by Stacy-Deanne
“It’s the truth.” Grant stood and walked over to him. “I put my neck out for you. I not only gave you a job but I bought you a car and a place to stay.” He sipped from the bottle. “That luxurious two-story you live in…” Grant nodded. “I paid for that house.”
“I pay for it now.”
“You don’t get it do you? It doesn’t matter what you pay. Everything you have from now until death will be because of me.”
Kevin digested Grant’s stinging comment. “Really?”
“I made all of your dreams come true. You think you became an executive that fast because of hard work?” Grant laughed, shaking his head. “No, my boy. It’s because I’m Grant Copeland and I’ve sealed your fate. Do you like your life, Kevin?”
He exhaled.
“I bet you do. Tate Valley isn’t an easy place to live without money. Here money is power and the more money the better.” Grant put his arm around Kevin’s shoulders. “You remember what it was like being that teenager from the trailers who was so desperate to belong anywhere? People would spit on you and not help you, wouldn’t they?”
Kevin’s jaw puffed out. “So is that how you see me? As some piece of trash you saved?”
“No, but that’s how others see you. No matter what happens they’ll always see you as that boy from the trailers going nowhere.” Grant let him go. “I’m the only one in this town who believed in you. Now you live the life you could only dream about before. Did you ever wonder why the hell that shit came so easily to you? You wouldn’t have even gotten Cynthia if it weren’t for me.”
“What?”
“That’s right.” Grant nodded. “Do you think that Cynthia, a woman who ignored you all through school would’ve looked at you twice if I hadn’t twisted her arm and urged her to go out with you?”
“Cynthia loved me.”
“She eventually fell in love with you but she wouldn’t have gone anywhere near you if you weren’t working for me. Wake up.”
Kevin panted. “I don’t believe this.”
“Get a clue, Kevin. Everything that you have or have gotten is because of me. I am your life. Me. I’m the fancy car you drive, the house you live in, the women you fuck, and the money in your pocket.” He tugged on Kevin’s blazer. “I’m the designers on your clothes and every piece of expensive furniture in your fuckin’ house.”
Kevin tightened up, biting his tongue.
“I am your life,” Grant whispered. “Now if you don’t want this life anymore then you can just tell me and I’ll bless it upon someone more appreciative.”
“I do appreciate you, Grant. I could live for one hundred years and never be able to show my appreciation. Yes, you got me in the door at Copeland. I never disputed that. But I’ve grown there on my own. I’ve worked for what I achieved on my own.”
“You don’t get it do you?” Grant picked up waved the bottle.. “Whatever you think you’ve done is moot, Kevin. Because no matter what you do you wouldn’t have gotten any of the shit you got without me pulling the strings.”
He huffed. “So I’m your puppet?”
“No. You’re the son I wish I’d had. I love you.” Grant patted Kevin’s cheek. “But my love comes with a price.”
* * * *
Alexis awoke during the night to her cell phone buzzing on the end table beside her bed. She stretched and grabbed the phone. It displayed a new text from an unknown sender. She’d gotten texts like these many times, but being a cop she couldn’t ignore anything. Sometimes a text could be a tip that turned a dead end case around.
She pushed to accept the text.
“What the…” She held the screen in front of her face in case her eyes were playing tricks on her.
It was a video of Kevin going into Brett’s house one night. He knocked then someone answered the door. Alexis could only assume it was Brett since the video wasn’t the best quality.
“Holy shit.” She put her hand over her mouth.
The date and time matched the night of Brett’s murder.
* * * *
“Answer me.” Alexis shoved her phone in Kevin’s face the next day. “Is this you?” She pressed the button for the video to play. “It sure as hell looks like you.” She slammed her hand on the desk. “Is this you?”
“Yes.”
“Unbelievable.” She turned the video off and put it in her pocket. “So you went to Brett’s the night he was killed and you didn’t tell me.”
He looked down at his desk. “Let me explain.”
“Why, so you can tell me more lies?” she yelled. “I don’t want to hear another damn thing that comes out of your mouth. I can’t trust your ass anymore, Kevin!”
“You know can trust me.” He jumped up and rushed to her. “Please let me explain.”
“How the fuck can you explain this?”
“Who sent you the video?”
“I don’t know who sent it but what fuckin’ difference does it make? You were at Brett’s that night.”
He shook his head as if he were flustered. “The person who sent the video could be the killer.”
“Well right now it looks like you’re the killer.” She pointed at him. “And I’m gonna get a warrant for your arrest based on probable cause.”
“You can’t do that to me, Lexi!” He grabbed her.
“I have to, Kevin. There’s no way around this.”
“I didn’t kill him.” He shook her. “You know in your heart I didn’t.”
“Stop telling me how much I know you.” She tore away from him. “Every single time I think I know what you’d do, you’ve surprised me. I don’t think I know shit when it comes to you and that’s more obvious each day.”
“Listen, okay?” He sighed into his hands. “Whoever sent you the video was there too, right?” He squinted. “Isn’t it just as much a possibility that the person who recorded me killed Brett and showed you this to put the heat on me?”
