Page 82 of Innocence
“How many Kya Caruthers are there?”
“One hundred and sixty three in the United States.”
Well shit, guess Tobias did his research. Though it did kind of piss me off that so many other people had the same name as my pet. How many other Lorenzo’s were there? Had any one of them found their Kya?
“Okay, I have to interject here,” Carmine sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “We are talking about Enzo’s pet, right? Because I’ve seen that girl literally hide from her own shadow.”
My eyes narrowed on my brother. When did Carmine see her do anything, other than hide behind me from him?
“Yes,” Jackson sat down on his desk. My head cocked when he quickly slipped a picture under a stack of papers. “We’re talking about the same girl.”
“Huh?” Carmine shrugged and sat back. “Alright then. Can’t wait to hear this shit.”
For once, I was with Carmine. Kya was hardly a threat. Neither was her family. So unless they dug up some pretty serious skeletons, I didn’t see a problem.
Until Bias opened his mouth.
“Her name isn’t Kya Caruthers.”
My brow rose. “Come again?”
“Her birth certificate is a fake,” Jackson explained. “A good one, mind you, but still a fake.”
That didn’t prove anything. People faked documents for all kinds of crap. Fake ID’s to get into bars. Hell, I’d even come across a few weird fucks that wanted to vote before they turned eighteen.
“So,” I shrugged, “you got the wrong birth certificate. What’s the big deal?”
At first I thought Jackson had found a signature in the forged document. There were a few rather skilled forgers we were looking for. Maybe my pet bought something off someone who had information on them?
“It’s not so much Kya we’re concerned about. It’s her mother.”
“Her mother?” My brows knit at Bias. “She owns a diner in small town USA. Not exactly a sketchy business.”
I did my research too. Ran a background check on anyone who had contact with Kya. Other than Flo’s strange shopping habits, nothing stood out. Though I was curious what she did with all those ping pong balls?
Bias blew out an exasperated breath. “The only child Maxine Caruthers gave birth to was Angela. And before you argue,” he swung his lap top around, “there’s this.”
Displayed on the screen was an image of what appeared to be a young Maxine coming out of a store.
“This was taken on May twelfth, the same year Kya was born.”
My eyes zeroed in on Maxine’s flat stomach. Kya’s birthday was May twenty-eighth. She should be big as a house. “Where’s the baby?”
“Exactly,” Jackson nodded.
Alright, I was starting to see the issue. I sat back and listened to everything else they’d found. Which turned out to be a lot of nothing. Other than the child that seemingly appeared out of thin air, the only thing suspicious was the death of Maxine’s first husband, Steve.
His body washed up on the shore in Miami six years ago. A body his loving wife never showed up to claim. One question rang through my mind.
“Who the fuck did I take?”
And why the hell didn’t I notice this shit? I thought I checked her out before I took her, but did I really? I followed her around for two weeks. Watched everything she did between work and school.
When she tripped over the sidewalk, I was there. I saw how she was bullied. How she hid from people at work, and listened to people talk about the poor girl that scuttled by. I was the one there when her stepdad tried to sneak into her room. I beat the shit out of that prick that pushed her in class, but it wasn’t me that found out her secret.
I didn’t even know she had one, because I was too busy stalking her.
“I say we ask her.” Jackson cut the end off a cigar and popped it in his mouth. “She’ll be here any minute.”
