Disclaimers - See Part 1 for disclaimers.

Chapter Twenty-eight

"I really appreciate you letting me watch this," Lee said, as she followed Marc into the outer interrogation room.

"No problem, Sarge. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have Gao in custody. I just thought you might enjoy seeing the fruits of your labours." Marc smiled at her, then nodded towards the other man in the room who was sipping a coffee as he watched the Asian and Keith Judson through the one-way mirror.

"Lee, this is Constable Eade from the Sicamous RCMP division. He and his partner brought Gao back to Calgary."

The young man offered his hand with a smile. "Bill, please. So it was your friends who caught this snake?"

Lee shook his hand, inwardly marveling at the size of the man who resembled a linebacker, with massive shoulders that merged directly into his head. "Yeah, that was them. I'm just glad I found out he was on his way in time to warn them."

The constable chuckled. "I got the feeling those two could handle themselves pretty well. When my partner Ty and I got to the cabin, they were calmly sitting by the bonfire, with this guy across from them, trussed up nice as could be. They'd used duct tape to bind his arms behind his back and knotted his shoelaces together so he couldn't walk. Mind you, the little one had his gun pointed right at him, and she didn't look afraid to use it."

Shaking her head in amusement, Lee felt a resurgence of the relief she'd experienced when Marika had finally called her back. It had been the worst forty-three minutes of her life, wondering if they'd made it out safely. From the moment David had called, alarmed when he'd found out what Tucker had inadvertently done, until the moment her old friend reported that they were both safe and Gao was in custody, she and Dana had been terrified. Worse, she'd felt completely helpless once she'd notified Marc, who alerted the Sicamous RCMP.

"The funny part was, once we took control of the situation, I asked the little one for the gun, and I was teasing her that it was a good thing she hadn't needed to use it, since it was almost as big as her. She just looked at me with big, solemn eyes, and said it was a good thing, since she didn't have a clue how to use it and probably couldn't have hit the broad side of a barn door." The constable laughed out loud. "I thought Gao was going to have a heart attack."

Lee chuckled and turned her attention to the inner room, where Keith was questioning a stone-faced Gao. With a small whistle, she noted the cast on the Asian's right hand and the bandage encasing his left, as well as the stitching on his forehead. "Geez, he looks like he came out on the losing end of ten rounds with Tyson."

Eade grunted his agreement. "We had him checked out before we left Sicamous. He's got a concussion, one broken hand and one severely bruised one, and he's also got some serious bruising on his back." He snorted. "Teach him to go up against a pair of helpless females...Uh huh, 'bout as helpless as a coupla badgers."

Marc had been watching the interrogation closely. "Has he said anything yet, Constable?"

"No, sir. But then he's barely said a word since we picked him up. Wouldn't even tell us about the car he was driving. It belongs to a guy here in Calgary, but we haven't been able to locate the owner, and we don't know if it was stolen or not. Could be we'll be looking at another body eventually." Eade drained his coffee and tossed the empty Styrofoam cup into a garbage can. Staring at Gao, he shook his head in bemusement. "All he did on the drive here was stare out the window. Wouldn't even say a word when we asked him what kind of sandwich he wanted for lunch. Silent as the Sphinx."

Lee studied the criminal, watching the way Judson's words failed utterly to reach him. She wasn't surprised when the Major Crimes officer abruptly stood up and left the room. Nor was the look of frustration on his face when he joined them unexpected.

"The man's a goddamned clam!" Glancing at Lee, he nodded cordially. "Hi, Lee. Don't suppose you would want to try and work your magic on him?"

"Sorry, Keith. It wouldn't work. The only connection I have with him is smashing his hand." She chuckled. "I suspect that wouldn't be enough to get him to spill his guts." Looking back at Gao, her gaze became speculative. "Have you shown him the pictures of his cousin yet?"

Keith shook his head in chagrin. "Hell, no! The last thing I want is for him to get the Chameleon's last little message. As if he's not already silent enough."

