Who Shot the Bitch Troll?

Epilogue

Clark

Well, it looks like I may finally be off the hook for trying to solve the Elena Lincoln murder. Playing games with the life and reputation of an innocent man, never really sat well with me to begin with. Whoever is responsible for the demise of that bitch did one hell of a good job covering it up. Grey's right hand man Taylor would make the perfect suspect, but he had no motive.

Price and Carrick Grey had plenty of motive and the money to make things happen, but they both came up clean as a whistle. Linc Lincoln is a dumb schmuck who has a lot of circumstantial evidence and motive going against him, but no money to hire the hit. Some ghost or alien invader must have popped the old broad off.

Now the papers and television entertainment shows are all calling it the mystery of the century. Okay, it hasn't been a very long century yet, but it is a little over the top. Still, there's been all of this recent excavation and analysis of old unsolved murder cases from the twentieth century. And there are new theories flying flying around about a possible mass murderer by investigative reporters trying to make connection with previous unsolved murders.

Today, Carrick Grey walked into my office unexpectedly.

"So," he begins. "When are you finally going to let Lincoln off the hook from the ridiculous charge of murdering his ex-wife."

"What's it to you?" I ask suspiciously.

"If you try to arrest or indict him," he replies smoothly. "I will be representing him."

"I wasn't aware that you cared so much about him that you would be offering him free legal defense," I comment.

"I don't give a shit about him," he answers virtuously. "But I can't sit by and watch you put an innocent man in prison, or even attempt to."

"How do you know that he's innocent?" I ask meaningfully.

"Name me one piece of solid evidence that you have that establishes that he actually committed the crime himself or hired someone to do it," he shoots. "Physical evidence only."

He's got me there. We have a lot motive, but not even any real circumstantial evidence that will hold up in court. I can tell that he has som kind of skin in the game, but he's not giving away anything. However, it's hard to argue with him about his own motives for wanting to defend Lincoln.

Lincoln had never been any kind of a real friend to the Greys. He socialized with them while he was marries because Elena was friends with Grey's wife. There is no evidence of any connection to them after the divorce, which is natural. And Carrick Grey has a reputation as a real straight arrow. While he is royally pissed at Elena and the trouble that she and her murder have caused for his family, he would have no reason to defend a guilty man.

No, whatever the actual reason that Carrick Grey is standing in front of me, I'll never figure it out. But the department is getting sick of spending all of its limited time and resources on a case whose trail has obviously gone cold.

"We won't be pressing charges," I finally say. "You are correct we don't have any real evidence."

"Will you be telling the press that?" he persists.

"Sure," I say to get him out of my office.

"Good," he says, rising. "It's been nice doing business with you."

"Whatever," I mumble, as I pick up the phone to call the chief. I have a feeling that he is going to be only too happy to let the investigation go as well. Maybe they'll make some kind of Lifetime movie out of it someday.

Carrick

After speaking with Flynn, Taylor, and Price, I decide to call a family meeting. I need to get all six of us in the same room at the same time. I just got off the phone with Christian and he and Ana are returning tomorrow. They had a wonderful week in Aspen and he has finally felt the baby move for himself. I realize that my three conspirators are right. There is everything to gain and nothing to be lost by letting sleeping dogs lie at this point.

Clark has been handled much more easily than I had thought. It would appear that Price's scheme to interest the press in unsolved mysteries had caught fire. With the pressure from the media off, I could see that Clark was only too happy to chuck the whole investigation. I called Lincoln and told him the news. He didn't eve say thanks. He just said, "Good work."

I am sorry that I was not more agreeable to managing that situation before. It would have saved the family a whole lot of heartache. But as Flynn told me, the heartache does not have to continue. A dramatic confrontation with Christian would serve no purpose other than to dredge up a lot of old pain. And what is the point of that?

When families decide to confront alcoholics and drug users with their behavior, the point is to force them to acknowledge that their actions are hurting both themselves and those around them. In this case, the behavior we are talking about is old news. Christian has already confronted his demons and moved on. Flynn is right. Anybody who thinks that talking it all out and trying to understand it as this point is anyway beneficial, is wrong.

After dinner on Friday night, I assemble all six of us in the living room.

"Lincoln will not be charged in the murder case," I say briefly.

"So you have capitulated to his demands?" asks Grace.

"No," I reply. "That's not the point. The point is that he is innocent."

"How do you know he's innocent?" asks Mia.

"The same way that I know that you are innocent," I answer. "There's no evidence."

"But what about him inheriting all that money?" asks Elliot.

"That's motive, not evidence," I explain. "From the court's perspective, Mia's reckless statements and poor financial accounting actually provide some circumstantial evidence. But at this moment, that is not the point. The point is that the police will no longer be pursuing Lincoln."

"Will they be pursuing anyone?" asks Kate.

"You'll have to investigate that for yourself," I answer sharply. "That has nothing to do with me. But I have one more thing that I want to discuss."

"Yes, dear?" asks Grace.

"Last Sunday, Linc came in here and made some pretty shocking revelations about Christian," I say. "While I know that all of you want to discuss them with Christian, for whatever reason, I think that we all need to let it go."

"But why, Dad?" Mia whines. "I want some answers."

"About what?" I ask dryly. "What part of that is any of your business?"

She opens her mouth and then closes it. Kate looks around at us all.

"I came across evidence of his previous lifestyle months ago," she says. "In fact it was right before he and Ana were engaged. I confronted them and Christian told me that it was none of my business. Ana begged me not to say anything because it was irrelevant. I think that Carrick is right. We need to move on."

I notice Elliot giving her a nod of approval. No doubt they have also discussed this. Ethan also looks impressed. But Mia is still uncertain.

"I don't know if I can just drop it," she admits. "I mean, I feel like I need some kind of closure."

Now Grace shakes her head.

"The idea of closure is a myth, Mia," she says sadly. "You will not derive any satisfaction from opening up and discussing a painful topic that Christian has already come to terms with. He was a mixed up fifteen-year old boy who was seduced and abused by an adult woman who should have known better.

"Look at how happy he is now. Do you want to interfere with his and Ana's future happiness by ripping open past wounds. You will never have a rational or adequate explanation for what happened. Accept it and move on."

"Oh," she says quietly.

"I spoke with Christian earlier today," I add. "He and Ana have had a wonderful week in Aspen. They are returning rested and happy. Their time with the Prices was very good. Christian and Chris are developing a good friendship. Oh, and Melissa is expecting again."

"Oh, how lovely!" replies Grace. "I know that they have been trying for years."

"Do you think that it will be a boy?" asks Mia.

"I don't think that it matters," I say. "At Melissa's age, they are hoping for a healthy baby. And even if it were a boy, I doubt that it would change anything. Just because Christian has discovered who his birth father is, in no way changes his relationship with any of us. If they develop a solid friendship, it can only help Christian to further stabilize his progress."

"It in no way hurts him to find out that his parents were a pair of mixed up teenagers who got in trouble," continues Grace. "Christian was never going to feel truly good about himself until he realized that he wasn't the product of some sordid relationship between a prostitute and some pimp or John. Lets give him the freedom to enjoy that."

At this point we all nod. As usual, Grace is right. The future ahead looks a lot brighter than it certainly did a year ago, when Christian was still caught up in his self-loathing and unhealthy lifestyle. I, for one, am ready to set down the past and look forward to the future and the birth of my first grandchild. And that's the way that it should be.

The End

Thanks for all of you who stuck through with me to the end and for all of your great reviews and PMs. You are an awesome group of readers!