Page 49 of The Inquirer

I didn’t make it any further because the door opened, and someone else came in. Someone I knew. My chest went tight, and I couldn’t breathe.

“Ambrose Check. I’m Delia’s attorney.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Detective Russell asked.

“I’m her lawyer.”

I wanted to say that he wasn’t. I didn’t want anything to do with Uncle Ambrose. He hadn’t hurt me, but he wouldn’t help me either.

“You’re his brother.”

The world shifted.

“What do you mean my mom’s not coming? Where is she? Where are you taking me?”

My hands were shaking, and no one would talk to me. I was all alone, and I didn’t know what was happening. I couldn’t breathe, and my heart was about to come out of my chest. I’d never been this scared before, not even when he was hurting me. Then, I knew it would eventually stop.

But now, I didn’t know anything.

The world shifted back, and I found myself gripping the arms of the chair, my pulse racing from all the adrenaline that had been dumped into my system. As far as flashbacks went, that one had been pretty mild, but that didn’t mean it’d been fun. I could work through it alone, though, which was good. I didn’t need another long interruption while I got help to deal with my shit.

Less than ten minutes later, I was ready to put down on paper what I now knew: the law firm Min Wu represented was connected to the law firm employed by the family she’d hired me to investigate on behalf of her clients. Whether she’d known that or not, I couldn’t tell, but since Check & Sons had been the Traylor family’s lawyers for a couple generations, Ambrose had to have known when he’d sent Min Wu to me.

Seeing Ambrose’s hand in this made me wonder if he’d been pulling strings other places too. I’d never really understood him, which meant I couldn’t figure out his motives, but no matter why he’d put this case in my path, I’d find the truth.

This wasn’t for him. It was for the Douglasses and the Huxleys and all the other families like them who’d gone so long without justice.

I knew all too well what it was like to be in that position, and if there was anything I could do to help, I would do it. No matter what happened with Bradyn and me, I’d see this through to the end.

Twenty-One

Bradyn

I’d always considered myself a patient person, but my patience was coming to an end.

The kids had actually stayed pretty good for me after the whole ice cream situation, especially after I’d allowed Betsy to paint my finger and toenails a brilliant florescent pink. She informed me in a devious tone that Pawpaw had told her she wasn’t allowed to paint her brothers’ anymore because men didn’t wear nail polish, which gave me an additional reason to let her do it. Being able to play with my niece, get her to behave, and annoy my father was the ultimate trifecta.

Of course, I insisted we take pictures of a job well done and send them to everyone in the family. The wicked smile she’d given me when she asked if Pawpaw was going to get one just confirmed that she would be the Lester to look out for. If my father had thought I was rebellious and headstrong, he was going to be in for a big surprise in a few years when Betsy started coming into her own.

The three of us played a couple board games and watched a movie – one with a princess, of course – finishing up not long before Warren and my mom arrived. I got the update on Clancy, who probably would just be getting out of the hospital around Halloween, and then made a little small talk as I gauged how long I had to stay before it wouldn’t be rude for me to leave. I hadn’t minded watching the kids – Betsy’s near-tantrum aside – but now that my help was no longer needed, the files in my car were calling my name.

Without Ashley here, I doubted anyone would notice what I’d taken, but I didn’t want to risk Les bringing them up while Mom and I were in the same room. I had no idea if she knew Ashley had those boxes or what was in them, but I had no desire to find out at the moment.

Of course, that meant Mom invited me to stay for dinner. Since it was just her, Warren, and the kids, I really didn’t have any good excuse to decline. At least, not an excuse I could give her without lying. Plus, she had texted me about Clancy even though she’d known Dad and Ashley would both be pissed about it. And Warren wasn’t really a bad guy, just a weak one.

If I could ease some of the tension by staying for a meal, it was a small sacrifice to make. Besides the fact that it’d ruin this tentative truce I had going on with Mom at the moment, I would’ve had to be a real dick to act like what I was doing was more important than my nephew.

All of this meant that it was nearly seven-thirty before I was able to get away, and that was after at least a half-hour of practically biting my tongue to stop myself from telling them that I had work to do.

Once I was home, I kicked off my shoes, got a beer from my fridge, and sat down at my table to start going through what I’d taken from the house. I’d pretty much emptied the entire box, then split the contents of the other two boxes so they were all full about the same amount. If Ashley knew what had been in the boxes, my ruse would only last until she actually looked at what was there, but I doubted her attention would be anywhere near those boxes while Clancy was in the hospital.

My sister had a lot of negative character qualities, but the one thing I’d always admired about her was how much she loved her children. Even if she spoiled Betsy or tried to control the direction Les’s life went, it was because she wanted what she thought was best for them.

I had a bad feeling that would bite me in the ass in the near future because I had no doubt Ashley would see my film as being a danger to the well-being of her children.

“She’ll have nothing to worry about if I don’t find anything,” I reminded myself out loud.

I had my suspicions about my family, but no real evidence of any specific skeletons in the closet. Once I started digging in here, though, that could change. And I couldn’t brush it off as something I stumbled on. If I took this step, I would be actively searching for lies…or worse.

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