Part Five.
Bianca and Maggie arrived at Vincenci's just in time for their reservations. "Miss Montgomery, I'm so happy to see you again." Marcello the maitre de said as he led the two women to their table. Bianca was happy her table in the back of the crowded restaurant was still available.
"Thank you Marcello. This is my friend Maggie." Bianca said as she proudly introduced her best friend.
"Pleased to meet you Maggie, I hope you'll enjoy your stay." Marcello smiled politely as he showed them to their table, handed them the menus and quietly walked back to his post.
"Wow, this place is amazing." Maggie said as she looked around the fancy yet cozy restaurant.
"Yes, I love it here. The food is always delicious and the atmosphere is perfect." Bianca said and then focused back on Maggie. "Here we are."
"Yep, here we are." Maggie smiled as she agreed, "I don't know why but I'm having the hardest time coming up with anything to say right now."
"I know, I feel like it's a blind date and that's silly. Let's just forget where we are and talk like we always do." Bianca smiled hoping Maggie would get things started.
With a deep breath Maggie took a sip of the water in front of her, let out the breath and began, "Okay, this is easy. Why don't you tell me about that new perfume you're working on? Who's it for and what do you envision for the smell?" Maggie paused for a second, "Geez, that sounds so dumb when I say it, but you know what I mean. You must have something in mind."
"Actually I do." Bianca said, her eyes lighting up as soon as she began talking about her new project. "I was thinking about creating something specifically for when you're feeling down, depressed or just feeling lonely. I want something that will make you smile and feel good about yourself as soon as you put it on. I know I can do this and I know it would be perfect for every woman at some time or another."
"I think it's a great idea." Maggie said, unable to contain her enthusiasm. "Everyone needs a little pick me up from time to time so I know this will be a hit when you get it ready for marketing."
"That's a long ways away. It will take months and probably years to get this idea from the drawing room to the public." Bianca said, stating the obvious. "What I was hoping was that you might want to help me with this little project. Actually, it's a huge project, but I trust your instincts. I do know that you have studying to do and I understand if you." Bianca stopped talking, her eyes grew big and her mouth fell open as she looked over at the entrance to see her mom waiting to be seated with Lena by her side.
Maggie spun around to see what Bianca was staring at and as soon as she saw Lena standing beside Erica, she knew, "Bianca, there could be a thousand explanations for this."
"Sure there could, or there could be a very simple one, I was stood up for another woman. I mean, how could she do this to me and with my own mother?" Bianca asked yet not expecting an answer. "I'm going to go over there and find out what the hell is going on."
Maggie grabbed Bianca's arm and stood up to get in front of the much taller brunette. "Wait a second. I'm not sure you want to do that, not here and not when you're so mad."
"Oh but I do want to do this. I won't be able to if I calm down. I hate being calm, it's way overrated." Bianca tried to move forward but Maggie held her ground.
"How about this, we have our meal and if you still feel the need to confront Lena then I won't stop you. Maybe just give it some time." Maggie said as she sat Bianca back down then looked back at Lena and Erica as they were seated at a table across the room. "Besides, I'm sure they are only here on business. I mean, your mom isn't exactly a fan of Lena's and I don't think it's a romantic dinner. Erica would never do that to you. Right?"
Bianca let out a sigh as she took a drink of water, "Maybe you're right, but I'm still not happy that Lena stood me up. Why didn't she just tell me she had to work late with my mom?"
"I can't answer that." Maggie said, feeling bad that she couldn't help more. "Listen, did you want to go?"
"No, I'm not leaving. They should leave." Bianca shot back as she kept staring at Lena who was now laughing with Erica. "I'm sorry Maggie; I'm not being much fun here."
"Don't worry about it, why don't we try and talk about something else for a while?"
Bianca looked over at Maggie and then back at Lena, "Can we switch seats? I think I'll be okay if I don't have to keep watching them have such a good time."
"Of course." Maggie said as they stood up and made the switch.
"Thanks Maggie." Bianca said softly then smiled, as the only thing in front of her now was Maggie's pretty face. "I just can't believe my mom is laughing with Lena. Why? What do they have in common? She doesn't like her or so she said. It would be just like mom to steal her away from me to."
"You don't mean that. You know it's not true. You're just lashing out." Maggie said as she put her hand over Bianca's to calm her down. "Anyway, I heard there was going to be a week long party at the dorm this week to celebrate final's week and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me. I won't be going until Friday because I have so much studying to do for my own final on Thursday, but it should be a fun weekend."
"You know what, I'd love to go. I need to have some fun and this sounds perfect." Bianca took another drink of water, "Excuse me, I need to take a trip to the ladies room."
Bianca got up and walked towards the restrooms, sped up as she walked past Lena and Erica and walked quickly to the ladies room.
Once inside she moved over to a sink and splashed some water on her face, dried herself off and turned around to see Lena standing in front of her. She didn't say a thing, just walked past her and headed towards the door.
"Wait." Lena said as she turned to face Bianca. "Please let me explain."
"Oh what's to explain?" Bianca asked with an unhappy laugh. "It's pretty clear what's going on. You stood me up for a date with the CEO of Enchantment. Nice move Lena, you should be vice president in no time."
"Don't say that. It's not true." Lena said loudly in her thick Polish accent. "I promise I am not interested in your mother like that. We've been working together, things were going well and she asked me to dinner to discuss work. I didn't think I should say no to her, she's been so nice to be since I started working for her."
"I don't care. Whatever you do with my mom is your business. I'm glad things are working out for you and I hope you have a nice rise to top of the corporate ladder." Bianca said as politely as she could muster, "Now, if you'll excuse me I need to go."
"I can't stand having you mad at me like this. It's not what you think. None of this is. I wish you could tell you why. But, I can't." Lena walked over to Bianca and lifted her head to face her. "I promise you that in time you will see what I'm doing is for a very good reason. In the end, this will all be worth it. I know you don't trust me, but I need for you to look me in the eyes when I tell you this."
"Tell me what. More lies? No thanks." Bianca said as she took another step towards the door.
Lena pushed it shut with her hand and stood between Bianca and the door. "Okay, I could lose my job for what I'm about to tell you, but you have to promise not to say a thing to anyone. That means Erica, Kendall and even Maggie. Nobody can know this."
"Stop being so damn dramatic." Bianca said, her voice getting colder by the second. "If you have something to tell me then please just say it and leave me alone."
"Just so you know, I'm only telling you this because I care about you and what you think of me." Lena then pulled Bianca back against the restroom wall, pulled out a metal gadget and began moving it up and down over the bathroom stalls, the walls and then the door before sliding it back into her purse. "We're clear here. I'll get right to it then. I am working for the CIA in an ongoing investigation into the illegal activities of Michael Cambias. I've been deep undercover for 18 months and have compiled enough data on him to put him away for a long time."
Bianca was speechless. She stood there trying to process what she'd just heard but it was not easy.
"Are you okay Bianca?" Lena asked as she helped steady her by grabbing her arm. "I don't know what to say. How do I even know this is true?" Bianca said, still uncertain if or what was true anymore."
Lena slid open a secret compartment in her purse and pulled out a badge. It said her name was Lena Gregoriev and it looked very official with the CIA crest and serial number and the works.
"I see your name is another lie." Bianca said, still focusing on the things that hurt the most.
"Yes and I'm sorry for that, but there was no other way." Lena said, the regret her voice overpowering. "When this is all over I'll tell you anything you want to know. I promise, but right now, this investigation is too important to compromise any further. We have information that Michael has plans to kill some very important people connected to your mother, Kendall and other related interests. I can only say that we are working very hard to make sure nothing happens to anyone else."
"This is all so much to digest. I don't know what end is up anymore. I hope this is true so much. I want to believe. I really do, but I need time to deal with all this." Bianca said as she walked back over to the door, but stopped and turned to Lena. "Thank you for telling me this. I know it couldn't have been easy and I hope you catch Michael and put him away forever."
