by Jaden Skye
She scanned Todd’s desk and her eye fell on an opened envelope, a letter beside it, clearly a love letter. She saw the writing scrawled in the corner. She saw Mina’s name and her address.
And Olivia knew where she needed to go next.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Olivia had the cab drop her a block from Mina’s home, and she approached it now, quietly, coming up to the back gate.
A light was on inside, and she saw a woman standing by a window, looking at a TV, combing her hair. It was short, dark hair, and Olivia recognized her at once from the photo. Mina.
Olivia felt nauseous at the sight. But she forced herself to press on. She shouldn’t blame Mina, not yet. Maybe, after all, she hadn’t known either?
Olivia let herself in through the gate, approached the front door, and her heart beat faster. Would Mina let her in? Throw her out? Call the police?
And what, after all, would Olivia say to her? Did you kill Todd? Maybe this was a bad idea.
Should Olivia just turn around now? But there was nowhere else to go, no turning back.
Olivia summoned her courage and rang the bell.
Footsteps inside, and then the door opened.
The woman across from her stared back in shock. Mina had dark hair, bluntly cut around her face, and was tall, willowy, and extremely attractive as all of Todd’s women were. Dressed in jeans and a tie-dye T-shirt, she stared at Olivia, her huge eyes looking stunned. They darted around as if wondering where she was.
“Mina?” Olivia asked.
Mina narrowed her eyes. “I recognize you from the papers,” she said, looking Olivia up and down. “I thought you’d be prettier.”
Olivia felt the sting of her words, but forced herself to stay focused. “I need to talk to you,” she said.
But Mina shook her head and began to close the door.
Olivia stuck her foot in at the last moment.
Mina glared. “Do you want me to call the police?” she snapped.
“I need to find Todd’s killer,” Olivia said. “We both do. Please.”
Mina scowled. “What you really mean to say is that you need to find out if I killed him,” she said. “You suspect me. The cops suspect me. Everyone does. But I’ll tell you right now: the answer is no. I didn’t love Todd enough to kill him. There was a time that I did. But not after I found out about the other women.”
Olivia watched her closely, and as she examined her, she felt that Mina was genuine.
“I am not here to accuse you,” Olivia said. “I’ve been accused myself. I’m here because I need answers.”
Mina seemed to finally relent. She released the door and opened it wider. But she didn’t invite Olivia in.
“We can talk here,” she said.
Olivia nodded. That was good enough.
“You’re bold to show up here,” Mina said. “You’re the woman Todd got engaged to?” Mina kept staring, as if unable to make sense of anything.
Olivia felt like a strange interloper, as if she had single-handedly stolen away the most important person in Mina’s life.
“I’m sorry,” said Olivia, “I didn’t know about you, either.”
For a moment it seemed as though Mina was going to buckle. “I’m sorry too,” she finally said.
A long silence enveloped them. Olivia noticed Mina look down at the ring.
Olivia quickly curled her hand up into a fist. She didn’t want to show the ring to Mina. It belonged to her and was from Todd. It was the only thing she had left of him.
Mina shook her head. “I can’t believe he gave that to you,” she said. “There was a time when that was all I wanted from him. Not anymore. How long were the two of you actually dating, anyway?”
“Five months.”
“Five months?” Mina scoffed. “That’s nothing. We had two years.”
Olivia felt a pit in her stomach. Would this nightmare ever end?
Mina narrowed her eyes. “How long were you engaged?”
We got engaged just a few hours before Todd died,” Olivia answered sadly.
“And you think you were actually going to get married?” Mina became upset.
“Yes, we were,” said Olivia softly.
“Did you set a date?” Mina breathed.
Olivia faltered. “We…it was too soon,” she said.
Mina shook her head. “He never would have set a date, you know,” she said. “He would have called it off eventually. And asked for the ring back. Or maybe he would have let you keep it. It was the game he loved. He could have never allowed it to end. Dangling back and forth. Without it, he’d be nothing.”
