A Rose In Winter

Morning came and Olivia and I stood out on the beach kissing...We watched as the beautiful ocean washed up on the shore..

"You want to get some breakfast?" she said.

"Yeah...I have a feeling today is going to be interesting.." I said.

''Yes..Today, we finally earn Rollie's money." she joked.

"Did you email him your findings?" I asked.

"I did..I sent it to him in a PDF ...All of the financial findings.." she said.

"Speak of the devil" I said.

Ed Hankins walked past us...He was on his smart phone....

"Say what? Yes...The Heat won?? Great...That means I won about 8 million dollars...YESSSSSSSSS!" he exclaimed... "I had hit a little bad streak for awhile...but I'm back on the winning track." he said.

Olivia just shook her head...

I grabbed him by the arm...

"Mr. Hankins?" I said.

"Oh Alexander...How are you ?" he said.

"This morning after breakfast...I'd like to have a word with you." I said.

"Oh sure...sure..What is this about?" he said.

"I'll let you know when you get there." I said.

"Uh okay." he said..

Olivia looked at me after he left...

"I always hated when people did that to me." she said.

"I know...I hate it too." I said...We both looked at each other and busted out laughing...

As we headed to breakfast we saw Beverly in the lobby...She was talking to the groom, Wallace.

"I talked to your fiance yesterday.." said Beverly...

''You did." he said.

"Yes..She's a very nice woman...She'll be good for you....I like her." said Beverly...

"Gee thanks Bev..." he said.

"Maybe...I'll be coming to your wedding one day." he said.

Beverly laughed...

"That won't be anytime soon." she laughed.

Olivia looked at me and smiled and whispered to me..

"My niece had better get out of that man's face before his fiance comes down here and shoots her.." she laughed..

"Nah..I think ,everything is okay between them...I saw Beverly talking to his fiance yesterday...They seemed to be getting along famously." I said..

"Well, if you say so." said Olivia..

As we sat down in the hotel dining room , Ed Hankins was sitting two tables from us, on his cell phone..

"Yes..Yes...Ten grand on the Oklahoma Thunder over the Bulls...Yeah...Yeah, I got it covered...Double or nothin...Yeah...Yes..I'm on a roll here." he said.

II-

Two hours later...Ed Hankins walked into the little private room the hotel provided for us.. He was shocked at who he saw in the room...Me, My wife Olivia, Beverly, Wallace, Ginger and their parents respectively...

He looked around...In pure amazement...

''What is this? Why did you call all of us in here?  Any news on the killer?" he said nervously.

"Yup...I know who the killer is...It's you! " I said.

"WHAT? ME?? THIS IS NONSENSE!" he exclaimed...

"Mr. Hankins...You've been going in that boys trust fund for about a year now to cover your gambling losses...I checked your finances and apparently you ran through all of your money, maxed out your credit cards...In order to afford the lifestyle you had been accustomed to for so long as Rollie Rollerson's most trusted aide..You started dipping into Wally's trust fund..After all, you were the executor...and he was aloof to it...He wouldn't miss it."said Olivia.."You paid off all of your debts and then continued to gamble." she continued..

"This is preposterous...I'm going to have a talk with Rollie,just as soon as I get back to Philly, this is nonsense." he said.

"Facts don't lie..We checked all of the records...You were taking his money for awhile...That's why it dropped from 18 million to a mere six million. We talked to your bookie in Las Vegas too...We know all about your bets through the Vegas Sportsbook." said Beverly...

"Wha..Wha..Wha...What has this got to do with murder?" he asked.

''Ahhhh and here it comes...That was your motive...See...Rollie and his people noticed your more than extravagant lifestyle and they questioned you about it...They asked you where you were getting the cash from and you never answered them....You knew if the boy was getting married, The trust fund would be opened and they all would know that it was light a few million...And you couldn't allow that to happen, so you came up with this brilliant scheme to sabotage the wedding...You found out about Gary Robinson and the bride...You paid for him to come down here, for his room, for his tux, and for his underwear even...and then you stole Ginger's  phone and sent him several erotic texts, supposedly from her..
You swore Gary to secrecy, which is why he kept telling everybody he didn't know who paid his way down here..Sure he did!! He was in this with you up to his eyeballs...You promised him a rich payday..When you couldn't frame him with Ginger, you decided to kill him...Knowing a murder would upset everybody and get the wedding called off. Oh yeah, I found the micro cameras you placed in her bedroom and I tracked down the shop on the island where you purchased them in cash. " I said.

''Nice story..But all it is ,is a story..You can't prove any of that." he snarled.

"That's where I come in." said Detective Fosdick, who entered the room with three uniformed policemen..

He looked at me...

''What did I miss?" he said.

"Nothing..I was just getting to the good part." I said.