"We will Bianca, mark my words, Michael Cambias' reign of terror is about to come to end. You take care and I'll call you when this is all behind us." Lena said with supreme confidence. Bianca smiled back at Lena and walked back to her table.
"Are you okay? I saw Lena follow you, did she explain things to you?" Maggie asked, sensing how shook up Bianca was.
"Well, I did learn a lot about Lena that I didn't know and I understand why she did what she did, but it doesn't hurt any less. Anyway, let's eat and then I want to go home." Bianca said somberly.
"Sure, whatever you want." Maggie said just as the food was put on their table.
Joni was wandering back and forth in front of Laurie's locker, impatiently waiting for her to show up so they could confront JR and Jamie and try to move from the past.
Eventually she got tired of pacing and stopped and leaned against Laurie's locker, but the person who walked up to it wasn't Laurie.
"Hi Joni." JR said as he removed his jacket.
"Oh, hi JR, why are you here?" Joni asked bluntly.
JR was surprised by the question, "What do you mean? I'm here to see Laurie of course."
"I guess I didn't expect to see you here." Joni said with a forced smile. "I thought you were done with school when you took off."
"I am. I just need to talk to Laurie. I've decided to take another tour and want her to come with me."
"What?" Joni asked loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear. "You can't be serious. She's getting ready for college. There's no way she can leave now. Are you crazy?"
"No, I'm not crazy. What's got into you Joni, I thought you were all for us getting together?" JR paused, studied Joni's face and saw something he didn't understand. "Why are you so concerned about Laurie all of a sudden? Last I remember you two weren't exactly getting along." Joni felt her face turn red then white as she searched for something to say. "Well JR, after you took off Laurie needed someone to talk to and we just connected again and she's just now getting over how hurt she was when you left."
"I see. Well, that's what I want to talk to her about. I want to say sorry." JR said as he turned to see Laurie walking towards him.
Laurie stopped as she saw Joni and JR looking at her and wanted to turn around and run away, but it was too late for that.
"Hi you two." Laurie said, then proceeded to open her locker.
"Laurie, I've been waiting for you. We need to talk." JR said as he moved closer.
"About what?" Laurie asked, still facing her locker as she hung up her coat.
"About us. Our future. I need to talk to you about some things and I don't have much time. I've decided to take another trip, but." he paused as he saw Joni looking on intently and another group of people walked up to a locker right beside them making a lot of noise. "Laurie, can we go outside and talk? We need some privacy."
Laurie turned and looked right at Joni, "I have to talk to JR, I'll see you at lunch, okay?"
"Sure, have a nice talk." Joni said then turned and walked away.
"Great, let's go." JR said as he led Laurie out of the school until he found a quiet spot by the gym.
"Okay, we're here so what did you want to say." Laurie said showing very little emotion.
JR was watching Laurie as she constantly looked away and was fidgeting with her purse the whole time. "Is something wrong? You don't seem like yourself."
"I'm fine." She said as she tried to look him in the eyes. "I wanted to talk to you today and I guess now is the time."
"Wait, let me tell you what I have planned for us."
Laurie interrupted JR in mid sentence. "No, I have to go first." She said as she summoned up the courage to continue. "This isn't easy for me. Joni was supposed to here and well, it's hard to do this without her."
"What are you talking about? You need Joni to hold your hand to talk to me now? You're acting weird, so just tell me what this is all about." JR demanded, his enthusiasm changing to anger in a very short time. "You don't have to yell." Laurie said as she looked at JR's face and saw so much anger and confusion. "You're not going to like this and you might not even understand but, I've become very close with Joni since you left and well, we've become even better friends and things have changed in how we see each other."
"Oh god, what the hell are you talking about? So you're friends again, big deal. How is this a problem?" JR asked, shaking his head at what he was hearing.
"Just let me finish." Laurie said as she began pacing again, "Okay, since I can't seem to explain it being subtle, I'm going to have to come right out and say it. So here it is, Joni and I are together. She's my girlfriend and I don't mean 'girl' plus 'friend', I mean girlfriend as in boyfriend. As in kissing each other girlfriends. I didn't want this to come out quite this way, but I realize there is no easy way to say this."
JR stood silent, mouth open and a blank look on his face.
"Say something." Laurie said as she walked up to him and waved her hand in front of his face."
"What? I'm fine. I just.this is all so confusing. I don't understand. I know we had problems but I didn't know it was because you wanted to be with Joni." JR said as he took a couple steps back. "How long have you been cheating on me with Joni?"
Laurie's eyes popped out of her head at JR's question. "I have never cheated on you with anyone. Nothing happened between Joni and me, until after you left me. You left me. Let's not forget that very big detail. I know it sounds cliché but we didn't plan for this to happen. It just did."
"Sure it did." JR said as he struggled to process this new information. "So tell me Laurie, why did you go out with me in the first place? I mean, if you like girls what are you doing dating me and flirting with Jamie?"
"Stop it. It's not like that." Laurie said loudly, "I know you're upset, but being mad at me isn't going to change anything.
"Maybe not for you, but it works me." JR said with an angry smile, "Now, you didn't answer my question, why did you go out with me if you want to be girls?"
Laurie stood silent for the longest time, but as she saw JR get ready to say something, she decided to beat him to the bunch, "Wait, I'm trying to answer your question. It's not as easy as you seem to think. I didn't do anything to hurt you. I'm sorry if this upsets or confuses you. It's confusing for me to. Trust me. But, now you know and I hope in time we can be friends again."
"I don't know if I can. It's too soon and well, I'm leaving in a couple days. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I'm so stupid." JR said and then started walking away.
"No, you're not stupid." Laurie said as she grabbed his arm. "I loved the time we had together. I'll never forget it. Maybe this is how it was meant to be. Maybe you left for a reason and I know you're a different person now. I can see it in how you walk, talk and carry yourself. Our time was in the past. I know you will find the right girl for you."
"Don't." JR said as he pulled away.
"Don't what?" Laurie asked with a puzzled look on her face.
"Don't pity me. I don't need it. I'm not going to fall apart over this." JR again started to walk away then turned to say one last thing. "But you can bet I'll move on and start a new life and yes I will find a woman who will love me and hopefully, if all goes well, she won't dump me for another girl and give me the 'I'm so sorry' speech."
"Fine, I can see you need time to be angry. Look, I was honest with you. I tried to be nice and do this in a grown up way, but I know that can't happen until you find a way to deal with this." Laurie said and then turned and walked back into the school.
Mia was up making breakfast when Simone came prancing into the kitchen and put her arms around Mia's waste, "Good morning beautiful. Is that for me?"
"Well, us, but half of it's for you." Mia said as she flipped a couple pancakes over.
Simone leaned over Mia's side and took a look at the pancakes cooking away in the large frying pan. "Umm, it looks as good as it smells."
"Now, as much as I love having your arms around me, I need you to sit your cute little butt down so I can finish the rest of the meal." Mia said as she moved the bacon around in the other frying pan.
"Okay, if I must." Simone walked out of the kitchen, opened the door, grabbed the paper and walked back to the kitchen.
As she unfolded the paper, she saw a picture on the front page and she let out a scream.
Mia turned and rushed over to Simone, who was pointing at the picture and Mia put her arms around her, "It's okay. We need to call Greenlee and then get down to the police station right now. Are you sure you're ready for this?"
Simone stood up and looked up at Mia, "Yes, it's just such a shock. I can't believe this. He was so young. I just can't believe he's gone."
Mia gave Simone a big hug and grabbed her cell phone from the table. "Hello"
"Hi Greenlee, it's Mia. Um, have you see this morning's paper?" Mia asked as she held Simone close.
"No, I just got up." Greenlee said as she buttered her toast. "Kendall had a rough night and neither of us got much sleep. What's going on?"
"I hate to have to tell you this, but there was an accident last night. Carlos was killed." Mia said softly.
