Romantic Thriller: Only Time Will Tell – A Romantic Suspense and Romantic Mystery Book: (Thriller Romance, Suspense, Mystery Romance, Suspense Romance) (13 page)

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Authors: James Kipling

BOOK: Romantic Thriller: Only Time Will Tell – A Romantic Suspense and Romantic Mystery Book: (Thriller Romance, Suspense, Mystery Romance, Suspense Romance)
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Chapter Thirty

In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved. ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

Chelsea and Dean were in the cemetery standing before her parents’ headstones. It had been a hard uphill battle for the past six weeks, but now everything was finally resolved and they were both free.

It became public knowledge that Parker was the dirty cop in the department and he was found dead in the cemetery. It was presumed that he had gone to meet one of his comrade-in-arms and got himself killed. Quincy’s story did not hold up due to DNA evidence directly linking him to the murder of Ashlee He was scheduled to go on trial soon for the murder.

The report of De Leon being dead long ago did not change and it was rumored that Galvez was still at large, hiding somewhere in the vast Arizona desert. Only Chelsea, Dean and Pierce knew the full story, including that of Dean formerly being a spy for De Leon

“Are you ready to go now?”

Looking over at Dean, she nodded. Today, they were not in the cemetery just for her parents. It was also for Ashlee Thompson’s funeral. She was being laid to rest along with her unborn child. Austin too was being buried beside them. At least there would be closure.

Stepping away from her parents’ graves, she wondered if they could sense her presence. She wanted to tell them that their deaths had ben avenged. Justice was done and that they could now rest in peace. As they walked toward where Ashley and the others were being buried, she held on to Dean’s hand and intertwined her fingers with his. Having him close to her gave her a nice warm feeling. She hoped it would always feel like this.

The people were gathering for the funeral and among them were Emma and Pierce. He was in a wheel chair. They went over to greet them.

“So how are you two doing?” At least, Pierce was smiling.

“Couldn’t be better,” Dean told him.

“Good. So have either of you made a decision about your future?”

Chelsea hesitated. Making a decision about her future was not going to be easy, especially since she had a secret that no one, other than Cara, knew about. She did not yet know how to tell anyone because she had never imagined herself in the situation.

Finally she said “I think I am going to resign. There has to be something else out there for me.”

“I feel the same way,” Dean added.

Things were not the same among them after the case came to an end. Dean no longer felt comfortable working with Pierce since he knew so much about him. He was thinking of going into the automotive field. Pierce still worked as a cop but now had a regular desk job which left him more time to spend at home with Emma and the children. Emma was happy about this. Chelsea had lost her passion for Homicide and wanted to work in the child protective services.

“I wish you both the best of luck,” Pierce said. Then turning to Dean he asked, “Would you mind if I spoke to Chelsea in private?”

“Not at all,” Dean replied.

After he left, Pierce said, “First of all, I want to offer my congratulations. Cara cannot keep a secret. I hope it’s a boy. And secondly, you are completely in the clear. No one is ever going to find out what happened six weeks ago. You are safe and so is Dean, you can tell him.”

“Thank you.”

“You’ve got what you wanted,” he said. “Or at least I hope so. And there is one other thing. Your uncle is being released on Monday. I pulled a few strings and hopefully you can set him on the right track.”

“I’ll try, but remember, people can change, but only if they really want to.”

“Dean proved that,” he said, motioning towards him. “You’ve turned him into something I am sure he never thought he could be.”

“I am proud of him.”

“Good,” Pierce said, smiling.

Chelsea left feeling that a door in her life was closing, and she did not mind. She would miss working with Pierce, but she looked forward to her new job. However, they would stay friends as bonds forged during adversity were never easily broken.

During the funeral service, Chelsea could not help wondering what would happen if people did not take it upon themselves to murder others. To take someone’s life because he threatened to expose your wrong doing was absurd. It would be much easier, or so she thought, to just do what is right. But maybe she was no better because she had pulled the trigger and, by so doing, she committed a crime against humanity. She imagined she would live with this uncertainty and unease about her actions forever. It was a part of the price she would pay for stepping outside of the boundaries of the established justice system.

After the service, Chelsea saw Alexis, Ashlee’s mother, approaching as she was standing with Dean and Pierce. The effect of her daughter’s death was obvious. Her skin was pale, her face drawn and she looked extremely fragile overall.

She stopped beside Chelsea, “You found the man who killed my daughter and I will be forever grateful, but no one will tell me why my daughter had to die.”

The three of them looked from one to the other. It was Chelsea who spoke.

“Your daughter died because she unwittingly crossed the path of a dangerous man. She never knew that though, and she paid for her ignorance with her life.”

“I want him dead.”

“The trial will start soon and we’ll make sure that he pays for the life of your loved one and others like her.” She pointed at the caskets lying before them.

“I know there will always be bad people in this world and good people who suffer. Thank you for what you have done for me and for everyone else too.”

The three of them watched as tears began to stream down her cheek and Chelsea knew exactly how she was feeling as she remembered the loss of her parents. Mrs. Thompson was now all alone because she had lost her husband, only daughter, and her future grandchild. It was hard to lose one loved one, much less three. She was badly in need of some sort of consolation.

Chelsea looked at Dean and Carson and they seemed to sense what she wanted to do. She began walking to catch up with Mrs. Thompson.

“Alexis,” she said.

The older woman turned around, her eyes were puffy and she had pink splotches on her face.

“I know how hard it is to have everything you love taken away from you. It comes without warning and it is heartbreaking. You go through every day wondering what you did to deserve this suffering, and you did nothing.”

“That is very touching and nice, but nothing you say now is going to change the past.”

“I know it won’t, but I want you to know that you are not alone. My mother and father were brutally murdered when I was a child. So I know and understand the pain of loss. I just want you to know that if you ever needed someone to talk to, then you can call me anytime.”

A grateful Mrs. Thompson took the card she offered.

“Thank you,” she said as she embraced her.

Chelsea stood watching Mrs. Thompson disappear into the crowd. She felt happy when Dean came and wrapped his arms around her. She hoped that one day, Mrs. Thompson’s wounds would heal even as hers were beginning to do.

She was learning that life sometimes took you through some very dark places but if you keep the doors of hope open to the possibility for happiness, you will certainly find it.

 

The End

Thank You Most Sincerely for Your Help

I hope you enjoyed this story and would love to know what you thought about it. If you have a moment to spare, I would appreciate it if you could leave a review of this book at Amazon. Your opinion goes a long way in helping others decide if a book is for them.

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Thank you so much.

James

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