by Elin Peer
“To open your eyes and see Conor for the Machiavellian character he is.”
“Only you would use a word like that. Can’t you just say villain?”
“I’m old and I’m using old words, but you know what I mean.”
My chest rose and fell. “Why did she sleep with him then? Was it her way of showing me that I couldn’t trust him? Was that her plan to get me out?”
“Liv slept with Conor? No. That makes no sense. She would never do that.”
“That’s what I thought, but tonight, I found Conor and Liv in a bathroom with their clothing disheveled. She was pulling her shorts up and he was unzipped.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Big oh.”
“That’s surprising.”
“Uh-huh. I got mad and asked her to leave with me, but she wouldn’t.”
“That’s strange. I only received a text from her saying that you left and that she worried about you. I wonder…” My grandfather coughed again. “I wonder if it’s because of the children. She has been talking a lot about wanting to save the children from Conor.”
The image of River clinging to Liv and asking her to stay came back full force. “Actually…”
“Yes?”
“Today, Liv and I found Nathan in the pond. The boy said it was Conor who had told him to go and meditate in the pond, but he denied it. Liv believed the boy while I believed…”
“Conor,” my grandfather finished the sentence for me. “It’s because she knows Conor is nothing but a liar and a cheat.”
“Do you think that’s why she stayed? To protect the children?”
“It sounds like Liv. She is surprisingly willing to put herself at risk to save others.”
I shook my head. “It’s not like anyone in that house is a danger to her. They’re good people.”
“Charles.” My grandfather sighed. “Open your eyes. Conor drove River’s mother crazy and she’s now in a mental institution. We are building a case to prove that he killed Nathan’s mother, and Jim Maddox too.”
“Who’s that?”
“A man who blackmailed Conor. He had a recording of Conor forcing Sandra to write her suicide letter and swallow the pills that killed her. Conor is a murderer and from what I understand he has a gun in the house.”
“Yeah, but…” It was like my brain was trying to catch up to everything my grandfather was saying. “You really believe he’s a killer?”
“Yes, and it’s only a matter of time before we can prove it. I’m telling you that Conor will be in jail soon. If we can’t prove murder then we can go after him for using the Red Manor Foundation to commit major fraud.”
I was quiet and thinking everything over.
“Are you there, Charles?”
“Yes, I’m still here.”
“It’s a lot to take in, I understand.”
“My head feels like a hoarder’s house with too many questions and thoughts.”
“You need to talk to Kit. She can help you with answers.”
“Is she the tall ginger who came to the manor with her father?”
“Yes. She’s the private detective who has been working with Liv to get information on Conor and get you out.”
“Yes, I want to talk to her, and I want that report you mentioned.”
“Kit has it. I can text you her number.” He coughed again.
“Are you okay? You sound sick.”
“Yes. That’s why I want you to come home and see me. I might not have long left and I worry that I won’t get a chance to make peace with you before I die. That’s all.”
“Make peace with me; what do you mean?”
“The last time we talked, you told me I had never loved you and that you had found the family you always longed for, but never had.”
My left hand lifted to rub my face. “I only said that because you kept pushing me to come back to work at Solver. It should be my choice, and nothing in my life ever felt like I had a choice!” My voice rose a bit.
“I’m sorry that you felt that way. But for all it’s worth, Charles…” He sighed. “I always wanted for you to be your own man and I see great strength in you. If you don’t want to listen to me, that’s fine. I’m just grateful that you’re no longer under Conor’s power. I’ve hardly done anything but worry about how to get you free of his mind control.”
The sincerity in my grandfather’s voice moved me, but we had never been used to sharing our emotions with each other. “Yeah, well, we can talk about it next time I’m back. I have to figure out what’s up and down with Liv, Conor, and the Red Manor group.”
“You do that, and I’d appreciate an update when you can.”
“Okay. Don’t forget to send me the number of the private detective.”
“I’m old but I’m not senile. You’ll have the number as soon as we hang up.”
My grandfather was in his seventies and the type who couldn’t both talk on the phone and navigate his contact list, so I ended the call and waited a few minutes until a text came in with a local number for a Kathy O’Rourke.
CHAPTER 23
Unhinged
Liv
My heart felt like it had been stabbed, stomped on, and beaten up by a madman all at once. To see the confusion and disappointment on Charles’ face, when I chose to stay instead of leaving with him, had just about killed me.
I’d flown all the way from the US to get him out of this cult and when he’d finally been ready to leave, I had failed him.
If only I could have told him my reason for staying.
Bile rose in my throat from the mere thought that Charles believed I’d chosen to stay because I was attracted to Conor. Nothing could be further from the truth. My reason for staying was the safety of the children.
With the way Charles had stormed out and my still feeling shocked from the way Conor had pushed himself at me in the bathroom, I hadn’t managed to talk to Charles before he was gone.
A quick text message from the bathroom, to Mr. Robertson and Kit, was all I’d been able to do for Charles. My hope was that they would find him and explain what I hadn’t been able to tell him.
