Promised Box Set

by James Kipling

  “And what was the name of your boyfriend?”

  “Austin Rodriquez. We had been dating and things were going just fine, until she turned up and suddenly he was no longer interested in me. I don’t know what he ever saw in her.” She spoke with venom.

  “Why didn’t you ask him?”

  She sat bolt up upright, fuming with anger. “I didn’t have to ask. It was obvious… because that bitch was pursuing a college education and came from the other side of town, he thought she was a goddess. But she didn’t know how to handle his kind of life. Like the typical preppie, she had no idea what life is like on the streets. I’m sure her death is proof of that.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Austin was a dealer! And not some low class one—but when he met Miss Perfect he wanted out of that life.”

  “Our records show he had to file a restraining order on you. Why?”

  “I wanted him back. Yes, I have my weaknesses, and I wasn’t always faithful, but neither was he… but then miss high and mighty came along and he would do anything to please her. How stupid can someone get?”

  “I see,” Pierce said. He had been informed that Ashlee was pregnant and he had little doubt that Austin was the father. He decided to test Miss Groves on this one.

  “So when you found out Ashlee was pregnant with Austin’s child how did that make you feel?”

  He watched as her smugness fell away and was replaced by a look of surprise, then anger.

  “He got her pregnant? No wonder she wanted him to change his lifestyle. She was ready to settle down and play mommy and daddy.” she spoke sarcastically.

  “From what I was told, Austin Rodriquez was an EMT. Being a drug dealer is news to us.”

  “He went into the EMT program because of her. He was doing real work to become something else. I mean, who does that?”

  “People who want to become better for the person they love.”

  “Whatever. It’s just as well that bitch is dead.”

  “Well, there is something I think you need to know. Austin was found murdered yesterday evening.”

  A look of shock registered on her face, and for a moment it seemed as if she was going to cry. But she managed to pull herself together.

  “You seem to know more than you are telling me,” she said accusingly. “I may be a little tipsy from last night, but I am not stupid. You brought me here to get information from me. Do you think I want to end up dead like Austin? I have nothing to tell you.”

  “Well, if you cared one bit about Austin, as you said, then I suggest you tell us what you know. Anything you say will be confidential. But we need to find his killer.”

  He watched her struggle trying to decide what to do. He knew it wasn’t easy. But he needed the information badly, just to see if his hunches were right.

  “All right. I’ll tell you the little I know, without using any names.”

  She took a deep breath and began. “Austin was a drug dealer, but he had a conscience. I know that sounds weird. He was good at what he did, but shortly after taking up with Ashlee, word started circulating that he wanted to get out. If you know anything about the streets, then you know that is bad news all around, but especially for the drug dealers. They can’t afford for this to happen because such people could become snitches. And by now you know there’s only one solution for that. Apparently, that’s what happened to my poor sweet Austin…and all because of that bitch.”

  Her anger was returning. “Can you imagine? He was trying to get out of drugs… all because of her?”

  Now Pierce knew why Austin’s father had them both killed.

  “Okay, since you have nothing to charge me with, can I go now?”

  “Not so fast. Just one last question.” He had to make sure his deductions were right. “Where were you on the morning Ashlee was murdered?”

  Without batting an eyelid she replied, “In bed with someone I met who could give me what I want.”

  “Care to give us his name and number, just so we can check.”

  “Sure.”

  After collecting the information, Pierce watched as she waltzed out of the room, a little more sober and subdued than when she came in. He felt a little sorry for her, but extremely grateful for the information she had supplied. He now had more answers to fill in the missing blanks, although some needed confirmation. He was hoping the microchip would prove useful.

  He hurried back to his desk and slipped the microchip into the computer. A video flashed onto the screen. It was obviously done by an amateur. There were a couple of blank spots before a fuzzy kind of picture emerged. It was a much younger picture of Isaac, and the message was obviously intended for his sister Eileen who was Chelsea’s mother.

  “Dearest Eileen, I have been hiding my dark deeds for too long and now I am in too deep to get out. So many times I have wanted to tell you, but couldn’t because it would only put you in more danger.”

  Isaac paused and he sighed. “I work for one of the biggest drug lords in Mexico, by the name of Emilio De Leon. He is on the most wanted list, but he is untouchable. Anyone who tries to turn him in is soon eliminated, and it does not matter if you swear not to talk. I fear that he will soon figure out that I am getting close to walking. So I am sending you this video, so that if anything happens to me you can get it to the authorities.

  I know where to find him and I know who else is working with him. His partner is another drug lord named Enrique Galvez and they control the drug trade in Arizona, California, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. To bring down these men, you need to find an area of weakness. Emilio De Leon’s is Bianca Rodriquez, the mother of his son, Austin. She lives in Tucson and if you get to her it would draw him out. However, Enrique Galvez is a psychopath; he shows no mercy or compassion. I have yet to learn his weakness.

  As I said, if anything happens to me and you find this, please turn it over to the police. I love you Eileen. Stay safe and I am very sorry.”

