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I was a little bit busy lately, but now the next chapter is finally ready!

33. Chapter

When Cole arrived at home, soon later, he couldn't see Prue's car anywhere. Obviously Amy wasn't in, yet, he supposed, when he walked to the door. Thoughtfully he opened the door and entered the house, when an angry Prue rushed at him.

"Nothing has changed, hasn't it?" She hissed at him furiously. "You do what you like to do without thinking about the consequences. You don't care, what I am thinking about it."

Cole gave her a confused look. "I don't understand, what you are getting at." He said calmly. "I just invited Amy for breakfast, because she didn't feel very well." He explained innocently and gave her the donuts with a satisfied smile. "That's for you, even if you don't deserve it."

"Oh," Prue let out in surprise and took the donuts. "Well, yes, mm. Well, it might have been possible." she explained a little bit meekly and turned around to go back into the living room. "It was more likely, that you'd head straight for trouble and that you'd prefer to fight alone."

Cole shook his head grinning and followed her. "I know what made you thinking that. You know this personal trait very well, don't you?"

"No, I prefer teamwork." Prue answered firmly and ignored his sceptical look. "I thought of it, because you didn't let me know." She informed him and sat down.

Cole flopped down onto the sofa beside her. "You were sleeping peacefully like a sweet little thing, and I didn't want to disturb you." He told her.

Prue gave him an annoyed look. "And you didn't think what would happen, if the sweet little thing woke up and nobody was at home anymore?" she wanted to know, while she took a donut.

"I was sure, that we'd be home again, before you wake up." Cole tried to explain.

"Oh, and what did take you so long?" Prue wanted to know in an ironical voice, while she bit into her donut.

Cole grinned in excuse. "Well, I had to go for my car."

Prue nearly choked on her donut and looked at him angrily. "I knew it, you risked your life unnecessarily."

"No, I didn't." He tried to justify himself. "I reached the underground car park without a hitch and then I got into my car and drove away, that's it."

Prue looked at him sceptically. "But there is something else, isn't it?"

"Okay, when I was sitting in the car, Edward Wingrove turned up. Obviously it was just a short trip." He explained calmly, while Prue screwed her eyes up angrily. "Don't worry, he didn't notice me. He was too busy to quarrel with lovely Isabell."

"Isabell?" Prue pricked up her ears. "Do you mean Isabell Swallow?"

Cole nodded. "Yes, exactly, his secretary." he explained and looked at Prue searching. "Why? Do you know her?"

"She is David Morgan's girlfriend. I found you because of her." Prue informed him and bit into the next donut thoughtfully. Morgan's girlfriend was Wingrove's secretary, that was interesting.

Cole shook his head in disbelief. "No wonder, that she likes to flash her jewellery around. I'm sure her disgusting friend showers her with diamonds."

"Well diamonds are a girls best friends. Some women like it, if men gave them jewellery as a present." Prue pointed out.

"Oh really?" Cole grinned. "And do you belong to them?"

"You can try it once." She told him and took another donut.

"Do you want to eat all of them alone?" Cole wanted to know meanwhile and tried to get the bag.

"Of course." Prue said and held the bag without of his reach. "Finally you already had your breakfast."

"But according to Amy, I've eaten donuts of inferior quality." Cole explained and looked at her begging.

"Well that's your problem. These are mine." She told him grinning and ate another donut with great relish.

Cole looked at her and grinned. "There is confectioner's sugar on your nose."

"Oh." Prue wanted to wipe it away resolutely, but Cole stopped her.

"Wait, I've a better idea." He explained and kissed her nose.

Prue looked at him thoughtfully. "You are just searching for a chance to get something of my breakfast." She found out.

"That's it." Cole grinned. "Oh, and there I can see something on your lips." He informed her and leaned forward to kiss her again.

Prue dropped the bag on the ground and flung her arms around his neck. "Can you remember, what we wanted to do, before Robert and Paul had stopped us so rudely?" she wanted to know.

"Yes I know." Cole said and he ran his hands over her body and under her shirt.

"Oh, I remember, too." Prue informed him and took off her shirt. Then she looked to the open door to the winter garden, where she could see Danny. "Danny is in the room next door." She said with a sigh.

"He won't notice anything." Cole told her and kissed her shoulders, up to her neck until he reached her mouth.

Prue's lips pressed against his lips passionately, while she tried to take Coles clothes off.

"Prue." He whispered between two kisses.

Prue grinned. "Say it again." She urged him.

"What?" Cole gave her a confused look.

"My name!" she explained with a husky laugh. "I want to make sure, that you know it."

