"So, what you're telling me, is that Lauren, your wife, the woman we accepted into our family and treated like a daughter, tried to kill you and our grandson by running both of you over with a car?" My mother jumps to her feet in disbelief and rage.
I nod my head in confirmation. My father doesn't say a word; he motionlessly sits and stares at me in astonishment.
"Why would she do that? She exclaims.
"Because she's a crazed, lovesick bitch." Alice adds as she enters the room. "Honestly Mom, you and Dad were the only ones who didn't see Lauren for what she truly is, and Edward has been hiding it from you."
"Thanks a lot, Alice." I spit out sarcastically, but she doesn't seem to care, not that I can blame her.
"Let's cut the shit all right, Edward. Lauren has stalked you since the two of you started college. She's an obsessed, deranged, spoiled brat, who would do anything to get what she wants; and she nearly killed you and my son to get it. It's time you stopped protecting her, or should I say, protecting yourself?"
I glare at her with narrowed eyes, as I suddenly realize that she knows more than I thought she did.
Bloody Emmett!
My parents look back and forth between us and wait for me to elaborate. I haven't a clue about how to respond. She's always been tenacious and outspoken. Only this time, she's justified.
"Not now, Alice."
"Then when, Edward? They should know just how vile that wife of yours really is."
"I said, not now!" I explode and our parents look horrified. "Jesus! Lauren is going to answer for what she's done, Alice. I promise you that."
"You hope!" She crosses her arms and scowls at me.
"She will."
"Just like she's answered for what she did to you all those years ago?"
"What happened? What did she do?" My mother walks over and looks me square in the eye. I avoid her stare-down, step past her and grab Alice; I usher her out of the room and into the kitchen. I hear my parents' confused whispering as we leave. They know that Alice and I have a confrontational relationship, but they also know that we love each other and always manage work things out in the end.
I step close to her. "How much do you know?"
"All of it."
My jaw clenches, and my nostrils flare as I try to desperately control my temper.
"Emmett." I mutter and turn away. I'm going to kill him.
"Em didn't tell me anything, Edward, but I'm upset that you didn't."
I spin back around to face her; tears are trickling down her face.
"Em is the only person I told. How did you find out?"
"Jasper." She glares at me defiantly and crosses her arms once more.
"Jasper? I didn't tell him a ... "
"He's a private investigator, Edward! I'm married to him! I'm hormonal and a bit insecure, so I find shit!"
"You mean you look for shit."
"This isn't about me. It's about you. God, Edward! She lied to you about the pregnancy! What kind of monster does that? Why do you continue to protect her?"
I frown, thinking that she's mistaken. There must be some misunderstanding of what she'd found.
"What are you talking about, Alice? Lauren didn't lie to me about being pregnant. She lied about how she got pregnant."
"What? Of course, she lied about how, because it wasn't your kid! Jasper recorded a conversation she was having with someone…a man and they were arguing about the pregnancy."
I scrub my face roughly as I try to process what she's saying. It doesn't make sense.
"She drugged me. She made me think that I got her pregnant? She lied…. James! No… No way. She wouldn't…."
"Edward…Edward!"
"What?" She stands in front of me looking worried.
"You said Lauren drugged you?"
I realize that she didn't know everything. I stare at her unblinkingly, knowing that I can't unsay what was said, nor can I pretend that she hadn't heard it.
"Yes," I say, decisively, not bothering to give details.
Her hands fly up to cover her mouth, as she looks at me in what I can only think is horror and pity. Her expression morphs into anger, but I can't wait.
I storm through the back door. She calls for me, and without turning around I yell. "I'll tell you everything once I get back. Not a word to Mom and Dad."
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.
.
Lauren's still being held, waiting to be questioned. They are apparently waiting for her lawyer to arrive. I've no doubt that it's some hot shot that her parents have hired. I inform an officer that I'm her husband and, he lets me into an interview room and waits outside the door.
She's sitting with her hands lightly clasped on the table. I look down at her; if she feels any remorse, it's not visible in her expression. She looks at me as if she's the one whose been betrayed. I battle to control the overwhelming angry bitterness that rises like bile in my throat. Realizing that I have no intention of starting this conversation, she finally speaks.
"Have you come to tell the police that you've made a mistake?"
"Not on your life."
"Then why are you here, Edward?"