"What? That can't be." Greenlee said as she sat down at the kitchen table. I just talked to him the other day. He was getting ready for a show. He was finally going to put his art on display. What kind of accident?"
"It says he lost control of his car and went over a cliff on Drummond Road near the mountains. It says it was the third accident like this in the last three months. Simone and I are going down to the police station to find out more about this. We can meet you there."
"I can't leave Kendall though. She's still in a lot of pain and I wouldn't feel right leaving her right now. I don't know what to do. I have to find out more about this accident though." Greenlee said just as Kendall was slowly walking into the kitchen.
"What accident are you talking about?" Kendall asked as she made her way to the table and sat down with some help from Greenlee.
"Listen Mia, I'll try and meet you there, but if not, could you stop by when you're done and let us know what you found out?" Greenlee asked as she helped Kendall get comfortable in the chair.
"Of course I will. Give Kendall our love and I'll talk to you soon." Mia hung up and sat the phone down beside her.
Simone picked up the phone right after and waited for a response.
"Hello."
"Tad, I need your help."
"Simone? Is that you?" Tad asked as he looked at the clock beside his bed. "What's the emergency that you woke me up so early?"
"I'm sorry, but I had to talk to you. There was an accident last night and Carlos was killed."
Tad sat up in his bed and his smiled turned to concern, "What? I didn't know. I'm sorry Simone. I know he was a good friend to you and all the girls of Fusion."
"Yes, he was a great guy." Simone said with a sad smile. "I can't explain why, but I have this feeling that this wasn't an accident. I want you to look into it for all of us."
"I'd be happy to help. I will get dressed and head down to the station and talk to Jack and see what I can find out and go from there." Tad said as he was up looking through his closet for what to wear. "I'm really sorry Simone, but if something wasn't right about this accident I will find out."
"Thank you Tad. Keep in touch." Simone said then put the cell phone down and put her arms around Mia, "I love you."
"Well, I love you to." Mia said as she continued to hold Simone close.
"It's just that.we never know when something like this might happen and I wanted you to know. In case."
"Hey, nothing is going to happen to us." Mia said as she sat Simone down. "We are going to grow old together and when we're 65 we'll be dancing circle's around the other senior citizens. When it's time for us to go, we'll make sure we're ready and if we are, we'll let em take us, but not until then. Okay?"
"I love your optimism." Simone said as she managed a half smile, "I still want to make sure you know how I feel. I know I'm not the best at this, so you better take advantage of it while you can because I'll probably be back to the same old Simone once I become myself again."
"You're way too hard on yourself. I'm well aware of who you are and I don't want you to change for me. I love you just the way you are." Mia paused as soon as she said the words, "Isn't there a song with that title to?"
"Yes, it's a Billy Joel song and I love it." Simone was trying so smile as she looked over at Mia, "Thanks for trying to cheer me up. I think it worked a bit." "I know this is going to be a tough time for all of us, but I do know you and Greenlee were close to Carlos so I just want to help get you through this any way I can. Now, we need to get dressed."
Mia helped Simone to her feet, gave her a kiss and led her back to the bedroom so they could change and head down to the police station.
"Who was on that on the phone? What accident?" Kendall asked as she held her stomach.
"It was Simone." Greenlee said, her voice not the same strong powerful force it usually was. "Carlos was killed last night in a car accident. I don't know any of the details, but he's gone. I can't believe it. I just talked to him the other day."
"I'm so sorry Greenlee. I know how much he meant to you." Kendall said as she got up slowly, walked over and put her arm around Greenlee. "If you want to go meet the girls I'll be fine. I'm not in any danger. I'll just rest."
"I don't feel right about leaving you. I can talk to Mia and Simone later." Greenlee got up, walked over to the fridge, "What did you want for breakfast?"
"Greenlee, stop it. You need to sit down and talk about it."
"Talk about what?" Greenlee said as she looked through the fridge for something to eat. "You know we aren't into talking about things so just let it go." Greenlee took out some eggs and sat them on the counter.
"I know we don't usually talk about things, but don't you think this is a bit different? I don't want to push, but I think we both know that holding things in doesn't work." Kendall made it to her feet, walked over and stood in front of Greenlee.
"It doesn't do any good to talk. I've tried that in the past. I just deal better with things on my own. In my own way, I'm not shutting down though, okay? I just don't know what to say anymore." Greenlee said as she cracked one egg after another and put it in the frying pan.
"I understand. I just want you to know that I'm here if you do want to talk." Kendall then stretched to open the cupboard and immediately grabbed her stomach in pain.
Greenlee rushed to her, helped her back over to a chair and sat her down. "Are you okay? Did you break the stitches?"
Kendall lifted up her shirt and they both looked and were relieved the stitches were still secure. "Don't scare me like that." Greenlee snapped.
"I'm sorry, I keep forgetting I these stupid stitches."
"No, don't be sorry. I didn't mean to yell." Greenlee said as she pulled down Kendall's top. "It's just that I can't handle losing someone else I care about. So, here's the deal, you will take care of yourself until you're fully healed. That's an order missy."
"Yes ma'am." Kendall said with a smile, "Now, weren't you cooking eggs?" Kendall sniffed the air, "Oh oh, I smell burnt eggs."
Greenlee rushed over to the oven and lifted the lid on the frying pan to find two highly crispy eggs. She calmly took the frying pan over towards Kendall, grabbed the egg flipper and tried to scoop them out of the pan, but she ended up making more of a mess as she spilled them over Kendall's plate.
"There. Your meal is served." Greenlee said then turned and walked back to the oven.
"Oh my, this is wonderful. I will eat it all up. Not!" Kendall laughed as she grabbed her plate full of goop and took back over to the sink and dumped it down the garbarator.
Greenlee watched as Kendall rinsed off her plate, put it in the dishwasher and stared back at her. "Sigh, my hard work washed down the drain again. I wasn't cut out for this cooking thing."
"It's okay, I wasn't that hungry anyway. Besides, you did try." Kendall was enjoying the brief moment of levity but knew it wasn't going to last. "Why don't you go meet the girls down at the police station and I'll be fine here."
"Okay, maybe I do need to do this and get it out the way. I promise not to take too long." Greenlee said as she walked back into her bedroom, threw her nightgown on the bed, opened her large walk in closet and looked for something to wear.
Kendall followed Greenlee and as she walked in and saw Greenlee standing naked and froze, her eyes unable to look away.
Greenlee grabbed a short black dress and stepped back from her closet and when she did she saw Kendall standing there and jumped back, "Oh god, you startled me."
"I didn't know you would be.anyway, I just wanted to.could you put some clothes on, it's very distracting." Kendall said and then turned away from Greenlee.
"Oh come on Kendall, you don't have to turn away. I'm not that hideous am I?" Greenlee laughed. "Actually, that's not how I'd describe you at all."
"Really and just how would you describe me?" Greenlee said rhetorically.
"I don't think I want to do that right now." Kendall said, avoiding the question as best she could. "I just came in here to ask you a favor."
"Sure anything you want." Kendall noticed Greenlee had finally put the dress on so she turned to face her, "I need to talk to Erica about something, but don't want to call her myself, could you somehow get her to come over here?"
"That is a big favor." Greenlee said as she slipped off her dress and walked over to her dresser. "You will owe me big time if I do this. You know your mom isn't my favorite person and she feels the same about me, but, I'll do what I can for you. Do you like this dress on me? I'm not sure why I even bought it. I like the red one, but think I should wear the black one." she said as she put on her bra and panties.
"Thanks, I'm not sure if it's a good idea for me to be in the same room with Erica, but I really need to talk to her about something Michael said to me a while back." Kendall tried not to stare at Greenlee, but found it impossible to do.
Greenlee slipped her dress on again and checked her makeup, grabbed her purse and walked up to Kendall, "How do I look?" she spun around a couple times then waited for Kendall's appraisal.
"You look beautiful as always."
"Why thank you, I don't recall you ever saying I looked beautiful, but I do like it how it sounds." Greenlee smiled and walked towards the door to her apartment.
