Steal Me (Longshadows Book 1)

by Natalia Banks

  “That’s just as well,” Albert said, “because after another two years, there may not be a public school system and that’ll be as much to your credit as anyone’s.”

  Lorraine and Griffin shared a worried glance but said nothing.

  “The public school system’s failing as it is,” Griffin said. “If this forces an evolution in the way they do business, the way they serve the needs of this nation’s children, then so be it.”

  Albert sighed. “Okay, fine, that’s … that’s your choice. But, you know what’s going to happen, right? They’re going to privatize the school system the same way they’re doing the prison system.”

  “I always said — ”

  “Now it’ll be more true than ever,” Albert said. “If you think our government mishandles the educational system, wait until the Catholic Church starts running it. Not to mention what happens when Coke or Disney take over. So-called public schools will cost a fortune that most people won’t have. The streets will be littered with ignorant thugs … of all races, mind you … crime goes up, education goes down. Soon enough, education will be strictly for the wealthy, the entitled, the powerful, while the rest of the country gets swept under the rug.”

  Lorraine couldn’t entirely disagree with Albert’s reasoning, but she was unwilling to simply give up her dream or deny its potential power.

  Griffin said, “The problem, Albert, is that if they’re going to privatize the school system the way they’re doing the prisons, as you describe, then no amount of money pouring into that department will keep it truly public. If anything, Phoenix Enterprises would only be buying into that system, encouraging it, and that’s not something we’re willing to do.”

  Carmen glanced at Lorraine, but neither dared to interrupt.

  “On the other hand,” Griffin went on, “if they privatize those schools, the need for our learning centers will be all the greater, all the more urgent. Either way, it only makes sense to move forward.”

  Lorraine added, “And as a former participant in the library system, the savior of the public libraries, I think of what your posters said, we’d love it if you’d throw us your support.”

  Albert’s eyes lit up. “My … my public support?”

  Griffin smiled, reading Lorraine’s gambit. “Of course. You’re the education candidate, Albert, it only makes sense.”

  “Unless the school board is paying your freight,” Lorraine said. “But we know you’d never be in anybody’s back pocket like that.”

  The blood drained from Carmen’s brown face, her red lips twitching over her teeth.

  “Well, I have accepted a variety of donations,” Albert said. “But, that’s not to say I’m under any direct influence one way or the other.”

  “Excellent,” Lorraine said, “we knew you’d want to help.”

  Albert choked out an awkward chuckle. “And here I thought this was just a friendly visit.”

  After dinner, Jeremy was nervously folding Ashe’s clothes as Lorraine stepped into his room. “You doin’ okay?”

  “I … I’m so sorry, Lo’, I shouldn’t have said anything, I know that.”

  “It probably would have been best,” Lorraine had to admit.

  “The way Griffin … I mean, Mr. Phoenix was glaring at me. I’m fired, aren’t I?”

  Lorraine broke a crooked smile. “No, Jeremy, no, but … we are a little worried about you. You’re so tense, highly strung.”

  “Of course I am! You’re embarking on this new project, the kids are getting older every day, and they’re not the only ones — ”

  “Take it easy, Jer, it’s all gonna be fine.” After a brief but measured pause, Lorraine said, “Griffin and I were both thinking you should take a little vacation.”

  “Lorraine, no, please — ”

  “Just a vacation, Jer. Anywhere you want, on us. Two weeks, all expenses paid.”

  “Lorraine, I … I can’t let you down like that. What about the kids?”

  “We’ll fly their grandparents in, they’ve been dying for some time with the kids anyway.” Jeremy stood there, dumbfounded by his lack of any alternative. “What do you think, Paris? Spain is gorgeous this time of year. Hawaii’s always beautiful.”

  But, Jeremy said, “How about if I take a little time to think about it? The world’s a pretty big place, and I haven’t seen most of it.”

  “Sure, Jer, no rush. I just don’t want you to wait too long. It’ll be good for you to get away.”

  “Okay, yeah,” Jeremy said without a speck of joy or anticipation, “that sounds … that sounds great.”

