Chapter One

Otsana

It had been a long ass day, tying up loose ends on a housing scheme fraud case that me and my team had spent months investigating. As was usual, we'd uncovered despicable, unethical practices with four scumbags caring nothing about defrauding the innocent public. The victims were people that had worked hard for years and saved every dime they could to buy their dream home, only to have that dream shattered into tiny pieces by someone who cared nothing for them and only for their money. Every penny they had stolen had been squandered on the thieves lavish lifestyles.

Over the past year we had painstakingly pieced evidence together, dotting every ‘i' and crossing every ‘t' to ensure we built a solid case for the prosecution that even the best lawyers in the country would not be able to successfully defend. The criminals were all currently being held on no bail, and I expected the three men, and one woman would be spending a very long time in prison. If by some miracle they were released back onto the streets, our pack, known by those in our inner circle as The Revengers, would be waiting. One way or another they would answer for the lives they had crushed and would never defraud anyone else.

I punched in the final details and sent the email off to the Department of Public Prosecution who had scheduled the four court cases. All would be dealt with separately which I had been disappointed to hear. From experience, the jury was always more affected when a group of criminals were held up before them. Still, I had to trust the department knew what they were doing. Now the case was done, I looked forward to some down time before the next one crossed my desk.

My boss—Captain Landon Sajan, a twenty-six-year veteran of the Langer Falls City Police Force, with most of it in the corporate fraud squad, dropped a thick folder onto my desk, startling me from my thoughts of a few days to myself. The folder landed with a soft thud and sent dust motes dancing in the air. I turned away from the computer screen and gazed up into his face.

Landon had been happily married for twenty years and they had three teenage sons. The eldest had recently joined the force and was doing well at the academy, or so Landon insisted proudly. Landon had been hopeful his son would follow in his footsteps, but Zucan had chosen to commence on the path toward being a part of the drug squad.

Landon was a good boss, a details man who could see inconsistencies others missed and he contributed a great deal to our team even though his days were spent behind a desk while I was in charge of the rest of the team who were boots on the streets. Or backsides on seats studying computer information.

Landon sat in a chair on the other side of my desk, and I pulled the folder closer, flipping it open.

"Team!" Landon called and everyone immediately hustled from their desks to where we sat.

Our group, an undercover plain clothes team, consisted of Detective Investigators Hunter Pryor and Elouise Harm, who had been on the force for two decades as I had. Detective Investigators Ophelia Gibbs, Ishaan Kane, and Declan Jones had been with us for fourteen, eleven, and seven years, respectively. They were well trained, astute, and could be trusted without doubt. They all looked at Landon expectantly.

Landon tapped the open folder. "Worlds Apart, an electronics company based here in the city, has been flagged by authorities and handed over to this team for investigation. Xavier Bennett formed the business, now an international corporation, straight out of school twenty years ago. He had come up with the idea to develop some kind of electronic gizmo to help blind people feel their surroundings through their hands or something I don't understand since I'm not a tech guru. Demand sent the business into the stratosphere and made him a very wealthy man."

Landon paused to rake his eyes over everyone who appeared fascinated with what he was saying.

"Inside the folder is over fifteen years of corporate history which shows some suspicious activity. The latest is happening at the moment and is what caused them to be flagged. For the record, I do not believe Bennett, or his partner, Groves, are in anyway involved but I'll leave it for you to decide. Detective Inspector Brooks will fill you in on details of the case. This one will involve mainly computer research, hacking into spaces where you shouldn't be, so it goes without saying, if you suspect at any time that you have been made, get out. In the past two years, two men and one woman from the corporation have disappeared unexpectedly and be found dead from gunshot wounds. I want someone on the inside who can handle themselves but not a team member, Otsana. Use one of your contacts."

I nodded in agreement. I had one of our pack in mind, who I'd brought in before, and she would be perfect for this job. But until I knew more, I wouldn't know for certain.

"I'll go over the file and make a decision on who would be best suited, but I have someone in mind."

"Sort this out, it's gone on long enough and Keith over at securities wants answers." Landon slapped the desk, got to his feet, and returned to his office.

"Gather round," I instructed, and the others pulled chairs up to my desk and sat. They would be interested to find out what was in the file as was I.

Once they were settled, I turned my attention to the open folder. I took a photo from the top and placed it on the desk where everyone could see it clearly.

The image was of a man, showing him from the waist up. Royal blue eyes fixed a piercing stare at the camera and the scowl on his face had me thinking he regarded it as his worst enemy. He wore a gray suit, white shirt, and maroon tie. His dark hair, slightly gray at the temples, didn't dare to lie out of place. Frown lies creased his forehead and the corners of both eyes. Instinct told me they weren't lines caused by laughter, he was much too serious. There was an enigmatic air about him, and the image seemed to draw me in as if it were alive. Warmth pooled in my groin, and I reared back slightly in shock.

"You okay, Boss?" Elouise asked with concern.

I shook my head. "I think the captain is right…Xavier Bennett isn't involved and I'm sure he has no idea what is going on beneath his nose."

"Instinct?" Declan asked.

