Prison of the Past

by Elle Klass

  “Fetch,” he said, cocking his head to the side in amusement and interest. His eyes then shot to mine while she continued drooling over him.

  I smiled. “Rox is my helper, you’ll be helping each other.” I took his befuzzled expression as my cue to leave. For better or worse, they could crack the case as I faced the day and the signing.

  Steel and Butterflies

  Nerves flapped against my stomach making it queasier by the moment. Public appearances weren’t my thing and I admitted to myself, writing a book I was a character behind the pages. Selling my book and talking with readers and supporters, there was nowhere to hide.

  I’d chosen a burgundy wrap dress that embraced my curves yet wasn’t too revealing and a pair of knee-high mahogany boots. Fetch’s eyes widened and he stood as I found him and Rox in the large lobby.

  Wow, Fetch mouthed as I neared them. “Stunning.” he took my hand and lifted it above my head. I turned and he made a low growl.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m nervous enough, don’t make it worse.”

  “You could mess up big time and nobody would notice because their eyes will be on you and those amazing curves.” He guided my hand down and brought his to his side and stuffed it into his pocket.

  “You look like a model,” Rox said, winking at me.

  “OK, I’m leaving. Hanging around the two of you will turn my mind to mush.” I chuckled and walked away. Footsteps followed me and a hand grabbed mine.

  I turned and was drawn into Fetch’s embrace. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered and kissed my cheek. Tingles sailed through my body from my cheek to my toes.

  I touched his face just above the scruff that I always found sexy. “Thank you.”

  He walked me outside where a shiny white limo waited for me in the circular drive of the hotel. The driver, a thin, tall woman in a black suit. At first sight I thought she was a man until she looked at a card in her hand and spoke. Her high-pitched voice contrasted her appearance.

  I left Fetch and Rox with everything I knew about Einstein’s case, not sure they’d find anything but pleased they actually wanted to help. I figured Fetch considered it was the back door into my heart and life. Our tender moment and his singing eased the butterflies in my belly. It was a huge step to trust them with one of the many mysteries surrounding my life.

  The drive through the city brought memories rushing at me. I learned so much during my stay in New York and gained a brother, I thought as I glanced at a text he just sent me. I’ll be there this evening and taking you to dinner after. That was my Will, my biological brother whom I loved with all my heart. At the same time I dreaded seeing him in person. Knowing his father, my sperm donor, was dying. No part of me wanted to think about it yet and a tiny ping touched my heart and radiated throughout my body.

  The limo pulled up to the Childrones’ New York home and Mrs. Childrone stepped out the door. Her hair a shiny silver. There wasn’t a streak of blond left and sun beams flashed over her brown eyes, displaying their warmth. Her posture straight, she carried herself with confidence. The click of her heels tapping against the sidewalk rang as a melody in my ears. A large bag hung over her shoulder, brushing against the navy blue fabric of her suit jacket. The bottom of the jacket flared above a curve-hugging knee-length skirt and the white ruffles of her blouse plumed over the lapels of the jacket.

  The driver came around the car and took her bag then opened the door as Mrs. Childrone scooted inside, taking the bag from the driver who then walked around the car and seated herself back into the driver’s seat.

  She greeted me with open arms as the limo carried us away and she dropped her bag to the floor, folding me inside them. “So wonderful to see you, Cleo.”

  Her hug wasn’t the brush most rich people gave as a greeting, not really meaning it but being polite. No, it was an affectionate hug that I returned. The scent of gardenia lingered in the air around us, stemming from whatever perfume she’d sprayed on for the day.

  “You look a little flush, but I’ll be at your side through the whole signing. There’s no need to be nervous,” she said with smiling eyes.

  She read me well. I was a ball of anxiety. Her words soothed my fluttering gut only slightly.

  From the large bag she pulled out a slim rectangular box wrapped in shiny platinum paper with a white bow in the corner, its ribbons wound around the package. She handed it to me. Her thin mouth curved into a smile.

