~ SHEILA ~
Some week's pasts since the encounter with the Shanon girls. I had Sussie run by the deleted texts messages and as I predicted, there were loop holes. That relationship had been going on for the pasts two years now and you couldn't tell me a dark house and midnight sneak ins were the only convenient methods of meet ups.
I checked in with the hotel they frequented on special days. They didn't even use their real names either. I thought hotels today register their guests with their ID's.
I asked for the physical description of the people carrying those fake names. Luckily, Tracy always left an impression enough to get anyone to remember her. The receptionist described her accurately. The man she brought fit the same description as Michelle described. This was getting both irritating and scary at the same time. I was in no position to start handling this? Did Ben have a twin? Keeping the emotional consequences of what this will mean aside, my Lawyer instincts could not align this piece of evidence with what happened the day before her murder. Ben was with me throughout the day. Under no circumstance can this even be possible.
"There must be some form of way through which they made payments for their bookings"
"Oh yes, we take only credit cards. Let me check the records for these dates then get back you"
While waiting for the information, a whirlwind of thoughts crashed my mind. How could Ben do something like that? It couldn't be possible. Ben never even liked Tracy then maintaining a relationship for two years….and then killing. Killing her? Ben could never kill anybody. I refuse to allow such a thought make a home in my mind. The receptionists came back in with the home records. To my dismay and unexplainable relief, all the payments were made with Tracy's card.
"Ok thank you. That will be all"
"No problem. If you need any more help, I could give you the manager's number and you get to her. You know I really liked that girl…very chatty…unlike the arrogant bastards I'm used to"
"Huhh…everybody did…thanks but that will be ok"
…
"I know you missed me, it's been what? Three weeks?" Sussie peered up at me from her Mac Laptop.
"Loss count and didn't feel bad about it" I raised my brow in explanation for that remark.
"I mean the company is certainly a hot one, so I don't mind, no woman in her right sexually active mind would"
My eyes certainly rolled at that.
"Have this checked. I want all the account transactions performed with this account numbers"
"Okie Dopie but before heading to the bank, the paper work you wanted from the forensic artists is here. You know when I saw the sketch I almost gaggled; he has an unkindly resemblance to Ben"
My heart skipped a bit at the sound of that. She had a good laugh at her own sarcasm until she noticed my body countenance. Removing her computer lenses that always hung three inches from her eyes when she typed furiously on her keyboard, she whispered.
"Sheila…..what's going on"?
"Thanks for this. Just get this done fast and bring to my office"
"Sheila…..is there something you need to tell me? How is the case going?"
She followed me into my office, living all her paper work tossed on her desks.
"I'm serious girl. Now spill. What's going on?"
She closed the door behind her and walked haphazardly to take a sit. Her legs still shaking from the fear of the thought that it might be true.
"Sussie look, I have a full desks ok"
"The lead you said you had, what did they say"
"SUSSIE!"
I couldn't take any of this anymore. Let the girl just let it be.
"Sorry…just asking. No need for the-"
"Just do the work I asked alright!" I knew I sounded rude but I didn't mean to. It was one of these moments you say something first without thinking of its consequences.
"Ok…ok". I watched her live my office with a mixture of shock and hurt on her face. I need a drink if I'm to get through this day.
~ PETE ~
I moved two steps ahead for the case. Mrs Lori said specifically that the gentle man-if we can call that one usually parked his car behind her apartment meaning he had to have driven through the driveway before parking there. The motherfucker was definitely smart; I will give that to him. Finding a CCTV tape on that side of the street was no easy tasks. The distorted one we found had very blurry images of him. To top it off, he was always in caps and removed them when he got to Tracy's door. Michelle's description was spot on. I took a few screenshots of the half shown bearded face whenever he alighted from the vehicle, assessed the way he walked. He must have had ….he always had to shake his left foot whenever he came out of the vehicle, six and a half to seven feet tall and oh, he was a brunette . Boy was the dude also a romantic; brought flowers for most of the time he visited. It's ironic how none of those stayed at her apartment. If he was truly Sheila's husband, then it was understandable why. The Florist would be another lead. All I need to do now was put a face to the Felon.
