Past Sins Revisited

by Mary Goldberger

  “What happened ten years ago that caused you to mistrust your brother’s words, Calida?”

  Calida glanced up her eyes haunted with memories and a guilt that had never gone away, but before she could answer Tomas the phone rang and Ms. Welsh answered it before handing it to Edric as she said, “A Mr. Robertson.”

  Edric nodded his head as he took the phone and looking over at Tomas, left the room with Tomas following close behind him.

  Calida turned her eyes back to the stove although there was an odd look in her eyes as she wondered why Robertson was calling Edric so suddenly until she spun around her eyes wide with understanding a frown settling on her face.

  She shook her head the frown lifting slightly as she checked the time again before she walked over to the counter and started working on the decorations for the cake an uneasy feeling growing inside her that tonight she wasn’t going to be able to escape the full nightmare like she had been doing the last few nights.

  She was right because around midnight she began dreaming and as Edric came in the room she cried out.

  “Calida,” he said rushing over to the bed, but before he touched her she screamed and bolted up her eyes wide open but Edric could tell that she was still asleep.

  Then she began to cry her hands reaching out as she sobbed, “I’m sorry. I should’ve been stronger or less afraid then maybe I could’ve saved you. I’m so sorry, but I’m going to make it right I promise. I will let your family know what he did to you and all the others.”

  Edric froze at her words and he watched as she crumbled against the bed crawling into a ball as she continued to sob, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

  He reached out a shaky hand and touched her shoulder jerking her awake and she shot up in the bed her hazel eyes so wide that fear shot through him.

  “Edric,” she breathed out on a soft note before she launched herself at him and cried in his chest as he closed his arms around her tightly.

  “It was just a nightmare, sweetheart,” he cooed in her ear.

  She shook her head as she muttered, “It was more than a nightmare, Edric, but it is something that I will live with me for the rest of my life.”

  Edric frowned but he held her close until she fell asleep lying next to her on the bed, he brushed her hair away from her face seeing the tear stains on her cheeks and even in sleep, he could see how she frowned lightly.

  “What happened ten years ago?” He asked quietly in the stillness of the room and he knew that more than for his sister, he needed to know the answer to that question.

  The following day, Calida went to work with a headache which wasn’t helped by Simon’s constant nagging and degrading remarks that eventually Calida had enough.

  “Do it yourself then, Simon,” she told him as he knocked her for how she was making one of the pastry tarts that were a good seller in the bakery.

  She took off her apron and walked out of the kitchen heading for the office knowing that Mrs. Treston was in for the day. As she knocked on the door, her hand trembled slightly but she ignored it as she heard Mrs. Treston say “come in”.

  She opened the door and said as she walked in closing the door behind her, “Mrs. Treston, I’m sorry but I need to speak with you please.”

  Mrs. Treston glanced up with a frown as she was just going over the accounting books and she had been amazed at the increase in profits they had made within the short time that Calida had been working there.

  “Calida,” she said as the door closed behind her and Calida stepped toward the desk.

  “Mrs. Treston,” Calida began as she sighed softly before she began to explain what was going on and what she thought was the only solution to solve the problem.

  “Calida,” Mrs. Treston began only to stop when Calida smiled leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees.

  “Simon has been here longer than I have, and he is feeling threatened by me,” Calida told her. “I know I suggested a probational period but I don’t think that would be right for the other employees and Simon himself. The best solution is for me to leave or maybe working days that Simon doesn’t work.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think your fiancé is going to like that as the only shifts Simon doesn’t work is the weekends,” Mrs. Treston said as she frowned slightly. “Calida, are you sure you want to marry him? I’ve heard that…”

  Calida frowned as she said, “You’ve heard what, Mrs. Treston?”

  Mrs. Treston sighed as she revealed, “There are rumors that Mr. Walwyn came here making Owens his home base because he is looking for the man who killed his sister.”

  Calida’s face fell at her words and asked in a shaky voice, “What was his sister’s name do you know?”

  Mrs. Treston shook her head as she said honestly, “I don’t know and like I said it was nothing but a rumor so I don’t know how much truth is in it.”

  Calida nodded her head as she said, “Thank you, ma’am for your concern, but I love him even though I didn’t want to, and yes, I know,” seeing the look that flashed over Mrs. Treston’s face, “we haven’t known each other long but I’m happy right now.”

  Mrs. Treston nodded her head unable to say anything as a soft smile spread across Calida’s face taking away the haunted look that appeared in her eyes briefly although Mrs. Treston could see that it hadn’t disappeared completely.

  “All right, Calida,” Mrs. Treston conceded with a soft sigh. “We are going to miss you, but if you ever need another job until you get your bakery up and going, I have a friend who runs a bakery about forty miles from here.”

  Calida nodded her head as she said, “If I ever need another job, I will definitely call you up Mrs. Treston and thank you for all your help.”