"To think I used to actually feel sorry for you." I shake my head at her.
"I don't need your pity. I haven't done anything wrong."
I pull up a chair and sit across from her.
"You did plenty. It's too late for me, but for Josh ... you will rot. I guarantee it."
"I didn't hit Josh." She rolls her eyes and huffs as if she's tired of repeating the obvious.
"Maybe not physically, but you laid the groundwork. You've been doing that since college, it seems."
"Doing what, Edward?"
"Laying groundwork. You see…." I lean in closer. "I know about Ej. not being my son. Once I found out, it took me all of a minute to finally make sense of it."
Even in this moment of anger I mentally scoff at the irony when I recall her insistence that we give the baby my name, a name that has been passed onto generations of Masen sons. There is no end to this woman's unbridled duplicity.
"You're insane." She scoffs, but I catch the flash of panic in her eyes.
"He wasn't mine, was he, Lauren? He was James's kid, wasn't he?"
"I'm not doing this with you." She averts her head and lets her gaze wander idly around the room.
"Stop lying!" I slam my fist on the table, and the officer comes rushing into the room.
"What's going on here?"
"I want him out of here!" She yells, jumping out of her seat.
"You drugged me and tried to pass that baby off as mine! You and James both set me up!" I lunge across the table at her bringing my face within inches of hers. The officer grabs me, pulling me toward the door. "I swear to God, Lauren, you're going to rot in a fucking cell!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down. That wasn't smart at all." He slams me up against the wall.
"Take your fucking hands off me." I wrench away from him.
"Hey, don't give me a reason to put you in a holding cell." He points a finger in my face.
"What's the status of the investigation involving my wife?" I ignore his threat and straighten my shirt.
"We were going to call you. I have to be honest…there's not much evidence pointing toward your wife, except for your word. We have to let her go."
"What? Are you fucking kidding me? She nearly killed a little boy. That's all the evidence you need!"
"Unless someone comes forward and says that they saw your wife driving the car, she's free. I'm sorry." He turns and walks away.
"What about James? She said he was the one driving. Have you at least located the car?"
"No James. No car. Nothing. She hasn't said anything about a James yet. Right now, this investigation is ongoing. We'll question your wife formally, but we also have to look in other directions. Excuse me." He disappears behind a closed door.
"Which directions?" I yell, but he doesn't answer.
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It's Saturday morning and I'm doing housework. I hate housework, evil, yet necessary, mundane occupation.
Dusting!" I snort, balanced precariously on a chair to reach the top shelf of the bookcase. My doorbell rings, bringing blessed relief from the tedium.
"Paul," I gasp in surprise. "What…what are you doing here?"
"Hey, Bella. I was hoping I could speak with you about something important."
"Sure. Come in." I step aside, wondering what he possibly needs to see me about? Then it dawns on me.
"Your cousin sent you, didn't he?"
"Uh…no…I didn't come here to talk about you and Jake. It's not any of my business, Bella. I love my cousin, and I consider you a friend, so I'm not going to take sides. I'm neutral," he laughs.
"Okay…what did you want to talk about?"
"You know my brothers have a business down in Cicero?"
"Yes…an automotive shop. I've gone there with Jake once or twice."
"Yeah, well…the other day I was there and my younger brother, Seth was doing some work for a guy and uh…."
"What guy?" I frown. He rubs the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable.
"Bella…I…things go on at that shop that…I don't want my brothers to get into trouble."
"I'm not going to say anything. What happened?"
"I was visiting there, and this guy comes in. I gather from having listened to him and Seth talk, that they were previously acquainted. I know he used to detail his car regularly. Anyway, he brings his car, I assumed to get fixed, but instead, he pulls Seth aside and tells him to scrap it and hands him a wad of cash."
"Okay, why are you telling me this, Paul?"
"When he handed Seth the cash, this fell out of his pocket." He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a photograph. It's a picture of me at the park.
"Paul, did you see the car this guy brought in?"
"No, but it was obvious that he's well off."
I need to be sure before I speak to anyone about this.
"What does this guy look like; tall, lean, blonde hair and blue eyes?"
"Yeah…Seth called him Jay."
I can't be certain, but this guy could possibly be James.
"I thought you would want to know about this, Bella. It was kind of odd and creepy that this guy had a photo of you, and the fact that he wanted his car chopped tells me he's up to no good."
