Darker: The Inquirer

by M. S. Parker

  “All right,” Min said, setting her hands on her lap and straightening her spine. “Ask me anything, and I’ll do my best to answer, as long as my clients are still giving permission to me to share.”

  “Go right ahead,” Kathie said. “You can tell them anything.”

  “Thank you,” Brew said to her before turning back to Min. “How can you sue people hundreds of years after somethin’ bad was done. I don’t like the idea of me bein’ responsible for somethin’ my great-grandfather did. We all got bad apples somewhere in our family trees.”

  He had a good point.

  “You’re right,” Min said. “Even if we can prove what the Calvert family did to the Adams family, the actual people involved are long dead. Some attorneys might try for restitution anyway, but those cases never turn out well, even if the case is found in their favor. Bad press that turns into threats and vandalism. What makes your case different is that there is a possibility that one or more members of the Traylor family know about what happened and are covering it up in present time. That could make it an ongoing crime, which may make it possible to file a civil lawsuit. There’s a good chance they might offer to settle if we sign a non-disclosure agreement and promise to keep things quiet, especially with Clancy Traylor being involved in politics.”

  “And if they don’t know anything?” Brew asked.

  “We’ll have to see where things go from there.” Min glanced at me. “Nyx will be looking into what the Traylors know, how long they’ve known it, and what actions, if any, they’ve taken to keep it hidden.”

  When Min and I had talked last night, she’d asked me to extend my investigation, and I’d accepted. I still wasn’t entirely sure why I’d said yes, especially since it was clear things between Bradyn and I wouldn’t get any better.

  No, that wasn’t entirely true. One of the main reasons I’d agreed to stay a little longer was because I actually liked Shadae and Brew. They’d been good to me. Leaving them hanging because I’d fucked things up with a guy would’ve made me as bad as Bradyn clearly thought I was.

  “One of the first things we’re going to do is prove the Mae-Traylor connection,” Min continued. Another thing she and I had talked about. “We plan to get a DNA sample from one of the Traylors and match it to Kathie. After that, we’ll work toward who knew what.”

  “I think I’d like to see what Nyx turns up then,” Brew said. “Before I make a decision.”

  The conversation continued on, but my mind had shifted focus. I didn’t know how I was going to get Traylor DNA. I didn’t want to ask Bradyn, especially since I doubted he’d give me one without demanding an explanation. I didn’t want the Huxleys to have to do it either, though. It wasn’t their job. It was mine.

  Well, I was the one who’d decided this was the job I wanted. That meant I had to do the shitty work as well as the stuff I liked.

  Dammit.

  Ten

  Bradyn

  All day yesterday I’d waited for something to happen. I’d been sure that when I returned from my parents’ place that Shadae would find me for answers about why Nyx had left.

  I’d prepared myself to give a vague but realistic answer, for having to explain why Nyx would’ve left without talking to them, or even flat-out lying about whatever excuse she’d given them. Except neither Shadae nor Brew had seemed to notice when I arrived home.

  For hours, I’d had thoughts running through my head about all the possible ways Nyx could’ve messed up the Huxleys’s lives. When I’d showed up at the big house for dinner, however, Nyx had been helping Shadae with the food as if nothing had happened. As if I hadn’t told her to leave.

  The weirdest part, though, was that they’d all stopped talking the moment I walked through the door. I’d heard their voices as I’d come up the steps but hadn’t been able to make out any words. Then they’d stopped. Dead silence for several seconds before Brew had greeted me.

  This morning at breakfast, the same thing happened. As soon as I’d set foot in the kitchen, whatever conversation they’d been having ceased. No one had looked at me either. Yeah, they’d looked in my direction, but it hadn’t actually been at me. No eye contact at all.

  If this kept up, I was going to get a complex. Clearly, there was something going on that no one wanted to tell me, which meant I would have to get to the bottom of it myself.

  I needed to find out who Nyx Phoenix really was.

  The first step would be to talk to the Huxleys alone. I’d tell them about the phone call I’d overheard, the argument Nyx and I’d had in New York, what’d happened between Nyx, Isaac, and myself, all of it. Hopefully, that would get them to realize that whatever information she was feeding them – probably about me – wasn’t the whole story.

  And I’d also tell them the whole reason I was working for them. I couldn’t expect them to believe me over Nyx if I was hiding things. Besides, nothing about what I was doing would negatively affect them. I wanted to show the truth about the most prominent families in Savannah, and when it came to knowing the real character of people in the spotlight, it usually wasn’t their ‘peers’ who had the answers. The Huxleys had been around as long as some of the families I was focusing on – longer than a couple, actually – and could offer me a unique perspective I wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere.

  Once I realized that Nyx hadn’t left, I hadn’t expected to be able to talk to them at breakfast since Nyx also ate with us. My schedule was booked solid with lessons, so I’d asked if I could take them out for dinner at the Cotton Exchange. A ‘thank you’ for everything they’d done for me. I’d always intended to do something like that when I finally told them about my film. This clusterfuck with Nyx had just moved up the timetable.