Olivia felt a sense of anger rising, unsure whether or not Mina was purposely trying to upset her. She forced herself to stay calm.
“You say you knew there were other women?” Olivia asked.
“Of course. Everyone knew that Todd needed more than one woman,” said Mina. “He couldn’t help it. I knew it, too.”
Olivia was startled by the matter-of-fact way Mina acknowledged it. “It didn’t bother you?” she asked.
“Of course it bothered me,” said Mina, “but I loved him anyway. And it happened before. Todd would hook up with a strange woman temporarily and feel he’d found the holy grail. It never lasted long, though, just a passing fling. He’d always come back and say he’d make it up to me. And he always felt terrible. But of course, he never got engaged to anyone! Never came close, that’s taking it to a whole different level. My world is destroyed now, just like he is.”
Olivia felt sick inside. “You were hoping he would finally propose to you?”
“I wasn’t sure,” Mina said softly, “but I kept hoping, naturally.”
The pain in Mina’s voice ripped through Olivia as well. She missed Todd too and the horror of finding out about his life this way was almost more than she could bear. Olivia had no idea what she really meant to Todd anymore. It seemed as though she’d been living in a strange fantasy with him and she desperately needed to get her bearings now.
“I’d grown to accept him as he was,” Mina said then. “Why would I want to kill him? If I did, I would have done it long ago.”
“Then who?” Olivia pressed. “Who would want him dead?”
Mina shook her head, then finally sighed. “A lot of people,” she said.
Olivia was shocked. “A lot of people?”
Mina narrowed her eyes. “Do you think we were the only ones he was dishonest with?” she asked. “He pulled the same crap at work. Ripped a lot of people off. But then again, his entire company did anyway.”
Olivia felt herself break into a sweat, unsure what to think. How had she been that stupid to end up with Todd?
“I think it was someone at Todd’s company who did him in,” Mina whispered feverishly.
Olivia was transfixed. “Why do you say that? Who?”
“Todd was pushing the edges there, day after day,” Mina continued. “Late one night he was very nervous and I asked him why. He told me that his company was a mess and he couldn’t stand it. It was eating at him. I asked him if it was the offshore money laundering or the drug cartels, but he just got quiet. I begged him to tell me, but he wouldn’t speak. There are lots of people down here you don’t want to offend.”
Olivia wondered why this hadn’t come up before. “The police never mentioned drug cartels to me,” she said quickly.
Mina laughed. “You really think they would?” Mina’s lower lip started trembling. “They’re paid to keep their mouths shut! It’s a jungle here and Todd was trapped in it. I begged him lots of times to leave his job, take me with him and start all over together somewhere else. He wouldn’t. Even though his job tied him in knots, he was hooked on the intrigue and danger.”
Olivia was dumbfounded. “There isn’t anyone in law enforcement you could have mentioned this to?”
Mina stared at her. “I don’t have any evidence, it’s just what I guess. If I had evidence it would be different.”
“Someone’s go
t to get the evidence,” said Olivia.
Mina shook her head.
“You’re a minnow in a pool of sharks,” she said. “Take my advice and leave now, before they swallow you whole.”
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Olivia left Mina’s feeling more confused than ever. The cab she was in raced through the night as she wondered where to turn next. Olivia felt certain of two things though: Mina had not killed Todd. Something afoul in his company did.
Yet proving that was the tricky part. Olivia knew the company was implicated, especially Frank, and yet she had no idea how to prove it. If the local police hadn’t been able to stop them, how could she? For all she knew the police were on their payroll.
Olivia shuddered as she drove through the streets, thinking of the people she’d spoken to. Alana had been right about the other women. She had to be right about finding Tomas’s alibi too. Olivia decided to return to the address Alana had given her for that. She had to check again.
“Turn here,” she said to the driver, as she gave the alibi’s address to him. No matter what happened, it would be good to get an innocent man out of jail.