  The screen once more went blank as the recording ended. Pierce sat there absorbing all this new information. Enrique Galvez had fallen off the radar five years earlier and he was wanted for several murders, but not for drugs. Now he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that De Leon was alive and what his weakness was. He decided to pay a visit to Bianca Rodriquez.

  But then he thought again. Maybe he would delay that visit a little to give Chelsea some time to poke around herself. He had promised to keep her up-to-date on anything he found. If he released the information about De Leon too quickly, then everyone would be hunting De Leon. On the other hand, if he kept it between himself and Chelsea for a while, she could track him down and get rid of him. After all, he was pronounced dead years ago, so no one would be any the wiser if someone found and killed him.

  Chapter 16

  Cara, the medical examiner, looked again at the results on the monitor and could not believe what she was seeing. Usually, she never second guessed the results, but now she was doing just that. Maybe the machines had malfunctioned or her vision was defective.

  She picked up the phone and put it down again. If she made this call it may raise questions about her professional competence. She was the very doctor who had produced the evidence that allowed the authorities to declare Emilio De Leon dead several years ago. And now, after all this time, the DNA from skin samples found under Austin De Leon’s fingernails matched his father’s perfectly. That was impossible, unless Emilio De Leon was still alive. But that was ridiculous. He had been dead for many years now.

  With much hesitancy, she again picked up the phone. She was not yet sure how she was going to explain herself. Pierce answered right way, and sooner than she was ready, she had to figure out what to say.

  “I’m going to tell you something that will surprise you and for which I have no explanation yet. We found DNA on Austin De Leon’s body, under his finger nails. It seems that he struggled with someone before he died. And guess what? It matches t
hat of his father perfectly.”

  She did not hear the expected gasp and exclamations of shock she had anticipated.

  “Why do you sound so afraid of this fact?”

  “Because I pronounced his father dead,” she said slowly. “That explosion several years back—I found evidence that suggested he was one of the victims. I...” her voice trailed off.

  “It happens all the time, Cara, don’t blame yourself. He wanted to disappear to escape the heat and I am sure he made that explosion happen so he could fall off the grid.”

  She breathed a deep sigh of relief.

  “Is there anything else you found?”

  “Yes. The sweat on Ashlee Thompson was most certainly from Justin Quincy. She was also carrying Austin’s child. There were no drugs in her system, just in her wounds. You should be able to get a warrant to search Quincy’s home now.”

  “You sound as if you’re holding something back from me. What is it?”

  “There is just something odd. I mean, I sense an anomaly in my findings, but I can’t put a finger on it yet, but I know it’s there, somewhere.”

  “Yeah. Step away for a bit Cara. Then look over everything again. That should clear your head.”

  “Okay, thanks, I’ll take that advice.”

  “Good. Got to go. There are some things waiting to be done.”

  “All right, Pierce. When I figure it out, I will surely give you a call.”

  She had a guilty feeling she couldn’t shake as she looked at the bodies of these two young people—Ashlee and Austin—on the autopsy tables. This probably all happened because she had pronounced a man dead who apparently was not. Maybe if she had been more observant this wouldn’t have happened.

  She tried massaging her temples to relieve the stress. She heard footsteps approaching and looked over her shoulder to see Josie standing at the entrance.

  “Is everything all right, sis?”

  “Yes, just a little tired right now.”

  “Why not take a break then, huh?”

  “Good idea.”

  “If you need anything, I’ll be out front.” Josie said, before moving on.

  Cara paused for a moment and watched as Josie walked away. Their mother would have been really proud of the young woman she had become. How terrible it would have been if it were her sister lying on the autopsy table instead of Ashlee Thompson. Immediately her head began to ache again.

  She would take a break to clear her head and try to come back and look at things with new eyes. She replaced the covers on the bodies, all the while with that nagging feeling that something was amiss. But she couldn’t put her finger on it at the moment.

  With her frustration mounting again, Cara took off her gloves, washed her hands and left the lab. She went into her office where she placed one of Bach’s soothing symphonies in her DVD player. Gradually, as she listened, the case slipped further and further away from her mind and she let go of her sense of foreboding… a feeling that something terrible was going to happen and she was powerless to prevent it.

  Chapter 17

  Chelsea stirred in her sleep, opened her eyes and sat up. She glanced at the LED clock. It was only six-thirty. It took her a while to remember that she was at Dean’s apartment. She could hear sounds coming from the kitchen and memories of last night flooded her. She felt a little self-conscious about what had happened, and she wondered how he was feeling this morning.

  Putting on her robe, she went into the living room where the delicious smell of scrambled eggs and bacon assaulted her nostrils.

  “Morning,” she said shyly as she sat on the sofa.

  “Good morning. Have a good sleep?”

  “Couldn’t have been better.”

  “I wonder if I had anything to do with it.”

  She blushed and didn’t answer.

  “Okay, time to eat.”

  He brought out two plates with toast and two mugs of coffee, placing them by the cabinet that also served as a table. They ate almost in silence, their eyes frequently locked on each other.

