The Deadliest Secret (The Deadliest Series) (3 page)

             
“You little shit!”

             
“Hello to you too Mom” Gwen was barely able to speak she was laughing so hard, which caused Marie to take the wooden spoon and lightly pop her daughter on the arms and speak through gritted teeth.

             
“You. Stop. Sneaking. Up. On. Me”

             
Gwen still was only able to laugh as her mother inflicted the short bursts of pain before her mother pulled her into a hug. Gwen’s mother gave the best hugs, she hugged hard and wasn’t afraid to let emotion shine through, you felt loved after you were hugged by Marie, and with her kind words coming forth after you knew it.

             
“How was your drive up here baby?” Marie asked after she retuned to her sauce, tasting it to make sure it was just right for her family’s consumption.

             
“It was ok Mom, just took longer than I would have liked it to.” Gwen shrugged

             
Marie gave her daughter the mother look. “Gwen eighty miles an hour is your slow setting, just calm down and relax. You know you speed through life like you do and you won’t realize when you miss an important stop sign.”

             
“Ok mom, who’s the guy and how do you know him?”

             
“Its not a guy,” Marie looked everywhere except the blue eyes of her daughter, suddenly busying herself with everything else. “Okay it’s a guy, he is a new doctor at the clinic and he’s single and he is a work-a-holic like you are my dear.”

             
“Mom you are incorrigible” Gwen chuckled but sighed internally at her mother.

             
“He is a great guy honey, you have to use what you got, and I want a grandchild.”

             
“You might be waiting for a while mom, I’m just too busy now,” Gwen looked for an out, “I’m going to set the table for you mom.”

             
Gwen grabbed the pile of dinner dishes and carried them to the dining room before her mother could object or launch another question or male on her tonight. She shuddered at the thought of her mom attempting to arrange a marriage for her, she loved her mother but Marie was not the best person for her daughter’s love life.

              Marie watched her daughter scramble for dear life, she shook her head. That daughter of hers was so strange; it was almost like she was afraid to be romantic. It had been that way since she was in college. She was very sought after in high school then Gwen just turned it off one day. She just came home and didn’t accept dinner requests or have any suitors come to meet her or Steven.  Marie had assumed it was the pressures of graduate school getting to her but those pressures left and her daughter took a job in Pierce County and from what she knew Gwen never went on dates.

             
“Gwen,” Marie called to her daughter. “Are you a lesbian?”

             
At those words Gwen choked on her saliva. “What? Mom! Oh my dear God, no I am so not having this conversation with you. I like men you will get your grandchildren eventually but not right now so cool it, please?”

             
Gwen went about her business after that incident with her mother, it was always some sort of awkwardness when Gwen would visit, she loved seeing her parents but the conversation sometimes she could do without. By the time Marie and Steven were ready for dinner and the table was set the sun was setting, the colors in the sky beautiful, pinks and oranges meld together. It was simply astonishing to her how amazing the sky was. Tomorrow it would be this again, assuming it didn’t rain that was.

              Marie and Steven finished cooking the meal together while Gwen was in her own little world watching them, debating about wandering her childhood home. They were one of those classic couples, still were in love with each other after so many years together. Marie looked at her husband lovingly before offering him a quick sample of the sauce, he tasted and the groan from the deliciousness that he had in his mouth. Marie’s spaghetti sauce was the highlight of his week.

             
The small family sat down to eat dinner; conversation ebbed between mouthfuls of spaghetti, garlic bread, and corn. Steven, Marie, and Gwen retired to the parlor so they could talk more, which of course continued the conversation of Steven and Marie and their want for Gwen to leave her job at the prison so she could work in her father’s clinic. Respectful as always Gwen denied the pressures her parents tried to press upon her and soon announced that she had to leave.

             
“Do you really need to go home and be alone when you can stay here tonight?” Marie asked her daughter with a raised brow.

