The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife

Carlos's POV

After the ranch raid, our first stop was the police station where Clairemont was supposedly holed up. The place turned out to be a dead end. According to the local officers, Clairemont and his wife had been there earlier but vanished roughly two hours before our arrival.

Exhaustion weighed on my shoulders like lead, but stopping wasn't an option. The interrogations of those idiots we'd arrested in Crestwood still awaited me. After that, I'd catch a plane home. I hadn't managed a proper conversation with Damian yet, but I planned to call him once I got some rest. That petite woman I'd spotted in his office kept nagging at my thoughts.

I dropped into the chair facing Inspector Aurora's desk. He offered coffee, which I accepted gratefully. The caffeine might chase away some of this bone-deep fatigue.

"Aurora, something stinks about Clairemont disappearing right before we showed up. What's your take?" I asked, savoring the hot liquid.

"I hate it too," Aurora settled into his chair with his own cup. "I keep circling back to the same conclusion. He's got an informant inside the Sterling Collective. Someone even his criminal partners don't know about."

"That tracks. You planning to warn Liam?"

"Absolutely. This whole case is like untangling a spider web. Multiple crimes running for years and nobody caught on."

"Yeah, honestly, I can't figure out if Clairemont's motivated by greed, hatred, or jealousy."

"All three, Carlos."

The memory of finding that boy chained to the table hit me again. "What those two psychotic women did to that kid was beyond sick. He was shackled by his ankle, filthy, starving, crying. I wanted to empty my clip into both of them. Think they'll cooperate?"

"Highly doubtful. We're dealing with two seriously unhinged individuals. That Clairemont woman is completely detached from reality." I recalled her meltdown on the plane about the lack of in-flight service. Aurora nearly cried laughing when I told him. "My only regret is having to fly back to Crestwood after these interrogations. I'd really like to see this case through to the finish."

"Carlos, you've got the time and experience for a specialized position in a bigger city. Why are you still stuck in Crestwood?"

Aurora leaned back, genuinely curious.

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure myself," I admitted. "It's home, I guess. Stayed out of convenience, being near family. But lately, I've been feeling restless. Crestwood's too quiet and I love fieldwork like today's operation. I'm built for action. After this case, when I get back, I'm calling headquarters to see what's available. Time for a change."

"You could come here. Our other detective retired last week, position's open. I liked your field performance. You'd be valuable here. I'm getting too old to chase suspects, so we could help each other. We work well together, having a partner to command the other team would be perfect."

"That would be incredible, Aurora. We do click. But headquarters probably already has someone lined up. The specialized personal protection unit is extremely competitive."

Aurora smiled and held up a finger. He grabbed the phone and called the security secretary. He explained the case, how I'd found the kidnapped boy, how crucial my help was during the ranch search. He listened, smiled, hung up, and turned back to me.

"The secretary's an old friend. Maybe he can help bring you here," Aurora explained, grinning.

"That would be amazing. Thanks for the support!"

We started the depositions. Clairemont went first. As the fugitive's daughter, maybe we could squeeze something useful from her. They brought her in handcuffed. The clerk positioned himself at the side table computer and began recording.

"Clairemont," Aurora began, "you realize you're in serious trouble, right?"

"I don't know why. I didn't do anything wrong. I was only at that awful place with the boy because my father sent me. Besides, it was just a harmless prank. Obviously, I wasn't going to stay with the kid forever." Her voice was shrill, painfully high-pitched.

"You understand this constitutes kidnapping?" I asked, amazed by her cluelessness. "The penalty's severe. Plus, you used the boy to prevent Mr. Sterling from marrying his fiancée." I glanced at Aurora questioningly, making him chuckle. "I'm not sure if this qualifies as extortion by kidnapping or straight blackmail."

"Liam belongs to me!" The deranged woman shrieked. "If that nobody Hazel hadn't interfered, we'd already be married."

"So you thought kidnapping a child would make Liam marry you?" Aurora asked.

"He was going to marry me if you hadn't meddled. By now I would've returned the brat."

"Why did you chain the boy?" I demanded, still furious about this detail.

