Chapter Three
x
"Tell me again why I have to be in your wedding." Sofia complained, glancing at her reflection in the mirror. The pastel blue dress was about two sizes too small, causing her breathing to slow and she had the feeling that wasn't healthy.
"Because, Sof', you're my bestfriend. I couldn't get married without having you as my maid of honor." Olivia replied, giving instructions to the seamstress while circling her friend. "Besides, you look wonderful. The color of the dress brings out the color in your eyes."
"Olivia..."
"Yes?"
"My eyes are green."
"Oh." Olivia smiled, telling the poor little old woman working on the dress to lower the neckline by atleast an inch. Sofia glanced down, watching as her cleavage started to show more and more.
"Liv, are you trying to make me look like a hooker?" Sofia squirmed slightly, barely dodging the needle the old woman was poking at her dress. A curse came out of the womans mouth as Sofia glared at her 'bestfriend.' "Liv, I can't breath!"
"Okay, okay! Stop your yappin', she's almost threw with the alterations." Sofia felt her head spinning as the need for air hit her full force. "Sof'? Sof' you okay?" She heard the words but could barely distinguish them as her eyes closed and her body fell limp.
x
"Missing? Sofia's missing?" Olivia's face paled as tears came to her eyes. She wiped them away before they could even threaten to fall, took a deep breath, and looked at Samantha once again.
"No one has seen her since last week." Samantha explained, unable to keep her eyes from roaming around the massive bedroom. It was probably larger then her apartment. "Ms. Halaman--"
"Olivia." She recalled the Governor saying the same thing to Martin and smiled, atleast everyone seemed to accept the agent's butting into their lives. Or maybe they were used to it. Olivia's family obviously had money. Which, most likely, meant they were higher up in the community.
"Olivia, we've had a hard time finding out anything about your friend."
"Sof' is a very private person. She doesn't let many people in." Again, tears and a swift wiping away. Samantha wondered if rich people weren't allowed to cry.
"Any reason for that?"
"Well, Agent Spade, when you live in this world you learn quickly that anything you say could make it's way to the press." Samantha nodded. She knew how it felt, after working so many high-profile cases.
"Do you know if Sofia had any enemies?"
"No, she didn't."
"She have a boyfriend?" For the first time, since the interview started, Olivia didn't answer immediately. Samantha nodded again and glanced down at her notebook. "I'm going to take that as a 'yes.'"
"She was having an affair with some married man." Olivia blurted out.
"You have a name for this 'married man'?" Samantha questioned, not about to lose her cool because she had something in common with the missing girl.
"No. I didn't even ask, she wouldn't have told me."
x
"That's not the guy from the picture we found in her dorm." Danny commented, holding a copy of the picture up beside the computer monitor.
"They look alike though. Blood relatives atleast." Jack pointed out, noticing the similar characteristics.
"Brothers?"
"No. Father and son."
x
"Johnson."
"Hey Vivian, it's Martin."
"Hey! Anything new?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing."
"Nothing here, unless Danny and Jack got something from downstairs."
"About the same here. Samantha is out interviewing Sofia's bestfriend and I'm here with the forensics team going over Sofia's bedroom."
"Forensics?"
"Yeah."
"Find anything?" Martin failed to hear the question as he glanced over one of the CSU guys' shoulder. He found himself staring at the bed, which, at the moment, glowed a fluorescent pink.
"Vivian, I'll call you back." He closed the phone without another word.
x
The tears flowed freely after a while, she no longer had the effort to wipe them away. Samantha felt sorry for the young woman as she sat listening to tales of a seemingly perfect childhood.
"Sof' and I have been bestfriends all our lives. Our fathers went to school together and became friends then. So, Sofia and I practically grew up together." Olivia let out a chuckle, lost in her reveries. "My brother, when we were in our freshman year of high school, had a thing for Sof'. I spent all of that year worried that she would start dating him and stop hanging out with me."
"How old is your brother?" Samantha asked, finally getting a chance to speak.
"He's eighteen months older then I am. We're all really close."
"So then, he got over that crush?"
"You know, I'm not sure." Olivia stared at the far wall, pausing for a moment. "He was the one that brought it to my attention that Sofia might have a boyfriend."
"Really? You didn't notice?"
"Ugh, no. We've both been really busy. She's been getting ready for college and I've been caught up in all this wedding madness."
"How can I get in contact with your brother? I'll need to ask him some questions." Samantha couldn't help but remember that everyone was a suspect.
"He's at Willamette University, it's not far from the state capital building. I'll get you his phone number so that you can set everything up with him."
x
Countless times and I finally answered yes to his question. It was only dinner, or so I had thought. Much more came and now I feel as if I've let down everyone including myself.
How was I to know that I would end up in this tangled web of lies? I would say it's rebellion, but I think I'm past that point. I've never been one to be depressed but this is all messing with my senses. Killing my emotions. And I'm not even sure I'll ever be able to find true love after all of this ends. Because it will end. It's inevitable.
Then again, what is true love? I'm with two men at once. One who is married, and the other who is his son! It's unethical.
I should just runaway. Leave all of these problems behind. But thats not who I am. I got myself into this mess. I should be able to get out.
x
"Got it!" Vivian called from her computer. She soon felt Danny and Jack standing behind her and she lifted a finger to point at the screen. "Father and son. Found who were in the pictures."
"Mark and Trevor Halaman. Danny, call Martin and Samantha, let them know all of this." Jack stated, taking a closer look at the screen.