"I won't forget it ever again." Cole said smiling and kissed her again. "Prue!" He whispered softly.

The passionate, breathless sound of her name on his lips gave Prue a shudder and increased her unrestrained urge to shake off his clothes.

When Cole raised his head to look at her, he saw it in her eyes. Immediately he raised his hands to stop her. "Oh no, I'll do it." He explained with an amused smile. "I don't have so much shirts." He informed her and started to open slowly one button after another, while he didn't let her out of his sight.

Prue looked at him impatiently, and finally she had enough of it. "You don't have to open them." She explained resolutely and pushed him back onto the sofa, while the pillows were already lying on the ground, together with the bag with donuts and parts of their clothes. "There are fasteners, which are more important."

Cole grinned. "You are absolutely right."

But just when Prue wanted to open it, she heard, that the door was opened. She stopped and looked at Cole asking.

"Oh no, Amy." he let out.

Prue gave him a shocked look. "Why didn't you tell me, that she'll come home soon?" She asked angrily and tried to stand up hectically. Thereby she pushed Cole, who was falling onto the pillows on the ground.

"Thanks!" He said, while he tried to dress up completely again. "How should I know, that she would come home so quickly? Finally she wanted to go to her favourite place."

Meanwhile Prue had dressed fully and rushed to the door to stop Amy, if necessary. But when she looked to the door, she couldn't see Amy in the hall, she looked back at Cole thoughtfully, who just buttoned up his shirt, while he threw the pillows back onto the sofa.

"Oh, you should better have given me some of them." he suddenly said and showed Prue the crushed bag with the donuts. "I fear they got a little out of shape now."

Prue shook her head and looked back into the hall, where she saw Amy coming out of the kitchen. "She's coming." Prue told Cole, while she dropped herself down on the armchair.

Soon later, Amy was standing in the door with a beaming smile on her lips. "Look, what I have found." She said happily and didn't notice the slight disorder of the room and its occupants, because she held a key in her hand.

Cole anticipated which key it was and looked dismayed. "Where did you find it?" He wanted to know.

Amy grinned. "Well I dropped by at the Wingroves and told one of their employees that Charlotte still has one of my pullovers. They didn't become suspicious, because they know this situation."

Prue looked at Cole in disbelief. "You allowed her to go to the Wingroves alone."

Cole raised his hands in refusal. "I didn't know anything about it." He explained quickly and gave Amy an incredulous look. "You told me, that you wanted to visit your favourite place and I never thought that Edward Wingrove's house is your favourite place."

"Well." Amy said with an embarrassing smile. "I knew, that you need the key and I also knew, that it's hanging at the key rack beside Charlotte's bedroom. It was so easy to get it and I knew, that the Wingroves aren't in town."

"But Edward Wingrove is in town." Cole informed her angrily. "What would you have done, if he had caught you?"

Amy shrugged her shoulders "I would have talked my way out of it." She said with a halting smile.

Cole shook his head angrily. "You should have told me about your plan."

Prue grinned. "Well you didn't do it either." She explained and looked at him asking. "But what do you want with the key for the plantation?"

"It's possible, that Morgan's zombies spend the night there." Cole told her and grinned. "So it could be a good idea to visit the plantation once again."

Prue gave him an incredulous look. "Do you know how dangerous they are? I mean, they are David Morgan's slaves."

"Mm." Cole shrugged his shoulders. "Zombies aren't invincible, definitely not. That's nonsense, it's rather easy to kill them."

"Well, now you just want to tell us, that they are already dead and therefore we'd just release them of their current existence, don't you?" Prue wanted to know dryly.

"Exactly, you got it." Cole agreed grinning. "But you can only kill their bodies. If their souls are still locked up, they won't be able to find their peace." Cole explained and gave her a shifty look. "And therefore I've another plan. The only problem is, that I'll have to get something for it." He said dissatisfied and looked at Prue pointed. "Will you come with me?"

Prue understood his silent message immediately. "Okay, no problem." She answered quickly and turned to Amy. "But you should take a rest for a while." She suggested.

Amy nodded. "That's right, I'm so tired, I couldn't sleep very well the last two nights. And I should be well rested, if I had to pass an adventure today."

Cole agreed. "We can take Danny with us, then you can come to rest."

"If you don't mind." Amy said and when Prue shook her head, she went upstairs yawning.

Prue looked after her, before she turned to Cole. "Okay, she's gone. So where do you want to go?" She wanted to know.

"It was just an excuse for Amy." Cole admitted and looked at Prue with an excusing smile. "I'd like to meet Amy's mother. She finally has to tell us, what she knows about Edward Wingrove."