Lee turned her attention to the frustrated interrogator. "Try it," she suggested quietly. "Put the pictures on the table, ask him why he remains loyal to someone who would do this to his cousin, and then leave him alone with them." She shrugged. "What do you have to lose?"

Uncertainly, Keith glanced at Marc, who nodded his support of the idea. With a deep sigh, the Staff Sergeant extracted the pictures from the briefcase. Grumbling, "I oughta have my head examined!" he returned to the inner room and tossed the crime scene photos on the table, repeated Lee's words, then left the room again.

Lee watched Gao closely, noting when his black eyes finally dropped to the pictures. When his damaged left hand reached out and dragged them closer, she almost cheered. Fascinated, she watched the Asian's reactions as he slowly fanned the photos out across the table.

A less astute observer might have considered Gao's impassive expression unchanged, but Lee, long a student of human nature, saw the tightening around his dark eyes, saw the way his lips thinned and parted slowly, saw the twitch in his shoulders as he studied the last pictures of his slaughtered cousin.

She wasn't at all surprised when he finally lifted his head and stared right at them.

"She should not have done this. It was not necessary."

Gao's words echoed in the room. Smiling, Lee suggested, "Give him a try now, Keith. I think he might be ready to talk to you."

The interrogator shook his head in amazement. "Damn, Glenn! If you're ever interested in a career..."

"No way!" Marc broke in. "I've got first dibs on her-right, Sarge?"

Lee grinned at both men. "I'm very happy where I am, gentlemen, but thanks for the compliment."

Keith put his hand on the doorknob, then turned to Lee with a serious expression. "I misjudged you. I'm sorry. If there's ever anything I can do for you, just holler."

"No problem." A wicked grin spread across her face. "There is one thing you could do for me."

Judson cocked his head inquisitively.

"Give me an hour's notice when you're going to bust DeAndre."

The Staff Sergeant smiled. "You do know that's totally against the rules."

Lee looked at him wordlessly, until he shrugged and grinned.

"Will do."

With that, Keith returned to the inner room. This time, Gao responded to the methodical questioning with answers--cold and curt, but answers nonetheless. Listening to those stark, graphic responses indict the woman known as the Chameleon, Lee could almost hear the steel bars finally clanging into place around Cass, and she grinned in gleeful anticipation.

*****************************************************

Rhi stood looking out across the sparkling waters of the lake, calm in the early hours of the morning. She heard her lover approach from behind, and smiled as slender arms wrapped around her. Leaning back into Marika's warm body, she sighed.

"Are you sorry to be leaving early, love?"

The smaller woman shook her head at the question. "No, not really. But it's been such a beautiful week that I'm sorry to see it end."

"We still have two more weeks if we want to take them," the lawyer suggested gently.

Rhi turned and slid her arms around Marika's neck. Smiling at her lover, she shook her head again. "No, honey. I like the idea of saving the rest of our holidays and using them to go somewhere special later on."

Marika's gray eyes studied Rhi's face. "Maybe Wales?"

"Maybe," Rhi agreed, but the overriding desire that had been her driving force for the last decade had faded. "Or maybe we could take a cruise this winter. I've always thought that would be a lot of fun."

Marika's murmured agreement was lost as their lips met, and they stood locked together for long moments affirming the bond that had solidified between them that week.

Finally they broke apart and Rhi smiled. "Everything locked up?"

"Uh huh. We're ready to leave whenever you are."

"Then let's go home," Rhi said firmly.

Together they turned and, hand in hand, walked back up the rocky beach. The long drive back to Calgary was marked by animated chatter about everything from when Rhi would take her driving test, to Lee and Dana's upcoming wedding. The only topics they avoided were anything to do with Gao or Cass. By mutual, unspoken agreement, they didn't want those baleful spectres intruding into their blissful sanctuary one moment before they had to.

As they approached the city limits, Rhi yawned and stretched.

"Hey, I've been doing all the driving. How come you're so tired?" Marika teased with a smile.

"It's hard work being a passenger," Rhi retorted cheerfully. "Wish I could've helped with the driving though."

The lawyer shook her head. "Rental insurance wouldn't cover you, hon. Besides, I don't mind. It was a beautiful drive."

