Betraying Innocence

by Phoenix, Airicka

  “Ana, that’s enough!” her mother hissed.

  “No, that’s all right.” The smile dropped from the Mayor’s handsome face and was replaced with a mixture of anger and impatience. “That’s a serious allegation, Ana. Do you have proof?”

  Ana let her gaze slip to her lap. “No…” She met his eyes once more. “But that’s what I’m trying to find.”

  “Wow, you didn’t tell me that part,” Vinny piped in, eyes wide with excitement. “I think I would have done more to help.”

  “It would have been a waste of time,” Mayor Andrews interrupted. “It was over three decades ago. The authorities have already closed the case. I think you children should concentrate on more important things … like steak!” He leapt to his feet, clapping his hands and rubbing them like a giant grasshopper. “I’m famished! What do you say we get the grill going, Richard?”

  As the men left to start the pit and the women disappeared into the kitchen to start the salad, Ana sat staring at the empty chairs wondering if maybe the Mayor knew more than he was letting on.

  “How do you know?”

  She started, having forgotten Vinny was still in the room with her. “Pardon?”

  He rose from the sofa opposite hers and circled the coffee table. He took the spot next to her. “Well, about Baits getting murdered, how’d you know?”

  Ana shrugged, avoiding his eyes. “It kind of just came to me.”

  “Like a sixth sense?”

  She met his gaze with an arched eyebrow. “Do I look like a medium, or something?” She shook her head. “I can’t explain it. I just know.”

  “Well, I think it’s awesome and I totally want to help.”

  Grateful for any assistance she could get, Ana smiled. “Do you know where we can get the original blueprints of the house?”

  “The town hall should have them,” he said, brows creased in concentration. “I’ll ask.”

  Ana darted a glance towards the doorway leading into the kitchen. When she caught no sight of an adult, she turned to him and dropped her voice. “My parents are both leaving for the next few days. I’ll have the house to myself. If you can get the prints, bring them by tomorrow night.”

  Something like surprise flickered behind his green eyes before the gleam in them intensified.

  “I’ll be there.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Ana

  “Promise me, Ana,” her mother said for the millionth time.

  Ana groaned, rolling her eyes. “I promise I will have no boys over while you’re gone. I will not skinny dip, pose for Playboy, or have wild parties. I also swear that the most fun I will have is watching the Discovery Channel and eating peanut butter from the jar.”

  Her mother scowled at the sarcasm, but ignored it as she started towards the door with her suitcase rolling behind her. “All the numbers are on the fridge. Call me if anything happens. I will be back on Wednesday.”

  Her father had already left for his two week long business trip to the island, muttering about his boss breathing down his neck about not getting the construction site properly supervised. Ana had watched the clock anxiously, waiting for her mother to do the same so she could comb the house for signs of a grave before night fell. Rafe was supposed to help her search the place while they waited for Vinny to bring over the blueprints. Rafe hadn’t been too happy about Ana enlisting the other boy, but he had to admit a blueprint would make things easier.

  “I’ll be fine,” she vowed with exasperation.

  She waved as her mother climbed into her Mercedes and pulled out of the driveway. Her back taillights had yet to bump out of sight before Ana was darting through the house to the back door. She swung it open and yelped in surprise.

  Rafe grinned at her from the back porch. “Miss me?”

  Suddenly nervous about being in that house alone, Ana swallowed audibly. “I don’t want to be here,” she said honestly.

  Rafe slipped past her into the kitchen. He shut the door behind him. “This is the only chance we might get to search the place without your parents hovering around. The sooner we do it, the sooner we can figure out what the hell he meant by that fun message on my car.”

  He was right, of course. But it didn’t change the facts.

  “Hey, we’re still going back to my place when we’re finished,” he promised. “Just let me look.”

  Ana nodded, hugging herself as a chill stole through her.

  They started on the second floor, opening closets, knocking on the walls and floors. He took a little longer in her room to admire her stuffed animal collection, CDs and books. He reclined on her bed, folding his arms beneath his head as he gazed up at her poster of Zac Efron. His nose wrinkled.

  He hummed. “No wonder you’re getting nightmares. He’s hideous.” He smirked at her sputter of outrage. “You should put a poster of me up there.”

  “Get off my bed!” She swatted at him.

  He sat up and swung his legs over the side. “That’s not nice. I let you stay on my bed.”

  Cheeks flushed, she could only glower at him.

  Mitzy, the furry traitor, strolled over and hopped straight into Rafe’s lap. He rubbed his head into Rafe’s chest and mewled shamelessly.

  “Well hello,” Rafe said scratching the feline behind the ears.

  Mitzy hummed like a motor boat. His eyes all but rolled back into his skull. Ana stared at them, outraged and offended, and so unimpressed by the sudden bonding after only two seconds. Mitzy leapt off her bed when Rafe rose and followed them from the room and through the rest of the house.

  “I can’t,” she murmured when they finally reached the only room unexplored.

  Rafe turned to her, one hand on the knob. “Have you ever been down there?”

  She shook her head. “I get a bad feeling from it.”

  He didn’t push her as he yanked open the door and peered into the opaque darkness.