"Because I wasn't going to chase after him and Bianca told me to tie him to the table leg," she responded as if it were perfectly normal. I wanted to throttle her, but Aurora signaled me to stay calm.

"Clairemont, where's your father?"

"Daddy must be hiring the world's best lawyer to get me out of here. He'll arrive soon and destroy you for treating me like this." She displayed her handcuffed wrists.

"I think you're mistaken. Your father's a fugitive," Aurora stated.

"A fugitive from who? You're insane!" She laughed shortly.

"He's wanted for various crimes, including kidnapping Miss Hazel Vance, who's been found, naturally. But your father and mother fled. Apparently left their little girl behind."

"Daddy wouldn't do that," Clairemont whimpered.

"Oh, he not only would, he did," I said cynically.

Clairemont began wailing, volume escalating steadily. She cried with her mouth wide open, tears streaming like waterfalls. This woman crying was apocalyptic. She sobbed uninterrupted for thirty minutes while Aurora and I sat as unwilling spectators. I thought she might dehydrate from crying so much.

We continued questioning, but each inquiry triggered fresh tears. Eventually, she claimed the kidnapping was Bianca's idea, that she'd assured her it was just a harmless prank and they wouldn't hurt the boy. Beyond that, between crying like she was dying and complaining that she'd dyed and cut her hair and he didn't even notice, which made no sense, her testimony was useless.

After Clairemont was returned to her cell, they brought in Bianca. She was shrewd. Bianca possessed psychopathic coldness and exercised her right to remain silent, refusing to answer our questions. However, for certain questions, like why she kept the boy chained in those conditions, I caught a brief glimmer in her eyes and the shadow of a minimal smile, as if she was satisfied.

But at the interrogation's end, Aurora asked a question that shattered her cold, indifferent facade.

"Bianca, Mr. Clairemont fled with his wife. It would benefit your situation if you provided information to help us find him."

"That moron ran away and left me here? He escaped with that stupid wife?" Bianca was outraged. Her expression showed genuine perplexity. She truly didn't know her lover had abandoned her.

"That's how it appears," Aurora observed. "Since you can't help with that, want to add anything to your statement? Your husband's outside wanting to see you."

"What's that idiot doing here? I don't want to see him! I filed for divorce last week."

"Fine. Take her back to the cell," Aurora signaled the corner officer.

Next came Ethan, a despicable little worm. He didn't know much but said he'd met Clairemont three years ago, occasionally did small jobs for him, and had arranged the farm where they took Leo. He refused to specify what work he did for Clairemont and repeatedly called Hazel a slut and Leo a bastard. I wanted to smash his face. Regarding Bianca, he said he'd met her when he arrived at the farm days earlier and they'd "gotten along" and been intimately involved since.

"I don't like the sound of these 'jobs' Ethan did for Clairemont," I told Aurora while waiting for one of the brothers who'd been with Hazel.

"Me neither. We'll investigate that."

The interrogations of security guards Caleb and Mitchell proved equally fruitless. Though they answered questions, they seemed like pawns doing grunt work. They needed employment but couldn't find it due to criminal records. They ended up at Sterling Collective because their cousin knew Bianca, who placed them there on condition they'd follow her orders when needed. They said the kidnappings were pre-planned and Clairemont had promised good money, but they'd have to stay with Hazel until receiving orders. Clairemont kept saying she was his guarantee. All communication happened by cell phone.

After finishing interrogations, it was time to head home. My phone rang for the fifth time. I checked the screen and immediately answered the police chief. He informed me there was an opening at the personal protection station in Haven Harbor and I'd be transferred there. He provided all information and asked if I had objections. When I said no, he told me to report to my new station Monday. I thanked him and looked at Aurora with a huge smile.

"Your secretary really is a great friend." I told him about my transfer and thanked him for everything. After saying goodbye, I headed to the airport with my officers. Damian had provided a small jet at our disposal, which was perfect.

Before leaving, I decided to call Damian and thank him. I mentioned my transfer and said I'd like to see him when I returned. I took the opportunity to ask about the smiling short woman I'd seen at Sterling Collective reception. He told me her name was Maya and she was a friend of their girls. Now I had a name. When I moved, I'd have time to learn more about that cutie.