  When I went out to my first lesson, I was determined to put everything else out of my mind and concentrate on teaching my students. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

  Nyx had gone back to her cabin after breakfast, and I’d assumed I’d see her getting a ride into the city, off to do whatever she did there. I was just glad it’d keep her from filling the Huxleys’s heads with even more bullshit before I could talk to them.

  At the end of my first lesson, however, I was walking back to the stable with Melodee and Starbright when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. It was Nyx, walking back to the big house, a bag in hand. A rectangle sort of bag that looked like it probably held a laptop and some papers. Shit. She was up to something, and I had no idea what it was. No way to find out, either. Not without making a bigger mess of things.

  Deserting my work and interrupting something I hadn’t been invited to wouldn’t do any good for anyone, which meant I stayed where I was. Even so, I couldn’t stop myself from looking over at the house all morning, waiting for her to come out.

  I really needed to get this damn woman out of my mind.

  “Thank you for this, sugar,” Shadae said as she settled into her seat next to Brew. “How’d you know I’ve been cravin’ seafood all week?”

  “You know you didn’t need to do this,” Brew said, even as he opened up the expansive menu. “You’ve become more than just an employee while you’ve been with us.”

  We chatted about mundane things, and I waited until we’d gotten our meals and taken a few bites before bringing up the first reason we were here.

  “I have to be honest. I can’t say my motives for dinner were completely selfless. I really did need a job when I came to the ranch, but I’ve also been working on a new film, and I think you both could be important contributors.”

  “Us?” Shadae looked surprised. “What sort of things could Brew and I contribute to a movie?”

  “For the past two years, I’ve been gathering information for a documentary about Savannah’s oldest and most prominent families, but I want to show the truth of who they are, not just the face they present to the public.”

  Brew wiped his mouth and chin with his napkin. “Now, we might both come from people who’ve been here for a long t
ime, but I don’t think we can be called one of the city’s most prominent families.”

  “That’s actually kinda my point,” I said. “Your families have done more for this city than some of the other ones that get all the credit. And I think some – if not the majority – hide the…less savory bits of their past to make themselves look better, my own family included.”

  Shadae sniffed. “I imagine your daddy doesn’t think too much of that.”

  “He doesn’t,” I agreed. Without even knowing it, she’d given me the perfect in-road to talk about Nyx. My parents had denied having anything to do with the PI’s presence in Savannah, but no matter how much sense their denials had made, I knew there were things Nyx was keeping from me.

  “Speaking of your family,” Shadae and Brew exchanged a strange look, “Brew and I need to talk to you about somethin’.”

  I considered asking if I could bring something up first, but manners had been one of the few good things my parents had drilled into me as a child. I disagreed with them on a lot, including when and where to abandon social niceties, but this is one time I would’ve agreed with them that interrupting would’ve been unnecessarily rude.

  “Nyx came to us yesterday to talk to us about the reason she was in Savannah,” Shadae began.

  Now, I was glad I’d waited. With them taking the initiative, I’d be able to learn what she’d told them without coming across like I was making baseless accusations. There was one thing I wanted to know first, though.

  “I thought she couldn’t talk about her case.”

  “She got permission from her clients,” Brew said. He glanced at Shadae. “Turns out, we’re related. Her clients and me.”

  I frowned. That wasn’t the direction I saw things going.

  Shadae picked the conversation up. “We can’t give you all the details ‘cuz it’s not all our story to tell. But we told the Douglasses – that’d be the clients – that we had to tell you at least part of it. You’re a good man, Bradyn, and it wouldn’t be right, springin’ this on you or you hearin’ it from someone else.”

  So, Nyx had brought up my family. I hadn’t been completely off base about the meaning behind that phone conversation I’d heard half of in New York. Except neither Shadae nor Brew were talking about my film.

  “You said you know your family history isn’t exactly what it claims,” she said. “Well, there might be some noise comin’ up about some of those lines. The Douglasses got a lawyer. We talked to her too, but we didn’t give her an answer about whether we want to be part of this or not ‘cuz we don’t rightly know. We need more than a day to think on it.”

  “So, she didn’t tell you what she thinks my family did?”

  Brew and Shadae exchanged another one of those looks.

  “We know a few things, but–”

  “You can’t tell me,” I finished Shadae’s sentence. “You do know I’d never tell my parents anything, even if they were still speaking to me.”

  “We know, sugar,” Shadae said. “It’s not that we don’t trust you. If it was just us, we’d tell you everythin’, but we have to think of the Douglasses.”

  They were right. I couldn’t expect them to share other people’s secrets. And it wasn’t like the Huxleys were my family. Not that I expected my family to keep me updated when whatever this went public. I couldn’t hold that against Shadae and Brew. They’d always treated me as more than an employee. Expecting anything more was unfair of me. I just hated feeling like I was the only one out of the loop.

  Especially since being out of the loop apparently made me jump to conclusions.

  “I understand.” I forced a smile that I hoped looked better than it felt. “If there’s anything I can do, just let me know. I don’t have much research done specifically on my family yet, but anything I can get for you or for the Douglasses, say the word and it’s yours.”

