Page 49 of The Madman's Nightmare
“Are you confident?” I asked James as he sat across from me in his home office. “Because Elise has been distant since the warehouse, and I don’t want to tell her this without you being completely positive.”
Michael’s little statement about a daughter had planted doubt in my Lamb’s mind, and James and I had spent the last month tearing apart their lives, looking for anything to prove or disprove the existence of a daughter.
James leaned back and closed his laptop before he spoke. “I’ve been through every therapist report as well as everything we could find on them from missions, charities, withdrawals from the overseas trust account, school records, doctor’s records, and the paper copy of his state files. There is nothing to prove they had a child.”
I sighed and ran my hands through my hair as I lifted my head toward the ceiling. That was the best possible news he could have given me, and I know if he believes it to be true, then it probably was.
“Maybe we should’ve brought in our coroner friend from Tampa to look over her before we disposed of everything,” I suggested, and James shook his head and stood from his chair.
He walked around his desk and leaned against the edge in front of me as he replied. “All that would have done was give credence to their declarations. I saw the doctors’ reports, and she had a complete hysterectomy when she was sixteen. Heradvanced cancer required a drastic procedure, and from all indications, she began to go crazy during her treatment.”
“What do they think was wrong with her?” I inquired.
“Honestly, she never got a proper diagnosis before the parents died and she disappeared,” James returned, then added, “And from all indications, Michael wasn’t too stable himself.”
I stood and stepped back from the desk before walking to the window and looking out at Pierce Lake. I’d spent countless nights awake, searching for any clues as to what caused Delilah and Michael to take some dramatic actions, and the only thing that made sense was they were both dealing with severe mental health issues.
The state’s files from when Michael was sent away to boarding school showed an extreme need to satisfy and an unhealthy obsession with Delilah. The state recorded Mr. Greene’s statement about what he had witnessed with the two kids, and it was disturbing to say the least. Hypersexuality that led to a semi-incestuous relationship that he stopped immediately.
Delilah had seen countless therapists during the ten years the Greene’s managed to keep them apart, and she was always questioning what she and Michael had done wrong and why they couldn’t be together. The therapist said she was drawn to people she shouldn’t want to be with and rejection drove her to a manic state.
“Do you think Elise will believe everything?” I questioned James, and he approached the window, standing beside me.
“I think once she sees everything I showed you, she’ll be able to move past this.”
I looked at my brother and remarked, “I hope you’re right.”
Moving toward the office door, I heard him reply. “I’ll speak with her if you want me to, but I think it’s all better coming from you.”
I looked over my shoulder, and he was standing halfway to the door. The laughter of his daughter and wife trickled through the closed door, and I gave him a subtle nod before opening the door and leaving his office.
Amaya and Elizabeth were playing with dolls in the living room when I entered the room. Elizabeth stood and ran over to me, lifting her arms. I bent over and picked her up as James walked in behind me.
“Where goin, Unc Debin?” my beautiful niece asked me.
“I have to go home to Aunt Elise, DJ, and Conner, but I’ll see you on Saturday for the cookout. Are you excited?” I asked the sweet little girl.
“Mom said they gunna hab ice cweme,” she proclaimed as she clapped her tiny hands together.
James stepped beside me and held his hands out to his daughter, who practically leapt from my arms into his. “We need to let Uncle Devlin get home, but you’ll see him day after tomorrow.”
“Okay, Daddy.” She smiled and looked at me. “Bye, Unc Debin.”
“Bye, sweetheart,” I returned and winked at Amaya before letting myself out of their apartment.
The elevator was closed, and I pressed the button, recalling the car to James’s floor. A moment later, it arrived and I stepped inside, pressed the button for my floor, and watched the doors close. When it opened into my apartment, the first thing I noticed was the quiet. The boys were usually tearing around the place, doing what little boys do, but the apartment was strangely quiet.
I moved through the living room, glancing onto the patio and into the kitchen, finding them both empty. As I walked down the hallway, I looked from one room to the next, not seeing the boys, and my anxiety began to grow. Sounds coming from behind myclosed bedroom door were muffled, and when I opened the door, expecting to see Elise and the boys, I found the room empty and the bathroom door closed.
Approaching the bathroom, I listened to hear if she was bathing the boys, but the sounds didn’t seem normal. Carefully, I opened the door and peeked inside to find the lights off, candles lit, and Elise soaking in the oversized tub near the window. Her head turned toward me, and I heard the strange noise again.
I narrowed my eyes as I began to unbutton my shirt. “Where are the boys?” I asked as I stepped beside the tub and saw what she had in her hand.
The small waterproof vibrator was pressed between her legs as she looked up at me with desire written on her face. Her back arched in the tub, lifting her pert tits from under the water as she kept staring at me.
“My parents came and got them for a few hours,” she answered as I slipped my shirt off and tossed it to the floor.
Reaching down, I began to unhook my belt and unbutton my pants as I kicked my shoes off and against the corner. I kept my eyes trained on hers as she continued pleasuring herself. Elise was breaking one of my cardinal rules, and she knew I was going to have to react.
