Charlie

by Elin Peer

  “What was it?” she whispered.

  I put the box back and gave a dismissive swing of my hand. “Adult stuff.”

  Disappointed with the content of the first closet, Nathan moved on to the second and I spotted five binders on the top shelf that I’d like to look at. What if they contained incriminating information that he was hiding? Of course, such boring stuff didn’t interest the children and they moved on to the last closet door.

  The jolt of Nathan’s body- and his soul-crushing scream made us all react very fast. Atlas moved forward to cover Nathan’s mouth and hissed for him to be quiet while Maximum bent down to pick up the key that Nathan had dropped.

  Everything happened so fast. With one hand still covering Nathan’s mouth, Atlas picked him up and carried him back to his room. River retreated too.

  I held up my phone and snatched a picture just before Maximum closed the closet door and locked it with shaking hands. He was moving to the connecting door when I hissed at him. “Put the key back.”

  He ran to the bed and stuck his hand under the mattress and then sheer panic spread on his face when we heard Conor’s dark voice in the hallways outside the room.

  “Lumi, what are you doing out here?”

  I stabbed my finger through the air pointing to the connecting door but Maximum moved to turn off the light. Afraid that the change in light would be visible to Conor from under the door, I grabbed Maximum’s arm and nudged him away,

  “I’m waiting out here for Atlas’ smelly fart to be gone. He did it on purpose. It was disgusting.”

  “Hmmm… is that why someone screamed?”

  “Yeah, that was me.”

  Maximum and I made it into the children’s room, and I could have kissed Lumi when she shouted:

  “Atlas, you better not have farted again. Dad and I are coming in.”

  Her loud voice covered the small creaking sound of the connecting door closing after us.

  Maximum let himself fall onto my mattress where he’d been before. I fell to my knees and reached for a strand of River’s hair, pretending to be playing with it. Nathan was back in his bed with his face to the wall. His shoulders were bobbing like he was crying without sound.

  “Are you done farting?” Lumi asked when she walked in with Conor behind her.

  Atlas sat on the floor against Nathan’s bed, blocking the view from the door to Nathan. His performance was worthy of an Emmy Award when he pointed to the window and spoke in an annoyed tone. “Why don’t you just let in some fresh air if it’s that bad?”

  Conor gave me a smile. “Hey, Liv, if you get tired of teen drama come join us downstairs.”

  I smiled back in pure relief that he hadn’t caught us red-handed in his room. “It’s fine. I promised River that I’d braid her hair and I think I’m going to try and sleep soon.”

  “How is Nathan doing?” Conor craned his head to look behind Atlas.

  “Much better. He’s just tired.” I lowered my voice a little. “He had a nightmare but fell asleep again.”

  “All right. I was going to discuss the consequences of his foolish behavior with him, but I can do that tomorrow.” He waited for a moment as if I might have a comment, but I didn’t and just focused on braiding River’s blonde hair.

  “Sweet dreams then. Don’t let them stay up too late.”

  “I won’t.”

  The moment Conor closed the door and left, we held our breath and listened for his footsteps. They stopped outside his room.

  Please don’t go in and see that the lights are turned on.

  As if a guardian angel was keeping a hand over us, my silent prayer worked, and Conor walked on.

  A collective sigh escaped all of us, except Nathan, who was still on his bed facing the wall.

  “Nathan.” I got up from the floor and moved fast to pull at his back. “Look at me!”

  His body was shaking and his eyes were red-rimmed from tears. He was quiet but the way he stared into the wall with wide eyes made me sure that he was experiencing a panic attack. If Conor had walked into the room and taken a better look at Nathan, he would have seen pure terror on his face.

  “Help me get him up to sit,” I instructed Atlas as all the children came to help. “You’re not crazy, Nathan. We all saw it.”

  “Saw what?” Lumi asked and reached out to touch Nathan, who was fighting us when we tried to turn him to face us.

  The excellent performance the children had mastered before with Conor in the room was gone now, and River had tears in her eyes too. “I don’t understand.”