My mind drifted to Sheila. I didn't tell her about getting another testimony from Lori or Heather and I certainly couldn't tell her this as well until I am a hundred per cent sure of it. At moments like this, it would take prove without all reasonable doubt to get an emotionally invested person to believe this. I have never met the dude but no man is beyond cheating. Hell I have a six year relationship at home and yet I can't wait to get up every day to come meet Sheila and the darker depths of this case has just fuelled that vile desire.
It was quite late when I arrived at the firm to deposit the case files of new evidence. I saw her BMW parked outside. She was still at work, at past eight? Odd….
I went to check in on her and there she was, buried seriously in whatever shit she was handling. Hot flash evident on her forehead, I've been noticing a lot of that these days. I think she might be coming up with a fever from the stress of this case but pretending to be ok. She was always like that, pretending to be tough even when she needed a break. I also noticed something else since we talked with Michelle. She's been unusually distant. Even when completely enclosed in that paper work, she still looked completely detached from it and in her own world. I knocked the glass door twice.
"You scared me" She shook fervently from whatever world she was in before I came.
"You know the time?"
"Yeah" she didn't glance at the stop watch on her desks or the wall. So she did know the time and she knew these were unholy hours to be here.
"Ok…what are you working on?"
"WORK…"
"I know…what's work?"
She tried forcing a smile
"A pro-bono"
Ok….at least she was looking for a distraction.
"Ok"
"What's the Ok for?"
"Ok as in Ok..."
"Yeah but the Ok was soooo…..sarcastic…"
"What do you mean by sarcastic. I said Ok…Ok I'm happy you're investing your time in other thin-"
A call came in for her. She ignored it, from her body countenance, it wasn't the first time. I woke up to see who was calling the third time her monitor lid up and the caller ID read 'Love' .
She didn't flinch while I picked up her phone. She just continued working on the paper work. I went back to my sit and watched her ignore the fourth and fifth calls.
"You know he has every right to be worried. It's getting late Sheila."
She waited for some time before answering.
"He will be fine"
"Nope he wouldn't". I woke up from my seat and raced to seize the pen from her hands. This was not the way to cure the hurting. We weren't even sure it was him yet. "I'm taking you home and we're getting you meds for that fever on the way"
Waiting for her to retaliate as usual or give me a scolding on how I should never do that again, she surprised me by doing quite the opposite. After a brief exhale, she packed the sheets of paper scattered on her desks quietly. I wanted to say more. Comfort her with a pep talk on how she shouldn't jump into conclusions but I sat quiet understandably and just watched her wallow silently in her grief. She was a lawyer and she has that intuitive feeling we are close to closing this case soon. She was like this because she believed it even if she didn't want to admit. The pen I seized from her hands slipped from mine lost to the chaos of my wandering thoughts. We both bent to pick it up when our heads accidentally collided. Jerking up from the impact, the emotion that followed left us completely flustered or at least me. For the first time in four weeks, she didn't fight it. She just stared and gave in to the whirlwind of emotions that filed the air-tight atmosphere-at that moment as we gazed into each other's eyes. The green in her eyes were more forests than I remembered. I gazed again at that well defined jawline. Her temples never looked more beautiful, even up-close. Memories of that youthful beautiful face flashed in my lustful mind. Thoughts of what I used to do to her when we were up close like made my dick twitch. I remembered and felt everything like it was yesterday. Without realizing it, my hand betrayed the warning reasoning in my head and went for her cheeks. She didn't flinch. That responds encouraged me further. I remembered how soft that heavenly jawline felt and those lips…those full fleshy lips pouting vigorously at me, sending me an invite; an invite to taste and fuck did I remember how they tasted. Divine! Again my stupid body completely ignored the shouting voice in my head telling me this was a big mistake. I leaned in slowly, waiting to receive some form of permission from her before going in. I tore my eyes from those lips back to those gypsy green eyes. I couldn't completely read them but in the mix of whatever emotion that was there, I saw acceptance. Good. My eyes moved back to those pouting lips. I slowly leaned in closer, savouring every moment with each step, fearing this might be one of those fantasies I had about us all those nights when we were not together and she may slap me any moment into reality. When our lips touched, it reminded me this wasn't one. The kiss was light at first then it became intense…just like I remembered it; hungry, raw and vigorous.
