Shadows of the Past ( Part 2)

Chapter 1

Maeve and Michael returned to New York Tuesday afternoon, and Michael stayed at Maeve's apartment overnight. During the evening, while she was preparing a meal, he was relaxing in the lounge, and leaning back in the sofa, with his hands behind his head, he thought about the last few days.

He had proposed to Maeve unexpectedly on Sunday, so had no ring to place on her finger at the time, and he wanted to rectify this straight away - he would take her shopping the next morning. He loved Maeve dearly, and had been happy to go along as they were for a while, but seeing Horatio and Aileen so happy in their married life, had given him the push to take matters further. They would have a lot to discuss and think about over the next few weeks. Like when they would get married and where they would live, in her apartment or his. He liked her larger apartment better than his, so maybe that would be an easy decision, or would he accept the job of prosecutor for the MDPD that James Burton had offered to him on Sunday, and thus move to Miami? He had not said a word about that to Maeve yet, he was too unsure of his own feelings for now. He thought Maeve would be happy to go to Miami, Aileen being her best friend. Maybe not though, she loved her job - working from home for a publishing company. While tempted by the offer, he felt like he would be letting John down, who had been a big help to him many times, and he was a good friend as was Sharon. Life had suddenly become complicated. Then he had a few private cases he needed to finish. The more he thought about it, the more he was beginning to think it was not such a good idea. Anyway, first things first, his top priority was to get an engagement ring for Maeve.

He also wanted to go to his office the next day, which adjoined John's office. He didn't go in every day, and neither did John. It all depended on what they were independently working on. He just handled private cases these days, but he found it useful being alongside John as he occasionally did some surveillance work for him, and he needed to discuss something with him urgently now he was back in New York.

After they had eaten, he told Maeve he was taking her downtown the next morning to choose a ring. He knew she would probably say, "I do not want anything expensive," because this was Maeve, and he was right, she did, but he was determined she should have something nice. Equally, he understood it had to be her choice at the end of the day, but he really wanted her to have something special, he could well afford it, but knew he might have a battle on his hands.

Early Wednesday morning, he took her to the diamond center of Manhattan, and once he had found a place to park, they looked in the windows of a couple of jewellers, but Maeve won the day there insisting they were too expensive to even open the doors, but they did venture in De Beers jewellers at 703 5th Avenue. Michael left her to wander around looking on her own for a bit, and while she did so, he wandered over to look at some show cases on the other side of the showroom where the more expensive rings were displayed, and he spotted a ring he really liked. As he was looking, Maeve called him over and said, "I like this one Michael." She had chosen a single solitaire diamond with a price tag of $500. He thought it was a nice ring; she had good taste in design but having seen the other more expensive ring, which was also a diamond solitaire, of a far superior quality, he took her over to the showcase he had been looking at, and smiling at her said, "As you like solitaires, how about this one?"

Maeve gasped, the ring was gorgeous, but seeing the price tag she instantly said, "Michael it is beautiful but way too expensive. I don't want you spending that sort of money."

"Forget the price, and please me by at least trying it on," said Michael as he beckoned the sales assistant to come over.

"Good choice if I may so," said the assistant, as he removed the ring and passed it to Michael to slide on Maeve's engagement ring finger. It was a perfect fit, and looked as if it belonged there and especially made for her. It was an 18K white gold ring consisting of a sparkling 75-carat centre diamond in four prongs, accompanied on either side by four diamonds, in keeping with the body size of the ring, beautiful in its simplicity and expensive. The price tag was $6000.

The assistant left them for a few minutes to give them some privacy.

"Michael this is absolutely exquisite, but..."

"No buts, if you like it - it is yours," Michael responded, taking her hands in his. "I love you Maeve. I waited a long time for someone like you to come into my life. Please give me this opportunity to give you something you really like."

Maeve seeing the love in his eyes relented, and stroking his face she said, "Thank you, I accept this beautiful ring with the love I know it is being given. I love you very much Michael." Then she kissed him on the mouth, and Michael gave her a shy smile. He could be an emotional man at times, but was a bit shy at public displays of affection.

The sales assistant returned when he realised they had made a decision about the ring, and Michael said, "We will take this one please."

The assistant asked if they wanted the ring returned to its presentation box, but Maeve smiling said, "No thank you, I don't want to take this beauty off my finger."

Michael settled the bill, and then with his right arm around Maeve's shoulders they left the store, and went for a quick lunch at a nearby restaurant, before moving on to his office. He told Maeve that he needed to check his mail and to discuss something work related with John.

When they arrived, John was in his office as was Sharon; she worked mainly for John these days, but also still worked for Michael when he needed some office assistance.

Seeing them arrive, John came out of his office, followed by Sharon, and greeted them asking them if they had had a good day with Aileen and Horatio on Monday.

Michael responded, "We had a wonderful day with them. Horatio had to work, but we enjoyed our time with Aileen through the day, and he joined us in the evening, and Horatio was on top form."

"John and Sharon, we have something to tell you."

They both looked at him quizzically.

