded black jeans that hugged her body. Her white top loose as she slipped on a pair of Nike shoes. She was out the door as soon as she was done and found Joshua climbing up the stairs that led to her apartment. She stopped short, almost colliding into his chest.

  "What are you doing here?' she asked, frowning up at him.

  "I'm here to pick you up," he replied before taking in her attire. He wore the same clothes as she. White top paired with black jeans that were accompanied with running shoes. They looked like a couple matching, looking like they were about to stroll outside.

  "I should definitely go back inside my apartment and change," she said before turning around. She was pulled to a stop and hauled down to the elevator by Joshua. "What do you think you are doing?" she demanded, trying so hard to pull away.

  "You're not going back in there to change," he said before he finally let her go. They were already at the bottom of the stairs, and it would take at least a good seven minutes for her to ascend. She looked fine, really. Lauren didn't have anything against what she was wearing other than them matching like a real couple. They weren't a couple, and they would never become like one. She would try to avoid that scenario from happening. It was enough that she was attracted to him. Besides, they were co-workers. It was forbidden in her eyes.

  "I've got my car waiting outside in the parking lot so we should just use that," she said as soon as they reached outside.

  He gave her a look that almost made her want to slap him. "When hell freezes over."

  "What's wrong with my car?" she huffed.

  "There's nothing wrong with it," he defended. "I just don't want to drive around a woman's car when I have a perfectly good one to drive."

  "Who said you're driving?" she asked.

  "Me," Joshua said in a matter of fact tone.

  "You're not driving my car, Baker," Lauren said as they headed to the parking lot. "Besides, there's no need for you to drive yours. I have a Ford that's in good shape."

  "Yours probably needs a pair of new tires and even an oil change, and you would not even know this," Joshua said in a show off way.

  She had elbowed him before they both reached their cars. Both were adamant on taking both of their cars to Elijah's house. Joshua was the first one to crack. "I'm warning you, Lauren. You're not going to ride on that thing. You're coming with me, and I'm going to drive. And that's final."

  It made her blood boil knowing that he could just boss her around like that. She was totally pissed off and wanted to give him a piece of her mind. But the last thing that they both needed was to argue in the middle of a parking lot.

  "How about we drive separately?" she said. "That way we don't have to argue about who's going to drive whose car."

  "Stop being ridiculous, Lauren and get in already," Joshua said with a mixed of annoyance in his voice.

  "I'll definitely get in in my car," she said before opening the door. Joshua moved so fast that she didn't even see him move. Before she could fully open the door, he had it closed already. He had his arm braced on the window, her hands on his. She opened her mouth to scream at him, but the protest died down when he bent down, grabbed her legs and swung her whole body over his shoulder.

  He began to walk toward his car with her thumping at his back. She was screaming his ears out, but Lauren didn't care. They were already attracting attention from the other pedestrians that happened to be walking by. No one even helped when he threw her into the passenger seat and walked around the car, getting in and locking the doors. Before she knew it, he was already driving out of the parking lot and into Elijah's property.

  Lauren had no choice but to sit there, sulking. Then she remembered that Baker disliked the older man. He might be older by a couple of years, well a good twenty years but still. She had noticed that the man would flirt a bit with her. She would just shrug it away and not entertain it, but she might work some of her charm if she played it right. No matter how much Baker hated it.

  "You should stop sulking," Joshua said after a few minutes. "It doesn't suit you when you sulk like a child."

  "I am not a child," she said, completely annoyed at how easily he could play this out.

  "Well, okay. A baby then."

  "I am not a baby either!" she hissed, pouting further.

  "And don't hiss," he advised. "You're not a snake."

  She threw her hands up in the air from exasperation.

  Chapter 5

  They reached the house after a good fifteen-minute drive. Just as she had expected, Elijah owned a mansion. The gates opened automatically as soon as they reached it. Joshua drove in and parked it beside the garage, hopping out and opening her door like the fake gentleman that she was in.

  She had a feeling that this man was wealthy and it was clearly obvious. She wondered how the murderer had been able to get away from the crime. Elijah was a wealthy man, so it didn't make sense at all. He would have been able to detect or hunt down at least the person who killed his family. But if it was really his wife's cousin who happened to be greedy about the inheritance Elisa got, then shouldn't the police at least prove that the cousin killed Elijah's family?

  None of these were making any sense. If she and Joshua made so much as a small mistake, their careers would be over. Getting involved in this case would surely change our lives forever if done right.

  They ushered inside by the maid where Elijah was waiting in the living room. He greeted her first which didn't surprise her at all. He kissed both of her cheeks before moving onto Joshua, who looked unimpressed by the gesture. They had shaken hands before Elijah took it upon himself to give them the tour that they needed. They started in the kitchen where everything started.

  "This is where my wife was found dead, lying in her own blood and probably tried to fight the murderer." Elijah pointed to the spot on the floor to tell them exactly where his wife died.

  Somehow being on the scene where a person died made Lauren shiver. It was slightly chilly in the room which didn't help at all. When Joshua wrapped his arm around her, she suddenly felt secured and safe. Even if she would never really admit it, Lauren was glad that she had been partnered up with Joshua than with anyone else. He might be annoying and obnoxious, but he was one of the best assets on the team.

  "Shall we go up to the kids' room?" Elijah offered.

  They all headed upstairs to where the next scene had taken place. She was already feeling light-headed from all the information she was receiving. She ought to be taking notes and paying attention to every word that the older man was saying. But somehow, her brain was too slow to function and her body too lazy to do anything at all.

  "Are you okay?" Joshua asked after a few minutes. He had his head bent down, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear. She shivered once more. His arms around her tightened, pulling her close as if he could wipe away the horrible memories she had about this case. If only it wasn't that gruesome. If only it didn't involve innocent kids dying in the hands of a murderer. There were so many what-ifs, and she was getting tired of thinking about them all the time. It had already happen
ed in the past, so she had nothing to do already.

  "We should just get this over and done with and then let's go," she said.

  Joshua nodded before leading her toward the small room where she imagined the kids were playing. It had been at night when the murder was taken place. The killer was known to this family, she was sure of it. Otherwise, how would he had been able to know the place if they hadn't gone inside? There was really a possibility that it was the cousin that Elijah was talking about. Though, there had to be a way for them to prove it.

  "This is the room," Elijah announced as they all stepped inside. It was a small room but big enough for the kids. It had a double bed that had planes and rockets embedded in the sheets. Everything screamed out boys, and it probably reminded Elijah every time that he would come in here. It must suck to lose family.

  "Does it ever get easier?' she asked as soon as they were finished and went back to the living room.

  "No, not at all." He answered as that faraway look came on again. It disappeared the moment it came as if it was a sign of weakness. Being weak didn't always mean that someone had to win and another person feeling better about it.

  "How do you cope?" she asked further.

  Elijah looked at her with those eyes that it made her wish he wouldn't look at her right now. "You try to cope, but it’s hard every day. You live in a house where your family was murdered. You walk into the kitchen, and the only thing you see or at least remember is the dead body of your wife. It's the same with my kids. The sound of their laughter, I miss it. The thought of never hearing them again makes me sad."

  "You just have to keep on going, right?" she said. "You don't get to choose whether today or tomorrow is the day that you'd finally heal and forget."

  "Why do you know so much about pain, Miss. Lovely?' Elijah asked, curiosity written all over his face.

  She smiled. "I've read so much about cases that are similar to this. It's hard for them to get over it at first but that family who lost their loved one heals after some time. It might be the same process as you, Mr. Crimson."