It's A Shame (20 page)

I laughed uproariously
, and to the surprise of the three standing in my kitchen, this went on for some time.  I was holding my sides as the cramps from my hysterical laughter pained me. Tears flowed freely from my eyes and I was having hell’s own time trying to catch my breath.  When I opened my eyes and looked down counting the pairs of feet standing in my kitchen, I realized that they were here, they were serious and meant business. I forced myself to breathe in and out slowly, deeply until I could gather my thoughts.

When I finally caught my breath I felt the heat spread from my neck up to my face.

“Sorry…I don’t know what came over me. I seem to have no control over this new reaction to stressful situations.” I took a deep breath and turned to Cole, “I most certainly do not find anything about this funny, seriously Ace.”

He
briefly looked at me. It was obvious from his facial expression that he absolutely thought I was at my breaking point.

Before he could
say anything I turned to Dean and with total clarity said, “He was here with me all night Dean. I can’t believe this. Really? Are you fucking serious right now?” My question exuded incredulity, and venom seeped into my tone. I’d had enough. 
Finito, done, cooked
.

“She was murdered two nights ago,
according to the coroner. Her body was found this morning. Maid went in to clean the room, ignoring the ‘don’t disturb’ sign that hung on the knob for two days. She was supposed to check out today.” He stood there glaring at me, shaking his head. “Check out.”

“Dean
, are you fucking serious right now?” I said repeating myself, my voice up and octave or two.

“Hey, calm down
now.” Detective Verdi stepped closer to where I stood.

“Carrie
, be quiet,” Dean commanded.

She took a step back. But I could
see she was angry with him for putting her in her place in front of us, and I, for one, didn’t blame her one bit.

“I know for a fact that you were not here
two
nights ago Cole, uhmm, Mr. Grayson.” He trailed off. Switching to the formal salutation. He glared at Cole daring him to contradict what he just said.

Cole stared at him, his gaze
unwavering.

“
You can’t seriously think I had something to do with this?” Cole said, his voice edgy.

I walked over to
where Cole stood near the burning eggs in the smoking fry pan, as a show of support. I was on the verge of losing it. I grabbed a handful of paper towels and frantically began wiping up the coffee that had sprayed across the floor. Cole grabbed a wad of paper towels and wiped up what I missed.

I
could feel my pulse throbbing in my temples, and could do little to stem my growing anger. I stood and spun around to face the pair, “I think you both need to leave. Get out of here… Get. Out. Of. Our. Home…!” the hysteria rising in my voice.

I grabbed on to Cole, wrapping my arms around him
again, as if that alone could make it all go away.  I would not let someone take away my happiness again…
No fucking way
.

“Grace
,” Cole said calmly.

“Cole
…no…stop…Dean, get out. We are going to consult our lawyer…” I told him, my grip getting tighter around his waist. He rested his hand on my arm.

“Dea
n, you know better,” Cole insisted as he loosening the grip I had on him. He took my hands in his and pulled my arms away from him, placing them down at my sides. He glanced at me, smiled weakly and stepped forward. He took a few steps closer to the pair and leaned in towards Dean.

He spoke
out of hearing range. I laughed internally as I watched Detective Verdi lean in, trying to hear what being said. Dean softly nodded, his eyes cast down, avoiding contact with mine. Minutes later Cole took a step back and put his arm around me holding me tightly to him.

“Okay…Grace…Cole…” he looked directly at Cole. “I’ll see you in an hour.” Then he spoke
in a low tone to Detective Verdi and after opening the door, followed her out.

“What the fuck
?” I spun to face Cole. “What did you say to him?”

“I told him I
’ll meet him at the station with my attorney in an hour.” Cole kissed me sternly on my forehead, turned and without explanation, walked towards the bedroom, his phone to his ear as he disappeared behind the door.

I sat dumbfounded on the stool
by the breakfast bar, mechanically sipping Cole’s coffee, which I no longer tasted. I know he was afraid for me, afraid I would crumble at the first sign of pressure. I needed to assure him that I was made of stronger stock.

Chapter
19

Several
minutes later I heard the key slip into the lock of my door. The door inched open and Michelle peered in. When she saw I was alone, she came in, shutting the door softly behind her. She walked directly to the coffee maker and poured two cups, added a couple of sugars and a little cream, then crossed over to where I sat. She placed a hot cup in front of me and took the stool on the opposite side of the breakfast bar. I realized just then I hadn’t moved from the stool since Cole disappeared into the bedroom right after the detectives left. I think I was in shock.

