Roman was leaving his room to go down to breakfast when he saw Mox walking down the hall towards the stairs. "Mox, got a minute?" he called out. 'Not gonna get away so easy this time.'

Mox hesitated, then turned around. "Sure," he reluctantly answered.

Roman nodded to his room. "C'mere."

Mox sighed even as he walked back to Roman's room. "Roman, I gotta get to work. I was planning on hitting a drive-thru for breakfast on the way."

"You've got time for this," Roman grinned, shutting the door behind Mox. "And don't grumble at me. I'm just following orders."

Mox snorted. "Yeah…right, who gives you orders?"

"I'll ignore that question since you're not married," Roman joked as he opened a dresser drawer. "But you should know the answer. Little Princess gives me orders." He pulled out a box and shut the drawer. "And she was very specific in her orders this time."

Mox blinked in confusion when Roman held the small box out to him. "What's this?"

Roman's grey eyes twinkled. "Open it and find out."

Mox slowly took the box and opened it. Inside lay a leather wristband with small colored beads outlining the letters "U" and "J".

"Little Princess is into arts and crafts right now and developed a love of beads," Roman chuckled. "She made that one for her 'Uncle Jon', and I was given orders to hand it to you."

"She made this?" Mox asked in surprise as he carefully pulled it from the box. "For me?" he whispered.

Roman pretended that he hadn't heard the second question. "Sure did. Grilled me like a cop as to what color of beads you'd prefer." He shrugged. "Blue seemed a safe enough color." He watched as Mox put the empty box on the top of the dresser and put the leather band around his wrist.

"Can't wear it in the shop," Mox muttered as he closed the clasps on the wristband.

"I told her that you probably couldn't," Roman admitted. "So, you're in the clear on that score."

Mox traced the letters on the wristband then grinned. "Uncle Jon?"

"That's what you are," Roman confirmed. He started to speak but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Roman? Cops are on their way to the house."

Roman exchanged a concerned look with Mox then opened the door. "Did they give a reason at the gate?"

Jericho shook his head, then looked at Mox. "All they said was they wanted to talk with Mox."

"Put everyone on standby," he ordered. "Mox and I'll be in the library." As the three men walked down the hallway, he asked, "Who are the cops?"

"Homicide. Cena and Styles," Jericho answered. He ignored the muttered curses from the other two men.

Whoever was driving must have sped up the long driveway, because someone was knocking on the front door when they reached the bottom of the stairs. Roman sighed and nodded at Jericho to leave and notify the others. He motioned Mox towards the library then slowly walked to open the door.

"Detective Styles. Detective Cena," Roman greeted as he stepped aside to allow them to enter. "You're here very early."

"Official business," Cena politely replied. "We're here to see Mr. Moxley."

Roman shut the front door. "He's in the library. This way." He led them to the nearby room where Mox was leaning against one of the bookcases, hands in the pockets of his jeans.

Styles scowled when Roman went to stand close to Mox.

"Mr. Moxley, I'm afraid I must inform that your father, Jack Moxley, was found dead earlier this morning," Cena spoke.

Surprised, Roman looked at Mox whose only response was a narrowing of his blue eyes. "How?" Mox finally asked.

"Someone or a lot of someones beat him to death," Styles drawled. "You don't seem upset about it."

Mox glared at the detective. "I told you before, he dumped me to fend for myself when he took off ahead of the guys that he owed money to. And before that, I was half-starved because of his gambling, drinking, and whoring around. So, no, Detective Styles, I'm not upset by it."

"Has Mrs. Moxley been notified?" Roman interrupted.

Cena nodded. "She's being brought to the precinct now to make a statement."

"I'll call my attorney," Roman half-smiled. "She'll have representation."

"As is her right." Cena's words silenced whatever his partner was going to say. "Mr. Moxley, we also need you to come in and make a statement."

"We'll be right behind you," Roman promised. He motioned them out of the library and followed them down the hall. After silently closing the front door behind them, he walked down the hall to where the others waited in his office. Mox silently followed behind him.

"Work your contacts," Roman briskly ordered. "Jack Moxley was beaten to death last night. See what the word is on the street. McIntyre, you've made yourself known to Samoa Joe's PD contacts?" When the Scotsman nodded, he continued, "Good. Contact them and see what you can find out. The information is probably sketchy at this point, but let them know to advise you as soon as anything is known. Then head out with Jericho to meet up with Joe's crews. Naomi and Zelina, follow us to the Second Precinct. I'll call Regal."

