The Caledonian Inheritance (The Athena Effect)

by Anderson, Derrolyn

  He opened his desk drawer and slid the cuffs into it, pulling out a pad of paper. “So… do you want to tell me your version of the day’s events?”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “First of all, what were you doing out there today?”

  “We hiked to the ruins of my grandmother’s house. I’m planning to rebuild it.”

  “Why?”

  She looked confused, “What does that have to do with what happened?”

  He cleared his throat. “Let’s start with a timeline.”

  He looked back down at his pad, jotting down her account of the events leading up to the shooting. She answered his questions noncommittally, seemingly unwilling to give him any more information than she possibly had to. Everything about her attitude told him she was hiding something, but as hard as he tried, he couldn’t pin her down about anything concrete.

  What Layla didn’t know was that he’d already run an extensive background check on her and her brother, a search that had only led to a series of frustrating dead ends. The most he could find was a trust fund set up by a Professor Theodore Reed, who had become their legal guardian when they were barely toddlers. A great deal of money had been moved in and out of that account, but it had been drained of all funds and inactive for nearly a year.

  Ramon watched her closely, looking for the signs of guilt he’d been trained to detect. She sat up straight with her shoulders squared, and even though she was clearly nervous, she seemed more determined than worried. When their eyes met he had a hard time thinking anything at all.

  Every time Ramon asked Layla a pointed question she somehow managed to sidestep it, leaving him scratching his head and wondering why he couldn’t seem to stay on track. After he had racked his brain for every conceivable thing to ask he finally got around to the one thing he most wanted to know.

  “So, what were you doing with Millie’s grandson?” he asked. “Are you dating him?”

  “I was showing him the site… He’s an architect”

  “So, your relationship isn’t of a personal nature.”

  She looked surprised. “That’s a personal question.”

  “I’m just doing my job ma’am.”

  She looked at his serious face and burst into laughter, making him uncomfortable. “You’re ma’am-ing me again? Please call me Layla.”

  “Layla,” he said softly. “That’s a really pretty name.”

  Now it was her turn to squirm, unnerved by the way he was scrutinizing her. “Thanks.” She looked at the picture on his desk, trying to change the subject. “You have a beautiful family.”

  He picked up the frame with a warm smile, “Yes. Yes I do.”

  “How old are your children?” she asked.

  “The girls are four years old now,” he smiled affectionately at the picture, looking back up at Layla with warmth in his nearly black eyes. “But they’re not mine. That’s my sister and her twins.”

  “Oh,” she said, unexpectedly relieved. “You’re an uncle.”

  He put the picture down. “I have six nieces and nephews.”

  “Wow,” Layla nodded solemnly. “That’s a lot of people for one family.”

  “Not where I come from,” he laughed.

  She looked away, uneasy. She realized that she didn’t have any firsthand knowledge of what constituted a normal family. Aside from make-believe people in books, Layla had nothing at all to base her opinion on. Ramon leaned back in his chair, studying her across his desk. He was blazing with such a deeply hued, intense interest that she could feel its heat and taste its tart bite. Instead of satisfying his curiosity, she was piquing it.

  Ramon’s stomach growled audibly, and he laughed it off, all dimples and white teeth. “Excuse me, but I’m starving. Have you had any dinner?”

  “No,” she told the truth.

  “I was going to grab a bite after we finished here, and I hate eating alone… Why don’t you come along with me?” he asked directly. The way he was looking at her was making her nervous again, and she felt her face flush hot.

  “Where?” she asked.

  “Have you ever been to Betty’s diner? It’s just down the street from here.”

  “Once,” she said, remembering her lunch with Conrad.

  “Well?” he asked.

  She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, “Are you finished questioning me?”

  “Taking a statement,” he corrected her. “And yes, we’re done. Now I’m asking you to join me… as a friend. My treat.”

  “A friend?” she echoed.

  He cocked his head charmingly, “Why not?”

  She thought about it, realizing that she might seem even more suspicious if she refused his friendly offer. After all, she was hungry.

  “They make a really great burger…” he added.

  She smiled, instantly disarming him. “Okay.”

  ~

  Chapter Ten

  DINER

  ~

  She waited on the sidewalk while he locked up the police station. He touched her back casually, nodding his head down the street. “We can walk from here… just watch your step, okay?” She realized he was referencing her clumsy fall, but she couldn’t tell if he was making fun of her or not. When they got to the diner he brushed against her arm, opening the door and standing back. Was it her imagination, or was he going out of his way to touch her?

  The place was crowded with diners and humming with conversation. A gum-snapping waitress smiled wide when she saw Ramon, “Hey sweetcheeks! What’s shakin’ tonight?”

  “Hello Darlin’… Nothing much, how ‘bout you?”

  She led Ramon and Layla to a booth and handed them each a plastic menu after they slid in. Ramon watched with amusement as Layla carefully unfolded a paper napkin and arranged it daintily across her lap, sitting up straight to read the menu with a serious face. She was so oddly formal he couldn’t quite figure out where she might have come from.

  She looked up to see him staring. “This place is a dive,” she said, echoing Conrad’s assessment.