She
took a sip of her coffee and placed the cup down on the countertop. Without uttering a sound she stood and walked over to where I was sitting and threw her arms around me. I just buried my face in her proffered shoulder and lost it. How did I get from the euphoria of being newly engaged to the man of my dreams, the love of my life, to this, the horror of being engaged to a suspect of a murder?

“This is bullshit
, Shelle,” I managed to get out between sobs.

“I
know it is Grace. I know.”

Michelle
stood by my side as Cole walked out dressed casually in a pair of black khaki’s and a black V-necked tee shirt. He nodded to Michelle, who for some crazy reason, unknown to me, could read his telepathic message, and with his hands on my shoulders, bent over and kissed me quickly. He insisted that the interrogation was just a formality, that he would be questioned and released. His lawyer would be present and nothing would happen. He would simply tell them the truth, and they would all see it for what it was, a big mistake, nothing else.

Michelle turned and
went back into the kitchen to put on another pot of coffee to brew. I tentatively stood and walked towards the bathroom.

After I
showered and dressed in jeans and a knit top I walked out to the kitchen pouring myself a fresh cup. I added my cream and sugar and lifted the cup to my mouth, relying on the cream-colored liquid inside to wake my sleeping brain cells.

I
glanced at Michelle, who, nodded quietly and poured another cup before walking into the living room and taking her seat on the plush lounge chair, that commanded a view of the entire large open-air floor plan.

We
sat for what seemed to be an eternity without uttering a sound.

I waited on pins and needles
ready to spring at a moments notice, feeling super tense and uneasy. I could feel my hair growing. I wanted to run to the police station and stand with Cole, in case he needed me.

I tried to relax
. I had to trust him. He was a strong man and not just physically strong. He had an internal strength like no one I’ve ever known. He had survived terrible hardships, successfully making his own way in a hard world. Surely he could handle a couple of New York City detectives.

Then my thoughts came to a complete halt
…like slamming my head into a brick wall. Where is the baby? Where is Cole’s son Kyle?

I stood up and walked determinedly to my purse pulling out the cell phone inside
, and I called Franklin, my mother’s husband, who, for the past fifteen years or so, I never showed the slightest interest in getting to know. This was his field of expertise and I needed him. For the first time since my father died, I needed him.

I heard the
disingenuous tone in his voice when he answered my call.

“
Let me make a few phone calls. I’ll see what I can do Grace.” He paused, “Do me a favor, and don’t speak of this to your mother, she has been, um, frazzled since the whole episode with what that half brot…umm, hmm, Jonathan did, and I don’t want her worrying needlessly.”

“I won’t say anythi
ng Franklin, you have my word.” The guilt I felt asking for his assistance after shunning him, basically not acknowledging his existence for all these years, bore into me. “I’m sorry Franklin,” I mumbled.

“S
orry…?” he asked questioningly. “What did you say?”

“I said I’m sorry Franklin… I blamed you for my own unhappiness, when all the ti
me I caused my own. I’m sorry, I know that it doesn’t…”

“
Enough,” he cut me off. “Grace, you and I will talk but now is not the time.” He paused. “I will see what I can do to take care of this…situation and, after all the dust has settled, then we’ll talk.”  He awaited my reply. There was an uncomfortable silence that seemed to go on for a few minutes. When he received no answer from me, he interjected, “Agreed?” His question hung in the air.

“Yes…agreed…” I mumble
d.

“I will be in touch.” He hung up, and I
stood there feeling odd. I was totally uncomfortable in my own skin, holding my cell phone up to my ear.

I was n
o closer to a solution than I was before Cole left for the police station, but I was a little more relieved due to the power and influence I now had behind me. Franklin was a retired Judge, who had presided on the Supreme Court for the State of New York. He had friends in high places…very high places.

I paced the apartment, waiting for word. My head was spinning. I was trying to map out what could have happened, and
how to prove Cole was not involved in any way. I pulled a pad out of the drawer and started writing. I made a list of everything I remembered, everything Cole said to me since Lauren came to town…
He said he had gone to a bar after meeting with Lauren. What bar?

Saturday morning, Lauren surprised me here.

That night Cole told me she came to his office, but he didn’t speak with her.

The next day we were together all day.

Monday Cole went to meet Lauren
at the bar in the lobby of the Waldorf.

She told him sh
e’d had a baby…his baby.

She gave him the photographs and
a copy of the birth certificate, which he later showed to me.

He left her there
. Alive and well, needing to think—he told me—and walked the streets, trying to clear his head.

He
then slipped into a bar for two drinks.

What bar, he couldn’t remember…he was distraught

He came home 5:30 the next morning - Tuesday.

He came home to me, looking for comfort
, to forget, wanting a safe harbor…and what did I do? I asked him to leave.

