She took a deep breath, mustering as much patience as she could come up with. Arguing with him right now wouldn't solve anything. There were too many things happening right now, and the last thing that they needed was to argue. "Look, he got your address from Edward. So he came over looking so unsure and hesitant. I couldn't just leave him outside, Joshua. You should have seen how stressed out Elijah looked earlier."
"I don't give a damn if he looked stressed out or not," Joshua said cruelly. "He should have had the decency to call me first before he came over. You should have thought as well, Lauren. You were the only one here, and I was out. What if something happened to you? What would you have done then?"
"It's Elijah, for goodness sake!" she had had enough of this. Her patience shattered into a million pieces. "What could he possibly do to me?"
"You don't even know what that man is capable of!" he shouted back.
"What are you talking about!" she shouted.
"Didn't you remember what Ben said? He said he didn't kill Elisa and her children. He said if we are smart enough to figure it out, we would know by now. What do you think he meant, Lauren?"
"Elijah didn't kill his own wife and children," she uttered.
He took a step closer to her. "How could you be so sure?" he challenged, danger glinting in his own eyes.
She didn't take a step back, not budging from her position at all. She'd be damned if she would let the man she loved intimidate her. This was the first time that Joshua was doing this. He was using his strength, his height and masculinity to scare her off so she could back away. But there was no need to show fear when she could show him that love would win over anything.
She tilted her head in complete defiance, waiting for him to come any closer. "Don't be ridiculous, Joshua. Don't let jealousy get in the way of your better judgment. You've known him for a while now. You should know better than to accuse me of taking his side than yours. Sure, he was wrong about coming over without permission. Hell, it was wrong to ask for your address in the first place. But you don't have to get angry at the simplest things, Joshua. Please think about how you're acting."
Something flashed in his eyes that she couldn't read. He was having trouble fighting back emotions that he had never felt before. The woman he loved stood before him with a stubborn streak but had a heart of gold. She was right. He was irrational. He was letting jealousy get the best of him. He had fucked up already.
But he still couldn't let the anger fade away as much as he wanted to. He didn't want to fight, not now at least. He was exhausted and seeing what he had seen today would take out everything in a person. Nothing was making sense anymore. He should know better than to believe Ben's words. He was a criminal. A murderer who had no pity for killing his own family. But what if some of his words were true? What would happen then?
They would lose their jobs and could possibly ruin someone's life by making a small mistake. Hence why he wanted Lauren to be more careful of whom she should trust first. Ben and Elijah are both suspects here.
"Look, I can't deal with this right now," Lauren said as she tugged at the strands of her hair. "You should have known better to attack me like that for no reason, Joshua. I thought you were better than that."
She walked away from him, heading to the bedroom. His anger fired up, and he followed after her, hating it when people chose to walk away instead of dealing with the problem already. "Don't you dare walk away from me, Lauren. Come back here this instant!"
"I'm leaving," she said as she grabbed her purse and cellphone from the drawer beside his bed. "You can talk to me once you've put some sense back into you."
"I told you not to walk away from me," he said dangerously before tugging at her arm, not too gently. She whirled around fire dancing in both of their eyes.
"How dare you come back and act like I've done something wrong?" she said angrily, yanking her arm away from his grip. "And don't you dare touch me, Joshua. The last thing that I want right now is to be facing you right now."
She was so mad that Lauren knew she was capable of letting go of hurtful words that she didn't mean. It would be better for her to walk away rather than to stay here and argue with him even longer.
"I'm concerned for your safety, Lauren. Can't you get that through your head?" he said, exaggerating everything he had just said.
They were both feeding off of each other's anger, and both of them knew it. She had to get away from him before things started to get worst. She was in love with him, yes. She loved him enough to let go of the battle that they had been fighting over for the last ten minutes. Neither one of them would win if they continued. The best way was to give up the war and give each other space. She decided to break away from him even if it would hurt them both at the end.
Joshua watched as Lauren walked out of the living room and into the hallway. The loud bang of his door closing had him flinching. He had been a bastard. There was no excuse for what he had done to her. He overreacted, knowing that it would only hurt her feelings. He had seen the anger, the hurt and the annoyance that crossed her face when he began to lash at her. She didn't deserve
it, and he felt like the biggest bastard in the world.
There was no point in trying to chase after her. She needed space. Hell, they both do. The last thing that Lauren would want was him breathing down her neck after a heated argument. He took a deep breath, counting to ten before his anger faded away. The fight went out of him, and he flopped down on the sofa, burying his face in his hands.
She was damn stubborn. They both were, really. But the best thing that he could do right now was to deal with this by himself. He hadn't meant to push her that far. But remembering those horrible images in his mind made him even more scared of what could possibly happen to Lauren. He cared for her so much that he would do anything to protect her from harm. Seeing Elijah here had him going into a total beast mode.
He cursed under his breath.