             
“Yes mom, I have a cat I need to take care of and make sure he doesn’t crap everywhere in my house.” She fibbed, Mr. Whiskers was more of a neighborhood cat, he came to visit every so often but she did not own him, no one did but he was a good patsy to get her out of more talk about her job.

             
Marie and Steven took turns hugging their child and saying their goodbyes. Gwen gave her parents one more hug before exiting through the front door and heading to her car. She exhaled in a sigh of relief and knitted her fingers around the steering wheel and laid her head against it before speaking to no one.

             
“God, this is getting harder and harder to do.” Gwen loved her parents, but the emotional toll it took on her to disappoint them with her life decisions was enormous. She debated about hiring an escort to start attending the Friday dinner just to shut her parents up about her love life for a while. Gwen laughed to herself, then put her car in gear, and started on her way home so she could relax the rest of the weekend and not spend more time on that desperate thought. Monday was still going to be hellacious for her after all.

CHAPTER
THREE

Monday came too early for Gwen. Her morning ritual ran slower than normal. She already knew what was waiting for her at work, it was a lot of paperwork, intake evaluations, and then a parole hearing about one of her patients she didn’t feel was properly rehabilitated but today was his last chance to prove to her that the therapy took and that he was ready to be released. Gwen was on autopilot as she moved around her house and through her drive. She must have been speeding because she got to the docks a few minutes earlier than she normally did.

              “Thank God there were no police today.” She laughed to herself as she boarded the small passenger boat, even though she could most likely dust off her rusty flirting ability and get out of the ticket Gwen didn’t want to risk her insurance rates on a skill she didn’t possess.  She took her normal spot on the small ferry and zoned out, she was inside of her own mind and preferred it that way for soon she would be back at work and dealing with what most people considered the scum of the universe.

             
The day flowed and Alison kept her normal distance from Gwen, she hoped that Alison had gotten the hint that Gwen didn’t want to divulge her personal life to the entire office, or end up the subject of a large gossip ring. She was happy being the office area pariah that meant her life was still just hers she was content while she ate her lunch.

             
After lunch Gwen picked up the file for the parole hearing, one of her more aggressive natured patients a low level pimp that beat his prostitutes to death, and only one was able to testify, he left her scarred permanently. The pimp was named Moreau; most people called him Z for his last name. Most criminals did not use their full names with everyone, and if they used a name the name would most likely use a false name for their own criminal safety and for the safety of their business. Gwen reviewed the photographs of the prostitute that finally brought him down was Calla, her scar led from her left ear to the corner of her lip, her face was permanent snarl, she looked like a very unpleasant woman. The bruises from multiple beatings, her recount of breaking the bitches where the pimp, Z, would viciously rape women to make sure they could handle the world he was forcing them into. The women either made it through, crying, bleeding, and degraded or they died in the process. Calla worked her way to become the bottom bitch for Z and she sat in on multiple rapes, she testified for the state in return for immunity on her crimes.

             
Gwen kept reading and looking through the huge case file from the district attorney all the evidence was catalogued and each piece more gruesome than the last, she turned on some of the tapes from a wire that Calla wore one evening, Gwen had a chill run down her spine. She thought of the man that he had hosted in her office multiple times, his sociopathic behavior still troubled her, she knew he was not going to get paroled because of what she had written in her reports, he had not in her opinion made enough progress.

             
Gwen’s heart gave a start when the appointment reminder popped up; it was suddenly two in the afternoon and nearing time for the hearing to start. She closed her books and put them in her briefcase that she was taking with her to the hearing, the district attorney’s file and her own weighing it down slightly but she made it there with plenty of time, she even had time to refill her coffee cup before the panel was asked to assemble so they could cover the history of the case at hand and set the outline of how the discussion would flow. Scott Wickam cleared his throat immediately grabbing the attention in the room and the conversation stopped.

