Chapter 23: Witness

As Mick drove to the address he had for the housekeeper Beth took his phone when it chimed and opened the photos Todd had sent. "These are the guys I saw at the house." She held the phone so Mick could see and he nodded.

Outside the address Mick helps Beth from the car as always and they head to the front door scenting the area for anything suspicious. Only hearing two heart beats both of which appear to be normal they ring the doorbell. One of the heartbeats picks up and Mick moves Beth behind him when he hears the hammer being pulled back on a gun.

The inner door opens slightly as terrified eyes peek out. Beth steps forward again, "Hello we're so sorry to disturb you but we're looking for Ava Melborne."

"Who wants to know?"

"We're private investigators," Mick offered. "We are investigating what happened at the hotel. My name is Mick St. John we spoke on the phone."

"I told you I don't know anything," she looked back into the house briefly.

"Are you sure?" Beth asked. "We got a worried call from a co-worker about two guys who were asking around about what happened. We don't want to cause you any problems but we really need to know what you saw."

"We can keep you safe," Mick nudged gently feeling her fear.

"I'm not worried about me," she shut the door and unchained the locks before opening it again. "Come inside before you attract too much attention."

Mick let Beth enter first as he held the screen door but stayed close beside her. Ava shut the door and locked it behind them gun sitting on the table by the door. Seeing them looking at the gun she quickly put it in the drawer to the table and gestures for them to follow her.

In the living room they all sit down, "Look I can't afford to get involved. I really can't afford to be missing work either but…"

"Who are you trying to protect?" Beth can tell by the way she keeps glancing back down the hall that the other heartbeat they hear is someone who means a great deal to her.

Sighing Ava puts her head in her hands, "My mother. She has dementia and can't stay alone too long. I can't put her in a home, she used to always say she'd rather die than go in one. She still has lots of good days she mostly forgets time right now. You know like what year it is and stuff."

Beth moves closer to Ava and rests a hand on her back, "I understand. We don't want to cause any problems. We just need to know what you saw. The woman they found in the room, they are charging her with killing her husband. We don't think she did it, we think she was framed but we can't prove it."

Ava sat up, "I was so scared. When I heard the sirens I thought it was my fault. If I had called the police then she wouldn't be dead…but then I heard she was alive and I was so relieved."

"Why did you think she'd be dead?"

Looking up she saw the caring expression on Mick's face and told him. "I was going to clean one of the rooms across the way upon request and when I came out I saw those two men, the two that came around asking questions, I saw them carrying her body into the hotel room. I mean I was too far away to be sure but I was pretty sure she was alive still."

"Then what happened?"

"I hid back inside the room. Once they were inside I hurried down but as I came down the stairs they were coming back out. I froze and hid behind the ice machine."

"Did they say anything?"

Ava looked between them nervously. "Ava we can keep you and your mother safe and well taken care of," Beth soothed.

Breathing in a steadying breath Ava nodded, "They said that was the easiest money they'd ever made. Then one of them made a phone call and told the person on the other end that she was inside the hotel and then they got sorta nervous. He said that when they found her she had a cut on her head but that she seemed fine then they left. That's all I heard."

Mick held up the phone, "Are these the men you saw?"

Ave looked at the phone and nodded. "They are."

"That was great Ava." Beth looked at Mick first then back to Ava, "I know this sounds scary but we need you to talk to the police and tell them what you told us."

Ava's face paled, "I can't. My mom…"

"They can protect you. The detective in charge of the case will make sure you're safe. She's lucky to have you looking out for her…Grace, the woman in the hotel room, she doesn't have any family she only has us looking out for her." Beth knew Grace had lots of support right now but Ava needed to help them.

After a moment Ava agreed and Beth stepped outside to call Carl.

Mick and Beth follows Ava and her mother to the station until they could get police protection set up. On the drive over Beth gets a happy call from Jean saying that the DA has dropped the charges on Grace. Beth is happy to hear the DA stopped stalling and dropped the charges but she still couldn't help but find the whole mess fishy.

At the station Carl takes Ava and her mother into the interview room to get her formal statement thanking Mick and Beth for finding her. As they are leaving Beth runs back in to leave a note on Carl's desk promising to fax him a copy of everything they had when she overheard something that grabbed her attention.

"…his friends aren't going to be happy."

"That's what happens when you let your friends lead a bull shit case."

"Yeah they didn't have a case. Wilkerson's smart he wouldn't have pushed for charges so quickly if someone else wasn't pulling the strings."

"So do you know who he was doing the favor for?"

"Nah don't know and don't want to know. I don't need to be caught in the middle of this. Davis did his job. That's another piece of bad luck he had pulling Davis as lead investigator on the case. That man doesn't give up."

Beth couldn't help but smile as she scribbled her note. This little discussion of co-workers she'd picked up on with her vamp hearing only confirmed her suspicions about this case. Now she just had to find out who this friend was.

To Be Continued…

Evilous