"Say hi to Mia and Simone for me and I'll talk to you when get back." Kendall waved as Greenlee left the room then walked back into the living room and eased herself onto the soft couch, grabbed a magazine from the table and relaxed for the day.
Michael Cambias was sitting in his car looking over some files when his cell phone rang.
"Cambias here."
"I've got what you are looking for. Meet me at the corner of Elm and 33rd Street, in the park across the street. I'll be wearing a red hat and will be sitting on the swings. Don't be late. This is one time offer." The man's voice said and then hung up.
Michael smiled then closed the folders in front of him. One was Enchantment, one was Fusion, and the other had the pictures of five people in it. Chris Stamp, Aiden Devane, Boyd Larraby, Kendall Hart and Carlos Reyes.
He had two red X's across the pictures of Chris Stamp and Carlos Reyes and bull's-eyes over the other three faces.
With his usual smug look, he told his driver to head to the park.
Jack Montgomery was standing in his office looking over the accident report when Simone and Mia stood at the entrance and waiting for Jack to acknowledge their presence.
As he sat the report back on his desk, he looked up and waved the girls inside.
"Hi Jack, thanks for seeing us." Mia said as her and Simone sat down in front of Jack's desk.
"I'm really sorry about Carlos." Jack said graciously, then picked up the file. "I wish I had more information for you. Our preliminary findings suggest it was a tragic accident. At the moment, we don't believe foul play was involved. We are looking into this and have taken what's left of the car to forensics and when they finish analyzing it we should know more."
"I don't believe it was an accident. I have no proof or anything, but I do have a feeling that something isn't right here." Simone said as she stood up and walked around the desk and tried to peak at the police report.
"Simone, you know I can't let you see this. It's part of an ongoing investigation." Jack said as she closed the file.
"Come on Jack, just let me have a quick look. I might see something that nobody else would even notice." Simone pleaded.
"I know you're upset, but we haven't stopped investigating this accident yet. The car will tell us a lot, such as, if the breaks were tampered with or any other abnormality that might've caused the accident." Jack said as he tried to reassure Simone.
"You have to promise to call me as soon as you get the results." Simone walked back around the desk, Mia stood up and they walked towards the door.
"I'll let you know what we fine."
"Thanks Jack." Simone said with a friendly smile then closed the door as they left his office.
"Now it's time to get to work." Simone said to Mia as she walked over to a police office sitting at a desk.
Mia rushed over and pulled Simone to the corner of the police station. "Okay, what are you up to?"
"I'm up to finding out everything I can about this accident is what. I think I can find a way to get the information I need." Simone said with a sly smile.
"Simone, you're going to end up in jail if you keep this up. Then how will you be able to help?" Mia said, trying to be the voice of reason.
"Mia, this is not the time for that. Now, are you with me or not?" Simone said as she stared daggers back at Mia.
With her head shaking no, Mia couldn't help but smile, "Yes, I'm with you. I'm always with you. You are impossible to resist and I think you know it." "I knew I could count on you. Thank you." Simone said as she gave me a quick kiss. "Let's try and find out who was first on the scene of the crash and see if we can learn anything from him." Simone surveyed the room, pointed to two officers at the water cooler, "Okay, I'll take the one on the left and you take the other one and let's get to work."
Mia reluctantly agreed and they walked over to the men, separated them and began to question them.
After some friendly conversation and some hair flips and warm smiles the two girls met back in the corner
Simone leaned in close to Mia, "I didn't learn very much, but I did find out that a 911 call was how they found out about the crash. It was a man's voice who called it in, but he didn't stick around to be interviewed. If we can get our hands on the tape we can see if it's Michael's voice, but somehow I don't see him doing the dirty work."
"That's something to work on at least." Mia said enthusiastically, "I found out that the officer on the scene suspected foul play right from the start of his investigation, but can't say anything until they get all the evidence gathered and processed. Anyway, he said there were no skid marks where the car went off the cliff, which means, the driver either fell asleep or was already dead when the car was pushed off the cliff manually. He also said there were footprints at the scene and that they were being CSI'd, as he called it, as we speak."
"Great! This is enough to start with." Simone said, her face lighting up as they learned more about the accident. "The question is why anyone would want to kill Carlos. I don't think he had any enemies. We need to get a hold of Tad. He should be here by now. " "I think we should call Aiden to, he's good at this kind of thing and we could use all the help we can get." Mia added and then got out her cell phone.
As Mia was calling Aiden, Tad walked into the police station.
Simone rushed over to fill him in on what they'd already found out.
Mia got a busy signal twice but on the third try she got through to Aiden. "Hello?"
"Aiden, it's Mia. Are you busy right now?"
"No, not really, why?"
Mia walked back into the corner to get away from the increasing noise in the room. "I don't know if you've read the paper this morning, but there was an accident last night and a friend of ours was killed and we don't think it was an accident and we could use some help looking into this."
"I'm sorry to hear that. What did you have in mind?" Aiden said as he picked up the paper and read about the accident.
"Well, Simone and I have already gathered some information and we were hoping you could follow up on these leads." Mia paused for a second then looked over at Simone, then continued, "Tad Martin is also working with us so maybe you could meet us at Fusion after lunch perhaps, say around 2 and we can talk it over and go from there."
"That's fine. I'll see you then." Aiden put down his cell and finished reading the article.
Mia walked back over to Simone and Tad, "Aiden is going to help us out. I told him to meet us at Fusion at 2. Does that work for everyone?"
"I have to talk with Jack and see if I can squeeze some information out of him, then I want to have a look at the car and I should be done in plenty of time to meet you guys." Tad said as he checked the time on his watch.
"Good then, it's agreed." Simone said just as Greenlee walked into the station.
Greenlee walked up and hugged both Simone and Mia, was quickly filled in on what they'd learned and was ready to get moving, "I want to search Carlos's house. If someone was out to kill him there might be a link somewhere."
"Why don't you let me handle that or take Aiden with you." Tad said, trying to be helpful but not doing a very good job of it.
"Oh Tad, we aren't helpless you know. I'm glad you're helping us and we do appreciate it, but there are some things we can do all on our own. We promise not to break a nail okay?" Greenlee said, her sarcasm clear as day.
"Well, I'm less worried about your nails than I am about your pretty little necks." Tad added, "Whoever killed Carlos has nothing to lose and I don't want any of you getting killed when you don't have to."
Simone walked up to Tad, "Thanks for your concern, but we need to help and we're going to help, so please just support us and we'll make sure you don't regret it."
"I sure hope I don't regret this, because the price is pretty high if something goes wrong." Tad saw the girls giving him the evil eye again, "But, on the other hand I'm sure you three can take care yourselves. Just don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it. I'll be there in a flash."
"Thanks, I hope you learn something more from Jack and we'll see you at Fusion around 2 then. Bye for now." Simone said as Mia and Greenlee waved to Tad and then the three of them walked out of the police station together.
The long black limousine carrying Michael Cambias pulled up along side the park. His driver stepped out of the car, opened the back door and Michael slid out and took around the park.
He spotted a man in a red hat swinging back and forth on the swing, so he began walking towards him.
As he got right up close, the man stopped swinging, hopped down to the ground and turned to face Michael.
"Long time, no see Michael." The man said as he pulled a gun out of his jacket and pointed it at Michael.
"Who are you?" Michael asked as he became increasingly more nervous.
"I am your worst nightmare." He said with a strong Spanish accent. The man turned Michael around and led him back to his car with a gun pointed in his back.
"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" Michael asked in one of those rare times when he was the one on the wrong side of the gun.
"Oh, you'll see when we get there." The man said as he pushed Michael into the back seat of the limo and sat across from him. "Tell your driver to go to this address." He then handed Michael a piece of paper.
Michael tapped on the glass and the driver rolled down the window. "Take me to this address." He then tapped the glass again, the window rolled back up and they were on their way.
End of Part 5.