  “What happened?” Worry coated Lumi’s tone.

  “We found this in Conor’s closet.” I held up my phone and showed her the picture.

  Lumi covered her mouth and stared at the picture of a large bright yellow snake facing the camera with its large fangs and a forked tongue sticking out. “No.” She shook her head.

  “Yes.” I couldn’t disguise the indignation and anger in my tone. “Nathan, listen to us. You were never crazy. Conor just made you think you were. The snake is real. We all saw it.”

  “You saw it too?” Lumi asked Atlas, who nodded.

  River who was standing behind me, spoke up, “It was scary.”

  “The snake is real,” Atlas confirmed and placed his head in his hands like he was thinking hard and hating every thought in this head.

  “Did Dad place the snake in Nathan’s bed on purpose or did it escape by accident?” Maximum was pacing behind me.

  My tone was harsh. “I think it’s safe to assume he did it on purpose.”

  “But why? Why would he do something that cruel?” Lumi asked.

  “Someone who likes control.” I turned to River. “Didn’t you say you once saw the snake too?”

  “Yes, but I thought I was just dreaming. Dad explained how all Nathan’s nonsense about the snake had infiltrated my dreams as well. I can’t believe it’s real.”

  “Oh, it’s very real and very large,” I said in a dry tone.

  Nathan whimpered so I caressed his hair and spoke in a soothing voice, “That snake won’t ever come near your bed again. Here’s what we’re going to do. The six of us are going to come up with a plan and go to the police tomorrow. What Conor did to you is child abuse and that’s illegal.”

  “No,” Lumi objected. “We can’t go to the guards. If we talk about this to anyone outside the room, social services might come and try to separate us. We can’t let that happen.”

  “Then what do you suggest we do? Conor has deliberately been trying to drive Nathan mad and I’ll bet he has done awful things to the rest of you that you haven’t told me about yet. We have to speak up and stop this unacceptable behavior, Lumi. Tell me that you understand.”

  Lumi ran her hands through her hair. “We’ll make sure that Nathan never sleeps alone. From now on, we’ll take turns to watch over him. Just promise that you won’t call the guards.”

  “But, Lumi…”

  Her large dark eyes were pleading. “Liv, please!! We’ve lost so many people. We can’t lose each other too. Promise that you won’t call them.”

  Closing my eyes, I sunk down on Nathan’s bed. “Okay. I won’t say anything to the police tomorrow, but I can’t keep this secret for long. We all need to get out of here. A man deranged enough to do something that evil isn’t safe to be around.

  They were all quiet.

  I touched Atlas’s arm. “Tell me you understand what is happening here isn’t right.”

  “Of course it’s not right, but you don’t understand.”

  “What don’t I understand?”

  When he lifted his head from his hands, there were deep frown lines on his forehead. “We’re talking about our dad. Not some kind of monster.”

  I jerked back. All my psychology knowledge told me that this was going too fast for the children, who had no idea how long the list of Conor’s despicable behavior was. I should have gone slow, but I was shocked myself and couldn’t hold back my honest response. “Your
father is intentionally fabricating Nathan’s nightmares in order to control him. No one likes to think of their parent as a monster, but if you ask me, the description fits.”

  Atlas got up and moved to the door. “Come on, Maximum. It’s time to go.”

  Lumi leaned down and gave Nathan a kiss on his head. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Liv is here and from now on we’ll make sure that you never sleep alone again.”

  Nathan was holding my hand and when it was just him, me, and River again, he moved down to my mattress and let me spoon him.

  “I thought I was crazy.”

  “You’re not! Conor is.”

  CHAPTER 24

  Heat

  Charles

  Kit came to my hotel room and presented me with the report my grandfather had talked about.

  “It’s a messy affair ye got yerself into. That Conor is right up there with the devil himself.”

  I took the report and began reading it while the red-haired woman sat down on a chair in the corner with her legs crossed and a foot dangling.

  The few times that I looked over she was on her phone.