She put her hands on her waist, exhaling. “Kevin—”
“But it’s possible isn’t it?”
“Why were you there?” She poked his chest. “Give me a reason that makes sense.”
“I went there to get a flash drive from Brett.” He walked to the bookshelf in the back of his office. “He had files on the recent merger that I needed.” He grabbed her hands. “You gotta believe me. I wasn’t there more than ten minutes. I didn’t kill him.”
“I can’t take this anymore, Kevin.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I’m too old and too tired to play these damn games with your ass.” She backed up and stopped against the wall beside his bookshelf. “Were you just playing me all this time?”
“No.” His shoulders dropped. “No, Lexi—”
“Were you using my feelings for you to distract me?” She fought tears. “Were you seducing me to keep up with the case?”
“You know that’s not true.”
“I know you’re a liar.” She sniffed. “That’s what I know.”
“I care about you so much.” Tears appeared in his eyes. “You mean more to me than anything else in this world.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me about this?” She took out the phone. “Would you have told me if I hadn’t seen it?”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he whispered. “But I swear I’m not a killer.”
“I’ll never believe anything else that comes out of your mouth.” She went to the door and grabbed the doorknob.
He rushed in behind her. “You might not believe me about Brett but you have to believe that I care about you. You know that.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She glared at him over her shoulder. “What’s between us no longer matters.”
“Please don’t do this, Lexi.” He reached for her then stopped. “If I lost you again I couldn’t handle it.”
Looking into his torn face nearly killed her. What was so special about Kevin Reed that even now when she tried to stay upset, she just wanted to grab him up in a big hug and never let him go?
&
nbsp; “I can’t do this, Kevin.” She opened the door as a tear fell down her cheek. “I’m sorry.”
She left.
Chapter Sixteen
“So you think I’m wrong about Kevin?” Alexis turned toward Penelope whose desk sat in the next cubicle.
“Of course I do.” Penelope looked through the files in her bottom drawer. “You know damn well Kevin couldn’t murder anyone. Come on, Lexi. We grew up with him, remember? Kevin’s harmless.”
“Maybe it’s hard for you to be objective because you’ve been around here all these years. But the more I’ve been here, the more I realize he’s changed.”
“And you haven’t changed?” Penelope took out a file. “Video or not I can’t even believe you’re entertaining such a ridiculous theory.”
“One thing I know is that Kevin never used to lie to me.” Alexis bounced in her chair. “Now he’s hiding shit left and right. I can’t just dismiss this because I care about him.” She leaned forward. “Penelope, imagine it was someone else who’d lied about seeing Brett the night he was killed. I bet you wouldn’t be so understanding then.”
“I’d believe I killed Brett before I believe Kevin did it.” Penelope opened the file. “He just got caught up in this because he was afraid to tell the truth.”
“So that makes lying okay?”
“I didn’t say that. You don’t know what you’d have done if the shoe were on the other foot.”
Alexis stuck her chin in the air. “I always tell the truth.”
“No you don’t.” Penelope took a paper out of the folder. “You haven’t admitted that the real reason you’re upset is that he didn’t tell you the truth and not that he could be the killer.” She typed on her keyboard. “You know in your heart Kevin’s not a killer.”
Alexis turned back to her computer. “You think you know me so much?”
“We were all best friends before you left, remember?” Penelope scrolled through a webpage. “You might’ve been gone for twenty years but a lot about you is still the same.”
Alexis rested her arm on the keyboard, huffing.
“I remember everything about you.” Penelope grinned. “You were scared of going to sleep alone at night, remember? You’d do anything you could to get out of sleeping.”
Alexis snickered.
“All because you just knew something was in your room when the lights went out. You were like that for years.”
“Girl, everyone is afraid of the dark.”
“Not like you. It consumed you and it wasn’t because you were afraid of the dark but you were afraid of being alone in that room.” Penelope scooted closer to her monitor. “That hasn’t changed, Lexi. You’re still afraid of being alone so you push people away because you think if they get too close, something will happen and you’ll lose them.” You’re afraid of reconnecting with Kevin because of what happened to Mario and what happened between your mom and Grant.”
“Thank you, Dr. Phil.” Alexis peered at her. “But you’re way off. I’m scared that I can’t trust Kevin as far as I can throw him and he’s proving me right.”
“If he did kill Brett, which I doubt, then we’ll get him.” Penelope stuffed the paper back into the folder and put the file in the drawer. “All I’m saying is that your frustration is coming from your fear of experiencing loss again. You’re scared shitless to finally be back here and confronting all those feelings you haven’t been able to handle in the last twenty years. Tell me this. Do you honestly believe Kevin’s a killer?”
“Maybe,” Alexis mumbled.
“Then how come you haven’t put in for the warrant yet?”
“I need to be absolutely sure.” Alexis laid her hand on the keyboard. “I get this feeling that he’s right about the person who sent the video possibly being the killer.” She stretched. “They would definitely have reason to want to set Kevin up if they did it.”
“Yeah, but we’d have to find out who sent it. I’m thinking it’s a long shot that we’ll trace the text to whoever sent it but right now it’s our only hope.”
