Now or Never

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

The Next Day

“Dear God.” Grant Copeland sprang from his chair when Alexis and Penelope walked into the study of his estate.

Alexis gazed upon the handsome sixty-year-old with the thick, silver hair and pristine goatee. He didn’t look older than forty, and was in just as good shape as men less than half his age. He stared at Alexis with an expression that seemed a combination of shock and arousal.

Grant dismissed the butler and approached the detectives.

Alexis balled a fist and struggled to keep from clamping her hands around his throat. Here she stood in front of Grant Copeland. Her nemesis. The man who had stolen her mom’s sanity and wrecked Alexis’ relationship with her father.

The man who had ruined her life.

She looked into his penetrating green eyes.

No evidence of a soul or conscience whatsoever.

You bastard.

“Hello again, Mr. Copeland.” Penelope pointed to Alexis. “This is—”

“I know who she is,” he said with a voice so deep his words rumbled. “You’re Stossel and Elizabeth’s daughter.” He took Alexis’ hand and kissed it. “Alexis.”

She fought the bile bubbling in her stomach.

“I don’t mean to stare.” He presented a crooked smile. “But you look just like your mother.”

She tried to take her hand away but he held it tighter.

“When I saw you I thought maybe I was dreaming. Like the past had resurfaced.”

She yanked her hand from his. “If it’s all the same to you I don’t think we should talk about my mother.”

“Why not talk about her?”

“I don’t think talking about my mother would end up being a pleasant conversation.” Alexis took out her notepad.

“I don’t see why not.” The wrinkles around Grant’s eyes rose when he smiled. “Your mother was very special to me. No other woman has ever come close to touching me the way she did. I was in love with—”

“Don’t.” Alexis squinted. “Just...don’t.”

“But it’s important for you to know the truth.” Grant’s gold ring caught the sun from the window. “You were a teenager back then. You couldn’t have understood what was going on.”

“How dare you tell me I didn’t understand? I understood what happened better than anyone.” She held in tears. “Because of you my family was torn apart and nothing was ever the same between my father and I.”

Grant straightened up. “I’m sorry.”

“No you’re not because you don’t care about anyone but yourself.”

“No I cared about Elizabeth.” He looked away. “She’s one of few people in this world I ever have cared about.”

“Lexi?” Penelope licked her lips. “We need to get to the case. This isn’t the time, okay?”

Alexis took a deep breath to calm her nerves but as long as Grant was in the room that wasn’t a possibility.

“So you’re back now?” he asked Alexis. “For good?”

“Yes, I moved back about a month ago.”

“And already working for the department?” He smirked. “I’m sure you made one hell of a detective in Los Angeles, didn’t you? I’m surprised though.” He walked behind his desk.

“At what?” Alexis held the notepad to her side.

He sat with a sly grin on his face. “That you didn’t come to your own father’s funeral. I was hoping you and Elizabeth would be there.”

She cleared her throat. “My mother’s dead.”

His smiled disappeared. “What?”

“She died of breast cancer three years ago.”

“Oh.” He grimaced, glancing around the room. “It can’t be. Elizabeth is dead?” He rubbed his chin. “As if it hasn’t been hard enough for me to deal with what happened.”

Once again it took all the strength Alexis had to not grab him from that chair. “For you to deal with? Give me a break. You got off free. You seduced my mother, ruined her marriage, and everyone in this town treated her like she was the worst person to ever live. It got so bad she had to move away because she was no longer a person but a scandal.”

“I never wanted any of that to happen.”

“Did you once think what would happen to my mother, my parents once the affair got out? Dad was your best friend for God’s sake. Did you even care about betraying him?”

“You keep saying I ‘seduced’ your mother as if she had no say. It wasn’t like that, Alexis. There are a lot of things you don’t know. Your mother and I had mutual feelings for each other and they were stronger than anything we’d ever experienced.”

“I don’t wanna hear this.” She jerked her head away.

“It’s the truth damn it.” He hit the desk. “I was gonna ask your mother to marry me. That’s how much I loved her.”

“You didn’t love her,” she snarled. “You saw a woman you could take advantage of so you did it.”

“Your mother wasn’t the type of woman to let anyone take advantage of her.”

“This sick infatuation you had with her started years before I was born,” Alexis said. “She told me how you chased after her when she was your father’s secretary back when he ran Copeland. Even when you were young you couldn’t take no for an answer. You act like whatever you want is what you should get and to hell with everyone else.”

“I can see that no matter what I say you have your mind made up.” He tapped the keyboard of his computer. “I’m not the villain in this, Alexis. I never forced your mother to do anything. I think maybe that’s what you need to realize.”

