Page 33 of The Silence of Monsters

I blinked because I was too stunned to speak. I had to drink some water before my suddenly parched throat could operate as normal. “Is that a serious question?”

Rocco frowned and lowered his head so that he was looking at the tips of his polished boots. “Colette handled everything after Archie died. There was no autopsy. The death certificate is signed by the coroner who just happens to be married to the mayor of the Cove. The mayor Colette helped get elected. I’ve seen pictures of the damage after the fire. There wasn’t much fuel to feed the flames. I saw Willow’s condition when the firefighters pulled her out of the house. She was injured, but it didn’t appear to be fatal. My guess is that if someone reached her and Archie in time, they would’ve been badly burned, but alive.”

I felt my heart squeeze, and I forgot how to breathe for a second. My vision blurred. I remembered the sorrow that felt suffocating since my brother died. The blame and accusations were sharp spears that were stabbed into my vulnerable places. I never understood why Archie’s choices had anything to do with me. My mother always asserted that if I hadn’t left, things never would’ve spiraled out of control, as if I were responsible for making sure Archie didn’t fall in love with a Harvey.

“Are you trying to tell me that you think my brother is still alive? That my mother is keeping him in the same place she kept my father when he was dying?”

“I’m saying it’s a possibility we need to investigate. Things don’t add up when you scratch beneath the surface. We’ve always accepted your mother’s version of events because you weren’t home. I think she’s gotten too comfortable. Colette has always insisted Willow drugged herself and Archie, then set the fire. She claims no one at the estate knew that Winnie was with Channing that night. None of those assertions are based on fact. If Willow drugged herself when she supposedly drugged Archie, she couldn’t have started the fire. She was smaller than him. It would be nearly impossible for her to wait for him to pass out before she could ignite anything that would burn. If she took something after Archie was knocked out, then she would’ve been alert when the fire started. She would’ve been aware that she was being burned alive. If that were the case, there would’ve been signs of escape or a struggle to survive. No regular human can sit there and let themselves be torched. It’s like they both went to sleep and never woke up, even as the manor burned around them. Smoke inhalation killed Willow. Since there was no autopsy done on Archie, there’s no cause of death on record. The entire situation is suspicious as hell. Especially since the law enforcement in the Cove is under your mother’s influence. This should’ve been discussed long before now.”

I rubbed a hand across my chin and felt my perception of one of the most defining moments of my life shift. “You’re telling me you think my mother drugged them and started the fire, then somehow managed to get Archie out and left Willow to die? Do you think she murdered my brother’s wife? And tried to murder my niece, as well?” Unfiltered disbelief colored every word, not because I couldn’t imagine my mother as a killer, but because this questionable behavior happened underneath my nose, and I never realized it. How was I fit to run a multibillion-dollar empire if I couldn’t keep my home in order? And how could my mother ever call anyone else crazy? If any of this actually occurred, she wasn’t right in the head. I never questioned the tragedy surrounding Archie and his family. I didn’t have time. My dad’s health failed so quickly after my brother’s death. Then I was trying to fill his shoes at Halliday Inc. Amid all of that, my mother started threatening to hurt herself if I didn’t do exactly what she wanted. I was strung so tightly for so long, it never occurred to me that the pressure from the past might be a smoke show to keep me from taking a closer look at my mother’s nefarious intentions. If I was too busy running the company to question what was happening at home, she would benefit from my inattention. A prick of doubt jabbed into my churning thoughts as I wondered if my father’s sudden decline was as unpreventable as I always believed.

Rocco’s voice pulled me out of my dark thoughts. “I need some time to ask around. I want to check out the medical facility. Privacy laws will shield most of the staff, but I know how to get the information I want. I’ll try to keep things quiet but your mother has eyes and ears everywhere. If I kick over the hornets’ nest, the queen is going to attack.”

I let my head flop back so that I was staring sightlessly at the ceiling. It felt like icy cold fingertips were crawling up my spine. My stomach clenched. I worried I might throw up.

“Rocco, even if by some miracle Archie survived the fire, what does that have to do with someone sneaking around my house?”

The big man shrugged a meaty shoulder. “I can’t answer that. But Winnie is his daughter. If I was lucky enough to come back from the dead, the first thing I would want to do is see my loved ones.”

I barked out a hysterical laugh. I always felt like my life wasn’t real. I often imagined I was mechanically playing a role I’d been assigned from birth. Nothing was mine. I was just a placeholder until a real Halliday came along. These fresh revelations made me feel even more distant from the man I was supposed to be. My mother was cold and unfeeling. I’d been aware that nothing mattered to her more than the name Halliday and all that came with it. It shouldn’t come as a shock that the woman might be capable of murder. But the thought of her letting me grieve all these years was astounding. And Winnie. How could she ever justify depriving an emotionally delicate child from her parents? If Rocco’s conjecture had any truth to it, my mother was a monster.