  “Are ye done?” she asked when I put down the report.

  “Yes.” I sighed. “It’s difficult to believe half of the things that are in this report.”

  “Ye’d better believe it, ’cause it’s the truth.” She got up. “Are ye hungry?”

  I shrugged and looked at the clock on the night table. It was a little past eleven at night and I hadn’t eaten yet.

  “Come on. I know a good kebab place close by that’s open all night.”

  Taking my jacket, I walked with her. Kit didn’t say much and seemed to understand that I was trying to process everything that was in the report.

  As we approached the kebab shop, I found my voice. “It can’t be true. I mean, Conor introduced me to some powerful people. There’s no way they would have been fooled by him.”

  “Why not? Ye were fooled.”

  “Yes, but I’m not…” I trailed off as Kit held the door open for me and we entered a small place with four tables and a greasy menu. There were no other guests but us.

  “Ye’re not what?” She raised an eyebrow. “Were ye going to say that ye’re not as powerful and influential as the people he introduced ye to?”

  “Yes. I met some of my biggest idols through him. Conor is friends with a lot of interesting business people that donate to his foundation to help children. He associates with celebrities and politicians.”

  “Did ye forget that ye’re the sole heir to one of the biggest business empires in the US?”

  I creased my brow.

  “Others are going to be impressed with him for knowing someone like ye.”

  “But no one knew. I was using my mother’s maiden name.”

  “Argh, don’t be naïve. I’ll bet he told people who ye were. One of his former members characterized Conor as a collector of people. I’ll bet ye that he sees ye as a diamond in his collection. He probably expects that ye’ll be back and if not, he’ll find ye and use that lyin’ tongue of his to gaslight ye into thinkin’ that what happened tonight was yer fault and not his.”

  “It wasn’t like that. I wasn’t some trophy of his.’”

  “Aye, it was exactly like that. Ye just don’t want to believe it.”

  “But to think that Conor would force a woman to kill herself. It makes no sense.”

  Kit patted my shoulder. “Hold that thought.” Turning around, she gave her food order and pulled out her credit card. “What are ye havin’?”

  “I think I lost my appetite.”

  She rolled her eyes and turned back to the man behind the counter. “Let’s get him a shawarma sandwich and some chips.”

  “No, it’s fine,” I objected, but Kit waved a hand.

  “Look, my brother does this all the time. He says he’s not hungry when I order my food, but once I get it, he eats half of it. I hate when people do that.”

  “At least let me pay for it.”

  “No need. Yer grandfather has been very generous. I can afford to buy ye a sandwich and a Coke.”

  Kit finished paying and took a seat by the window where I joined her. “I understand that it’s hard for ye to wrap yer pretty head around the fact that someone ye trusted and thought was a friend turned out to be a liar.”

  “Are you talking about Conor or Liv?”

  “Conor of course. Liv couldn’t tell you that she knew about his tricks. Ye wouldn’t have believed her anyway.”

  “She still lied to me.”

  “Aye. But ye would have done the same if ye were the one tryin’ to save her.”

  I looked down at the food in front of me. “I didn’t need saving.”

  She crossed her arms. “For feck’s sake, man. I can’t believe how gob-smacked Liv is with ye and then ye’re this thick-headed.”

  “I’m not thick-headed. I just don’t like being lied to.”

  “Then ye shouldn’t have joined a bloody cult.” Kit plunked her crossed arms down on the table. “Liv risked a lot to save ye. Conor has killed before and her being undercover is dangerous.”

  I rubbed my face. “Okay, so I’ll admit that I saw a side of him today that I hadn’t seen before, but the things about him being a killer and dangerous? That’s just crazy.”

  “Of course it’s crazy, but that’s because we’re dealing with a sick person.”

  Her phone buzzed and she fished it out of her pocket. “Hang on, it’s my da.” Picking up the phone, she spoke with an even stronger accent. “What’s the craic?” I listened and watched her body language tense up as she leaned back. “Ye’re serious? Wow, that’s good news. Aye, I’m with Charles now. Hang on, Da.” She looked up and met my eyes. “Our sources say that the Liverpool police just dug up a body believed to be Jim Maddox.”