  “Thank you,” I said, taking the delicate box. “You didn’t need to buy me anything.”

  Her smile grew, turning the lines in her face into a tulip shape. “It’s nothing big but you have brought a happiness and purpose to my life that no one could.”

  I nodded. I brought her closure to the son whose disappearance she’d fretted over for many years. I thought again of my Raul. Knowing what happened didn’t make the hole in my life any smaller. If I hadn’t known what happened I’d be solving the mystery of his death not sitting in a limo in New York on my way to my first book signing with a woman who was the closest thing I had to a mother.

  It was strange how life had a way of twisting events. I should be on a yacht, sailing the world with the love of my life. Einstein’s mystery would remain a mystery. Karma was riding my tails and pushing me to pursue the events that really forced Einstein out of his parents’ home and into the world of homelessness, starvation, and squalor, and the happenchance of us meeting.

  I rested the white bow I’d carefully unwrapped on my lap and slid my finger under the flap of paper exposing a white box. Inside lay a gold ball point pen labeled Einstein Foundation. She leaned into my ear. “We have a ton that you’ll give away with each book but this one is unique. It’s yours.”

  Water bubbled in the corners of my eyes as I lifted the precious object out of the velvet inlay inside the box. It wasn’t just a pen. Its weight and shine told me it was plated in real gold. I sniffled as I wrapped my arms around her. “Thank you.”

  She held me, tucking my head beneath her chin. I wanted so badly to tell everything about Einstein’s mystery. I loved her as much as her son. It was because of my adoration that I couldn’t say anything, not yet. I didn’t want to unravel the hope and promise she’d gained, not until I knew the truth. The whole truth.

  The limo pulled alongside a curb, stopping in front of Best Books, the largest bookstore in New York. Literally, the red carpet was rolled out for us as we exited the vehicle. I didn’t expect anything so impressive and was baffled by the size of the event. I was on display. Wild birds flitted in my stomach. I’d never been a crowd person and usually ran from them. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath as I walked beside the most dignified woman I knew. She glanced at me. The twinkle in her eyes soothed the unsettled butterflies in my belly.

  The store manager ushered us inside through the rows of people holding out their hands for a slap from us. He got the show on the road, leading us to the table piled with stacks of my book. My eyes zoned in to the girl on the cover - me. Absent of a smile, with haunting green eyes, I looked so forlorn. It was like looking into the soul of someone else, only it wasn’t. I was an empty child. Love was a void in my life that I yearned for as a child.

  Two decades later and a grown woman, a part of that sad little girl still existed inside me. I’d never shake her gloom. It was the fire that kept me going, forcing my way through life and solving every enigmatic circumstance that dared to knock on my door. It was a search for my own happiness, I realized. My haunting childhood and past stared me in the face, literally. Shifting my eyes from the book cover, I glanced toward the crowd and the smiling face and vibrant green-hazel eyes of my brother Will who winked at me from the crowd. The little girl in me desired to run up to him and bury myself like an ostrich in his arms.

  I wasn’t that little girl. I was a grown woman with the strength and will of steel so I winked back, sucking strength from him, and took my seat.

  I was the belle of the ball and everything was scripted for me. Well m
ostly. There were things I had to do like read a chapter and give a personal experience. At first, goose bumps raised the hair on my arms like little needles, but after it opened up for questions, I eased. The love and concern of the people was instantly calming and healing.

  “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have my son today. I can’t imagine how you survived,” said a gentleman with tears streaming over his round cheeks. His dark eyes filled with love. “He was taken and escaped. It was one of the foundation’s homes he ran to.”

  “We do what we need and it sounds like your son saved himself,” I replied, a huge smile on my face. It felt good to hear their stories and by that point I’d heard hundreds. My eyes in a constant watery state. I barely made the connection between the sad little girl on the cover and the hope and second chance she provided to others.

  An unusual feeling tingled through my body and I swelled with pride. Never had I made the connection really, until talking first-hand to families we’d helped. There were so many.

