Loves Redemption (30 page)

gone into the closed sections and there was no forced entry so it’s doubtful the intruder went any further than your living quarters Dr. Richardson. Ma’am if you and Ms. Draugulis would follow us we can go inside and take a look around. Be aware the intruder hasn’t been very kind in his search through your home ma’am.” The officer warned her.

The young officer warned her, however nothing could prepare Maya for the chaos that

greeted her when she’d stepped no further than a few steps into her main living area.

With a sudden sharp intake of breath, Maya surveyed the brightly lit interior, her eyes

opened wide, her mouth open as she looked around.

Plants were overturned, books thrown from the mahogany floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, and

cushions and pillows lay in a heap in the middle of the floor.

Maya walked silently throughout the house, righting overturned plants and picking the

occasional knick-knack up from the floor, and lightly caressing it before she placed it back in its original place. She touched her possessions with shaky fingers, traumatized by what she saw.

She touched her roughly handled possessions here and there, not saying a word to

anyone, and Dalia turned worried eyes in the direction of the officers.

“I know this is very difficult to see Dr. Richardson. When you’ve had a moment to take it

all in, we’d like to get a statement from you ma’am.” Kelley, the male officer informed her, his voice sounding louder than it actually was in the still of the room.

The officers trailed behind Maya and Dalia as they walked throughout the house, and

stepped into her bedroom where they came to a sudden halt inside the door way.

“Oh no. No God, please don’t tell me they took it. Not my necklace.” Maya was

frantically searching her overturned jewelry box. There were a few necklaces and her one pair of real pearl necklace and matching earrings she’d inherited from her late grandmother, but no sign of her necklace from Ally.

Maya crumpled into a heap on the floor and, beat the carpet with clenched fists. She had

taken off the necklace and charm attached, with the intention of repairing the loose clasp, but her schedule had been so hectic, she hadn’t been able to get to the jeweler.

The small inexpensive necklace, which was short on monetary value, but long on

sentimental value, was gone, and Maya felt as though her heart was ripping in two.

Mark walked into Maya’s bedroom and saw her on the floor crying so hard he felt as

though his heart was breaking in two.

He strode swiftly to her side and motioned Dalia aside as he lifted Maya from the floor.

He walked over to the bed to sit down with her, caressing her small head and cradling her close.

He recognized both young officers, and as he looked over Maya’s head at them, he

silently asked for privacy.

“Detective, why don’t we give you time to speak with Dr. Richardson, and when she’s

ready we can take her statement,” the female officer said as she and her partner left the room.

After the two officers left, Dalia placed her hand on top of Maya’s shoulder. “I am so

sorry some awful bastard took your necklace from Ally, truly,
Sesute
,” Dalia said with rare heat in her voice and words. Dalia didn’t know what to say to her saddened friend, and trusting Mark could console her, she left them alone in the bedroom.

“Baby I didn’t know you’d called until I was pulling into your driveway. Get it all out,

Maya, it’ll all be okay sweetheart.” Her wrenching cries made his heart ache along with hers, as she buried her face deep into his chest.

He’d worked late and was on his way to Maya’s when his cell phone beeped signaling he

had a message.

Smiling when he recognized the number displayed as Maya’s, he had called his voice

mail and the smile swiftly fell from his face.

As her halting message ended, Mark had been pulling up into her driveway and parked

along side the two cruisers. He showed his badge to the officer outside, before racing into the house.

Although he’d only taken a cursory look around, as he bounded through the house

looking for Maya, he was still taken aback by the chaos surrounding him. When he’d heard the cries coming from her bedroom, he had quickly made his way there, only to find Maya on the

floor in a crumpled heap crying helplessly with Dalia rubbing her back.

Now, as he continued to hold and attempt to sooth her, he looked around the bedroom

through the eyes of a cop. The obviously expensive painting that adorned one wall had been left untouched, along with her small mounted shadow box housing her collection of crystal cats, and doves.