Prue nodded. "I thought as much." She said and looked around for Danny. "And we can take him with us." she decided.

They got ready and set off to the Garden District, where the Careys were living.

"So you don't have any plans concerning the zombies?" Prue asked on their way.

Cole shook his head. "No, of course we could try to kill all of them, but I don't know, how many they are."

"Mm." Prue let out dissatisfied. "So there isn't a way to rescue them, is it?"

"No, they are already dead, you can't bring them back to life." Cole informed her with a shrug. "You can only free them from their existence as Morgan's slaves."

"That would be the best thing probably, but..." Prue looked out of the window thoughtfully and watched how the streets with skyscrapers turned into wide avenues with huge properties. After a while she looked at Cole with a satisfied grin. "I know, what we'll do. We'll have to get their soul out of the bottles and I even know exactly where they are."

Cole gave Prue an admiring look. "Do you really know, where they are?"

"Yes, there was a good side to it too when I was searching for you, because I've seen them in Belva's country house. They are beside the thunder stones on the cupboard in the cellar." Prue said and leaned back satisfied. "And if we can release their souls, the zombies will find their peace."

"Their souls, but unfortunately I can't tell you exactly, what will happen to their bodies." Cole confessed. "But I wouldn't mind, if they were still powerful enough to take revenge on Wingrove before they will go to their graves." Cole thought and grinned satisfied, this was a great picture.

They reached the entrance to Carey's property and Cole stopped the car. He told his name and they entered the site, where he parked the car beside the main entrance.

Prue got off the car and walked to a nervous woman waiting in front of the entrance. "Mrs. Carey?" She asked, because she noticed that the woman looked very much like her daughter.

Shelly Carey nodded. "Yes, that's me. But you can call me Shelly, please."

"Prue." Prue said with a smile and looked back for Cole.

He just took Danny out of the car and walked to the two women. "Hello Shelly."

Shelly turned around to him, but when she saw Danny, she stepped back in shock. "Is it your child?" She asked a little bit tensed.

Cole nodded. "Yes, this is Daniel, my son." He introduced him to Shelly and looked at her asking. "Why? Do you mind, that I've taken him with me?"

"No, no, better than..." She started, but then she turned around and walked to the door quickly. "Let's go inside." She decided and rushed into the house.

Cole and Prue looked at each other asking. "What's wrong with her?" He wanted to know.

Prue shrugged her shoulders. "We'll find out soon." She explained confidently and followed Shelly into the house. They crossed the entrance hall and entered the spacious living room. Prue sat down on a light armchair and looked around."

"Thanks!" Shelly said and rubbed her hands nervously. After Cole had sat down, too, she asked with a little smile. "Is everything alright with Amy?"

"Yes, she's fine. She recovers from the hard time." Prue told her.

"Yes and she monopolized the kitchen immediately. She even put off our housekeeper." Cole added grinning.

Shelly forced a smile. "Yes, that's the way she is. She always loved to cook and to bake, but if she disturbs someone, you can..."

"No, no. Clara is able to get her way, if she wants." Prue calmed Shelly down. "We don't have any problems with Amy, she is very nice, she isn't the reason, why we are here. We want to talk with you about her father." She started carefully.

Shelly hardened immediately and explained in short. "There is nothing to tell you about him."

Cole shook his head angrily and blurted it out. "You don't have to beat around the bush. We know, that Edward Wingrove is her father."

Shelly gave him a shocked look. "But, ... that isn't true." She explained quickly. "And it isn't your business."

Cole shrugged his shoulders. "Mr. Wingrove has already confessed it, so you don't have to deny it anymore." He informed her calmly.

Prue threw a withering look at him and tried to calm down Shelly. She put her hand on her arm to have a calming effect on her. "Shelly, we know, that it isn't our business and we don't want to poke our noses into it." She explained calmly. "If you don't want it, nobody will find out that Edward Wingrove is Amy's father. But you have to talk about it with us."'

Shelly leaned forward. "Donald doesn't know it and nobody else knows it." She said in a low voice.

"Matters will rest there. We won't tell anyone about it." Prue assured her, because she was convinced that it wasn't a good idea to tell Amy about her father in this moment.

Shelly sighed and gave in. "That was a long time ago. I was working as a trainee in Edward Wingrove's office while my vacations and he made quite an impression on me. It was very flattering that he was interested in me and we had a short love affair. But it was over when I went back to university. I mean he was married and he had a daughter." She explained quickly and added after a while. "When I found out, that I was pregnant, I never thought about telling him about it, finally I didn't want to destroy his marriage."

