Deception's Game (The Misses Book 2)

23

When Reeza finished getting ready for work that morning, she wondered how the surprise went over with Luke’s wife. She knew if it was her, she would’ve pee a little while opening the box. She looked down at her phone and thought about texting him. Then she checked her dress for stray hairs. “What if he forces me to do things with him instead of just talking about his wife?” She asked herself. She shook the thought out of her head then continued looking in the mirror.

She smiled at herself. Her sleek black midi dress made her look like a business woman doll. She slid into her heels and headed for the exit. As she turned out of her room, she caught a glimpse of her mother’s foot. It wa324s lying awkwardly next to the coffee table. She quickly walked into the living room to make sure she wasn’t hurt.

“Mother. Mother. Are you okay?”

“Why do I love him sooooo much? Why can’t I have more kids? This is your fault!”

Her mother pushed then pulled at reason as she clambered to get off the floor.

“Mother isn’t it too early to be this drunk?” Reeza scoffed.

Her mother squinted angrily at Reeza, “I just want my husband back! He’s out there sharing a bed with some low budget floozy!” She finally steadied herself onto the sofa as her robe fell open.

“Damn it. You're naked. Laying on the floor in just a robe, you are going to catch a cold!” Reeza yelled at her mother.

“Just leave me be! Go to work, pretend like this has nothing to do with you!”

Reeza stood up and stepped back away from her, “I will.” She turned and grabbed her leather laptop bag from near her bedroom door and headed to the elevator. She could hear her mother whining and whimpering..

“I see I need to pay the floozy a visit after work.” She said as she walked out the door to her car.

For the past two years she worked in the southern district. Her office was located on the top floor of a building that sold AI solutions. She hadn’t made many friends because of the age difference but that was fine with her.

Knock , knock

“Excuse me. Ms. Reeza.” A small voice came from the other side of the door. The sweetness and gentleness caused Reeza to slowly stand up from her chair awaiting the visual that went along with the voice.

“Come in.” She proclaimed. A short woman with glasses on walked in. She was chubby but well dressed and stylish. She had a baby face that would put her in her twenties but the way she carried herself she was at least thirty. Reeza wanted to hear her speak again.

“How can I help you?”

“I am your new secretary, Sammy A’Levatte. There was no one from HR here to introduce us.” She laughed nervously.

“Oh. I had them moved to a different floor. They were too loud. You may have not gotten the message in time.” Reeza continued to stare into Sammy’s eyes until she shyly turned away from her gaze.

“Well, if you need me I will be at my desk.” Sammy said then turned to leave Reeza’s office. Reeza wracked her brain trying to keep her their or at least make sure she could talk to her again.

“Let’s have lunch together, my treat.” Reeza finally said.

Sammy slowly turned around and smiled. Her teeth were perfectly white. She had one dimple on the left side that made Reeza’s heart flutter. Sammy nodded then agreed to meet her at her office at noon. Reeza was excited. She was going to hang out with someone who wasn’t family or Grayson. She was a little scared.

“Why do I feel like I am going to puke from anxiety?” She whispered to herself.

—----

When Grayson and Luke arrived at the precinct, they were met at the front entrance by Detective Regio. Luke wore dark shades to drown out the brightness of the sun and cover up his inability to hold in his hatred for his wife.

“Please come this way. Mr. Grayson, if you could wait here, that would be great.” The detective said.

Grayson took a seat in one of the many rooms that laid on the hallway.

“Thank you for coming in today, Mr. Lucias. Let’s get right down to it. How did you know your wife was cheating on you?” The detective squinted his eyes and waited patiently for Luke to respond.

Luke told him about the bracelet he had purchased and how he rushed home early to surprise his wife for her birthday. He was so angry, all he could think to do was leave. He had had his suspensions but he had hoped they were just that, suspensions. He told him how she followed him out the house and her boyfriend followed not too far behind them, still in a daze from waking up.

He noted that the guy was stumbling.

“I figured either they had been drinking or he was just having a hard time cause he just woke up. Either way it was none of my business. I got in my car, and I called my cousin to meet me at the bar. Then several hours and 30 or so shots later, you called.” Luke finished his story.

“So you were not familiar with the man.”

“No. I had never met him before.” The detective finished writing in his notebook and then took out an envelope.

“He was a man she worked with. We found a toxin in his blood that we found out was a part of their ongoing research. Because of the level of confidentiality of the project we were only told a little information. They did confirm that his actions were a side effect of touching the toxin.”

The detective opened the brown envelope and took out pictures of the crime scene.

“These pictures are gruesome but they will assist me in explaining what we believed happened to your wife. Would you like to continue? “ Luke stared down at the pictures and slowly nodded his head. The first picture surprisingly made his heart ache. He jumped back out of his seat. He stood silently against the wall of the interrogation room. He thought he was going to be excited to see how karma worked out.

The detective quickly turned the picture over. “Sir, Are you okay?”

Luke, also known as Legs, felt pain deep within his heart. He already understood the consequences of his actions but seeing her mutilated body took a toll on him. He had to face what he did, eyes wide open and his heart on his sleeve.

“I’m fine. I can do this. How is she currently doing?”

The detective turned the picture back over. His wife’s right arm was broken in several places. He had beaten her to within an inch of her life. Her face was swollen. She had several teeth missing. He couldn’t lie, that was the exact pain he wanted to cause her but he was sure to kill her if it was him.

Luke’s pain melted into a hysterical pool of giddiness. “And the assailant?” He asked before the laughter escaped his chest. “He died on the way to the hospital.”

Luke sighed then set his forehead in the cusp of his hand. Her boyfriend's death was perfect. There was no evidence that would associate him with the crime. At the same time, he was a little upset that his wife did not die. Now it's possible that she would find another lover or even get remarried. She belonged to him just like her death did.

He clicked his tongue behind his teeth and finished looking through the pictures. “Is there anything else you need from me?”

“If you could give us access to your doorbell footage, that would be useful for your case.”

Luke rolled his eyes and then opened the app on his phone, “Here is the code for the one day of footage requested.

The detective entered the code on an internet accessible pad and then looked through that moment in the day. Everything was as Luke said it was. From when he left to work and came back ready to surprise his wife.

“Thank you for coming in. I am sorry you will not be reconciling with your wife. I would think she would want to see you.”

“I don’t have the stomach to see her. I may let my brother see her but I don’t want to see her.”