Claimed: Covet Book II Page 2

  Brian also noticed that Mya and Merrick arrived together. He also noted that they were purposely avoiding eye contact. He secretly still cared for Mya and held on to the fleeting hope that one day she would return his feelings. But if she didn't he was somewhat content simply being her confidant and friend. At the moment she seemed agitated.

  In the years Brian had known Mya, he could count the times he'd saw her upset on one hand. She was one of the most sagacious people he knew. The sudden change in her attitude was due to something or someone. He’d bet money it was Merrick. He watched the way he ogled Mya the first time they met. Like all the men that encountered her, he coveted her.

  The only problem was that unlike all

  those other men it appeared as though he had some affect on Mya. The thought made Brian a little pissed. No fucking way some fed is going to swoop in and take the woman of his dreams. He put in years. If she needed a shoulder to cry on it will be his.

  When they boarded the helicopter Brian ensured that he was sitting next to Mya. He knew she wasn’t a fan of heights. He put on his headgear and handed Mya hers. The pilot announced their take off a few seconds after.

  As Brian intended, Mya grabbed onto to him as the helicopter took off and buried her face into his shoulder. She detested flying and was petrified of heights. Grabbing onto Brian was instinctual. It was about self-preservation not about making Merrick jealous.

  Of course, Merrick didn't see it that way at first. He was seething sitting directly across from them. Brian looked entirely too happy having Mya sit next to him. She looked worried. It wasn't until she grabbed Brian that he realized the source of her worry. She didn't like flying. The look on

  Brian’s face suggested that he was well aware of Mya’s fear but Merrick saw something else. Brian was in love with Mya.

  Well, that ship has sailed buddy, she is mine and I already claimed that pussy. I would be deep in her right now if I had it my way.

  Merrick was in deep cogitation when the pilot's voice suddenly resonated through the aviator headset, “Landing in five.” Mya's head was down the entire trip. When she heard the pilot's voice over the headphones she looked up and was met with Merrick’s intense gaze.

  At least she was safe in a noisy helicopter full of people from him. To her surprise, he gave her a reassuring smile. How the fuck am I going to avoid this man? She broke off the gaze, opting to close her eyes and put her head back until they landed.

  They landed on the roof of the police station in the East Hamptons area. The police commissioner and a lot of brass were waiting for them. As they greeted the waiting party she received a text from her mother.

  Mother: Hey my love, your fatheris there, be nice he was worried about you and the Macalister’s were his close friends. Love you a bunch.

  Texts from her mother always made her smile.

  Mya: Thanks for the heads up, Love you more mom, I’m always nice.

  It wasn't long before she spotted him, senator Stephen Reed aka her father. It had been over a decade since she called him dad. Their relationship was volatile. Mya hated being told what to do and her father was an authoritarian. He bullied and intimated her mother often when she was a child. One day Mya had enough. After a particularly bad week, he came in from work and beat her mom bloody.

  As her mother lay crying on the living room floor he passed out in the bedroom on the bed. Mya decided he would pay for hitting her mother with his life. She spotted the matches and a half drunken bottle of bourbon on the nightstand next to him. She set the bed on fire while he laid there in a drunken stupor.

  It was her mother who smelled the smoke and put the fire out. Unfortunately, the stunt landed her in a private psychiatric facility for six months; she was eleven. Even at that age, she was headstrong and steadfast in her convictions.

  When her father recovered from “minor” first degree burns he tried to visit Mya but she refused to see him. Her mother did what she could to smooth the relationship over but Mya was stubborn. She agreed to be cordial where her father was concerned but that didn’t mean she had to call him dad.

  Walking over to where the group of people was standing she greeted them amicably. It was no surprise that they were all men so that made it easy.

  “Gentlemen, thank you for meeting us”. Her voice was sweet and assertive as usual.

  Senator Reed smiled inwardly as he looked at his daughter. She was so beautiful and independent like her mother. It was his fault that their relationship was strained and

  he knew why. Through the years he made numerous attempts to repair the damage he caused to their relationship to no avail.

  The only thing that rivaled Mya’s beauty was her stubbornness. Her sense of right and wrong was what propelled her to be a tour-d-force attorney. He admired that about his daughter. She was strong and unforgiving a trait undoubtedly inherited directly from his gene pool.

  *****

  Chapter 3

  As the group of ten or so people walked from the rooftop helipad to the conference room the air was tight. Everyone was either preoccupied in thought or on his or her cell phone. Mya walked ahead with Brian as Merrick and Chris followed closely behind. Senator Reed purposely fell behind with the commissioner and the others to think and give Mya some space.