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Bianca and Maggie arrived at Vincenci's just in time for their reservations. "Miss Montgomery, I'm so happy to see you again." Marcello the maitre de said as he led the two women to their table. Bianca was happy her table in the back of the crowded restaurant was still available.
"Thank you Marcello. This is my friend Maggie." Bianca said as she proudly introduced her best friend.
"Pleased to meet you Maggie, I hope you'll enjoy your stay." Marcello smiled politely as he showed them to their table, handed them the menus and quietly walked back to his post.
"Wow, this place is amazing." Maggie said as she looked around the fancy yet cozy restaurant.
"Yes, I love it here. The food is always delicious and the atmosphere is perfect." Bianca said and then focused back on Maggie. "Here we are."
"Yep, here we are." Maggie smiled as she agreed, "I don't know why but I'm having the hardest time coming up with anything to say right now."
"I know, I feel like it's a blind date and that's silly. Let's just forget where we are and talk like we always do." Bianca smiled hoping Maggie would get things started.
With a deep breath Maggie took a sip of the water in front of her, let out the breath and began, "Okay, this is easy. Why don't you tell me about that new perfume you're working on? Who's it for and what do you envision for the smell?" Maggie paused for a second, "Geez, that sounds so dumb when I say it, but you know what I mean. You must have something in mind."
"Actually I do." Bianca said, her eyes lighting up as soon as she began talking about her new project. "I was thinking about creating something specifically for when you're feeling down, depressed or just feeling lonely. I want something that will make you smile and feel good about yourself as soon as you put it on. I know I can do this and I know it would be perfect for every woman at some time or another."
"I think it's a great idea." Maggie said, unable to contain her enthusiasm. "Everyone needs a little pick me up from time to time so I know this will be a hit when you get it ready for marketing."
"That's a long ways away. It will take months and probably years to get this idea from the drawing room to the public." Bianca said, stating the obvious. "What I was hoping was that you might want to help me with this little project. Actually, it's a huge project, but I trust your instincts. I do know that you have studying to do and I understand if you." Bianca stopped talking, her eyes grew big and her mouth fell open as she looked over at the entrance to see her mom waiting to be seated with Lena by her side.
Maggie spun around to see what Bianca was staring at and as soon as she saw Lena standing beside Erica, she knew, "Bianca, there could be a thousand explanations for this."
"Sure there could, or there could be a very simple one, I was stood up for another woman. I mean, how could she do this to me and with my own mother?" Bianca asked yet not expecting an answer. "I'm going to go over there and find out what the hell is going on."
Maggie grabbed Bianca's arm and stood up to get in front of the much taller brunette. "Wait a second. I'm not sure you want to do that, not here and not when you're so mad."
"Oh but I do want to do this. I won't be able to if I calm down. I hate being calm, it's way overrated." Bianca tried to move forward but Maggie held her ground.
"How about this, we have our meal and if you still feel the need to confront Lena then I won't stop you. Maybe just give it some time." Maggie said as she sat Bianca back down then looked back at Lena and Erica as they were seated at a table across the room. "Besides, I'm sure they are only here on business. I mean, your mom isn't exactly a fan of Lena's and I don't think it's a romantic dinner. Erica would never do that to you. Right?"
Bianca let out a sigh as she took a drink of water, "Maybe you're right, but I'm still not happy that Lena stood me up. Why didn't she just tell me she had to work late with my mom?"
"I can't answer that." Maggie said, feeling bad that she couldn't help more. "Listen, did you want to go?"
"No, I'm not leaving. They should leave." Bianca shot back as she kept staring at Lena who was now laughing with Erica. "I'm sorry Maggie; I'm not being much fun here."
"Don't worry about it, why don't we try and talk about something else for a while?"
Bianca looked over at Maggie and then back at Lena, "Can we switch seats? I think I'll be okay if I don't have to keep watching them have such a good time."
"Of course." Maggie said as they stood up and made the switch.
"Thanks Maggie." Bianca said softly then smiled, as the only thing in front of her now was Maggie's pretty face. "I just can't believe my mom is laughing with Lena. Why? What do they have in common? She doesn't like her or so she said. It would be just like mom to steal her away from me to."
"You don't mean that. You know it's not true. You're just lashing out." Maggie said as she put her hand over Bianca's to calm her down. "Anyway, I heard there was going to be a week long party at the dorm this week to celebrate final's week and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me. I won't be going until Friday because I have so much studying to do for my own final on Thursday, but it should be a fun weekend."
"You know what, I'd love to go. I need to have some fun and this sounds perfect." Bianca took another drink of water, "Excuse me, I need to take a trip to the ladies room."
Bianca got up and walked towards the restrooms, sped up as she walked past Lena and Erica and walked quickly to the ladies room.
Once inside she moved over to a sink and splashed some water on her face, dried herself off and turned around to see Lena standing in front of her. She didn't say a thing, just walked past her and headed towards the door.
"Wait." Lena said as she turned to face Bianca. "Please let me explain."
"Oh what's to explain?" Bianca asked with an unhappy laugh. "It's pretty clear what's going on. You stood me up for a date with the CEO of Enchantment. Nice move Lena, you should be vice president in no time."
"Don't say that. It's not true." Lena said loudly in her thick Polish accent. "I promise I am not interested in your mother like that. We've been working together, things were going well and she asked me to dinner to discuss work. I didn't think I should say no to her, she's been so nice to be since I started working for her."
"I don't care. Whatever you do with my mom is your business. I'm glad things are working out for you and I hope you have a nice rise to top of the corporate ladder." Bianca said as politely as she could muster, "Now, if you'll excuse me I need to go."
"I can't stand having you mad at me like this. It's not what you think. None of this is. I wish you could tell you why. But, I can't." Lena walked over to Bianca and lifted her head to face her. "I promise you that in time you will see what I'm doing is for a very good reason. In the end, this will all be worth it. I know you don't trust me, but I need for you to look me in the eyes when I tell you this."
"Tell me what. More lies? No thanks." Bianca said as she took another step towards the door.
Lena pushed it shut with her hand and stood between Bianca and the door. "Okay, I could lose my job for what I'm about to tell you, but you have to promise not to say a thing to anyone. That means Erica, Kendall and even Maggie. Nobody can know this."
"Stop being so damn dramatic." Bianca said, her voice getting colder by the second. "If you have something to tell me then please just say it and leave me alone."
"Just so you know, I'm only telling you this because I care about you and what you think of me." Lena then pulled Bianca back against the restroom wall, pulled out a metal gadget and began moving it up and down over the bathroom stalls, the walls and then the door before sliding it back into her purse. "We're clear here. I'll get right to it then. I am working for the CIA in an ongoing investigation into the illegal activities of Michael Cambias. I've been deep undercover for 18 months and have compiled enough data on him to put him away for a long time."
Bianca was speechless. She stood there trying to process what she'd just heard but it was not easy.
"Are you okay Bianca?" Lena asked as she helped steady her by grabbing her arm. "I don't know what to say. How do I even know this is true?" Bianca said, still uncertain if or what was true anymore."
Lena slid open a secret compartment in her purse and pulled out a badge. It said her name was Lena Gregoriev and it looked very official with the CIA crest and serial number and the works.
"I see your name is another lie." Bianca said, still focusing on the things that hurt the most.
"Yes and I'm sorry for that, but there was no other way." Lena said, the regret her voice overpowering. "When this is all over I'll tell you anything you want to know. I promise, but right now, this investigation is too important to compromise any further. We have information that Michael has plans to kill some very important people connected to your mother, Kendall and other related interests. I can only say that we are working very hard to make sure nothing happens to anyone else."
"This is all so much to digest. I don't know what end is up anymore. I hope this is true so much. I want to believe. I really do, but I need time to deal with all this." Bianca said as she walked back over to the door, but stopped and turned to Lena. "Thank you for telling me this. I know it couldn't have been easy and I hope you catch Michael and put him away forever."
