Theories

Graceona

I looked at Charmaine as she wiped the sweat from her brow. She then stroked Nicolae's hair, kissing his forehead. "See Charmaine, you are important to all of us."

She looked at me with a smile, "Thanks, Grace."

"I've never seen a wounded person so clean, what's the verdict?"

She looked at me, "I found some spots he didn't take well with me touching, his left arm and right leg and ankle, his body banged up and bruised but nothing too serious, despite what you say he'll be fine with a little rest and TLC"

"Not a bad verdict, let's get him to his house." I walked past her getting into the driver's seat, Charmaine got in the backseat as we drove off. "So Charmaine, why did you leave New York? Did Nicolae have anything to do with your decision?"

The girl chuckled," He didn't make me leave New York my boss thought I was too inexperienced to have the spot, if you ask me I thought it had everything to do with my gender, he was a bit of a sexist old man."

"Oh, one of those old farts, yeah. Lets his opinion of women cloud his better judgment. Age and power can be a bit cruel."

She sighed, "It had nothing to do with his age, he was just a controlling dictator of a surgeon."

I sighed, "So Nicolae just came and took you out of that."

" Pretty much, I had gotten fired and was crying over a cup of coffee at the cafe, and Nicolae was in the cafe that day and we talked," I could hear her smile, "It was love at first sight, we had our first date at the cafe, then he had asked if I knew how to cook. I was his personal chef for a while it was Valentine's Day that he had asked me to be his girlfriend. The best Valentine's Day I had ever had." I smiled, " Aria will be born in a couple of months."

"Aria." I heard as Nicolae said, "My little Aria. My beautiful princess, having another beautiful princess."

"Dude, how long have you been listening, you sneak?" I heard Charmaine laugh.

"Awhile."

Charmaine

I looked at Nicolae with a smile, stroking his jaw bone he smiled moving the hair from my face, " How are you feeling?"

"Sore, but fine."

"I bet, you have a couple of broken bones."

"Is my back broken? It's hurts lying down."

"Your back probably is sore. They hit you from behind, then you collided with a building upon impact." Graceona handed me her phone, I showed it to Nicolae he sighed.

"Alicia, not you too."

I gave Graceona her phone, " I'm sorry."

He looked at me placing a hand on my face, " You're the only thing that matters to me now, you and Aria are my life now."

I smiled, "You hungry, I brought some turkey subs from home."

"Did you make them?"

"I did."

"I am feeling hungry, did you bring?"

"I brought the watermelon water you like."

He smiled, " You spoil me, darling." I watched as sat up with a struggle, I looked at him he smiled, "I'm fine."

I grabbed the lunch box at my feet, putting it on my lap, unzipping it, handing a sub to Nicolae and a travel mug of ice-cold watermelon water. He took them gladly and ate.

"I take it you haven't been eating much, have you Nicolae." I heard Grace say from upfront.

He sighed, "No, not delicious food. Microwave dinners are horrible."

"Is this why you moved out, to protect Aria and me?"

He looked at me, "Yes, it's me that Jay is after. I would not risk you and Aria getting hurt or worse, I'm probably going to go to Leonard's bank in the morning, meet up with him then have you and Annette hide-out in the mansion, we'll probably stay in the apartment until all of this done."

I sighed, "Please come back home, I miss you, and now that I know what is going on I'm going to worry myself sick. Can't we all just stay in the mansion?"

He looked at me then at the meal in his hands, "I don't know Charmaine, I don't want to risk you and Aria getting involved."

"I think it will be alright, Nicolae. You'll have me and Leonard with you and if it gets too crazy, I will be there and can take the girls to safety, I'll watch them like a hawk. You have my word." Grace said from the front seat.

Nicolae sighed once more, "Fine, but if you think for a moment that danger is coming, you take Charmaine and Annette and get them to safety. Got it?"

"Sounds reasonable."

Nicolae continued his meal as we headed towards the mansion.

Leonard

I looked at Annette, who was sitting and watching television, but I could tell her mind wasn't in the movie, "Is something wrong?" She looked at me, shaking her head.

"Leonard, if you believe they murdered your mother. What kind of family did you have? Should I worry about your safety and mine?"

I sighed, "My family was normal. After our father disappeared, our mother got involved with many men, hardly any that would end in murder. That's what I try to tell myself, I want to tell myself that Nicolae is wrong and that it wasn't murder, but a suicide. But, my mind won't register it no matter how many times I try to convince myself of it, my brain isn't believing it. No matter how much I want to believe it was suicide, Nicolae wouldn't claim false information."

She took a sip of champagne, "You know deep down that your brother is right." She sighed placing her glass on the small table turning the small television off, "Is this event the reason you moved from New York to Nantucket?"

I looked at her, "Nantucket was my mother's favorite place, I did it as a memorial to her."

Annette sighed, "Maybe your brother is right, Leonard. Out of loneliness, your mother was seeking comfort, there isn't a crime in wanting company. Maybe there is another reason to murder. If an affair is what you believe got her killed, there has to be more to it than sharing sheets. There has to be a reason for a man to murder on his mistress." She stopped and swallowed hard as I looked at her, "Either he wanted to hide the affair from his wife, or there was a child involved."

I looked at her leaning back in my seat, "That's your theory then, huh?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "It's only a theory." I sighed, looking out the window, "If the man didn't do it, he probably paid someone else to do his dirty work, to keep his hands clean. But we won't know until tomorrow. Try not to worry about it too much. Theories are wrong more times than they are right. Maybe I'm worrying too much."

I looked out the window.