  I felt like I was completely overplaying things, but I didn’t really know what else to say. I’d come here thinking that I’d have to ease into the idea of Nyx not being who she said she was and using them to get to me. Then they’d completely flipped everything on its head, and I felt like a complete ass.

  “Let’s just see how things go,” Brew said. “Now, how about we get to the business of eatin’ and leave the jawin’ for a time when I ain’t so hungry.”

  I reached for my fork. “I whole-heartedly agree.”

  I was going to need time to think over everything I’d learned and decide where to go from there. I still wanted to know more about Nyx, but now, I needed to take into consideration what was going on with the Huxleys and how my investigation might affect them and whatever might happen between this kind couple and my parents.

  I also owed Nyx an apology. I supposed there could’ve been ways for her to deceive Shadae and Brew about who her clients really were, but there was too much evidence that she really hadn’t been here for me.

  I was more than a complete ass. I was the biggest kind of asshole, and I wouldn’t blame Nyx if she never wanted to speak to me again.

  At least my steak was good.

  Eleven

  Nyx

  I’d half-expected Bradyn to barge into my cabin and tell me to get out, especially after the Huxleys went to dinner with him. Actually, I thought they’d all come straight here after he convinced them that I’d come to the ranch knowing who they were and what I wanted from them. Just because they’d met Min and the Douglasses didn’t mean they had to believe that I hadn’t been intentionally dishonest when I first arrived.

  When no one came, I kept working. I’d stay out of Bradyn’s way, and he’d stay out of mine. I’d finish what I was doing for the case and then go home. This would all just become my first big case, the jumping-off point for a great career.

  And maybe one day I’d be able to think of this case without thinking about Bradyn.

  I sighed and closed my eyes.

  I was grateful that this case gave me the opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives. I never took cases where I thought I’d be hurting someone who either didn’t deserve it or who had asked me to discover something potentially painful. Finding a cheating spouse or biological parents made up a big chunk of PI time.

  I appreciated the importance of doing those things, but this case had the potential to be huge on a national scale if it got out. I didn’t want publicity – though it wouldn’t exactly hurt my reputation to be able to count on this as a good reference – but I liked the idea of helping right some of history’s wrongs.

  No one could go back in time and prevent what’d happened to the millions of people who’d been wronged, and the passage of time made it virtually impossible to hold any specific people responsible. If Min could build a case that proved the Traylors not only knew about what their ancestors had done, but had been continuing to cover it up to prevent anyone else from finding out, it’d be a big deal.

  Which meant I needed to make sure everything I had was checked and double-checked. Every piece of information was recorded clearly so that Min could put together all the relevant information.

  What I’d been doing since I’d left the Huxleys’s house yesterday had been researching the Traylor family, but not focusing on their past. I’d already connected the Calverts to the Huxleys and the Douglasses. Now, I needed to see if I could find any proof that they’d been covering things up.

  The problem was, I didn’t exactly know what I was looking for. Finding biological parents meant census records, birth certificates, hospital records, that sort of thing. Hospital records were tricky when it came to legalities, but the others were available to anyone if they knew where to look.

  While I’d had a different goal looking into Carmine’s background, it’d been the same type of research needed. A DNA test would tie things up for Kathie once I figured out the best way to get a sample from one of the Traylors.

  What I was looking for now wouldn’t be that simple. I had to prove that current members of the Traylor family knew
what their ancestors had done and were actively working to keep it a secret. If all they were doing was not talking about what they knew, it’d be impossible to prove, and I wasn’t even sure if silence could be considered a cover-up, anyway.

  Maybe they could be held accountable for not offering the information, but I wasn’t a lawyer, so I didn’t know. I needed to find something I could give Min as physical proof, something she could use in court, if it came to that.

  I didn’t want to think about what it would do to Bradyn if this came out in a big public way. I had a feeling the Huxleys wouldn’t let him be surprised by it, though. I didn’t think it’d be a good idea to tell him what was going on, but that wasn’t my decision to make. Either way, it wouldn’t be pleasant.

  But that wasn’t my business. He wasn’t my business, not anymore. Not ever. I had a job to do.

  Dewey Cardinal, the PI I’d trained under, had said to follow the money when it came to relationship cases, so if it’d been a cheating spouse, I’d be going through bank account info and phone records that the person who hired me could get or at least give me permission to get. If it was a divorce case where one spouse wanted proof of infidelity or criminal behavior or that sort of thing, I’d look for hotel charges, money being transferred to offshore accounts or in another person’s name, life insurance policy changes. I’d follow them, see who they met with and talked to, what types of appointments they’d have, like if they’d been preparing for a divorce by speaking to a lawyer…

  Yahtzee.

  The Traylors might have had a shit ton of character flaws – some big ones if they were holding onto this secret – but they weren’t stupid. They’d created a huge legacy without this ever getting out. Successful politicians and businessmen didn’t stay successful by being dumb. Even if their IQs weren’t that high, they were smart enough to hire the right people. If I was going to try to hide something that could potentially destroy everything that generations of my family had built, I’d want to know as much about all the different consequences as I could.