  Later that night, Griffin tucked Ashe in while Lorraine spent time with Kayla. She was fidgety as always, but tiredness was slowly overtaking her iron, toddler will. Lorraine ran her through the usual games, including identifying objects and having rudimentary conversations that only the two of them could properly understand.

  With Kayla fading fast, Lorraine carried her quietly down the hall to Ashe’s bedroom door, his and his father’s voices leaking out from the dark room. As Lorraine got closer, she could see Griffin sitting on the corner of his son’s bed, moonlight streaming in through the window.

  “It’s great having a kid sister, isn’t it?”

  “Sure is. She’s so cool.” Ashe said lovingly.

  Griffin smiled. “Y’know, Ashe, everything I’ve got, everything I’ll ever have, I have for you. It’s all going to be yours someday, yours and your sister’s. But, there’s one thing you have that I never had and that I’ll never have; a sibling. It’s a special thing, somebody of your own blood, somebody to depend on, somebody who can depend on you …”

  Ashe said, “It’s okay, Dad. I’ll always take care of her, be there for her.”

  “I know you will, son. I know you’ll be a good brother, just the same way you’re such a good son. I’m proud of you, Ashe. I always have been and I always will be.”

  Lorraine stood in the hallway, Kayla falling asleep in her arms. The baby’s warmth poured into her chest, and her own heartbeat seemed to sync up with the child’s. Lorraine wouldn't have been surprised to find that all four of their heartbeats were perfectly matched, beating as one.

  After a tender silence, Ashe said, “Someday, she’s gonna be an actress and I’m gonna direct her in the movies. We’ll both win an Oscar, just watch.”

  “I don’t doubt it for an instant,” Griffin said in a low, rumbly voice. “I can’t wait to see it.”

  “Maybe the snowman comedy. Remember, from Denver, when we were throwing snowballs?” he reminisced.

  Griffin chuckled. “Sure I do, Ashe. That was a fun day.”

  Ashe nodded with a genuine smile, so comfortable on his face. For that, Lorraine was profoundly grateful, even more so to have had a part in helping to make it happen. All Lorraine wanted was the chance to keep playing that part in his life, in all their lives, for the rest of her life.

  But, something inside Lorraine told her that it just wasn’t going to be that easy. And she wasn't the only one.

  Ashe seemed to hesitate before asking his father, “Are we going to lose them, too, Dad? The same way we lost Mom?”

  Lorraine’s heart skipped, a pang of sentiment shooting through her chest. Griffin said, “No, Ashe, no.”

  “But you don’t know that! You can’t promise.”

  “Okay, you’re right, that’s true. And I don’t promise, Ashe, I don’t. I don’t promise that you won’t lose me either, or that we … well, or that we won’t lose you or Kayla. But, that’s the way life is, buddy. There are no guarantees, you and I both know that. We have to live anyway, right? I know the way we live, it’s … it’s a bit different than most people … ”

  “I’m going to school now,” Ashe said, “just like normal kids.”

  “There’s nothing about you that’s abnormal, Ashe, there never was. You’re exceptional. And I’m glad you’re in school with other kids. Because we still have to face the same things everybody faces; bullies, institutions, challen
ges of all sorts. And we always face them, don’t we?”

  Ashe nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “Even … even when one of those challenges … is death.” It cast a pallor over their conversation, Lorraine’s heart sinking just a bit.

  Ashe said, “Yes, that’s right.”

  “So if you ask me, will we lose them? The answer, the true answer, is yes, we will. But not for a long, long time, Ashe. And in the meantime, we’ll have so many good times, so many laughs and tears. We’ll share our lives, Ashe, the way family is meant to do, as well as we can for as long as we can. That I can promise you.”

  Chapter 12

  Lorraine holed up in Griffin’s study in the penthouse while Jeremy took the kids to the Museum of Natural History to give Lorraine the quiet time she needed to pour through those computer files she’d received from Ki at Phoenix Enterprises.

