by S. J. West
“Listen,” I tried to reason. “At least tell me what I want to know before you kill us. We’ll be dead anyway right? It’s not going to hurt anything to give us the information.”
Mr. Landry thought about my request and apparently didn’t see any harm in telling me what I wanted to know. I suppose he thought of it as my last request.
“Your mother’s name was Anna Miller.”
“Did you know anything else about her?”
“I know she was born in Indiana but that’s about all I was told. He wasn’t much on sharing information.”
“Why did he come to you? How were you able to help them?”
“I used to be an FBI agent,” Mr. Landry said with a note of regret. “I was good at my job. We hid people in the witness protection program all the time. Somehow, he knew what I did and made me give her a new life without telling anyone I worked with about it. They found out though and fired me. I lost my job and my wife all in the same month.”
“Why did he kill your wife?”
“To prove he could,” the gun in Mr. Landry’s hand dipped down to the floor as he told us what he knew. “He told me if I didn’t do what he said, the same thing would happen to my daughter, Melody. I couldn’t let that happen. And I won’t let that happen to her little girl.”
“Who was he?”
There was a vacant, dead look in Mr. Landry’s eyes as he lifted the gun and pointed it at us like he was about to shoot.
“I can’t live like this anymore. May God forgive me for what I’ve done.” He quickly turned the gun on himself jamming the barrel into his mouth pulling the trigger before either Brand or I could stop him. I heard the gun go off just as Brand phased us back home, saving me from seeing the gory details of Mr. Landry’s suicide.
The experience left me shaking in my shoes.
“Why would he do that?” I asked. I couldn’t help but feel directly responsible for Mr. Landry’s death.
If we hadn’t been prying into his life, he would probably be alive right now. And if we hadn’t hired Larry Goodwill to look into my mother’s past, he would still be alive too. Death seemed to be following me around like a shadow. How many more people would die because of me?
“I know what you’re thinking,” Brand said, taking me into his arms to help stop my trembling. “There wasn’t anyway we could know that would happen. It’s not your fault.”
I understood what he was saying but it didn’t detract from the guilt I felt. It didn’t change the fact that I was the reason two men I didn’t even know were dead.
Chapter 14
Brand called Larry’s secretary later that afternoon for a couple of reasons. He wanted to make sure someone did in fact find Larry’s body, and he wanted to see if she could recommend a private investigator in Indiana who could help us find out more information about my mother’s family. I told Brand I didn’t want to involve another innocent bystander in our mess but he assured me the investigator we hired wouldn’t be hurt.
“I’ll just ask the person to find out as much information as they can without getting too involved. Since we have your mother’s real name and know where she was born, it should be easy to locate your grandparents.”
I relented. Mostly because I didn’t have much of a choice if I wanted to find my mother’s parents.
From the conversation Brand had with Larry’s secretary, it was obvious she still had no idea her boss was dead. Brand suggested she call his landlord or one of his neighbors to check up on him.
“He’s getting older,” Brand told her. “Heart attacks aren’t uncommon in men his age.”
When he got off the phone, he told me she was going to call Larry’s apartment manager to check in on him. It was a relief to know the poor man wouldn’t be left lying on his apartment floor forgotten in a world too busy to worry about one man. The secretary also gave Brand contact information for a P.I. friend of Larry’s in Indiana.
I really wasn’t in the mood to listen to Brand discuss everything about our case with someone new to the situation. So I grabbed a soda from the fridge and went outside. I left the French doors open so Brand wouldn’t worry so much about me being alone. I walked down to the lakeshore and watched a group of mallard ducks play in the water near the boat dock.
“I’m surprised he lets you out of his sight.”
I closed my eyes and tried to stop the sudden acceleration of my heart at the sound of Robert’s mocking statement. When I looked to my right, I saw him standing beside me leering at me with a grin which didn’t quite make it to his eyes. He was wearing a stylishly tailored red jacket with black collar and lining, canary yellow dress shirt with a maroon tie with white and black stripes with a pair of khaki pants and black wingtip shoes. His short styled jet black hair was feathered toward his face making his features stand out even more. He still reminded me of a cross between a cobra and a hawk preparing to strike at its prey.
“What do you want?” I asked, trying to maintain a facade of calm. If Robert were indeed stalking me to finish the job Justin had failed to accomplish, I needed to know what his plans were. I tried to remain confident in the knowledge that I could always phase to safety if the situation called for it.
“Why, you of course. What a stupid question Lilly,” he chuckled in disdain. “Can’t you think of something a bit more imaginative to ask me?”
“Whose orders are you following to kill me?”
“Ahh, well, at least that’s a better question. Though, I’m afraid I can’t answer it.”
“Why aren’t you just taking me back to my cell then?” I asked, confused why he was wasting time with this conversation. “What’s stopping you?”
Robert grinned smugly. “Where’s the fun in winning like that? I would much rather watch you beg me to take you back there to finish what I started.”