“Now that we know Conrad isn’t being upfront with me, figure out how deep he’s in with my mother. Get an idea of how long he’s been selling me out. I need solid proof to confront him.” The man had too much access to me to let him go without leverage. “I always knew his refusal to cut off his family was going to be his downfall. All these years, they’ve never been happy with what he could provide. They always wanted more. That’s a weakness my mother couldn’t help but exploit. I’ll bang around the floors at the manor myself to keep any suspicion to a minimum. This is un-fucking-believable.”

Rocco nodded and quietly asked, “What are you going to do if Archie is alive?”

I could only shake my head. What was the proper reaction if a beloved family member came back from the dead? And how would I explain any of this to Winnie? My heart rampaged in protest when I imagined trying to tell Channing. For years, she’d had to live under the stigma of being the sister of the woman who ruined the youngest Halliday. She listened as her sister was blamed and defamed. She watched her family fall apart as the only piece of Willow that remained was forcibly ripped away from her. She always said she hated me, and I let it roll off my back. Now, she would have a legitimate reason. How could she care about the man whose mother murdered her sister? It was no different from having anything to do with the woman whose sister supposedly killed my brother. There didn’t appear to be a scenario where she and I made any sense together.

I sent Rocco off to bring me facts. I was searching around my desk, looking for painkillers, when an assistant called to let me know Channing was at the front desk and wanted to come up to my office. I informed everyone in the building to let her up if she made an appearance. Channing refused to accept special treatment and waited until she had permission to see me before stepping into the executive elevator.

I ran through everything I’d just learned before she opened the door. I wasn’t sure how much I should tell her since nothing was verified. I didn’t want to face off against her and my mother at the same time. I’d gotten used to having her on my side as my reluctant teammate. I was loath to lose her.

I decided I would tell her about the possibility that trapdoors were under the floors. She was hellbent on finding the secret passages. It felt like a reasonable compromise for the time being.

When she entered my office, it felt like the sun peeked out from behind the darkest rain clouds. Her short hair was ruffled from the wind, and she was dressed casually, as always. She didn’t fit in with the people working in this billion-dollar skyscraper.

Because of her, I now understood that neither did I.

Channing

I sauntered across Win’s office like I owned the place. It was another one of his personal spaces that was predominantly gray with lots of glass and black accents. His big desk was a warm mahogany that managed to give a little life to the surroundings, but everything else was industrial and boring. It was the perfect backdrop for all the glossy magazine covers that his handsome face graced, and not much else.

I dropped a bag of pastries from a popular bakery in front of him and propped a hip on the corner of the massive piece of furniture. I tapped the surface with my knuckles and gave him a playful smile. “This is a nice piece. I was so angry the last time I was here, I didn’t notice. It doesn’t seem to fit with your usual aesthetic.” I bet it still cost a fortune and came with a royal lineage rather than a familiar designer name.

Win reached for the bag of pastries and the harsh lines around his mouth softened when he saw the sweet confections inside. It baffled me that none of his ardent suitors had figured out the way to his icy heart was directly through his sweet tooth.

“The desk was my father’s. Supposedly, it belonged to Napoleon.” He made it sound like there was no difference between owning a piece of history and buying something from IKEA. “I didn’t inherit it. He left it to the next CEO. It belongs to Halliday Inc.” Win’s voice was devoid of emotion. His features were tight. I could tell he’d been running his hands through his messy hair. The knot of his tie was loose, and his suit jacket was tossed carelessly on top of a bar cart in one corner of his office. There was no missing that the man was having a rough day.

I reached out and ran my hand over his hair to help smooth some strands back in place. “What’s the matter, Chester? Did you only make a couple million dollars today instead of a couple billion?”

I was surprised when he caught my hand and pulled me in front of him. I was pressed against the edge of the desk. He was sprawled in the matching chair in front of me, looking like a defeated king who was ready to abdicate the throne. I jolted when he moved forward, pressed his forehead against my stomach, and wrapped his arms loosely around my waist.

“I’ve always known that I was lying about who I am. It didn’t occur to me until recently that everybody else in my life is lying, as well. What’s the point of anything I’ve done if none of it is real? Why did I have to give up everything for a fabrication? How long am I required to keep the farce going? What if there is no end? Am I going to end up like my mother?” He heaved a breath that made my stomach clench. “I’m not as worried about Winnie’s future, because she has you.”

I stayed as still as possible while he cuddled into me. I stroked his head and ran my nails across his neck. I could feel how tense he was.

Unsure of what had him in such a morose mood, I quipped, “You have me, too. At least until our contract is up.”

Win’s hold on me tightened, and he lifted his head. His gray eyes were as fierce as a thunderstorm. “What if I want to keep you longer, Channing?”

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