Lured into Lies by Melanie Martins
Chapter 42
Manhattan, February 8, 2021
Alexander Van Dieren
On my way home, I try to call Petra once more despite knowing she hasn’t been answering her phone this whole afternoon. Shit. I already left four messages asking her to meet me at our condo as we need to talk—urgently. Then I call Ryan once more and see if he knows more.
“She isn’t answering,” I tell him straight away. “Are you sure it’s Tess Hagen, the dutch politician and Petra’s mom, that you were talking about?”
“One hundred percent,” he says. “Petra was brought to the morgue at around three p.m., escorted by Eric, Matthew, and Tess’s attorney, Carice. And by what they told me, Tess passed away in her hotel room during the night.”
I run a hand through my hair, my heart beating at a thousand miles an hour. “Do you know what the cause of her death was?”
“Not yet.” He lets out a breath in frustration, before adding, “I have no idea what the three of them are up to, but you better talk to Petra and fast.”
I steady my breathing and say, “Alright, thanks. Give me a call as soon as you know more.”
“I will. And needless to say, if you need something, call me.”
After finishing our discussion, I look at my screen and fortunately find a text message from her: I’m at the condo waiting for you.
I heave a sigh of relief, knowing at least she is back home. “How long until we will be there?” I ask the driver.
He looks at me from the rearview and says, “Just fifteen more minutes.”
A gush of air leaves my lungs as my impatience grows. Fifteen more minutes to wait in this car feels like an eternity. I feel tempted to call Petra once more, but if she didn’t answer until now, I doubt she will any time soon.
Then my thoughts go to her dad, and I wonder if Roy knows anything about the death of his ex-wife. I press the call button and put the phone against my ear.
As he picks up the call, my heartbeat intensifies. “Yes?”
“Roy? How are you? Um, do you know what happened today?” I ask, not telling him directly.
“Um…” By his indecision, he seems to have no idea. “I don’t really see what you are talking about.”
Well, looks like the Bradfords kept everything under the table, but I’m pretty sure they are planning something, I can feel it. “Tess was found dead in her hotel room this morning,” I tell him as calmly as possible.
I hear nothing but silence from the other side.
“Roy? Are you there?”
“I am…” He sounds pretty disoriented right now. “I, um, I didn’t know that, no.”
“I have nothing to do with that, for the record,” I tell him before he starts running some theories in his head. “You should call Petra, though, she went to the morgue to see her mom.”
“Fuck,” he blurts out, reality finally sinking into him. “I can’t believe it…”
“It’s true, though.” While I can’t see him, I can sense how confused and destabilized he is. “I’m impressed you had no idea about it.”
“Why? I don’t spy on Tess. How was I supposed to know about her death?”
“Because the Bradfords knew, and I thought they’d share the news with you.”
“They didn’t,” he says, keeping it short. Yet I can nearly taste the disappointment in his tone. “And, um, did you speak to Petra yet?”
“No, she hasn’t picked up my calls all day long. But I’m on my way home to speak to her.”
“Do you want me to go there too?” Roy asks, sounding genuinely concerned.
“Let’s meet, all three of us, tomorrow for lunch,” I tell him. “I imagine that tonight she might be tired.”
“Alright… And, um, do you know how she died?”
“Not yet, but I will soon find out.”
“If you need anything, just call me. I’ll keep my phone on.” It has been a long time since Roy has been genuinely worried and caring like that.
“Thanks,” I say, my tone low. “I appreciate it.”
“See you tomorrow.”
After hanging up, I notice the car finally stops, and my lips twist into a smile as I hear the driver saying, “Here we are, sir.”
I rush to leave the car and get into the building; my heart keeps racing as I get inside the lift, waiting to arrive on the last floor. I wonder how I will find her: Sad? Angry? Confused? I don’t know, but if she hasn’t answered my calls, she must be pretty mad at me. And something tells me the Bradfords must have spent the whole afternoon painting me as someone I’m not. But fortunately, she is home, and after telling her everything about the disappearance of her mom, hopefully she’ll understand why I did what I did.