"Thanks for coming to me, Paul."
"Sure anytime. I almost went to Jake first, but…" He shrugs.
"No…no…I'm glad you came to me. Jake and I aren't…"
"Say no more." He holds up his hands and heads toward the door.
"Thanks again, Paul."
"Take care of yourself, Bella."
I close the door and tap the photo against my chin. I need to figure out a way to have the police investigate that shop for James's car without getting Paul's brothers in trouble; and there's only one person I can rely on to help me with this.
I wait impatiently for him to answer.
"Hey Hon, how are you?"
"Hi Dad. I'm doing well, but I need your help."
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I hightail it over to the hospital. I'm still battling against my better judgment in showing up unannounced, but it's imperative that I speak with him at once.
I tried calling him, but he didn't respond. I assume that he must either be with a patient or in surgery. But I decided that it would be better to wait to see him here than drive myself crazy waiting at home for him to get back to me.
I wait impatiently for the passengers to exit the elevator so that I can step inside. The ride feels like it's taking forever. I mutter a quiet 'thank God' as I get out and make my way to the reception desk.
"Hi…uh…I need to see Dr. Masen. Is he in his office?"
The young blonde frowns at me but quickly recovers.
"I'll have to call first and check. May I ask your name?"
"It's Bel…Doctor Swan." I pull myself up and take the more professional approach.
"Give me a moment."
I wait while she clears my visit with him. From her tone and her facial expression, it's evident that he's surprised that I'm here.
"Doctor Masen will see you now, Doctor Swan. His office is on the left at the end of the corridor.
I knock softly. He holds the door open while speaking angrily into his office phone. I close the door behind me and flinch when he yells.
"That's fucking ridiculous! So, they both just walk away scot-free? Well you better make damned sure you do that. I will NOT let them get away with what they did to my nephew, have you got that?" He slams the phone down on his desk repeatedly, until it breaks.
"Fuck!"
"I take it that was about James and Lauren?"
He runs both his hands through his hair and looks up at the ceiling. "You know…I really should've killed them both when I found out about what they did to me. That way, I wouldn't be going through this right now, and my nephew would be out in the park playing, instead of in a fucking hospital!"
"Don't talk like that, Edward."
"I'm serious, Bella. You have no idea what's happened. I can't even begin to wrap my head around it myself." He blows out a frustrated breath.
"Well, I have something to share with you. That's why I'm here, but you first." I gesture for him to start.
"In short, I've learned that I'm not the father of the baby Lauren lost." He walks across the room and stares out of the window.
"What? Are you...wait, who told you such a thing?"
"It's true. I've had all night to mull over this shit, and Alice is right. That baby wasn't mine. I cannot believe that even after she confessed to drugging me, that discovering that she lied about paternity of her child would seem farfetched to me. God, I'm such an idiot!"
"Wait a minute. Back up. What does Alice have to do…?"
"I don't want to talk about this right now, Bella, and none of it matters anyway. The baby…he died." He throws his arms up in pained exasperation.
"Edward…"
"Can we please just get to your news? You said you had something to share with me?"
I mentally tuck this conversation away for later.
"I had a visit from Jake's cousin Paul earlier."
He frowns at me and shrugs. "I'm supposed to care about this, why?"
"Don't be an asshole. He came to see me and gave me this." I hold out the photo, and he takes it, his frown deepening as he looks at it briefly.
"Nice picture. You look beautiful," he deadpans and hands it back to me, turning away.
He can be such an ass sometimes.
"Edward, Paul found this picture in his brother's automotive shop. I think James accidently dropped it."
He spins back around and eyes me skeptically. "Why would James have a photograph of you?"
"Edward, look at this picture again." I thrust it back into his hand. "Doesn't it look familiar?"
"The only familiar thing in it is you, Bella."
"That picture was taken the day we were at the park. The same day you and Josh were nearly killed."
He looks at the photo again then back at me and doesn't utter a word as he waits for me to continue.
"James had frequented that shop in the past, before he moved to Florida. He's chummy with Paul's younger brother, and he brought his car in to get worked onthe other day."
"Go on."
I finally have his attention.
"Paul told me he that he overheard him and his brother, Seth talking. James told him to scrap the vehicle and paid him a lot of money to do so."
"Where's this shop?"
"It's located at Cicero."