             
“Lady,” he nodded to Gwen before he continued addressing the other members of the parole board. “And gentlemen this heading is for the case of Moreau “Z” Zelis, he was found guilty by a jury of his peers, the district attorney did a good job and closed two murders and three rapes, but there were more that were tied him but he would not admit to those, this is his third attempt at parole, the district attorney did not seek the death penalty and Miss Bjorkman has more information on his progress that she will share during the trial, are there any questions before we go into the room?”

              Gwen looked around before she heard Torrian Ford speak up, “Yeah, why can’t we fry his ass? He’s always on my fucking case.”

             
“Mr. Ford, please watch your mouth these proceedings are recorded. I don’t need anyone looking into what we do here, that’s an unnecessary bitch to deal with and we have a lady present.” Again Scott nodded to Gwen and she rolled her eyes at her boss with a careful smile.

             
“Sorry boss, and ah sorry doc.” Torrian gave a sly smile to Gwen, he knew she didn’t like to be called doctor but she had to be called that in front of the board so they knew her position. He was there to keep order and give the guard’s opinion of the prisoner in question.

             
Gwen only nodded to Torrian, she was getting into her business mode, she had many thoughts running through her head, and her brows were knitted together in annoyance or frustration. Torrian kept his eyes on the woman, her svelte body was stilled, he could tell she worked out and he could so dig that. His smile spread as he thought about Gwen working out, and what would naturally come after if he had his way with it. Torrian started to walk towards Gwen but before he could speak he heard the warden call for everyone to assemble, it was time for the hearing.

             
Gwen took her seat to the left of the warden; Scott Wickam cleared his throat and called the room to order. All of the paper rustling stopped as did the side conversations and Scott continued with his command of attention in the room.

             
“Today we are here to review the case of Moreau “Z” Zelis convicted of murder, rape, and assault with a deadly weapon. He was convicted on the seventh of September of two thousand and five. A jury of his peers for the previously stated crimes has convicted Moreau Zelis and we do not take this issue of parole lightly; we are here to review evidence and conduct a parole hearing for Moreau “Z” Zelis. The members of the board please state your name, spell starting on the left.

             
Torrian spoke up first, “Torrian Ford. T-O-R-R-I-A-N F-O-R-D. I am the lead prison guard here at the prison and have had numerous interactions with Moreau Zelis in the prison daily contacts.”

             
Gwen was next. “Gwenith Bjorkman G-W-E-N-I-T-H B-J-O-R-K-M-A-N. I am the psychologist at McNeil Island and I meet with Moreau Zelis twice a month for hour long sessions.

             
Scott sounded bored as he announced himself “Scott Wickam, S-C-O-T-T W-I-C-K-A-M. I am the warden and I have processed and had a meeting with the prisoner Moreau Zelis.”

             
The next person was one Gwen rarely interacted with, he was not normally here but he spoke with grace his slightly graying hair made him more distinguished and Gwen lifted her head when he began to speak. “Greyson Cooper G-R-E-Y-S-O-N C-O-O-P-E-R. I work for the Washington Department of Corrections, and I have been doing so for over fifteen years.”

             
Scott spoke again this time to the defense table “Prisoner Moreau Zelis you will say and spell your name, give the date of your birth, and enter your plea one more time for record of this process, please begin.”

             
Moreau was cunning and cold, his low sickly sweet voice would make you think he would never harm a human, or nearly kill anyone that worked for him. He began slowly with his deep baritone. “My name is Moreau Zelis, street name of Z. M-O-R-E-A-U Z-E-L-I-S, and I was wrongfully convicted of the crimes stated before which are murder, rape, and assault with a deadly weapon. I was born the twentieth of April nineteen eighty two. And I plead not guilty.”

             
“In order to qualify for parole you have to show that conviction against you should be overturned by our court or you have to admit to your crimes and show through your psychological evaluations that you have been rehabilitated or if you have new evidence stating your innocence we will hear the case. Mr. Zelis do you meet one of the aforementioned conditions of parole?” Scott sounded bored; he knew the answer to the case, as did everyone else in the room.