"We will Bianca, mark my words, Michael Cambias' reign of terror is about to come to end. You take care and I'll call you when this is all behind us." Lena said with supreme confidence. Bianca smiled back at Lena and walked back to her table.
"Are you okay? I saw Lena follow you, did she explain things to you?" Maggie asked, sensing how shook up Bianca was.
"Well, I did learn a lot about Lena that I didn't know and I understand why she did what she did, but it doesn't hurt any less. Anyway, let's eat and then I want to go home." Bianca said somberly.
"Sure, whatever you want." Maggie said just as the food was put on their table.
Joni was wandering back and forth in front of Laurie's locker, impatiently waiting for her to show up so they could confront JR and Jamie and try to move from the past.
Eventually she got tired of pacing and stopped and leaned against Laurie's locker, but the person who walked up to it wasn't Laurie.
"Hi Joni." JR said as he removed his jacket.
"Oh, hi JR, why are you here?" Joni asked bluntly.
JR was surprised by the question, "What do you mean? I'm here to see Laurie of course."
"I guess I didn't expect to see you here." Joni said with a forced smile. "I thought you were done with school when you took off."
"I am. I just need to talk to Laurie. I've decided to take another tour and want her to come with me."
"What?" Joni asked loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear. "You can't be serious. She's getting ready for college. There's no way she can leave now. Are you crazy?"
"No, I'm not crazy. What's got into you Joni, I thought you were all for us getting together?" JR paused, studied Joni's face and saw something he didn't understand. "Why are you so concerned about Laurie all of a sudden? Last I remember you two weren't exactly getting along." Joni felt her face turn red then white as she searched for something to say. "Well JR, after you took off Laurie needed someone to talk to and we just connected again and she's just now getting over how hurt she was when you left."
"I see. Well, that's what I want to talk to her about. I want to say sorry." JR said as he turned to see Laurie walking towards him.
Laurie stopped as she saw Joni and JR looking at her and wanted to turn around and run away, but it was too late for that.
"Hi you two." Laurie said, then proceeded to open her locker.
"Laurie, I've been waiting for you. We need to talk." JR said as he moved closer.
"About what?" Laurie asked, still facing her locker as she hung up her coat.
"About us. Our future. I need to talk to you about some things and I don't have much time. I've decided to take another trip, but." he paused as he saw Joni looking on intently and another group of people walked up to a locker right beside them making a lot of noise. "Laurie, can we go outside and talk? We need some privacy."
Laurie turned and looked right at Joni, "I have to talk to JR, I'll see you at lunch, okay?"
"Sure, have a nice talk." Joni said then turned and walked away.
"Great, let's go." JR said as he led Laurie out of the school until he found a quiet spot by the gym.
"Okay, we're here so what did you want to say." Laurie said showing very little emotion.
JR was watching Laurie as she constantly looked away and was fidgeting with her purse the whole time. "Is something wrong? You don't seem like yourself."
"I'm fine." She said as she tried to look him in the eyes. "I wanted to talk to you today and I guess now is the time."
"Wait, let me tell you what I have planned for us."
Laurie interrupted JR in mid sentence. "No, I have to go first." She said as she summoned up the courage to continue. "This isn't easy for me. Joni was supposed to here and well, it's hard to do this without her."
"What are you talking about? You need Joni to hold your hand to talk to me now? You're acting weird, so just tell me what this is all about." JR demanded, his enthusiasm changing to anger in a very short time. "You don't have to yell." Laurie said as she looked at JR's face and saw so much anger and confusion. "You're not going to like this and you might not even understand but, I've become very close with Joni since you left and well, we've become even better friends and things have changed in how we see each other."
"Oh god, what the hell are you talking about? So you're friends again, big deal. How is this a problem?" JR asked, shaking his head at what he was hearing.
"Just let me finish." Laurie said as she began pacing again, "Okay, since I can't seem to explain it being subtle, I'm going to have to come right out and say it. So here it is, Joni and I are together. She's my girlfriend and I don't mean 'girl' plus 'friend', I mean girlfriend as in boyfriend. As in kissing each other girlfriends. I didn't want this to come out quite this way, but I realize there is no easy way to say this."
JR stood silent, mouth open and a blank look on his face.
"Say something." Laurie said as she walked up to him and waved her hand in front of his face."
"What? I'm fine. I just.this is all so confusing. I don't understand. I know we had problems but I didn't know it was because you wanted to be with Joni." JR said as he took a couple steps back. "How long have you been cheating on me with Joni?"
Laurie's eyes popped out of her head at JR's question. "I have never cheated on you with anyone. Nothing happened between Joni and me, until after you left me. You left me. Let's not forget that very big detail. I know it sounds cliché but we didn't plan for this to happen. It just did."
"Sure it did." JR said as he struggled to process this new information. "So tell me Laurie, why did you go out with me in the first place? I mean, if you like girls what are you doing dating me and flirting with Jamie?"
"Stop it. It's not like that." Laurie said loudly, "I know you're upset, but being mad at me isn't going to change anything.
"Maybe not for you, but it works me." JR said with an angry smile, "Now, you didn't answer my question, why did you go out with me if you want to be girls?"
Laurie stood silent for the longest time, but as she saw JR get ready to say something, she decided to beat him to the bunch, "Wait, I'm trying to answer your question. It's not as easy as you seem to think. I didn't do anything to hurt you. I'm sorry if this upsets or confuses you. It's confusing for me to. Trust me. But, now you know and I hope in time we can be friends again."
"I don't know if I can. It's too soon and well, I'm leaving in a couple days. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I'm so stupid." JR said and then started walking away.
"No, you're not stupid." Laurie said as she grabbed his arm. "I loved the time we had together. I'll never forget it. Maybe this is how it was meant to be. Maybe you left for a reason and I know you're a different person now. I can see it in how you walk, talk and carry yourself. Our time was in the past. I know you will find the right girl for you."
"Don't." JR said as he pulled away.
"Don't what?" Laurie asked with a puzzled look on her face.
"Don't pity me. I don't need it. I'm not going to fall apart over this." JR again started to walk away then turned to say one last thing. "But you can bet I'll move on and start a new life and yes I will find a woman who will love me and hopefully, if all goes well, she won't dump me for another girl and give me the 'I'm so sorry' speech."
"Fine, I can see you need time to be angry. Look, I was honest with you. I tried to be nice and do this in a grown up way, but I know that can't happen until you find a way to deal with this." Laurie said and then turned and walked back into the school.
Mia was up making breakfast when Simone came prancing into the kitchen and put her arms around Mia's waste, "Good morning beautiful. Is that for me?"
"Well, us, but half of it's for you." Mia said as she flipped a couple pancakes over.
Simone leaned over Mia's side and took a look at the pancakes cooking away in the large frying pan. "Umm, it looks as good as it smells."
"Now, as much as I love having your arms around me, I need you to sit your cute little butt down so I can finish the rest of the meal." Mia said as she moved the bacon around in the other frying pan.
"Okay, if I must." Simone walked out of the kitchen, opened the door, grabbed the paper and walked back to the kitchen.
As she unfolded the paper, she saw a picture on the front page and she let out a scream.
Mia turned and rushed over to Simone, who was pointing at the picture and Mia put her arms around her, "It's okay. We need to call Greenlee and then get down to the police station right now. Are you sure you're ready for this?"
Simone stood up and looked up at Mia, "Yes, it's just such a shock. I can't believe this. He was so young. I just can't believe he's gone."
Mia gave Simone a big hug and grabbed her cell phone from the table. "Hello"
"Hi Greenlee, it's Mia. Um, have you see this morning's paper?" Mia asked as she held Simone close.
"No, I just got up." Greenlee said as she buttered her toast. "Kendall had a rough night and neither of us got much sleep. What's going on?"
"I hate to have to tell you this, but there was an accident last night. Carlos was killed." Mia said softly.