"Mm hm," Rhi agreed. "Are we going to stop for a few minutes at Lee and Dana's before we go home?"

"Yeah, we should pick up the Spookmeister, switch cars back, and see how things are going."

Rhi looked at her lover seriously. "We owe them an awful lot, don't we?"

Marika nodded with equal gravity. "Yes, we do. I don't think we can ever repay them-especially Lee. We'd be dead without her."

An involuntary shudder ripped through Rhi's body and she laid her head back, her eyes fixed on her lover. To have missed this... The grim thought almost overwhelmed her until concerned gray eyes glanced at her, and she was reminded that it hadn't happened, that together they had overcome every obstacle from their past and present.

She smiled and Marika relaxed, her eyes now soft and warm.

"Are you okay, love?" the lawyer asked as she braked for a stoplight.

Rhi murmured her affirmation and reached across the back of the seat, her fingers trailing through soft blond hair as she let the tender caress speak of her feelings.

Marika closed her eyes in contentment, then said huskily, "Let's not stay too long before we go home, okay?"

Chuckling, Rhi agreed, dropping her hand to her lover's thigh as the light changed colours and they began to move. Rubbing the slender limb in small, soft circles, she was fully aware of the effect she was having.

Finally, with the traffic getting heavier, Marika covered the teasing hand and held it firmly. Casting an amused glance at her unrepentant passenger, she cautioned, "Behave!"

"Aw, what fun is that?" Rhi pouted, her eyes sparkling wickedly. But she sat back in her seat, and the two held hands as they drove towards Lee and Dana's comfortable suburban home.

Pulling into the driveway behind Lee's truck, they saw their big friend ambling out of the front door with a huge grin on her face. As they got out of the car, they heard her call, "What's the matter? Paradise get boring?"

Rhi hurriedly circled the car and threw her arms around Lee, finding herself hoisted in an enthusiastic bear hug. When she was gently returned to earth, Marika got the same treatment.

Laughingly protesting the treatment, Marika planted a kiss on Lee's forehead. "Let me down, you big ox!"

Lee set her down, chuckling at both of them. "Damn, it's great to see you back!" Then scowling at the two of them, she growled, "Don't EVER scare me like that again!"

Marika and Rhi exchanged glances and grinned. "Scare you?" the lawyer said ruefully. "Try being in our shoes."

Their big friend gazed at them affectionately, then said with heartfelt fervor, "I'm just glad you're still around to fill your shoes."

Rhi opened her mouth to second that sentiment, but before she could say a word, Dana burst out the front door and waved at them excitedly.

"Lee, it's on! Quick! You've got to see this!"

She darted back into the house, and the other three ran after her. They followed her into the living room, finding her pointing the remote at the TV where the logo for Newsworld's breaking news had faded to an image of a perfectly coiffed, well-dressed anchorwoman and a society-pages picture of Cass in the corner of the screen.

"This report just in from our Vancouver affiliate. A sensational arrest in that city this afternoon as Cassandra DeAndre, wife of shipping magnate Palmer DeAndre, has been charged with numerous counts of kidnapping, drug trafficking, smuggling and murder. Her chauffeur, Liang Zhaoxing, was also taken into custody."

The picture changed to a live external shot of the DeAndre mansion, with several police cars and a police van with its lights on, all parked in the expansive circular driveway. A handful of men in SWAT gear were milling around the entrance.

"CBC reporter, Vanessa Schroeder, is on the scene. Vanessa, can you give us an update on the situation?"

A pretty, dark-haired woman appeared on the screen. "Yes, Diane. Approximately 45 minutes ago, we received an anonymous tip that Vancouver socialite and head of the DeAndre Charitable Foundation, Cassandra DeAndre, was to be arrested on several serious charges, including drug smuggling and murder. When we arrived here, police were already on the scene and apparently had the situation under control."

The camera panned to on a close-up of a woman being led from the house in handcuffs, struggling furiously, but futilely against the men who firmly gripped her shackled arms. As she was forced towards the police car, her head snapped up, and she stared defiantly at the cameras, a feral snarl on her face. Two more heavily armed officers escorted a sullen Liang, also in shackles, close behind her.