I nodded. None of the team were aware of my unique abilities and I intended keeping it that way.

"Right, let's get back to business." I shuffled papers around and read them over quickly before speaking again.

"As the captain said, Bennett started his business straight from school with money left to him by his grandfather for the most part. He had an idea for an electronic device to be fitted to the cane of blind people. Indigo enabled them to ‘feel' through their fingertips."

"Pretty cool," Hunter grinned.

"At first there was only Bennett and his best friend, who he appointed general manager—Cillian Groves. Bennett is the gadget brains while Groves takes care of marketing and does the leg work. The device generated a lot of interest, and they sold like hotcakes. Both men became instant multi-millionaires. Bennett gave Groves forty percent of the business when they first started. They both attended Cromer Grammar School in Baringa."

Baringa was an outlying suburb of Langer Falls.

Ishaan let out a low whistle. "You need serious brains and money to be accepted there. What did their parents do for a living? I can tell you, they couldn't afford that school for their kids on a cop's pay."

We all laughed although Ishaan spoke the truth.

"Bennett's father was a politician, Senator Owen Bennett. He and his wife, Krylee, retired to Florida two years ago. Bennett was an only child."

"Wait…Is Xavier the grandson of Wilfred Bennett, a past vice president?" Ophelia asked.

I nodded. "One and the same. Apparently Bennett has a brilliant mind for electronics with no interest in following the family legacy and entering politicians. Their thinking is ‘worlds apart' which is where the company name came from. He always had an interest in electronics and wanted to develop gadgets to help those who were disabled. According to an article in The Langer Falls Herald, who ran an article on him being one of the youngest and most successful business owners in the United States, he was determined to make his own success."

"What about Groves?" Declan inquired.

"He's interesting…Groves initially grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. At the age of twelve, he found himself in the system after his father murdered his mother and two sisters. The father went to prison for life and died in a prison fight three years ago. The family Groves went to live with recognized he was highly intelligent and although they were comfortably off, they weren't able to afford somewhere like Cromer, but they were determined to give the boy a chance in life after having suffered so much and applied to have him tested by the Cromer entrance committee. He passed all subjects with an average of ninety-eight percent and was offered a full scholarship. That scholarship included uniforms, books, excursions, everything for the remaining six years of his education. According to initial investigations, the boys struck up a friendship almost immediately and it has endured to this day."

The team scribbled a few things I'd said in their small notebooks but so far I hadn't said anything referring to a crime.

"Neither man is married." Knowing that piece of information about Bennett gave me a great deal of satisfaction but I was puzzled about the reason why, set it aside to consider later, and moved things along.

"Groves is known to have spent time with Maria Aladrotti during the past week…interesting."

The Aladrotti family were a mafia crime gang and to date, the serious crime squad hadn't been able to gather enough evidence to put them away. The fact a number of witnesses had disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again, hadn't made their job easy.

"Why would Groves associate with the daughter of a mafia family knowing it could have serious ramifications for his best friend's company?" I mused.

"If there is crime connected with the company, Groves is beginning to look like a prime suspect," Ophelia stated.

"I agree," Hunter nodded.

I wasn't convinced and trusted Landon when he said Groves wasn't involved. "Moving on…According to this outline, a device women can clip on their clothing that emits a siren type sound, and immediately connects with 911 when the end is tugged on, was released almost ten years ago and is when things started to change as far as the company was concerned."

"The Matilda Personal Alarm," Elouise informed.

"That's right. The interest of officials was snagged when the company's stock shot up by six percent, thirty days before the product was due to hit the market. One week after Matilda's release, the stock was sold off and those involved made a fortune."

"That's not unusual," Ishaan argued. "When companies announce something new and in this case, innovative, their stocks always rise and then fall after release when there is sell off. It's what speculators do; they are constantly watching the market."

"You're right but in this case, it was five days after the stock spiked before the company put out a formal release date for Matilda."

"Insider trading. My money's on Groves, especially knowing his connection with the mafia family," Declan said pointedly.

I shook my head. "Why? What reason could he have to betray his best friend and jeopardize his position at the company? It doesn't make sense, but then, it's not the first time something in a case doesn't add up and it won't be the last. It doesn't matter how many years' experience I have in this job, or how many cases I work, there is always a curve ball."

We spent the next hour discussing some of the idiosyncrasies of executive staff at the company until the late hour demanded we call it a day.

Ophelia and Declan ran off copies of everything in the file for each member to study before we met again the following morning and they left to head home.

After the team left, I did one final check of my email before turning off the computer, and grabbing my folder, purse, and car keys. I crossed the squad room and poked my head into Landon's office. He was seated at his desk, a deep frown on his face, his eyes fixed on the computer screen. When he sensed I was there, he waved me inside.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"I hope not, but not sure yet."

Landon's cryptic answer had me frowning. "Okay. I'm heading home, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Have a good night. Thanks for your hard work on the Fitcher case."

I nodded and left the station, climbed into my car, and started on the ten-minute drive home. My skin was crawling with anxiety and when I peered up at the sky, it was to see the expected full moon.