Ten
-Every murderer is probably somebody's old friend- (Agatha Christie)
Gwen tossed and turned in her bed. Something didn't feel quite right. It felt as if something was missing, but she couldn't see what it was. While sleeping, she took her hand and felt to see if her pillow or covers were missing, they weren't. She knew that her clothes weren't missing. They were on the floor following a round of wild sex with Trent a few hours prior, the sheets covering their naked bodies after it was over and while they fell into a bliss peaceful dreamlike sleep.
Trent, that was who was missing. Gwen shot up when she couldn't feel Trent's body next to her. She felt around the bed, checking to see if he had moved a bit further out of her arm's reach. No such a luck. She raised her head up and saw him sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, oblivious to putting on any clothes and watching something on his computer.
"Oh, he better not be doing what I think he's doing." Gwen thought to herself while getting out of bed. She checked the clock on the nightstand, seeing that it read 3:17 AM. She walked up to Trent, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Hey, shouldn't you be sleeping?" He asked.
"I was asleep until I couldn't feel you." She replied. "What are you doing?"
"I'm just watching some interviews online that Cody and Heather done several years ago."
Gwen was taken back by what Trent said. Oh, I thought you were, well-"
"Oh come on Gwen!" Trent pointed out. "I'd never do that, not especially if you was in the room asleep. Besides, I have a wonderful pleasurable woman who can do more than what they do in front of a computer screen."
"Well at least I feel assured that you weren't up to doing that, Trent, but why are you watching old interviews of Cody and Heather?"
"Well, ever since we heard about the girls being in the hospital, I've can't help but wonder if this so-called 'feud' with him has gone on long enough."
"You think so?"
"Oh come on! It's not like this was my idea in the first place. Harold insisted that we do this since he thought that it would make a good publicity stunt for our image, but instead, it's backfired in our faces. It's gotten so bad that I'm just about ready to fire him from the band."
"Well, what would you do if that was to occur?" Gwen asked.
"I honestly have no idea, but that's beside the point right now. What I'm getting at is that we both have some issues between Cody and Heather and after hearing that she almost died, I want to bury the hatchet with them." Said Trent.
"I know that you want to make things right with Cody, and so do I; but Heather, that's a glass house I don't like throwing stones at."
"I know you two don't have the best history together, and I'm in the same boat with you, but haven't you been convinced that she's truly changed? How about when you saw her affections during the concert? Didn't you convince you?"
"It could've been an act you know."
"Trust me, honey, that wasn't an act since I could tell the way her eyes twinkled when she was Cody that her affections were real."
"Okay, you got me there. She might be nice toward Cody, but how do I really know that she's not the same person that she was ten years ago?"
"Well, what will convince you to change your mind? Maybe the interview segment I was about to play before you woke up?"
"I guess. Let's just see how this goes." Gwen commented while Trent pushed play on his computer.
"And welcome back! As you guys can see, we have Cody and Heather Anderson, the duo of singers otherwise known as Birds of Paradise. Now before the break, we were discussing their time on the former reality television show series, Total Drama, and how their time on there lead them to where they are at now." The host paused for a moment. "Now, have you both changed from how you were ten years ago, and if so, how did this come about, do you enjoy your new self, and do you have any regrets of your old self or of some of the things you've done?"
"Well, I don't think I've changed that much," Cody remarked. "I was a nice guy when I was on the show, but I will admit that I had some cringe-worthy moments, but you all know about that already and I wouldn't want to bore you to tears by repeating myself. However, I've matured a lot. I'm no longer a guy who wants to charm the pants off of every woman, I give people their personal space when they need it, and I've come to realize that it took me being a fool on national television to realize that, but I wouldn't change anything for the world."
While the audience applauded Cody, the host asked, "How about you Heather?"
"Now I may be a case study for those who doubt that people can change." Heather acknowledged. "I remember that during the show, I was one of the most ruthless people ever. I manipulated my way to the final three in the first season, only for it to come back and haunt me the following season. I guess this came about from reflecting on the past and coming to terms with a lot of things I did- manipulating Lindsay and Beth into thinking they would make it to the finale with me, only to dump them when they had served their purpose, using my charms to destroy relationships while advancing my way to the top of the game, making enemies with all of the people who were fan favorites, and so forth."
"So do you both enjoy yourselves after you started to change?"
"Well of course!" They both answered.
"Do you both have any regrets about how you used to act?"
"Naturally. I regret acting the way I did toward the ladies. But other than lamenting on that portion of my past, I don't have any regrets. I've learned not to act like a dude who just wants to get in bed with a woman and see all of my fantasies come true- not that I have any!"
While the audience broke out laughing, Heather gave Cody one of those, "One word out of you and I'll not give you any later on" looks. Cody knew that he almost had a major slip up. When it came to his love life with Heather, he always knew never to step out of line since he always enjoyed sex, though Heather often found ways to make him miserable whenever he made a mammoth mistake, but not getting any was the worst punishment of them all. That punishment, in particular, often made him so miserable that he had to get down on his knees and literally beg for Heather's forgiveness.
"I actually do have one regret, one major regret."
"And what would that be, Heather?"
"I regret acting the way I did toward Gwen and Trent. I was already Gwen's main antagonist, but stooping low enough as to try and mess with her relationship with Trent was the worst thing on my part. I was just so full of anger, so full of hostilities toward her due to the pain that she caused me that I thought that if she could fell the way I felt, that we would be even. However, instead of feeling relieved when it was done, I felt worse than what I did prior to doing it. I guess you could say I felt remorse since I could see how they looked within their eyes that they were genuine lovers with one another, and that was something I wanted, but never received due to my rather cold outward appearance."