The closet door was open, and a cursory glance told him Maya’s clothes had remained

untouched, while his few hanging items had been ripped from the hangers and left on the floor.

The same thing went for the bureau drawers, his clothes had been cast ruthlessly aside,

while Maya’s had remained untouched.

She looked at him with red-rimmed, furious eyes. “You know when I was a kid, I didn’t

have anything, not one damn thing, that I could call my own.” Tears streamed down her blotchy cheeks. The anger and emotion in her voice was tangible and fierce, unlike anything he’d seen from her.

She stopped speaking to close her eyes, small nostrils flaring out slightly as she tried to gain her composure. “When I first received my inheritance from my grandmother I had
real
ambivalent feelings about this house and what it stood for. But after listening to the tapes she left me, and doing a lot of praying about it, I forgave and decided to enjoy and be thankful for what the Creator had provided for me through a woman I never knew.”

She paused as Mark handed her a tissue from the bedside table and wiped her tear-

washed face. “I love my home now, Mark. I’ve got wonderful people with whom I share it with and I love it.
It’s mine
. I’m comfortable and at peace when I come into my home. I’ve surrounded my environment with things that reflect who I am, and with what calms
my
spirit at the end of the day. When I come into my house I always feel … oh, I don’t know, at peace,

renewed … at ‘home,’” she finished simply.

“I know, baby.” He understood perfectly what she wanted to convey.

“You know just because you have a roof over your head doesn’t make it a home,” she

continued, “I once had a friend say she’d rather live in a shack and be happy, than to live in a mansion and be in hell. From the time I moved out on my own I have done everything I could to live in an environment that makes
me
comfortable. I didn’t think this ‘mansion’ would ever feel like home, but it does. You know? It really does. And for somebody to go through, destroy, and steal my things…” she left the sentence unfinished, too angry to continue the thought.

“And worst of all, they’ve taken a cheap gold necklace, my only physical link with my

murdered sister. Something I’ve had for twenty years.” She visibly held back further tears from falling.

“Damn, Maya. Baby, I’m so sorry.” Mark shared her loss over the stolen necklace. He

felt helpless, and knew there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to right this wrong.

He wanted nothing more than to catch whoever was responsible for trashing her home,

and he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach this was no ordinary burglary, that it was connected with the slayer.

“Detective Halstan, we need to get a statement from Dr. Richardson,” the female officer

asked quietly from the doorway. “As soon as you’re able to sir, could you bring Dr. Richardson into the dining room so we can get her statement?”

Mark took a moment to reach over for another tissue and lovingly wiped her face before

turning it up to his so he could look directly into her eyes. “Are you ready to face them? I’ll make sure their questions are brief and we can get you and Dalia out of here.” He watched her carefully. When she nodded her head in assent, he stood with her still held in his arms.

As they walked into the dining room, he noticed this room held little evidence of any

disturbance at all. Dalia sat in one of the chairs with a cup of coffee in her hands, while the remaining two officers stood waiting for Maya and Mark to arrive.

Dalia turned anxious, worried eyes in Maya’s direction. “Maya would you like coffee

little one?”

Maya motioned her back into her seat with a wave of her hand. “I’m fine Dalia, but

thanks.” As Mark guided her into her seat, she asked, “Dalia have you checked your section? Did the burglar get into your apartment?”

“No
Sesute
. Besides I had my alarm engaged and it would have notified the police if they had tried to force their way in,” Dalia told her without mentioning the obvious fact the same would have been true for Maya, had she turned her own alarm on.

“What about the Johnson’s? In the upstairs apartment?” she clarified. “Has anyone

checked on their apartment?”

“I went with the officers to check with your key while you were with Detective Halstan.

Everything was locked up and looked the same as the day they left. They too had their alarm on.”

Dalia answered the question before the officer’s could.

“Dr. Richardson, Ms. Draugulis tells us the couple and their two daughter’s who live in

the upper wing are away visiting family--is that correct?”