"Oh...Well, we found your fingerprint on Ginger Patterson's cell phone...and a partial on the murder weapon...The blade!!...You didn't wipe it off well enough... Oh and the main thing...The boys drawers...Now son...I've lived a bit...I've been caught in a number of women's bedrooms that I didn't belong in and one thing I've never done is run out a gals room without my drawers....I thought that was odd from the beginning when I saw the crime scene photo...That boy didn't leave his drawers in that girl's room...Especially not with his name monogrammed on them...And if he didn't have the money to afford to come down here..He damn sure couldn't afford no monogrammed boxers....YOU bought them drawers!! Ya bought em a week before he come down here...$42.50...For a pair of boxers...You coulda got a pack of three for less than that from the thrift store. The guy who sold em to you picked you out..I drove him up here..We saw you last night...He said it was you!!....He didn't leave his drawers in her room..You went back in her room after you killed him and dropped the boxers....Evelyn Sway was sleep and Ginger was sleep and you put em there..You nasty buzzard!" said Detective Fosdick..

At this point...My wife Olivia, Beverly and even Wallace were holding their heads down laughing uncontrollably... 

"THAT'S A LIE!!!" he said.

"The camera don't lie son..We got video of you leavin the bride's room...You should have doubled back the way you came...No ,you came out her room and you've got no business bein in her room....It's over Hankins..You're under arrest for murder...Take him away boys." said Detective Fosdick..

He looked at us...

"For what it's worth,I put some of the money back...I won big last night..There's 14 million in the fund...Nobody was supposed to get hurt...Robinson threatened to out me...He decided he was going to blackmail me ...After all I'd done for his broke bummy ass...I stabbed him in a fit of rage...That wasn't in the plan." he said and stomped his foot...

Fosdick walked over to me..

"Alexander...It was a pleasure workin with you..Thanks for your help." he said.

I smiled and shook his hand...

"OKAY PEOPLE...YOU ALL CAN GO...THE CASE IS SOLVED!  FRANKLIN 'FEARLESS' FOSDICK IS MY NAME...HOMICIDE IS MY GAME!" he said and he and the three uniformed policemen took Ed Hankins out in handcuffs....

"D.R. you really solved this case...That jackass couldn't solve a case if the killer had of confessed." said Beverly...

"Nah...He wasn't so bad...He did find a match on the fingerprints and he did hunt the guy down who he bought the boxer shorts from...We kinda both came to the same conclusion in a round about way at the same time." I said.

"My hubby is a brilliant detective" said Olivia ,who kissed me on the cheek first and then gave me a full kiss in the lips...

"You two are.......Alright I guess..." said Beverly...

We looked at her and laughed....

"Come on ,let's go shopping...We only have one more day left in all this sun and fun." I said.

"That sounds like a plan."said Beverly.

EPILOUGE:

We returned to Philadelphia and it's cold and snow, two days later...

Wallace and Ginger got married...In Philadelphia, a few weeks later~!

Edward Hankins was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years..Rollie Rollerson cut all ties to him...In fact ,he stopped by the office the next week.....

''Liv..Liv...you and Bev did an excellent job..You too Mr. Alexander..If you look in your bank accounts,you'll see that I've wired a considerable amount of cash into your accounts"he said.

"I saw...I saw...I almost fainted.." said Liv..

''Yes..I did too."I said.

''And I can't thank you enough for putting my thieving assistant behind bars..I trusted that man for years and here he was stealing from me.." said Rollie..

Just then ,Bev came in from out of the snow...

She had on a very short , curve hugging skirt and matching leggings and boots...Rollie's eyes nearly fell out of his head...

''Hi everybody...Whooo,I sure miss the beach..This time last week I was on the beach in an orange string bikini...drinking a Mimosa...Well, you don't want to hear all of that." she said.

"Oh I do...I do...Tell me more!!" said Rollie..

Beverly just smiled and walked into the kitchen to get some Hot Chocolate..She was taking her boots off and bending over and Rollie's neck almost broke...

"LAWDDDDDD HAVE MERCYYYYY!" he said.

''Remember Rollie, you have a woman." said Olivia...

He smiled...

"Yeah...Yeah..Yeah...Okay Liv...You know, you're sayin a taste your damn self..If you wasn't married..." he said, teasing her..

"Bye Rollie.."she said, laughing...

"Bye guys...Thanks again." he said and he left, got in his car and drove off..

"Well babes...Here we are back in the cold...What are we going to do? Tomorrow is Saturday.."I said.

"If it's not too cold, you're taking me to breakfast.." she said...

"Well I don't know about you two, but I have plans tomorrow."said Bev...''Nelson is taking me to the 76ers game and then he's coming back and we are going to make popcorn and watch a movie together...And uh..don't knock on my door in the morning...I'm sleepin in." she said.

''With Nelson  right?" I joked.

"Yessssssss.." she said like a giddy teenager...

"Oh yeah...He sent these roses for you..." said Olivia ,who produced a bouquet of Roses that were in the back of the office..

Beverly's eyes got as large as saucers...

''Oh My God...He did? They're beautiful!!!!"she said..and she immediately found a vase and put them in water...

I looked at Liv..

''She's swooning.."I said.

''Uh Huh..Somebody is going to get invited upstairs for more than just coffee tomorrow night." she said.

I nodded my head in agreement!