  “A dive?” He burst into a full-throated laugh, throwing his handsome head back. Professor Reed would have called that making a spectacle of yourself, and Layla looked around nervously, surprised that no one seemed to be paying any special attention to them. When he collected himself he spoke with mock outrage. “I’ll have you know that this is a classic old-school diner!”

  She was mortified, realizing that she’d just inadvertently insulted him. “I didn’t mean any offense by it,” she said, worried.

  He shook his head. “None taken.”

  She pretended to read the menu, fully aware that he was watching her. When she lifted her colorful eyes over the menu his dark ones were right there to greet her. She cleared her throat. “So… The burgers are good?”

  “Best thing they do here,” he replied.

  She folded the plastic menu and set it down carefully, “Okay.”

  “So you’re really building a house?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s a lot of work,” he said.

  She nodded, “Millie has been a big help getting everything in order.”

  He looked skeptical. “Millie? Helpful?”

  She rolled her eyes, used to the same attitude from Cali. “Millie’s okay. She only wants someone to listen to her.”

  Ramon smiled wryly, thinking of all the times he’d been cornered and held hostage by the old busybody’s stories. “Yeah, you sure got her number.”

  “What number?” Layla asked innocently.

  He looked at her funny, like she was a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out, and she suddenly felt extremely self-conscious once again. She slid to the end of the booth. “Excuse me.”

  She found the bathroom and ducked into a stall for a moment to gather her nerves. So far, so good. She hadn’t given away any secrets, and aside from sidetracking his questions a few times, she’d hardly needed to use her powers on him at all. Maybe Cali was right, and
she could get by without falling back on her endless manipulations.

  She heard a flurry of footsteps, and recognized the waitress’ voice. “You’re late.”

  “Sorry!” a younger voice replied, “I’ll be out in a sec… Ooh! Did you see Ramon’s on my station? Man! That boy is like sex on a stick!”

  The older woman laughed, “Did you see who he was with? The redhead… You know– the one who drives that fancy convertible.”

  “One of those people renting that big place out by the highway?”

  “Yep. I heard a rumor they were all a bunch of dope dealers.”

  “Do you think Ramon is going undercover or something?”

  She scoffed, “Doubt it. They seem like friends. Now hurry up– I’m in the weeds out there.”

  Layla heard the door close and looked down to see her hands shaking. Apparently they were all the talk of the town. Maybe her vision of fitting into the community someday was just a pipe dream. Like her grandmother before her, she might never find a way to belong.

  She stepped to the mirror and fixed her hair, lost in thought. When she returned to the table she looked more serious than ever.

  Ramon greeted her with a brilliant smile. “I ordered for you. Hope you don’t mind.”

  “Why would I mind?” she asked, accustomed to having decisions made for her.

  He shrugged, “I dunno, my sister would have a cow.”

  “Isn’t that what you just ordered?”

  He laughed out loud again, thinking she was making a joke. “Very funny.”

  She was puzzled, leaning in to ask in a low voice, “What kind of meat is it?”

  “You don’t have to worry about mystery meat!” he laughed again, “What a snob!”

  Her face fell, and for a second he thought that she might burst into tears. The girls at Max’s house used to call her a snob because she didn’t dress like them, and the word stung. She looked down at her hands twisting in her lap, thinking that she should never have agreed to come along.

  “Hey,” he said softly. “What’s wrong?”

  She looked up with sad eyes, “I’m not a snob.”

  He nodded slowly, his eyes full of concern. “I know… I was only kidding.”

  She could see he was sincere, and she nodded back. There was an uncomfortable silence as the two of them tried to figure one another out. She could see his curiosity growing stronger, and she had to admit that she was curious about him too.

  When Conrad looked at her, he liked everything he saw, but he took her at face value. Ramon’s gaze went deeper, like an x-ray boring straight into her. The more he looked at her the more confused she became, uncertain of exactly what it was he was searching for. She got the feeling that he wanted something from her, but she had no idea what it might be.

  When their burgers arrived Ramon dove in, eating with gusto. He paused for a moment and looked up, surprised to see Layla slicing small bites from her cheeseburger and eating it with a fork. When their eyes met his were swimming in a sea of amusement.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Where did you grow up?”

  She looked alarmed. “Why?”

  “Just curious.”

  “San Francisco.”

  “Was it just you and your brother?”

  She put her fork down angrily. “Are you interrogating me again?”

  He looked surprised. “No! I was only wondering if you had any other brothers or sisters.”

  “Oh…. Uhm…. No. There was only the two of us.”

  There was an awkward silence, and she felt bad for snapping at him. “What about you?” she asked tentatively, “Was it just you and your sister?”

  “Nah,” Ramon shook his head. “Rosa and I are the youngest of eight kids.”

  She looked amazed. “Eight?” she gasped. “Are your parents still alive?”

  He laughed at the look on her face. “Yeah.”

  “Wow,” she breathed. “You must have a huge family.”

  He smiled, “Enormous.”

  “You’re very lucky.”