"Would you go back and change this in a heartbeat?"
"Absolutely. I guess, in a way, doing what I did toward Gwen was out of mere spite since we never had the chance to understand each other before we basically declared open war on each other. I lament the fact that she probably will despise me for the rest of my life, but if you and Trent ever hear this," Heather paused to wipe the tears from her eyes, "I apologize from the bottom of my heart for all of the evil things I did. I hope to formally bury the hatchet someday and extend an olive branch to you both. I know that Cody would want it since he's been hurt by you both shunning him due to our marriage, but we don't hold that against either of you."
Trent stopped the video and looked at his wife. Gwen had tears in her eyes, finally realizing that Heather had indeed changed. Oh, what a fool she felt like! Gwen had assumed that Heather was just the same old manipulative deceiving woman that she was on the show, but thinking about the interview, about the concert, about the day at the pool made her realize that Heather had matured and developed into a true woman.
"How could I've been so wrong?" Gwen asked. "I-"
"I know. We both were wrong." Trent implied. "We both had a false perception within our minds, but now are you convinced that Heather has changed?"
"Oh yes, absolutely. How are we going to apologize to them?"
"I don't know. I'd rather wait until tomorrow and think about it."
"I agree since it's getting late and we should get some sleep."
Trent closed his laptop and headed back to bed, but before he got in, he kissed Gwen, who pressed against him. Instead of laying down to sleep, they laid down on the bed, kissing and holding each other, starting the steps to another round of passionate affection. Sleep could wait. Love making couldn't.
Upon returning to the resort several days later, Cody, Heather, and Leshawna noticed that security had increased massively ever since Sierra nearly assassinated two contestants and kidnapped a third. From the boat, they could see snipers stationed on the roof and armed guards at the dock, the entrance to the hotel, the entrance to the pool- all throughout the hotel.
As they embarked off of the boat, Cody and Heather saw Mr. Miller walking down the dock toward them. "Welcome back guys. I'm glad to see that you've recovered."
"Not necessarily recovered," Heather remarked. "Leshawna and I were fine enough to be released since there's no chance of us dying now, but the doctors still recommend a few days of rest for the both of us."
"I'll tell the staff to bring you both up all of your meals and to see to your needs." Mr. Miller commented.
"Mr. Miller, this has undoubtedly has made Heather and myself quite afraid for our lives. I don't think we can return to our old suite since that might affect us psychologically. So can we get transferred to a new suite?" Cody asked.
"I'll see to it. I'll make sure you guys get a new suite and have all of your stuff moved in." He replied.
"Well, what about all of this security personnel ya know? Will be safe from any more potential attacks on us?" Leshawna implied.
"Oh yes. We've had the Toronto Police Department send over troops and supply our guards with more secure weaponry. We're posting two guards outside each of your rooms, and we're enforcing a lockdown each night starting at 11:00 P.M. We're also having two investigators from the department arriving tomorrow and they'll be staying here several days, trying to figure out what happened and how this even occurred in the first place."
''That's a lot of police and protocol for only an assassination attempt,'' Cody noted.
''Only the best for our showmakers. No matter the cost.'' Mr. Miller answered, the choice of words implying plenty to the others.
"At least it's good that we'll have some security persona around. Maybe I can sleep some tonight." Cody groaned.
"I hope so too. You've spent the past four nights hardly sleeping at all, Cody. Except for bathroom breaks and wanting something to eat, you've stayed by my side the whole time."
"Well, sweetheart. I was afraid of losing you. I couldn't imagine our children having to grow up without their mother. I didn't want to take any chances of sleeping and then waking up only to see you gone." Cody expressed, casting a sideways glance to his wife as he held her hand.
"Trust me, honey. It'll take a lot more than that Amazonian to get rid of me."
"Say, Leshawna, did Harold ever visit you when you guys were in the hospital?" Asked Mr. Miller.
"Uh, no. I was Heather and Cody the whole time and we never once saw him." Replied Leshawna.
"Huh, that's weird. He went to Toronto last evening, telling one of the staff members that he was going to see you and he returned a few hours later."
"Well, I'll make sure to have a nice chit-chat with him about that once when we get inside."
After Mr. Miller introduced the three of them to the new security guards at the front door, the guards told them that their safety would be their number one concern and that if they needed anything to just let them know.
Upon entering the hotel, several of the contestants ran up to Leshawna and hugged her, glad to see that she was okay. Cody and Heather entered a few moments later, and several others ran up to greet them.
"Dudes! I'm glad to see you're doing alright!" Geoff exclaimed.
"Uh, gee, thanks?" Questioned Heather, either not knowing how to respond to Geoff or completely shocked that he was concerned for her well being.
"I can understand your shock since this whole thing has affected all of us in some way," Bridgette added. "Hopefully any resentment any of us have toward each other can be wiped cleaned and a new slate can begin."
"Well thank you, Bridgette. I really appreciate hearing that from you."
"Say, why don't we have lunch sometime soon?" Cody suggested optimistically. "Hearing that calls for a special celebration I think."
"How about today, dudes?" Geoff excitably added.
"Oh no, I can't do today since Leshawna and I have doctor's orders to rest for a few days and to not do many activities since our bruises need to heal. We also have to a new suite since Mr. Miller has told us that our room is a crime scene and is taped off, but we'll be able to get our stuff transferred." Heather regrettably explained.