On the screen were two DMV photos, one of each man. Their similar features were uncanny. From their deep blue eyes, to their smug smiles.
x
To be continued...
x
"Tell me again why I have to be in your wedding." Sofia complained, glancing at her reflection in the mirror. The pastel blue dress was about two sizes too small, causing her breathing to slow and she had the feeling that wasn't healthy.
"Because, Sof', you're my bestfriend. I couldn't get married without having you as my maid of honor." Olivia replied, giving instructions to the seamstress while circling her friend. "Besides, you look wonderful. The color of the dress brings out the color in your eyes."
"Olivia..."
"Yes?"
"My eyes are green."
"Oh." Olivia smiled, telling the poor little old woman working on the dress to lower the neckline by atleast an inch. Sofia glanced down, watching as her cleavage started to show more and more.
"Liv, are you trying to make me look like a hooker?" Sofia squirmed slightly, barely dodging the needle the old woman was poking at her dress. A curse came out of the womans mouth as Sofia glared at her 'bestfriend.' "Liv, I can't breath!"
"Okay, okay! Stop your yappin', she's almost threw with the alterations." Sofia felt her head spinning as the need for air hit her full force. "Sof'? Sof' you okay?" She heard the words but could barely distinguish them as her eyes closed and her body fell limp.
x
"Missing? Sofia's missing?" Olivia's face paled as tears came to her eyes. She wiped them away before they could even threaten to fall, took a deep breath, and looked at Samantha once again.
"No one has seen her since last week." Samantha explained, unable to keep her eyes from roaming around the massive bedroom. It was probably larger then her apartment. "Ms. Halaman--"
"Olivia." She recalled the Governor saying the same thing to Martin and smiled, atleast everyone seemed to accept the agent's butting into their lives. Or maybe they were used to it. Olivia's family obviously had money. Which, most likely, meant they were higher up in the community.
"Olivia, we've had a hard time finding out anything about your friend."
"Sof' is a very private person. She doesn't let many people in." Again, tears and a swift wiping away. Samantha wondered if rich people weren't allowed to cry.
"Any reason for that?"
"Well, Agent Spade, when you live in this world you learn quickly that anything you say could make it's way to the press." Samantha nodded. She knew how it felt, after working so many high-profile cases.
"Do you know if Sofia had any enemies?"
"No, she didn't."
"She have a boyfriend?" For the first time, since the interview started, Olivia didn't answer immediately. Samantha nodded again and glanced down at her notebook. "I'm going to take that as a 'yes.'"
"She was having an affair with some married man." Olivia blurted out.
"You have a name for this 'married man'?" Samantha questioned, not about to lose her cool because she had something in common with the missing girl.
"No. I didn't even ask, she wouldn't have told me."
x
"That's not the guy from the picture we found in her dorm." Danny commented, holding a copy of the picture up beside the computer monitor.
"They look alike though. Blood relatives atleast." Jack pointed out, noticing the similar characteristics.
"Brothers?"
"No. Father and son."
x
"Johnson."
"Hey Vivian, it's Martin."
"Hey! Anything new?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing."
"Nothing here, unless Danny and Jack got something from downstairs."
"About the same here. Samantha is out interviewing Sofia's bestfriend and I'm here with the forensics team going over Sofia's bedroom."
"Forensics?"
"Yeah."
"Find anything?" Martin failed to hear the question as he glanced over one of the CSU guys' shoulder. He found himself staring at the bed, which, at the moment, glowed a fluorescent pink.
"Vivian, I'll call you back." He closed the phone without another word.
x
The tears flowed freely after a while, she no longer had the effort to wipe them away. Samantha felt sorry for the young woman as she sat listening to tales of a seemingly perfect childhood.
"Sof' and I have been bestfriends all our lives. Our fathers went to school together and became friends then. So, Sofia and I practically grew up together." Olivia let out a chuckle, lost in her reveries. "My brother, when we were in our freshman year of high school, had a thing for Sof'. I spent all of that year worried that she would start dating him and stop hanging out with me."
"How old is your brother?" Samantha asked, finally getting a chance to speak.
"He's eighteen months older then I am. We're all really close."
"So then, he got over that crush?"
"You know, I'm not sure." Olivia stared at the far wall, pausing for a moment. "He was the one that brought it to my attention that Sofia might have a boyfriend."
"Really? You didn't notice?"
"Ugh, no. We've both been really busy. She's been getting ready for college and I've been caught up in all this wedding madness."
"How can I get in contact with your brother? I'll need to ask him some questions." Samantha couldn't help but remember that everyone was a suspect.
"He's at Willamette University, it's not far from the state capital building. I'll get you his phone number so that you can set everything up with him."
x
Countless times and I finally answered yes to his question. It was only dinner, or so I had thought. Much more came and now I feel as if I've let down everyone including myself.
How was I to know that I would end up in this tangled web of lies? I would say it's rebellion, but I think I'm past that point. I've never been one to be depressed but this is all messing with my senses. Killing my emotions. And I'm not even sure I'll ever be able to find true love after all of this ends. Because it will end. It's inevitable.
Then again, what is true love? I'm with two men at once. One who is married, and the other who is his son! It's unethical.
I should just runaway. Leave all of these problems behind. But thats not who I am. I got myself into this mess. I should be able to get out.
x
"Got it!" Vivian called from her computer. She soon felt Danny and Jack standing behind her and she lifted a finger to point at the screen. "Father and son. Found who were in the pictures."
"Mark and Trevor Halaman. Danny, call Martin and Samantha, let them know all of this." Jack stated, taking a closer look at the screen.
On the screen were two DMV photos, one of each man. Their similar features were uncanny. From their deep blue eyes, to their smug smiles.
x
To be continued...