A skinny guy with a giant bouquet of flowers popped into Alexis’ cubicle. “Detective Adams?”
She scooted from her desk. “Yes?”
“Here you go, ma’am.” He handed the flowers to her. “Have a nice day.” He dashed off.
“What the hell?” Alexis ran her hands through the assorted petals.
“See?” Penelope rolled her chair over to her. “I bet they’re from Kevin.” She sniffed them. “Hmm.”
“You mind?” Alexis moved the flowers away from Penelope. “I haven’t even had a chance to smell them yet.” She sniffed them and got the card. “If Kevin thinks flowers are going to make things better then he is—fuck.”
“What?”
Alexis handed her the card.
“Grant?” Penelope gaped. “Why would Grant Copeland send you flowers?”
“He must think I’m a damn fool.” She threw them into the little wastebasket by her desk. “He’s up to something.”
Penelope rolled back to her desk, looking as shocked as Alexis felt.
“Grant Copeland never, ever does anything unless he gets something in return.” Alexis pointed to the wastebasket. “Believe me, he sent those flowers for a reason and it wasn’t to be nice. They’re probably poisoned.”
Penelope laughed.
“I’m serious.” Alexis tried not to chuckle. “We both sniffed them so we’ll probably end up in the emergency room in twenty minutes.”
“You’re a mess.” Penelope fanned her hand. “Can’t you just give the guy the benefit of the doubt?”
“Grant?” Alexis turned toward her computer. “Never.”
Penelope’s phone rang. “Detective Dao,” she answered. “Oh…yes.” She glanced at Alexis. “Okay.” She got a pen and scribbled. “We’ll be right over and thanks for calling.” She hung up.
Alexis sipped from her lukewarm orange soda. “Who was that?”
“Pete Newton.”
“Who?”
“King’s band mate. The one that King spent the night with when Brett was murdered.”
Alexis snapped her fingers. “The dude with the blonde mohawk.”
“He said he has something to tell us about King.”
Chapter Seventeen
Alexis and Penelope made their way toward the Myers mansion. The housekeeper met them at the front gate and informed them that Carolyn and King were on the back patio.
“Thanks.” Alexis and Penelope went down the walkway and stopped on the side of the house when they saw the two talking.
“I’m serious, King.” Carolyn got out of the patio chair. “I need to know you’re being honest.”
“I’ve been honest.” He turned around. “I was at Pete’s the night Dad was killed.”
“And you didn’t leave at all that night?”
“No.” He pulled at his shirt. “You think I killed my own father?”
“Of course not, but I just get this strange feeling that you’re hiding something.” She put her hands on his cheeks. “Maybe it’s mother’s intuition but the feeling’s not going away.”
He took her hands from his face. “I could say the same thing about you.” He walked off the pavement and into the grass.
“What does that mean?”
“Come on, Mom. You have just as much motive to want Dad dead as I would but you don’t see me accusing you.”
She stomped toward him. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about your affair remember?”
“It’s not an affair!”
“Yet.” He moved away from her. “But it’s about to be or at least you planned for it to be.”
“King.” She exhaled. “I did not kill your father. I swear.”
“I believe you but you weren’t honest.” He crossed his arms. “You didn’t tell the police you’ve been involved with another man.”
Alexis and Penelope walked from around the side of the house.
“Hello.” Alexis waved.
“May I help you, Detectives?” Carolyn asked in a shaky voice.
Penelope pointed behind her back. “Your housekeeper told us you were back here.”
“What are you two doing here?” King asked.
“We were looking for you, actually.” Alexis took her shades off. “We went by your place and when you weren’t there we figured we’d see if your mother knew where you’d be.” Alexis put her shades up. “Looks like we got lucky.”
King stood in front of Carolyn. “Why are you looking for me?”
“We spoke to Pete Newton,” Penelope said. “He told us something very interesting.”
“Pete?” King approached them. “What are you talking about?”
Penelope shifted her gaze to Carolyn. “First we’d like clarification on what we just heard about Mrs. Myers.”
“Answer my question first.” King jumped in Penelope’s face.
Carolyn pulled him back.
“I want to know why you were talking to Pete,” he said. “And I wanna know now.”
“And we want to know why Mrs. Myers seemingly had an affair and didn’t tell us.” Alexis sat in one of the lounge chairs. “Mrs. Myers?”
“I wanna know why you spoke to Pete!”
“Calm down.” Carolyn shoved King then looked at Alexis. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this before but it’s not an affair.”
“Jeez.” Alexis took out her notepad. “Does anyone in this town tell the truth?”
“I’m sorry,” Carolyn said. “I didn’t mention it because I was afraid of how it might look. I loved Brett but we had our share of problems. The truth is I’ve been very lonely and for the last two years I’ve been talking with a man online. He’s a retired colonel from the military.”
King turned away, shaking his head.
“You have to understand,” Carolyn said. “Ever since I’ve known Brett he’s worked hard and I admired him for that but it took a toll on our marriage. I needed attention and he was never able to give it.” She touched the pendant on her necklace. “At first I accepted it and even felt guilty for not appreciating what we did have because if he didn’t work…we wouldn’t have had such a beautiful life.”
