The Love Cube

Chapter 3

The first order of business for Heather was talking to Matthew. There was no way she would be going into a courthouse again without knowledge of that family to the last bit. Secrets would cost them. She had further sourced a private investigator outside of the office as she didn’t want anyone tied to her workplace looking into the family. While waiting for Matthew to grant her audience, she received a message from an unknown number.

Unknown: Hello, would you like a copy of the new report about the fire? Inclusive of the new evidence. One lawyer to another ?

Derrick

The devil was working overtime in her life. Why exactly was he texting her? She could easily get the report from the station. Heather contemplated blocking him but she wasn’t petty like that.

Heather: No. I will get my copy from the station. Don’t contact me again.

After pressing send, she was alerted by Matthews' secretary that he was ready to see her. She put her game face on. She would either get a cooperative Matthew or one who would completely blow her off. The latter more probable. Matthew was having a cup of coffee when Heather entered his office. He stood up stretching his hand for a handshake while ordering his secretary to get Heather a cup as well. After they both got sat and her coffee delivered, she went straight for the kill. Beating around the bush would get her nowhere.

“In court some interesting information was brought forward concerning you and your eldest son. What do I need to know, Matthew? How am I supposed to represent you with secrets between us?” Heather inquired. Matthew let out a chuckle, “What exactly do you need to know? My son and I have never been on good terms since I remarried. He is under the impression I killed his mother. When he came of age, he went to live with his grandparents on his mother's side. We saw little of each other till we both expressed interest in that piece of land. Something that was purely business turned personal really quickly. I expected he would treat me like any other competitor, but sadly, he is still as childish as I can remember.’’

“Did you have his mother killed? That is a serious accusation from a child?’’ Heather asked. Matthew levelled at her with a hard gaze and Heather knew there was something there. “Are you here to for the case or to poke into issues that are not your business Miss Heather,” Matthew replied, “Don’t forget your place”. Heather knew a threat when she heard one. Smiling, she replied, “I don’t want any surprises for any of us. As I said, no secrets or I won't be able to defend you.”

“No, I didn’t. I loved my wife very much. Her death came as such a shock to everyone. That must be the reason why my son is so insistent I did something to her. He has never moved on.” Matthew replied. Heather made a mental note to find Ben herself. That old man was lying to her. Such a bitter relationship was not birthed from such a misunderstanding. “My condolences, it has been years but I am sorry for you and your family,” Heather replied. She then continued, “There was also evidence of the transformer on site being tampered with. That is a good thing for us since that is also something that Torez was in charge of. If they can unearth who was behind it, then we can pin the charges on the culprit. So far though, your son is a person of interest in this case. The defense is not going to let him go,” Heather said, hoping Matthew understood what she was getting at. “He is a big boy, he can handle himself.” Matthew answered. This man was ready for his son to take the fall whether he was innocent or not. When did blood stop being thicker than water? Perhaps if your father is a killer, then that can be a factor. Heather had already gotten what she needed from Matthew and was ready to leave for her next stop. “ Thank you for having me Sir," she said as she stood. "Incase of anything I will get back to you,” Heather bid him goodbye and left.

After getting into her car, she stopped her recording and saved it. As she drove away she couldn’t help but feel that this case would open a can of worms. Dialing Grace, she instructed her to set up a meeting with Ben Carter.

Next she headed for the police station. She had a meeting with the detective and after being blindsided the previous time in court, she needed to ensure every new thing about the case was passed on to her as well. At the reception, the secretary waved her away, signaling she was free to go to the office. This time the detective's office was neatly arranged and he looked good in his leather jacket. The man was pretty handsome, it was undeniable. Noticing her entry, the Detective rose and offered his hand and a seat to Heather. She was gorgeous, the detective thought to himself, but knowing her reputation she wasn’t someone he would be keen on pursuing, let alone the fact that she was well above his pay grade.

Someone please remind her why she had come to the station again. Yes, the case. Mr. Swoon worthy was barely doing anything and all Heather could think of was how those hands would feel caressing her skin. Her self imposed abstinence coupled up with horniness were completely not a good pair. Now here she was day dreaming and blushing to herself like a shy virgin, the impending doom of her career completely forgotten. She needed to get it together. “You most probably know why am here but let me lay it in black and white, I need to be updated on everything concerning this case. Whether it’s incriminating my client or not, it will ensure my smooth sailing at the court. In no way am I blaming you about the recent developments but I needed to make myself clear this time round.” Heather said smiling.

“I understand,” the Detective replied nodding. Now that that issue was out of the way, she had a lot of questions that she needed to discuss with the Detective. She also needed a bit of help regarding Matthew's wife and if it was possible for her to access her death certificate.

It was late in the evening when Heather's stomach growled out of hunger. They had been working through the afternoon with the Detective going through every piece of evidence as well as new leads that he had found that they didn’t notice time had run out. The others had already left as the place was pretty much silent. The detective stood up and begun apologizing to Heather for keeping her so long while Heather retaliated that it was nobody's fault and both had been pretty much engulfed in their work. The detective offered to buy her dinner in the diner nearby and refused her 'no thankyou’s she was fine'. “Your stomach will be wailing louder than a police siren by the time you get home, let me just buy you dinner,” Kingsley had jokingly told her which ceased her protests. After packing and locking up the precinct they both headed to the diner Kingsley leading the way. They got a table at the back since the place was not as busy. Kingsley ordered chicken soup and rice while Heather ordered a burger and fries. She was craving some junk sue her.

Kingsley saw it as an opportunity to make small talk with the lawyer and get to know about her outside what the tabloids wrote about her. “So, cliché question but why did you decide to become a lawyer?” Kingsley asked. Heather let out a short laughter, she didn’t expect him to ask her that “To be honest, its something my parents wanted me to pursue but I thankfully enjoyed it and here I am,” “What about you Detective?”

“If I say Chuck Norris will you believe me?” Kingsley replied with a shy smile gracing his face. Heather couldn’t help but laugh, “I would believe you actually,” The silence was not awkward or begging to be filled with small talk as they busied themselves with their meals. They were interrupted by their waiter asking if they needed drinks to which Kingsley requested for a water and Heather said the same for her. They were done with their meal and as they waited she took the opportunity to thank the detective for all the help he had given her as well as availing himself. “Its no problem, that is what am here for," Kingsley replied, “to ensure that people receive the justice they deserve.”

Heather couldn’t help but notice under the yellow light of the diner, the detective's handsomeness was amplified. Kingsley was met with a pair of blue eyes looking at him. He knew that look from miles away after being a recipient of it several times. 'Desire'. They were both staring at each other the kind that was waiting for one to break eye contact. This was a bad idea Kingsley thought to himself. There was tension building in the air and honestly he didn’t know if he was reading into everything a bit too much. Away from the fact that he had promised this was something he was not willing to pursue and couldn’t thank the heavens enough when the waiter brought their drinks. A bit disappointed that their moment was interrupted Heather let it be as the atmosphere had already shifted plus she had that celibacy thing going on.

They both bid each other goodbye Kingsley hailing a cub and Heather going to her parked car. That had been something she had not experienced in a long time. A giddy smile gracing her face, she drove away.