by Riley Walker
“What are you trying to say, Ridge? I’m honest with you all.” I look around the room. Oren looks like I just sold his favorite toy, Cash is currently staring out of a window, Ridge is looking at me like I’m gum on his shoes, and North, the man I thought I was growing closer to, forming a beautiful relationship with, is watching me with eyes full of hatred.
“Well, since that is a lie, let’s just get this over with. The quicker this meeting is over with, the quicker she can leave.” North’s words are like a knife to my chest.
“I don’t understand,” I say, pleading with them for some sort of explanation.
“It’s quite easy to understand, Alice. My brothers and I run a legal business. Everything we do reflects on us and who we are. We don’t do business with those who break the law, who sell illegal drugs, and we definitely don’t have relationships with liars.”
“North! That’s enough.” Cash turns from the window and the tears in his eyes are enough to take me to my knees. “We’ve already talked about this. Oren, give her the folder from the investigator.” Cash stares at me for a moment before speaking again. “Pretty,” he coughs into his hand, “I mean, Alice, this is everything he found. It’s enough to put your Uncle Richie away and take complete control over Du-Kane, Inc.” He pushes himself off the wall and walks around the table toward me. Bending down, he brushes his lips across my forehead. “I’m sorry, Alice. We have to protect ourselves, and we can’t do that and be with someone like you.”
I watch Cash walk out of the conference room and head straight for the elevator. I whip my head back around, glaring at the remaining brothers. “Are you serious right now? No questions, just instant condemnation on your parts? You bring me here and inform me that I’m a liar and not worthy of the great Michaelson brothers.” I stand up, pushing the chair back in my haste. “Let me tell you assholes something, I am not a liar. I did what I had to do to save my company, something you would understand if you took a second to ask, instead of pointing fingers and writing me off so easily. I guess it’s a good thing this did happen. At least now I know that I never meant anything to you.”
“Alice, it isn’t…”
“Shut up, Oren. I can’t even look at you right now. For your information,” I look at Oren, Ridge, and then North directly in the eye, “I started FLAG before I even knew you. It was something that would keep Du-Kane, Inc. from going bankrupt. It was the only thing I could do to save my daddy’s company and his name. If you had bothered to ask, I would have told you that as of next week, FLAG will only be sold in our shops, and that the ladies are all signed up for school.” I lower my gaze, damning the treacherous tears that are falling down my face. “I would have told you everything because I trusted you. Because I was falling in love with all of you.”
I grab my purse and the file Oren placed on the table for me, turn on my heels, and storm out of the conference room. I make it out of the front door before the grief takes me over. Leaning up against the side of their office, I allow the sobs to come. I allow myself one minute to fall apart before I stand back up and try to catch my breath. I wipe off the remaining tears, stand tall, and give my head a good shake. I can fall apart later. Now, I need to pull up my big girl panties and go put an uncle in jail. Later, I can sit on the couch and eat ice cream by the carton with Dobey, the only man I will ever need.
Thirty
Duff To The Rescue
I wake up the next morning to a steaming mug of coffee on my bedside table, and a note from Zoe telling me she’s going to Ben’s for the next few days. I didn’t see her last night after I got in. She was deep in work out in her lab. She won’t tell me what she’s working on, just that it will change everything. It’s supposed to be even bigger than FLAG.
I force myself to get out of bed, shower, and dress. Knowing that I’m on my way to meet a detective from the Metro Police is going a long way to motivate me. I have an appointment with a fraud investigator, Detective Duff. The drive to the station is short, almost too short. This information will change my uncle’s life forever, but he didn’t give me a choice.
“Ma’am, can I help you?”
I’m so zoned out I don’t realize the lady behind the desk is talking to me.
“Ma’am, do you have an appointment?”
I shake my head to clear the fog. “Yes, thank you. I have an appointment with Detective Duff.”
“Oh yes, have a seat and he’ll be right out,” she tells me, while pointing to the God awful plastic yellow chairs lined against the wall. I’ve only been waiting about five minutes when Detective Duff walks in. I can only describe him as a silver fox. He is about six feet tall with a fit body for someone of his age. I would guess he’s in his mid to late forties. His hair is dark grey and his eyes brown and kind.
“Miss Du-Kane?”
I stand and take his offered hand. His handshake is firm, but gentle. He releases my hand and uses his now free one to gesture to the hallway. “If you’ll follow me, I can take your statement in my office.”
I follow Detective Duff down a dark, dingy hall until we reach an open door. His office is small and overcrowded with a large desk, his desk chair, and two chairs facing the desk. There’s a filing cabinet on the far wall with papers in a haphazard mess on top of it. His desk is the same, but I can tell there is a method to all the madness.
“So, Miss Du-Kane–”
“Alice. Please, call me Alice.”
“Alright, Alice. You said you had some information on your Uncle Richie? I believe you said you had proof of him stealing from Du-Kane, Inc. and embezzling funds.”
I reach into my oversized bag and pull out the file Oren gave me yesterday. Just thinking about Oren has my breath catching. I pass the file to Detective Duff and sit back in his very uncomfortable chair while he reads the report the private investigator put together for me.