  He shrugged, wanting to put her at ease. “Big families aren’t all they’re cracked up to be… I got picked on a lot by my older brothers.”

  “Why?” she asked, looking worried again. He thought she looked particularly cute when her eyebrows drew together.

  “That’s what big brothers do, I guess. Didn’t your brother ever tease you?”

  She thought about all the years she’d protected Michael, doing her best to shield him from Professor Reed’s contempt. “No,” she said. “Never.”

  “Sounds like he’s the perfect kind of brother.”

  She flashed on an image of Michael adopting Max as a role model, ignoring her and dismissing her concerns. His attitude had nearly cost both of them their lives. “No,” she said, “He’s not perfect at all.” She saw the confusion on Ramon’s face, adding, “But he’s the only brother I’ve got.”

  “You can’t pick your family,” he laughed, echoing Conrad. Then he added, “But you have to love them.”

  She nodded solemnly, finally feeling like she was understood. “Exactly.”

  He smiled at her with such warmth that it made her breath catch in her throat. She swallowed hard, looking down to cut another forkful of burger, lifting her eyes slowly, carefully, to find his still glued on her.

  “You know,” he said, picking his hamburger back up. “I know lots of people from San Francisco, and none of them eat their burgers with a fork.” He took a big bite to make his point.

  This time, she realized that he was teasing her, so she took a deep breath, and using both of her thumbs and forefingers, gingerly picked up her burger. She looked back up at him and took a tentative bite. He smiled his heart-stopping smile at her and they both started laughing, washing the table all around them with a happy turquoise.

  His legs kept brushing against hers under the table, and she’d pull back each time it happened, searching his face for signs of ridicule. All she saw was more and more curiosity. He was still suspicious, but his colors were warm and friendly. Extremely friendly. Somehow, she was charming him without even trying.

  He asked her about Tripod and they spent the rest of the meal discussing the neutral topic of pets. She explained how they had come to have a three-legged dog, and he told her about a pair of beagles he’d had as a boy. Layla laughed at his funny stories and started feeling relaxed and safe, letting her guard down for the first time in months. She didn’t even consider changing him the whole rest of the meal.

  He walked her back to the station, and they climbed into his police car for the return drive to her home. He took a deep breath, turning to face her.

  “So… What’s going to happen now?” she asked.

  He leaned his head back on the headrest and smiled dreamily. “With us?”

  She was confused, her big eyes illuminated by the dashboard lights. “I meant the– the police report.”

  She could feel his sudden flush of embarrassment, and it surprised her. He sat up and started the engine, assuming his professional demeanor once more. “Sherriff Brown and I will need to tour the property and check out the scene. See what’s going on up there.”

  She was alarmed, “Is that really necessary?”

  “It is,” he replied with a tone of finality.

  She was silent for the rest of the drive home, fretting about the turn of events. If these people were as dangerous as Calvin seemed to think they were there they were all in big trouble. The question was, did they have more to fear from the drug cartels or the police? Would they shoot at Ramon too? What if they hit him?

  They pulled up to her house to find the truck back in the driveway and lights blazing away in the house.

  “Looks like your roommates are home,” Ramon pointed out the obvious.

  “What should I tell them?” she asked.

  He stared straight ahead. “Let them know we’ll be checking out the property this week. We’ll be in contact if we need anythin
g else.”

  She opened the door and climbed out, a little taken aback by his sudden change in tone. “Uhm… Well… Thank you…”

  He nodded curtly, waiting behind the wheel as she walked towards her door. She suddenly stopped, wheeled around and approached the driver side window.

  “Ramon?”

  She waited while the window scrolled down.

  “Yes?”

  “When you go up there… Please be careful.”

  She spun around, raced to the front door and disappeared inside. Michael, Cal and Cali were in the front room watching television, and the three of them looked up with surprise when she burst into the front door.

  “Where did you come from?” Michael asked. “We thought you’d turned in for the night!”

  Cali sat up straight, “Where did you go without your car?”

  “We need to talk,” Layla said.

  The four of them gathered around the kitchen table, and Layla told them about her surprise trip to the police station, recounting everything she could remember Ramon asking her.

  “How did the cops find out?” Michael cried in dismay.

  Layla grimaced, “Conrad told his grandmother.”

  “I knew I hated that guy.”

  Cali jumped in, “I’m sure he didn’t mean to get us into any trouble. What did you tell Ramon?”

  “As little as possible,” Layla recounted, “But they’re still going up to check out the property.”

  “Good!” Calvin interjected. “Conrad probably did us a big favor! It’s about time we got some help. If the cops start snooping around, it might scare these guys away a lot faster than a few signs.”

  “What about Jesse?” Cali worried.

  “He’s not dealing with them anymore.”

  “Yeah,” she bit her lip. “But if the growers get caught, they might tell the police. They’d probably try to blame the whole thing on him.”

  “Look, don’t worry! Just tell Sherriff Brown the truth– That Jesse’s an old friend of your parents and he’s staying in the cabin to keep an eye on the property. If it comes down to it, it’ll be our word against theirs.” A wry smile crossed his face, “I have a feeling that you and Layla can make them believe you.”