The CBC reporter continued her commentary as the four women enjoying the special report hooted and cheered, watching one officer push Cass' head down and try to steer her into the car. She fell forward against the car, lashing out with her feet, and her escorts fought to get her inside. Once she'd been stuffed into the back seat and the door closed on her, the camera panned to the door of the mansion, where a stunned Palmer DeAndre stood staring after his wife with utter desolation on his handsome features. The women sobered at the sight.

"I feel sorry for him," Marika remarked somberly. "He was a nice man, and I'm sure he was as taken in by Cass as I was."

Rhi slid her arm around her lover's waist and squeezed her comfortingly as an arm settled around her shoulders. Onscreen, the police cars began to move, and the cameras followed them as they drove down the broad driveway. As they turned onto the street, the camera showed a crowd of gawking onlookers and a mass of media trucks lining the street outside the mansion.

"Aw, poor old Cass...the whole world is seeing her humiliation," Lee smirked in mock-sympathy.

Struck by a thought, Rhi looked up at her big friend. "Lee...you wouldn't know anything about that anonymous tip to the TV people, would you?"

"Who me?" Lee tried for a look of innocence, but failed miserably.

Rhi was vastly amused by her friend's smug grin. "Yes, you."

"I'm taking the fifth, Lady Mouse."

Marika broke in dryly. "We don't have a fifth, Lee."

"Oh...are you quite sure about that?" Lee waggled her eyebrows, making Dana and Rhi giggle, and the lawyer shake her head in amusement.

Turning her back on the screen where the tape of Cass' arrest was already being replayed, Dana asked, "Will you two stay for dinner?"

Rhi and Marika looked at each other and smiled. Marika answered for them. "No thanks, Dana. I think we'll pass this time, but maybe next weekend? We'll just pick up Spooky, and switch cars before we go."

Lee grinned broadly. "So I'm guessing the honeymoon isn't quite over, eh?"

Marika gazed at Rhi and shook her head. "Not for a long, long time to come."

Rhi thrilled to the soft, loving look bestowed on her. Smiling back, she half-whispered, "Let's go home, sweetheart."

The couple turned to see both Lee and Dana regarding them with fondly indulgent looks, and Rhi blushed a little before deciding she didn't care if the whole world knew how she felt.

"Before you two lovebirds take off, I swung by your office yesterday and picked up your messages," Lee said, crossing to the sideboard to pick up a small stack of papers. "Might as well take 'em with you."

She passed them over to Marika, who glanced at the top one and raised an eyebrow.

"There's one here from your aunt, love. She wants you to meet her at her insurance agent's office next Tuesday." Marika held out the slip of paper to Rhi, who accepted it with a groan.

"Ughh, what a way to end a near-perfect week," the small woman muttered as she read the message.

"You were going to have to see her sometime, Rhi, and I will go with you," Marika promised. "Don't worry. Once this matter is closed, you'll be done with her."

Rhi knew she was right, but she wasn't looking forward to the reunion. Sighing, she followed her lover as they went to collect Spooky's things and pick up the smallest member of their household.

*****************************************************

Licking her lips nervously, Rhi followed Marika off the elevator. She'd been anxious about this meeting, having no desire to ever see her aunt again. Her lover had offered to go alone to represent her interests, but she knew she had to be there too, to get closure for this chapter of her life.

Marika stopped at a door halfway down the hall and looked at her compassionately. "Are you okay, love?"

The gentle voice made her feel slightly shamed of her reluctance. Marika had been steadfast in her support and had gathered all the information and documents they would need, including affidavits from Lee and David as to what they'd seen in Rhi's room when they'd gone there to collect her clothes.

Rhi summoned a wan smile. "Yeah. Nothing she can do to me anymore anyway, is there?"

"No. Not anymore," Marika assured her with certainty. With a small grin she added, "Just let her try, and see what I do to her."

That got a genuine smile, as Rhi basked in her lover's protectiveness. "Right. Then let's get this over with."