"That's understandable since you guys need your rest. Cody, dude, if you or Heather need anything just let us know."
"Alright, Geoff, I will."
After Geoff and Bridgette left to see Leshawna, Cody and Heather saw Noah, Emma, Courtney, and Duncan approach them. While Emma and Courtney gave them a hug, they were both shocked when Duncan and Noah also gave them a hug. "Normally, I don't give anyone, but Courtney, any kind of affection, but after knowing what you guys been through, I thought you might need it. I've had this occur to some of my family members so I know the pain and anxiety and worrying of when this would end if it would ever end." Remarked Duncan.
"This whole ordeal is something I never imagined would happen to us. I wouldn't want to wish this on nobody." Replied Heather.
"I don't know what's worse, this or having to go through Dante and Virgil's journey the nine layers of hell and witness all of the tortures and punishments each layer had." Added Cody.
"Uh, I say Dante and Virgil's journey since those punishments last an eternity- just saying." Acknowledged Noah.
"So do you guys have any word on the investigation so far?"
"To a degree." Implied Courtney. "They've kept it hush-hush from almost everyone, but due to my connections with some of the investigators, I've been keeping tabs on some of their information they have."
"Such as?"
Before Courtney could say so much as a syllable, they heard Leshawna yell, "YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD REASON WHY YA DIDN'T COME SEE ME! AND DON'T YA DENY IT EITHER!" and immediately knew that a verbal smackdown between her and Harold was about to become the next world war, and they had no intentions of getting caught in the middle of this conflict.
"Why don't we go up to your new suite and talk there?" Suggested Emma.
Once when Cody and Heather got their stuff out of their old suite, they found that their new suite was the Ontario suite, a Neo-Gothic styled room- further proving that each of the Canadian Provinces suites for the Total Drama contestants was done in a different style than the previous one. Before they could go to their new suite, they had to get their clothes and other accessories out of their old suite. So with the help of two policemen, Cody and Heather took the remaining clothes they've not worn, all of their music material, and Heather's jewelry, leaving the rest of their stuff to be moved at the end of the reunion. They didn't worry about the potential of theft since the room was locked and all the windows bolted shut; with the crime scene being undisturbed for the investigators to examine further.
After getting the last of their stuff into their new suite, Cody and Heather were putting everything away, once more, while the others were assisting them. "So what did you find out?" Cody asked Courtney.
"Not much. One of the things I did learn was that as soon as they took Sierra away, the hotel manager and several crime scene investigators found Sierra's room and when they entered found a mountain of evidence regarding her intention to kidnap you." Courtney pointed out.
"Such as?"
"You won't believe what I'm about to tell you, but you need to know. She had pictures of you everywhere, sadist drawings of you in chains and leather bondage, with her whipping you for pleasure, a blow-up doll version of yourself that had been regularly used, newspaper clippings over your career as far back as the first season, and some of your undergarments."
"Oh, my. I had no idea that she was that obsessive over me." Cody gasped, struck with posthumous fright.
"What else have you guys found out, besides the fact that this woman wanted to kidnap Cody for her own sexual pleasures and used his undergarments for God knows what," Heather added, clearly creeped out at the nature of Sierra's obsession.
"She left behind a note of sorts," Emma replied, "but it makes no absolute sense. Luckily, they made a copy for me since they thought Noah could possibly figure it out."
"Do you have the copy?" Asked Noah.
"No, I've not received it yet, but I should get in the next day or two." She commented.
"So all we have is her hotel room and a note she left behind. That's not much of a case there." Duncan implied.
"Well, I told Cody this in the hospital, but on the night of the concert, I was heading backstage to change into another gown when I overheard Sierra on the phone with someone, clearly mentioning the fact that I was on the way of her kidnapping plan. Could this mean that more than one person is involved?"
"If she was on the phone with someone, who it was is absolutely unknown, then a second person was involved. But it doesn't make sense. Heather has no known enemies, not ones that would go this far, and no one here would have a clear motive to want to harm my wife. Oh, this whole thing just torments me!"
The guys could tell that Cody was clearly upset by this whole deal, of not knowing who done this to his beloved and why; of not knowing if the threat was truly gone and the increased security measures would keep them safe or if someone within this hotel would finish the job Sierra started. "Don't let this keep you up, Cody. I know you want to find out everything behind this, but don't lament on what could've been. Instead, be glad that Heather's alive and that you still get to spend every single day with her."
"I know Noah, but it just upsets me. I'm taking this harder than Heather, and she was the one who was attacked!"
"Dude, you have to be strong for your wife, not the other way around."
"And you're right Duncan. I guess not having much sleep for the past four days is finally catching up to me."
While the guys were talking, the girls had moved from the parlor into the bedroom, helping Heather put up her clothes while she rested on the bed.
"Heather, I must say that you have some of the most beautiful one of a kind pieces I've ever seen. Where did you get dresses at? They must've cost a fortune!"
"Oh not really, Emma. Our assistant, Tom, does fashion on the side, and he's quite good. Most of my casual dresses come from him since he often knows what I want and they're of higher quality than what boutiques offer. I often pay him quite the amount per gown since he's always so kind and takes the time to see that what I imagine within my head come to life."
"Does he take commissions?"
"I would ask, Courtney. Ever since he started making dresses for me, he's taken off with orders from several well known wealthy women, but he still gives me first pick on his gown. He's gotten so busy that he gives his best friend some of the commissions and she's just as good as Tom. Well, he's gone back to Toronto to get some stuff for me, so he won't be back until tomorrow."