"Well, he wasn't innocent, he was involved in it, too." Prue pointed out and gave Cole an incredulous look. He couldn't believe it, either.

"Yes, but I knew about his marriage all the time. Therefore it shouldn't have happened." Shelly explained firmly. "But luckily my grandmother could help me at this time. I was growing up with her, because my parents died in a car accident, when I was a child. She was my only relative. She thought that a student was Amy's father and I let her go on believing that." Shelly sighed. "She was very understanding, but I had to give up university. And I found a job as a salesperson."

"But Mr. Wingrove could have payed alimony for his daughter." Prue pointed out. "Then you could have finished university at least."

"I didn't want to harass him." Shelly got it straight. "And besides I found out, that he'd have a daughter again. I didn't want to destroy his family."

"And your husband?" Cole wanted to know.

"I met Donald a few years later. He was a regular customer in the bakery, I was working for. And one day he asked me for a date." She smiled in excuse. "I didn't know, that he is a close friend of Edward. I found out about it later. But I didn't want to give up my relationship with Donald." She sighed again. "I know it was selfish, but I couldn't give Donald up. Therefore I told Edward about Amy and he started panicking."

"No wonder!" Cole said in a cynical voice. "He is afraid that it would come out."

But Shelly shook her head sadly. "No there was something else. I assured Edward, that nobody would find out anything about it, but he was still afraid." She looked at Cole and Prue begging. "Please don't tell anyone about it. It wouldn't help anyone, it would only cause a lot of worry."

Prue looked at her thoughtfully, it was hard for her to accept that Amy didn't know who her father was, but nevertheless she had to agree with Shelly, the truth would only cause a lot of sorrow. "We won't tell anyone." She finally promised.

Shelly nodded thankfully and looked at Cole.

"Okay, perhaps it's better, if she thinks her father is a Russian agent." Cole said shrugging his shoulders, that was better than the coward Edward Wingrove, he thought grimly. Amy's feelings were more important than his aversion to do Edward Wingrove a favour and to rescue his family idyll. "But something else, I was wondering, why did you meet David Morgan?"

Shelly gave him an insecure look. "Edward thought, that a deal with the District attorney's office could help Amy." She explained in remorse and added quickly. "But that doesn't mean, that I didn't have confidence in your abilities as a lawyer."

Cole smiled scornfully. "Of course not. What did you plan to do, bribe Morgan?"

"No, no, we only wanted to talk about Amy's chances in court, nothing else." Shelly turned it away quickly.

"But what was David Morgan's mother doing there? It wasn't her business." Prue asked meanwhile.

Shelly was surprised. "Mr. Morgans Mutter?"

"Yes, Madame Belva." Prue informed her.

It was obvious, that Shelly had no idea, that the woman had been David Morgan's mother. "I don't know her." She explained again. "She accompanied us, by chance."

Prue and Cole looked at each other in disbelief. "And you didn't mind to talk about such a delicate subject with a stranger?" Prue wanted to know in disbelief.

"No." Shelly stated. "And actually that's old hat. You have found the real murderer and everything is alright again."

"Well that isn't so easy." Cole said and gave her an incredulous look.

"Why?" Shelly asked surprised. "You have found the murderer!" She stated with a confident smile, but when Cole didn't answer her smile faded. "Or haven't you?"

Cole shrugged his shoulders. "I've only found circumstantial evidences, nothing more."

"You aren't sure, that he was the murderer?" Shelly wanted to know anxiously.

Cole looked at her asking. "What do you know?"

"Nothing!" Shelly looked at Prue searching for help, when her eyes fell on Danny. "Amy doesn't look after him, or does she?" She wanted to know suddenly.

"Of course she does. She loves children and she knows how to handle him." Prue explained and took Shelly's hand. "Shelly, you have to tell us everything you know." She urged her.

"Oh my god." Shelly held her hands in front of her face. "I thought everything is alright again, that it was nonsense, nothing else." She looked at Cole. "I can't believe that Amy was able to murder Adam, that can't be true."

Cole resisted her gaze and didn't say a word. Even Prue held back, because she wanted to find out, what Shelly knew. "Tell us, what you have on your mind."

Shelly looked at her thoughtfully. "This woman... Edward has told me, that she is a reputable psychologist, a medium. And she has seen, that there is something ill inside of Amy, an urge to kill." She explained with tears in her eyes. "She told me, that Amy isn't responsible for it, but she isn't able to fight against it. So if we don't do anything, she will go on killing people."

Prue was shocked and gave Shelly an incredulous look. "Did you really believe her?"

