Conspiracy

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 12 (Losing Time)

As Tori insisted on a game of poker, Jade remained at the Vega home and issued Andre to come by there. It was a risky move, but he needed to talk to them in that moment-while she did not want to leave the girls alone.

"Nice to see you," Tori guided the nervous man into the home. Jade's arms were across her chest and her fingers tapped her arm as she watched Andre toss a leather fedora onto the couch with a swift grunt.

"Hey Tori." Andre took a seat on the couch and looked up at the girl. "I need to speak with Beck and Jade about something." Jade raised an eyebrow at him and watched Tori nod before moving up the nearby stairs while saying something about calling Ian. "She's really taken with that guy, isn't she?" Andre pat his knees and looked up to the couple.

Jade closed her eyes and let her shoulders fall slightly. "Yes." There was nothing she wanted to tell him regarding Ian, or Tori's relationship with the man. Hell, while waiting for Andre to arrive, Tori was telling Jade about how the two of them nearly kissed.

Tori was afraid to, only because she was afraid of what could happen. So Jade told her to let it progress naturally, and if something came of it-then it would be hers.

"I'm not sure she knows how to handle a relationship though." In Tori's situation, it would be difficult to really understand how relationships worked, but it wouldn't be impossible. "Anyway…" She sat beside him and Beck stood next to the coffee table. "You said you wanted to talk to us. What about?"

Andre ran his hand over his neck and let his shoulders fall. "My mother." He pulled his hand away, then blew out a sharp breath. "Doesn't think I should be friends with you guys." She jerked her head back and started to protest, but it was Beck who broke the silence.

"What? What did we do?" Beck shouted out and Jade reached over to him, hoping to calm him. "What does your mother have a problem with?"

"I don't know, man." Andre looked past the two of them and towards where Tori had left. "There's some fucked up shit that I don't understand. Maybe it has to do with her politics, but maybe it's something else. I don't plan on not being friends with you guys, but I wanted to let you know what's what."

Jade rolled her head to the side and pursed her lips. "You said there was something you don't understand." Her hands circled her knees and her brow furrowed as the two men looked her way. "Can I ask what?" She didn't want to lose his friendship, but more importantly, she didn't want Beck to lose the man. He'd known Andre much longer than she had, and she knew just how distraught he'd be if Andre truly did cut ties.

"The Vegas." She raised an eyebrow and Andre started to relax. He brought a hand up to his forehead and closed his eyes. "I don't get to see mom very much because she's a Senator, right? I live with Grandma, she lives at the state capitol. Well I was talking about my friends-including new friends, right?"

"Go on."

"I brought up Mr. Vega and she got all concerned, asking me how I knew him and everything." Her eyes widened a bit and her heart skipped suddenly. Andre scratched his neck, then tugged slightly on his shirt collar. "She seemed certain that Mrs. Vega isn't married to the guy, that there's no way. Then she said Mrs. Shapiro and Mrs. Oliver couldn't be trusted as much as Mr. Vega, or something like that. She's never liked them, never trusted them, and so she doesn't think I should be so trusting of you or Robbie."

How much would she be allowed to tell him? She knew there was a limit to what she could reveal, Sikowitz went great lengths to make sure she understood that what was to be used in investigations needed not to get out, otherwise the evidence couldn't be used.

For instance, Beck still didn't know exactly what the photograph was that David had sent to Gary for control, nor did he know what had been done to the girls. All he knew was that David was dangerous, and he was likely sleeping with both Lanie and Rebecca.

"Andre, what does your mother know about Beck's and Robbie's mom?" Andre dropped his hand. A wrinkle popped up between his eyebrows and his mouth appeared to shrink. "Maybe she knows something about their relationship with David?" He chuckled once and nodded at her.

"She said the two were always looking out for him because they felt bad for him or something. I don't know exactly what that means."

Neither did she, but it sounded as though the two women could have done something more for David-how far did their 'concern' for him reach? Whatever the case was, she needed to know more about the two women, and that wasn't going to be easy.

Andre paced to the right and bounced his hands in front of his chest as he spoke. "Mom said she was Mrs. Vega's best friend once, that she was the one who introduced them to some study group she had in high school. There was Mr. Vega, someone named Gary, and then Mrs. Oliver and Mrs. Shapiro. Mr. West was there too. Mom thought she could help them with their project. Turns out Beck's and Robbie's mom already knew her."

