The next day, Azure made sure to go extra early with the lawyer to see Grey.
All evidences pointed to him, he had motive for all the murders and he really had no reliable alibi to save him.
The words of Azure, claiming to have been with him at the said times, was squashed with the reason that she was a person of unsound mind and could easily be manipulated.
She was content though. She saw him and he was all fine and good. She knew that he wouldn't want to see her weak, he expected her to be strong for both of them. She made him see her as what he wanted her to be. She acted strong in front of him and told him all that was going on, all that they were working on.
When they all assembled at the house, everyone explained their assigned persons and none seemed to have motive to kill people. At least that was until Azure mentioned her final person, Miss Victoria St Louis.
"This woman probably has motive and is most likely who we are looking for. She was always second place after my mother, she probably hated her because she always came first. I visited some other students from that school and I found that herself and my mother were supposed friends, until after high school graduation, when my mom was valedictorian. In college, she was always after my mother, always willing to bring her down, not to mention my mother married the one man she had her eyes on for years."
"We can't be acting on ground of jealousy Ruth. This isn't a child's play and we need someone with a motive and not someone who was jealous of your deceased mother." Azure was shocked at the tone the Andrew used to talk to her, she was however too tired to respond to him and so she shoved his comment aside and went on with what she was saying.
"As I was saying before I got rudely interrupted, this woman could be our prime suspect. She has been admitted into an institution for the mentally unstable after she was arrested for killing her parents. She pleaded insanity and was found guilty but not liable. Her connection with the governor got her out of the institution sooner than expected and I also have pictures of her meeting with the other woman, I believe this is too much to regard it as a coincidence. Victoria is filthy rich and has a lot of connections everywhere, it's how she got off the hook for killing her parents. Would you still like to think that this is a ground of jealousy, Mr PI?"
"That's amazing Ruth. This helps a lot, we could always get the first woman back in our custody for a while and question her some more you know, the FBI don't know what they are doing, I can get news out of her since we have no idea where Victoria St Louis is, this other woman could lead us right to her." Lucas had a sinister grin on his face as he spoke. Elisa knew that look all too well, she had been a victim of his torture before he fell in love with his captive. He needed information she had, she broke in the end, she knew this woman would as well.
"You mean to kidnap a woman and subject her to your dark torturous ways? That's preposterous. I will not stand for this Lucas." The PI was starting to get on everyone's nerves with his pessimistic behavior.
"Listen to me Andrew, with or without your consent, this shit is going to happen. I don't care what means I have to use, I'm telling you that I am going to get Nicholas out of there, if you'd like to back out then you can use the door now." Natalia was quick to express her feelings of dislike for the man's attitude. Azure placed her hand above Natalia's to keep her calm.
"I, however, have a location for the woman you want Luke. She was taken to a building where the no law enforcement agencies in the US can touch her. I have a location and it will be easy to break the security but this is going to be against the law though." James chipped in.
"Good thing we aren't the Law. James, your career is at risk here and so is your family, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes, I'm sure. My wife gave into me working here and my career will always be protected if we do manage to get him out of prison."
"Okay then, very good. We'll have to break in some way and get her out of there. We just have to throw in even a bit of doubt and they'll let him go."
They spoke for some more time and they all left. They agreed to storm into her house and kidnap her but the next day brought a whole new story for them.
The other woman they planned on taking captive was dead and the expected message was present. Azure's suspicion was confirmed, someone inside the circle was a traitor and she knew who it was. She had called in Madame Rose the evening Grey was arrested and Madame Rose gave her some drugs to keep her asleep for a long time without nightmares interfering since Grey wasn't there anymore.
To the traitor, they squashed their plans but to Azure that would be her basis for saying that Grey wasn't the killer, how could he possible kill someone while he was in jail. She quickly called a meeting for all of them to arrive at her house immediately, she would catch the traitor right away and use him to her advantage. She would use him or her to catch the killer and get her boyfriend back.
******
In a few hours all of them were present. When Azure entered smiling, they were all confused. Since the time Nicholas was taken, they hadn't seen a smile on her face, they had to assume it would be good news.