They opened the door on a plain, functional office, with a receptionist who looked up expectantly.

"May I help you?"

Marika nodded briskly. "We have an appointment with Mr. Reynolds about the Walker insurance matter."

"Of course. Miss Walker is already in with Mr. Reynolds. Please go on in." The receptionist indicated the door they were to enter and turned her attention to a ringing phone.

Rhi led the way, pushing open the door to see her aunt perched on a chair inside a smaller office. A harried looking man sitting behind a paper-strewn desk looked up gratefully at their arrival. He stood, but before he could say anything, Hettie spoke.

"Who is she?" Suspicion underlay her voice as she glared at Marika.

"I'm Marika Havers, Ms. Davies' lawyer, Miss Walker. How do you do?"

Hettie ignored the proffered hand. "Lawyer? What does she need a lawyer for? This doesn't even concern her, ceptin' he needs her signature on some papers."

Mr. Reynolds broke in, offering his hand to both of the newcomers. "Ladies, thank you for joining us. I've gone over the basics with Miss Walker. If I may recap..." He gestured them to a couple of chairs, and while he droned on about the administrative details, Rhi covertly studied her aunt.

There were no outward changes in the woman. Rhi discounted the hostility emanating from the thick, doughy body as too familiar to even take note of. Only half listening to the proceedings, she mused over the question of whether she'd ever seen her aunt genuinely happy.

She couldn't deny that she'd seen Hettie pleased with herself, or excited about one thing or another, but she was sure she'd never seen her aunt actually contented.

Rhi felt an unexpected rush of sympathy for the old woman, and she blinked in amazement. It was the last thing she'd anticipated feeling; but awash in the bliss that was her new life with Marika, she couldn't help feeling sorry for the aunt who had made her own life as miserable as she'd made her niece's. Suddenly, she just wanted to sign the papers and leave. Hettie wouldn't change. She thrived on a diet of negativity, and Rhi was sure she always would, but her aunt was simply irrelevant to her life now.

Returning her attention to the proceedings, Rhi heard her lover's smooth voice.

"On the contrary, Miss Walker, Rhiannon has a valid claim against your insurance payment. She lost everything she owned, and barely escaped with her life. She then had to find a new place to live, and replace her destroyed wardrobe before she could even return to work."

Hettie was almost sputtering. "I took her in outta the goodness of my heart and gave her a home all these years. Arsonists burn down my home, and she thinks she should get some of the insurance? What ingratitude!"

"Actually, Rhiannon has paid you three hundred dollars a month since she left high school for the privilege of living in that one small room, which means she has contributed over ten thousand dollars to your pocket-money you would otherwise not have had, and which I doubt you declared. I've calculated her losses and the replacement costs, and arrived at a figure of $1800, which I consider extremely fair."

Marika shot Rhi a glance, and the small woman knew her lover was still aggrieved that she wouldn't let the lawyer go after a greater sum. Rhi didn't care. She considered herself well out of her aunt's home and didn't care if all she'd salvaged was the clothes on her back.

"Eighteen hundred dollars!" Hettie squawked in outrage. "That ungrateful little..."

Ignoring the outburst, the lawyer continued. "Additionally, though the fire department report clearly identifies the cause as arson, they also note that the single smoke alarm had no batteries in it, which was your responsibility as the landlord, thus making you liable for the fact that Ms. Davies had no early warning and barely escaped with her life. She could, if she chose, sue you in civil court, but she has agreed that $1800 will be adequate compensation."

Rhi wondered for a moment if her aunt was going to have apoplexy. Her complexion had flushed scarlet and her ample breast heaved with indignation.

"That is more than fair, Miss Walker," Mr. Reynolds interjected. "I would recommend that you accept that amount, and we can sign the final papers today. I could issue both cheques before you leave."

He pushed the papers across the desk and offered Hettie a pen. She snatched it out of his hand and angrily scrawled her signature where he indicated. Lurching to her feet, she stalked furiously out of the room.

"Miss Walker, your cheque..." the insurance agent called after her.

Rhi shook her head. "Don't worry. She'll be back. She's busy making a point at the moment."