"Maeve and I are engaged to be married. I plucked up the nerve at the party on Sunday to propose, and I am a lucky man because she said YES."

"We told Aileen and Horatio on Monday."

John grinned all over his face, but Sharon shrieked, "Oh my god - this is wonderful, and about time too Michael."

Then Maeve showed them her ring, and explained that Michael had taken her to buy it just a few hours ago.

Sharon admiring the ring said, "This is so beautiful. You have good taste Maeve."

"Michael chose it Sharon. It is simply gorgeous, and I love it and him," she said as she looked at Michael with fondness.

Michael smiled shyly and blushed.

John and Sharon then hugged them both and offered their congratulations.

"This calls for a celebration drink, but I can only offer a coffee, at the moment, how pathetic," said Sharon, shrugging her shoulders.

Michael smiled. "Coffee will be most acceptable."

After drinking their coffees, Michael and Maeve moved into his office, where he read his mail, and then he wandered back into John's office on his own, and asked, "John can you spare some time to talk about a case I need some help with?"

"Sure Michael," and turning to Sharon John said. "Why don't you go and join Maeve for a while."

So Sharon left, happy enough to do so, she and Maeve could have a good chat about recent events.

Michael closed the door and sat on the window ledge, looking at John sitting behind his desk.

"John, before I ask you for some help, and this is in absolute confidence, I want to tell you that what we suspected about Horatio is true. I asked him a few questions about his life as it is now, and he was very happy and chatty, and he said that all he had ever wanted was a happy family life and he had that now."

Then he startled me, by saying in his own words, "Do you know Michael - I didn't have a happy family life as a kid, and was envious of kids who did. There was not much love in mine or Raymond's life, my father was a violent bastard, and we and our mother felt his fists and belt more times than I care to remember, and I so wanted to be part of a happy loving family."

"I apologised for not having noticed anything during the early years, and do you know what he said?"

"No worries, I didn't want anyone to know. I was too ashamed."

"Christ John, how sad is that?"

"Can you believe it, he felt ashamed, poor sod; He had nothing to be ashamed about."

"That is truly terrible Michael - I feel really bad I didn't notice anything. Was he okay after that?"

"He was fine. I believe that for the first time in his life he is now able to talk about things that have haunted him from his past, which we knew little of with certainty until recently, and that is surely down to being able to talk to Aileen. She has been good for him and he told me she is so good at listening to him."

"Yeah, Sharon and I got that impression when we were with them in June."

"Then of course, as we told you back in June we suspected he had spoken to Kyle about something in his past while we were there. That has to be good he is talking now."

"Thanks for telling me Michael."

Michael standing up then moved across the office and sat in a chair on the opposite side of John's desk saying, "Okay let me get down to business now."

"John, late in the day before I went to Miami, an old trustworthy ex colleague of mine, Trevor Carson, from the State Attorney's Office, met up with me to ask a favor. He asked me if I could do some investigation work for him, on one of his prosecution cases as he is has an overload of casework. He knows I use you from time to time, and is more than willing to pay our fees if we can help."

Michael paused for a moment and then continued - "Apparently, a felon by the name of Jacob Grainger, age twenty-six, has been caught red handed in selling drugs, and has been arrested and charged for dealing. He has a rich daddy, who has employed a good defense lawyer for him, but the defense do not have a case, and they know that, so the lawyer has suggested his client would like to cut a deal to lighten his sentence. According to his lawyer, Grainger has some knowledge about a drugs shipment that will be on the way to Miami in about three week's time, and he can give the name of a main player. However, after speaking to Grainger, Trevor has decided, that despite getting the name of this so-called main player, he is not ready to ask the District Attorney, Jordan King, if he can cut a deal, without obtaining more information. He suspects Grainger is not telling all he knows, and that he is testing the waters by giving up scant information at this stage. Trevor wants more before he agrees to anything, so he is playing cat and mouse with Grainger for now."

"He hates drug dealers as we do, and is reluctant to cut a deal unless it is something big going down. The case is not going to court for a month, so Trevor has time for some investigative work to be done. He wants something stronger from Grainger, but Grainger is insisting that on giving up a name he has possibly put his life in danger, and fears he will not be able to hack it in prison, which is why he is keen to cut a deal."

"Maybe the name is all he will ever cough up Michael, especially as he fears for his life."

"I agree with you John, but Trevor has a hunch there is more he could tell him, and is fed up with cutting deals with drug dealers, who at the end of the day give up insufficient information to catch the bigger fish. He has just a name for now which means nothing to him at all. His team are just too busy at the moment to dig around, which is why he has asked us for help."

"Has Grainger got bail?"

"Yes. Rich daddy posted," said Michael with a grimace. "But, we understand he has hired protection for his son as a precaution. So he is clearly worried."

"Okay Michael, as this is urgent, I'll start asking my contacts some questions straight away."

"Have you got the time John?"

"Yes, as it happens. I have just finished a couple of jobs. And always willing to find time to help you anyway."

"So Michael, what is the guy's name - do we have a description of him?"

"Just a name – It's..."

TBC