After Charles left, Conor had been determined to love-bomb me with compliments and encouragement. “You made the right decision. I’m so proud of you for setting your boundary and not allowing Charles’ jealousy to limit you. From the moment I saw you, I sensed there was something special about you, Liv. You’re meant for great things and I’m going to help you achieve it.”
Conor had misinterpreted my resentment toward him as sadness.
“You’re upset that Charlie left. I understand. It’s an awful feeling to see your relationship come crashing down like that. I promise you, though; the rest of us will take good care of you.” Conor had opened his arms to hug me but I had made an excuse and run upstairs to finish the bath I had attempted to take twice already.
I’d skipped dinner and gone straight to check up on Nathan. By nine o’clock, the five children were all in River’s and Nathan’s room. Lumi had crawled up on the foot end of Nathan’s bed and was pulling the sleeves of her purple sweater over her hands. “It’s a shame that Charles left you, but I think you broke his heart when you slept with Conor.”
I was on my stomach using my hands as a pillow, my elbows to the side. Sighing, I looked at Lumi. “I didn’t sleep with Conor and I never will. Charles misunderstood the situation.”
Lumi rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Maybe you can talk to him. If I ever find love, I’ll fight for it. My mom loved my dad and I’m sad that she let him go. She said he was the most brilliant man she ever knew.”
“More brilliant than Dad?” Atlas, who was sitting on the floor next to Nathan’s bed, looked up at Lumi.
“Yes. That’s what she said, but I doubt it.” Pain crossed her face. “I think of him as stupid for not fighting for my mom… and me.”
“Where’s your dad now?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. My mom doesn’t like to talk a
bout it. Their relationship was forbidden.”
“How long have you and your mom lived with Conor?”
“Since I was eleven. Before that we lived in London, where my mom worked as a CPA. Conor was one of her clients but they became friends and he helped her get a better job here. Today she’s a partner in Munster and Son.”
“Yes, she told me.”
“Despite having me, my mom still graduated with the highest score from her university.”
“Wow. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. You’re gifted too, Lumi.”
The girl looked down. “We all are. Atlas in particular.”
Atlas frowned. “We had the best teachers, that’s why.” Looking at me, he continued, “Charles has been more than willing to help me. He’s very knowledgeable, did you know that?”
I nodded and lowered my gaze with sadness.
“We all liked Charles.” Atlas spoke on an exhalation and I could tell he was sad too. “Over time you’ll get used to people leaving.”
“Why do you think people leave?” My question made Lumi and Atlas exchange a look.
“For different reasons,” Atlas said in a diplomatic way, but from the corner of the room, a more honest answer came from his younger brother.
“It’s because of Dad.” Maximum used a matter-of-fact tone, while touching one of Nathan’s Star Wars space ships.
Like a hunter on a trail, I turned my head to him. “What do you mean?”
All the children were quiet. Nathan, who had been woken up by the commotion in his room, was sitting up in his bed under his duvet with his knees pulled up in front of him. “You can tell her. Liv isn’t like the others. She believed me over Dad.”
Five sets of eyes were on me and it suddenly felt like a defining moment. If this had been poker, I’d been called out and it was time to show my cards. “I still believe Nathan didn’t come up with the idea to meditate in the pond by himself.”
“You think Conor lied?” Lumi narrowed her eyes. There was a test in those words.
“I do! But you tell me. You’ve known him a lot longer than me.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Conor wouldn’t like it if he knew you called him a liar.”
I stood my ground. “Probably not, but are you gonna tell him?”
There was a quiet tension in the room as Lumi and I kept looking at each other. Finally, she exhaled sharply and cranked her head from one side to the other before rolling her neck. “No. I won’t tell him.”
“We can trust Liv,” Nathan insisted before turning his attention on Maximum. “Stop touching my Millennium Falcon. It’s an original.”
Maximum, abandoned all the Star Wars toys and came to sit around the bed with the rest of us. River was with me on my mattress and had crawled up to lie on top of my back while Atlas sat with his legs stretched against the wall.
“You don’t like Conor as much as the others, do you?” Lumi asked me.
I shook my head.
“How come?”
It was a balancing act of saying the right thing without saying too much. “I don’t know. There’s just something about him that makes alarm bells ring in my head. It’s like there’s a different side to him that he’s hiding.”
“There is!” Nathan crossed his arms as if to challenge anyone who dared stop him from saying so.
I turned to Maximum. “What did you mean when you said that people leave because of your dad?”
He shrugged. “Either people are asked to leave or they run when they find out what Dad is really like.”
Atlas didn’t say anything, but he gave Maximum a warning glance not to say too much.
Like a bloodhound, I pushed a little further, “Tell me more.”
Maximum had seen his brother’s warning and looked away so I turned to Atlas. At sixteen, he was a bit younger than Lumi, but he seemed to be the leader of the children.
“Dad is good at getting his way,” Atlas said.
“You mean he manipulates people?”
Atlas shrugged.
“Does he manipulate you too?”
He frowned. “No. I don’t know. Maybe sometimes.”
“If Conor told Nathan to go meditate in the pond but then refused to acknowledge that he ever said it, only to point fingers at Nathan for making bad choices, then that’s manipulation. Wouldn’t you say?” My question was directed at all of them.