  “Yes, he did, but you made it possible. I can’t thank you enough.” His eyes drifted to the left. Several tall bookcases surrounded the open area and table I stood at, engulfed in fluid emotion that flowed across the room.

  “Would you like to meet my son?”

  “Of course.”

  A boy, no older than thirteen, bulky in size like his father with soft, round, brown eyes and rounded cheeks ran towards us. His eyes didn’t leave mine as he perched in front of his father who placed his hands on his shoulders.

  “Hi, I’m Cleo. I heard you spent time with us.”

  He nodded, all smiles, then lifted his hand for a shake.

  Thick, dark tufts of styled, straight, cocoa hair caught my eye from across the room as I lifted my eyes from the boy. Green eyes like my own, soaked in tears, gazed at me. I blinked back emotion, unable to force myself to look in any other direction. A large wave of yearning surged through me as her sadness touched my soul, making it ache for the life she didn’t give me. The life she didn’t fight for. Swallowing hard, everyone else in the room disappeared and the chatter became muted like we were the only two people. I squeezed my eyes shut to erase the moment and the sudden urge to have her arms encircled around me so tight I’d feel her heartbeat. The pitter patter that gave me life.

  You Only Get One Set

  I sat across from Will at one of New York’s finest restaurants. The kind nobody got into without reservations unless you were a Briggs. A chill shuddered down my spine. Will stayed through the entire signing and caught the moment between me and my bio-mom. I’d seen her before but never made the effort to meet her. When our glances met from across the crowded book store I couldn’t deny she was a piece missing from my life. Maybe the reason I stayed so unsettled. She was the something... someone I’d never come to terms with.

  Was it my lack of acknowledging her? My distinct avoidance of my bio-mom that made karma boomerang on me so I lost my Raul? I shivered at the thought.

  The candlelight bounced, causing shadows on the table cloth. Will lifted his wine and took a sip. He’d saved me from the moment my heart longed for a woman who’d accepted my kidnapping but who’d also respected my intense dislike for her. I wasn’t sure that was the reason she stayed away from me but it was the only one that made sense for a rational person. I’d felt the love in her eyes and swooned with relief when Will took her aside and spoke with her.

  I didn’t know what he’d said and, in honesty, didn’t care. She left. I lifted the wine glass to my lips and took a sip, my mind so far away the soft music in the restaurant, chatter, and clinking of plates and glasses played as background music to the background chatter in my mind.

  “You were really good. Those people soaked you up,” Will said, breaking the silence.

  I smiled. “That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and it felt good. Really good to know I’ve touched so many people.”

  His green eyes changed shades as he spoke. “I know you don’t want to hear this but I think you need to talk with your mom. I saw the look in your eyes.”

  He sounded like our sperm donor. I guess apples don’t fall far from the tree, but this was Will not bio-daddy and he made a valid point. The reaction between my mother and I was unforgettable and a part of me desired to feel her soft touch and hear how much she loved me. “I don’t want to talk about her. Not right now. I understand I need closure and I’ve never understood it better than I do now,” my voice trailed off.

  “Don’t let our father’s cruelty and deception keep this rift building between you and her. We all make mistakes, Cleo.” His words echoed inside my head and bounced into my heart. Heat burned behind my eyes.

  This sudden change in Will’s perception of our sperm donor and his defense of a man who performed so many vile acts made me realize he loved him. He was a difficult man to love, more the man one wanted to hate. He knew the wicked man was dying. “How often do you see him?”

  “Once or twice a week. Why?” The glint in his eye denoted he knew the answer to my question.

  I cleared my throat. “He came to see me at home.”

  His brows furrowed into a V. “He did?”

  “Yes, and I know he raised you.” I placed my hands on the table in front of me and leaned in. The candlelight bounced across the emerald shade of his eyes. “ At certain points in your life he was there for you and showed you affection. I was different. The child that would bring him embarrassment, and your mother, if anyone knew I existed. I don’t know if they plotted together or separately but both made sure I stayed out of their lives. I feel no love, nor loss, only sadness for the monsters who raised you.”

