Murder in Manhattan 2: Copycat

6

"Hey, is everything okay?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I love you."

"I love you, too."

After Chris left, I called Carrie.

"Carrie! Over here!" Nia whispered.

"What's going on?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay. What about?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Okay."

We searched Irene's house and found nothing at all.

"There's nothing here." Chris said.

"What do we do now?" Carrie asked.

"At this point we can only wait and hope for a miracle." Nia said.

As Chris and Asher walked out the door, Nia pulled Carrie back into the house.

"WHAT!" exclaimed Carrie.

"Asher is blackmailing me."

"What do you mean?"

"Earlier he said that if I don't break up with Chris and date him, there will be consequences."

"For god sakes Nia, are you listening to yourself!?"

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I don't believe you."

After that Carrie left. Later Nia went and visited her dad.

"What's wrong, Ni?"

"Can I come in?"

"Of course."

Nia and her dad sat down, there was nothing but silence.

"What's going on? Is everything okay? Is it Chris? Did you guys break up?"

"What! Dad, no. It's nothing like that."

"Then what happened?"

"I have a new partner, his name is Asher Antonio. Once he realized Chris and I are dating he said I should date a guy like Asher and not a guy like Chris. He even called him Lemon Boy."

"That's not a good name." Kevin said.

"I know, it sucks. But the point is he's blackmailing, and I didn't tell Chris."

"Let me tell you something Nia. Your mother and I met in high school."

"Really."

"Really, and when I laid eyes on your mother I knew she was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. When I talked to her I found out she was hiding from her dad."

"Mom was hiding from her own dad?"

"Yeah, she came from wealth and she didn't like it. She saw how her dad and mother acted because they were rich. Once I found out about that, I blackmailed your mom into dating me and if she didn't I would tell her dad where she was."

"Wow!"

"Yeah, I was mean to her at first. But the more I hung out with her, the more I wanted her around. Soon I told her she can do her own thing and didn't have to see me again."

"What happened next?"

"The next day she came to my house and said she loved me and she wanted me, then I told her I wanted her. After college, she found out that she was pregnant with you. When she told me, she thought I wouldn't step up and be a father. So she left. 10 weeks later I found her and she had a little baby bump. I didn't know she was pregnant. When I saw a tear run down her face I asked her did she leave because she thought I wouldn't step up to be a father. Once she said yes I told her I would have kids with her everyday if I could. Then she came back and we had you."

"Did you regret blackmailing her?"

"No, because we wouldn't have had you."

Nia smiled.

"You need to tell Chris about Asher. Asher will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants, and he wants you."

Nia got up and ran out the door.

"Thanks, Dad. Love you!"

"You'd be proud of our daughter, Sophia."