The Secret Love Scandal

4

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Nothing ever settles too long though, especially in the life of a cop who chooses to become tangled in the DIU.

For several days, the blonde did her own investigating into the case surrounding the Red X Cartel, although benched. And for hours and hours she poured over case files and photos and whatever relating documents there were to support the crimes conducted by those heartless dealers. Names showed up, of course. Familiar names like Mario and Silvio. But by the second week a glint of gold changed the whole chain of events.

After perusing the cast offs; in other words, documents and photos that perhaps seemed irrelevant at the time of the investigation, Samantha discovered a photo that puzzled her. At first, what caught her eye was the presence of a dark haired woman that incredibly resembled no other than Adriana. She was older though, with crow's feet next to each eye and sagging, sallow cheeks. And this mysterious woman was standing around the table entertaining familiar faces of drug dealers like: Silvio. Within half an hour, she was waiting impatiently in a barred off room somewhere in the Lincoln Correctional Facility. When Silvio was dragged in, hands and feet shackled, the two of them acknowledged each other.

"If it isn't the Swan that sings," was his greeting. The officer chucked him onto the chair. "You here for why? To make me sing too?"

"Do you remember this woman?" Samantha pressed the photo onto the dusty table before him. "Had to be two years ago. You're right there next to her."

Those bloodshot brown eyes studied the scene and the smile slowly disappeared from his face. Dark hair wild already, Silvio stared in disbelief at the blonde. "You bring her here. Into my life. Even though I curse her grave?" his eyes were bulging now. "I been praying she dies. Demon."

"Who is she?" Samantha leaned over the table and gripped the edges hard enough. "Give me a name, Silvio."

"La reina," was all he whispered. "Cora Mills. She set me up, Swan. She threatened my family. I came here. From Mexico. With my boy and my wife. She gave me easy work. Said it's no big deal. Just do one job and I'm out. Next thing I know, I'm holding a gun and I gotta choose my son's life over four men. I shoot them. I can't kill my boy."

The injustice of this world, the blonde thought. "Is she the Queen of Hearts?" Samantha was feeling a weight lifting off her chest. "Cora Mills?"

"Si," he nodded like an obedient child. "La reina is Adriana's madre. Her mother. She wants her daughter dead. Look. I am glad I am here. And not outside. If I was outside she has control of me. Me being in here means my wife and boy is safe. You know?"

"I got it," Samantha said absentmindedly. For this new pieces of information was of course, incredibly satisfying to behold. Not only providing so much clarity to by introducing another player onto the board, but also by clearing Adriana's name completely.

By the time she was racing out of there to meet Andrew at a café just around the corner from the precinct, Samantha's heart was racing. Her soul was bursting at the seams and unravelling into a whole new world of pleasing results.

"You can get a statement from him," Swan told Jones moments after. "Silvio confirmed all of it. Who would have believed that it's her own mother?"

"I'm so blown away right now," he collected the photo carefully from her grasp, almost as if it was a billion dollars worthy. "This is impressive work, Samantha. Think of how Danes would bite his own tongue if he ever found out that this was your doing."

"I don't want to rub it in at this point," she confessed. Samantha sipped some coffee and scowled. "Eew. What the hell is this? Poison?"

"I suppose..." he snorted. "Oh before I forget." Reaching into his breast pocket, Jones fished out piece of paper. He handed it to the blonde with a sympathetic smile. "Adriana's. Don't ask me how on earth I managed to get it. Just keep it and use it whenever you're ready."