Shelly shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't know, what to do. She said that it would be better for Amy to stay in prison. Because she couldn't wreak havoc there. The woman told me, that she could give her a therapy and later we would be able to plea for clemency." She looked up helplessly. "I didn't know, what I should do. I couldn't believe her, my Amy is such a nice girl. And when you found the real murderer, I was so relieved, I knew everything was just a misunderstanding, nothing else." She explained in a low voice and looked at Danny. "But if it wasn't and Amy is guilty, I couldn't bear, if she hurt your son." She held her hand in front of her mouth and started to cry silently.

"No, no. Shelly." Prue sat down beside her and put her arm around her shoulders. "You don't have to worry, Amy isn't a murderer. She couldn't do anything like that."

"That's right. These three, they just lie to you. Amy doesn't feel the urge to kill." Cole confirmed.

Shelly looked at him. "How do you know that?"

"I know everything about it." Cole explained and gave her a little smile. "And besides Amy has told me the truth and believe me, she wouldn't have been able to hurt Adam Boucher, she was in love with him."

"Oh!" Shelly let out in surprise. "But .. but why didn't she tell me anything about it?"

"Because obviously she didn't want you to find out anything about it." Prue said and gave Cole a pointed look.

Cole shrugged his shoulders. "But I'm dying to know, why Edward Wingrove has told you such a nonsense." He said thoughtfully. "Or rather, why did he want to make you believe that Amy is a hidden murderer."

"Edward always took care of Amy, there's no doubt about it." Shelley let Cole know. "He wouldn't accept to let her stay in prison blameless."

Cole kept his remarks to himself and looked at Prue. They couldn't believe that Shelly would hide something else from them.

Soon later, they said Goodbye and walked to their car. "Why did they tell Amy's mother such rubbish?" Cole wondered, while he opened the car.

"I'm also dying to know it." Prue said. "That doesn't make sense. What does Wingrove get out of it?"

"He's the only person who can tell us about it." Cole explained firmly, while they left the property.

"But you can't ask him. He'd find out, that you are free again." Prue pointed out.

"No, you're right. Damn it. I'm sure, he'd tell me everything, if I threatened him a little bit." Cole looked at Prue grinning. "You should have seen his reaction, when I formed an energy ball. It was just great, he hid in panic behind the couch."

"Wingrove is and will always be a coward." Prue said tersely. "So he doesn't have any magical powers?"

Cole shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think so. He has no idea, what I'm able to do. But I think he knows more or less, what Morgan is doing, but he tries to ignore it."

"Mm." Prue looked through the window thoughtfully. "Perhaps I should talk to Wingrove."

Cole flashed a look of horror at her. "No, you won't do that." He said immediately.

"That's interesting, did I miss anything?" She wondered angrily. "Since when did you decide for me? I can defeat myself, and if we wanted to find out something, it would be a great idea."

"He is under David Morgan's and his mother's sway." Cole explained. "Or do I have to remember you, that they locked me up in the stone? And I can imagine very well, what they'd do with you." He cast a worried look at her. "And we already found out, that nobody can safe zombies, they are dead."

"And as I already told you, I can take care of myself." Prue told him resolutely.

"Well, I don't want to risk it." Cole answered firmly. "It's too dangerous. No, better I'll go and meet Wingrove."

Prue sighed "We talked about that before." She said in an annoyed voice and realized to her displeasure, that both of them were too stubborn to give in. Therefore she decided. "If it's necessary, we'll go there together, although I think it's rather foolish of you. Because it's better that Wingrove and Morgan don't know, that you are free again."

"So what. Shelly could tell them about it, too." Cole thought cooly.

"No, she won't do that. But probably it's more sensible to take care of the zombies." Prue thought meanwhile. "I can find Belva's house without a problem. I only need a map." She said optimistically and gave Cole an ironically look. "But I fear it's dangerous too."

"No, but if we are lucky, whether Belva nor Morgan will plan a trip to the country at the moment." Cole said.

"You never know, what they are planning." Prue said and looked out of the window.

"What?" Cole asked Prue, after she didn't say a word for a while.

Prue turned around to him. "If we smash the bottles, will we be able to talk to the zombies, before they'll go back to their graves?"

"I doubt it very much. And I also don't know, if you'll release only their souls and not their bodies. I suppose we'll just release their souls." Cole said and cast a quick glance at Prue. "But there is something else. It's just a rumour, but if you want to risk it, we can give their awareness back to them, before we'll free their souls."

Prue looked at him forcefully. "Come on, tell me."

Cole grinned and switched the lane to turn left at the next traffic light. "First we'll have to go to the next grocery to buy something special, we'll need." He explained. "And then we even didn't lie to Amy."