"What? That can't be." Greenlee said as she sat down at the kitchen table. I just talked to him the other day. He was getting ready for a show. He was finally going to put his art on display. What kind of accident?"
"It says he lost control of his car and went over a cliff on Drummond Road near the mountains. It says it was the third accident like this in the last three months. Simone and I are going down to the police station to find out more about this. We can meet you there."
"I can't leave Kendall though. She's still in a lot of pain and I wouldn't feel right leaving her right now. I don't know what to do. I have to find out more about this accident though." Greenlee said just as Kendall was slowly walking into the kitchen.
"What accident are you talking about?" Kendall asked as she made her way to the table and sat down with some help from Greenlee.
"Listen Mia, I'll try and meet you there, but if not, could you stop by when you're done and let us know what you found out?" Greenlee asked as she helped Kendall get comfortable in the chair.
"Of course I will. Give Kendall our love and I'll talk to you soon." Mia hung up and sat the phone down beside her.
Simone picked up the phone right after and waited for a response.
"Hello."
"Tad, I need your help."
"Simone? Is that you?" Tad asked as he looked at the clock beside his bed. "What's the emergency that you woke me up so early?"
"I'm sorry, but I had to talk to you. There was an accident last night and Carlos was killed."
Tad sat up in his bed and his smiled turned to concern, "What? I didn't know. I'm sorry Simone. I know he was a good friend to you and all the girls of Fusion."
"Yes, he was a great guy." Simone said with a sad smile. "I can't explain why, but I have this feeling that this wasn't an accident. I want you to look into it for all of us."
"I'd be happy to help. I will get dressed and head down to the station and talk to Jack and see what I can find out and go from there." Tad said as he was up looking through his closet for what to wear. "I'm really sorry Simone, but if something wasn't right about this accident I will find out."
"Thank you Tad. Keep in touch." Simone said then put the cell phone down and put her arms around Mia, "I love you."
"Well, I love you to." Mia said as she continued to hold Simone close.
"It's just that.we never know when something like this might happen and I wanted you to know. In case."
"Hey, nothing is going to happen to us." Mia said as she sat Simone down. "We are going to grow old together and when we're 65 we'll be dancing circle's around the other senior citizens. When it's time for us to go, we'll make sure we're ready and if we are, we'll let em take us, but not until then. Okay?"
"I love your optimism." Simone said as she managed a half smile, "I still want to make sure you know how I feel. I know I'm not the best at this, so you better take advantage of it while you can because I'll probably be back to the same old Simone once I become myself again."
"You're way too hard on yourself. I'm well aware of who you are and I don't want you to change for me. I love you just the way you are." Mia paused as soon as she said the words, "Isn't there a song with that title to?"
"Yes, it's a Billy Joel song and I love it." Simone was trying so smile as she looked over at Mia, "Thanks for trying to cheer me up. I think it worked a bit." "I know this is going to be a tough time for all of us, but I do know you and Greenlee were close to Carlos so I just want to help get you through this any way I can. Now, we need to get dressed."
Mia helped Simone to her feet, gave her a kiss and led her back to the bedroom so they could change and head down to the police station.
"Who was on that on the phone? What accident?" Kendall asked as she held her stomach.
"It was Simone." Greenlee said, her voice not the same strong powerful force it usually was. "Carlos was killed last night in a car accident. I don't know any of the details, but he's gone. I can't believe it. I just talked to him the other day."
"I'm so sorry Greenlee. I know how much he meant to you." Kendall said as she got up slowly, walked over and put her arm around Greenlee. "If you want to go meet the girls I'll be fine. I'm not in any danger. I'll just rest."
"I don't feel right about leaving you. I can talk to Mia and Simone later." Greenlee got up, walked over to the fridge, "What did you want for breakfast?"
"Greenlee, stop it. You need to sit down and talk about it."
"Talk about what?" Greenlee said as she looked through the fridge for something to eat. "You know we aren't into talking about things so just let it go." Greenlee took out some eggs and sat them on the counter.
"I know we don't usually talk about things, but don't you think this is a bit different? I don't want to push, but I think we both know that holding things in doesn't work." Kendall made it to her feet, walked over and stood in front of Greenlee.
"It doesn't do any good to talk. I've tried that in the past. I just deal better with things on my own. In my own way, I'm not shutting down though, okay? I just don't know what to say anymore." Greenlee said as she cracked one egg after another and put it in the frying pan.
"I understand. I just want you to know that I'm here if you do want to talk." Kendall then stretched to open the cupboard and immediately grabbed her stomach in pain.
Greenlee rushed to her, helped her back over to a chair and sat her down. "Are you okay? Did you break the stitches?"
Kendall lifted up her shirt and they both looked and were relieved the stitches were still secure. "Don't scare me like that." Greenlee snapped.
"I'm sorry, I keep forgetting I these stupid stitches."
"No, don't be sorry. I didn't mean to yell." Greenlee said as she pulled down Kendall's top. "It's just that I can't handle losing someone else I care about. So, here's the deal, you will take care of yourself until you're fully healed. That's an order missy."
"Yes ma'am." Kendall said with a smile, "Now, weren't you cooking eggs?" Kendall sniffed the air, "Oh oh, I smell burnt eggs."
Greenlee rushed over to the oven and lifted the lid on the frying pan to find two highly crispy eggs. She calmly took the frying pan over towards Kendall, grabbed the egg flipper and tried to scoop them out of the pan, but she ended up making more of a mess as she spilled them over Kendall's plate.
"There. Your meal is served." Greenlee said then turned and walked back to the oven.
"Oh my, this is wonderful. I will eat it all up. Not!" Kendall laughed as she grabbed her plate full of goop and took back over to the sink and dumped it down the garbarator.
Greenlee watched as Kendall rinsed off her plate, put it in the dishwasher and stared back at her. "Sigh, my hard work washed down the drain again. I wasn't cut out for this cooking thing."
"It's okay, I wasn't that hungry anyway. Besides, you did try." Kendall was enjoying the brief moment of levity but knew it wasn't going to last. "Why don't you go meet the girls down at the police station and I'll be fine here."
"Okay, maybe I do need to do this and get it out the way. I promise not to take too long." Greenlee said as she walked back into her bedroom, threw her nightgown on the bed, opened her large walk in closet and looked for something to wear.
Kendall followed Greenlee and as she walked in and saw Greenlee standing naked and froze, her eyes unable to look away.
Greenlee grabbed a short black dress and stepped back from her closet and when she did she saw Kendall standing there and jumped back, "Oh god, you startled me."
"I didn't know you would be.anyway, I just wanted to.could you put some clothes on, it's very distracting." Kendall said and then turned away from Greenlee.
"Oh come on Kendall, you don't have to turn away. I'm not that hideous am I?" Greenlee laughed. "Actually, that's not how I'd describe you at all."
"Really and just how would you describe me?" Greenlee said rhetorically.
"I don't think I want to do that right now." Kendall said, avoiding the question as best she could. "I just came in here to ask you a favor."
"Sure anything you want." Kendall noticed Greenlee had finally put the dress on so she turned to face her, "I need to talk to Erica about something, but don't want to call her myself, could you somehow get her to come over here?"
"That is a big favor." Greenlee said as she slipped off her dress and walked over to her dresser. "You will owe me big time if I do this. You know your mom isn't my favorite person and she feels the same about me, but, I'll do what I can for you. Do you like this dress on me? I'm not sure why I even bought it. I like the red one, but think I should wear the black one." she said as she put on her bra and panties.
"Thanks, I'm not sure if it's a good idea for me to be in the same room with Erica, but I really need to talk to her about something Michael said to me a while back." Kendall tried not to stare at Greenlee, but found it impossible to do.
Greenlee slipped her dress on again and checked her makeup, grabbed her purse and walked up to Kendall, "How do I look?" she spun around a couple times then waited for Kendall's appraisal.
"You look beautiful as always."
"Why thank you, I don't recall you ever saying I looked beautiful, but I do like it how it sounds." Greenlee smiled and walked towards the door to her apartment.
