Spots was one of the ugliest dogs that she had ever seen. He was a ten-year-old hairless Chinese Crusted, with five missing teeth. Due to this, his cracked, dried tongue permanently hung out of the side of his mouth. About three years ago, Cassie and Ellie wanted to get a dog to commemorate Ellie’s eighteenth birthday, and her getting a full-boat ride to a top-flight school. Ellie insisted on going to the animal shelter and picking out the ugliest pet there because she knew that no one else would take it home and that it would probably get put down if it wasn’t adopted. Spots, by far, was the ugliest animal in the entire shelter so he had the honor of being adopted into the Kent family. Ellie wanted to name him Spot but Cassie thought that Spots was more appropriate, because of its numerous white skin tags.
Cassie leaned over and scratched behind his ears, one of the few places that had hair on it. Spots wagged his tail and barked at her, and then followed the redhead to her room. She grabbed her laptop and returned to the living room and plopped her whole body down on the old fabric couch, sending a cloud of dust high into the air.
Another thing I’m going to replace when I make fifty grand. Cassie booted up her laptop. All right, let’s hack into the records at Owen’s school and find a Ryan in Owen’s grade.
The twenty-three-year-old typed away at her laptop furiously, hacking her way around the Brookings School mainframe and into their student records. She checked those of the seventh grade. Out of the hundred kids, there were three twelve-year-old Ryans’ alone, and twelve others outside of his grade.
That’s not going to get me anywhere fast. Let me see if there’s anything in Owen’s file… Cassie typed further. No incidents involving a Ryan.
Cassie sighed and looked up at the ceiling. Spots whined and curled up next to her, resting his head on her thigh. After five minutes, she checked Owen’s family records to see if there was anyone, besides Edric, who could shed some light on who this Ryan was. So far, I’m getting Edric Kensington as his legal guardian and Violet Kensington as having permission to also make decisions for Owen, but she’s not the legal guardian. Hmm. Maybe I should look this lady up.
Cassie decided to search the internet for Violet first. Apparently, she’s Edric’s older sister and an inventor who works for the Kensington Group. Wow, she has a whole suite to herself for inventing…
Cassie shut her laptop and leapt from the couch. She knew where to go next: she had to talk to Violet and figure out what to do from there. She stood and gave Spots one last scratch behind the ear before heading out the door to go to the same building she was in this morning. If Ellie were here she’d say some witty Shakespearean quote about going off into the breach or some such. I don’t know. Back in the car I go…
The drive back to the Kensington Group was painless. It was eleven o’clock, so the rush-hour traffic was gone at this point. Within fifteen minutes, Cassie pulled up to the building. It was a beautiful modern work of art, the fifty-story skyscraper made entirely of glass. Earlier that morning Cassie was on the top but she hardly noticed the grandness of the structure. The only thing she paid attention to was the dreadfully long elevator ride.
As per the records, Violet’s lab took up half of the forty-fifth floor. Cassie slipped inside the elevator and waited patiently as it crept up upwards. Eventually, the elevator stopped and she stepped out onto the main floor. On the directory, it read: Violet Kensington. Suite 45-02. Cassie walked down the hallway and paused in front of the door to the suite, and then rapped her knuckles against the door.
“Hello?”
No response.
Cassie bit her lip. Do I actually have permission to go in here? Not like that’s ever stopped me before.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside the suite.
It was so much different than the rest of the building. Even though there were windows surrounding the entire area, they were tinted, so the suite seemed darker than the rest of the building. Machines, computers, stacks of papers, and other random metal devices took over the entire space. There was a rhythmic sound, a slow-steady pulse almost. It was made by the steady rise and fall of the machine noise. What the hell is this place?
“Hello?” Cassie called out.