Once I finally get into the entryway of my condo, my gaze lands on the sitting area and at someone I was definitely not expecting.
“Ah, here he is.”
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snap at Eric, who stands up from the armchair, pacing in my direction along with two police officers. “Who the fuck let you in?”
And my eyes go instantly to Petra, sitting on the sofa with her little friend Matthew—she is the one who brought them in. Fuck… I can’t believe she did that. What did they tell her to turn her against me so quickly? Or maybe they forced her to let them in. Who knows what they are capable of?
With a wicked smile on his lips, Eric stands in front of me and hands me a document—it’s a warrant for arrest. “Mr. Van Dieren, you are under arrest for the alleged murder of Tess Hagen.”
I chuckle at the whole charade. So that’s what they were up to since the beginning?
Looking at my wife, I say, “Petra, I’ve got nothing to do with it.” The cops halt me from approaching her, and I feel instantly tempted to punch them, but they are armed and I’m not. For some stupid reason, I dismissed my bodyguards, and there’s no one here but me against them.
“Oh, I’m sure you don’t,” Eric answers sarcastically. “Don’t worry, you’re gonna have enough time to explain that in court.”
Despite my loud comment, Petra remains sitting between her little friend and her mom’s lawyer while staring down at her lap the whole time. I can’t help but shake my head as she ignores me like that. Well, it didn't take much for them to make her hate me.
Looking Eric in the eyes, I say, “Count your days. You’re making a big mistake here.”
“Me?” he answers back, snickering before he stands inches from me. “Let me tell you something…” He then leans forward and whispers, “You have no idea the shit you are in.”
THEIR STORY CONTINUES IN
DEFYING ETERNITY
(Read on for a sneak preview of the next installment)
Prologue
Rotterdam, December 5, 2020
Tess Hagen
A small squeak catches my attention. I don’t typically sleep well at night, especially on a night like tonight, and any little noise can easily wake me up. I crack my eyes open, and turn to the nightstand to check the time. My room is as dark as it gets, with only the red light from the alarm clock flashing the digital numbers. Oh gosh, it’s already 4 a.m. but the creaking sound is still present and it’s giving me goosebumps. I then recall Carice's insistence on me keeping a gun by my bedside––at the time I found the idea totally ridiculous––but now, it doesn’t seem that far-fetched. Jeez… I keep hearing footsteps somewhere but they are too low to be from inside the room. Maybe it’s just the wind blowing against the windows that is causing such strange noises. No, I should know better, it sounds more like a tiptoeing across the tiles. They are barely audible, but I have good ears and they must be coming from somewhere else in the house—maybe the entryway? The living room? Yet there are no other sounds, nothing that would indicate that there is, in fact, a stranger in the house, just the wooden-floor creaking from time to time. There it goes again! My skin prickles with a shiver and I look around for my iPhone to call the police. But I draw out a breath in annoyance just as fast as I remember I left it in the living room to avoid texting Petra again and trying to dissuade her further from not to get married to that monster. As Carice said, if Petra wants to go ahead after everything I’d told her, then I should also go ahead and expose her lovely groom to Jan and let him know what he did to his daughter. I’m sure the marriage at the cathedral will be very entertaining once Jan knows the truth.
Alright enough of that, I need to gain some courage and go get my iPhone. As I come to think of it, good grief, it’s most likely just the dogs that managed to get out of the kitchen. They are smart boys and I’m more than sure that they managed to twist the handle with their mouths. I leap off of my bed, put on a warm robe, and head outside rather slowly. I turn the lights of the hallway on immediately, and see nothing—just an empty hallway. Heaving a sigh of relief, I’m perfectly aware it’s most likely all just in my head. Strange noises that we can’t identify usually fuel our wildest fears. Though my eyes suddenly fix themselves on the semi-open door of the living room, I see it’s just as dark as it had been out here before flicking on the light. I roll my eyes at my own paranoia. I open the door a bit further, my gaze landing on the fireplace and the paneled-walls that stand on my left. Stepping in, I turn on the lights, and turning to my right side, I am startled immediately.
