A white jeep came to a stop in front of the police station. The door slid open and a young woman jumped from the driver's seat just in time to see Matthew being escorted to a squad car.
She watched as the car's door opened and Matthew was led out by a couple of police officers. He was handcuffed. The whole investigation had been conducted confidentially. So, no reporter was yet informed that the serial killer was caught!
When she turned to right, she saw Aurah moving quickly to the car which was laid up for her and her grandfather.
"Excuse me!" She called out to Aurah.
Aurah looked up to see the woman rushing her.
"Hi, I'm Megan. Do you remember me?" She asked winsomely.
Aurah made a face. "Of course I do. I tasted your blood three days ago."
"Yes, you did, didn't you?" Megan grinned. "Was that Matthew, they took away?"
"Yes, he was." Aurah hopped in the car, ignoring her.
"So, it's over, huh?"
"Yes, it's finally over." Aurah nodded.
Suddenly, Megan spinned around to see Richard Castle, standing, smiling at her. Their eyes met in a warm familiar stare.
"Dr. Castle," Megan greeted him politely.
"Hello, Megan. Are you keeping an eye on Aurah?" He jokingly said.
Megan smiled. "Well, actually I came to thank her for everything she did for us. She was so brave and did a great job. We're truly grateful." Then she looked back at Richard. Her smile widened. "And also I'd like to know the result of the DNA test."
"The samples were matched!" Richard's face brightened. "Aurah was one hundred percent right to point the finger at Matthew. We have hard proof now!"
"Wow! You're so fast, Dr. Castle."
"Normally, it takes a month to get the result from a DNA test, but I have my own special methods," Richard said with a self-confident voice in tone.
Aurah couldn't hold herself back anymore and talked:
"Where is your mate, Megan?"
Being sort of bewildered, Megan answered: "He's waiting for his turn to testify, just like the rest of the pack."
Aurah turned her to her grandfather. "Can we go if you're done in here? I feel tired."
"I think I'm done in here, baby girl. Let's go get some rest." He turned his direction towards Megan once more before he jumped into the driver's seat. "Good night, Megan. Say 'hi' to Carl from me."
Carl was David's third-in-command in the pack and also Megan's mate.
"Good night, Dr. Castle." She bent down a bit and waved at Aurah. "Good night, Aurah. Hope I'll see you again."
Richard drove away while Aurah said "I hope not." under her teeth.
On the way to the hotel, Aurah's weird silence started bothering Richard. When they stopped at a red light, he turned his direction to her and held her hand.
"What's your problem? You got what you wanted. You found the real murderer. Ben's name has been purged of the charge. You should be happy!"
"I'm happy," Aurah muttered.
"Then what's this sulky face for? He put one hand under her chin. "And why don't you have much enthusiasm for talking to Megan? She's nothing but kindness."
Aurah opened the side window a bit and let the fresh night air fill in her lugs.
Richard raised an eyebrow. "Has this anything to do with Ben? Is she his ex-girlfriend or something?"
Aurah bit her lip. "Sort of."
"Hmm... I smell some jealousy." Richard laughed silently.
"I'm not jealous of a female dog!" Aurah shrugged. "Besides, nothing happened between them. Ben was interested in her. But she was a high flyer. That's why she chose Carl. If Ben had been the Beta or the third-in-command, she would have chosen Ben."
"An interesting theory," Richard mumbled.
"I'm speaking the truth," Aurah smugly said. "Some women are just into power."
"You must be thankful that she decided in Carl's favour. Thus, Ben is still available!"
"Grandpa!" Aurah burst into laughter.
"I'm glad I've finally managed to make you smile tonight."
By the time they reached their room in Residence Inn, Aurah was so tired that she fell asleep into the safety of her grandfather's arms.
Richard took the remote and turned on TV. The breaking news was on.
Exclusive! The serial raper in London was caught out!
Richard sighed in relief as he caressed his granddaughter's hair. His cell phone started ringing. It was Angelina calling. He reached for it and hit the answer button.
Angelina was pissed off for some reason. Richard almost heard the creaking sound of her teeth.
"Dad, could you please tell me what the hell you two have been doing in London? No lies this time!"
Richard swallowed. Uh, oh we're in trouble, he thought.
ONE WEEK LATER
The telephone started ringing for the thirtieth time since early morning.
A hand reached for it, bringing the receiver up to her face. A woman, no more than thirty with a beautiful face and attractive eyes, spoke:
"Ben, if you don't stop calling here, I'm afraid I'll have to call Mr. Hauptman and make a complaint about you!"