  The Short Lament of Stephen Reed

  When they reached the large conference room a hush fell over everyone. The reality of why they were gathered began to sink in. There was a serial killer loose in the city. As everyone settled in refreshments were hurriedly brought in by caterers from a local bistro courtesy of Senator Reed everything from organic coffee to fresh fruit and pastries.

  Truth be told when he heard Mya would be attending the meeting he told his assistant to ensure the best was available for his daughter. She was always very particular about what she ate and he wanted her to be as comfortable as possible. It was a small

  effort but it made him feel better about their strained relationship. He sat a few chairs down from where Mya was situated. He noted how pale she looked. The helicopter flight must have taken a toll on her, as he knew it would. She had been deathly afraid of heights since she was a kid. For that reason, ginger ale and Dramamine were added to catering the list. Despite the years of estrangement, one thing was clear: he loved his daughter.

  Merrick watched Mya closely. It was apparent that he wasn't the only one. Every single man in attendance was gawking at her even his partner. “Did you catch that cold reception Mya gave her father"? Chris leaned over to whisper.

  “Wait, that’s her father?” Merrick replied, feeling like an ass for not making the correlation earlier. He took a second look at Senator Reed who was looking at Mya with a solemn expression. He had seen that look many times before from his own father before he died. Then he noticed the senators’ eyes: they were the same rare violet color as Mya’s. How the hell did I miss that? Yep, that is definitely Mya’s father. Fuck, that

  was a cold reception she gave him. Maybe that's her deal, daddy issues. Well Fuck it …daddy issues I can handle.

  Moments later the police chief walked in carrying a manila folder that looked almost empty. In a transparent effort to call attention to the room, he cleared his throat obnoxiously. It had the intended effect.

  “OK, now that everyone is here, I would like to thank you all for coming on such short notice. We should all take 15 to get settled before we begin.”

  “No, I would actually prefer if we began right now," Mya responded, hardly giving him enough time to finish his statement.

  “I agree with Ms. Anderson. We should get started right away.” Senator Reed concurred in his usual authoritative tone.

  Everyone nodded in agreement. Whatever dissenting opinion the chief had was moot at this point and he knew it. He sat down at the only remaining available place at the table and seemed perturbed but compliant. Almost like a child who was told to sit in the corner with a dunce hat on.

  Merrick looked at Mya, damn she was hard to read,
fucking poker face. It was apparent that she commanded a room just like her father. Senator Reed turned to the police chief giving him a pointed look… He cleared his throat in response and began.

  “Again thank you all for being here. Early this morning we received a call from the owner of Eve’s Inn. For those of you that aren't from this area, it is a five-star luxury resort in east Hamptons on the surface. However, in the underground community, it’s where the elite takes their mistresses and um..boy toys for….um fun. Um… A maid found Mrs. Macalister there at approximately 4am this morning. After receiving the call we had the area immediately sealed off. We sent the M.E. to conduct a preliminary cause of death and he was able to rule out suicide. We have been working on this all morning. CSI went in and so did the Forensic Team. We have some photos of..of the…um…. scene.”

  He paused to pick up the manila folder he brought in moments earlier. “Ms. Anderson, if you would please….” His voice was unsteady as he handed the folder to Mya. She took it and quickly put it face down on the table as if she wasn't ready to see what was inside. Brian picked it up and began shifting through the photos as the chief prattled on. His face turned ashen.

  Margret was hogtied identically to her husband. Her body stripped naked and mutilated. Both eyelids were cut off, her breasts removed and her head was encased in some sort of medieval contraption. The pictures showed a large gash on the left side of her neck and an extensive amount of blood in the early stages of coagulation pooled around her body.

  It was almost too much for Brian. He was no stranger to gruesome crime scene photos but this hit home, first with Jake and now Margret. These were people he knew and interacted with and now they were both dead.

  After reviewing the photos, Brian excused himself. He needed some air. Mya looked at him pensively as he left. She took the folder without looking and handed it to Merrick. He purposely caressed her fingers as he took it. She flushed and pulled away abruptly. For that split second time stopped and seemed like they were the only two people in the room. Merrick assumed that once he claimed Mya the desire that

  constantly gnawed at his psyche since they 1st met would diminish but wasn't the case. Making love to her only intensified his need to have her as many times and ways as possible. Thankfully, senator Reed’s question managed to snap them both back to reality.

  “I’m confused about something Paul after Jake died Margret was given extra security detail what did they have to report?”

  “Yes sir she did, however, it would appear that she left without them knowing. They were outside her home all night.”

  “Fucking idiots!” The Senator exclaimed, bringing the room to an instantaneous hush. “She has kids for fuck's sake, first they lost their father and now Margret.”

  “With all due respect sir, the security team did their jobs. Mrs. Macalister obviously wanted to be alone with the man she was meeting.” The commissioner said, his face red with embarrassment.