By the time he'd finished giving orders, Mox was halfway to the garage.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"We just have a few questions, Mr. Moxley. This shouldn't take long," Styles said as he activated the video recorder.

Mox almost rolled his eyes. The detective had been happy ever since Roman had been forced to wait in the lobby rather than accompany Mox to the interview room. However, before the questioning could begin, the door opened and Regal strolled in like he owned the entire building.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Regal greeted with a smile. "I trust you haven't begun questioning my client without my presence, have you?"

Mox managed not to laugh at the sour expression on Styles' face.

One of the civilian clerks stood in the doorway, with a helpless look in her eyes. "I'm sorry…I tried…"

Cena held up his hand. "It's okay. Mr. Regal is the attorney of record for Mr. Moxley."

The young woman sighed in relief and shut the door to the room.

"Shall we begin?" Regal calmly asked.

Cena gently nudged his partner's foot and began. "Mr. Moxley, you have been notified of the death of your father, Jack Moxley. When was the last time you saw or spoke to him?"

"Couple of weeks ago," Mox answered.

"How did that go?" Styles asked.

"Fine."

Regal leaned forward and rested his elbow on the table. "Perhaps if you were more explicit with your questions, Detective Cena?" he asked, ignoring Styles.

"From your previous statements, we know Jack and Leah Moxley were absent from your life for years," Cena explained. "Now they're back. We're curious as to why and what the relationship has been."

Mox glanced at Regal who nodded.

"According to them, they'd reconnected," he explained. "He wanted a reconciliation with her, and she drew some boundaries. Apparently, somewhere along the line, a reconciliation with me became part of that."

"You don't sound like you believe it," Cena pointed out after a few seconds.

"I wouldn't believe anything he told me," Mox flatly answered.

"And your mother?"

Mox shrugged. "If she stuck with the same story, probably not. But it wouldn't be the first time, he'd lied to get what he wanted."

"What would that have been?" Styles asked.

"Don't know. Don't care."

"Was that the only time you saw or talked with Jack Moxley?" Cena asked.

"That was the second time," Mox explained. "The first time was about a week before that. They showed up at my business. I told them to leave their numbers; and if I wanted to talk to them, I'd call."

"And you did?"

Mox hesitated then nodded. "Met them at Union Park. I wanted them to understand…how they'd abandoned me. He gave me a story that when he left, he knew I'd go to Roman and Sika would protect me. Said he made sure he was seen leaving town so there was no connection between Sika and him."

"Did you believe him?" Cena curiously asked.

Mox met his eyes. "No."

"Where were you last night between the hours of ten p.m. and three a.m.?" Styles asked.

"At my business putting the finishing touches on a client's order," Mox explained. "Two of my employees, Brian Kendrick and Zack Ryder were with me. We were there until almost midnight and left together. Then I went home."

"Anybody see you arrive?"

"Security guards at the gate. Might have been the same ones you dealt with today. I don't know when their shifts change."

Cena looked at his partner who shrugged. "Thank you, Mr. Moxley. This interview should be transcribed by tomorrow. If you can come by in the afternoon to review and sign it, it should be ready by then."

As Mox and Regal stood, Styles cynically smiled. "And our condolences on the death of your father."

Mox silently promised himself that one day, he was going to kick Styles' teeth down his throat.

Regal ushered Mox into the lobby, where Roman stood to meet them. Roman looked past them to see the detectives going into another interview room. "Looks like they're going to interview…her."

Mox looked over his shoulder, then at Regal.

"Ms. Bliss is with her. I thought a woman would be more appropriate given the circumstances," Regal explained. His eyes, however, conveyed a different reason.

Mox slowly nodded, then looked at Roman who'd nudged his arm. He saw a key ring with the keys to the SUV Roman had driven being held out to him.

"I'll catch a ride," Roman smiled. "If you want to take her home rather than have the cops drive her." When Mox hesitated, he added in a low voice. "Your choice, brother."

Mox silently nodded and took the keys.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Our apologies for the delay, Mrs. Moxley," Cena gently smiled. "Our condolences on the death of your husband."

"Morning, Ms. Bliss," Styles drawled.

Alexa ignored Styles and focused on Cena. "Please be brief, Detective Cena."

"We'll do our best," Cena assured her. He waited until Styles had activated the video recorder and identified everyone in the room. "Mrs. Styles, you didn't report your husband missing when he didn't come home last night," Cena began. "Can you explain why?"