Ben coughed:
"All I want is to speak to Aurah for one second, Mrs. Castle," He spoke as polite as possible.
"She's not here right now."
"Why is her cell phone out of service?"
Just when Angelina was about to give him a sharp response, Richard walked into the room quickly. He caught Angelina's eye and mouthed "give me the phone."
Angelina half-heartedly extended the phone to her father and sat on the couch with a nervous face.
Richard took the phone. "Hello?"
"May I talk to your grandchild?" Ben asked restlessly.
"Hi, Ben! I'm fine, thanks. How are you?" Richard took a dig at him.
Ben flushed. "Sorry, Dr. Castle. How do you do?"
"Fine. Is there a problem, Ben?"
"No... I mean yes. I don't know how to explain," he said, taking a deep breath. "Two members of my former pack came to Tri-Cities last night. They called me and we met at Adam's place. They told me that the traitor in the pack was caught. And I'm free to return to London and to the pack as well if I please."
"Good news for you," Richard said, preserving his composure.
"Moreover," Ben continued, taking another deep breath. "When I asked them about how they found the serial killer, they said you and your granddaughter had come to town. That half-vampire girl - Aurah, I assume- who was a soul reader fingered the right guy."
"That's right!" Richard proudly said. "I took a hand in the work myself. I checked the DNA samples –taken from the last victim and from the suspect- and they matched!"
Total silence. Ben was at a loss as to what to say.
"So…" Richard broke the silence, "Since you're proven innocent, you can turn over a new leaf in your life now."
"I guess I'm too puzzled to think about it right now," Ben murmured. "May I speak to Aurah, please?"
Before Richard could open his mouth, Angelina jumped to her feet, grabbed the phone and yelled:
"I've forbidden her from talking to you, Ben, and I swear to effing God, if you contact her, I'll have my attorney throw you into a hole so deep and dark that it'll make Tri-Cities seem like a weekend in paradise; during which I'll personally pay an even dozen anti-werewolf psychopaths to -"
"Wow! Angelina, calm down!" Richard cut in, taking the phone out of his angry daughter's hand gently.
"Ben?"
"Present," Ben sarcastically said, trying to shake the reproach he incurred from Angelina.
"Don't take offense. My daughter is actually mad at me," Richard said, glancing Angelina who was walking out of the room, from the corner of his eyes. "She's mad at us for intriguing behind her back."
"Why does she think so?" Ben asked in bewilderment.
Richard's smile yanked the corners of his mouth.
"Well… Before we headed for London, we told her that we were going to catch a George Michael concert."
"Oh, yeah, that was what I heard from Samuel, too." Ben grinned. "Then?"
"Then, after our departure, she opened the newspaper and read that George Michael had been taken into custody for drunk-driving."
"Uh, I see." Ben scratched his hair. "No concert."
"Honestly, it was worth it." Richard cracked a smile. "I'm so proud of my grandchild. She is much more courageous than anyone can be."
Ben paused for a moment and then asked: "When is she coming to Tri-Cities? I mean, Samuel must have missed her."
"Well, Samuel and Angelina had a bitter talk on the phone this morning. Angelina said she wouldn't let Aurah go to Tri-Cities again. Poor Samuel is planning to come here to see her when he has a break from the hospital." Richard sighed. "Look, Angelina doesn't have a prejudice against you. She's just angry because she thinks that Aurah has endangered her life for you. Soon as we arrived home, she took Aurah's cell phone and blocked her e-mail account."
"I understand." Ben stopped dead in his place, speechless. Richard's seriousness unnerved him.
"Sorry, Ben. I must hang up now. I've got works to do. Take care."
"Yeah, okay. You, too. Say "hi' to Aurah from me, please."
"Okay, I will." Richard hung up.
Ben's jaw drops as total desperation stormed his face. He hung up the phone, throwing it down on a side table.
"It's not that easy," he groused under his teeth.
He suddenly grabbed the phone back and dialed a number in a flash.
A young man's voice was heard from the other side of the line:
"Good evening. Welcome to Delta Airlines. How can I help you?"
"I'd like to book a first class ticket for a flight to New York on Saturday night."
First class was expensive, but since Ben had been living alone for God knew how long, he never had any extra expenses apart from bills and gasoline to his truck. As a result, he salted away a respectable amount of money in his bank account.
"Would you also want a return ticket, sir?"
"Not now. Thanks," Ben replied, sucking in a hard breath.