She was met with a series of crashes and bangs and eventually a tall, lithe woman emerged from behind a large mechanical device that Cassie couldn’t recognize. She wore an oversized white lab coat and white scrubs. Her chestnut brown hair was pulled up into a sloppy bun. Her face was oval and she had a long, thin nose—much like Edric Kensington. The two also shared the same olive complexion. Cassie could immediately tell that this woman was Edric’s older sister, Violet. The woman did not have the confident posture of Edric, and she hid behind a lab coat, thick glasses, and clip board that she held to her chest.
“Hello,” a quiet voice responded.
Instantly, Cassie thought of her sister, Ellie, and her timid nature.
“Hi, my name’s Cassie Kent and I work for Edric Kensington. I have a few questions about Owen, his brother. Are you Violet Kensington?”
“Yes…um…what about my brother?” She responded in a whisper that was barely audible. Cassie leaned forward to hear what she was saying.
“Huh? I’m sorry. I can’t hear you.”
“Is he all right? Did you find him?” Violet asked, taking a half-step to the side to hid behind a large machine.
Oh boy, she seems freaked.
“I’m looking for him now. I believe I might know where he is.”
“Is he safe?” She asked in a louder, shrill tone.
Yup, definitely freaked.
“Yes, it’s possible that he’s with someone named Ryan. Do you know anyone by that name?”
“Ryan Wesley?”
“Is he a friend of Owen’s?”
“Yes, he’s my brother’s best friend.”
“Does he have a sister in college?”
“Um. Yes, Grace.”
“Do you know where they live?”
“I don’t know the address off-hand but I do know where it is.”
I have enough information to look up the address myself but, if this woman is anything like Ellie, she could benefit from some social interaction.
“Could you come with me? It’s important,” Cassie asked.
“Oh. Um.” She looked down at the ground and bit her lip. “Um. Okay. I’ll come with you.”
“Good! Let’s go pick up your brother.” Cassie smiled and motioned for her to follow. Violet put her clipboard down on a nearby desk and they left the suite and walked over to the elevator.
Once inside the elevator, Violet snuck over to the back-left corner and stood there hunched over, glancing over at Cassie before returning her gaze to the elevator door.
All right, Cassie. Think of something you can ask, to get her to calm down.
“Cool room you have.”
“Oh, yes. Rick, I mean my brother Edric, gave it to me.”
Hmm. Really? The asshat who hired me this morning doesn’t seem like the lab-giving type.
“What do you do there?”
Violet smiled. “I invent things.” Those words changed Violet’s whole domineer, she stood straighter and grinned.
“What do you invent?”
“I assist with making and designing the helmets used for virtual technology.”
“That sounds cool. How do they work?”
“Oh, the user puts them on, clicks the button, and the technology works with their subconscious mind. It brings them into a virtual reality that the Kensington Group designed.”
“So, it’s like they move around in their head without actually moving their bodies?”
“Yes, it’s similar to having a dream but the dream is being controlled by our technology.” Violet clarified.
“So, it’s like playing video games in your dream?”
“Um, I suppose that the closest way in which I can think of it. It’s like you’re playing but become the character.”
“Wow, that’s really cool.�
� Cassie grinned widely at Violet, who smiled back. “How’d you make the helmets?”
At this point, the elevator stopped at the ground floor and they exited the elevator and began walking to Cassie’s car.
Several of the employees stopped and stared at them. Cassie wondered why.
“Oh, it’s easy.” Violet continued. “Originally one could only access the virtual technology through pods that functioned like sensory-deprivation tanks. I modified the technology and made it portable. Now I’m trying to make it cheaper, so more people are able to access it and enjoy the experience at home.”
“What else do you invent?”
Wow, it’s like Violet’s a totally different person now.
“Oh, um. Basically, anything and everything. I can’t think of specifics. I like to use the space to tinker though.”
“You must be really smart.”
Violet looked down at the ground and blushed before tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear.
There was a slight pause in the conversation. “Do you spend a lot of time at the lab?” Cassie asked.