“You don’t honestly think I would ever beg you for anything do you?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Robert shrugged, as if he thought it was only a matter of time. “I don’t think I’ll have to wait very much longer. After I set a few more pieces into place, we’ll see how long you last in my little game before you start begging. I promise you Lilly,” he said walking so close to me I could feel his warm breath on my face, “you’ll be pleading with me on your knees to do whatever it is I want by the end of what I have planned.”
He disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.
I took a few deep breaths before I went back into the house. If Robert was still watching me, I didn’t want him to know how much seeing him had affected my state of mind. The last thing I wanted to do was to let him know how much he frightened me.
When I stepped back into the house and closed the doors behind me, Brand was just getting off the phone.
“She said it might take a while to track down your mom’s parents,” Brand said laying his phone down on the kitchen island. “I guess Anna Miller was a popular name in Indiana when your mom was born. There were at least a hundred of them born the same year. She’ll have to check them all out to see which one was actually your mother.” When I didn’t reply to what he said he narrowed his eyes at me sensing something was wrong. “Are you all right?”
I didn’t want to upset him but there was no other choice left open to me. “Robert was here.”
Brand quickly strode toward me with a dangerous look on his face. “Where?”
“By the lake.”
Brand grabbed me and before I knew it we were standing inside Malcolm’s house.
“Malcolm!” Brand yelled.
Malcolm was immediately by my side.
“What’s wrong?” He asked looking down at me quickly to make sure I was ok.
“Robert was at my house. I need you to look after Lilly while I follow his trail.”
Before either of us could voice our opinion on his plan, Brand disappeared.
“Well I hope he leaves a piece for me to tear apart,” Malcolm said sounding completely unconcerned about Brand’s safety.
“You need to follow him!” I said clutching desperately at Malcolm’s arm. “He might need help!”
“Oh, dearest,” he said waving my concerns away, “you have nothing to worry about. Brand can handle a piece of slime like Robert by himself. You really do worry too much about him.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re not in love with him,” I said completely frustrated by his nonchalance.
“Yes, well, that’s certainly true. But you need to trust me when I tell you Brand can take care of himself.”
“Why are you so confident he won’t get hurt?”
“Well I’ve fought the man and I would wager every penny I have that you have never seen him fight. So take my word and trust me when I say he’ll be fine.”
“Are you ever going to tell me what happened that night?” I asked, assuming Malcolm was referring to the night Brand reprimanded him for seeing me naked.
“Not unless you torture the information out of me. It’s something I would rather just forget about, dearest. Hurt pride and all, you understand. Enough worrying,” he said holding his arm out for me to take. “Come with me, we’re making ice cream sundaes in the kitchen.”
“Who’s we?” I asked as he escorted me toward the back of his house where the kitchen was.
Malcolm just grinned at me and seemed content to let me see for myself.
Abby was giggling around the kitchen table trying her best to balance a long stemmed cherry on the tip of Sebastian’s nose. She wasn’t wearing a wig or colored contact today. Her long white hair glistened in the sunlight and when she looked at me there was no doubt which parent she inherited her eyes from.
“Lilly!” Abby soon forgot about her playful game with Sebastian and ran over to give me a hug.
“I haven’t had a chance to thank you for what you did for us,” she said giving me a kiss on the cheek.
Sebastian stood from the table and came to kiss me on the opposite cheek.
“Thanks a lot, Lilly. I’m not sure how you talked our dads into letting us be together, but we really appreciate it. A lot more than just saying ‘thank you’ can cover.”
“I’m just glad you guys are happy,” I told them.
“Tell us what’s been going on.” Abby took my hand and led me to the table.
It gave me a chance to tell Malcolm what Brand and I had been through that day.
“He shouldn’t have taken you,” Malcolm said not holding back his disapproval. “That man could have killed you quite easily with a gun. You need to remember you’re human, dearest. Bullets can kill you.”
“I can take care of myself. Besides, Brand trusts me to use good judgment,” I defended.
“Well I wouldn’t call it good judgment to badger a man holding a gun on you with a million questions.”
I could tell Malcolm was frustrated with me for what I had done and knew it stemmed from how much he cared for me. I put my hand on his arm in an attempt to sooth away his worry.
“Don’t be mad at me,” I said softly. “I had to do everything I could to get the answers we needed. I’m running out of time.”
Malcolm put his hand over mine. “We won’t let anything happen to you, dearest. You need to believe that.”
“I know you won’t,” I told him, surprised at how confident my voice sounded.
I tried my best to hide my worry about Brand while Malcolm made me an ice cream sundae. Even with Malcolm’s reassurance that Brand was more than capable of handling Robert by himself, I knew I wouldn’t feel better until I saw him whole and unharmed with my own two eyes.
I was glad to find the relationship between Abby and Sebastian had progressed so far in such a short amount of time. They acted like a couple of teenagers in love. I was happy they had found each other and realized I was the reason for that. It made me feel good to know that at least one good thing had come from the situation I found myself in.