  That was the first time I’d ever brought his mother into it. He hadn’t known she owned the small cabin Perdy and I were tucked away in that I now owned.

  A solemnness coated his handsome face. “My parents aren’t angels. They may be devils, but I do love them. No doubt Dad’s passing will bring on a battle. One my mother will have to find a way to smooth over, but her passing will be the most devastating. My sisters will fight for every scrap they can milk out of their wills. My future is set. I’ve painstakingly amassed my own fortune, aside from the family, aside from my wife.”

  What the heck was he saying? He controlled the company. Was he giving it up in the wake of his parents passing? And what was the talk of his mother’s death? “What are you talking about?”

  He shifted in his chair with unease. “I’ve always been a Briggs, but I haven’t always been married. I have a fortune tied to my name pre-marriage. She doesn’t even know about it and our pre-nup protects any fortune I earned before we married. Nobody but me knew until now. I trust you.”

  “Am I part of it?”

  “No. I only had suspicions you existed then. I’ve gotten off topic. Listen. Parents, cruel or loving, are the only set we get. Your mother isn’t like you. She’s weak and fearful. My dad did a number on her. That aside, do you want her to pass one day without ever giving her a chance? Will you be able to live with yourself?”

  He made a point I’d never thought of. Since I knew Perdy wasn’t my bio-mom and that she existed alive and well I’d pitied and despised her. It was a constant ache in my gut but I well knew she was alive and when I thought of her I pictured the woman I saw in a fleeting moment before making the decision not to meet her. How would I feel when she passed? Should I go to my sperm donor’s funeral when it happens? Time was ticking as they aged and I was holding onto hate. Where would the hate go when they were no longer alive?

  I swallowed as the server placed our orders onto the table in front of us.

  Photo Bomb

  I entered the hotel. My body sagging from fatigue. The day had been long and an emotional tornado. All I desired was bed and deep, dreamless sleep. That sleep wouldn’t happen yet. Sitting in the lobby, cozy like son and daughter was Fetch and Rox, my computer open in front of them. Their faces glued to the screen, they hadn’t noticed me. The lights in the hotel flashing a
gainst his silver bullets displaying a sparkle that ignited the colors inside them.

  My quick-thinking mind decided to steal a picture of Rox. I stepped sideways behind a pillar and took out my phone. Zooming in on her face, I clicked a picture and another then opened my message app and attached the pics. I typed in Rox and sent it to La Tige. No sooner had I put my phone away did Fetch’s eyes find me. He stood and waved me over.

  Joining my cohorts in crime, Fetch stated, “We found the connection.” His voice filled with too much excitement for eleven P.M.

  Throughout the day’s events, and the conversation Will and I shared over dinner, I’d nearly forgotten he was helping me solve Einstein’s mystery. I rerouted my weary brain. “What did you find?”

  He took my hand. The warmth of his encased mine in a familiar feeling. One that brought back the tender moments we’d shared in the past. There was something seriously wrong with me. Nothing about me lately had been normal. My reactions and emotions were almost that of another person.

  “You already knew there was a connection between the judge and the Peeping Tom, Marcus Johns, but we found it thanks to Rox. She’s an expert hacker.” He popped open a few windows, obituaries and marriages filled them.

  Fried noodles! She was using my computer to hack into files again. “What did you hack with my computer?”

  She gave me her devious smile. “Don’t worry, it can’t be traced back to you, but the judge may encounter legal problems.”

  I rubbed my temple in angst. Oh boy!

  It turned out Judge Feeney’s mother died when he was a young boy and Marcus or Peeping Tom’s mother divorced his father because he was abusive. After sending her to the hospital, she conjured the strength to run away, right into the arms of Feeney’s father. They married so Peeping Tom and Judge Feeney became step brothers. They were elementary age. The story unraveled itself as the connection slapped me in the brain.