Reunion (21 page)

“Oh, Gabriel! Look! It’s pictures of you and Garrett when you were small.” Laura picked one up, frowning at the stunning resemblance the two toddlers had. “How on earth did they ever tell you two apart?”

Gabriel picked up another, staring into the mirror image faces as if he were looking at strangers. And even though the pictures were mute reminders of a time gone by, somehow he knew the answer to Laura’s question without hesitation.

“I was the one who never cried.”

A startled expression crossed Laura’s face. “What?”

Gabriel’s gaze never wavered from the picture he was holding.

“I never cried…because it made Garrett hurt.”

Tears suddenly spiked in Laura’s eyes as a lump came to her throat. She laid her cheek against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. The children in the picture were barely more than babies, yet even then, Gabriel had somehow understood and compensated for his brother’s weakness.

“Oh, Gabriel.”

It was all she could say.

A
few minutes later, they heard the familiar sound of Mike Travers’ voice as he entered the house. Gabriel’s mood shifted almost instantly. Laura watched as he began to wall himself up. Please God, she thought, don’t let this be bad. Gabriel had been given more pain in the past few months than most men had to bear in a lifetime. She didn’t know how much more he would be able to take without breaking.

They could hear Mike’s footsteps nearing the library. Gabriel glanced at Laura. She could feel his uneasiness. She stood.

“Would you rather I left you two alone?”

He grabbed her arm. “No!” Then he frowned and took a deep breath, softening his tone and his touch. “Please. Don’t go. Whether you like it or not, you’re a part of what happens to me.”

Laura shook her head and then smiled. “It’s all right,” she said softly. “If you need me, I’m here.”

His eyes darkened.
I’ll always need you.
But he didn’t feel free to say what he felt. There was too much riding on hope and not enough on a sure thing. Until Garrett was found, he couldn’t rest easy.

And then his uncle Mike bolted through the doorway. Slightly winded from his sprint down the hall, he waved to compensate for other greetings.

“You won’t believe—” He collapsed into the nearest chair and then groaned, holding up his hand as if to retain the floor while trying to catch his breath.

But Laura was worried. The old man’s pallor was pronounced.

“Dr. Mike, are you all right? Can I get you anything? A glass of water, maybe a—”

He waved her off and then shook his head. “No, no, I’m fine. Just let me catch my breath.”

“Here,” Gabriel said, and handed him a straight shot of bourbon.

Mike eyed them as if they’d both lost their minds, but he took the drink anyway, downing it neat. It slid down his throat and into his system like butter over a hot skillet. When he’d emptied the glass, he leaned back in the chair with a sigh.

“Better, Uncle Mike?” Gabriel asked.

He nodded. “Better, boy, much better.”

“So, what’s the big news?” Gabriel asked.

Mike leaned forward, the fire in his spirit catching hold. He felt like an avenging angel, searching for justice.

“I’ve been thinking about Garrett’s care. Brent Connor was my friend for more than twenty-five years. He was a very kind man—a very thorough man. I couldn’t believe that he would have been so thoughtless with his own son’s well-being, especially if that son was incapable of caring for himself.”

Gabriel stiffened. “What are you saying?”

Mike started to grin. “That your parents
didn’t
abandon Garrett. That they
had
prepared for his future as cautiously as they’d prepared for yours. There’s a trust fund in Garrett’s name that is large enough to keep him in comfort for the rest of his natural life.”

“Yes, but unless we find him, that won’t be needed.”

Mike interrupted. “That’s just it, boy! Somebody obviously needs it. The money was—and still is—being paid to Reed House on a regular basis. No one notified the lawyers that Garrett was missing…missing now for almost two months. What’s more, the last check sent in his name was cashed less than four days ago. He might be lost, but they’re still taking his money.”

Gabriel was speechless. He kept thinking of what his brother must have endured, was still enduring, and of all the wasted lives. His lips thinned as his eyes glittered darkly.

“I swear on our mother’s name that someone is going to pay and pay dearly.”