  Feeling uncomfortable, but at the same time excited, she put the dishes in the sink and went to watch the early morning news. Shortly afterwards he joined her on the sofa.

  “Well, what are you going to be doing today?” he asked, since she would not be going in to work because of the suspension.

  “I haven’t worked that out yet…”

  “I’m on the later shift, so we can spend some time together before I go in.”

  “That would be good.”

  “You really mean that?”

  “You know I do.”

  “So you aren’t mad at me about last night?”

  “Should I be?”

  “All right then. Suppose I tell you that I really care about you. From the moment we met, I felt this… connection.”

  “I must admit, I felt the same, although at first I was not sure of your feelings toward me.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I was not sure what you saw in me.”

  “Only everything I have ever wanted,” and he pulled her to him.

  She was unresisting as her heart drummed out an erratic beat.

  “You make me want to be a better person. I really can’t explain it, but you just seem to be that missing piece that I’ve been looking for all these years. I consider myself lucky to have found you.”

  “And you make me want to trust again… to learn that there are still good people in the world, that not everyone is bad. So please understand if I want to take it slow…it’s not about you, but rather about me. I tend to lose the people I love, and I would not want to lose you, especially now that this is happening.”

  “I understand.”

  He caressed her cheek with his hand, brushed a lock of hair out of her face and sought her lips. They kissed deeply and passionately, clinging to each other. Chelsea decided that this time there would be no holding back, she would let her emotions take her where they may.

  Dean sensed her surrender and pressed into her as he showered kisses on her lips, her eyes, and her neck. She in turn wrapped her arms tightly around him as if to absorb him. He stood up pulling her upward too. She wrapped her legs around him as he carried her to the bedroom. At that moment nothing else seemed to matter to either of them.

  After their passion was spent, they lay side by side in companionable silence. Chelsea’s head was resting on his shoulder as she snuggled up as close to him as possible. There was no need for words.

  In the silence, Dean’s mind was working overtime. How he wished things were different; that he had met Chelsea earlier. When he had taken the job some months ago, it was no problem. He had no feelings for anyone. He had been recruited, for a large sum of money, to transfer to Homicide so he could spy on Chelsea. It had seemed so easy then and since he was used to being undercover, he knew how to blend in and conceal his tracks. But—he had not counted on falling in love with Chelsea, and therein was the problem.

  He gently eased himself up and went to the bathroom. He carried his phone with him. While there, it vibrated. Looking at the screen, he read the text message and it caused his blood to turn to ice. It read: We are moving it up to tonight. Bring her to the place as planned.

  Dean’s face looked as if he had seen a ghost. When he had taken the job he did not anticipate becoming involved with Chelsea. How was he to know that such a thing could happen? Now his affections were involved and it put him in quite a bind. He could never explain to Chelsea that she was the reason he had taken the job in Homicide. The assignment was to get close to her, to find out what she knew and what her plans were for solving the murder of her parents. He had done his job very well, and had kept his employers current with all that she was doing, so far without being detected.

  Now they were planning to eliminate her because she was becoming a threat to their operation—because of her persistent digging. If only she was not so curious and stubborn.
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  Why couldn’t she stop pushing and heed the warning of the two callers? Why couldn’t she just let the past go?

  He was torn between his commitment to the job and his strong feelings for Chelsea. If he failed in his task, someone was going to die. Actually, either way, one of them would die and possibly even both of them.

  He stood at the bathroom door, observing her as she sat on the sofa watching TV, without a clue that he was one of her worst enemies. She had come out of her shell and trusted someone for once, and now he was about to betray that trust. He was sure she would never trust another human being again as long as she lived… if she lived, that is.

  It was so ironic that there he was, knowing exactly where De Leon and his partner Mendoza were hiding out, while she was desperately trying to find them. A word from him and she would have her revenge. If only things were that easy, he could put her mind at peace and lay the ghosts of her past to rest.

  She sensed him looking at her and turned, smiling at him with a look of complete trust. He went over and enfolded her in his arms, to find her kiss warm and inviting. He felt the desperate need to make love to her again, even if it was to be the last time. But the thought of the task he had to complete cooled his ardor. If only he could think of a way to save her.

  He disengaged from the kiss and asked her, “How would you like for us to go out tonight? On a real date, I mean?”

  “That sounds good.” She was smiling and seemed quite happy at the thought.

  “About seven, then?”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll make sure to leave work early enough.”

  She nodded.

  Later, as he set off for work, he reminded her not to let anyone into the apartment, and to be on the alert since they didn’t know who was looking for her.

  “You’re talking to me as if I’m not a police officer,” she said, as she threw a pillow at him.

  “Just making sure. You’re special to me, remember?”

  “I will.”

  As Dean made his way down the stairs, he thought about De Leon and his killing ways. How could he have allowed himself to get involved with people like him? Then suddenly, an idea flashed across his mind. It just might be the answer to his problem, and it could work, though it was dangerous and would require perfect timing. Any foul-ups would be deadly.