  Ana’s gut coiled. Her mouth filled with paste as she watched, paralyzed. Her hands shook as she wiped them on her jeans.

  “Rafe…”

  He glanced back at her, but she stared at the dark opening. “Yeah?”

  “Please don’t go down there.” She moistened her lips. “Let’s just go to your place and—”

  A loud crack, then bang rolled up the stairs. Ana screamed before she could stop herself. Her heart ricocheted up her throat, strangling her as she jumped back, hitting the wall with her shoulder.

  “Stay here,” he told her. “I’ll be right back.”

  Trembling from head to toe, she tried to argue, but her tongue had glued itself to the roof of her mouth and all clear thought had abandoned her.

  It wasn’t until he’d flooded the steps and a small portion of the bottom landing with a sick, yellow light from the dangling bulb overhead and taken the first step down that she snapped back to herself.

  She bolted after him. “Rafe, wait.”

  He stopped and glanced back at her curiously.

  Queasy, she scrambled for his hand, clasping it tight with both of her clammy ones. “I … I’m coming with you.”

  He gave her fingers a light squeeze, but didn’t try to talk her out of it as they descended into the swaying shadows. The heavy musk of mildew, rot and stale water swept up to greet them. Years of dust swarmed around their ankles, filling their lungs as it flew into their faces. Ana pressed close to Rafe’s side when they hit the bottom.

  “There has to be another light switch,” Rafe mused, squinting into the wall of pure black that surrounded them.

  Thousands of dead eyes seemed to peer back at them from everywhere. Ana could feel them burning into her. She could feel their icy fingers slip down the back of her neck. Nausea choked her and she quickly squeezed her eyes shut tight. They snapped open when Rafe’s fingers loosened around hers.

  “Don’t let go!” she gasped, lunging for him.

  “I’m just going to check for another switch,” he said, but kept his grip on her.

  Ana
started to tell him they should just come back, oh, like never, when something in the short distance snapped. It sizzled like livewires. Then, just when she was sure she’d faint from terror, a light popped into existence on the other side of the stone tomb.

  “Shit. Shit … oh God…” Ana whined, her breathing uncontrollable.

  “It’s okay.” Rafe pulled her closer, all the while propelling her towards the swaying light.

  Her gaze jumped and darted and swept over every inch of concrete slab, searching for even a hint of movement. Her clammy grip on Rafe’s hand trembled as violently as her knees. It was a wonder she was still upright.

  “Do you see anything?” Rafe asked, surprisingly calm despite the circumstances.

  She began to shake her head, when something dawned on her. She stilled, her fears momentarily forgotten as she looked over the spot they stood in. Her hand slackened in his as she took a step forward without him towards the indent just behind the boiler.

  “This is the spot,” she murmured, the awe evident in her tone. “This is where they did it.”

  “What?” Rafe stepped up alongside her.

  She pointed to the alcove. “They lured him down here, into that corner and they … they killed him. This is the place from my dream.”

  She had always known the place Johnny Baits had taken his last stand was in her basement, but to physically be there, staring at it with her own two eyes, was something completely different.

  Her gaze dropped to the spot where Johnny had curled up, shielding his head from the brutal blows and her eyes filled. It hadn’t done him any good. He couldn’t protect himself from a knife. They had killed him.

  Anger surged up through her. “I hope they’re dead,” she hissed through her teeth. “Whoever they are, they don’t deserve to live.”

  She heard a shuffle from behind her and turned to watch as Rafe wandered over to the right wall. He craned his neck and scanned the gray stone with a deep frown etched into his face.

  “What?” She went over to him.

  He gestured to the wall. “There’s no discoloration.”

  Ana squinted at him. “What?”

  He moved to the next wall, turning his head from left to right, then back. “I don’t think he’s down here.” He turned to her. “Even after twenty nine years, the walls would have shown repair. If someone had torn a chunk of it out, then cemented it back up, that spot would be lighter than the rest. But…” He shook his head. “All the walls are the same shade of coloring.”

  “All right, Mr. CSI-Guy, where do you think they put him?”

  He just continued to rock his head slowly as he wandered through the musty space. Then, at last, he faced her. “You said they were just kids, right?”

  She shrugged. “Yeah, sixteen, maybe seventeen. Why?”

  “Even with four of them, they’d never be able to break through this floor without some serious equipment like a jack hammer, not to mention the clean up afterwards.” He tipped his head back to peer up at the rafters. “They could have buried him in the walls somewhere upstairs, but the parents would have smelled him after a while, not to mention noticed a freshly patched up paint job.” He glanced at her. “Is there an attic?”

  Ana shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  His brows furrowed and his lips pursed. “I don’t think he’s in the house.”

  “Where then?” she asked.

  “I don’t know.” He rifled a hand back through his hair. “Come on. I want to have another look through the rooms.”

  Ana was all too happy to leave the basement. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until it rushed out the moment the door was shut behind them and they were in the safety of the foyer. She followed Rafe through another round of knocking on walls and stomping on floorboards. Their second search turned up about as much as the first one. She was about to give up when something occurred to her.