•••
"Damn stubborn, hard-headed, obnoxious man," Lauren cursed under her breath. She was in the taxi, on the way to her apartment. How dare he treat her like she wasn't capable of defending herself? Joshua had acted so poorly and hadn't used his head before he started arguing with her. There was something that he was hiding from her though, she could feel it. Joshua would never react so badly like that if something hadn't stressed him out.
Perhaps it was something that had to do with the case. Had he finally found out who killed the Crimson family? Or did he find some sort of evidence that would lead everything to Ben Lincoln? She had a feeling that it was about the case but Joshua wasn't letting her into the loop.
She thought about coming back there to demand a single explanation but remembered that she wanted space from him. He had gained new information but wanted her out of the picture. For her safety, that was for sure. But Lauren wasn't one to linger around while other people do the job for her. She couldn't keep still while Joshua does this alone.
He needed her even if he didn't think so himself. They had started this, and they would end it together. It couldn't be just her or him. It had to be them both. They were partners, and nothing could change that.
For now, they needed to remain apart. They had to let themselves come down before they could talk again. There was nothing good that would come out of their conversation right now if they speak. Unnecessary words would be let out if they had to see each other again. Her heart was still with him, but her brain was shouting at her to remain apart from him. She hoped that the heart would really grow fonder while distance kept them away from one another.
The car finally stopped moving, and she hopped out as soon as she paid. She had to keep her mind straight and forget about what happened between her and Joshua right now. The most important thing to do right now was to help out Elijah, and then bring back Joshua so that he would finally hear out how she felt about him.
Chapter 15
Days passed, and he still hadn't spoken to Lauren. He missed her. It ha
d been a week since they had spoken to each other. The need to see her burned deep inside of him. Whenever he would come in for work, she would not be there. They had gone their separate ways, investigating by themselves in spite of the danger that was lurking around the corner. He should have seen that coming. Although she did her best to avoid him, Joshua felt like his brain would burst out of his skull by just thinking about her. She hadn't even thought about messaging him at least.
What was he supposed to do if she wanted him to back away?
Never mind that, he thought to himself as he grabbed all of the files in front of him. All of his notes were spread out on his desk, even the photographs that were taken at the crime scene. He had to toughen up whenever he glanced at it, unable to stomach the idea of anyone doing this. No one deserved to die in such a brutal way.
He began to read all of the useful information and building them up together. He started with Elijah's statement of how he found out his family was dead. They were all there, every word that he said along with Ben. He still had a pretty good idea that it was Ben who made the killing. He could bet his left hand that he was hiding the evidence somewhere in his house. While he was doing his research about them both, Joshua had found out that Ben was taking some sort of medication for his mental illness. He hadn't looked at what kind it was, but it did involve having a slight problem in his brain. This completely explained the killing of animals.
While he also found out that Elijah was still in the rehab fixing his gambling problems. His appointments weren't as frequent or constant as before. His everyday sessions had turned into once a month which meant that he could still be doing it now. And knowing that Elisa hated his bad habit, he decided to keep it a secret from her.
There was one thing he needed to be cleared in his mind, and he figured that the only person who could answer that was Elisa's aunt. He drove to her house, hoping that she would be home. As he had expected, the older woman was sitting on her front porch when he parked in the driveway. An unimpressive look crossed her face.
"What is it now?" she asked, dryly.
"Good morning," he said with a smile. "I'm sorry for the disturbance again, but I would just like to ask a few more questions that need answers immediately.
"Is this about my sister again?" she asked.
He nodded.
She sighed before standing up from her rocking chair and walked back inside. He followed her and sat down on a stool, refusing when she offered to make him a cup of coffee. "I'd like to get to the answering if you don't mind." He said gently, smiling to ease the older woman.
"All right. What is it that you want to know now?"
"You said that Ben has a problem with Elisa, right?" she nodded. "Do you think that's enough motives to push him to commit a crime and kill her?"
"To be honest with you, Mr. I don’t think Ben disliked her that much. They were close growing up you know. Elisa's parents adopted Ben when they were little, so they figured they would take him in since she didn't have any siblings. They were so close but everything they had built together crumbled."
"And it’s all because of the inheritance," he said understanding everything already.
"But not just that," Elisa's aunt interjected. "Just before Elisa died, she had a massive argument with Elijah over money. She said something about leaving and taking the kids with her, and Elijah didn't seem to care. He was too wrapped up in his own gambling problems."
"So, you did know about that," he said as the realization hit him. "Well, thank you so much for answering my questions. I deeply appreciate it." He left her house and pulled out her phone, dialing her Lauren's number for the first in days. He couldn't contain the happiness he felt for finally putting the pieces together. The puzzle was finally complete.
•••
She heard her phone ring inside her bag, but Lauren ignored it. It was probably just Edward who needed to confirm something with her. He had been bugging her these past few days about a certain information that she didn't have. Most of her theories had been combined with Joshua, so she didn't have those in her hands. The mention of his name had her mood going from high to low in a second. She had been doing her best to take her mind off of him, but there were moments when he would just suddenly pop into her mind.
"Are you, all right?" Elijah asked.
She looked up at him, smiling as she nodded. "Yeah, fine. Sorry, I got distracted for a second. Where were we again?"
