Chapter Twenty

Face To Face

"Are you hungry?" she asks.

He shakes his head as he opens the frig, "No I need something to drink, my mouth is so dry," he bends down, "Yes, Gatorade." Three long gulps and its' gone, he turns to her and tosses the jug in the recycle bin, "What did you and Chris talk about during breakfast?"

She smiles, "With Tommy around it's hard to talk about anything serious."

He nods his head in agreement and smiles, "I know what you mean. Did they argue?"

He sits down next to her, "No Chris was very quiet and Tommy, as always talked non stop, a little trait he gets," she smiles at him, from his Dad."

"I'm sorry for what happened."

She puts her hand on the back of his neck and pulls him closer, she kisses him lightly on the lips, "I know and it's forgotten."

He sits back in the chair, "My kids are right, you are cool." He flashes that smile and it always melts her heart. Face it; you can't stay mad at him for long.

"This is true," she says as she sits straight up in the chair.

"So exactly how are we going to do this, this thing with the devil's daughter?"

"First I have to connect her to Lance plus retrieve all the information about her past. Then I have a sit down with Mike and the Captain. He'll be pissed but she has to be dealt with."

"That's wonderful, but I mean what do I have to do? Just show up at her apartment one day, unannounced."

"Exactly, she knows damn well that I have told you about her and Mike, so you just showing up at her door, wouldn't alarm her at all."

Later On In the Week

Mike is very taken with this woman and Alex has to bite her tongue every time he mentions her name. He has asked not only her and Bobby but also Megan if they would join him for a drink, aware that Nicole will be there, she has time after time come up with an excuse.

For the case against Nicole for Lance's murder, she needs to put Nicole and Lance together. She alone visits Barry Jenkins, Lance's long time friend and business partner. When she and Mike spoke with him before he was closed mouth, this time she has some information that may loosen him up; she tells him that she knows about Nicole. His reaction to hearing her name is close to Bobby's, he does not hyperventilate but she can see the fear in his eyes.

"After Lance dated her for awhile we came to the realization that the only reason she started a relationship with him, was due to the fact that, Lance and I owned a travel agency. I still can't believe that we went along with her scheme, something about her," he shakes his head. "Fools, the both of us."

"Barry what was the con?"

"It was an old one according to Nicole, we convinced upper middle class seniors to invest in property located in the new hot spot for retires, North Carolina. We had films and tours set up. The thing was that we didn't own the land that we showed them. I was told that the seniors invested all total 2.5 million dollars."

"What was the relationship between Lance and Nicole?"

"They lived together for a while but toward the end of the con Lance and Nicole argued constantly. He wanted and insisted on a larger share, she flat out refused. That day at the diner, Lance told me that he kicked Nicole out of his place and that he took a good chuck of the money that we had hidden in a storage warehouse."

"When did Nicole find out?"

"I'm not sure," he holds his face in his hands.

"Money," Alex smiles, "one of the most popular motives for murder."

"Any idea why Nicole is still around?"

He shrugs his shoulders, "I guess she's trying to find the money and I remember that she talked about seeing an old friend of hers. She didn't want to leave the city till she got to see him."

"When did this happen?"

"Maybe about a day or two before Lance died."

"Had anyone ever seen Lance and Nicole together?"

"No she seem to make a point of that, we would meet at the agency after closing."

"Barry, I believe Nicole murdered Lance."

He sits back in the chair, seeming more at ease that he has finally admitted what he and his so-called friends did. "So do I."

"Would you be willing to testify against her?"

"Yes I will, I have to." he leans forward, "she will go to prison, right?"

"I can guarantee it." She stands, "Thank you Barry."

Alex has concluded that she used the money she retrieved from Bobby's house to initiate the fraud.

Alex's Apartment

She spends the next few hours writing her report. When she looks over the evidence she has gathered it seems on a parallel to what happened fifteen years ago, only the names have changed.

The hardest thing is yet to come, talk to her partner about his girlfriend, she dreads this day but it has to be done.

Her cell phone rings, "Eames."

"Hi Eames, it's me."

She sits back in the chair and puts her feet up, "I just finished writing my report, and I think we can get her this time Bobby."

"Tell me, how?"

She tells him about her meeting with Barry.

"So, now that you found this guy, I guess you won't need me."

"Barry is willing to testify against her for the con game, but he has no knowledge about his friends murder……….and I believe him, besides I suspect that Nicole is waiting for you to show up. Be honest with me, don't you want to meet her face to face once more."

He hesitates," Yes, yes I do."

"If anyone can get her to talk, it's you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"I'm nervous."

