Author Note: This story follows the events that happened in the final chapter of The Guilty Are Always Caught.

After getting off the phone with her cousins and informing them about what had happened at her house, Katlain called the homicide squad of the precinct where she worked so they could send detectives to inspect her place. While she waits for them to show up, she lays Katherine down in her crib until she can drive over to her cousin’s house.

Afterwards, Katlain checks some of the secret cameras inside the house to see if any of them caught anything. She had them put in years ago after a stalker broke into her house and ambushed her. She also checks the Ring footage to see if someone entered through the front door.

Several of the internal cameras caught a person dressed all in black moving through the house. From the footage's angle, Katlain manages to backtrack to where the intruder entered her home. The intruder came in through the back door and noticed they had disarmed the security system on the door.

Two police cars, the forensics team, and detectives William Knight and his partner Joyce Collins arrive at her house. While the detectives talk to her, the forensics specialist goes about determining how the intruder entered Katlain’s house.

Detective Knight looks at Katlain. “Katlain, do you know of anyone who might have a grudge against you or your husband?”

“Me, sure. But not my husband. He’s an independent trucker and a nice guy. A lot of the truckers he associates with are nice people.” Katlain has met some of the other truckers when she went on short runs with her husband.

“Katlain, I know you and your partner just got back from Washington, but do you think this has anything to do with that case?” Detective Collins knew Katlain and her partner had just gotten back from a case they had been working on.

“I doubt it. No one knew we busted knew anything about me. Here’s all the footage from all the concealed cameras I have hidden about my place.” Katlain had recorded everything to a flash drive to give to the detectives. She transferred a second copy to her cloud account for later review.

“Katlain, do you have some place you can stay tonight?” Detective Knight knew the forensic team would be busy.

“Yeah, I’m going to stay at my cousin’s place tonight.” Katlain had already packed her overnight bag and was ready to go. She did the same for her daughter as well.

“Alright, you know the boss isn’t going to let you investigate this yourself, don’t you?” Detective Collins looks at Katlain with a serious look on her face.

“Just try and stop me.” Katlain walks away from the detectives and grabs her overnight bag, as well as Katherine's.

Katlain walks out to the maverick in the garage and gets in it. She sends a text to her cousin letting them know she's on the way.

She knew the two detectives would lock her place up after they were done. She tries to keep her emotions under control as she calls a cleaner, whom she knows and trusts, to visit her place once the police and forensic team have finished. She gives them the entry code to the Ring so they can enter her place.

After forty minutes of driving, Katlain arrives at her cousin's mansion. The place was an old plantation home that her cousins bought. The house and the property came as a package deal. She pulls her maverick up to the old carriage house and parks it there. She gets out and carries Katherine and her bags up to the main house.

By the time she reached the front door, Taylor had opened the front door for her. He looks at her, “Come on in, cousin.”

“Thanks, Taylor.” Katlain enters the house and drops her bags.

“I’m sorry about your husband. He was a nice guy.” Taylor was still getting over the shock that Katlain’s husband was dead. He liked Declan and was surprised when she shared with him what had happened.

“Thanks. Also, thanks for letting me and the munchkin stay here.”

“Hey, after what happened at your place, it’s the least we can do for you. Your standard room has been made up for you. I also put the family crib in there as well.”

“Thanks, Taylor.” Katlain heads towards the bedroom she usually slept in whenever she stayed over.

Taylor followed behind his cousin as she went to the bedroom that had been made up for her. He’ll do some digging tomorrow to see who the shooter was who went after Katlain’s husband. He walks into the bedroom and drops Katlain’s bags down.

“If you’re hungry, there some luncheon meat in the frig.”

“Thanks. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Tears were already leaking down Katlain’s cheeks.

Taylor takes Katherine and places her in the crib. He turns around and wraps his arms around Katlain and holds her against his body while she cries. He could feel his shirt being soaked from her crying against his shoulder. He holds her and lets her get it out of her system.

After a while, he can feel Katlain leaning more against his body. He walks her over to the bed and makes her lie down, after folding the sheets down. He tucks Katlain in and places a kiss on her forehead. He makes sure there is a box of tissues on the nightstand next to her bed.

He walks out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He turns and starts walking towards his home office, where he spots his twin Traver sitting at his desk.

“How is she?” Traver knew how much Katlain loved Declan.

“Right now, I would give her some time to cope. She’s broken up.” Taylor walks over to his desk and sits down.

“We need to find out who put a hit out on Declan.” Taylor looks towards his twin.

“I’m already on it. I’ve already contacted several of our people, and hopefully we’ll know something by tomorrow.” Traver has been on the phone calling all their sources for information on who put the hit out on Katlain’s husband.

“God help whoever did, because when Katlain finds out, she’s going to go nuts.” Taylor knew what Katlain would do to the person who killed her husband.

Katlain is woken up the following day by Katherine crying. Katlain didn’t want to get out of bed, but forced herself to get up and tend to Katherine.
Her poor daughter had peed her diaper and needed it changed. She goes about changing her diaper and ensuring Katherine’s bottom is dry before applying baby powder and a fresh diaper.

Katlain changes the onesie her daughter was wearing and tosses the wet onesie in the clothes hamper in the bedroom. Katlain knew the maid would be in later to tend to the bedroom. She changes out of the clothes she wore yesterday and grabs her toiletries to take a shower.

