“I want to take a look at the victim first,” he told them, and the EMTs glanced at each other before one said, “Make it quick.”
Matt climbed in to take a look at the woman lying on the gurney and his jaw tightened as he nodded his head before he climbed out and shut the door behind him.
“Do you know her, Matt?” His partner said walking over to him seeing the look on his face.
“Not personally, no,” Matt told him as they turned and watched the police car with Jeffrey Reseda drive away from the house. “Let’s do a thorough search so this time the bastard can’t get away.”
With those words, Matt and the other police officers headed back inside to continue a full search of the Reseda residence.
Chapter 14
“I picked this up for you, Edric, as they called to say it was done,” Mariah said coming into his office with a jewelry bag and Edric smiled taking it from her before he pulled the long, slender box out of the bag. He nodded his head when he opened the box and saw the monkey necklace with a brand new chain as Mariah asked, “Why was it a special order though when you just got a new chain for it.”
“Thank you, Mariah,” he said with a smile of appreciation in her direction not answering her question as it was a special surprise for Calida. She had mentioned the necklace not too long after she had moved in with him when she came home from work telling him about how nobody had seen it and it had been a gift from her mother a few months before she passed away so Edric made a few phone calls without telling her that he had find it. He just hoped that the surprise would override her anger at the fact he kept it from her for so long.
“I’m guessing that it belongs to Calida because that is something you will never see Sophia wear,” Mariah told him with a wry twist of her lips.
Edric gave her a speaking glance and she took it as a dismissal so she nodded her head and left the room.
Edric stared down at the necklace one last time before he shut the box slipping it back in the bag as his phone rung and he answered as Mariah told him he had a phone call from a shareholder of Reseda Electronics that he had been trying to get a hold of recently.
“Patch him through, Mariah,” Edric told her a hard look in his eyes as he placed the bag in his bottom desk drawer when another voice came over the line.
“Thank you for contacting me back,” he said before getting down to business on why he was interested in talking with him.
Calida stood in front of her mom’s grave staring down at it as she said, “I’m getting married, mom, or at least I was asked.”
She sighed as she lifted her eyes glancing around the graveyard seeing Jake off in the distance standing by the car before returning her gaze to her mom’s grave marker.
“Something tells me that it’s not going to turn out the way I won’t, but I guess this is my punishment for not doing anything ten years ago,” Calida said quietly going down to her knees although the grass was wet from the earlier rain they had. “I sent all the information I have to the right people and I have a meeting in about an hour to sign over my shares of the business to Edric. Dad is probably rolling over in his grave at my decision but I don’t know how to run the business and Jeremy is destroying it with his illegal businesses not to mention that he hasn’t followed Dad’s standard of making the best quality product to satisfy the customer. I just don’t know what else to do.”
She lowered her head as she said with a catch in her voice, “I hope Dad can forgive me for what I going to do to his son.”
The wind blew around her and she lifted her head as the rain began to fall again. She stayed a little longer until she was wet before she pushed herself to her feet. “I need to get going, mom, but I will come again.”
After touching her mom’s grave marker, she started for the car walking slowly and as she reached it Jake told her in a voice with a hint of satisfaction, “Wilma just called and said that she heard Jeremy was taken into custody along with half of his bodyguards. Also,” he hesitated here getting a quizzical look from Calida. He continued in a rush, “Lida was found in the basement. It seems she had been there for some time.”
Calida’s eyes widened and she reached for the door as she quizzed, “Do you know which hospital she was taken to?”
Jake nodded his head as he climbed into the car with her and Calida her eyes haunted with memories, said, “We need to go check on her.”
Jake didn’t question Calida as he started the car and headed for the hospital that he was told Lida was admitted although he muttered, “It’s not like last time, Calida. She was discovered before it was too late.”
Calida shook her head not commenting as she turned and stared out the window knowing that it wasn’t same as before, but it could’ve been and that’s what scared her.
Jake pulled up outside the hospital telling Calida, “I will park the car and meet you inside.”
Calida nodded her head while she exited the car slamming the door shut before rushing inside and Jake parked the car calling Wilma as soon as he turned the car off.
“What did you learn,” he asked worry evident in his voice.
She was silent for a few seconds as she said, “It’s not good, Jake, and what’s worse is that I think Calida already suspects but she just wanted her suspicions confirmed.”
“So she will call off the engagement,” he asked as he opened the car door only to freeze at the next words.
“No, Calida will let it play out until Edric, himself, calls a halt,” she told him a sad note in her voice.
“But…” he protested.
“Leave it alone, Jake, because you know Calida will go through with it anyway no matter we tell her,” she advised her tone full of anger that she couldn’t do anything to stop Calida from what was going to happen.
Jake swore hitting the steering wheel before he said, “We are the hospital.”
“I figured Calida would head there once she learned what happened,” Wilma told him. “Keep an eye on her and I will continue checking out things here. By the way, she got a call from a Mr. Robertson.”
Jake frowned as he climbed out of the car mentioning, “Isn’t he the man that Calida found a few years ago who had a business arrangement with her brother?”
