06

“Greg…” started Alex and stopped his sentence midway when his friend lifted a hand in his direction.

“You don’t need to justify yourself. I’m not saying that she is the culprit but until another clue has been found, we…,” he faltered as Bryan joined them and Alex turned behind to see who had just arrived.

“It’s okay,” Alex gruffly said. “He’s part of the family.”

Gregory must have remembered that Bryan was the son-in-law because he nodded immediately and went on. “Like I was saying, until we find a concrete proof, Kate is the prime suspect. And the fact that Mr. Bigfoot was the ex-fiancé is not helping at all.”

“What is that supposed to mean ?” asked Bryan angrily.

Aidan could hardly utter a word as shock had taken control over his mind. The insinuations of the police officer were deep and he knew that Gregory Kyle would not be lying to them. So, he reigned in whatever protests his heart was making in order to better assimilate what was happening. What was the point anyway ? Kate was missing and even if she was suspected as the murderer, the police could not arrest her.

“Well, the main scenario is that Bigfoot had tried something rash with your daughter to avenge himself and she had tried to defend herself. And has unpremeditatedly stabbed him to protect herself.”

“But Edward was very friendly with us even if the marriage was cancelled. He never held a grudge and Kate had reimbursed him every penny he had spent for the ceremony,” Aidan was quick to offer as information.

Gregory shrugged. “I could also be completely wrong. Or maybe Bigfoot had been acting all that time and waiting for the appropriate moment to avenge his humiliation,” observed the police officer shrewdly and Aidan was baffled.

Was that possible ? Was it possible for someone to behave normally when he had so much hatred in his heart ? Aidan was no longer sure about what had happened anymore. It was like an intrigue and the more they tried to think about it, the more possibilities were coming up. But he was not ready to accept that Kate was a killer. Not even in self-defense.

“But what is not making sense in that theory is where did she get a knife during the heated argument ?” he speculated ready to defend his love until he had no concrete proof.

“Exactly !” defended Alex who seemed unwilling to believe that his daughter was the culprit. “And Kate would not hurt anyone. She cannot be a murderer no matter how petty I sound,” he protested and his friend patted his back.

“I know how it feels. I will try my best to find out what happened. Don’t worry. For the time being, I’ve sent my squad looking for her at every hospitals or the nearby terminals. I will give you a report before the end of the day,” he consoled the suddenly tired looking father.

Hospitals ? Damn how could they have overseen that fact ? Of course she might be wounded and had landed in some hospital for treatment. Aidan mentally slapped himself for not thinking about that possibility.

“And let’s hope that Kate gets back home soon,” Gregory added and Aidan read his double meaning. It meant that if Kate had only run because she was afraid of what had happened, she would be back soon. But if she stayed away for too long, it meant that their theory was well-founded. That she was the killer.

Hell ! What a mess ! Was he right ? Had Edward tried anything before the ceremony and Kate had defended herself. But why would Kate kill him ? It did not make any sense. She could have cried out for help. But maybe she had and no one had heard her because they had been busy with the wedding preparations. And she had been left with no other choice.

But to kill ? That was presumptuous. Why would she kill him if he had made advances towards her ? Had he tried to rape her ? Rage surged through him instantly at the mere thought but he kept his temper in check as there were other more important things to deal with.

“Please let us know as soon as you find out anything,” intervened Bryan seeing that his father-in-law was getting depressed. “Here, take my card,” he offered the officer his business card and the latter dutifully took it.

“Couldn’t someone else have barged into the house for robbery or something ?” asked Ryce speaking for the first time since the dead body has been discovered.

Gregory nodded in answer to his question. “We have not eliminated that possibility. It could also be that Kate had nothing to do with the murder and has been kidnapped. But we have to get a ransom call before being able to move forward with this case. For the time being, Kate is considered as the prime suspect since her ex fiancé was killed.”

“I’m sorry. It’s hard to accept that Kate could have killed somebody. And Aidan had said, where would she find a knife if ever Bigfoot had been trying to rape her or something ?” Ryce mused and even the officer seemed to agree.

“You’re right. But if she is not the culprit, she will try to contact someone soon,” he said looking in Aidan’s directions. “She might ask for help and explain what had actually happened. Please inform us if you find anything,” he implied and Aidan nodded his head in acquiescence.

Gregory was not the enemy here ; he was trying to help. And if Kate was terrified of someone, she would contact him for sure. For he knew Kate trusted him more than she trusted herself. Then he pondered over the fact that the police officer had emphasized on the words “if she is not the culprit”.

Which meant that otherwise, she would stay away from home because she might be incriminated. And Aidan found himself wishing that he would have some news of her soon. It was not that he was doubting Kate ; he was damned sure that she had not committed the murder. But if it meant absolving her from any crime, it would be better if she came back. As soon as possible.

Things happened in a trance after that. The police blocked the west wing and nobody was allowed in. They were asked to leave the premises the next day and Alex cooperated without any further ado. Gregory was a good man, he would help them as much as he could.

Caitlin was very affected by the turn of the events and they had to call in the doctor to look after her. Judith was trying to take the news with a courageous affront and whatever doubt Aidan had in her regard had disappeared. Judith Thornton was a pain in the ass but not someone vile. He could vouch for that fact with his life.

Jen and Jude were shell shocked and were trying to be strong for everyone else since they could not afford to break down. As for Jade, Aidan discovered that she had regained consciousness and had her color back in her face. But she was still trembling and nervous whenever approached. The doctor had prescribed her some pills to calm down her nerves . His mother was hysterical and beyond consolation.

“Oh Aidan !” she cried while everybody was trying to talk at the same time with the latest news being fed to them by Alex. “How could this happen ?” she moaned and Aidan consoled her.

“Don’t worry, mom. We’ll find her, I promise. Wherever she is, I promise I will find her out and take care of her.”

“I hope so. I can’t imagine in what state she must be,” whispered Judith in a stricken voice and Alex hugged her immediately. And Aidan felt a void in his heart at the couple in front of him. How he missed feeling his beloved Kate’s arms around him. How he missed her lovely face. How he missed her smile and sultry looks.

Sighing, he closed his eyes to block the vision and hugged his mother instead who wiped her tears and promptly hugged him back.

“I cannot believe that the police is suspecting Kate,” added Caitlin in a small voice. “I mean everybody knows how kind-hearted she was,” she said lifting her eyes to her husband for some support.

The latter nodded to her and explained that it was only an assumption due to lack of evidence. The police had not confirmed anything yet and would eventually get back to them. And they did. Faster than he had imagined.

Late in the afternoon when everybody was busy packing, Gregory phoned to announce that they had found a wounded girl in a hospital and wanted them to come over to identify her. Apparently, the victim was badly hurt and her face could hardly be recognized.

Everybody tensed at the news and Alex asked the women to stay back and they would go to the police station to identify the body. But Caitlin was adamant ; she wanted to come along and Alex finally gave in. Fear gripped Aidan as he imagined Kate looking swollen and hurt but he was also relieved that she was still alive and prayed that it was her.