“I want my lawyer!” Althea screamed. “Don’t I get a phone call? I want my phone call now.”

The jailer glared at Althea as he opened the cell door and gave her a push inside.

“I told you, lady, all the phone lines are out. A backhoe operator dug up a trunk line by mistake. They’ll have it fixed soon. Then you can make your call.” The door clanged shut as he pointed behind her. “Do something constructive while you’re waiting, like saying hi to your new roommate.”

“I don’t want a roommate! I want a phone! I know my rights! Bring me my cell phone. I’ll call my lawyer with it.”

“Shut the hell up, bitch. This ain’t the Ritz, and you’re giving me a headache.”

The voice was female—somewhere between a growl and a whine—and the order was unmistakable. Althea watched the jailer walking away and felt a great need to call him back. She grabbed hold of the bars, afraid to turn loose, afraid to turn around. The voice might be female, but she didn’t sound like anyone Althea would claim as a friend. No one
she
knew ever used the word
ain’t.

When she remained silent, the woman muttered, “That’s better. You was gettin’ on my last nerve.”

Althea finally let go of the bars. When she did, the turn was automatic, an instinctual need to see the enemy’s face. She took a deep breath. When she exhaled, it came out as a squeak. All she could think was that if it weren’t for the woman’s pendulous breasts, she could have passed as a man. Her head was bald, and she was dressed in black—black leather, black boots—and had more tattoos than Althea had seen outside of a circus. When the woman grabbed her own crotch and made kissing noises toward Althea, she panicked.

“Get away from me, you pervert. You leave me the hell alone.” Then she backed herself into the farthest corner.

The woman laughed, a loud cackle that sent Althea’s heart into a flutter. Within seconds, she slid to the floor in a faint.

Kirby Summers was in an extremely bad mood. It had taken the better part of two hours to get across town during the noon hour, only to find that he’d been stood up. Not only was Althea Good not at Reed House, but she was also not on the grounds. When it was discovered that her car was missing, it had taken all his patience to remain calm.

“I’m very sorry,” the guard said, as he escorted Kirby to the front door.

“Yeah,” Kirby muttered. “So am I.”

Just as he got in his car, his cell phone rang.

“This is Summers,” he said shortly.

“Kirby, it’s Ray.”

Kirby started the car, angling the air-conditioning vents toward his face and making a mental note to buy himself a new summer suit. This one was too damned hot.

“Be glad you didn’t come with me,” Kirby said. “The woman didn’t show.”

“That’s because Charlie Slater was booking her for possession.”

“What? Are you sure?” Kirby’s voice hit a high note as he aimed for the curb and then braked to a stop.

“Oh yeah,” Ray said. “One hundred percent.”

“Where did they get her?”

“A couple of blocks south of downtown. You know the area.”

“Yeah, I know the area too well,” Kirby said. “Isn’t that where the first Prince Charming victim was found?”

Ray paused as an odd expression crossed his face.

“Now that you mention it, I believe you’re right,” he said.

Kirby had a pretty good guess as to the kind of people who entrusted their loved ones to Reed House. Rich ones. He’d seen Althea Good’s office, as well as the lushness of the patients’ surroundings. It might be a crazy house, but it was not a poor one. He tried to picture a woman in charge of a place like that buying a hit from some nickel-and-dime pusher.

“Okay, so where is she now?” Kirby asked.

“Last I heard, a holding cell downtown.”

“Don’t let her out until I get there,” Kirby said.

“I’ll pass it along,” Ray said, and hung up.

Kirby tossed the phone down on the seat beside him and pulled back into traffic. He hadn’t gone far when it rang again.

“Summers,” he said briefly, negotiating a sharp turn in the road.

“This is Gabriel Connor. I found out something I think you should know.”

Considering their brief history together, Kirby was surprised the man was civil.

“And what would that be?” Kirby asked.

“My uncle just came from seeing the lawyer who probated my parents’ will.”

“And?” Kirby asked.

“When Dr. Wallis first came to us with Garrett’s story, we were told that he had gotten himself lost.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“I think they were lying.”