"Mrs Graine"! Bloody hell we are fucked!!
"Yes chief" the embarrassment on our faces were evident even to the blind. Sheila kept fidgeting with her shirt like we were caught having sex. Relax woman it was just a kiss. I straightened up confidently from the desks and went to meet Bustaine. "I was just about taking my live".
"You certainly were…." If this man had any contempt for me before, it quadrupled today. He's eyes moved from me to Sheila in split seconds. The pale grey eyes pointing daggers at me and disappointment at Sheila. I would probably get sent back soon. Walking half-way out the door after by-passing Bustaine, I turned back to her.
"Go home….and don't forget the meds"
She nodded slightly still drenched in shame from what just happened.
~ SHEILA ~
My mind was fucked up. It had to be! Cheating on Ben wasn't the solution to an unresolved case. There isn't even a shred of prove aside from some stupid college student testimony and I was already out here doing the same thing I was mad about to him. A lot has been going through my mind these pasts four weeks. I thought the pro-bono could take it off or even completely ignoring the case but that wasn't working either and I was doing a bad job at hiding it. Ben noticed it too but couldn't place his hands on the problem. We haven't been saying much for weeks. I tolerated his presence most times. Even his kisses and pecks felt like betrayal and when he tried touching me, I imagine his hands doing the same to Tracy. The bile in my belly turned at the thought of that and I found myself unconsciously repelling.
I hope he finally fell asleep. The state I am in now, I was in no shape for a fight. I might say things I won't be able to take back. Tearing my eyes from the road, I glanced through my phone in the glove compartment. I doubt he would be able to have any shut eye, if he could go all the way to get Bustaine to check up on me, he probably exhausted all his options and is probably panicking right now.
Liquid from my forehead dropped to my thigh and I remembered the last thing Pete said. I don't know if this hot flash was from the fever or my conscience punishing me with anxiety.
I looked for a convenient parking space near the pharmacy's parking lawn.
"So you're still breathing….good to know Ben has finally given up errand boy duties. Toast to a sweeter marriage, don't you think"
"Missed you too Mitch, how did today run by"
"Ohhh….same old…still finding it difficult accepting I will die in this boring profession"
"Give it time"
"Mmmmmm, ok darling it's that bad?" he pointed at the heavy sweat pumps on my forehead. Yes darling, it's that bad. Mitch went into the store room and brought back two branded plastic bags and a receipt placing them on the counter. I removed my credit card to make payment when I glanced through it. There were the normal aspirins and acetaminophen for fever and another drug; Rohypnol
"Sorry Mitch, what are these for"?
"The usual's" he said in his usual melancholy tone.
"Uhhhhh I've never ordered this drug"
"Well then it's for Ben. He's stopped getting them now for nearly a month."
"Ben's sick"?
"No sweetheart, he just has a hard time dozing off around you"
"These are sleeping pills? Ben doesn't need sleeping pills trust me.."
"How would you know? You're hardly around him" I frowned at that statement. Mitch was that type of annoying family member that ran their mouth as the pleased without giving two shits who they hurt in the process but realization suddenly dawned on me. If Ben actually did have an affair with my best friend right under my nose and was capable of killing her, then I truly knew nothing about him.
"What...honey I know your son's closing schedule more than you do ok…." He swiped my card via the ATM machine completely ignoring the reason for this conversation; to avoid paying for the extra drug.
"Ben doesn't need sleeping pills Mitch. Trust me, he sleeps like a rock"
"Of course…, because of the pills" he's tone was sarcastic again then continued "What I never understood was why choose dangerous types like these ones. These are rape drugs. I just concluded either the insomnia is that bad or you guys are on some nasty kinky shit!"
Insomnia? Rape drugs? Ok….slow down.
"What do you mean by dangerous sleeping pills or rape drugs?"
"Well…they aren't really sleeping pills per say. More like completely knock-out drugs. Honey it past nine ok….stop boring my counter. There's internet for this….look the shit up…things I hate about this job". He retired back to the store room after bidding me goodbye. I held the two plastic bags as I walked to the car still in complete wonder. The only conclusion I could draw from this was Mitch was right, there are a lot of things I need to know about Ben.