The girls were finishing up putting Heather's things away when the bedroom door opened. "Hey Y'all," Leshawna said while wheeling in a suitcase behind her.
"Oh, hey Leshawna. This is a surprise. I figured you'd be resting up in your room." Heather replied.
"I'll get to that momentarily. I figured I'd check on ya and see how ya doing."
"I'm quite alright. I'm resting and the girls have been helping me put everything away. They've been so kind and so patient. And the guys are keeping Cody's mind off of the attack. I just wish I could repay you guys back."
"Oh nonsense," Courtney argued, "we're doing this because you guys have gone through enough and this is a repayment for all the times we were mean to either of you during the show."
"Well, I'm glad to see ya both are doing well."
"So what brings you by?"
"Well, I wanted you guys to be one of the first to know that I walked out on Harold."
"You what?!" The girls couldn't believe what Leshawna just told them. While they knew that Leshawna and Harold had been on thin ice during the reunion and had several shouting matches during the course of almost three weeks, but this was a blindside they didn't see coming.
"I know that you guys had a massive argument in the lobby, but what happened afterward?" Emma questioned.
"As soon as he heard me, he headed back toward our room and I followed him, yelling at him the whole time, pointing out to him that he had the nerve to not see me the whole time we were there, trying to cling onto life, and he argued that he had things to do. Well, after I pointed out that a few grapevines had told me that he had gone to Toronto yesterday, he said that it was none of my concern. Now that's when I got really mad and told him that if he didn't stop and fessed up what he was doing, I would give him the cold shoulder."
"Well, what happened next?" Courtney asked.
"He grabbed one of my suitcases and hurled it at me. I had to duck as it would've hit me in the face. That was the last straw. I told him that we were finished, that if he ever threw anything at me I would leave. I also told him that once when this reunion was over, I was moving out of our house. So I grabbed the suitcase he threw at me, which he snarled that he'd already packed it before I got back, and left."
"Are you okay though? Do you need anything?" Heather added.
"Yeah, I guess I'll have to be since I'm the one who ended it, but our little girl will be so upset when she hears the news." Leshawna stated, taking the rest by surprise.
"Our little girl? I didn't know you had a daughter." Emma curiously inquired.
"Well, I actually just admitted that a few days ago when Chef interviewed me, right before I ended up taking an unexpected visit to the hospital. She's about four now."
"Can we see a picture of her?" Courtney requested.
"Of course." Leshawna dug out her phone and went through her pictures until she found one of just her daughter. "What do you think?" She asked while holding up the phone.
"Aww, she's adorable." Commented Courtney. "And I mean that. It's not just the shock."
"What's her name?"
"I wanted to call her Kat, but Harold managed to persuade me to name her Lilith while I was under post-birth drugs in the hospital."
"Oh yes, every woman's relief when delivering new offspring into the world," Heather added with a airy laugh.
"Maybe when I move out, I can change her name to Kat." Leshawna pondered, still not really certain whether she'll actually do.
"Lilith sounds like a name someone would have if they were cold in appearance and personality. Kat has warmth, has life, something that your daughter had." Emma pointed out.
"Well thank ya very much I appreciate that."
"Has the party moved in here?" Duncan asked while slightly smirking. "And we weren't invited?"
"Oh come on, they were just talking," Cody remarked while walking toward Heather. "How are you darling?" He asked.
"I'm fine. The girls have been helping me put away my things and Leshawna just told me that she left Harold." She replied.
"Well, this is news. Has it been coming for a while?" Added Noah.
"Pretty much. I don't know what's been up with him, but ever since we've been here at the reunion, Harold's been full of some type of malice, yet I can't quite put my finger on it."
"Maybe you'll figure it out at some point." Heather pointed out. "But now what are you going to do now that you left Harold? Knowing you, Leshawna, you won't sleep in the same room with him."
"That's why I came to y'all since I was wondering if I could stay with ya guys."
"So you want to stay with us? I figured you'd want to stay with Gwen or Bridgette." Said Cody.
"Well, from what Gwen's told me, she and Trent have got it on almost every day they've been here, and I decided not to stay with Bridgette and Geoff after what happened last time."
"Who could forget that? That practically was the big story of the five-year reunion." Courtney pointed out. When Cody and Heather looked at her confused, she remarked, "I'll fill you guys in later."
"And considering that no extra rooms are available, I don't have many options left."
"I'd let you stay with us, but Emma and I have been working together on some upcoming cases so-"
"- as a result, Duncan and I have had some lonely nights in bed."
"I hope not together."
Noah didn't realize his mistake until the others broke out laughing. "Haha, very funny."
"Hey, you walked into that one dude. We're not going to live that one down." Commented Duncan.
"So, getting back on track, could I stay with ya guys?" Leshawna pleaded with Cody and Heather.
"Of course! Though about sleeping arrangements-"
"I don't want much trouble. I can sleep on the sofa."
"Are you sure? I mean the sofa doesn't look all that comfortable."
"I'll be fine Cody. Besides, you need to be next to your wife. I'm pretty sure ya guys won't do anything intimate."
"Probably not, since Heather's recovering from her injuries; so that ship won't be sailing anytime soon."
"And also, Leshawna, with security personnel being assigned to each of our rooms, you won't have to worry about anyone trying to attack. Except for Izzy, of course, but that's a whole another ballpark besides what we're dealing with here."
At this point, seeing Cody and Heather's generosity toward her, it was hard for Leshawna not to hold back the tears. "Thank ya guys so much. I appreciate the offer. I really do. I just can't believe that this whole thing with Harold has been harder than what I imagined."