He left.

Went to the Asbury and slept in his apartment there.

The next morning when I arrived to apologize
for being such a horrible girlfriend…Lauren pretended to walk out of Cole’s private elevator, knowing I was there to witness it.

I left
, angry, betrayed. Slept all day. But she was alive and well.

That night, Wednesday, I awoke to find someone had been in my apartment.
No one believed me…but I still think someone was here.

Michelle was
overly worried and called Cole who came running.

Cole came home, we made up.

We had incredible sex… Okay Grace, not helping here.

Back to thinking
…

Friday afternoon, Lauren called Cole, I answered and found out about
his son Kyle.

Again, I acted like a total ass and went to bed, closing the door behind me.

Cole slept on the couch?

That night
Lauren was murdered.

I was taping the pen on the counter, frantically trying to find the hole that would exonerate Cole…
way too much coffee!

Instead of it helping me, writing this list was confusing me more, leaving more questions that needed to be answered.  Did Cole sleep on the couch? I did find him there the next morning… the morning he proposed.
So the place to start looking is the first place we know she was alive and work our way forward. Hopefully stumbling onto something that would help us.  Ok.

“Shelle?”

“Yeah.” I could hear in her voice that she was tired.

I wish there was a place to start….

“Wait!”

Michelle spun around and looked at me. I jotted down my last note.

Is there a video of what Lauren did in the Asbury? Did she meet someone there? What did she do after leaving the Asbury?

There were cameras there, because I looked at them with Cole. That’s how I found out that she faked the whole elevator scene.
So…that’s where we look. We need to start our search here.
I was tapping the pen on the counter louder and louder.

I
stopped tapping and looked up at Michelle, who was busying herself cleaning my kitchen.

“Shelle, stop that and come here.”

Michelle put down the sponge and dried her hands off as she hurried over to where I was sitting at the dining table taking the seat next to me. I slid the notepad with my handwritten list over to her.

“This is the first lead we need to follow
,” I told her pointing my finger at the last note I wrote.

She started reading from the top.

“The police will have the Waldorf covered, and if they are anything like the cops on television, they will work from that point backwards.” I was almost giddy. “So we will start where we know, for a fact, she was alive and work forward from there.” I crossed my arms and smiled. “Well?”

“
That’s as good a place as any.” She looked up at me.

“Yeah, that’s why
we’re going to start there.”

“Wait, shouldn’t we let the police handle this
?” I actually saw doubt in her eyes.

“Are you nuts, I can’t wai
t, they are going to arrest Cole for this murder, and you know it. He’s the only one with a motive in New York City.” I was clearly talking myself into this investigation. “Michelle, she had
his
baby,” I confessed.

When I looked at Michelle
, I could see she already knew that.

“What the fuck? Am I
always the last one to find out?” I was hurt, really hurt.

“It’s not like that Grace
. Dean found out today and told me minutes before he came in here this morning.”

“Did you know about this too?” I held up my left hand and showed her the ring on my finger.

“As a matter of fact, I did.” She smiled as she reached for me. I instinctively pulled back; anger and hurt clouding my mind.

“Cole needed your ring size
. He also needed me to cover his ass while he went to visit his Aunt in Philadelphia.”

“When exactly did he do that?” I was still hurt and angry.

“Friday night, he came over and told me he had something he had to do.  Asked me to cover for him if you woke up. Said he was going to make things right.”

“Cover for him?” My curiosity peaked.
“Make things right?” A chill, like no other I’ve ever felt, ran down the length of my spine…did he have anything to do with Lauren’s murder?

I looked into Michelle’s eyes trying to see if she had the same trepidations that I had.

“Grace…I know what you’re thinking, and your wrong. He went to Philadelphia to see his aunt and get that diamond. He needed to get it to the jeweler so it could be popped into the setting.” Her tone was so resounding; I had to trust her instinct here. After all, Cole could never do something like that. He may have disliked Lauren, a lot, but she was still the mother of his son and he doesn’t have a bad bone in his body.

Michelle stood glaring at me, waiting for me to find the common sense I was born with.

I shook my head.  “You’re right. What am I thinking? Cole could never do anything like that. I can’t believe I thought that, even for a second. He could never hurt another soul. He’s such a good man.” I felt horribly guilty.

“Which is why you’re going to marry him.”

All thoughts of Cole having anything to do with Lauren’s murder flew out of my head and I looked down at my finger and smiled. “What do you think about it?” I said wriggling my fingers. I really wanted to know what she thought about his proposing. After all she was the one that told me that Cole and I were moving too fast in our relationship.