“Yes!” Nathan dipped his head to rest his chin on top of one of the knees he’d pulled up to his chest. “It’s not just the lying. I also feel like he’s hiding something. Sometimes I wish I could go snoop in his room and look into some of his closets that are locked.”
“What do you think is in there?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but one time I came in when he had the closet open and he slammed it shut so fast that I’m sure it’s something important,” Nathan explained.
“Probably porn.”
Everyone looked at Lumi, who had said it.
“What?” She raised her hands up. “Adults look at porn. My mom says it’s normal.”
Atlas squirmed in his seat and I got the sense that he was feeling guilty.
“Do you know what your father is keeping in those locked closets?”
“No.” Atlas shook his head while Maximum rolled over on one end of my mattress to lie on his belly, propped himself up on his elbows, and admitted:
“Neither do I, but I have a good idea where he’s hiding the key.”
“Where?” River whispered in a conspiratorial voice.
“Under his mattress. I can show you,” Maximum told River. “But I doubt you’d be brave enough to use it.”
She moved down from my back. “I’ll do it if the rest of you go with me.”
Lumi shook her head. “We can’t! If Conor finds out, he’ll be furious and he’ll…” She didn’t finish her sentence. “Besides, it’s not right to invade people’s privacy.”
Nathan’s voice was icy when he spoke. “It’s not right of him to lie either. You were there, Lumi. You heard him tell me to show that I’m serious by doing my meditation in the pond.”
“He didn’t think you’d do it.”
“I don’t care. It’s not like he tried to stop me either.” Nathan was staring at Lumi. “I was so scared of him throwing me out, but you know what Liv told me?”
They all looked to me again as Nathan continued. “Liv said that Conor is lucky to have a son like me and that there are people out there who would adopt me. Maybe it’s not true that I’d be in an orphanage. Who says Conor hasn’t lied about that too? For as long as I can remember, I’ve been scared of him giving up on me like my mother did. But sitting out there in the icy water made me think that an orphanage might be better.”
“Don’t say that.” River’s face fell. “I don’t want to lose any of you. You’re my siblings. We’re family.”
Nathan pushed his duvet off and swung his legs over the side of his bed. “Come on, let’s go see what Conor has in his closet.”
“He’s going to throw a fit if he finds us in his room,” Lumi warned again.
“No, because we’ll be quick and he won’t know that we looked in his closet.” Nathan pushed up from the bed and moved to the connecting door. “Let me just make sure he’s not there.” Knocking lightly on the door, he waited with the rest of us, but there was no answer.
The rest of us got up, except for Lumi, who kept to the corner of Nathan’s bed, and Atlas, who was still on the floor.
We all looked at them, and then Atlas got up and drew a deep sigh. “Lumi is right. We shouldn’t be doing this, but there’s a lot of things Dad shouldn’t be doing either.” He gave me a pointed look. “He shouldn’t have come on to you without Charles’ permission. When I have a girlfriend, I’m never introducing her to my dad.”
A knot in my throat made it hard to speak, but I understood his position and listened without interrupting.
“Charles was my friend and I’m angry at my dad for hurting him, just like I’m a
ngry at him for hurting you, Nathan.” Atlas looked to Lumi. “Are you coming?”
“No, what you’re doing is wrong!”
Atlas nodded. “I know, but I’ll make sure they don’t touch anything. Can you a least keep an eye out while we go in?”
With an annoyed huff, Lumi crawled out of the bed and walked out in the hallway.
“It’s just going to be a quick peek!” Nathan declared, while I hoped we would discover something the police could use to finally arrest Conor O’Brien.
Nathan stood in front of the connecting door to Conor’s room. With one hand on the door handle, he turned around to look at each of us while putting a finger to his lips gesturing for us to be quiet.
We all gathered close to him and then he turned the doorknob. The door creaked as Nathan opened it and took a careful step, as if Conor might jump out at him.
“Turn on some light,” River whispered. “I can’t see.”
My heart was galloping in my chest. For the kids it was a matter of curiosity and a bit of a teenage rebellion, but for me there was so much more on the line. We were breaking into a cold-blooded murderer’s room while he was in the same house.
A small “click” sounded and then lights came on.
“Where is it?” River whispered to Maximum, who walked to his father’s bed like he was in a museum and attempting not to set off an alarm.
Placing his hands on the bed, Maximum let himself squat down and then he lifted the mattress a little. It took him a solid five seconds that felt like minutes until he held up a key with triumph shining from his eyes.
Holding out his hand, Nathan took the key from Maximum and tiptoed to a large closet that was placed against the opposite wall next to a beautiful antique mirror.
There were three closet doors and first he unlocked the one to the right. I held my breath as it opened and revealed five shelves full of clothes and a few boxes.
I pointed to a black box hoping one of the kids would be curious enough to look inside it. River moved forward and took it out for me to open the lid. As soon as I did, I put it back on. It was full of sex toys.
River looked confused and I hoped she hadn’t gotten a good look.