“Yes, Calida also had him contact Adela’s family with the pictures he took when she was dating Jeremy. It seems that Adela’s brother got in contact with him wanting some more information and he gave him what he knew excluding Calida’s name as they had agreed upon before,” Wilma said a soft sigh. “I guess things are coming to head faster than any of us thought.”
Jake glanced in the direction of the hospital entrance before muttered, “Maybe not all of us, Wilma, because something tells me that Calida was expecting things to start happening once she sent those envelopes out.”
He hung up a few minutes later after a few more words with Wilma and as he went into the hospital and asked for Lida’s room, he knew that things were probably moving faster than Calida had anticipated, but they were moving and she wasn’t going to slow them down only going along for the ride.
As he walked over to the receptionist desk, he knew that things were probably going to get worse here on out, and he grimaced as he realized Calida was well aware of it too.
Calida opened the door quietly and slipped inside as she had been told at the nurses’ desk that the patient was sleeping. She winced as she stared at Lida on the bed seeing the bruises on her face and hand prints on her neck, and she could see bruises beginning to show up on her arms. Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away as she noted one arm was in a cast while one leg was encased in a brace, and Calida shook her head closing her eyes tightly not seeing Lida’s eyes blink open.
Lida glanced around the room as much as she could and stilled when she saw Calida standing there eyes closed and fists tightly clenched.
“I should’ve listened to you,” she said harshly her voice coming out strangled and Calida’s eyes flew open as tears slipped from them.
Lida swallowed and said in a hoarse voice, “Can I have some water please?”
Calida moved toward the water pitcher settled on the stand near the bed and poured her a cup before lifting Lida to drink even steadying the straw so she could drink.
“Don’t drink so fast, Lida. Take your time,” Calida advised with a soft tone.
Lida took a few more sips and then indicated she was done for the moment so Calida set it back down in easy reach for Lida before easing her back against the bed.
“How are you feeling, Lida,” Calida asked before a wry smile crossed her face. “Don’t answer that because it was a stupid question.”
Lida gave her a brief smile as she said hoarsely, “Then I won’t.”
Calida chuckled as she pulled a seat next to the bed and her mouth opened to ask her something when a knock sounded on the door before it opened followed by a nice looking man entering the room.
Calida observed him as she stood up and he gave her a hooded searching glance as he said, “Miss Evans, do you think I can have a few words with you?”
Calida glanced at Lida who was staring at the visitor with wary eyes but she nodded her head once grimacing at the movement.
“You are?” Lida’s visitor asked pointedly as he closed the door behind him turning narrowed eyes to Calida.
Calida returned his narrow stare as she answered, “A friend, Calida Lindley.”
“Detective Matt Stevens,” he stated his narrowed look becoming more alert at her name.
“If you are wondering if I am Calida Reseda then the answer is yes,” she stated reading his look accurately.
“Any reason why you changed your name,” he asked bluntly pulling out a notepad and a pen.
“Lindley was my mother’s maiden name,” was all Calida told him as he stared at her with cold eyes and a feeling washed over her that she was being lumped in the same category as her brother even though she had expected it to happen.
“Just so you know, Miss Reseda,” Matt said stressing Reseda that Calida knew it would do no good to remind him that legally it wasn’t her name. “We arrested your brother about two hours ago so if you want to post bail for him then I suggest you go to the police station.”
Calida didn’t even flinch at the news although her eyes narrowed slightly before she said, “Well, knowing my brother, he will be out in no time unless you have hard evidence against him.”
Calida watched as the Detective’s eyes flared with triumphant before he turned a scowl to her and told her with a touch of frost in his voice, “We found Miss Evans here in his basement while he was upstairs negotiating a ‘business deal’ as he told us. He merely stated that what his men did on their free time was none of his business.”
“Lie,” Calida and Lida both said at the same time, and Matt’s eyes shifted between the two as Lida glanced at Calida.
Calida could feel Lida’s eyes on her but she kept her gaze on the Detective as she told him, “My brother has to know what his men are doing at all times because that way he knows how to pull or push their buttons. That doesn’t go just for the men working for either so I suggest you ask the women he has in his employment.”
Matt kept his gaze hooded but he was surprised that Jeremy’s sister was giving him suggestions on how to get evidence against her brother.
Calida turned to Lida and said, “I will be going now but if you need anything just give me a call.”
Calida grabbed the pad that was lying on the stand and wrote down her cell number without hesitation before she put it back down.
“Also don’t worry about the hospital bill, Lida, I will take care of it,” Calida told her a haunted look in her eyes. “I will come see you tomorrow.”
Calida reached out a hand and touched her shoulder before she turned on her heel, and with a nod at the Detective, walked out of the room closing the door behind her.
“Jake,” she said as Jake straightened up from the wall he was leaning against, “do we know anyone that we can trust to keep an eye on her?”
“I can take care of that,” a deep voice said, and Calida spun around hazel eyes blanking as she stared at Edric and Tomas who stood a few feet from them.