They were sitting in his house having a little chat about Elisa and the kids. Elijah had asked her to come over and seeing as she didn't have any plans made, she went. It was early in the morning, perhaps around midday. He had given another statement about the case, so she had written that down for future references.
"Oh, we stopped at Elisa and the kids in the kitchen baking..." Elijah was cut off when her phone rang once more. She smiled apologetically, pressing the home button through her bag.
"Please, continue." She urged.
Elijah looked unsure. "Would you like to answer that phone call first? I can just wait until you make sure that nothing important is needed to be said to you."
"It's probably just Edward nagging," she said before letting him continue.
The older man had relaxed in his seat before he continued. She laughed at the funny part when there was a sudden doorbell ringing that echoed throughout the whole house. The maids must not have heard it for it continued again.
"I swear these maids don't know anything these days," he muttered before starting to slide out of his stool.
"You sit down, Elijah. I'll go get it for you," she said before heading to the door. Once she had opened the door, she was shocked and surprised to find Ben Lincoln standing before him. She took a step back, unsure of what to do. He looked so wide-eyed, hair rustled and crazy looking that she thought he was going to reach out to her and wrap his fingers around her neck.
"What are you doing here?" she asked. "And how do you know I'm here?"
"You have to get out of here, Lauren." He said hurriedly, grasping her wrists with his bare hands. "I didn't kill Elisa but--" he stopped as his eyes widened further. Before she could ask him who killed his own cousin, he had already turned and ran away. She frowned, clueless of what just had happened. She turned around, feeling a sudden hit on the side of her head as stars exploded in her eyes. She swayed as everything went black. The last thing she remembered was falling, only to be caught by a pair of strong arms that carried her away into danger.
•••
She woke up with a pained moan, trying to lift her arm but found her wrists bounded by rope. It was tied up tightly that it was almost hurting her, her skin red already from the rough exterior. "Where am I?" she asked, blinking as everything rushed back to her. She couldn't remember being brought here in a dark room. It must have been a garage by the look of it. There was garbage thrown everywhere, and her head was still swimming and throbbing from the biggest hit she had ever gotten in her life.
"Oh, good. You're finally awake," a familiar male voice echoed around her. It was almost loud that it made her wince.
She blinked, trying to clear her vision. "What's going on?"
A malice laugh had her skin breaking out in goosebumps. As soon as her vision cleared, she saw who stood before her. A knife in his hands, face contorted with maniac expression.
"Elijah," she muttered out.
"I'm glad you still remember my name," he said as he ran the sharp edge of the knife against the surface of his palm. "After that hit on your head, I would have figured that you would die already. But little Miss. Lovely had to be the young, brave heroine in the movie trying to save the day. Well, it looks like there's a plot twist, isn't there?"
"Why are you doing this?" she bit out, completely aware that her whole body was tied up to the chair. She was held immobile with nowhere to go. She was stuck here, defenseless and weak. She should have listened to Joshua. She should never have trusted anyone, especially this man who had come up to her and gained h
er trust. Never again would she trust so easily next time. If there would be the next time, ifshe is lucky enough to make it out alive.
"It's simple. You and that Baker guy had to poke your noses where it didn't belong. I had to do something about the two of you so that you won't tell anyone about my secret." She didn't understand, and it must have shown in her face for he laughed. "Don't play dumb with me, Miss. Lovely. You knew all along about my gambling problems. Well, at least your little boyfriend had to play the detective role."
"What are you even talking about?" she asked, feeling so weak.
The smile he had on his face faded away. It was replaced by a pissed off one, and he sauntered over to her. He was so close she could feel his hot breath fanning her cheek. He ran the tip of the knife against her neck. "Oh, yeah. I remember that you weren't there when Baker ran a quick probe around Lincoln's house with another friend. They broke in that day when I came over. I saw it all, Miss. Lovely. I saw them see the dead animals that were buried in his backyard. When actually, it was me who did that."
"You're a sick bastard!" she screeched.
He laughed, taking the edge of the knife away once more. "Possibly. I mean, I was having the greatest time of my life when I killed my wife. She was such a nag, you know. She was never happy with the things that I had done for her. Everything that I did wasn't enough. So I had to find a way to shut her up."
"You killed your own family," she whispered, aghast and unable to believe what she was hearing.
He waved the knife away as if it was an object to play around with. "I wasn't going to bring the kids with me, but they both saw me stabbing their mother multiple times. None of them wanted to come to me and was so scared; I had no choice but to bring them with their mother. It had always been about them three anyway. While I'm the isolated loser that spent all of his problems and loneliness on online gambling."
"And you made us believe it was Ben who killed them," she said, disgusted.
"He was a great guy, really. He has a mental illness that makes him do things he doesn't mean. Like those break-ins? It's an urge he has but never really steals anything. The police actually just make it seem like something has been taken because I paid them to do say so. I wanted the crime I committed to being put on him so I could get away with it."
The Lost Seal: A Seal Romance Page 51