Kirby frowned. “How so?”

“Checks are issued regularly from a trust my father set up especially for Garrett. Someone has been cashing the checks all along. The last one was cashed only four days ago, and Garrett supposedly disappeared nearly two months ago.”

“Damn,” Kirby muttered. How did this fit in? And then a thought occurred as he braked for a red light. “Hey, Connor, how much money are we talking about?”

“A little over five thousand dollars a month.”

Kirby whistled through his teeth. “Look, I appreciate the call. I’m looking into some stuff now that this might tie into. I’ll get back to you when I know more, okay?”

“Okay,” Gabriel said, and started to hang up when he heard Kirby calling his name. “Yes?”

“About your brother…”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “What about him?”

“I’m very sorry. No matter how it happened, it’s…unfortunate.”

Gabriel wanted to scream. Unfortunate? It wasn’t unfortunate, it was a sin…a heart-wrenching, pitiful sin.

The silence in Kirby’s ear said it all. He blushed, angry and embarrassed with himself for being so thoughtless.

“Look,” Kirby said. “I’ll be in touch. There’s something we need to discuss.”

“You have my number,” Gabriel said and hung up.

Kirby disconnected. He drove on for several blocks with his own anger building. Unfortunate? What a piss-poor choice of words. Unfortunate that a family had to die? Unfortunate that a dangerous man had been turned out into society? Unfortunate that five innocent people were dead because of it? No wonder Gabriel Connor hadn’t bothered to respond.

“If that had been me, I wouldn’t have answered myself, either,” he muttered.

Then he floored the accelerator and headed toward the police precinct. He had an appointment to keep with Althea Good.

The house was silent. But it was the kind of peaceful silence that comes from comfort and safety, not dread. Laura sat before the mirror in her room, absently brushing her hair. She glanced at the clock. It was almost five. Gabriel had been gone more than two hours now. Gone to check on a client who was having problems with the new security system he’d had installed.

Matty was downstairs, putting the finishing touches on the evening meal. She, too, would be gone within the hour. If Gabriel didn’t get back, Laura would be all alone. She should have been nervous, but for some reason she wasn’t.

She wrapped her arms around herself and let her mind go free. Maybe it was the lingering love that she felt…or maybe it was just her imagination. Maybe she was so much in love with Gabriel that she was blinding herself to the obvious, that she would have been happy with him no matter where they were.

She stood suddenly and left her room without looking back. There were calls she should make and things she should do. She hadn’t been home in more than two weeks. She would call her service and check on the staff. Before long, she would have to go back.

And then her steps slowed, and her spirit dropped. Therein lay her problem. She didn’t want to leave Gabriel, but she hadn’t been asked to stay. Yes, he said he loved her…even said he needed her desperately. But he had never actually said the words that it would take to keep her here.

By the time she got downstairs, she was feeling thoroughly sorry for herself. As she passed by the library, she glanced toward the patio and the rose garden beyond. In the farthest garden, she could see Matty puttering about. She paused and smiled. If she was a betting woman, she would be betting there would be roses on the table for dinner tonight.

She walked on past, heading for the kitchen to get something to drink before making her calls. Somewhere in another part of the house, she could hear a clock beginning to chime. One after the other, it chimed out the hours.

Five o’clock. It was already five o’clock. Gabriel should be home soon. She hastened her steps, turning the corner leading into the kitchen and almost mowing Matty down.

“Madre de Dios!”
Matty screeched, and grabbed her chest with both hands.

Laura skidded to a stop. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I thought you were—”

She froze. Her eyes widened, and her heart began to pound, as she turned and stared out the back door. Gauging the distance from the rose garden to the kitchen wasn’t hard. At the very least, the length of three football fields. She took a deep breath. When she turned back to Matty, her voice was shaking.

“Weren’t you just out in the rose garden?”

Matty rolled her eyes, still shaken by the nearness of their collision.

“No, no, of course not,” she said shortly, pointing to the pastries laid out on the counter. “I’ve been baking all afternoon. I have no time to mess with such things.”