I made a valiant attempt to eat the ice cream sundae Malcolm made me. At any other time I would have been on my way to a sugar coma gulping down the two scoops of Neapolitan ice cream smothered in strawberry and chocolate sauces topped with a fluffy layer of cool whip with its sprinkling of nuts and maraschino cherries. Unfortunately, after a couple of spoonfuls, I gave up trying to pretend it held my interest.
After the others finished their ice cream, Abby and Sebastian tried to talk Malcolm and me into playing a game of croquet in the backyard. I declined; partly because I had no idea how to play croquet but mostly because my thoughts were still on Brand. Where was he? Shouldn’t he have come back by now?
“Why don’t you two go on outside,” Malcolm told Abby and Sebastian placing our dirty bowls in the kitchen sink. “I have something I want to show Lilly.”
“Just as well,” Abby said walking to the doorway of the kitchen which led out to the veranda and backyard. “I’m sure Sebastian wouldn’t want you to see him get trounced by a woman,” she taunted, turning around smiling coyly at Sebastian.
“Oh, you think you’ll beat me, do you?” Sebastian said standing from his chair.
“Of course I will,” Abby teased. “You have no chance of winning against my superior skill with a mallet.”
“We’ll see about that,” Sebastian ran toward Abby causing her to turn and run for the backyard in a fit of giggles.
Malcolm came to me and took my hands, coaxing me out of my chair.
“What did you want to show me?” I asked.
“I made you something,” he said, staring down at my hands lightly rubbing the tops of them with his thumbs in a circular motion. He looked almost embarrassed to tell me anything further.
“What did you make?”
“It’s not really something I can describe. I need to show it to you,” his eyes met mine. He looked like he might be worried about my reaction to his gift.
“Where is it?” I asked intrigued by his behavior.
“I’ll have to phase us there.”
“Ok.” I wasn’t sure why this seemed to be such a big deal to Malcolm, but my curiosity was definitely piqued.
Before I knew it, we were standing on a cobble stone walkway in front of a house which was a mix of Victorian and country influences. It was a two story home made of redwood with an octagonal corner on the right side with windows on each side.
“Do you like it?” Malcolm asked.
“It’s beautiful. Is it one of your homes?”
Instead of answering my question, he held onto one of my hands and escorted me up the steps leading to the redwood glass-cut front doors. He reached on top of the door frame and pulled down a key.
“That doesn’t seem like a safe place to hide a key,” I admonished.
“We’re so far out in the woods it’s doubtful anyone would bother us here.”
Malcolm unlocked the door and stuffed the key into his pants pocket. He opened the door and motioned for me to go in first.
The interior floors were made of the same wood as the outside of the house. There was a staircase across from the front doors in the foyer which led to the second floor. To the right was a living room area with a stone fireplace. To the left was a hallway which led to the back of the house and a door I assumed must lead off to the garage. When I stepped into the living room, my eyes were immediately drawn to the windows. Framed like a painting, was a snow capped mountain and crystal blue lake.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Colorado. Do you like the view?” Malcolm walked over to me and admired the scenery with me.
“It’s gorgeous.”
After taking in the beauty of the natural setting for a couple of minutes, I turned to Malcolm and asked, “So where is this thing you made me?”
He looked down at me. “You’re standing in it.”
I wasn’t quite sure what he was talking about so I looked down at my feet to see if I was standing in something. Not seeing anything but wood flooring, it dawned on me what he was saying.
“You built me a house?”
“You l
ike it, don’t you?” Malcolm’s brow creased in worry. “I tried to design something I thought you would want, something that fit your personality.”
“You built me a house?” I asked again, completely stunned and unable to think of anything else to say.
“Come on,” he said taking my hand again, grinning at how flabbergasted he had made me. “Let me show you the rest of it.”
On the first floor of the unfurnished house there was a dining room connected to the living room and a family room beside a fully equipped kitchen. The second floor had three regular bedrooms and a master bedroom which was directly above the first floor living room. The same picture frame windows were up here allowing you to take in an unobstructed mountain view. I stood by the windows unable to process everything at once.
“You built me a house,” I said, still trying to wrap my mind around the concept.
“Yes,” he said coming to stand beside me. “I built you a house. Do you like it?”
“I can’t accept this,” I said shaking my head. “It’s too much, Malcolm.”
“Nonsense, you have no choice. I’m giving it to you.”
“No,” I said firmly. “I can’t take it.”
“Why not?” Malcolm sounded offended. It was the last thing I wanted.
“It’s a house!” I said thinking that was enough of a reason.
“Lilly,” it was one of the few times Malcolm called me by name, “please, take the house. I want you to have it.”
“But why would you build me a house?”
“It’s what I do,” he shrugged. “I build things.”
“You could have just built me a doll house, not a real house.”
Malcolm chuckled. “I don’t do small, dearest. You should know that by now.”
“But it’s a house, Malcolm.”
“Then just think of it as a large doll house and consider yourself the doll who gets to live in it.”
I couldn’t help but blush as his statement.
“I thought it would be nice if you had somewhere all your own to go to,” he told me caressing the side of my face with his hand. “You deserve this and so much more, dearest. I could give you the world if you would just let me.”