Jade's slid her forefinger over her upper lip and started to hum. She was more curious now, but she couldn't outright ask him to elaborate. "Something happened with my mom and the others, She called Mrs. Shapiro insane. Said she was sick." He scratched his head and looked at the stairs. "Not to mention she and Mrs. Oliver were obsessed with Mr. Vega. I don't know the deal with that, but Mom said they were always pandering him and babying him because he was such a loner."

"Your mother said all this, Andre?"

"She was ranting."

That made sense, otherwise she couldn't understand how the woman would tell her son so much. Regardless, it was good noteworthy information.

From the facts, she knew David was a weak-minded man that was jealous of the life Gary had; then the two women did not like Holly. She had to wonder if their efforts to destroy Holly's life, but to give David a life, led to this tragedy they now had before them.

Then, if they knew what David had done to the three girls, they would truly be heartless. Her money was on them not knowing exactly what went on under his roof. "How much time do I have to figure this out?"

Furthermore, who was in control? It couldn't be David, so it had to be one of the two women. "Why does Mrs. Harris think Mrs. Shapiro is psychotic?"

"Because she's dangerous?" Andre swept his hands out and moved to the recliner, dropping into the chair near him. "You know my dad's dead, right? Mom went back to using her maiden name after that."

"You mentioned your dad and brothers passed away in the 90's."

"It's a tough subject," Beck replied knowingly, "He doesn't talk much about it." Andre's hand covered his eyes and he shook his head. "Back when they all lived in New Orleans, and a few years after he was born, his dad and two older brothers got caught in a fire."

Her stomach knotted up and she watched Andre's hand fall to the arm of the chair. "Mom said she was speaking out about something Robbie's mom did, but she wouldn't say what. She said the woman found them, started that fire…but the investigators at the time ruled it as an accidental fire because it was started from the stove, but mom swears she didn't leave anything on that stove that night. She's OCD, everything needs to be in its proper place, otherwise she can't rest. There's no way she forgot a pot on the stove."

She choked on a single breath of air and moved her hand up to her chest. Andre started to tremble, then he looked away with narrow eyes. "Mom swears it was Mrs. Shapiro. She even saw the woman there that same day, hours before the fire. There wasn't any way to prove it…so you can see why she doesn't trust her?"

"Yeah, I think so. What about you?"

"Man, I don't know." He sighed and his chest sunk in as his gaze appeared to search the floor. "I…I trust my friends. I don't want to stop being friends with you just because mom can't stand someone. I'm sure she has her reasons, I just wish it didn't affect me."

"It doesn't have to," Beck remarked, "You already said you didn't want to stop being friends-so don't." Beck looked away and narrowed his eyes at the nearby television. Jade couldn't help but to wonder what it was he was thinking of, but she didn't want to ask. The man had done enough mulling over things, more than he deserved.

"I uh." Jade tapped her fingernails on her knee and made eye contact with Andre. "I didn't know you lived in New Orleans, Andre. Yet your mom's a senator here in California?"

"It was brief." Andre spread his fingers out and then crossed his arms over his chest. "Mom didn't even have the chance to declare residency there. We moved back in with Grandma after the fire."

"And you still live with your grandma. Why?"

"Grandma was always afraid whoever started that fire would come after us, and mom's not much different in that thinking, so Grandma's insistence that I stay with her pretty much won out."

"I see." The irony of such a situation was, if true, Andre would likely be safer with his mother than his grandmother. Still, the fact that Andre was in Robbie's life as well as Beck's was a pretty good indicator both mothers knew of him, and very likely didn't care. "I don't think your mom has anything to worry about. You're not in any immediate danger."

Plus, she wasn't worried about him. He'd be fine so long as he kept out of things; she was already endangering Beck as it were and did not want to endanger anybody else.

Jade rose from the couch and took one last look at the boys. She felt they needed some time to talk, especially with the tension and anger both likely felt. Beck could tell Andre what little information he did know, which amounted to the stuff that Jade was confident wouldn't cause problems in investigations.

"I'm going to use the restroom. You'll be alright?" Andre nodded and Beck waved her off with his hand.

She made her way upstairs, to the only restroom she knew of in the house. It was best to remain careful, as she didn't want a repeat from the last time she was upstairs.

As she approached the room, she passed the master bedroom. The door was cracked open and she heard David talking to somebody. "I can't do that." His sentence made her stop in her path and she slowly pushed herself up against the wall, then turned her ear towards the door. "Look, that's just too much."

