Page 58 of Intrigued
I took a steadying sigh and smiled slightly, hoping my expression would infect him. It didn’t.
“As you know, I’ve been doing some investigating while I was here. However, I ended up with more questions than answers, like the mystery surrounding your mother’s age. I learned she was forty-two when she passed, which would’ve only made her fifteen years old when she gave birth to you.”
I paused, waiting for him to say something. Instead, he pursed his lips as though he were waiting to find out how much more I knew. I understood that the matter of Amelia Christmas’s age had always been called into question. But it was time to drop the bomb.
“My source provided me with a hairbrush that contains your mother’s DNA. I will be able to match the results with other samples I had sent to the lab with all your DNA.”
Again, I waited for him to say something, but he didn’t. “How do you feel about that?”
“I feel as though I let you into my house, knowing that you are a top investigative journalist. Therefore, I’m not fucking surprised.” His voice had an edge to it.
“Okay,” I said, unsure of what he meant by that. I readjusted in my seat. “Did you ever know your mother’s actual age?”
“According to you, I didn’t.”
“Well, how old did you think she was?” I shot back quickly, giving him no time to consider whether or not he should answer my question.
He crossed and uncrossed his legs. “Not as young as you say she was. I don’t know. I never thought about my mother’s age. She never celebrated birthdays. The thought of getting older frightened the hell out of her, actually.”
“And what about Arthur Valentine?” I asked.
He sat up straight. “What about him?” His tone sounded defensive.
“You already know I was roaming through your dark Christmas hallways. Well, I overheard you having a conversation with Arthur Valentine. First of all, was ittheArthur Valentine?” I already knew it was, but it would’ve been nice for Jasper to confirm it.
He nodded briskly. “If you’re referring to Arthur Bradley Valentine, then yes.”
I was happy he was being direct with me. “Yes, that is who I’m referring to. What sort of debt do you owe him?”
His jaw flexed as he looked off. “I can’t say.”
I hadn’t become such a good journalist by backing down, and I wasn’t going to start now. “Okay, thenwhydo you owe him a debt?”
Jasper looked at me again. I didn’t flinch. And I certainly wasn’t breaking eye contact first.
“Would you believe me if I told you I didn’t even know?”
“No, I wouldn’t believe you.”
His eyes narrowed. However, they had gotten glossier, making it easier to see the emotion behind them. “As kids, we were taught a lot of things. We were never supposed to question the logic behind the lessons. They were just what they were. My father owed a debt to Arthur, a debt I’m still supposed to make good on.”
I turned my face slightly to the left. “And you never asked why?”
“No. You don’t ask Randolph Christmas why.”
I’d known plenty of rich, powerful, and narcissistic men like Jasper’s father. None of them liked to answer questions, especially those that had the potential to expose the skeletons jiggling in their closets.
“Haven’t you ever cared to know?”
Again, he flexed his jaw, which I guessed was directly related to him biting down on the back of his teeth. “I can handle Arthur Valentine,” he said with a snarl.
My stomach muscles tightened in the shiver that ran down my spine. He might as well have addedand by any means necessary.
“You sound like you’re threatening violence,” I said.
Jasper leaned toward me as though he wanted to whisper something. “I know in your world there’s peace and justice and following the rules. But men like Valentine don’t respect your way of doing things.”
I inclined myself forward. “If you think I live with pink clouds, unicorns, and fairies, you’re wrong. If you think I believe thatFather Knows Bestwas ever a reality of any human being, then again, you’re wrong. Arthur Valentine fights with an armed arsenal of murderers at his beck and call. And it sounds as if you’re willing and able to match him pound for pound.”
