Page 17 of Devious Gambit

“Rhys? Honey, are you okay?” Hearing her calming voice was like hearing bumbles bees on a hot summer’s day

“Who’s this ‘dad’ character?” I asked, utterly confused.

“Brett Moody.”

“But Brett Moody is my dad.”

“I know.”

The line went dead as she waited for the dime to drop. “My dad is a prison guard?” I asked still in shock.

“No.”

“It says he writes me letters often and hopes one day I’ll reply. I’ve never seen a letter… This is very strange, Patty. My head is too full to fully comprehend what I’m looking at.”

“Maybe you should talk to Lu.”

“Did you know about this? I mean, you two are sisters, I know you’re not as close as you used to be, but did she ever tell you about… Did she even know about this?”

“I think you better talk to Lu.”

“She did know, didn’t she? Do you think she was too busy changing diapers and wiping snotty noses to pass this information on?”

“I don’t think that was the reason.”

I perused the letter again to see if I’d missed anything. “What was he in prison for?”

“Quite a serious crime. I don’t want to step on Lu’s toes, so you should ring her to ask these questions. But I am here to support you, Rhys.”

“Did Tris know?”

“No. I mean, if he does know he didn’t hear it from me. He has enough on his plate.”

“True.” The line went dead again, for several moments, until I uttered, “I guess I better go. I’ve got an assignment to do.”

“Are you okay, Rhys?” she asked again.

“Severely confused,” I answered, truthfully. “Wait. Before you hang up, where are his other letters?”

“Your mom.”

“Oh?”

“We knew this day would come,” she spoke quietly. “There was only so long Lu could keep it a secret.”

“What part was she worried about? The fact he’s in prison, or the fact he wants to communicate with me.”

“Both, I guess.”

I ended the call feeling numb and not even Grandma Fisher’s cookies could stir enthusiasm out of me. It was such strange space to be in. I had no interest in pursuing my father’s whereabouts, because I assumed he didn’t want to see me. The story I had always believed was that he left his only child when I was two and never returned or communicated with me. Yet I’m being smacked in the face with an alternative tale to my history. Everything that I knew up until that point was a lie.

I was about to phone Lu to give her a piece of my mind, when car tires screeched on the road outside. Ruckus yelling and general buffoonery, followed. I glanced out the window to see a car doing wheelies on the slippery surface. I didn’t think much of it until the car stalled and a couple of big guys climbed out carrying golf clubs, heading my way.

Immediately, I panicked and ran into my bathroom to climb out the window. I heard their thudding footsteps, slowly and tauntingly, climb the wooden steps. With each step, they smacked the side of the house with a gold club.

“Come out, come out, little piggy!” he yelled. Adam Sweeney, I’d recognize that voice anywhere.

He hammered his fist against the door. “I just need to know that you’re not gonna speak to the cops, Rhys. ‘Cos if you do, I might have to punish you.”

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