“Oh God!” I shout in shock, gasping for air, as my eyes alight on Margaret who’s sitting on an armchair as if she was waiting for me there.
“Finally,” she says. “I wondered if I had to send someone to go and wake you up.”
I blink twice, then rub my fingers on my eyelids to make sure this is not a dream. “How did you get in here?” I bark immediately, my nerves boiling under my skin.
“Your security is non-existent, Tess…”
Her snickering is even more irritating than her voice. My heartbeat is racing at everything that is happening, I squeeze my eyes tight like I could throw bullets at her and then pointing my index finger at her, I shout, “Get out of my house!”
Despite the loud-pitched sound of my voice, Margaret doesn’t even bat an eye. “Or else what?” She asks, just as serenely as she remains calmly in the armchair.
I’m about to step back but my foot touches a shoe and I nearly scream as I turn to look at the tall, bulky man that stands behind me in his long, greenish coat and black boots. His stern eyes make me swallow the lump in my throat and I instinctively glance around the room, trying to find a sharp object that I could throw at him. Yet, his hands are now holding my wrists and despite trying to pull them away, he isn’t letting me go. I don’t even know how he grabbed me so quickly.
“Don’t touch me!” I bark at him as I try to release myself from him. Then I look back at Margaret who remains quietly sitting on the armchair, her face revealing nothing. No emotions, no fears, no rage. Nothing. How can someone be as monstrous as her? How?
She eyes at her security, giving him a nod and the man ushers me forward as he drags me toward her. Then he forces me to sit on the sofa beside Margaret. Even as I am sitting, he keeps me within arm’s reach—I suppose it is in case I try to make any sort of moves.
As I refocus my attention, my eyes narrow at the note that is resting on the low table in front of us.
“A very kind message from you, isn’t it?” Margaret takes the note, and opens it for me to see. “If you thought I’d let you threaten me without facing any consequences, you are very mistaken, my dear.”
“There’s nothing you can do to prevent Jan from knowing the truth,” I snap just as fast. “You can kill me, but he’ll soon find out.” My lips twist into a smirk as her anger grows. “His end is near.” And to my greatest shock, my throat gets squeezed right away by that stranger. My mouth remains wide open as I try to drag some precious air into my lungs, but I find myself gasping and failing to do so. My heart brisks up, pumping faster at every second he keeps tightening around my neck.
“You’re testing my limits, Tess…” I hear Margarets mumbling despite feeling my face turning red at the lack of oxygen. Margaret eventually gives another nod at the man and he finally releases me. I gasp for air, tears starting to form in the crevices of my eyes. She then leans forward, her eyes, cold and stern, focused on me. “I’m not gonna kill you, yet. But your time will come soon.” She raises up from her seat and leaves. The man gestures me to do the same, so I stand up, wondering what she is up to. Margaret goes in front and leaves the living room, and her security pushes me forward to keep walking. I follow because I’m pretty sure he must be armed, and as I step in the entryway I see two more agents guarding the front door where Margaret is heading. I stop for a second, realizing they are taking me away with them. I try to run back inside, but the security that stands behind me, holds me again. So I punch him as much as I can, kicking him from right and left, my anger consuming me. “Stop it! Release me!” I bark. “Help! Help!”
Then I feel another man walking from behind me while I’m battling with the first one and screaming as much as I can. Yet I can see from over my shoulder that he’s carrying something. Oh gosh! No! “Don’t touch me! Help!” I keep screaming as loud as I can. But in a quick move, he slams a handkerchief over my nose and mouth, and despite battling as much as I can, my mind starts feeling dizzy and my body goes numb.