             
“I believe my conviction should be overturned because the jury was wrong I ain’t guilty.” Zelis said sounding passionate about his issue.

             
“Mr. Zelis, have you had sufficient amount of time to prepare your case to appear before this board?”

             
“Yes Warden I have.”

             
“Then you have the floor but mind you this court has the right to rebut and the victim and their families will be allowed to speak as well. Mr. Zelis you may present your case.”

             
Moreau Zelis went through the case from his point of view; the only other sound beyond his voice was the clacking of the court reporter’s keys. The whole story was embellished and took about an hour and a half; Zelis took multiple water breaks because he was trying to spin the story so he could get parole. When the time came the family to give their opinion on the possibility of Zelis’ parole.

             
When one of the murder victim’s father spoke up Gwen sat up straighter, the man looked as if he hadn’t slept in ages. He started with a heavy breath. “Moreau Zelis, the bible and our savior Jesus Christ compels me to forgive you because it is not I who will judge you for your sins but God almighty will. I have struggled with this for over a year. I can never forget what you have done, nor can I ignore the pain that you have caused taking my daughter from me, before she met you she was in college to become a nurse, she wanted to save people, but most of all she wanted to save herself from the life that had been dealt to her. I forgive you only so I do not have to carry the burden of hating you with me. The forgiveness I have given is for myself not for you. A person without a soul can sleep easily at night; it is the people that do have a soul that have the problem. I pray that God has mercy on your soul, but I know that the devil will welcome you to the pits of hell when your time comes because someone who has caused as much pain and strife in the world has only one place to go. You will never change, you sit here and blame the families, you blame the police, and you make excuses for your actions. In order to be forgiven by our lord you must repent, since that will not be done you will have a cursed time in hell. I pray that you never are released from jail to cause this pain to another person or family.”

             
Gwen had to clear her throat. The father’s voice broke multiple times while delivering his speech to the parole board. Even Moreau Zelis had to look down; it looked as if one person had finally gotten through to him. Possibly. Calla was the next person to speak next; her words were much less eloquent.

             
“Moreau Zelis I was one of the many people who brought you down. I am glad to see you in cuffs and put into a cage. You are an evil person and I hate everything you are.” She had to dab at her mouth, the scar pulled at her mouth and must have caused a leak, “Moreau you deserve to rot in hell and I hope you have to live every day knowing you’re an evil piece of shit.”

             
With those last few words Calla sat down and dabbed at her eyes. Torrian gave his short and to the point speech about his interactions with Moreau, he was not violent towards the men, women were his problem. Torrian said he did not believe that Moreau should be paroled his attitude was enough evidence; Scott next announced Gwen was to speak. She stood and welcomed the committee and announced her credentials again for the record.

             
“I have spent two sessions a month with inmate Moreau Zelis and he exhibits a lack of maturity, he denies his responsibility for the crimes that he committed. He almost lives in a world of fantasy where what he does is right and authority is wrong. I do believe he is a very large risk repeat offender. He believes the women he assaulted deserved it. Moreau Zelis has not been rehabilitated enough in my opinion to be a success with parole. Perhaps with more therapy and more responsibility on Moreau Zelis’ part he would qualify at a later date in my opinion.”

             
Moreau knew his answer before the gavel entered Warden Scott Wickam’s hand to deliver the decision of the committee. He flipped the defense table over in one swift movement, the guards behind him grabbed for him as he lunged at Gwen, the males slammed Moreau onto the ground with a powerful thud, Torrian was in front of Gwen, it was weird how fast he moved she thought, he was sitting at the table beside her then suddenly was in front of her ready to block Moreau’s attempted assault.

             
“Gwen you ok?” He asked keeping his eye on the struggling inmate.

             
“Yes I’m fine, wow you guys are fast.” Gwen tried to joke with him.

             
“Yeah well one thing we don’t put up with here is a BOY putting his hands on a female.” Torrian was even bigger than she could remember, she knew a human couldn’t just grow like that but he looked bigger.