  She turned to Rafe. “I think I know who we can ask.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t give out that kind of information.” The tired nurse behind the counter glowered at them from behind round glasses. Her brown eyes were watery from too many long hours and the coffee at her elbow had long since gone cold.

  “Please,” Ana pleaded. “It’s very important I find him.”

  The nurse, Louise, from what her nametag read, pinched her lips thin. “Listen, even if I knew who you were talking about, it’s against hospital policy to give out that kind of information! Now if you don’t mind, I have patients that need seeing to.”

  She bolted out of her chair and shuffled away before Ana could say anything else.

  Ana growled in frustration. “He was just here the other day!” But there was no one to hear her but Rafe.

  “Can you remember anything else about him?” he pressed when she turned to him.

  She shook her head. “Other than he’s always drunk? No.” She folded her arms and propped a hip against the counter. “He knew I lived in that house and he knew about Johnny. He told me he was still in there.”

  “Are you sure he wasn’t, I dunno, drunk?”

  Ana gave him a dry glower. “Of course he was drunk, but he knew about Johnny! I didn’t realize it at the time, but now that I know more … I’m sure of it.”

  He stuffed his hands in his pockets and shifted from his right foot to his left. “Do you think he was one of the four?”

  Having already thought of that, Ana shrugged. “He could be. How else would he have known?”

  They left the hospital and made their way towards the Firebird. Ana tore through her memory, searching for even a hint of something that would help her find the guy. But all she could remember was the look of horror on his face when he’d seen her, the terror in his voice as he shouted for her to listen. Why hadn’t she listened? Now she may never find him.

  “Can we go to the grocery store?” she asked as they climbed into the car. “He was arguing with the lawyer the afternoon I ran into you. I think they knew each other. He was saying he was going to tell and the lawyer was telling him to calm down.” She looked at him as she buckled in. “Do you think he was talking about Johnny? About telling the police what happened? Do you think the lawyer is in on it?”

  Rafe put the car into drive and backed out of the parking spot. “Let’s find out.”

  It was nearly closing time when they pulled up in front of the market place. Rafe cut the engine and pocketed the keys as Ana climbed out. He joined her on the sidewalk.

  “He might not be in there,” he said, checking his watch. “We might have to come back in the morning.”

  Ana agreed, anxiety knotting inside her as they stepped through the glass doors into the barely occupied shop. They made their way to the back and the law office tucked away next to the post office. She expelled loudly the breath she’d been holding at the sight of the neatly tailored man sitting behind the desk. He was on the phone. The light glistened along his sweaty face.

  “I’m telling you we need to do something about this. He’s getting out of control. Of course I told him. He said he didn’t care! No, I’m tired of being the one to deal with him. You or—”

  She marched straight up to him. “Excuse me?”

  The man visibly started. The phone clattered from his hand, hitting the table with a loud clunk. He scrambled for it and snatched it up. “I’m sorry. I’m closed for the evening.”

  “We won’t keep you,” Ana said quickly. “We just want to talk to you about a friend of yours. I saw you with him a while back. Tall, dirty hair … he was drinking—”

  “I’ll call you back.” He snapped into the phone before shoving the receiver onto the base and glowering at her. “I talk to a lot of people…”

  “But you were arguing with him,” Ana said.

  Rafe stepped up next to Ana. “We think he might know something about Johnny Baits.”

  The man had lost most of his color by the time Ana finished describing the man, but when Rafe spoke, he went ashen. Even
his lips were a weird shade of gray.

  “W … what are you talking about?”

  Ana narrowed her eyes. “Johnny Baits didn’t run away. He was murdered by four boys in his basement. We think the man we’re looking for is one of those boys and from the look on your face, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

  The chair shrieked as he leapt to his feet. Papers and pens scattered as he reached beneath the desk and yanked out a briefcase. With visibly trembling fingers, he unsnapped the clips and yanked open the top.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, hurriedly stuffing his papers into the case. “What you’re suggesting is ludicrous. I could have you charged for false accusation, not to mention defamation of character.” He snapped his briefcase closed and swept it off the desk to bump against his leg. “I suggest you go home and forget this nonsense before I have you both arrested. Johnny Baits ran away. End of story.”

  “He’s lying,” Ana said as they drove home. “He knew exactly what I was talking about. He’s one of them.”

  “I agree,” Rafe muttered, maneuvering the car in the dark.

  “I can’t believe we found one of them!” she said, excitement making her wiggle in her seat.

  “Two,” he corrected. “I’m pretty sure the other guy is part of it as well.”

  She nodded in agreement as he turned into her driveway.

  Ana reached for her door handle. “I just need to grab my bag and quickly call my parents.”

  He followed her inside the house, shutting the door behind them. Ana hurried down the corridor, switching on every light she passed. In the kitchen, she snapped up the phone off its base on the counter and dialed Mom’s number. She was standing at the sink, overlooking the backyard when Rafe came up behind her and slipped his arms around her middle. She leaned back into him as the phone rang in her ear. He peppered the length of her neck with warm, open mouth kisses as his fingers slipped beneath the hem of her t-shirt to graze the patch of skin underneath. She felt the touch all the way to her toes and had to bite her lip to keep from moaning when her mother picked up on the forth ring.