  It was a virtual encyclopedia of lists, columns of numbers and lists of dates that would blind any accountant. Lorraine had years of library experience, lists of numbers and seemingly endless minutia were not unfamiliar to her. She realized it was a matter of parcelling the information down, and a lot of that had already been done by either Jeannie and Dennis or by Ki.

  It boiled down to a matter of comparing the two files.

  It didn’t surprise Lorraine that the company profile she’d been given by Jeannie and Dennis was woefully inadequate. She could see that after just a few hours of study that several of Griffin’s real estate shell corporations were not consistent, but there was at least one company of which Jeannie and Dennis showed no record at all.

  Westmorland Holdings.

  A dull thunk grabbed Lorraine’s attention, some kind of movement in the penthouse, despite the fact that she was alone.

  Is Jeremy home early with the kids? They should be gone another few hours, at least. Lorraine stood up and crossed the study, slowly opening the door and peering out into the hall. All was still and quiet. The hairs on the back of Lorraine’s neck standing on end as some impulse pushed her down the hallway toward the expansive living room, kitchen and family room. Another thump from one of the outer rooms freezing Lorraine’s legs in place.

  Lorraine looked around as she approached the end of the hallway. “Griffin? Jeremy? Ashe?” No answer came from the vacuous penthouse.

  Could they be onto me, Jeannie and Dennis, Lorraine had to wonder, do they know that I’m onto them? No, that’s craziness, that’s Jeremy getting into my head! Nobody would send some assassin here to my home to kill me.

  Would they?

  “Griffin? Jeremy?” Still no answer came back, further seducing Lorraine’s skeptical self.

  Albert warned you about this, Lorraine had to tell herself. He said the board would stop at nothing, he as much as promised it!

  The living room was empty and quiet around Lorraine, who only realized then that her gun was in her purse and her purse was in the family room.

  Should have practiced more, I’m still a terrible shot. Hope I can use it right, Lorraine silently muttered, if I have to use it at all! Please God don’t let that happen!

  The silence around her gave Lorraine time to calm down and reconsider. Remember the gun safety classes, Lorraine urged herself, most gun deaths are accidental and happen in the home. I don’t wanna spin around and shoot Jeremy as he walks through the front door.

  Lorraine spotted her purse on the coffee table across the room. Shouldn’t have left it lying around like that, Lorraine admonished herself. Kayla or Ashe could have found it, accidentally killed themselves or the other. Stupid!

  She reached the purse and grabbed it, her heart beating faster.

  It’s okay, nobody’s hurt, a lesson well-learned. Gotta take it easy, gotta stay in control.

  But, another dull thump grabbed her attention and Lorraine reached in for the Colt .36. It was heavy in her hand, slick with her palm sweat as she set the purse down. With one hand on the gun and the other had supporting the first, Lorraine held it pointed harmlessly upward, easy to lower, point and shoot, but one step removed from a spontaneous and tragic misfire.

  Thump.

  The sound drew Lorraine toward the kitchen and then toward the utility room down a short, second hall.

  Thump, thunk.

  Lorraine’s fingers craned around the gun, finger twitching over the trigger.

  Thump.

  Lorraine stepped toward the laundry room. The sounds weren’t from either machine, they were to isolated and irregular. Something else was causing those sounds, something or someone. Lorraine pulled the door to the laundry room open, jumping back and aiming the gun. The little room was dark, but seemed empty.

  It seemed empty.

  Lorraine reached over and clicked on the light, expecting a hand to reach out at any second and grab her wrist, pull her into the room and slam the door behind them. She had no idea what she’d be facing or whether she’d have any chance to escape … or survive.

  Click.

  Lorraine jumped back again, peering at the newly lit laundry room. The machines were still and silent, the cabinet doors closed, everything in place.

  Thump. Thunk, thump.

  There was only one other source of that sound, and it was the little closet on the side of the washing machine, where the hot water heater was housed. It was a small closet, but big enough for a man to hide in, to lure a small woman in and then ambush her.

