Collision

Chapter 5

'Who do you suspect behind this act?'

The police officer asked Serena, who still looked dazed at the turn of events.

Her desk and the seating area had been ravaged, as if somebody had been angry when they hadn't been able to find what they were looking for, or, had found something and ran off quickly, without removing any evidence of their presence.

'I..I have never had trouble of this sort at my restaurant before..just minor skirmishes between the customers or staff, never something this big..'
Her mind was totally blank right now.

'What valuables were in this office?'
The man enquired again, while two men were busy looking for clues amongst her things.

'The day sales are kept here, before I take them home with me at night, but the restaurant was so busy today, that I haven't had the time to bring the money from the cash register yet.'
Serena put a hand to her forehead.

'Alright, so the money is safe! Which means there was something other than money which the person was after..'
The officer looked thoughtful.

'Other than money? I don't have..'
Serena frowned, before a sudden thought struck her, and she gasped.
The papers!

'What? Have you remembered something?'
The officer watched her closely.

'I..my papers..'

'What papers?'

Serena sat up straighter, a fiery light in her eyes, as she relayed to the officer about the recent offer she had gotten to buy her property, and the claims that it was not hers.

'So, you are saying Rick Malone, of Malone Holdings, one of the biggest businessmen this side of Florida, resorted to stealing your property papers?'
The officer looked extremely shocked at the notion.

'Yes! That is exactly what I'm saying!'
Serena nodded.

'But Mr. Malone is a very influential man, and is well known for his integrity..why would he do something so backhanded for a property this small?'
Serena glared at him.
'I mean, he usually owns huge pieces of land, and yours is very small compared to that..'

''So what if he's a big businessman! He has no right to force me to sell my property by using such unfair means! It has to be him! Who else would want anything to do with my legal papers, that I'm supposed to show in a meeting tomorrow?'
Serena was irate.

'There could be another reason, you know..'
The man tried to calm her down, but ended up doing the opposite.

Serena stood up from the stool she was sitting on, and looked down at the officer.
'I can see that you aren't willing to help me!'

'Miss Taylor..'

'Officer! You are clearly biased here, believing that man is innocent..'

'Because his reputation speaks for him..'
The officer also stood up.

'Well, thankyou for your help, but it's getting late, and I'm sure you have better things to do than waste your time..'
And mine..
Serena didn't say it..but the message was clear, and the officer shrugged his shoulders.

'We have dusted for fingerprints, and taken some samples. So when the results come, we will let you know..'

'Yeah, sure..'
Serena almost rolled her eyes, and watched the officer and his men leave, before all her defiance went out the window, and her shoulders drooped in dejection.
That man has even the police on his side. Integrity, my foot! Rick Malone is a conniving man, who can go to any lengths to get what he wants..and getting someone to steal the papers was just one of them..
Well, I don't care! I won't let you take away what's mine! Ever!

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

'What do you mean she cancelled the meeting with the lawyers?'
Rick frowned, as his PA came in with the message, right after he had come back from another meeting.

'I'm just passing on what I was told to, sir..'

'But, didn't she give..'
He began irritably, but stopped when he noticed the curiosity in his assistant's eyes.
'All right, you may go now..'
Rick sent her off, and picked up his phone to call his lawyer.

'I'm sorry sir, but that's what Jack Todd told me. That in light of the current events, Miss Taylor didn't see the need for a meeting, and that she is going to take you to court..'

'Take me to court? For what?'
Rick scowled.

'Jack said he will register the case in court..'

'What have I hired you for, if you can't find out what all this is about?'
Rick was getting angry now.

'Sir, I am..I..'
The man floundered.

'Then do it, and get back to me with the details!'
Rick disconnected the phone, and threw it down on his desk.

This woman is becoming a pain in the neck!
How dare she threaten me with a suit!
Rick was used to getting his way, and this woman was going all out of her way to make sure that didn't happen.

He stood up and went to stand in front of his window. The ongoing traffic seemed like insects from this distance, crawling along the busy main road.
He looked, but his mind was not on the scene below. It drifted to attaining a piece of land, that rightly belonged to his mother.

Anna Hayes, daughter of Hugh Hayes, his grandfather.
Hugh had had two children from his first marriage, one his mother, and the other a son. A son who had married an Italian woman against his father's wishes, and migrated to Italy. Paul Hayes had no wish to return to America or contest for any property. But Anna, she had loved her father very much, and had acquiesced by marrying a man of his choice, businessman Michael Malone.
His mother had led a life of luxury, but had been upset when his grandfather had remarried.
Because, she hadn't liked Martha, his second wife at all, and had thought her to be a gold digger, someone just after her father's money.
And when her father had moved in with Martha to a secluded, run down bakery,  Anna was sure that Hugh's new wife had coerced him into buying the dilapidated place with his money.
A big fight had erupted between father and daughter, which had caused a huge rift between them, one which lasted for years.

Rick was studying at the time, and had been away from home. But after he had come back, and found out everything, he had vowed to himself to find out where his grandfather had lived with his wife, and go there, for his mother's sake.
But, as luck would have it, by the time he found out anything, Hugh Haynes had died. He had had no choice, but to inform his mother. His mother had been devastated,  and she had cried for weeks, cursing his father's wife.

It was then that Rick had decided to meet his grandfather's wife, and take back what was rightly his mothers'.
But then, his father had suffered a heart attack and had to undergo bypass surgery, after which Rick had had to take over the running of Malone Holdings.
Busy in the day to day dealings, Rick had forgotten his promise to himself.
It was only recently, when his mother had mentioned his grandfather, that Rick had remembered it all.
And now, he wanted to claim the property and gift it to his mother for her sixtieth birthday, which was in less than a month.

The only thing he had not foreseen, was a granddaughter in the picture, who would contest taking over the property. And one, who was being a nuisance, and not giving up, or taking the money for a property which wasn't even hers.

The phone rang, breaking into his thoughts, and Rick moved back to his desk to pick it up.
It was his lawyer, briefing him about the break in at Cup Of Sea, and how Serena Taylor was hopping mad.

'She thinks you got someone to steal her papers..'

'What?!?'
Rick almost shouted.

'Yes, sir! And that's why she wants to file a case against you..'

'What the hell? I'm going to go and tell that woman..'

Just then, there was sharp rap on his door, and it burst open to reveal none other than Serena Taylor.

'Don't bother! I'm already here! And this time you are going to listen to me!'

To be continued...