A Snow Covered Nightmare: Refuge Series Book Two by Debbie Zello (6)

Chapter Six

They spent the weekend skiing. Aiden was a great skier. He’d learned as a child, as most of the kids in Colorado did. It was part of physical education class. He owned his own skis and still went a few times a year. None of that prepared him for Briah. She was a dynamo on the slopes.

Because she rarely fell, she didn’t wear the usual Stay Puft Marshmallow Man outfit the other skiers wore. She had on a suit similar to the kind the ski-racers wore. It looked as if a very lucky artist had painted it on.

When Aiden first saw her in it, he realized the whole day would be an exercise in trying to keep his hands to himself. He had already gone too far, keeping her held against him in the parking lot until he felt her teeth chattering under his lips. Her legs were red when she finally sat in her car. He was surprised she hadn’t slapped him and clattered off in her tiny heels.

Standing in front of him now, in her white suit and bright red quilted vest, he wanted to pull her against him and explore her butt with his hands. He really liked exploring. It usually led to the planting of his flag, staking his claim, you get the picture.

Aiden didn’t love easily or quickly. When it did happen, he loved deeply. Instinctively, he knew this woman was his nemesis, his open wound, and his Achilles heel. She was going to unravel him and he was going to like it.

Briah, on the other hand, was ready for a committed relationship. She wanted what she had in the early years with Connor. She was older and wiser now. She knew the pitfalls and would avoid them, this time. She also felt she could trust Aiden with her heart.

Briah taught Aiden a few things on the slopes. By the end of the first day, he was staying up with her and not falling as much. At the end of the second day, he had fallen into something far more dangerous than the snow.

In an effort to keep work professional, and their budding relationship between them, they agreed not to see each other at work. No texts or phone calls. No meeting outside the bathrooms or conference rooms for a quick kiss. If they went to the bar on Fridays, it would be for one glass of beer or wine and leave. No protracted glances, no blowing air kisses, no nothing.

A defense attorney could make something out of them dating. How would it look that the lead detective on a huge case just happens to be the boyfriend of the only eyewitness? The district attorney would kill the two of them. That and months of Aiden’s work would be down the tubes.

They went to dinner in Golden, which just so happened to be the home of Coors Beer company, Aiden’s favorite, and the Unsinkable Molly Brown, Briah’s favorite story of the Titanic. They watched movies at each other’s apartments and they skied.

A month after their parking-lot kiss, the pin that Aiden had given Jeanette Slater suddenly activated. His phone vibrated in its holder. He took it out expecting that a text was coming in. Instead, it read ‘911’ the code he had programmed into the device. Jumping out of his seat he yelled in Pete’s direction,” It’s Mrs. S’s smoke signal! Get the troops and meet me there.”

He drove like a mad man, running lights and speeding. He got to the Safeway and ran in through the back door just as he had done every Thursday for weeks.

Aiden almost ran right into her as she stood in front of the door to the ladies’ room. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?” he spit out, trying to slow his heart that threatened to jump through his shirt.

“I’m fine. Actually, more than fine. I was dusting one of the bookcases in the family room this morning. I moved some books to dust the sides and this came out with them,” she said handing him a small digital voice recorder. “I checked it and it still has the whole thing on it plus an extra feature at the end.

“I stuffed it in my bra and thought I would dust some more and see if he had hidden anything else in there. Sure enough, two shelves, down I found this,” she said taking a handgun out of her purse. Aiden stilled. He took a pair of gloves out of his pocket and hastily put them on, and then he reached for the gun.

In his hands, he held a beautiful Colt 1911 .45. He checked the chamber and then looked to see if it was loaded. It was and seemed to be missing two bullets. This was the same type of gun that the medical examiner felt killed Dan. If the bullets matched, they had the murder weapon.

“Did anyone see you take this?”

“No one.”

“Were you followed here?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care anymore. I refuse to play the role of the victim here. I’m going to testify to everything I know. If I die, it will be with no regrets. I’m doing the right thing. So keep me alive so I can testify,” she said placing her hand in Aiden’s.

“What about your kids?”

“My two sons are being groomed to take over the family business. He’s been turning them against me little by little for several years. David Jr. is seventeen and already exhibiting his father’s mentality. Casey is fifteen, but he too, yells and throws things. Maybe with their father out of the picture they can change. If not, what will be, will be,” she said sadly.

“Okay, if you’re ready, come with me,” he said extending his hand to her. She looked from his hand to his face and then placed her hand in his and smiled.

“I feel better right now than I have felt in a very long time.”

“I sincerely hope that never changes,” Aiden murmured.

Briah was having a good day as well. She watched as her detectives brought one Kyle Washington into the office in handcuffs. It seems that Mr. Washington had responded to a newspaper ad about a car for sale. After feigning interest in the car he had asked for banking information to do a direct deposit to pay for the car. He was going to send someone to pick it up in a day or two but didn’t trust them with his cash.

The information given to him was for a dummy account the police had set up for just this occasion. It only had fifteen dollars in it but the pond scum even took that.