“Tomas,” Edric stated without his gaze leaving Calida’s who flinched slightly at the look in his eyes.
“I will see to it,” Tomas said giving Calida a worried look before he turned and started to walk away.
“Tomas, I will help you,” Jake called out starting after him as he glanced at Calida in concern only to get a nod for him to go on.
“Now I don’t think I want to be in the middle of that,” Jake muttered as he caught up with Tomas and Tomas nodded his head in agreement as they stepped inside the elevator a second before the doors closed.
Edric stared at Calida before he asked in a tight voice, “What are you doing here, Calida?”
Calida didn’t lie as she said bluntly, “I came to visit Lida and see how she was doing.” She nodded her head to the closed door as she told him, “Right now, a detective is in there asking her questions about what happened during her time at the Reseda house.”
Edric studied her as she made this statement and saw a flash of anger flicker over her face before a sadness took its place, and she shook her head putting a hand to her forehead as she muttered, “As I said, he would do anything to get what he wants even at the expense of someone else.”
Edric heard it in her voice and he stepped forward wrapping his arms around her as he said,” Yes, you did.”
Calida leaned against him sensing a tension running through him and she knew that he wanted to ask her something, and she felt him leaning back ready to ask when there was sound of heels on the floor indicating that they were about to have company.
Edric sighed folding her closer to him as Sophia said a shade sharply, “I heard that Lida was here and that she had been found at the Reseda house.”
Edric felt Calida stiffen against him before she tried to move back from his arms and he only allowed her to step back so he could tuck her against his side while he answered Sophia.
“Yes, we arrived a few minutes ago ourselves to check on her,” Edric stated getting a surprised look from Calida, but he merely sent her a sharp look before shifting his gaze to Sophia.
Green eyes observed the tight lines on Sophia’s face before she smoothed them out giving him a small smile. “I hope she is all right,” she said with a slight frown.
Calida went to answer but Edric stopped her with a slight squeeze of her shoulder as he said, “Once Matt leaves, then we will go in together to see her.”
Calida couldn’t help the startled look she gave him as she asked, “You know the detective she is talking to?”
Edric nodded his head but Sophia was the one who added, “Matt was Adela’s boyfriend before…”
“Sophia,” Edric growled his eyes hard as he stared at her and Sophia gave him a surprised look before she shifted her gaze to Calida.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a nod in her direction and yet Calida could read a twinge of mockery in the gaze as if she knew something that Calida didn’t. “I wasn’t aware that you didn’t know about Ric’s baby sister.”
Calida kept her face calm as she asked turning her hazel eyes to Edric as she asked, “You have a baby sister, Edric?”
“I did,” Edric said shortly not going into detail as Lida’s door opened and Matt stepped out a frown on his face.
As he closed the door, he muttered, “That woman is going to driving me crazy before the trial even begins.”
Calida mentally smiled at his words but she didn’t say much as Edric and Sophia caught his attention and Matt had turned to Calida with a question when her cell phone rang.
“One moment,” she answered it before giving Matt her undivided attention. “You wanted to ask me something, Detective?”
Matt’s eyes were narrowed as his lips twisted before he said, “I got your cell from the paper in the room so if I need to speak with you again then I know how to get a hold of you.”
“Of course,” Calida said with a nod of her head before she glanced at them all. “Excuse me I need to take this call.”
Edric nodded his head before he told her, “Wait for me and we will ride home together.”
Calida smiled and nodded her head in agreement as Matt glared at her and Sophia smirked behind their backs. Calida glanced at Lida’s door one last time before she gave Edric one last smile and turned on her heel heading for the elevator as she went back to her phone.
“Did you learn anything else,” she said as the doors closed her in.
“You’re not going to like it,” Wilma said, and Calida closed her eyes sagging against the elevator wall as her head spun and heart ached with pain.
“I knew it was too good to be true,” she whispered in the empty elevator. She straightened up as the elevator’s doors opened and said quietly as others got on, “Just put the information together and leave it in my room. I will come by tomorrow and read it.”
“Okay, and also Mr. Peterson was trying to get hold of you,” Wilma told her. “It seems that Adela’s family has decided to trust his information and he gave them what he could although he left out your name, Calida.”
Calida’s hands shook as Wilma just confirmed what Calida already knew what was going to be in the information Wilma had gotten for her.
“Did he ask for anything,” Calida asked as the elevator finally reached the lobby and she exited heading for the help desk so she could be directed to the billing department.
“No, he asked how you were doing,” Wilma told her in a soft voice, and Calida couldn’t help the soft smile that crossed her face at that news.
“You know what to do, Wilma,” Calida told her getting a laugh as she told her she did indeed and Calida ‘thanked’ her before they hung up.
“Hi, may I help you,” the attendant said at the desk, and Calida didn’t waste any time as she asked her what she was looking for and after being directed to where she needed to be, Calida took care of any paperwork for financial responsibility for all of Lida Evans’ hospital bills.
Past Sins Revisited Page 19