  “Your own sexual proclivities aside gentleman, slipping a security detail isn't a new phenomenon. I’m certain all of you

  have done it at one time or another to enjoy a tryst or two maybe more. Regardless of the reason, she slipped the security detail the fact is she did slip them and now she is dead. Shall we move on?” Mya’s tone was cavalier and direct.

  Chris snickered. “Let the ball busting begin,” he whispered to Merrick.

  Merrick observed quietly. The tension in the room was stifling. Senator Reed’s interest in the case was unsettling, to say the least. It was obvious there was much more going on here than the current case. The people in this room had secrets deep dark well-hidden secrets. The type that was so well weaved they became the truth over time. He glanced over at Mya wondering what secrets she hid.

  “Do we have any leads or suspects?” Senator Reed inquired turning to Mya.

  “That would be a question for the detective's senator." She responded without looking at them. “You already met Lieutenant Boivin and detective Lancaster, they are heading Congressman Macalister’s investigation on our end.”

  Everyone turned his or her attention to Merrick and Chris. The two men were engaged in conversation presumably about the situation at hand.

  “Detectives what have we got so far?” Brian who had been walked back in several moments earlier asked turning to face Chris and Merrick.

  Merrick took the spotlight. "Well, we aren't making much progress. We've hit roadblock after roadblock, it's like the politician white wall of silence. Nobody knows anything and if they do they aren't talking. We've combed through congressman Macalister's phone records, associates, and E-mails. From the E-mails and phone records, we were able to ascertain that he was exchanging E-mails with someone over the course of several months. Most of the E-mails were redacted but the ones that were sent through were still pretty cringe-worthy. He was having several extramarital affairs with members of both sexes."

  “Wait, are you insinuating that the congressman was on the down-low?” Commissioner Taylor asked, looking downright pissed off by the suggestion.

  “I’m not implying shit commissioner. I’m giving you the facts of the investigation. Considering the manner of his death and sex paraphernalia found at the crime scene I would say yes. He certainly wasn’t meeting his wife at the most expensive hotel in the city on a Friday night. We interviewed Mrs. Macalister and she was at home with their children and according to the congressman’s personal assistant he was on a business trip that weekend.”

  “Where are you with the questioning?” Senator Reed asked amused with Merrick’s directness.

  “Well, it's the who’s who of the city, everyone from the mayor to you senator.”

  Senator Reed shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He needed to get the questioning out of the way and there was no time like the present.

  “Well, I’m at your disposal anytime detectives I do request that my…a representative from the D.A.’s office be present during any questioning…informally of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “That won’t be a problem after we have concluded our meeting here you can begin questioning the who’s who that’s currently present in this room.”

  “You can start with me, I have some free time right now but I have to return to California in a few hours, I’m certain that everyone present will make themselves fully available to you and give you their complete cooperation.” By his authoritative tone, it was evident to everyone that the senator wasn't making a request.

  “Everyone if you don't mind we need the room.”

  As if on queue everyone except senator Reed his assistant, Mya, Merrick and commissioner Taylor graciously left the room.

  Chapter 4

  Senator Stephen Reed loosened his tie and shifted in his seat before announcing that he was ready.

  “Shoot detective, not literally of course.” Senator Reed said jokingly making a genuine attempt at humor.

  Without wasting anytime Merrick began his questioning under the close scrutiny of commissioner Taylor.

  Q1.“How well did you know the congressman?”

  A1.“We attended high school together and remained friends through college and law school. He was a close friend of my family.”

  Q2. “Do you know of anyone that would want to hurt the congressman?”

  A2. “He was a politician. We have a laundry list of people who would want to hurt us.”

  Q3. "Yes, point taken. But you've known him a long time. Did anyone, in particular, stand out?"

  Senator Reed glancing briefly at Mya, she was preoccupied studying the files. He shifted in his seat before replying.

  A3. “No.”

  Q4. “When is that last time you spoke to or saw the congressman?”

  A4.“The day before he died he called me, we made plans to meet that following Monday.”

  Q5. “Did he seem normal when you spoke?”

  “Yes, he was in good spirits.”

  Q6. “So, there was no indication that any
thing was wrong?”

  A6. “No, as I already said…. he was his usual self. We spoke about arranging a dinner party for Margret’s birthday a month away so there was an indication that anything was off or wrong.”

  Q7. Where were you on the day that congressman Macalister was killed?

  Q8. “At a dinner party with 150 people

  including the who’s who at the top of the political food chain, to include Derrick Weston F.B.I’s director.”

  Q8. And last night into the early morning?

  A8. I was at home with my wife in bed. When I received the call about Margret from the Mayor I immediately came here for this meeting.