CHAPTER NINETEEN

Not wanting to be separated from their daughter again, the St. Valarys traveled with them back to England and took a suite at the castle. For Daphne, it was a chance to find out who she really was and where she'd come from. There was an instant connection with them that made her feel whole, where she'd only been half a woman before.

Brix could not have been happier for her. He watched from a distance as they laughed by the fireplace, looking at old photos. His heart nearly burst as she spoke of their wedding and home in Louisiana. His wife was happy. But she also wasn't out of danger. Not yet.

"Brix?" whispered his father with a head jerk. "We've got AJ on the line. You need to hear this."

Brix followed his father into the other room, leaving the women with his new in-laws and Daphne.

"AJ? He's here. Go ahead."

"Remember, I'm just the messenger. Kian Yeboah was eight when her father was killed. Those images are rather, uh, gruesome, by the way."

"That bastard had his men rape and murder hundreds of young girls. He stole boys for his war, and if they couldn't keep up, he mutilated them. He deserved more than what we gave him."

"No arguments from me. When he was murdered, his wife was taken as the fourth wife of his second-in-command. He was worse than Asante. He made Kian his fifth wife at the age of ten."

"Dear God," muttered Tiger.

"Her mother gave no fight, didn't argue. She bore six more children for the man, and then one day, her oldest child disappeared. She was blamed for this and was given to his men to do with as they wished. You don't need to hear the gory details after that.

"A passport for Kian Yeboah was scanned coming into England but never leaving. Later, a woman matching her description claimed that her information had been stolen, and she needed new documents. She received them under the name Deirdre Yeboah. You have to remember that this was pre-911. They weren't checking things like we do now."

" For fuck's sake," muttered Brix. "They let the daughter of one of the most notorious terrorists into their country. Did she still have ties to those back in Ghana?"

" I don't see why she would. She was wanted and would have been tortured and murdered if she returned. You guys know how this works. The women in these countries that are caught up in this have nothing. They have no way out, no options, no money, no education. If Deirdre, or Kian, saw this as her opportunity to have all the things she was denied, I can only imagine she was willing to do whatever was needed."

"What about education, AJ? Did she attend school?" asked Brix.

" That's just it. I can't find any records of her attending school, but thanks to old record systems, she had a library card for four different libraries in London, and she used them every day. I think she was self-educating and creating an image around herself.

"Two books that were checked out were about the elite families in England, both past and present at the time. I think she found the man she wanted and targeted him."

"Okay. Okay, that answers that part of the mystery. But why have Daphne marry that asshole Marshall? Why kill the sister?"

"I don't have proof yet, but I have a theory. Both girls were only children. When their parents died, they would be set to inherit everything. The Neudstroms are still relatively young. In their early fifties. We're talking millions of dollars. I think Deirdre was hoping that she could make something happen. If the parents were gone, the girls would inherit. She would simply show up and say, ‘look who I have,' prove their ancestry, and collect."

" Let me guess. Then Daphne would have a terrible accident, and her husband or mother would inherit it all." Brix pushed his hand through his thick, dark hair. "What a twisted fucking tale. I think we need to push Marshall. He's weak, pathetic, and obviously in need of money."

"Uh, guys? We just got word that an ambulance and police cars are on the way to Bishop Manor. Where is Lord Bishop?"

"Oh, shit."

They all stood back, allowing the police and paramedics to do their jobs. But when it was done, Lord Bishop was dead from an apparent heart attack. The grieving widow was sobbing on the steps, dabbing her imaginary tears with her handkerchief.

"Why is she here? Lord Bishop kicked her ass out," said Sebastian.

Zulu nodded, walking toward the detective and introducing himself. He seemed shocked by what the big man said and turned, pointing at Deirdre.

"Lady Bishop, you didn't tell us that you and your husband were getting divorced," said the officer.

"Wh-what? No. That's foolish. This man doesn't know anything!"

"Lady Bishop, I was one of a dozen people standing around as your husband asked you to leave this home. Why were you here?" asked Zulu.

"This man has no right to ask me anything!" she said in a demanding tone.

"You're right. But I do. Why were you here?"

"I-I was just gathering my belongings. That's all. Lord Bishop began having terrible chest pains, and that's when I called the ambulance."

"The cameras," said Zulu. Lady Bishop's eyes went wide as he stormed toward the house. She tried to pull him back, but Zulu simply shrugged her off like a flea. When he found the security room, he found the cameras intact. "This should tell us what we need to know."

With Lady Bishop anxiously standing behind the men, they went about the task of reviewing the security cameras for the last two hours.

After an hour of looking at the tapes, it was disturbing to see that Lady Bishop had fixed a drink for her husband, dropping something into the liquor. She then waited, and when he clutched his chest, she paced around him, speaking in an animated fashion. She didn't call for help until she was certain he was dead.

"We'll place her under arrest, sir," said the officer. But when they turned, Lady Bishop was nowhere to be found.

"They've put out a warrant for her arrest, and a reward has been set. Your father's attorneys will want to speak with you, Daphne," said Zulu.

"Of course," she nodded, wiping her eyes. "He was a good father. He gave me every opportunity and always took up for me with Mother. He rescued me from Marshall, not her. He allowed me to live in London, not her. I should have seen this."

"Babe, you can't see evil when you don't really know what it looks like. She was your mother, and that's what you thought. Nothing more. Nothing less. We'll find her. Before we leave this country, we'll find her."