Detective Branston’s House:
Alejandra and Detective Branston had spent a few days in the hospital and were released. Alejandra’s dune buggy was returned to her, thanks to Detective Branston pulling a few strings for her. When they arrived at his apartment on the day of their release, it was a mess. It looked like someone had come in and searched it. The hard drive from his desktop computer was missing.

“Damn, it looks like someone had fun here.” Alejandra looked at the mess.

“They must have been looking for the case file I’m working on.”

“Why? Why would they think you would have it here at your place?” Alejandra looks towards Detective Branston.

“Because they figured I would be dumb enough to work at home on the case.” Branston starts cleaning the place up.

Alejandra helps Detective Branston to clean his place up. She wonders if the people were going to come back?

“Do you think they will be back?” Alejandra finds the vacuum cleaner and plugs it in.

“No, they wouldn’t be that stupid.”

Alejandra vacuums the apartment and once she was done doing that. She goes into the kitchen and starts cleaning it up. It takes them a good few hours to get the place in order. Afterward, Detective Branston takes Alejandra to Paula’s Chicken Shack and order a bucket of chicken for the two of them.

“I have to admit; this place has some good chicken.” Alejandra was on her fifth piece of chicken.

“That it does. So, what do you know about the State Troopers and the accident?” Detective Branston looks at Alejandra as she eats the meat
off a drum stick.

Alejandra looks at Mr. Branston “well, trooper Cuthbertson and trooper Heyde were the ones who set up the accident. I don’t know who the
people were that attack you, but the troopers have been working with my uncle since I arrived in the states.”

“What do they get out of it?” Detective Branston had his recorder turned on, on his cell phone.

“Money, lots and lots of money. They also help him make sure the drug shipments he is expecting arrives without any problems.”

“So, you’re saying they knew those kids?” Sebastian continues to watch Alejandra eat.

“Yep, they knew those kids and they knew the kids had won the lottery as well. Why do you think they arranged for the accident?” Alejandra
saw her uncle and the two troopers split the money they pulled out of the SUV.

“How does Belka Ann Karlen fit into this?”

“I don’t know her. All I know about is what trooper Cuthbertson and trooper Heyde did.” Alejandra wonders who this Belka Ann Karlen person is. She finishes eating the chicken piece she had grabbed. The hospital tried to put some weight on her, but they weren’t successful.

Sebastian was amazed at how many pieces of chicken, Alejandra managed to put away. He figures she must have been starved half the time when she was her uncle’s captive.

On the way home, Detective Branston stops at a local Walmart and bought some clean clothes for Alejandra to wear. He picks up a few items for himself.

Once they are done shopping, they head back to his place.

The Crystal Palace:
Maria had a hard time sleeping last night. She was so excited that she finally found her baby after ten years of searching for her. Her husband had taken their child and hid her from her. All because she wanted a divorce from him. She had caught him, screwing a younger woman in their bed. She knew he had been cheating on her and she was fine with it, as long as he didn’t bring it into their home.

However, the day she caught him in their bedroom with the other woman. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. She called the police and had the woman arrested and threw her husband out of the house. The house was in her name, so he couldn’t do anything.

The day they were going to court, because of the incident. Her husband had their son picked up from school and that was the last she saw of him. She had hired private Detectives and such to find him, but as soon as they got close to where her son was. Her son would be moved.

She gets up out of bed and heads down towards the baths. She bumps into Belka on her way to the baths.

“I’m sorry ma’am. Are you alright?” Belka was restocking the towels, washcloths and the home-made soap the Palace sold.

Maria looks at Belka when she speaks to her “I’m fine.”

“Good. Are you getting ready to take a bath?” Belka noticed the woman standing in front of her had a towel and her bathing things.

“Yes, are the tubs here like they were back in the old West?”

“A smile appears on Belka’s face “yes, and no. We have the modern tubs where you can take a shower first and then relax in a tub filled with
hot water or you can use the old fashion galvanized steel tubs. Either one, are nice to use.” A smile appears on Belka’s face.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Belka finishes restocking the linen closet and head upstairs to the kitchen to help in there.

Maria watches as her daughter walk off. She wants to tell her that she is her mother but is worried that she might not believe her. She heads into the baths and uses the bathtub where she could shower and soak in the tub.

Belka enters the kitchen and put on a hairnet and apron. They were cooking a whole side of a cow.

“You ready to learn how to cook this meat?” Ginger looks at Belka as she came walking over to the fire pit.

“Yep, I can’t wait.” Belka was in a good mood because Isa said she heard back from the council and there was a scholarship available she could apply for.

“So far, she has found four of them she applied for. One of them was, for her being a foster kid, then there was one for her being a girl. There
was another one where she had to submit some of her artwork, and if her work was accepted, she would receive a scholarship. The last one, she had to write an essay for the scholarship and submit it.

Ginger puts Belka to work mixing the spices and showing her how she wanted them rubbed on starting off, and then afterward, mopped on. While Belka was tending to the cow, Ginger works on another dish for dinner.