“Yeah, I go there every day. I’m either there or with my family at home.” Violet’s voice trailed off into silence and she stared at the car, before pacing around it like a predator stalks prey. “You need a mechanic. Your front right tire is off-kilter and there’s a lot of rust damage.”
“The whole thing’s being held together by duct-tape, shoe laces, and hope.”
Violet giggled.
“Thanks, I thought that was funny. I’m glad someone laughed.”
“I’ll fix your car tomorrow, after we find Owen. There’s a large elevator at the south end of the building. It should be big enough to fit a car in. I can drive it into the lab and fix it.”
“Actually, after I get paid for finding and turning in your brother, I’m selling this clunker and getting a new one.”
“Oh.” Violet looked back at the ground.
She probably was using that as an excuse to socialize. I don’t want to take that away from her. Cassie thought.
“But I would like to go with someone who knows about cars and what to look for in getting a new one, so I don’t get screwed over by the dealer. You know how dealers like to cheat women who don’t look like they know what they’re doing out of money.”
“I can look, if you want.” Violet offered.
“Let’s make a day of it. We can grab a bite along the way. Thanks for helping me out.”
“Oh.” She looked out the window. “It’s not a problem. You’re going to want to take a left here. At the next light, I mean.”
“Thanks.” Cassie took the left-hand turn. She turned up the heat; it was a bit brisk for May and she was starting to feel the chill hitting her. “So, you’re a mechanic too?”
“Oh, no. I’m not trained or anything but I just know a lot about how things work. I’m actually an engineer.”
“How’d you end up working at this job?” Cassie asked.
“My…my brother, Edric, runs the company and he hired me. He’s the…um…CEO. I’m on the Board of Directors but I don’t like doing the business stuff. I just want to invent.”
“I can see that. I would hate being a CEO. Too many meetings and people.”
“But you’re social.”
“I like people but not all the time. I like what I do—being a private investigator—I deal with others, but I can also do behind-the-scenes stuff too and have my own space.”
“Oh. Um. Take a right here.” Violet extended her hand and pointed to a nearby road. “Being a private investigator sounds so cool. What do you do?”
“Honestly?”
“Yeah.”
“Most of the time I’m hired by people to see if their other half is cheating on them. Sometimes I have missing person cases but usually I just spy on spouses having affairs.”
Violet giggled.
“I’m not a creep. I promise.” Cassie laughed. “I know what I do sounds weird because I’m a glorified Peeping Tom, but I’m normal, I swear.”
“I believe you.”
Cassie noticed the large houses in this area—gigantic mansions with perfect landscaping. “Wow, I’m so out of place here with this shit-box car.”
“It’s not a shit box, it’s a beautiful piece of machinery.”
“When it breaks down on you in the middle of a highway you think differently of it.”
“It just needs some tender love and care.”
“You can have it after tomorrow. I’d only get a few hundred bucks as scrap metal.”
“Really?” Violet’s eyes widened.
“Yeah, go to town.” Cassie waved her hands dismissively. “It’s all yours.”
“Thank you thank you thank you! It’s so rare to find a car in this poor of condition. It really is. I’ll be busy for days fixing it up.” She paused. “Oh, we’re here.”
Cassie stopped her car and parked it on the street. The mansion before them was huge. She guessed that there was about fifteen or so rooms? Enormous for a normal family. Man, I could fit ten of Ellie and I’s rented house in here.
“Places like this always make me nervous.” Cassie admitted.
“Really?”
“I’m afraid that I’ll break a fancy Ming vase and then be like, a million dollars in debt instantaneously.”
Violet laughed again.
Violet’s already much less nervous than she was when I first met her. Good, I knew she needed some social interaction. Maybe she and Ellie could be friends.
“If you break something I’ll cover it. You’re giving me something so much more valuable than a stupid vase so don’t worry.”
Cassie knocked on the door. She heard shuffling behind the door and the muttering of a few curse words related to the volume of the knock being so loud.
Yup. Someone’s hungover.
Cassie looked back and gave Violet a knowing look.