After twenty excruciating minutes, he finally looks up from reading. “Are you aware of everything in here?”
“Yes, sir.” I read and reread the report last night. It goes much deeper than just embezzlement and offshore accounts. There’s a large payment in there to a man who is currently sitting in the Memphis jail, awaiting trial for the murder of two businessmen. I know exactly what the Detective is thinking.
Uncle Richie paid this man to murder my father.
“Craig Forrester is already in our custody. He confessed to two killings already. The trial is only a formal thing for sentencing. His attorney wants life, we want the death penalty.” Detective Duff sits back, putting his hands on his desk. “Are you aware of how he killed those men, Alice?”
I swallow hard. I read everything I could get my hands on last night after I saw his name, Craig Forrester, on the transcript. “Yes, I’m aware.”
“How did your father die, Alice?”
“He had a heart attack.”
The Detective moves forward until his elbows are now laying across the desk. “Do you believe he had a heart attack?”
I shake my head no.
“Would you be willing to sign a release waiver to allow us to exhume your father’s body, Alice?”
I take a deep, shuddering breath. I knew this was coming, but knowing and hearing it asked, are two totally different things. I wish one of my guys were here with me. Stop it, Alice. I have to stop thinking of the Michaelson brothers as mine. “Of course, Detective. Whatever needs to be done. If he did kill my dad, or pay someone to do it, I want justice for him. My dad deserves the truth to be told.”
I sign the paperwork and Detective Duff said he would call sometime today to let me know when they will exhume my dad’s body. I figured they would do it and let me know once the results came back. I had no idea I would be allowed at the cemetery to watch it all happen. I call Zoe and tell her what’s going on with my uncle, but decide to leave out what happened yesterday at the Michaelson’s office.
“I’ll be there with you the entire time, Al.”
“I know you will. Are you staying with Ben thro
ugh the weekend?”
“I was, but I can be back home in thirty.”
“No. I’m not good company right now, and I could use some quiet time with just Dobey and me. I promise to call you if I change my mind. Okay?”
“Alright. If you promise to call me?”
“I promise.”
“Love you, Al. Call me tomorrow and let me know when we need to be at the cemetery.”
“Love you, Zoe.”
I hang up the phone and begin my drive home. I’m so focused on my dad and the possibility that he didn’t die of natural causes that I don’t notice the shadow of a person behind me before it’s too late. A smell brings me out of my trance just in time to hear a man behind me whisper, “You took her from me, now, I’ll take you in her place.”
I hear his words in my ear right before I see the tree coming toward me.
Thirty-One
Dog Poop (Zoe POV)
It’s the crack of dawn and I’m outside these asshat brothers’ house banging on the door. Why, you ask? Because none of the needle dicks will answer my phone calls.
Two days. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve heard from Alice. Last time I talked to her, she was leaving the police station and she promised to call the next day with the details for the exhumation of her dad’s body. I knew I should have left Ben’s and gone home, but she was adamant that she needed some time alone. Just her and her dog. I expected to hear from her the next day, but when I didn’t, I figured she and Dobey were vegged out on the couch eating ice cream. The next morning came and went without a word. I tried calling several times without response. I made Ben drive me home, my gut telling me that something was wrong and I may need him.
I noticed the smell first. Dobey greeted me at the door, but that was normal. What wasn’t, was the horrible smell of pee and poop. Last time I checked, even after her dad died and Alice was at her lowest, she didn’t pee or poop on the floors.
“Alice!” I call out, but I know deep in my gut that she isn’t here to answer me.
“Babe, something isn’t right.” I look behind me to see Ben with a grossed out look on his face. “I’m pretty sure I just stepped in Dobey’s poop. There’s also a trail of garbage all over this place.”
“Do me a favor, Ben, take Dobey out back while I run upstairs. I’m going to see if Alice left anything that will tell me where she is.”
I watch the two of them head outside before I take the stairs two at a time. When I reach her room, I don’t know what I’m expecting to see, but I’m disappointed to notice that nothing is out of place. Her bed is still made, meaning Dobey probably stayed downstairs and by the door the entire time she’s been gone. Her clothes are all here, so are her suitcases. I already knew she didn’t just leave. She would never do that without telling me first, and she would never leave her beloved Dobey behind. Something has happened.
I pull my phone out of my back pocket and dial the first brother I think of. When his voicemail picks up, I leave a quick message. “North, it’s Zoe. Have you seen Alice? Call me.”
I leave the same message for Oren, Ridge, and Cash. I’ve only called them one other time, and that was when we exchanged numbers after Alice first met them all. I wonder if they’re all in a meeting, but something tells me they are deliberately ignoring me. The question is, why?
I meet Ben and Dobey downstairs. “Ben, do you mind if we stay here tonight? Just in case she’s run out for a bit…”
Ben wraps me up in a hug. “Of course. I’ll go find the trash bags and floor cleaner. We can help her by cleaning this mess up before she gets back home.”
We work for a few hours cleaning up and putting things back where they were. Who knew so much poop could come out of one dog? Not to mention all the trash he threw all over the house or the pillows he shredded all over the downstairs. This dog better be glad I like him.