After receiving a wink from Ernie as he took Kyle into the interrogation room, Briah sat back in her chair with a self-satisfied grin on her face. Right now, there was no better feeling in the world than how she felt. She didn’t know if the victims would get all or even some of their money back, but at least now Kyle wasn’t going to hurt anyone else.

It took two days for the ballistics report to come back. When it did, Aiden called the assistant district attorney Blain Kurtz. Two hours later Aiden and Pete walked into Blain’s office and took a confident seat in the chairs opposite him. “By the looks on the two of your faces, I think I’m going to have a good day,” he said smiling.

“I could be wrong, but I think you might call this a good week,” Pete said, nodding.

“Give me a break man, this is going to make his month,” Aiden teased.

“Cut the chit-chat and tell me!” Blain yelled.

“Mrs. S. came through with everything we asked her to,” Aiden said handing Blain a folder and the digital recorder. “The report on top is ballistics on the gun she found. It matches the bullets the ME took out of him. The recorder has the entire scene on it. Everything, Blain.”

“Where is she?”

“I stashed her in Aspen at Aaron’s house with a team of Feds. They want to work on racketeering, prostitution, money laundering, and the usual. My job is done, we got the guy. Just tell me I can go and pick him up.”

“Go and pick him up. Do not so much as scratch him with your finger nail when you cuff him, hear me?”

“Can I nudge him with my shoulder?”

“NO!”

“You take the fun out of everything, Blain,” Aiden said standing. His grin was as wide as the Red Mountain Pass.

“You did well. Really well. Now keep those two women alive until I can bring him to trial.”

“Doing my best, boss.” The two men exited the office and then the building. They walked back to their office, their shoes barely touching the pavement. “I’m stopping at fraud to tell Briah the news,” Aiden said to Pete.

“She’ll be glad to hear it. One more scum-bag off the streets.”

“I’m sure he’ll make bail. The family won’t want to leave him in for long. Too much can happen in lock-up. You can talk too much; you can catch the eye of the jailhouse romantic and get your butt stretched. We wouldn’t want anything unfortunate to happen to him,” Aiden gloated.

“Of course not. I worry day and night about the criminals’ butts,” Pete said slapping Aiden on the back. “I’ll get some back-up and meet you at the car in fifteen.”

“Thanks. The drinks are on me tonight.”

“You’re on! You better stop at the ATM and bring a wad. I’m not drinking mule piss tonight, I want a line of shots,” Pete joked.

“Shots it is,” Aiden said getting off the elevator. He walked to the office that Briah worked in. Opening the door, he saw her at her desk working. She looked up and smiled. His fingers began their independent movement over his pant leg.

He wanted to walk over to her, stand her up, and cover her sweet lips with his. Instead, he just asked, “Do you have a minute? I have some news for you.”

“Ernie’s office is empty. He’s interrogating a suspect down the hall,” she said still smiling.

“You sound like a cop.” He chuckled.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No, it’s adorable. Rumor has it that Ernie is moving heaven and earth to keep you here. There is a sign-up-sheet in the men’s room to give up vacation and sick time so he can have the budget for an extra person…you in particular.”

“No sir…there is not…you’re joking!”

“I’m joking. We all did it without being asked.”

“Come on, tell me the truth. I don’t want to feel like a charity case in front of all of you,” she said with her hand on her hip. He closed the door behind her and then backed her up to it. Holding her shoulders, he leaned in and kissed her. A little moan vibrated in her throat. “I thought you said no kissing at the office.”

“I’m making an exception for today. We got him, Briah. Pete and I are going now to arrest the guy that killed Dan. We got him, it’s a done deal.”

“You’re positive? There’s no doubt?”

“None whatsoever. He’s big and bad. I can’t say too much until we bring him in. Later on today, we’ll have a line-up. You’ll have to come down and identify him, and his voice. After that, we can talk.”

She thought he might have wanted to say more. Maybe I love you or something wonderful like that. Between them there always seemed to be words left unsaid. He grabbed the doorknob and opened it. They walked out and he turned saying, “I’ll call you when I have the line-up ready.”

“Okay. Good luck, and be careful.”

Pete, two uniformed officers, and Aiden walked into Big David Slater’s office. His secretary bounced up and out of her chair as the four men made their way towards his office door. “You can’t go in there! Mr. Slater is in a very important meeting and cannot be disturbed,” she said with professional efficiency.

“We’re not going to disturb him, Miss. We’re here to arrest him,” Aiden said as one of the officers gently pushed her aside.

“You don’t want to interfere in police business, ma’am, and have to go with your boss to jail, now do you?” the officer asked. She shook her head and stepped aside. “That’s a good secretary,” he joked.

Aiden opened the door and the three remaining men walked through. “What is this?” a man sitting in the chair asked.

“David Slater? You are under arrest for the murder of Daniel Post,” Aiden said. The officer began to rattle off his Miranda rights as he placed the cuffs on David’s hands.

As they were escorting him from the office, he was shouting orders to his secretary. “Call my wife and tell her to call my attorney. Call Harry and Taylor. Tell them what’s going on!”

He was still yelling when they put him in the car. Funny thing…no one was listening.