Heather grabbed a tissue and handed it to her former nemesis. "There, don't cry. Everything will be alright. We've already shed enough tears. Let's not shed any more of them."
"How about you guys go get some food to bring up here?" Cody asked. The other two couples knew right away what Cody was asking and agreed to go get them some food. They needed a few moments alone, to help Leshawna know that everything would be alright. "Leshawna, why don't you unpack your things and then when they get back, we'll eat a late breakfast or early lunch since I'm sure we're all starving. How does that sound?"
"That sounds great, but where will I put my clothes on?" Asked Leshawna.
"Put them in the wardrobe with mine." Replied Heather.
"Girl, ya didn't have to do that for little ol 'Shawnie." Leshawna insisted, obviously moved.
"But I want to. I want to repay you back for all the time we were hostile toward each other." She commented while she slowly stood up and opened the wardrobe. "Come on. Let's see what I have that you can wear for the night."
Leshawna came over and started looking through the batch of clothes that Heather had in the wardrobe. One of the first things she noticed right away was that Heather had nearly two dozen kimonos- all with designs and colors of Chinese-Asian influence, a fitting tribute to where Heather's family had originated from. "It seems that kimonos are the only night clothes I have. Will that be fine with you?" Heather asked.
"That'll be fine. Just as long as my body's covered, I'm not complaining one bit." Leshawna replied.
While the guys were downstairs having breakfast the next morning, Leshawna and Heather got dressed following a small dress viewing from Tom and Jen, Courtney and Emma made sure that nothing was out of place (thankfully nothing was). Just then, Courtney's phone rang and she answered. "Hello? Oh hey, Duncan. Are they here? Are you on your way up? Alright. See you in a moment." She hung up and placed it back in her pocket. "That was Duncan. The investigators are here and are on their way up here."
"We're almost ready!" They heard Leshawna cry out. "Give us another minute or so."
The girls finished up straightening up the living room and it was done not a moment too later for they heard the door open and sat down as the guys, and two additional women in business attire, enter the room. "How was breakfast?" Asked Courtney.
"It was good. We made a discovery and learned some vital information, but you'll hear about that momentarily." Replied Duncan. "Courtney, meet Investigator Sanders and Investigator MacArthur. Investigators, my wife Courtney Nelson."
"And my wife, Emma Akamai." Added Noah, making sure that she wouldn't be missed.
"A pleasure to meet you both. I hope you guys will be able to solve this case."
"That's what we're hoping to do, Ms. Nelson," Sanders replied.
"So do you guys have any leads or any idea who done it and why?"
"Normality Mrs. Akamai we wouldn't discuss that with you all as a police caution, but seeing you and Mrs. Nelson are lawyers and that your husband told us that you six and Mrs. McGrady have been working non-stop trying to solve this whole ordeal ever since the night of the attack, protocol is placed on the side in this case."
"Say, does anybody know where a gym around here is? I need to work on my glutes."
"MacArthur! Now is not the time for that!"
"Anytime is the right time for glutes, Sanders."
"I… uh… well… I'm not going to respond to that. We have bigger fish to fry at the moment."
Cody, meanwhile, had knocked on the bedroom door. "Sweetie? Are you and Leshawna dressed yet? They're here."
"We'll both be out there in a moment." Came Heather's reply. True to her word, a moment later, the door opened and out came the girls. Leshawna was wearing one of Heather's jumpsuits while Heather opted to go with a black and white dove patterned sweater with black pants and a pair of flats. "Hope we didn't keep you all waiting."
"Oh no. We just got up here." Cody told his wife while everyone sat down. "Heather, Leshawna, this is Investigators MacArthur and Sanders. Investigators, my wife, Heather Anderson, and close friend, Leshawna McGrady."
"Pleasure to meet ya both. I hope y'all are able to help us get through this mess."
"That's what we aim to do," Sanders commented.
"Well, it's nice to see a sense of security around you. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong while you're both here." Heather innocently suggested, not knowing that those words would end up haunting her sometime soon.
"Well, we hope so too," MacArthur added. "So let's get down to business. As I understand from the story, Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. McGrady were attacked by a woman named Sierra Wood which resulted in a 415-417A-Code 40 with an 1141 needed for both women, a 207A for Mr. Anderson and both a 1053 and a 187 for Ms. Wood."
The others looked at MacArthur with various looks of confusion on their faces. "I have a Ph.D. within Eastern Philosophy and I couldn't even understand that."
"This is why I hate codes." MacArthur spitefully mumbled to Sanders, feeling stupid over not being understood.
"You don't use codes when discussing the case with your average everyday person. You only use codes on the radio when contacting base; but what my partner was saying is that the attack resulted in a disturbance at hotel since Ms. Wood had a knife and that this had to be dealt with right away, with an ambulance needed for both Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. McGrady, an attempted kidnapping on Mr. Anderson and Mrs. Wood ended up dead."
"Dead? I thought me using the steak knife on her back didn't kill her."
"It didn't. Someone managed to get past the security we had surrounding her hospital room and slid her throat with a letter opener before she had a chance to talk."
"They gutted her like a fish. If you saw the way her throat was, you could've seen-" MacArthur stopped when everyone was wide-eyed, with some looking like they were about to lose their lunch. "On second thought, never mind."
"So with y'alls main suspect dead, how will the case be solved?"
"Normally, Mrs. McGrady, we would consider this an open and closed case, but considering Mrs. Anderson's statement about overhearing Ms. Wood on the phone and discovering over $5,000 dollars in cash within her room, we believe that someone paid her to go kidnap Mr. Anderson and eliminate Mrs. Anderson no matter what the price."