He grabs his phone and keys, then calls the front desk to let them know that he'd be leaving for the day and to page him if he's needed.
"Wait, Edward, there's more."
"You can tell me on the way. Let's go."
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.
.
Our conversation is enlightening, to say the least. Lauren is turning out to be worse than I could ever have imagined. She drugged Edward, took advantage of him sexually, and convinced him that a baby he hadn't fathered was his. And when she lost her child, she watched him grieve for a child he believed to be his, for eight years, without a scintilla of remorse. There's no fathomable reason why the woman shouldn't be rotting in a prison.
"Fuck…how much further is this place?" He says in frustration as he glances over at the navigation system then back to the road.
"We're minutes away. Makes sense why James would come this far out of the city."
"When I get my hands on him, trouble will be the least of his problems."
I turn and look at him. His look of grim determination has me worried.
Edward is out the car almost as soon as he's put it into park. I follow hurriedly hoping to calm him before he bursts into the shop in his unhinged state. I don't know Paul's brothers well, but rumor has it that they are tough. Edward's current behavior would make him a prime target to prove their reputation correct.
"Edward, listen," I place a hand on his chest firmly, "I gave Paul my word that his brothers wouldn't be implicated in any way."
"I didn't give him my word." He steps past me, and I grab onto his arm to stop him.
"Edward, please. I promised him."
"Well, you shouldn't have done that. They may have possibly destroyed evidence, and I will not barter with anyone or anything that ruins the chance of getting justice for Josh."
"That's not what I'm asking of you. Paul assured me that Seth would cooperate with you. He just doesn't want the things that go on in the shop mentioned."
"It's a chop shop, Bella! He accepted money to destroy a car that was used in a hit and run! No, Bella. No deals." He storms his way to the door and enters, leaving me behind.
He's right. I had absolutely no business, making a promise like that to Paul. I just felt so bad because I know he is a good guy, and deep down his brothers are as well. I don't want to see any of them get into trouble because of what that sleaze, James, has done.
I hurry after Edward. He already has the attention of three of Paul's brothers. It doesn't look good, but all eyes swing to me as the door bangs behind me.
"Look who it is. You slumming, Bella?" Quil asks with a laugh.
"Hi guys."
"Where's Seth?" Edward ends the pleasantries peremptorily.
"Who wants to know?"
I recognize the burly guy who steps up. It's Sam, Paul's oldest brother. He's the more levelheaded of the bunch.
"Are you Seth?" Edward asks rather aggressively.
"Seth is my little brother. Is there some problem with the work he did on your car?"
As if summoned, Seth emerges from the back of the garage.
"Hey, Bella. Come to get your car fixed?" He smiles at me brightly.
"Hey Seth. No, I didn't bring my car."
Seth is barely 20, but very experienced in the workshop. He grew up learning from his older brothers. He's sweet, but always seems to find his way into some kind of misfortune, and his brothers are immensely protective of him.
"Get in the back now, Seth." Sam orders.
"Why, what's going on?"
"A guy named James came in here a few days ago about some work on his car. You helped him out with that. Am I right?" Edward jumps right in.
Seth appears shocked and looks around at his brothers.
"I…"
"Shut up, Seth. You don't owe this guy any explanations." Quil states and moves closer to Edward.
"Oh, he owes me more than that. In fact, if I don't get what I've come for, then you can kiss this shop goodbye; possibly your freedom too."
"Is that a threat?" Quil's teeth gnash; his glare ice cold.
"Quil…that's enough." Sam warns and blocks his path.
He glances at me then turns to Edward. "Tell us what it is that you want?"
"It's simple. James paid your little brother a lot of money to destroy evidence. I'm willing to pay double for whatever information you have on him."
"Hey, I didn't do a thing." Seth holds up his hands in supplication. "He asked me to junk a perfectly good Beamer Coupe. It had a few dents and scratches on it, but come on. It's a Beamer! I thought he was insane."
"But you took the money! My nephew is lying in a hospital because of that son of a bitch, and someone is going to answer for that."
"Edward," I plead softly. It's obvious by the way he's stammering that Seth is scared.
"I didn't…."
"Don't say another word, Seth."
The garage door slams loudly.
"I've got this. Any questions you have for my cousin, I suggest you contact a lawyer and have him call me." Jake addresses Edward coolly.
Things are about to go from bad to worse.