Nighttime falls and the three of us trudge upstairs. Dobey jumps in bed with us, but his eyes are always on the door. It’s like he’s waiting for her to walk through it at any second. I toss and turn all night, my mind refusing to slow down. I think of all the different scenarios that could have happened, but in the end, I decide the first thing I need to do is go to the Michaelson house and demand some answers. Have they or have they not seen Alice? Why did they refuse to answer my calls or return them?
This brings me to where I am now. Banging on their door before the sun has had time to fully rise. It’s on my third attempt at knocking the door down, that it’s practically ripped from its hinges by a very angry and tired looking Ridge.
“The hell do you want?”
I lift my eyebrow at this behemoth man with an attitude this morning. “Have you seen Alice?”
“No. We haven’t seen her since Monday.”
Ridge begins to shut the door but I slap my hand on it first. “Monday? As in four days ago?”
He cocks his head to the side thinking. “Yeah. We haven’t seen her in four days. Why?”
“Have you talked to her? Texted her? Anything?”
“Zoe, what’s going on?”
I get up in his face and yell, my patience is now completely gone. “Have you heard from Alice since then, you dumb piece of shit?!”
“What the heck is going on out there?” Oren pushes his way past his twin and stops when he sees me. I’m sure my eyes are large and wild. I can only imagine what the rest of me looks like right now.
“Oren, tell me you’ve talked to Alice since Monday.”
He shakes his head. “No, Zoe. I’m sorry, but none of us have talked to her since then. What exactly is going on. Where is Alice?”
“Something has happened to her,” I mumble. I don’t want to say the words out loud. Maybe if I don’t, I’ll wake up and this will all be a dream. I’ll tell Alice that I acted like a crazy person and then she’ll laugh at me and tell me to stay away from the pot brownies. Damn her for hiring Hudson. His brownies are the pot bomb. I let out a crazed laugh.
I feel a pair of hands on my shoulders shaking me. “Zoe!”
I look up into the worried face of North. “Look at me, Zoe. Where is Alice? What is going on?”
I begin to shake all over. “She’s gone. I haven’t talked to her since she left the police station Tuesday morning. She left Dobey alone.” I hear a sharp intake of breath before I’m pulled through the front door. North drags me into the kitchen and sits me down on a barstool.
“Start from the beginning and tell us everything.”
I start with her going to see Detective Duff and him asking her to agree to have her dad’s body exhumed. There’s a few mumbled curses after I drop that bombshell. I expected her to call me the next morning so I could be there with her, but she never did. I tried to call her, but I explained that I thought maybe she was busy with them, so I didn’t think anything of it. Alice would call me when she knew the information, because she couldn’t do this without me, and I’d never allow her to. We’re best bitches till death.
“So, she never called you back? There was nothing in the house that told you where she may be?”
I study Cash before responding. “Nothing. You all know she would never go off for more than a few hours without Dobey. When we got to the house yesterday, it was a mess. He’s been there alone at least a day, if not more.”
Ridge stands up. “Oren, find Detective Duff’s number and call him. See if he’s talked to her. Being there for her dad isn’t something she would miss, no matter what. Cash, call Sally. See if she’s heard anything or seen her in the last few days. North, can you call John at PNS? Maybe she checked in with him. She wouldn’t take off without him knowing about it. She’s almost obsessed with checking in on that shop.”
I watch each of the guys grab their phones and begin making calls. One by one, I see their faces begin to change. I know before they hang up that every call was a dead end.
North, Oren, and Cash confirm my suspicions when they each hang up, shaking their heads. “Now what? Is Detective Duff going
to look for her?”
Oren grabs my hands in his. “He’s putting an APB out right now for her car and calling all the local hospitals. He said he would call back as soon as he has any information.”
I hop off the stool and head for the front door. I’m stopped by a hand grabbing my wrist. Turning around, I look up at an angry North. “Where do you think you’re going, Zoe?”
Ripping my arm free, I shove him away from me. “I don’t know what happened between all of you. Last time I talked to her, she was upset and headed home, which means that one of you did something stupid to hurt her. I’m not about to sit around here on my ass and wait for the police to call. I’m going to go look myself.” I look behind North and see three guilty faces. “The four of you can stay here. It’s not like you care what happened to her anyways.”
“Zoe, that’s not fair.”
“Screw you, North. None of you could even answer my phone calls or texts yesterday. If one of you gave half a crap about her, you would have picked up and I could have been looking yesterday. Your sorry excuses cost me a whole day. She’s out there somewhere, while the four of you sit here not giving a damn. Well, I’m not you. I love Alice, and I will do anything to get her back home.”
I turn away and stomp out the door and back to my car. I count to five, telling myself that’s all the time they’ll need to run out of their house.
I only get to three.
I smile and start my car, waiting for them to separate. Cash jumps in with me, while Oren and North get in Ridge’s truck.
“Let’s take the South Loop towards Midtown. Ridge is going to head East toward the river.”
We back up and head out, silently looking everywhere for any sign of Alice or her car. Cash periodically calls or receives a call from one of his brothers. After driving for almost three hours, we haven’t seen anything. I’m about to give up and head back to the Michaelson house when Cash’s phone rings.