"Seriously, Detective?" Alexa hissed.

Leah looked from Alexa to Cena in confusion. When Alexa nodded, she quietly spoke. "Because nothing would be done to look for him until he'd been gone 24 hours." She looked down at her clasped hands. "And it's not the first time he hasn't come home."

"When did that start?" Styles asked.

"A couple of weeks ago," Leah admitted.

"Was that before or after the meeting with your son in Union Park?"

"A few days after," Leah answered. "I…I thought he'd changed."

"Changed how?" Cena gently asked.

Leah took a deep breath. "I abandoned my husband and son years ago…when Jon was seven. I'd become a heroin addict." She forced her eyes to meet Cena's. "I'm not proud of that. And I'm not proud of what I did those years to get my next fix. I've been in and out of rehab more times than I can remember. But I finally got into a program that worked. And I work every day to fight that addiction."

Leah looked down at her clasped hands on the table and forced her fingers to relax. "When I ran into Jack, he wanted to get back together 'for old times sake'. I told him to go to hell. When he persisted, I told him he had to recover from his addictions. Gambling and drinking. A few weeks later, he said he was in GA and gave me the same old line. I walked away."

"But you got back together," Styles stated. "Why, if he was such a bad guy?"

Leah looked at him with simple dignity. "I'm not a young woman, Detective. Being lonely is hard. Being alone is frightening." She saw Alexa glare at the detective and continued. "When he came back the third time, he had changed. He said he'd started actually listening in the GA meetings." She ruefully smiled. "As a recovering addict, I know all the tricks to pretending to be clean. I know all the lines. I've used them…more than once. Something had changed in Jack like it had changed in me."

Leah leaned back in her chair. "I'd gotten some vocational training to do remote office work. I did that in the evenings. My day job was at the shelter where I was staying." Despite herself, she chuckled. "Jack was good at convincing people. So, he became…I guess a middleman? You know those pop-ups that come up on social media? For gadgets and stuff? Jack started…networking between the people who were building or creating those things and buyers. He could provide the service between buyer and seller at a lower cost."

"Why come back to Davenport?" Cena asked.

Leah smiled. "Recovering addicts have to make peace with their past. Accept responsibility for what they've done. Jack found out that Jon had been released from prison and…"

"Wrongfully convicted," Alexa interrupted with another glare at the detectives.

Leah nodded. "He was back in Davenport so we came here. Jon…Jon deserved the opportunity to tell us to go to hell." She lowered her voice. "We deserved to hear it."

"Is that what he said?" Styles asked.

"We're getting pretty far away from the subject at hand," Alexa warned.

"No. He listened to us. He basically told us how worthless we were…are. Then he said not to contact him. He'd contact us if he wanted to see us again. And he walked away." Leah's voice broke on her last words.

"Was your husband angry?" Cena asked.

Leah shook her head. "Surprisingly, no. He shrugged and said that Jon had always been a stubborn…man." She sadly smiled. "I last saw him when he was seven…trying so hard to be a good boy."

"We haven't found a record of divorce," Cena pointed out. "Why didn't you…or your husband get one?"

"Divorces cost money, detective," Leah pointed out. "Every penny I could get my hands on went for heroin fixes. I guess Jack's money went towards gambling and drinking."

"You said your husband began spending nights away from home." Cena glanced at his notes. "Did you question him about it?"

Leah nodded. "He said that he was meeting with people in Davenport who were amateur inventors. Most of them held day jobs so they had to meet in the evenings or later." She glanced at Alexa who nodded. "I guess I should've pushed harder but…" She took a deep breath. "He would come back later and later. The past few days I never knew what time he came back. We…we have…had separate bedrooms. I insisted on that until I was sure we were going to work. Then last night…"

"What happened last night?" Cena gently asked when Leah began crying.

"Give her a minute, Detective!" Alexa snapped as she handed Leah some tissues and a small bottle of water from her purse.

"Thank you," Leah murmured to Alexa. She wiped her eyes and drank some water. "I'm sorry, Detective." She took a deep breath. "Last night, he got a phone call. I don't know from who. But when the call was over, he left without a word." She twisted the tissues between her fingers. "I was angry. I'd started to think we could make this work. But this was the old Jack. The one I couldn't trust. Then I saw the car keys on the table next to the sofa. I went to the window and saw Jack walking towards the front gate of the complex. By the time I got my purse and shoes and the keys, he was out of sight. I got in the car hoping he was still walking, but I couldn't see him. So, I started driving around. Hoping I'd find him. After a couple of hours, I…I gave up. On finding him. On staying with him. I went back to the apartment and went to bed. I'd made up my mind that I'd pack in the morning and leave."