She scoffed, completely disgusted. “Let’s get to Brett Myers’ murder so we can get out of here.” Alexis sat in the chair beside his desk.

“Elizabeth.” Grant reclined in his chair. “I always think about her but with you here I won’t be able to stop.”

“Well try.” Alexis took out her pencil.

“She was so beautiful.” He tilted his head. “So beautiful.”

Penelope raised her hand. “Mr. Copeland—”

“She worked well under my father.” He rocked in his chair. “She worked well under me too.”

Alexis jumped up. “You bastard!”

“Lexi!” Penelope grabbed her. “Calm down.”

“Calm down?”

It took everything inside of her not to pull out her g*n and blow his face off. “You ruined my mother’s life!” Alexis hit the desk. “She was never the same after being driven out of town.”

“How many times must I say this?” Grant rocked in the chair. “I’m afraid you have the wrong idea of me.”

She pointed the pencil. “You’re gonna pay for what you did to her and my father.”

“Stossel?” Grant sat up straight. “All I ever did for him was be his best friend and give him a job where he made nearly millions. I don’t think he’d complain about that if he were still here.”

“You—”

“Lexi, sit down.” Penelope shoved her in the chair. “We’re here about Brett Myers and nothing else.”

Grant pulled at the sleeves of his shirt. “It’s a shame what happened to Brett. I want to help the police in any way I can.”

Son of a...

Alexis slapped a page of her notepad over.

Penelope stood behind Alexis’ chair. “We were informed that you and Brett had a falling out recently. Is this correct?”

“I fired him at the last board meeting.” Grant straightened his Roberto Cavalli watch. “I didn’t want it to go that far but he acted ridiculous. He apparently didn’t agree with me naming Kevin as the CEO for when I step down. I don’t plan on working much longer and I’ve been grooming Kevin to take over. Apparently Brett had an issue with that.”

“I can’t say I blame him, sir,” Penelope said. “For years it’s been rumored that you’d hand the company over to Brett and then you just say in a meeting that you were handing it to Kevin?”

“I thought that was the right decision. Kevin’s young and he can take the company in a better direction.” He twisted a pen in his hand. “I tried to explain to Brett that it was nothing personal but he got irate.”

“Is that when he said he’d expose your secret?” Alexis asked.

“What are you talking about?” Grant gestured with his hand as if to dismiss the idea. “I have no secrets.”

Alexis nodded, jotting on her pad. “Some seem to think you do.”

“Alexis, as popular as I am and as small as Tate Valley is do you think I could keep a secret from anyone?” Grant rocked in the chair with that condescending grin she’d never forgotten. “Are you two trying to implicate me in murder?”

“No, sir.” Penelope rushed from behind Alexis’ chair.

Alexis glared at her.

“We’re just asking questions,” Penelope said.

“But if it points to you being a major suspect...we intend to get to the bottom of things.”

He laughed. “You seem so sure of yourself, Alexis.”

She stood and pulled down the hem of her blouse. “I am.”

“I didn’t kill Brett.” He laid his hands on the desk. “But what if I did? What would you do about it?”

Alexis leaned over the desk. “I’d put your a*s in jail. That’s what I’d do.”

“What jail?” He laughed. “The jail I own? The jail that answers to me?” He shook his head. “You’ve been gone a long time so maybe you need to be reminded of how things work in Tate Valley.”

“I know all too well how they work.” Alexis shoved a book off his desk.

“Lexi.” Penelope grabbed her. “We’re cops and we have to act a certain way remember?”

“Ooh wee!” Grant stuck out his tongue. “You got that fire that your momma had, don’t you?”

“You son of a b***h!” Before she realized what she was doing, Alexis jumped on the desk and reached for his neck.

“Lexi!” Penelope grabbed her. “Stop it!”

“Wow!” Grant laughed as he gripped Alexis’ wrists. “You are a firecracker, aren’t you?”

Grant’s bulky black security guard ran inside. “Let him go, Detective!” He rushed to the desk and grabbed Alexis by her waist.

Alexis struggled as he yanked her off the desk. “Let go of me!” She spit at Grant.

“Stop it, Lexi!” Penelope shouted.

“You’re gonna pay for all that you’ve done, Grant!” Alexis kicked at his desk as the guard pulled her toward the door. “You’re not getting away with it anymore!”

“Take her out of here.” Grant straightened his tie.

The guard grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room.

“Get off me.” Alexis ripped her arm away from the guard. “Touch me again and I’ll arrest your big ass.”

Sweat ran down the guard’s face. “You just assaulted Mr. Copeland but you’re threatening me with arrest?” He pointed down the hall. “Get out and don’t come back.”

“I’ll be back.” Alexis straightened her blouse as Penelope pulled her to the front door. “I’ll definitely be back.”