“I’ve read about this: I think they’re sick from drinking too much.” Violet whispered to Cassie.
“Yeah. I’m tempted to be an asshole and make a lot of noise.”
Violet giggled in response.
The door creaked open and a guy in his early twenties—around Ellie’s age—answered. When the light from the outside streamed in he held his hands up to shield his eyes.
“What are you doing here so early?” He asked.
“It’s eleven thirty.” Cassie answered bluntly, causing Violet to stifle another giggle. “I’m here for Owen Kensington.”
“Ah.” He said with a tone of understanding. “The funny lil’ dude.”
Man, what the hell is up with this kid where a bunch of college kids think he’s the life of the party?
He gestured for Cassie and Violet to enter the house.
The inside of the house was dimly lit. The fixtures were beautiful but the place was definitely trashed—literally and figuratively. Rubbish was scattered across the floor, the carpet was stained, someone, in fact, had broken an expensive-looking vase.
Holy shit, I thought I partied hard.
The two women stepped over the mess and walked down the hall into the living room. Ten young boys sat on a sectional couch, each of them complaining about the noise, the light and the nausea.
“Owen!” Violet exclaimed. “Rick and I were worried.” Her whole body looked less tense, like a sudden weight was lifted off her shoulders. She smiled at her younger brother and gave him a warm hug. The boy groaned and wiggled out of the hug.
“Sis, not so loud. And don’t hug me; I’m not a kid anymore.”
“We thought that you were kidnapped again. Why did you run off?”
“Can we continue this conversation on the road? The smell of stale pizza and booze is terrible.” Cassie asked.
Owen slid off the couch. He had the same chestnut-brown hair as his siblings, and his brother’s mischievous smile. The only difference was he was tiny and still obviously a kid. Where Edric stood at six-three, Owen was still only five feet tal
l. He had a baby face, one lacking Edric’s chiseled features.
Owen followed the two ladies out to the car and hopped in the backseat.
“There’s some water and crackers back there.” Cassie offered, pointing to the floor.
“You, ma’am, are a Godsend.”
Hearing a kid speak like that made Cassie laugh.
“You’re like, twelve. Why are partying?”
“I like to live it up. Come on, by your bright-red hair I can tell that you probably partied at my age.”
“You got me there, kid.”
Owen smiled triumphantly before taking a bite into the cracker.
“Your brother and I were worried sick.”
“You two always are. I haven’t been kidnapped in five years!”
“You took five years off my life. Rick’s too.”
“You should do some stunt like this, it’ll do you good to get out of the lab and live a little, sis. Speaking of which, I’m surprised you left the lab.”
“I was worried and Cassie needed directions.”
Owen’s eyes widened. “Oh, how rude of me. I never introduced myself. I’m Owen Kensington. I take it that you’re Cassie?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You a cop?”
Cassie let out a hearty laugh. “Nah. I’m a private detective.”
“Oh good. I’m glad that I’m not going to get arrested for drinking and shit.”
Violet turned her head around to see her younger brother. “You know Rick’s going to ground you forever because of this, right?”
Owen shrugged. “It was worth it. I had fun. Great experience. Living the life. No regrets. Well, one, my hangover. But other than that, none at all.”
Man, this kid…
Cassie scoffed. “You’re something else.”
“Thanks. I try.”
The silly banter continued for the rest of the ride. Cassie got a hoot out of the kid and enjoyed Violet’s conversation. The only asshole of the group is Edric. His siblings seem great. I wonder who shoved the stick up his ass. Then again, I suppose people would ask that about me after meeting Ellie.
Eventually, Cassie pulled up to the building and parked her car on the street. She grinned from ear to ear the entire elevator ride up to the penthouse. Violet was less nervous than before and smiled at her brother, glad that he was safe. Owen leaned against the walls of the elevator and sighed. Eventually, the elevator opened and they arrived at the fiftieth floor.
A Sibling's Dilemma Page 2