"You all don't think it's someone within the hotel?"
"We're afraid so. The hotel management told us that Ms. Wood meet in a private room with someone named Mr. Naifeh eight different times during the first two weeks of you all staying here, so we think that this Mr. Naifeh is a semblance of a hotel guest staying here."
"Well, that does make sense since if this person is staying here with us, they want to make sure that they're never found and can stay under the radar as long as possible."
"Oh, here's a copy of the note you requested Mrs. Akamai," Sanders added while handing Emma a copy of the note, who gave it to Noah. Noah placed on a pair of glasses and read the following:
"How unfortunate that by the time you are reading this that my crime will be done.
Absolutely nothing can be done to stop me now. I won't let you get in the way.
Right from the beginning, I knew that Cody was meant to be with me and me alone.
Oh, how I wanted to give you the fruits of my sexual desire- for you to be satisfied.
Loving you was my one goal, even if it meant kidnapping you from the whore you have of a wife.
Dagger in hand, I'm ready to strike- ready to take out the only one within our way.
Do you know of my affection for me, my love? Do you know of my efforts to have you alone?
It was never enough. She always took you from me, ripped you from my throbbing bosom.
Desire alone was the only word I had for you and I want you as my own, no matter the cost.
I will kill the whore, and take you away from all this- where you will be my prisoner and submit to me.
Tonight's the night this will happen. I'm coming for you Cody. You won't have to worry at all."
For a few moments afterward, no one, not even the investigators said anything after Noah finished reading the note. Heather was the one who finally broke the silence. "That note confirms she was more of a creep than what I first thought."
"That note doesn't make any sense. Sierra was never a poet so why would she write a poem like note? Not to mention that the content pretty much describes her wanting to molest poor Cody." Courtney pointed out.
Noah meanwhile noticed something about the note and when he moved his hands over the rest of the note, the first letter of each line revealed a secret message that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "She hid a secret message." Noah pointed out.
"What do you mean by secret message?" His wife asked. "Is there a secret a message?"
"Oh yes, let me show you." Noah took a pen and circled the first letters so now the note looked something like this:
How unfortunate that by the time you are reading this that my crime will be done.
Absolutely nothing can be done to stop me now. I won't let you get in the way.
Right from the beginning, I knew that Cody was meant to be with me and me alone.
Oh, how I wanted to give you the fruits of my sexual desire- for you to be satisfied.
Loving you was my one goal, even if it meant kidnapping you from the whore you have of a wife.
Dagger in hand, I'm ready to strike- ready to take out the only one within our way.
Do you know of my affection for me, my love? Do you know of my efforts to have you alone?
It was never enough. She always took you from me, ripped you from my throbbing bosom.
Desire alone was the only word I had for you and I want you as my own, no matter the cost.
I will kill the whore, and take you away from all this- where you will be my prisoner and submit to me.
Tonight's the night this will happen. I'm coming for you Cody. You won't have to worry at all.
"If you take all of the first letters from each line, it says, 'Harold did it'. Sierra's telling us from beyond the grave that Harold's the one behind all of this."
The others, however, were quite skeptical of Noah's theory. "Harold? Why on earth would he want me dead? I don't have any issues with him." Heather pointed out.
"I know that we both aren't friends anymore, but I highly doubt that he'd be up to kidnapping me, let alone murder someone," Cody added.
"Besides, have you seen the dude?" Duncan asked. "He's too much of a wimp to do something this horrendous."
Leshawna had a haunting chill that Noah might be right since she remembered the conversation she had with Cody and Heather a few days earlier. "Now wait a minute Y'all, let's not shoot down turkey over here. I remember that Harold went to Toronto to visit me on the night crazy girl's throat was slit. He told several people that he was going to visit me, but the three of us never saw him at the hospital. He didn't even enter the ambulance with me. Don't ya think that's a little bit suspicious?"
The four of them paused for a moment and realized that Leshawna had a valid point. "That does seem odd. Why would he not go with you, but then say a few days later that he would see you, but never arrive?" Duncan pondered.
"That does seem odd," MacArthur commented. "Did any of you notice other odd behaviors from Mr. McGrady?"
"Well, now that I think about it, Harold has been acting weird lately," Courtney commented.
"And what do you mean by acting weird, Mrs. Nelson?"
"I mean, for the last few days, he's been throwing things out, such as his personal belongings and plastic bags full of stuff. Not to mention that every time I walked past his room, I smell bitter almonds."
"Now that I remember, the martini I threw up the night of the attack smelt like bitter almonds, which I thought of as strange considering that there were olives in there."
"Mrs. Anderson, do you know what was in your drink that made it smell like bitter almonds?" Sanders asked, realizing that if what she said was true, it matched the toxicology report they done on the glass.
"No, I don't."
"That's a sign of cyanide poisoning. MacArthur, we've got to go do a little bit of searching around the hotel." Sanders stated, worried but remaining professional.
"Oh, how come?" She asked.
"Well, if what Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Nelson said is true, then Mr. McGrady is our main suspect." As they were about to head out, investigator Sanders looked at the others. "We'll come back by later and talk to you guys. You all can act normal or do a bit of snooping for us, but don't mention a word of this to anyone. We don't want this investigation compromised."
"Understood. Our lips are sealed."
After MacArthur and Sanders left, the others sat around in silence, unable to believe the possibility that Harold could be behind all of this mess. It didn't seem real. It shouldn't be real. But it was! And how they couldn't believe it! For them, it was of an illusion than reality, almost a perfect illusion to exact.