  Mrs. Treston stood up and walking around her desk as Calida stood up and hugged her. “Thank you, Calida, for helping us,” Mrs. Treston said. “Although you haven’t been here for long, the bakery’s profits have increased and I think it’s because of you.”

  Calida hugged her back and said honestly, “You have good employees, Mrs. Treston, so I don’t think I helped with anything, but thank you for the compliment anyway.”

  Mrs. Treston didn’t comment as she walked Calida out and Calida merely waved as she left the bakery although she asked Mrs. Treston for one thing, “If you need me to cover a shift for Simon, or give him a break, then give me a call, but otherwise please don’t tell anyone that I don’t work here anymore.”

  Mrs. Treston wondered why but nodded her head in agreement and hugged her again telling her, “I’m going to take you up on that offer” getting a chuckle from Calida before she walked away from the bakery pulling out her cell phone to make a quick call.

  “Jake, can you pick me up please,” she said before telling him where she was. “Also I was wondering if Wilma could use some of her contacts and look into something for me.”

  She told him what she had learned from Mrs. Treston and asked if there was any way to check it out. Jake relayed the request to Wilma who frowned and nodded her head as she said, “I will see what I can do.”

  Calida heard her voice over the phone and smiled as Jake said, “As she does that, I’m coming to pick you up.”

  “Okay, and thank you,” she said before they disconnected the call.

  She sighed as she rubbed her forehead and then with a determined look on her face she straightened up and planned her next move.

  Detective Matt Stevens glanced up when his name was called and he said, “Yes, what is it?”

  “This just arrived with your name on it, sir,” the young officer said handing him the thick envelope and the detective frowned as he took it from him.

  “Thank you,” he muttered as he turned it over seeing his name and precinct number before he opened it.

  As he pulled out the documents inside, his eyes narrowed shifting through the information that was sent to him.

  “Matt,” his partner and friend said coming over to him. “We got a call from Edric Walwyn about some
information he received concerning Reseda Electronics.”

  The man’s voice died off as he stared at the pictures and documents that spread out across his partner’s desk.

  “Matt,” he began, and Matt gathered everything together before he stood up.

  “We need to use the conference room and call the chief,” Matt said as he headed in that direction. “I think we finally have some solid evidence that can’t be disputed.”

  His partner nodded his head as headed for the chief’s office and Matt pulled out his cell phone dialing one number.

  “Edric, I think we may be able to get him this time,” he said without pleasantries frowning as his friend spoke, and he said sharply, “Fax me that information ASAP” and a few minutes later he hung up the phone with a snap as he began to spread out the information someone sent him about Jeffrey Reseda.

  Twenty minutes later, his partner came in with papers in his hand which he waved and said, “Your friend faxed these over per your request I’m guessing.”

  Matt nodded his head as he looked down at the papers in front of him as he asked, “How reliable do you think these documents are?”

  “Someone went through the trouble to send it so let’s investigate,” their Chief said as he stood in the doorway before stepping over to the table his eyes already scanning over the papers. “I will call the DA and see about getting a search warrant.”

  “Are these documents,” Matt said indicating the papers on the table, “enough to obtain one?”

  His Chief was already heading for the door as he said, “I don’t know, but we can still try.”

  Matt nodded his head but a grim smile crossed his face and his eyes were narrowed with a determined light as he and his partner started reading through the information they received.

  The Chief came back some time later with the Assistant DA who walked over to the table and looked over the paperwork herself before she said, “Do we know who sent this information?”

  “No,” Matt’s partner said leaning against the table. “It was in Matt’s name so we think either it is someone who knows him or they did their research, and they know Matt won’t overlook it.”

  The Assistant DA looked over at Matt although he was still studying the papers in front of him before she said, “I will go to a judge and see about that search warrant but it’s probably going to be limited.”

  Matt glanced up at that as the others nodded their heads while she admitted, “It is the best I can do until we investigate to make sure that this is accurate and not some ex-lover, or business rival, causing trouble.”

  “Something is telling me this information is true and accurate,” Matt said his tone full of confidence as he stood up. “But for now, I will do what needs to be done so we can investigate fully.”

  Matt nodded his head at the others and walked out of the room with his partner following after a meaningful look at the Assistant DA.

  “Do we want to wait for the order here?” His partner asked him only to get a look from Matt in return and he nodded his head as they grabbed their jackets heading out.

  “He seems to have confidence in this information,” the DA said from the conference room watching them leave.

  “Do you know Edric Walwyn?” The Chief asked as he picked up pictures of different women before handing over one to her. “This is his sister, and she was Matt’s girlfriend at the time of her murder.”

  The Assistant DA’s eyes narrowed as she said, “So Matt knows that the information is accurate because of that one picture?”

  The Chief glanced down at the picture before he told her, “Yes, because the necklace she is wearing he gave her two days before she was found. No other pictures of her with the necklace wherever taken according to the investigation of ten years ago.”

  The Assistant DA looked at him and the Chief said with a hard look in his eyes, “I was one of the first individuals at the scene after Edric and Matt called the cops.”

