Double Faced Twins

Chapter 24

Benson

It's been a week since Faith moved in with me, and I've been pleasantly surprised at how effortlessly the transition from single bachelor to taken by the most beautiful woman inside and out has been. At this point, I can't imagine what this apartment would be like without her; she belongs here with me.

I roll over and softly move a strand of her hair off her peaceful face. I lay there for a few moments, just watching her sleep before getting up to start the coffee.

We've settled into a nice routine. I set up the guest room as a home office for Faith. She works here while I work out in my office. If she needs to leave the building to meet a client, go shopping, or go out for dinner, we always go together and use Robert, who has served in the Marines, to drive us.

Faith insisted that she wanted to do the cooking for us. She enjoys cooking and finds it very therapeutic. Caroline, my housekeeper, loves Faith. I often find the two of them together, talking about recipes. Caroline does the grocery shopping for Faith and still cleans and does our laundry.

I hear the bedroom door open and know that sleeping beauty will be here in a moment with her hair a beautiful mess from sleeping. She gives me a sleepy grin. I'll never tire of this sight every morning of my life.

I pour Faith a cup of coffee and hand it to her when she enters. "Good morning, beautiful."

She gets on her tiptoes and kisses me sweetly. "Good morning, handsome. Are you hungry?"

I smile. "I could eat." I love watching Faith cook. Hell, I love watching Faith do anything.

"Sticky buns?" she asks.

I lick my lips, "Perfect!"

She gets busy making breakfast, and once again, I can't help but watch her create her breakfast masterpiece. She knows I enjoy watching her, and now and then, she glances towards me and gives me a bright smile. My heart constricts every single time. This woman has total control of my heart. It may be an unfamiliar feeling for me, but damn, if this is what love feels like, I want more.

Faith interrupts my thoughts, "What time is our meeting with the contractor?"

My goal has been to keep Faith busy, so she has something to keep her mind on besides distressing about Grace. Faith and I have been working closely on my dream project. She's been helping me choose the contractor that will realize my dream and spending her time working on promotional material. I've been very impressed with her work.

I glance at my watch. "Our meeting is in two hours."

She washes her flour-covered hands. "Good, I'll shower while the buns bake."

I perk up, "I need a shower too."

She smirks, "You're more than welcome to join me, but you have to promise me no hanky panky."

I mock disappointment. "I promise."

She takes my hand, and we go to shower. Little does she know that I crossed my fingers when I promised.

***

The meeting with the contractor went well. We're wrapping up when Faith's phone buzzed.

She looks at me. "I'm sorry, but I must take this call."

"Are you okay?" I ask, concerned.

She shrugs and answers her phone while leaving the conference room. I hear her answer.

"Hello? Detective Kidwell?" She looks over at me. "Yes, he's here. Can you hold for a moment?"

She gives me a look, and I know that I have to wrap up with the contractor quickly.

"Thank you again for your time, Tim. We'll be in touch once we get the necessary permits from the government to break ground." He shakes my hand, and I appreciate that he realizes we have something important that needs our attention.

Once he leaves, I shut the conference room door and nod to Faith. She puts her phone on speaker. "Okay, detective. It's just Benson and me."

"Hello, Benson."

"Hello, Detective."

"Does the name Henson Walters mean anything to you, Faith?" he questions.

She responds, "No, sir, it doesn't."

"Is it possible to meet in person? You're going to want to hear about the information that I have discovered." he said.

She looks at me, and I shake my head, indicating that I'm good to go.

"Yes, we can meet with you," Faith replies.

"Can you be at my office in an hour?" he inquires.

Again, Faith looks at me, and I nod. "Yes, we can be there. See you in an hour, Detective."

"See you then."

Faith hangs up and looks at me worriedly, "I don't feel good about this."

I walk over, embrace her, and kiss her head, "Whatever this is about, Faith, know I'll be there with you. Together, we can get through this."

She hugs me tightly. What I didn't tell her was that I had the same feeling as her. I don't feel good about this at all.

***

We arrive at the precinct an hour later to meet with Detective Kidwell. The front desk officer takes us into a meeting room. While the walls are a stark white, the dark cherry wood table and chairs soften the space. The officer directs us to sit and asks if we want something to drink. Both Faith and I decline.

A few moments later, Detective Kidwell arrives with a large folder in his hand. Faith and I stand to greet him. We all shake hands and then take our seats.

The detective speaks first. "Thank you for coming to see me with such short notice, but I didn't want to discuss the case over the phone."

I look at Faith and squeeze her hand. "It's no problem. We've been quite anxious to hear from you."

"It's been torture not knowing what's going on," Faith adds.

He nods. "I understand. Well, let me catch you up on what I have learned so far. First, I've been able to clear Jeremy Miller and Lance Crawford. Mr. Miller was with coworkers until late evening, and his wife verified when he got home. Mr. Crawford was out of the state for a family emergency. So they both have solid alibis."

Faith interrupts, "What about Travis Johns or whoever he is?"

The detective responds, "That's one of the reasons I asked you here. We discovered that Travis Johns is Henson Walker."

"So that's why you asked me if I knew someone by that name," Faith replied.

"Yes, but there's more. I've done some intensive digging on Henson Walker. His mother used to work for your father's hotel as his administrative assistant," he informs us.

"Wait, Janet Walker is Travis, I mean Henson Walker's mother?" Faith says with surprise.

"So you do know his mother?" asked the detective.

Faith replies, "Yes, yes, I do."

She looks at me as the realization comes across her face. "This is not good, not good at all!"

*****