They finally pulled up to the address. This time, as they approached, Olivia’s heart leapt. A light was on. Somebody was home.
The house was deceptively small, but as Olivia got out of the cab she could see a large, sprawling, somewhat unkempt garden in the rear. She walked the narrow lane to the front door. As she did, she noticed a few young boys sitting in the street, awake in the night, watching her with haunted eyes.
Olivia knocked and the door opened immediately to reveal a young man wearing torn jeans and a casual T-shirt. He was slender and good-looking. When he saw Olivia he seemed surprised.
“Do I know you?” he asked.
“No,” Olivia answered, short of breath.
He stared at her. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
Olivia didn’t quite know how to answer. “I’m a friend of Tomas,” she replied.
His eyes widened. “Really?” He looked skeptical.
“My name is Olivia,” she answered then softly.
“I’m Andrew,” he replied hesitantly. “Did Tomas say anything to you about me?”
“No, he didn’t,” Olivia replied. “I’m the fiancée of the man who recently got killed.”
Andrew blanched for a moment. “Oh yeah, I heard about it. Sorry, really.”
“Thank you,” said Olivia. “I want to help Tomas get free.”
Andrew frowned, was silent for a long time. “Come in,” he finally said.
The shack was even smaller on the inside than it appeared, barely a room, strewn with objects and a small cot in the corner.
Andrew sighed. “Tomas doesn’t belong in custody.”
Olivia suddenly felt enormously sad. “Why not?”
He didn’t reply.
“You were with him that night, weren’t you?” she pressed.
Looking down, he nodded.
“Why won’t you tell the police?” Olivia continued.
“Tomas asked me not to.”
“Why?”
Andrew took a deep breath, then let out a strange cry. “Because we were lovers!”
Olivia felt a rush of compassion for him.
“Tomas and I were together there the whole night long,” he added.
Olivia was taken aback.
“It would shame Tomas if it got out,” he went on. “He asked me not to tell. There’s someone else he’s also involved with. Tomas didn’t want that person to know about us.”
“But the cops need to know,” Olivia replied. “Tomas needs to go free. Isn’t it better to be free than be jailed?”
Andrew shook his head. “It’s not up to me to say.”
“But Tomas is hurting himself and he’s hurting the case,” Olivia quickly countered. “And the killer will never be found if Tomas stays in custody. Please,” she urged, “I need Tomas cleared. I need the police not to give up on finding Todd’s killer.”
Andrew shook his head slowly. “Tomas thinks things will blow over and the cops will find the real killer,” he spoke heatedly. “In fact, Tomas is positive of it.”
“Maybe they will and maybe they won’t,” Olivia insisted. “But they have a better chance of finding him if they don’t have Tomas to focus on.”
Andrew became suddenly silent.
“Don’t you agree?” asked Olivia.
“Sure, I agree,” he answered. “I told Tomas it was dumb from the start. I said, tell the cops where you were and move on. It’s not such a big deal.”
“And you have a responsibility to tell the truth,” Olivia said forcefully.
“Who are you, anyway? An undercover detective?” asked Andrew. “You sure sound like one.”
Andrew’s question stopped Olivia cold. She certainly felt that way, too. Being an undercover detective wasn’t something she’d ever planned to do, though. It was a role that had been thrust upon her. Strangely, though, she felt fully able to take it on now. She even liked it. The role satisfied a deep primal urge that Olivia never knew she had. It strengthened her, brought out a tiger sleeping within.
“I’m not an undercover detective,” Olivia corrected. “I’m a woman who needs to know what happened to the man she loved. I need the truth or I can’t go on.”
“I get that.” Andrew’s voice got softer. “I respect what you’re saying.”
“Will you talk to the police?” Olivia asked again. “We’ll keep it as quiet as possible. I’ll call a detective I know on the case, Wayne, and arrange it.”
Olivia reached out and grabbed his wrist. Please,” she said, and started to cry, “I’m begging you. Call the police. Tell them where Tomas was.”