“Yes, they’ve been gone for a few days. Their scheduled to return sometime next month

to give the family, especially the girls, time to settle in before the fall semester begins at the end of August.”

The officers stayed and asked her several more brief questions before leaving her with the

instructions to call them if she needed anything. Although all understood Mark would take good care of her.

After they’d left, Mark turned to Dalia. “Dalia I’m sure everything is fine, but until we

find out more about this burglary I think it would be best if you didn’t stay here tonight. Why don’t you come with Maya and spend the night at my home, there’s plenty of room,” he invited her.

“Thank you, but I think I will decline the offer. I have somewhere else I can stay.”

“Are you sure Dalia? It’s late, where will you go?”

“I have a lab partner who has become a good friend. It will be no problem for me to call

her and stay with her for the night. Trust me, Mark, it will be fine. You take care of Maya for me, and I will worry less.”

Dalia turned to Maya. “Call my cell, when you come back home and I will meet you here

and together we will right your home little sister,” she promised.

“Thank you. Dal, I will. Why don’t we go with you to get your things you’ll need for the

night?”

“Sweetheart you go ahead with Dalia, I need to make a phone call.”

After Maya and Dalia left, Mark made a call to the precinct to request a phone number.

“Hey Officer Meeks how’s it going? This is Detective Mark Halstan,” he greeted the night

officer who picked up the phone after the first ring.

“Slow. Too slow. How can I help you, Detective?”

“I need a number from you. Could you get Special Agent Nicolai Montgomery’s hotel

phone number for me, or his cell number? Whichever one is available.”

“Sure thing, Detective, let me look it up for you. Hold on for a minute.”

He placed Mark on hold before coming back on the line to give him the agent’s hotel

room extension number only. “Sorry, Detective, that’s the only one we have available for him.”

“That’ll work Meeks--thanks.” After he’d hung up the phone, he quickly placed a call to

the agent.

“Montgomery.” The agent answered after one ring.

“Agent Montgomery this is Detective Halstan.” On the other end of the extension Mark

could hear the rustle of fabric, and after glancing at his watch, realized he’d probably woken him from sleep. “I’m sorry I’m calling you so late, I didn’t realize the time,” he apologized.

“No problem, Detective, I’m wide awake.” As he said so, Mark could swear his tone was

mocking.

“Look I’m sorry, I’ll catch you in the morning.”

“Really, Detective, I wish it weren’t so but I was awake. What did you need?” His voice

reflected the honesty of his words.

“Maya’s home has been broken into. Thankfully she wasn’t in it at the time, and neither

were any of her tenants. It doesn’t seem as though anything of value was taken except a gold necklace held sentimental value for Maya alone.” Mark filled him in succinctly.

“How is she? You said no one was in the home at the time?”

“No. She’s shaken up, mad as hell, but thank God, she’s not hurt. They made a real mess

of it in Maya’s wing, but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed. I’m taking her home with me and her assistant is staying with a friend. I’m going to be at the precinct early tomorrow and I wanted to give you a head’s up.”

Mark didn’t know how to proceed. He had no idea why, but his first inclination had been

to call the FBI agent. Oddly hesitant, he didn’t know how to voice his next request.

“Would it be alright if I had a look around? I could do so tonight if you’re taking Dr.

Richardson with you. I’d like to take a look at everything before it gets straightened back up if I could,” Nicolai volunteered.

“I’m sure Maya wouldn’t mind Agent Montgomery, but it can wait until the morning, I

wasn’t suggesting you come now, it’s too late.” Mark quickly assured him, relieved at the

agent’s request.

“Actually, Detective, I do my best work at night … alone. If it’s okay with Dr.

Richardson, I can be there in less than twenty minutes.”

“I’m sure it’ll be okay. I don’t think our prowler will return tonight, but we’ll leave the key in the mailbox. When you’re done, lock everything back up and bring the key to the precinct tomorrow.”

“No problem, I’ll be there shortly.”