Heather broke the eery silence. "I think I'll go find Geoff and see if we can have that lunch date. I just want to get my mind off of all this for a while. I can't believe it."
"None of us. None of us can believe that this is real." Cody replied.
True to her word, Heather was able to find Geoff and arrange for him and Bridgette to have lunch with her and Cody at the outdoor Polynesian restaurant adjacent to the outdoor pool area. "Are you sure you're up to this?" Cody asked. "I think you should be resting instead of being out and about sweetie."
"Ah, phewy! I'm fine." Heather insisted. "Besides, if Harold's trying to get rid of me, I want to show him that I won't go quietly and that it'll take a lot more effort to get rid of me."
"I know, but I just don't want you to be in any immediate danger."
"Cody, there's more security personnel here than in the entire Costa Rican army! I think the chances of me being in any danger for the rest of the reunion is slim to none."
"You have a valid point; though using the Costa Rican army might be a bit much."
"Well, you know what I mean."
"Point taken."
They could see Geoff and Bridgette waving at them, indicating where their table was at. "Hey, guys!" Bridgette said as they hugged one another. "I'm so glad you both could make it."
"Yeah, dudes. I'm pleased to see you both are fine and dandy. So what do you guys think of the reunion so far?" Geoff replied while they sat down. "I think it's been a blast. Getting to see my old buds, staying in this wicked resort. It's been chill for me."
"It's been good for the most part, though I wish we weren't sitting ducks." Cody pointed out.
"No luck on who done it?" Bridgette asked.
"Not yet. Two investigators came this morning and interviewed us and Leshawna." Heather pointed out. She felt bad keeping back the information she knew, but they made a promise to MacArthur and Sanders not to spill the beans on what they knew, for the safety of the others and themselves, and to prevent the investigation from being compromised. "Though they did say that they'll be traveling back and forth between the hotel and Toronto, working on the case."
A waiter then came up and handed them several menus. "My name is Miles and I'll be your waiter today. Do you all need a moment to decide what you're going to get?" She asked.
"Yes." All four of them replied at once.
"Okay. I'll be back in a few and until then, please enjoy the nice refreshing atmosphere provided by Mother Earth."
While they were going through what was on the menu, Heather felt her phone vibrate and saw that her mother had messaged her. She became slightly worried since she didn't know if anything was wrong, but relaxed when she saw what it was. "Look, Cody, mother is taking them sailing." She commented while handing him her phone.
"They look they're having a good time. I can't wait to see them again." He replied.
"Who's having a good time?" Geoff asked while Bridgette glared at her husband- afraid that he was thinking of the wrong thing.
"Our children. Would you guys like to see them?"
"Of course! I had no idea you two had children."
"Oh yes, a girl and a boy," Cody added as he handed the phone for Geoff and Bridgette.
"Aw, they're adorable! What are their names?"
"Lilac and Oak."
"Lilac and Oak. Those are some beautiful and unique names."
"How old are they dudes?"
"Lilac's six now and Oak turned four back in March."
"They sure take after you both," Bridgette commented while handing Heather her phone. "We also have a kid ourselves."
"He's our everything," Geoff added while showing Cody and Heather a photo of their son. "This is Jude."
Before either Cody or Heather could comment about Geoff and Bridgette's Jude, they were surprised when they heard Miles go, "Are you all ready to order?"
"Yes, we are." Heather mildly added, wanting to not have any more interruptions.
"Alright what will you have miss?"
"I'll have the Lau Lau with the Tario Rolls and a Banana Guava Pie."
"And what will you have sir?"
"I'll take the Huli Huli Chicken with a Baked Sweet Potato and a Coconut Pie."
"And what will you have miss?"
"I'll go for the Baked Mahi Mahi with the Lami Lami Salmon and a Guava Cake."
"And what will you have sir?"
"I'm in the mood for the Kalua Puca with a Pipi Kaula and a Macadamia Nut Cream Pie."
"And what do you all want to drink?"
"A Banana Fruit Smoothie."
"Iced Tea with a Drop of Lemon."
"A Gin Tonic."
"A glass of water, please."
"Alright. I'll be back with your drinks in a flash."
Miles came back with their drinks five minutes later and came back with their meals twenty-five minutes after that. While they were waiting for their food, Cody and Heather discovered that Geoff and Bridgette's son, Jude, was almost ten. This confused them since neither of them ever remembered seeing Bridgette pregnant during Action. But Geoff than explained that during the Alien challenge, their make-out session got a little carried away and they ended up losing their virginities on the Alien set, which resulted in both of them getting the axe at the elimination ceremony since Chris claimed that they "desecrated his set" and that "no amount of cleaning would get those stains out."
The four of them were halfway through their meal when they heard a massive explosion. Jumping up from their seats, they ran to the dock, where the noise came from and found several boats ablaze. A massive firestorm was beginning to form and the hotel staff was trying to both make sure no one was majorly injured or got killed by the blast while getting buckets of water and hoses to put out the fire. As a crowd started to form, Noah and several others came running out. "Are you guys okay?" He asked, clearly shaken up.
"We're fine. Not a single scratch on us." Cody replied.
"All I know is that we heard a massive explosion and somehow thought ya guys got unlucky," Leshawna added.
"No we're still here," Heather commented, "and not a scratch on us."
Duncan meanwhile noticed a piece of paper taped onto a guardrail and ran over to see what it was. Upon reading it, he realized it had a major importance to the current investigation. "Uh, hey, guys! You might want to take a look at this." He cried out.