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her. "A point?"

"Uh huh. That I'm a greedy, ungrateful, unfeeling wretch, who spent the past decade sponging off her largess and doesn't deserve to share the same air with her."

"Oh." Mr. Reynolds could apparently think of now appropriate response to the dry recitation, so he shuffled the papers awkwardly. "Well, um, I'll go have the cheques cut. If you'll excuse me for a few moments..."

He left the office, closing the door behind him. Marika left her chair to kneel in front of Rhi. Taking her hands, she asked gently, "Hey, everything all right?"

Rhi considered that. They had gotten the money, but she really hadn't cared much one way or another about that. Hettie had been her usual unpleasant self, but that too was expected. "Yeah...yeah, I think so, love." She smiled at the lawyer. "I'm glad I came...glad I saw her one last time." Leaning forward, Rhi touched her lips to her lover's, enjoying the gentle sensations.

The door opened abruptly. "I left my..."

Hearing her aunt's horrified gasp, Rhi shook her head slightly and muttered, "Figures. Her timing always did suck."

The small woman rose and turned to survey her aunt calmly, conscious of the warm presence now standing at her back. Hettie was clutching her chest and staring at her niece.

"Well, I never!"

Rhi couldn't help chuckling. "No, I expect you haven't." She felt Marika's hands settle on her shoulders and covered them with her own.

"You...you're..."

"In love? Yes, very much so," Rhi filled in amiably. "In fact I fully intend to spend the rest of my life with this wonderful woman."

The small woman thought her aunt's eyes might bulge out of her head at the words. She could feel Marika's silent chuckles, but kept her eyes on Hettie as a look of gleeful triumph settled over the mottled features.

"I always knew there was something wrong with you," the old woman hissed. "Knew you weren't right. You're your father's daughter through and through."

"Why, thank you, Aunt. I take that as a great compliment," Rhi responded without rancor, surprising herself with the absence of anger. Hettie's opinion simply didn't matter to her anymore.

Mr. Reynolds returned at that moment, two cheques in his hand. He edged by Hattie, who was still blocking the doorway, and looked around curiously, obviously wondering what had transpired in his absence.

"Um, Ms. Davies, if you would just sign these papers too," the insurance agent said, indicating the same papers that Hettie had signed off on earlier.

Rhi quickly added her signature and then accepted the cheque he offered. Smiling at Marika, she said, "Shall we go?"

The lawyer nodded and picked up her briefcase. Hettie ostentatiously stepped aside, pulling her dress back so nothing would touch the duo as they exited. Rhi had just stepped by her aunt, when she heard the woman's scornful condemnation.

"You're going to hell, Anne Davies. You're going to hell!"

Glancing over her shoulder with a half-grin, Rhi winked. "See you there, Aunt Hettie."

She heard the incensed exclamation, but continued walking--out of the office, and out of her aunt's life. Marika held it in until they reached the elevators, and then she broke out laughing.

"Oh, honey! If you could've seen her face! I thought she was going to have a stroke!"

Rhi just chuckled. As they waited for the elevator to arrive, she studied the cheque in her hand. It occurred to her that this money would put her over ten thousand dollars--the magical figure that she'd set for herself so long ago. Two months ago, this cheque would have represented the culmination of a decade of dreams.

"Know what you're going to do with it, sweetheart?" Marika asked.

Rhi looked up at the woman she loved. Shrugging, she folded the cheque and tucked it in her pocket. "Dunno. Can't think of anything in particular." Glancing at her watch, she said, "It's too late to go back to work. What would you say to going home a little bit early?"

Marika chuckled as the elevator arrived. "I'd say that sounds like a wonderful idea." Teasingly she added, "Did you have any particular plans for our early return home?"

Rhi looked at her with wide-eyed innocence, and her lover snorted. "Oh, you do that about as well as Lee does!"

Entering the elevator, Rhi gave Marika her best leer. "Did you know that Italy recently ruled that sex in an elevator was not cause for arrest?"

The elevator doors closed on their shared laughter.

To be concluded in the Chapter 29