"I know, you'll do fine...oh when I was speaking with Barry he told me that she wanted to meet up with an old friend, she said it was a him. She told Barry this after she had come to your house."

"You were right. Remind me never to doubt you again."

One Police Plaza

Alex has a well-prepared presentation to show her CO and partner. As before, every thing is circumstantial.

She has a sit down with Captain Ross. Mike is called into the office and she tells him gradually the dirty deeds of his girlfriend, she knew that he would ask the question, "Why in the hell would you even think to investigate her?"

"I had met her once before," she pauses, "at Bobby's home. She has a past."

"What?" She hands him the file concerning all the crimes that many police officials believe she is responsible for however they never had enough proof to arrest her. As Alex speaks, Mike looks through the papers and then hands them to Ross.

"Bobby and Nicole were…………lovers fifteen years ago." Alex swallows hard after saying that. "Lance Butler, she murdered him."

The men look up from the paper that they are reading.

"Mike I met with Barry, Lance's partner and he has confirmed that he along with Lance and Nicole were working a con and when Nicole found out that Lance stole a good share of her money she poisoned him."

He glances over the reports in the folder, "All these crimes, she has been questioned about all these?"

"Yes she has, if you read through, they all end up with the same conclusion, every thing is circumstantial."

She sits back in the chair, "Fifteen years ago Nicole and Bobby lived together." She proceeds to tell them about Chester, Stewart and of course Harry.

"Where was Goren at the time of the murder?" Ross asks.

"Outside, sitting in the car," she takes a quick glance at her partner, "I believe him Mike."

He smiles at her, "If you believe him, so do I."

"When he went upstairs Chester was dead and Nicole convinced him that Chester was threatening to kill her and she acted in self defense. Which of course was a lie; she had played all three men."

She exhales, "Days before, she and Chester made a drug deal with a man by the name of Harry. I have yet to find out his last name. Harry told Nicole and Chester that it would take him a few days to come up with the money. In that time she and Chester sold the coke to someone else. They switched each bag with powered sugar. That night she talked Bobby and Stewart into moving the bags out of the apartment. The next day she sold the bogus supply to Harry. She had hoped that she would be safe living in a Brooklyn suburb but that only lasted a month. She found out that Harry was closing in and that is when she started making plans to flee to Europe. She had wanted Bobby to go with her but that was the night that he and Stewart were arrested for DUI and parole violation. If you look at what Lance went through it is very similar."

"Goren told you this."

"Yes he did and then a few months ago Nicole visited Bobby in his home and confessed the story to him, I was there and I heard everything."

Ross says, "She certainly is brazen."

"Oh yes she is. One reason is that if you look at the file. She has never been arrested in this country or any other country. Bobby and Stewart had a criminal records. If they were caught, who would the police think orchestrated the scheme? The men, not her. She has held that over his head for years and that is why he has agreed to talk to her. He has a way; he'll get her to admit that she knew Lance."

"How exactly will he do this?" Ross asks.

A voice is heard from the door, they all turn. "Get her talk about herself, Nicole loves to boast about the power and control she has," He leans against the doorframe, "over the men in her life. If she wants something bad enough she'll do what ever she has to, to get it."

She puts the rest of the files on the Captains desk. "Mike I'm so sorry."

He does not respond, he turns away from them and looks out the window.

Nicole's Apartment

Mike hands him a microphone shaped like a chap stick, "Here put this in your pocket."

"Are you ready?" Alex asks.

He shakes his head, "No……….yes, yes. I'm ready." They park the car a block away and he walks to her apartment. He pushes the bell.

She opens the door, "Well, look who it is," she looks past him, "I was wondering when you were going to pay me visit." She smiles, "Please come in." She moves off to the side to let him pass, "I must say that this is a wonderful surprise." She closes the door.

I wonder if she can hear my heart thumping in my chest.

"It's nice to see that you have recovered nicely from your injuries," she lightly caresses his arm, "Don't Nicole," he backs away.

"So, all bullshit aside, what do you want from me?"

"My my, aren't we full of ourselves. I don't want anything from you Bobby," she sighs.

"Oh it's just a coincidence that you are seeing a cop, who happens to be my fiancés partner, come on Nicole." He laughs, "I don't believe you."

"Why is that?" she asks.

"Because of all the bull shit you fed me, how many other poor suckers have you led on in the past fifteen years."

"They all knew exactly what they were getting into," she reaches for his hand, "even you."

He pulls his hand away, "Stop it…"

"Old times Bobby, remember."

"Yes unfortunately I remember," he says exasperated, "but to have sex with you I'd have to be drunk," he wags his finger at her, "no out of my mind. Now," he says sternly, "if you don't want to talk to me, I'll leave."