Cody and Heather and several others ran over and read the following message that had been assembled from various newspaper and magazine clips:
"This is a warning. If you all know what's good for you, you'll stay away from finding the truth. Or else one of you might end up dead next."
Heather buried her head in her heads. "This is just like the others."
"What others?" Sanders asked, spooking Heather out a little.
"Oh! Well, I didn't think this was important until now, but before Cody and I left for the reunion, we received five notes within the mail similar, if not identical, to this one. They all had different messages, but were always intended for both me and Cody." Heather pointed out.
"Do you still have the notes?"
"I do. Cody urged me to discard them, but I kept them in case they ended up being of some importance down the road."
"I'm glad you kept those since if they have any genetic material, we might be able to extract it and figure out who sent those notes-"
"- which might lead to the person who's behind this mess!" Cody cried out after realizing what Sanders was thinking of. "Does this mean that the notes could tie Harold to all of this?"
"Exactly!" She replied. "If his DNA is on the notes, we might have enough to focus in on him as the man responsible for all this. Where are the other notes at now?"
"They're at our home in Toronto."
While Cody and Heather were discussing with Sanders where the other notes were within their house, MacArthur was busy trying to remember what codes to use for reporting back to the base. "I hate codes," MacArthur grumbled while she turned on her walkie-talkie. "Unit 21 to base, we have a 1062A-261-1080 going on."
"You're taking a report from a civilian about an explosive rape?" The base asked with a sense of confusion.
"No! We have a 1043-415-1141 occurring."
"A disturbance over calling a doctor for an ambulance?!"
"No, you ninny!" McArthur scratched. "We have an explosion that occurred, we need a doctor, and it looks pretty serious."
"Oh, you mean a 1080-1043- Code 40. Rodger. 10-4."
"Finally you got it you old grumpy sod." She mumbled while she put the walkie-talkie back up.
"MacArthur!" Sanders called out as she came running up to her partner. "Is there help on the way?"
"Yes. They're on their way now." MacArthur commented.
"Good, because there's a few hotel staff that are injured from trying to put out the fire and their burns are mild, but that's not what I want to talk to you about. We have to go back to Toronto right away."
"Already? But we just got here!"
"Don't you think I know that? We need to go to the Anderson House since Mrs. Anderson just told me that she received five notes similar to one that was left for us before her and Mr. Anderson left for the reunion."
"And you think it's could be Mr. McGrudy?"
"I do, and plus, the other notes might have enough genetic material to identify him as the person who sent the notes, making him our prime suspect."
While MacArthur and Sanders left to get ready to head back to Toronto and to assure the resort owners and producers that everything was under control, Courtney and Emma came running out of the hotel.
"Ya two look like y'alls out of breath."
"We've been searching everywhere for you guys. We might have a motive behind all this." Courtney replied.
"Well, what is it then?" Duncan asked.
"We think Harold's behind all of this because…"
You all might hate me for leaving the chapter at a cliffhanger, but I have my intentions why since I'm wanting to make sure that I master the mystery suspense tone this arc has focused on. It might seem to be cliche, but I had no other choice since this is my first attempt at a mystery solving atmosphere within writing and I've been watching several crime shows (Forensic Files) just to make sure that I'm doing a realistic job and not botching it up. If you all have any suggestions, do let me know! I'm all the time looking for feedback or critiques to help me understand what I need to improve upon.
I want to apologize for taking so long to update. I finished this last week, but I ended up waiting to upload this after Lowland Warrior gave some feedback on the flow of the story and ended up deleting two scenes from the story, which was a small side plot in which Leshawna discovered that Harold had destroyed all of her clothes and she had nothing to wear for the rest of the reunion. Well Heather, after making amends with Leshawna, decides to give Leshawna a batch of clothes that Tom and Jen had made for her and there would've been a scene in which the girls would've interacted with the Fashion Bloggers. While it was a good side plot, it slowed down the flow of the story and had to be left on the cutting room floor. Another scene that was cut before the chapter started was a running gag to where the Drama Brothers were practicing in an adjacent room to Noah and Emma's suite, only for the suite to get destroyed and Emma throwing a pie in Justin's face. It would've added a good laugh scene, but I had a hard time trying to get it to work, so it also got left on the cutting room floor. But maybe something from the stuff that got the ax this chapter, might just make a small appearance or mention within the next chapter. c:
So there's only one more chapter left until the epilogue and the end of the story! Since the epilogue won't take that long to write, the next chapter of this story won't start until mid-July since I'm also working on mine and Lowland Warrior's amazing co-write (No Honor Among Thieves- which you guys should check out if you enjoy a great heist story) and plus, I'm wanting to relax some and do some reading, painting, and real-life writing before I start my second year of college. As of now, expect the next chapter to be out sometime between the end of July and sometime before the week of August 14th since the epilogue will be published on August 22nd, the one year anniversary of this story.
But so, what do you guys think of the chapter? What do you think will happen next? Will anybody make it through the story without having to die? What do you think is going to happen? And what do you guys think the future will be like once when the reunion's all over? Leave your thoughts in a review down below.
And before I forget, since you guys have waited well over a month for this chapter to come out, I'll give you a slight hint to one of the things that'll be featured in the next chapter. Three words: explosive cherry jubilee.
Until next time! Please read, review, favor, alert, and spread the word. :D
P.S.- I apologize for the long AN this time. I had more to say following this chapter than what previous others. I should be done right about now- *signal lost*