  Lorraine renewed her grip around the gun as she reached for the little door to the water heater cabinet. She reached slowly, another thunk pulsing from within that little closet. Her hand reached closer to the knob, closer, fingers finally wrapping around it.

  She pulled the door open and jumped back to aim the gun from some safe distance. But, the closet held only the water heater, another thump coming louder, unmuffled by the opened closet door.

  Lorraine spat out a relieved sigh, smile breaking, a chuckle bubbling in her throat as the tension poured out of her, muscles easing, gun lowering to point at the floor.

  She turned, but came face to face with a man’s grim expression, a fearful cry leaping out of her mouth, body shaking with instant terror. He grabbed her wrist and yanked the gun out of her hand and she stood helpless before him, rigid with fear.

  “Lorraine, take it easy!” Lorraine refocused to see Griffin standing in front of her, holding her gun, his face calm but curious. “Lorraine, what’s wrong, what is it?”

  Lorraine quickly unwound again, stammering even if she could clearly see the folly of her own anxiety. “I … I heard something … ”

  “So you decided to assassinate the hot water heater?”

  “No, I … I thought somebody might have broken in.”

  Griffin looked at her again, shifting his head to get a better look at his wife, his beloved, as if there were some new aspect to her that he’d never considered.

  My God, Lorraine realized, he thinks I’m crazy!

  Maybe he’s right.

  Griffin led Lorraine out of the utility closet and into the kitchen. “I … I guess I just got a little carried away, that’s all. Those thunks and thumps, but it was nothing.”

  “All right,” Griffin said, low and soothing.

  “There is something I think you should take a look at, Griffin. It’s about the company.”

  Griffin’s eyes sank to shrewd slits. “What about it?”

  “Have you ever heard of a subdivision called Westmorland Holdings?”

  “Westmorland Holdings,” Griffin said, carefully eyeing both Jeannie Gallagher and Dennis Douglass. “Where is it?”

  Dennis shook his head a bit, as if confused. “Liquidated, years since. We used it for that deal on the waterfront, but we shut it down afterward, the way we usually do. What’s this all about?”

  Lorraine said, “I’ve got a full company portfolio, it has several holding companies like Westmorland, all real estate holding companies, and none of them are in the file you gave me.”

  “Because there all liquidated,” Denn
is said. “I thought you were looking for available land holdings in the company. What would have been the point of giving you a lot of outdated information?”

  “I said I wanted to see everything from the past ten years,” Lorraine said, impatience inspiring her newfound sense of authority.

  “My concern isn’t just this particular project, or even this particular holding company. But, if I discover there’s an overall pattern here, or that money is somehow being extorted from Phoenix Enterprises, I’m going to bring down the full brunt of the law on every head.”

  Dennis and Jeannie shared a glance, then looked back at Griffin and Lorraine. Jeannie nodded, eyes wide. “Of course, Mr. Phoenix, absolutely. We didn’t realize there might be anything wrong — ”

  “I’ve been in charge of the accounting for years, Mr. Phoenix, there’s no discrepancy that I know of. And I have to say, I feel like I know this place like … ” Dennis paused for some private reflection, drawing Lorraine and Griffin’s attention. “Where did you say you got that previous profile from?”

  Lorraine paused, uncertain how much information she should share. But, she also knew there were only so many sources and time to answer was running out. “Ki Fong, as a matter of fact, from your own Board of Directors.”

  Jeannie shook her head. “Ki, that figures.”

  Griffin asked, “Why’s that?”

  “He’s got a terrible grudge against me, thinks I hate him because he’s Chinese. But Griffin, you know that’s not true.”

  “I should hope not.”

  “The reason I’ve been hard on him is that, well, that’s my job. I can’t let every hair-brained idea get to the top, I’m supposed to filter those out.”

  “I know that,” Griffin said calmly, “I don’t fault you for doing your job.”

  “The way he glares at me from across the conference table,” Jeannie shook her head, eyes dipping low, lips pouting just a bit, “sometimes I was afraid he might do something … violent, in the dark of night. I mean, he’d have records of where I live and everything.”