She pouts, "Oh please Nicole, like that's gonna work."

Mike is listening intently shaking his head, "I'm sorry Mike," Alex says. "She wants what she wants and will do anything to get it."

"Yes Nicole I agree with you, you are right I did know what I was getting into, but I never admitted to myself, not until a few months ago."

"Most of the men that I meet," she laughs, "Like the last one, oh what was his name, oh yes Lance, Lance Butler,"

Ross says, "Got her."

"Another fool, pretended to be so naïve but he was as ruthless as, …………….he took something that belongs to me…" she catches his eye, "I never thought of you as a fool,"

Nodding his head, "Yeah, sure, I guess he didn't know who he was dealing with, the poor son of a bitch."

She smiles, "Not anymore," she giggles, "you men always thinking…………….just because we're women," she reaches for his hand. "Stop it."

"Oh Bobby why not? No one will know."

"I will," he stuffs his hands in his pockets, "Did you turn his world into shit like you did to me?"

"You, don't blame me for how you behaved Bobby, you were responsible for the direction you took in your life, not me."

"I suppose your right, what I should have done was kick your pretty little ass out of my house."

She laughs, "That's what Lance did."

Alex says, "She has not only admitted to knowing Lance but now she has admitted that they lived together."

"He turned against me," she pauses, "you never turned against me Bobby. I had to show him that………………" she flashes a smile that he remembers and reaches for him.

"No Nicole, I didn't come here for that."

She sits down on the couch and pats on the cushion next to her. "Please sit." He does but in a chair on the other side of the room. She pours some wine into a glass and holds up the bottle, "Would you care for some wine?"

"No thanks." She takes a sip of wine, "Are you sure you don't want to join me in a drink."

Starting to get aggravated with her, "I said no."

She points at him, "I really wanted you to go to Europe with me, honestly."

"I believe that." He crosses his legs, "When are you going back?"

She smiles, "I like living in New York Bobby. It's the greatest city in the world isn't that what the ad says." She places the glass on the table and walks across the room toward him; he immediately stands up. "Does my being so near bother you?"

"Yes it does, it was better when I didn't know where you were."

"We all have to live with difficulties in life, Bobby."

Nicole checks the time. "Am I keeping you from something?" he asks.

"I had promised Michael that I would meet him for a drink at seven o'clock." She puts on her jacket, "You're more then welcome to join us Bobby."

"No thanks Nicole, maybe some other time."

He follows her out of the apartment and hails her a cab. She turns to face him. "It's always a pleasure seeing you Bobby." She reaches up and caresses his face. He shuns away.

He walks slowly back to the van, Mike opens the door, "That was good," he climbs up into the van, Mike extends his hand, "Good job." Ross says.

"Thanks, what happens now?"

"We take the tape to the DA, with her past history and the fact that she mentioned Lances name and admitted that they lived together gives us probable cause to search her apartment."

The DA agrees. Mike and Ross visit a judge early the next morning.

Within the hour, they arrive at Nicole's apartment. Mike ignores the door buzzer and bangs on her door. "How nice to see you, Michael."

"Save it Nicole." She smiles, "Oh I see your partner has filled your head with stories about me."

"They're not stories Nicole and I have a warrant to search your apartment." He hands her the paper, four detectives and two police officers enter her apartment.

In the search, they discover the poison that killed Lance. Hidden in her dresser drawer were four passports from four different countries, with four different names. Found on a shelf in her linen closet is a bag full of cash, all totaled it came to three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

The next time Mike visits Nicole is to arrest her. "Nicole Wallace you're under arrest for the murder of Lance Butler."

She is charged with first-degree murder. She pleads not guilty and with four passports to her name, bail is denied.

Epilogue

Alex and Bobby spend the next few months preparing for their wedding. Robert Goren and Alexandra Eames were married on September 8, 2007. They exchanged wedding vows at St. Luke's Episcopal Church. Alex looked beautiful in her gown. Chris and Tommy stood next to their father that day, all three Goren men looking tall and handsome.

They had a reception after the service for seventy-five friends and family members.

They honeymooned at The Sandals Grande on the Caribbean Island Saint Lucian.

Nicole's trial began on May 4, 2008. The district attorney did not use the tape at the trial, he did not need it, however with the evidence found in her apartment and Barry testifying against her, the jury came back with a guilty verdict. She received a sentence of 25 years to life.

After the sentencing Bobby said, "Well I'll have at least twenty five years of peace, twenty five years holy shit I'll be," he rubs his eyes, "Let's put it this way I won't give a shit by then."

The End….

I had a great time writing this story, some of the chapters were inspired by reviews. Thanks to all of you for your reviews and inspiration.