Bab 29: Chapter Twenty-Nine: Olivia
I walked into the police station with Regina by my side. It seemed like today was a busy day because there weren't that many officers on ground.
Regina was fidgeting with her jacket and her gaze was cast on the floor. I reached out and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "Hey, it's okay, you have nothing to be worried about," I said.
She forced a small smile. I was about to make my way past an officer's desk when he called out. "Sorry, how may we help you?"
I raised my head to face him. "Oh, um. I'd like to speak with Kate."
"Detective Kate?"
I nodded, pressing my lips. "It's about the case, Regina has something to say to Kate."
The man looked between us with a slight hint of doubtfulness. "I'll go get her," his voice dragged as he sluggishly rose from his desk.
With a huff I folded my arms, waiting impatiently for her to come out. Shortly after, he returned and Kate was behind him.
Her hands were tucked into the pockets of her office pants. "This better be important Mrs. Bianca, I have a lot on my table today."
Regina and I followed her to her office. She gestured for us to have our seats as she sat down in front of her desk. She leaned forward, propping her elbows against the table.
"So tell me, what's this about?"
Regina shifted on her seat. "That man that came to attack me, he's the same man that I saw Grace talking with 6 years ago."
I could tell that Kate was invested because her expression morphed into one of intrigue. "What do you mean talking to? You're saying that this man and Grace knew each other?"
She confirmed this with a quick nod. "I had no idea what they were talking about at the time, maybe it was negotiations since Grace had lied for them."
"So if he and Grace knew each other why would he come back and kill her?"
"She's working for someone, a man and I think it's Aiden."
Kate's face fell. "Bianca, can I tell you something as an expert in crimes and as an acquaintance?"
"Sure," I said, open to hear what she had to say.
"You're letting your grievances with Aiden get in the way of your better judgment."
Her words hit me like a blow. "W- what do you mean? Are you trying to say that we're lying? That Regina is lying?"
She lowered her head with a sigh, resting the bridge of her nose against her fingers. "No, I believe you, I believe in what Regina has to say 100%. What I don't believe is that Aiden is the man behind all of this."
Kate got up and then began to pace. "I know I am supposed to investigate Grace's murder, but I can't investigate that in isolation without understanding the context of everything. So I did some digging, found out a little bit more about you and Aiden and the people surrounding you."
"And?"
"And I realized that he wasn't the one that wanted you dead. If you wanted to kill you, he had all the time he was married to you to do that."
I shook my head in defiance. "Yes I know, but that night he cheated on me with somebody and he probably wanted to kill me so he could be with her. I came home that night, I caught him in the act."
She faced me. "You caught him in bed with another woman?"
"I didn't have to get to the bedroom, I could hear their moans all the way from the hallway."
Kate twisted her lips and nodded in acknowledgement. "So let's say he wanted to kill you so he could marry his mistress, who would that be, your sister? Do you really think your sister and your husband would connive to kill you?"
"I think anything is possible, before that night I would never have believed anyone if they told me Aiden was cheating on me, but he was. So who's to say him trying to have me murdered is impossible?"
She sat down and crossed her legs, connecting her fingers to their equivalent on her other hand as she thought. "If they wanted you out of the picture so they could get married, why didn't they just get a divorce? Why straight up murder? And you said it yourself that you never got to the bedroom, so you're not even 100% certain if your sister was the one in the room with him that night. It also means that they didn't see you that night. Am I correct?"
I swallowed. "Yes."
"You want to know what all this tells me? All this tells me is that somebody else is trying to kill you."
Truly I began to see reason and understand her point. Perhaps it wasn't Aiden that was orchestrating all this after all.
"Then who? I don't have any enemies, my life is pretty simple and straightforward."
"That's exactly what I'm trying to find out, if we catch the person who killed Grace, that man, then will be able to trace down who he's working for."
Kate bent down as if to retrieve something from underneath her desk. She brought out a piece of paper and slid it towards us.
"Does this look familiar?'' she asked Regina. I was a bit confused at first, but when I saw the recognition flash in Regina's eyes I knew.
"Yes, yes that's him," she whispered.
"The police chief got a good look at his face, and the sketch artist was able to draw this from the description."
I took a good look at the picture. It did look familiar. Now it was like my memories unlocked with the clearer image of his face.
I remembered seeing him that day holding me and throwing me into the river. I remember seeing him when I was stepping on the gas to run him over so he wouldn't shoot Regina.
"He is the same man that tried to kill me that night years ago."
"Okay, I need you two to stay safe. We're working tirelessly to find this man. We're going to have this image published everywhere, newspapers, news, he'll soon be caught."
With that, Regina and I left the station. When we got home she headed straight to her room while I made my way to the master bedroom.
"Oh honey, you're home."
"Yeah the court hearing was adjourned till Wednesday so I just stayed back with the kids."
I dropped my bag on the bed and began to take off my clothes. "By the way, this came in for you."
He had an envelope in between his fingers and he extended it towards me.
A flight frown formed on my face as I collected the envelope from him. I wasn't expecting anything.
The seal was still intact which meant he hadn't opened it. I opened the envelope and retrieved the card that was inside.
"What's that?"
My blood began to boil. "It's an invitation to a gala hosted by Ava." Without thinking twice, I stomped towards the trash can and dumped it in there.
I exhaled. "She did this intentionally to get on my nerves," I muttered as he pulled me into a hug, raking his fingers through my hair to calm me.
After changing to my comfortable curtain nightgown, I brought out my laptop and began to do some work.
It wasn't even up to an hour before my phone started ringing. I checked to see who was calling and it was Michelle.
Excitement spread on my face as I accepted the call with new found eagerness. "Hello?! Michelle? Oh my God how are you, it's been a while."
"Yeah I know, save the pleasantries for later, right now I have something important to tell you. You're in New York right?"
I raised an eyebrow, "yeah, why?"
"Remember Antonio DeLuca? The man you were
practically chasing around in France?"
"Yes of course, how could I forget? I even got soaked in rain one time while I was rushing to the office. What's up with him?
She paused for a moment and I thought I'd lost her. "Well Collins just told me that his friend told him that Antonio DeLuca is in New York."
Antonio was a very secretive man, extremely difficult to schedule a meeting with. He came from a family of wealth, old money as they call it.
The DeLuca family was very influential and everybody wanted to partner with him. Including me.
I spent almost an entire year trying to schedule a meeting with him but it just kept getting postponed, not even Liam's connections could secure me a proper meeting.
"No way," I breathed.
"Yes way, and what's more, I heard he went to New York to attend a gala, something about the glamor for good gala, so if you can get yourself an invite to that gala, it would be great. You know Antonio doesn't stay in one place for too long."
My eyes almost popped out of their sockets, that was Ava's gala. I spaced out.
"H-hello? Are you there?" Her voice rang.
"I-I'll call you back." I hung up. I turned around and slowly made my way back to the trash can, grabbing the invite and lifting it up.
If Michelle was right and Antonio was going to be in this gala, then I had to be there.
Hadiah
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