Andrew stared at the floor, silent. Finally he looked up and met her eyes.
“They are going to want to interview me at the jail,” he said. “Will you come with me? Tomas will hate me. I am afraid to go alone.”
“I will,” Olivia promised.
Andrew nodded.
Olivia dialed. “Wayne,” she said. “I have someone here who needs to speak with you.”
Slowly, Andrew took the phone. “This is Andrew Reesman,” he said slowly, with great dignity. “I am Tomas’s alibi. You have the wrong person in jail.”
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
The moment Andrew and Olivia arrived at the police station, he grabbed her arm. “Are you sure we’re doing the right thing?” His voice suddenly became constricted. “Are they gonna start asking why I didn’t tell them sooner, read me the riot act?”
Olivia saw the fear in his eyes. “They might,” she answered, “but so what? You’re telling them now. They’ve got the wrong guy locked up and once you clear Tomas, they’ll have to let him go.”
“And what happens then?” Andrew seemed uncertain.
That was a good question, thought Olivia, and she didn’t have an answer. Who knew what waited up ahead? But one step had to lead to another. Once Tomas was free, the police would have to kick into high gear. And once the killer realized that Tomas was free he might get scared, become careless.
Olivia and Andrew walked into the station and found Wayne and Lorna waiting for them. They approached and looked at Andrew harshly.
“This is Andrew,” said Olivia, to break the tension, “Tomas’s friend.”
Olivia looked over at Andrew, who was pale and seemed as if he might change his mind and bolt at any moment. “Tell them,” she prodded.
Finally, Andrew cleared his throat. “Tomas and I were together the night Todd was killed.”
Lorna frowned. “You were, huh? This is the first time we’ve seen you, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” Andrew replied hesitantly.
“And suddenly you saw the light?” she asked. “You just decided to come in?”
Andrew fell silent, clearly unsure what to say.
“Okay, come with me, both of you!” Lorna said skeptically, throwing Wayne a strange glance as she pulled out h
er phone and sent a quick text to someone.
The room Olivia and Andrew were brought into was steely gray with small, cloudy windows and a few metal chairs. The moment she entered Olivia felt claustrophobic.
Another large police officer joined them and shut the door tight.
“So tell us again,” Wayne said, a bit more kindly. “Why didn’t you come forward before?”
Andrew hesitated. “Tomas didn’t want me to,” he continued, breathless. “He thought he would be let go way before this.”
All of them stared at Andrew intensely. “Go on!” Lorna said.
“Tomas didn’t want anyone to find out about us,” Andrew said. “Tomas and I were together at the hotel all night long when Todd was killed.”
A strange leer spread across Lorna’s face. “Well, I can understand that he wouldn’t want anyone to know.”
“That’s all you have to say about it?” Wayne asked Andrew, annoyed.
“That’s it,” Andrew replied.
“Do you have any witnesses?” Lorna pressed forward.
Andrew cleared his throat. “In fact, I do,” he said. “I have a receipt for the night. And the staff saw us check in and check out.”
Wayne and Lorna exchanged a frustrated, defeated look.
“So, Tomas wasn’t at Sketches, like he told us he was?” Lorna pushed further, taking it all in. “He lied to us, actually.”
“Tomas was there early for about an hour,” said Andrew, “then he slipped out to meet me at the hotel.”
The other officer in the room chimed in. “Okay, tell us again, why did you wait so long to come in and talk?”
“Tomas and I thought you’d find who did it and that he would be released long before this,” Andrew repeated, agitated. “When I finally realized it wasn’t happening, I had to come forth, no matter what. Tomas had nothing at all to do with Todd’s murder.”
“So who did?” Wayne zeroed in.
“I have no idea,” breathed Andrew.
Wayne took a few steps toward Andrew. “You’re ready to swear by your statement?” he asked.
“I am,” said Andrew, now trembling slightly. “And also I would really appreciate it if you could keep this as quiet as possible.”