  “Wait the brother and fiancé where the ones who found the body,” she asked a note of suspicion in her voice.

  The Chief looked at her and told her bluntly, “Someone called her brother telling him where to find his sister’s body. Since he had been doing something at the time and his phone was off, they actually left a voice mail.”

  The Assistant DA shivered as she said, “How cold can you be to leave a voice mail and not call the cops.”

  “Listen to the voice mail and you decide,” he told her before he went to the door and opened it before requesting two more detectives to come in the conference room as they were reopening an old case. He assigned a few other detectives to investigate the other women who were in the photos.

  “Do we finally have him,” one detective asked, and the Assistant DA looked up in surprise as the Chief answered.

  “If this information is accurate and can be proven then we have him.”

  Everyone nodded their heads and got to work as the Assistant DA sat there before she got up and went over to the Chief.

  “I want to look at the case files from ten years ago,” she stated, and the Chief nodded his head.

  “I’ve already sent someone over to get them,” was his reply a second before there was a knock on the door and a young officer walked in with a box.

  “Here you go, sir,” the young officer said, and the Chief indicated the box with his hand as he nodded his head in ‘thank you’ to the officer.

  She didn’t’ waste time as she opened the box and began to delve into the ten year old case the first thing she took out was a picture of Edric Walwyn’s younger sister smiling happily as she hugged a younger Matt Stevens.

  “Don’t you have a judge to call?” The Chief said as she sat looking at the picture before she nodded her head and stood up as she caught the name on the picture. “Walden? That was the sister’s last name?”

  “Adela Walden,” the Chief said absently looking through the pictures sent earlier to the precinct. “Edric and Adela were half-siblings with different last names but when he was called, they called him by ‘Walden’ which told us that they didn’t know him.”

  The Assistant DA nodded her head as she headed out of the conference room a thoughtful look in her eyes as she flipped open her phone and made a quick phone call as she headed back to the court house to get the search warrant issued.

  Almost two hours later, Matt and his partner walked up the front steps of the Reseda residence with the search warrant in hand.

  “Yes,” the door opened by an older woman with a puckered look on her face.

  “We have a search warrant to search the house,” Matt said holding up the paper and the woman’s eyes widened as she started to stutter.

  “Mr. Reseda is in the living room,” she began only to have Matt push past her with an ‘excuse me’ as his partner and the other officers’ followed him.

  Matt found the living room and Mr. Reseda sitting comfortably as a young woman hovered over him, and Matt enjoyed the reaction his entrance made as the young woman froze in place.

  “Mr. Reseda,” Matt said walking over and tossing the search warrant down in front of him. “We have authority to search your residence as new evidence has been given to the DA’s office.”

  Jeffrey stood up abruptly knocking the woman who was in his lap to the floor as he sneered, “What evidence?”

  He didn’t wait for Matt to speak as he turned to a burly man who came in the room and said with contempt, “Get my damn lawyer on the phone now.”

  Matt nodded his head to the others to go ahead with the search and Jeffrey scowled as he snatched up the search warrant a smug smile coming to his face as he read it before he said, “Limited search, huh?”

  Matt’s fists clenched as he watched the man relax and throw the search warrant at him as he said “Go ahead and search although I will get my lawyer to make a field day out of this.”

  A second later there was a loud scream and Matt had the satisfaction of seeing a stunned look cross Jeffrey’s face
jerking his head at the men in the room and Matt immediately unholstered his gun as he said, “Everyone stay where you are. Officer, take the others with you and go check it out.”

  His partner nodded his head as he hurried out of the room taking most of the officers with him as Matt said, “I think we should sit down as we wait and see what that scream was all about.”

  “One of man where probably giving their woman a good time,” Jeffrey suggested his eyes narrowed as he settled back down on the couch.

  “We shall see,” Matt remarked getting a smirking smile from Jeffrey and it pissed Matt off how confident he was.

  Ten minutes later, his partner came back in the room face pale but eyes hard as he told them, “We found a young woman downstairs almost unconscious and she is claiming that Mr. Reseda has been holding hostage for almost a week now. We also found some other things that I think will succeed in obtaining a full search warrant. I’ve already called the DA and requested one.”

  Matt stared at Jeffrey as his eyes flashed with anger before he said, “When my employees are off duty, I have no control over what they do.”

  “Then I suggest you come to the station as a potential witness,” Matt interjected smoothly as he turned to his partner. “Request a van.”

  Jeffrey came to his feet immediately as Matt said, “Everyone here has become a witness” getting a glare from Jeffrey as his men were escorted out of the room some giving him hard looks.

  Jeffrey was the last one escorted out by Matt and as he was being put in a squad car, Matt asked, “Do we know the identity of the woman?”

  “Yes, her name is Lida Evans,” his partner told him as he tilted his head to the ambulance that was standing near the front door. “She was conscious enough to tell us her name before she passed out.”

  Matt’s eyes narrowed at his words and walked over to the ambulance as they were about to close the doors.