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Godiva: International Woman of Intrigue (Chapter Eleven)
22 June, 2010 by chris
Godiva, International Woman of Intrigue
Godiva, International Woman of Intrigue
By Mathew D. Rhys and Chris Lawton
Chapter 11
Hugh wasn't at his hotel room.
At first, I tried to call him. He didn't answer. Maybe he turned his phone off. Maybe he wasn't answering my calls. After our conversation yesterday, I wasn't sure I blamed him. I left my house, determined to hunt him down. I just knew I needed to find him.
I arrived at his apartment and knocked on the door, but he didn't answer. I asked the door man, who said he left for the garage early this morning. I used their phone to call over there.
"Hello?" It was the voice of Hugh's crew chief. He sounded strained.
"This is Godiva," I replied. "I need to speak with Hugh."
"Godiva?" the crew chief said. He sounded on the verge of tears. "Oh, God. Godiva, you need to come down here. Something's happened."
-
I saw the flashing lights of the police cars six blocks down, and my blood turned to ice. It didn't take long to have even my worst suspicions confirmed. The entire block around the garage was cordoned off, and multiple police officers were trying to keep the crowds back.
Hugh's garage was in an industrial part of town, and the business day was just about ready to start. Everyone heading to work saw the flashing lights and came over to investigate. The crowd was already seven or eight people thick, as I pushed my way to the front.
"Ma'am, please stay back," a police officer said, as I tried to go under the barricade.
I used my hair to push my hood back. "I'm Godiva," I said. Let me through."
The officer started to hesitate and then turned around to find his superior, who looked at me and nodded. The officer stepped to the side and I ran into the garage.
I found Hugh's crew chief standing off to the side, biting his knuckles. I looked around the garage, at the many uniforms, and my heart sunk. Hugh was nowhere to be seen. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a black, plastic form and my heart cracked. It was a body bag.
"What happened?" I asked the crew chief, my voice squeaking.
"Oh, Godiva," the crew chief replied, fighting back sobs. "It's terrible. I came in and I found Hugh. He-he-he-he's dead."
"What? How?"
"He was tweaking his car, and the hydraulic lifts gave out," the crew chief said. "The car came down and crushed him. They say it killed him instantly."