She was doing everything she could not to fall apart right now. She had so many things she needed to do today. She walks across the hall and takes a shower. She breaks down and starts crying while in the shower.

Outside:
Keli covers up a yawn as the cab she was in pulls up the long driveway leading to her uncle's place. The flight from St. Louis to Augusta, Georgia, was long and tedious. Luckily, she had a first-class ticket, thanks to her uncle’s. She was happy to escape St. Louis for a few weeks.

After all the drama surrounding her inheritance of the security company, Mr. Knight left her. Plus, the small fortune, his house, and cars had even surprised her. His relatives and children thought she had something to do with it, but she didn’t. She had been surprised that Mr. Knight had instructed his lawyer to have her come to the reading of his will.

She was even more surprised at everything he had left her. She never asked anything from him and had enjoyed taking care of him. His children, on the other hand, weren’t very nice people.

“Here we are, Ms.” The taxi driver stops in front of the main house.

Traver was alerted to the arrival of his niece when the taxi stopped at the gate. He was happy that she had finally arrived. He had stepped outside to help her with her luggage.

A smile appears on his face when Keli steps out of the cab. He could tell she had changed how she wore her hair. It was styled to look more business-like. Additionally, he noticed she was wearing business-style pants, rather than her usual blue jeans and blouse.

When the taxi pulled up to the front of the mansion, Keli noticed her uncle Traver was waiting for her. A smile appeared on her face as she was overjoyed to see her uncle. It has been almost six years since she last saw her uncles.

The last time had been when she buried her mother in St. Louis. Her uncles wanted to fly her mother’s body back to Augusta and lay her remains in the family cemetery. But her mother left instructions to have her remains buried next to her husband in St. Louis.

“Uncle Traver, it's so nice to see you.” Keli runs up to her uncle and hugs him.

She could tell the difference between her twin uncles. There were only a few people who could tell them apart.

“It’s so nice to see you as well, Kelly.” Traver never liked the way his younger sister spelled Keli’s birth name. He preferred calling her Kelly, instead of Keli. He returned her hug and could smell that she was wearing her favorite perfume. It was the same type of perfume his little sister liked wearing.

“So, how was you’re flight?” Traver pays the cab driver and gives him a hefty tip for carrying his niece’s bags into the house.

“Long and tedious. I’m so happy to be here with you and Uncle Taylor.” Keli was so glad to be back in Georgia. At least here, Mr. Knight’s relatives and children wouldn’t be bothering her.

“Are things still bad back home with Mr. Knight’s relatives?” Traver had been surprised when he received a phone call from Keli and was informed about what happened to her.

“God, yes, Uncle Traver. They have contested the will several times and seem to have no intention of stopping.” Keli was glad that each time she ended up going to court, the final judgment was always in her favor.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about anything here. I do have some bad news.” Traver shuts the front door behind him.

“What’s that, uncle?” Keli hopes it had nothing to do with her.

“You remember your cousin Katlain?”

“Yeah? Did she finally get caught stealing cars?” Keli knew her cousin was a famous car thief and had never been caught.

“No, she has gone over to the other side. She’s an Augusta police officer, and just recently her husband was found murdered in their home. She and her daughter are going to be staying here with me and Taylor for a while.”

“This is a surprise. I never knew she was married or had a daughter either.” The last Keli knew of her cousin, she was a car thief, but also worked as a model. She had no idea her cousin had gotten married or had a daughter.

“She’s only been married for about a year now, and her daughter is almost two years old.” Traver helps carry Keli’s luggage up to the other spare bedroom that had been prepared for her.

“Does the police know who killed Katlain’s husband?” Keli follows her uncle to the bedroom.

“No, but Katlain is going to be hunting the person down. She might need some help.” Traver knew Keli wasn’t in the same business as he and Katlain were.

“If I can help, I will. I just inherited a large security firm that has access to every criminal database here in the States and overseas.” Keli had been surprised by what Mr. Knight did for a living.

“That is a surprise. Mr. Knight must have liked you.” Traver was surprised by that information.

“I don’t know why he left his company to me, uncle. I didn’t do anything that would warrant such a huge gift, along with everything else I told you and Uncle Taylor about.”

“Well, you must have done something special for him to leave you all his stuff, sweetie. Now, let’s get you settled in and go out for brunch.” Traver figures Keli must be hungry.

“Okay, uncle.”

Katlain’s bedroom:
Katlain finally got done taking her shower and went back to her bedroom to get ready for the day. She still needed to feed her daughter and make arrangements to bury Declan. She’ll have to get the family's permission to bury her husband in the family plot. Which meant she’ll have to speak with her great-uncle, since her grandfather passed away a few years ago. He was the last remaining elder alive. The responsibility would pass to her cousin’s parents, since her parents were in jail on drug charges.

Katlain grabs Katherine’s baby bag and her small wallet. She texts her cousins letting them know she’ll be out and that she has Katherine with her. The first place she plans on stopping is the funeral home to pick out a coffin for her husband and make arrangements with the local burial vault company to install a burial vault once she gets permission from her aunt and uncle.

As for her own funeral arrangements, she wants to be cremated and placed with her husband.