"Say hi to Mia and Simone for me and I'll talk to you when get back." Kendall waved as Greenlee left the room then walked back into the living room and eased herself onto the soft couch, grabbed a magazine from the table and relaxed for the day.
Michael Cambias was sitting in his car looking over some files when his cell phone rang.
"Cambias here."
"I've got what you are looking for. Meet me at the corner of Elm and 33rd Street, in the park across the street. I'll be wearing a red hat and will be sitting on the swings. Don't be late. This is one time offer." The man's voice said and then hung up.
Michael smiled then closed the folders in front of him. One was Enchantment, one was Fusion, and the other had the pictures of five people in it. Chris Stamp, Aiden Devane, Boyd Larraby, Kendall Hart and Carlos Reyes.
He had two red X's across the pictures of Chris Stamp and Carlos Reyes and bull's-eyes over the other three faces.
With his usual smug look, he told his driver to head to the park.
Jack Montgomery was standing in his office looking over the accident report when Simone and Mia stood at the entrance and waiting for Jack to acknowledge their presence.
As he sat the report back on his desk, he looked up and waved the girls inside.
"Hi Jack, thanks for seeing us." Mia said as her and Simone sat down in front of Jack's desk.
"I'm really sorry about Carlos." Jack said graciously, then picked up the file. "I wish I had more information for you. Our preliminary findings suggest it was a tragic accident. At the moment, we don't believe foul play was involved. We are looking into this and have taken what's left of the car to forensics and when they finish analyzing it we should know more."
"I don't believe it was an accident. I have no proof or anything, but I do have a feeling that something isn't right here." Simone said as she stood up and walked around the desk and tried to peak at the police report.
"Simone, you know I can't let you see this. It's part of an ongoing investigation." Jack said as she closed the file.
"Come on Jack, just let me have a quick look. I might see something that nobody else would even notice." Simone pleaded.
"I know you're upset, but we haven't stopped investigating this accident yet. The car will tell us a lot, such as, if the breaks were tampered with or any other abnormality that might've caused the accident." Jack said as he tried to reassure Simone.
"You have to promise to call me as soon as you get the results." Simone walked back around the desk, Mia stood up and they walked towards the door.
"I'll let you know what we fine."
"Thanks Jack." Simone said with a friendly smile then closed the door as they left his office.
"Now it's time to get to work." Simone said to Mia as she walked over to a police office sitting at a desk.
Mia rushed over and pulled Simone to the corner of the police station. "Okay, what are you up to?"
"I'm up to finding out everything I can about this accident is what. I think I can find a way to get the information I need." Simone said with a sly smile.
"Simone, you're going to end up in jail if you keep this up. Then how will you be able to help?" Mia said, trying to be the voice of reason.
"Mia, this is not the time for that. Now, are you with me or not?" Simone said as she stared daggers back at Mia.
With her head shaking no, Mia couldn't help but smile, "Yes, I'm with you. I'm always with you. You are impossible to resist and I think you know it." "I knew I could count on you. Thank you." Simone said as she gave me a quick kiss. "Let's try and find out who was first on the scene of the crash and see if we can learn anything from him." Simone surveyed the room, pointed to two officers at the water cooler, "Okay, I'll take the one on the left and you take the other one and let's get to work."
Mia reluctantly agreed and they walked over to the men, separated them and began to question them.
After some friendly conversation and some hair flips and warm smiles the two girls met back in the corner
Simone leaned in close to Mia, "I didn't learn very much, but I did find out that a 911 call was how they found out about the crash. It was a man's voice who called it in, but he didn't stick around to be interviewed. If we can get our hands on the tape we can see if it's Michael's voice, but somehow I don't see him doing the dirty work."
"That's something to work on at least." Mia said enthusiastically, "I found out that the officer on the scene suspected foul play right from the start of his investigation, but can't say anything until they get all the evidence gathered and processed. Anyway, he said there were no skid marks where the car went off the cliff, which means, the driver either fell asleep or was already dead when the car was pushed off the cliff manually. He also said there were footprints at the scene and that they were being CSI'd, as he called it, as we speak."
"Great! This is enough to start with." Simone said, her face lighting up as they learned more about the accident. "The question is why anyone would want to kill Carlos. I don't think he had any enemies. We need to get a hold of Tad. He should be here by now. " "I think we should call Aiden to, he's good at this kind of thing and we could use all the help we can get." Mia added and then got out her cell phone.
As Mia was calling Aiden, Tad walked into the police station.
Simone rushed over to fill him in on what they'd already found out.
Mia got a busy signal twice but on the third try she got through to Aiden. "Hello?"
"Aiden, it's Mia. Are you busy right now?"
"No, not really, why?"
Mia walked back into the corner to get away from the increasing noise in the room. "I don't know if you've read the paper this morning, but there was an accident last night and a friend of ours was killed and we don't think it was an accident and we could use some help looking into this."
"I'm sorry to hear that. What did you have in mind?" Aiden said as he picked up the paper and read about the accident.
"Well, Simone and I have already gathered some information and we were hoping you could follow up on these leads." Mia paused for a second then looked over at Simone, then continued, "Tad Martin is also working with us so maybe you could meet us at Fusion after lunch perhaps, say around 2 and we can talk it over and go from there."
"That's fine. I'll see you then." Aiden put down his cell and finished reading the article.
Mia walked back over to Simone and Tad, "Aiden is going to help us out. I told him to meet us at Fusion at 2. Does that work for everyone?"
"I have to talk with Jack and see if I can squeeze some information out of him, then I want to have a look at the car and I should be done in plenty of time to meet you guys." Tad said as he checked the time on his watch.
"Good then, it's agreed." Simone said just as Greenlee walked into the station.
Greenlee walked up and hugged both Simone and Mia, was quickly filled in on what they'd learned and was ready to get moving, "I want to search Carlos's house. If someone was out to kill him there might be a link somewhere."
"Why don't you let me handle that or take Aiden with you." Tad said, trying to be helpful but not doing a very good job of it.
"Oh Tad, we aren't helpless you know. I'm glad you're helping us and we do appreciate it, but there are some things we can do all on our own. We promise not to break a nail okay?" Greenlee said, her sarcasm clear as day.
"Well, I'm less worried about your nails than I am about your pretty little necks." Tad added, "Whoever killed Carlos has nothing to lose and I don't want any of you getting killed when you don't have to."
Simone walked up to Tad, "Thanks for your concern, but we need to help and we're going to help, so please just support us and we'll make sure you don't regret it."
"I sure hope I don't regret this, because the price is pretty high if something goes wrong." Tad saw the girls giving him the evil eye again, "But, on the other hand I'm sure you three can take care yourselves. Just don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it. I'll be there in a flash."
"Thanks, I hope you learn something more from Jack and we'll see you at Fusion around 2 then. Bye for now." Simone said as Mia and Greenlee waved to Tad and then the three of them walked out of the police station together.
The long black limousine carrying Michael Cambias pulled up along side the park. His driver stepped out of the car, opened the back door and Michael slid out and took around the park.
He spotted a man in a red hat swinging back and forth on the swing, so he began walking towards him.
As he got right up close, the man stopped swinging, hopped down to the ground and turned to face Michael.
"Long time, no see Michael." The man said as he pulled a gun out of his jacket and pointed it at Michael.
"Who are you?" Michael asked as he became increasingly more nervous.
"I am your worst nightmare." He said with a strong Spanish accent. The man turned Michael around and led him back to his car with a gun pointed in his back.
"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" Michael asked in one of those rare times when he was the one on the wrong side of the gun.
"Oh, you'll see when we get there." The man said as he pushed Michael into the back seat of the limo and sat across from him. "Tell your driver to go to this address." He then handed Michael a piece of paper.
Michael tapped on the glass and the driver rolled down the window. "Take me to this address." He then tapped the glass again, the window rolled back up and they were on their way.
End of Part 5.
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