"What time did he leave?" Cena asked.

"Somewhere around 11pm," Leah answered. "I'm sorry…I'm not sure of the exact time."

"Did he usually take the car when he left?" Styles asked.

Leah nodded. "Always. That's why I went to the window when I saw the keys on the table. I thought…some woman was picking him up. Maybe one did…at the gate…I don't know." Her voice lowered to a whisper.

"We're done," Alexa decided. "I'm taking my client home. Contact me when her statement needs to be signed."

"Just one more question." Cena looked at Leah who had gotten to her feet. "What type of car did you drive last night?"

"A 2006 Mercury Milan," Leah answered in confusion. "Dark red. Jack said he got it cheap at an auction." She grimaced. "That was probably a lie, too."

"Enough," Alexa firmly said. She took Leah's arm and walked them out of the interrogation room.

When Regal saw them enter the lobby, he excused himself to Roman and walked towards them.

"Wait here." Alexa patted Leah's arm. "I need to speak with Mr. Regal. He's the head of the law firm."

As the two attorneys conferred in low voices, Mox hesitated then walked towards his mother. "Did they treat you okay? The cops?" he quietly asked.

Leah nodded. "One was a little brusque but…the other, I think his name was Cena? He was polite."

Mox nodded, eyes on the tips of his boots. "You done here?"

Leah nodded. "They'll let Ms. Bliss know when I need to sign my statement."

"I…uh…I can take you home…if you want," Mox quietly offered. He heard a sniff and looked up to see Leah wiping her eyes.

"I'd like that," she whispered.

Mox saw Regal and Alexa approaching.

"Mrs. Moxley, my sincere condolences." Regal held out his hand to Leah, coincidentally shielding Alexa from Mox's view.

"Thank you," Leah replied, shaking Regal's hand.

"Here's my card in case Ms. Bliss is in Court." Regal handed her his card. "Don't hesitate to call either of us if you're contacted by the police."

"I will," Leah assured him, putting the card in her purse.

"I'm taking her home," Mox spoke up.

Regal genially nodded. He nodded to Roman and led Alexa out of the lobby. Heading outside, he glanced at Alexa's stony expression. "What do you think of Mrs. Moxley?"

"I think she's probably as good a liar as she claims her late husband was," Alexa answered.

"And how much of that assessment is based on observation and how much on…emotions?"

Alexa's lips curled. "A lawyer's instinct," she answered.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Roman, this is…Leah Moxley," Mox introduced.

Roman smiled and held out his hand. "My condolences, Mrs. Moxley. If there's anything I can do, let me know." He glanced at Mox with a grin. "He knows where I live."

"Thank you," Leah wearily replied.

As they walked out, Roman leaned closer to Mox and whispered, "Anything I need to do for you? Call your people?"

Mox shook his head. "I called on the way out to the garage. Called off for today and told 'em why."

Roman silently nodded and pulled out his phone to text Naomi and Zelina to pick him up out front.

Outside, Mox hesitated until he saw a familiar SUV turning the corner. He silently waved at Roman and walked Leah towards the parking lot.

When the SUV stopped, Roman got into the back.

As Naomi drove away, Zelina turned to watch Mox and Leah walk away. "Is that her?" she asked.

Roman smirked at the tone in Zelina's voice. "Yes, it is. Naomi, drive over to Rollins' Bookstore, please."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Seth looked up when the door to the Bookstore opened, then grinned when he saw Roman enter with two women. "Hi, Roman!"

Roman smiled. "Ladies, books are on me."

Zelina theatrically sighed. "Wish you would say that at a jewelry store."

Naomi snickered as the two women separated to sections.

Roman leaned across the counter and lowered his voice. "We need to talk."

Seth hesitated then called out. "Finn, can you watch the front for a little while?"

"Sure." Finn gave Roman a curious look as he passed Seth at the front counter.

"We can talk in the office," Seth said as he led Roman down the hallway. "I'd take you upstairs but…"

Both men stopped and looked at the ceiling, having heard a loud thump.

"But there's renovations going on," Seth chuckled. He opened the office door and waved Roman inside. "What's up?"