  “Who?”

  “The man who tried to blackmail Conor.”

  “Oh, right. When will they know?”

  “Da, how long before they can confirm that it’s really him?”

  I heard his short answer: “Soon.”

  “Keep me updated, will ya?” She finished the call just as our food was ready.

  “This is excitin’. I love a good breakthrough in a case.” Kit took a big bite of her sandwich.

  My stomach was in a knot. “You really believe that Conor killed a man for trying to blackmail him?”

  She nodded and dried her mouth with a napkin. “I believe he killed Sandra too.”

  “But…” I picked up a French fry only to put it down again. “The thing you said about Liv being in danger.” It was like I couldn’t articulate my question because I didn’t want to think the thought through.

  Kit answered anyway. “He’s unpredictable. I told her so, but Liv stayed because of the children; she’s a good person.”

  I sat in a light trance watching Kit eat her sandwich while my head was searching through all the excuses Conor had given for his criminal past. “He made it sound like he was the victim.”

  “Aye, that’s classic for blackguards, isn’t it? They’re experts at cheatin’ and lyin’, and they always make it sound like they’re being unfairly treated. I’ll bet he sounded credible too.”

  I looked down. “He did. I was there when the police came to question him.”

  My phone lit up with my grandfather’s name on the screen.

  “Yes, this is Charles.”

  “Charles, I just spoke to the ambassador. It seems the police in Liverpool found the man they were looking for. Did you read the report yet?”

  “Yes. I’m with Kit.”

  “Good, good. Now that we have a body, they can connect it to Conor and make an arrest.”

  “If he killed him.” Part of me still didn’t want to believe it.

  “Oh, he killed him!”

  “You don’t know for sure.”

  “According to the ambassador, they found evidence in Jim’s grave that he’d been trying to blackmail Conor. The Irish police are cooperatin
g with the people in Liverpool and they already obtained DNA from Conor from an earlier arrest. Right now, technicians are working on securing DNA from the body to see if there’s a match.”

  I was quiet.

  “Charles, did you hear me? Tell me that I can trust you. This is confidential information and if you…”

  “What kind of evidence?”

  “What?”

  “You said that the police found evidence that Jim was trying to blackmail Conor.”

  “Oh. I’m not certain. I can ask, but does it matter? Conor is a cold-blooded killer and if you don’t believe that yet, then at least acknowledge that his foundation is a scam. You saw it in black and white in the report.”

  I groaned. “Yes, I saw.”

  “Conor O’Brien is going to prison. If not for murder then for financial fraud.”

  Kit, who had been eating the last bite of her sandwich and checking her phone at the same time, gave a muffled outburst that caught my attention.

  “What is it?”

  She chewed fast and handed me her phone. The name Liv Christensen made my heart beat faster. Letting my eyes run over the text, I felt all the blood disappear from my face.

  Liv: Remember I told you Nathan has recurrent nightmares of a yellow snake in his bed? Tonight, the kids and I went snooping in Conor’s room and unlocked a large closet. Look what we found.

  I stared at a picture of a terrarium holding a large yellow snake with its head lifted before I read on.

  Liv: Nathan and River are sleeping now, but I’m still so angry that I’m shaking. We need to take this monster down, Kit. I mean it! He deliberately makes the children think they’re crazy.

  “Do ye believe us now?” Kit asked and took back her phone while nodding to my other hand, where I was holding my own phone.

  “Charles, hello, are you there?”

  I lifted the phone to my ear again. “Yes, I’m here. It seems I’ve misjudged Conor O’Brien.”

  My grandfather sighed. “You and many others, my boy. I’m just grateful you’re finally seeing him for the charlatan that he is.”

  “I need to get Liv out of there. If anything happens to her it’ll be my fault. I’m the only reason she’s there to begin with.”