"You seem happy today, is it because of the news?" James was the first to speak up and Azure just chuckled a little while looking in his direction. She got out a brown envelope and dropped it on the table.
"Apparently, the killer contacted me by sending a letter which I won't show to you all because I want my Grey to be the first to see it. I had my suspicions but I chose to ignore it and now I'm going to act on that suspicion since the enemy confirmed it. We have a traitor in our midst and I know who exactly it is."
Her gaze landed on Elisa who was very quick to defend herself.
"What are you saying Ruth? Stop looking at me in such an accusing manner, you know me. I wouldn't do such."
"I did think I knew you Lis, that's why we're going to go inside and talk. I want to know why you would do such a thing to me, to Nicholas. He is your fiance's best friend for crying out loud, you're best friend's brother!"
Lucas got on his feet in a defensive stance in front of Elisa, "Elisa is not that kind of person Ruth, I know we are desperate but you can't go about claiming that everyone is a traitor, continue this way and you'll find yourself alone."
"I know you're shocked Lucas but you need to step away, I need to talk to her alone." Lucas had always been an observant one and he was the only one that saw the pleading in Azure's eyes, saying that she had a plan and that she needed him to stand down for her to execute it.
"Then again, it's not like she has anything to hide, throw her out and I'll leave with her. If she did do it, which she didn't, she would have a good excuse for it." He stepped away, letting Azure have a full view of Elisa who had tears rolling down her eyes. Playing along, Lucas squeezed Elisa's hand before he handed her over to Azure who grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the sitting room leaving everyone, especially Natalia in shock.
"Ruth I swear it, I didn't so it. Believe me! I would ever do that to anyone."
The walls and door of the guest room they were in were sound proof and so, she knew that whatever she and Elisa said in there, no one would hear.
"I know you didn't do it. You can stop crying now Elisa, thank goodness Lucas stepped down else it'd have been hard."
"What do you mean? You don't think I'm the one? Then what was all that about?" She wiped her eyes and sniffed.
"It's Andrew. In that folder, I managed to get James' wife who is good with computers and computer networking to arrange a photo for me. I went to see Grey yesterday and I asked him to explain the back of the killer. He said he saw her back when she was closing shut the door and it'd be impossible for Natalia to be the one who plans against her brother so I had to use you. I'm sorry. What's in there is a picture of you talking to a person who fits the description Grey gave me."
"Oh, thank God. I was so scared and I didn't know where to start explaining how I had nothing to do with anything. "In her sigh of relief, she sat on the bed. A hand on her chest. "So, you want Andrew to think that you believe I'm the traitor and then you'd keep him in the group, telling stuff that you want him to know, make him the reason she is caught?"
"Exactly Lis. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you earlier. You have to keep crying though, when I storm out of here, I'm going to demand that you stay far away from us. I know Lucas, he will doubt that picture and say that until I had proof that the woman you spoke to was indeed a murderer, I had to keep you in the group, even though far away. That's why I'm telling you all of this, so that you don't miss anything on what I'll say to them. I'll say some fake stuff and then ask James and Andrew to leave, saying I want to speak to my family alone. Then we can all say what we mean to. I saw that Andrew planted a bug on the lamp and so whatever we say in the sitting room, it has to be what we want him to know. We can't let him know that we are aware that he is the traitor. And with regards to the lead of that certain Victoria St Louis. I'm so sure she is the one and I'll get James' wife to track her down."
"You're so amazing. Nick must be so proud of you right now."
"I just want him out of jail and in my arms and I'd do anything to hold him once again."
***
Everything happened according to Azure's plan, Andrew caught not a whiff of what was going on and before they left, Azure and James expressed their desire to go and pick Grey up before the FBI transferred him to another federal prison knowing that, that was what Andrew was going to ask of the police. They just felt like playing with him a while because they knew for sure that it would be impossible to transfer him when it is seemingly clear that he had not committed any crime.
The remaining five went inside the sound proof room and discussed their plans in catching the woman. She told them all that she previously told Lis and decided to be the one to give Grey all the updates when he returned.
By the next day, she would have him in her arms and she told herself that there was no way that she would let him out of her sight.