Roman sat in a comfortable chair with a sigh. "Mox's father was murdered last night."

Seth was halfway sitting in the chair when he froze. He stared at Roman for a few seconds then finished sitting down. "I'm sorry. I thought I heard you say Mox's father was murdered."

Roman nodded. "His birth parents showed up some weeks ago. He didn't tell me until recently…just before Alexa went missing." He studied Seth for a moment. "He told me you're dating Nikki so I guess you know he broke up with Alexa."

Seth grunted and leaned back in his chair. "I told Nikki he was doing it to protect Alexa and we should give it some time. But Mox's been ducking me lately."

"Same here," Roman admitted.

"I know he's got a lot of work going on." Seth looked up at the ceiling. "One project is mine. Furniture for the renovations upstairs. And he's working on furniture for some of the DV shelters. To help people when they're able to go out on their own."

Roman was surprised when Seth slapped his hand down on his desk.

"Dammit, Roman! Mox is a good guy! He doesn't need all this shit happening to him!" Seth snarled.

"Preaching to the choir," Roman assured him. "Mox told me his birth parents had reconciled…after years of being apart, by the way…and part of that 'reconciliation' was to make peace with him."

Seth studied Roman for a few seconds. "You don't believe them."

Roman hesitated. "Let's just say that at this point, I don't have any proof; but my instinct says there's something else going on." He managed not to smile when Seth leaned forward, tapping his fingers on the top of the desk as he thought.

"There's a link…or connection to something we don't know about or are overlooking," Seth slowly spoke. "The money Mox got in the settlement with the city?" Then he shook his head. "That wouldn't explain his father's murder," he mused.

"Unless that happened because of something else," Roman pointed out, curious as to how Seth's mind worked.

Seth waved a hand in dismissal. "That sort of coincidence happens in fiction. Rarely in real life."

Roman saw Seth's eyes slightly unfocus as he continued to think.

"No, that murder means something…to accomplish a goal…bringing Mox closer to his mother for some reason?" Seth muttered. "So close to what happened to Alexa…one having to do with the other…"

"Careful, Seth. You're coming close to a line you may not want to cross. One you won't be able to uncross."

Seth blinked and stared at Roman. "I'm not stupid," he finally said. "I know what's said about you."

"And what is that?" Roman quietly asked.

"Cards on the table?" When Roman nodded, he continued, "My Uncle John left me a letter where he mentioned you and your father. Now, writers are a curious breed. It didn't take long to do some research. Law enforcement considered your father some sort of crime boss…the head of a crime organization. One of the two major ones in Davenport, I might add. And when your father died, you took over."

"You shouldn't believe everything you read on the Internet," Roman smirked.

"I don't," Seth smirked in return. "But having written two crime novels and a spy thriller, I know more than the average person about what is available in a public records search." His smirk widened. "And how to find them by going through alternate channels."

Roman's eyes widened. "I'm impressed," he admitted. "Okay, cards on the table. I think you may be on the right track. Mox is scheduled to testify in an upcoming trial about the conditions in the prison he was in. Two of the other main witnesses are now dead. One ruled a DUI and the other accidental exposure to an allergen." When Seth raised his eyebrows, Roman grinned.

"The investigator/prosecutor in the prison case dug a little deeper and found enough suspicion that those rulings are being reviewed." Roman hesitated. "The third witness recanted his testimony after his roommate was being into a coma."

Seth's dark eyes widened. "That big guy who came to Mox's business…"

Roman silently nodded. "That's why Mox was so insistent on you and his employees getting to safety when Alexa went missing."

Seth chewed on his lower lip. "If all that didn't get Mox to walk away from being a witness, why would the murder of an absentee father?" He shook his head. "It wouldn't. That's not the point of the murder."

"You could be right," Roman admitted. "The question now is…what do you do?"

"Excuse me?"

"Like I said, you're about to cross a line you won't be able to uncross," Roman softly repeated. "You've got a lot to lose if this goes South."

Seth thought for a few moments. "Answer this question, Roman. Back in high school…why did you and Mox protect me…and others from those bullies? Gallows. Anderson. And the others. Why?"

Roman paused, then shrugged. "It was the right thing to do."

Seth nodded. "And I'm crossing your line because it's the right thing to do."

Roman silently studied the younger man. To his credit, Seth met his eyes and didn't flinch. Then Roman stood and held out his hand.

Seth stood and silently shook it.

The line had been crossed.