"I don't care," A woman's voice answered. Her voice was garbled and static-like, as though she were on speakerphone. Jade scrunched her brow and pushed her right palm against the wall. "Once they turn eighteen, they'll move, and do you think you'll still be in control?"

"But murder?"

"Oh for god sake, David. Don't go soft on me now, even Rebecca's beginning to loosen up." Jade pulled her head back slowly. Her voice caught in her throat and her heart began to crack. "You've had ten years, give or take a couple. Once they turn eighteen, they're free."

"But Rebecca's Police Commander-there's no way the police would believe them."

"My uncle is retired, David. All those women have to do is go above Rebecca, and everything's over."

"But you-"

"I know. I know this was the answer, but I wasn't thinking so far ahead. You have to do it David. I know you don't want to, but it's the only way."

She wanted to move, but fear had glued her feet to the floor. By what she was hearing, it sounded like Rebecca was the weak link, but what did that matter? "How much time do I have?" Her hand cupped over her throbbing chest, and her eyes slammed shut. "They're going to kill the girls."

Her hand trembled and a gasp fell from her lips. "Is somebody out there?" David called. Her eyes shot open and with adrenaline coursing through her veins, she bolted down the stairs.

Within minutes she was banging on Sikowitz's door, screaming for him to open. There was a tremendous amount of noise she could hear from inside, which greatly concerned her until Sikowitz finally answered.

"Miss West, would you relax?" Sikowitz raised an eyebrow and Jade pushed past him, stumbling into the living room and stopping when she saw somebody else present.

"Who?" This was a man that appeared to be Trina's age, but a couple years older. He was wearing a white martial arts uniform, and a black belt around his waist. His sandy brown hair was neatly trimmed, and his determined eyes seemed to focus on the mannequin in front of him.

"My nephew." Sikowitz closed the door and stepped behind her, crossing his arms. "He's practicing. Jason works at a tae kwon do studio a few blocks from here." She watched the boy perform a round kick, striking the top of the mannequin. His eyes did not move away.

"Oh." She felt a pull that distracted her, but only momentarily. Remembering the girls, she turned back to Sikowitz. "I've come at a bad time?"

"No, although I would prefer you show up at my office. What troubles you?"

"The girls are in danger."

"Yes. That's the purpose of the investigation…" Sikowitz moved his arms behind his back and furrowed his brow. "That is why Officer Richardson hired me, and essentially, the reason I hired you is because Mr. Vega would recognize that I am a private investigator."

"No, I mean that I heard something. Something serious. We need to talk-we need to get those girls out of there. I don't know how, but we have to." Sikowitz furrowed his brow and Jade looked to Jason. The man stopped and was wiping his sweat-glazed neck with a white towel.

"Okay we'll talk." Sikowitz stepped back and motioned to Jason. "Jason, I need you to go elsewhere."

"Alright," Jason replied, "I should get back to the studio anyway. I have to work on recruitment."

"Sure. Will I expect you and your mother for dinner?"

"Of course."

Jade waited until he was left, then asked about the 'recruitment' statement as per her brief burst of curiosity. Sikowitz bypassed her and made his way towards the refrigerator. "Jason's studio, or dojo as he sometimes calls it, is going around to recruit martial artists to a camping trip. It's a national trip that occurs over the summer, and they'd like to find more people from California."

"Oh." Summer was steadily approaching, so there couldn't be a whole lot of time left. It could be possible for them to get Trina involved, but there was no way she'd leave while Tori remained. "Maybe we can use that?"

"Tell me what's on your mind first."

"Mr. Vega's not the one in charge." She watched her mentor nearly trip over his foot. Sikowitz turned his eyes onto her and his lips parted slightly. "Lanie and Rebecca are, and I have a feeling it's something Holly did-not Gary. Furthermore, I think I heard Lanie on the phone with David…she wants him to kill the girls."

"Shit."

So they don't know how much time they have left, and they now know there's more than just David that poses a problem. The primary objective is to get the girls to safety first, and the martial arts camp may hold some promise. However, they still need to figure a way to get the girls to safety where David can't control anything. Then they need to figure out how to get the evidence to work in their favor. What are your thoughts while reading this chapter? What do you think will happen, or what needs to happen? Your thoughts are valued and appreciated. Let's also not forget everything Andre said in mentioning what his mother was on about.