The Truth about Broken Trees (Light Keeper Series Book 3)

by Kelly Hall

  I nodded. “Sure. We can go now if you want? Talon’s gone into town with Hunter, but he’s told me I could use his computer before, so I’m sure he won’t mind.”

  When we arrived in Talon’s room, Owen sat and swiveled in the computer chair and brought the screen to life with a touch of the mouse. After an hour of going through every directory and document we could find, we finally found a listing for a Ray Chandler that actually had promise: a listing for a local construction company owner.

  “That private address is just a few minutes from here and I’ve seen that company’s building in town most of my life.” Owen jotted down the addresses.

  “Wait, are you going to go there?”

  “No, we are.” He looked determined to see this through. “You promised you’d help me, remember?” Suddenly, the computer made a sound. The new e-mail icon flashed on the bottom of the screen.

  Owen smiled. “Hey, Talon’s subscription to Busty Blondes just got accepted,” he teased. “Wanna look and see how many porn sites are in his history?” He laughed, clicking on his inbox.

  “No, we’re not here to spy on Talon, and he doesn’t have any porn sites on his favorites like you probably do.” I rolled my eyes. I didn’t know the truth in that, but Owen didn’t deny anything.

  He swiveled and motioned to the bed. “Yeah, I forgot, he’s old school—keeps his dirty magazines under the mattress.” My jaw dropped not knowing if that was a joke.

  The screen loaded revealing Talon’s full inbox. Most were already read, some weren’t. The one at the very top that had just come through—its address matched most of the others.

  “Someone’s obsessed. Is that the same chick he nearly killed?” Owen asked. I nudged him. He had no sensitivity about Talon’s wreck. Talon felt terrible about Angie and her scars, but this wasn’t her.

  “No, it’s not.” I remembered the address, having watched Talon delete so many over the summer. Angie had finally taken the hint and stopped contacting Talon the last I’d heard. Sure she might have sent the random text just to say hello, but nothing more.

  “Well, someone’s interested. This MLY person sends twice a day sometimes.”

  “Maybe it’s a guy,” I said, dismissively.

  “This many e-mails? No, it’s a girl. You want me to prove it?” He moved the cursor over the name and it highlighted.

  “No!” I went to brush his hand away and his finger clicked the mouse. His expression told me that I had caused it. I gave him a nudge.

  I looked to the screen which had turned a sickening shade of pink. The font that came up was curly and black, standing out against the background as if to mock me. “Shut it off,” I demanded, but Owen shook his head and pushed my hand away.

  “You may as well read it. Aren’t you the least bit curious?” He searched my eyes, which made me uncomfortable since I knew they must be betraying me. “See, you are. Don’t act like you haven’t noticed all his texts and private calls. He’s constantly poking at that phone and never says a word.” I started to think that this was Owen’s main agenda for using this computer. He clicked the back button and scrolled down to reveal the really long list of mail. Most were from MLY. Talon didn’t even delete the old ones as if saving them as something special.

  “Look, they go all the way back to October. Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is when you broke up?” He narrowed his eyes. I checked the date. No, it was before. I didn’t feel the need to clarify, but he went back to the pink screen and read it aloud. “Hey Tal, What’s up? Can’t wait to see you! We have lots to talk about. I’ve been waiting a long time for this, can’t believe it’s finally happening for us. When are you coming back to your mom’s? Are you coming back for the holiday? We need to coordinate ...” He read it in a snide girly tone as I stared at the floor.

  “Stop it. Shut it off, Owen.” I turned and went to sit on the bed.

  “I was right. He does mess around when he’s gone,” Owen boasted proudly until his eyes met mine and then his face fell into a frown. “Maybe I’m wrong? Maybe he hasn’t ever responded. Maybe this is just some obsessed chick like the other.” He shut it off and walked over and knelt in front of me.

  “He told me he wanted to talk about us, like he wants to work it out.”

  Talon and I hadn’t gotten the chance, mostly because we’d been arguing over other things, but I hoped his feelings remained the same. I braced myself for Owen’s reaction, but he didn’t get as upset as I imagined. Maybe because he knew Talon had just screwed up severely.

  “No way. Do you think he’ll admit to this or break it off with her?” he asked. “You want me to say something to him?” He was back to playing the role of protective cousin.

  “No, I want to wait until he says something. Let him explain. I can’t let him know that I saw this while nosing around.” I couldn’t believe Talon’s actions. He couldn’t be a cheater. I knew him. I trusted him. But he’d left me, and there had to be some reason. Now it all made sense. No wonder he’d broken it off after returning from his mother’s. He’d been seeing this MLY girl all along.

  MLY. I wondered what her name was. Madison? Morgan? Megan? UGH! Then I realized something else. He had come back. He wants to be together. If he truly wanted her, he’d have stayed in Houston. Wouldn’t he? Of course he would have. I couldn’t ever mention it. It could ruin us getting back together for nothing, and somewhere deep down I still had faith in us.

  I sat with my head down and Owen stood up, mad at Talon, yet seemingly half pleased with himself. “Come on, let’s go find my dad.” He started out of the room.

  “I’ll be right there,” I called. I wondered what else Talon hid from me. I figured after seeing his computer, peeking under his mattress wouldn’t be all that bad. What kind of secrets did he have hiding there?

  I waited until I thought Owen would be at the front door and then I hurried to lift up Talon’s mattress. Before I could see under it, I heard Owen laughing from the door. He walked in and held the mattress up. There were several magazines. One was a swimsuit issue, sure, but the few others were not dirty magazines.

  “You are so predictable. I was kidding; I knew it would eat at you.”

  Ignoring him, I found three issues of a paranormal magazine. I picked one up and thumbed through it as Owen grabbed one of his own.

  This particular issue of Paranormal Probe had a special article on shadow people. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that Talon had this particular issue. I looked at the date and it read two years before. Where did he get it?

  “I had no idea Talon was this interested in the paranormal; seems he’s been reading up on shadow people. Why wouldn’t he mention these to me?”

  “Hm?” Owen turned the swimsuit magazine long ways to get a better view of the centerfold, not paying me any attention.

  I nudged him. “Owen!”

  “What? Did you say something?” He glanced up and then back down.

  “It’s just—I didn’t know Talon had an interest in this. Don’t you think it’s a little too strange for him to have an old magazine issue about shadow people?” I shook my head. “Why wouldn’t he talk to me about it?” Another secret.

  “You’re upset about the paranormal mags but not the swimsuit girls.” He turned the issue so I could see the type of pictures it contained and chuckled.

  “Seriously. Why the sudden interest? When we saw that Shadow the other night, Talon told me to call the Light. Plus I saw one in here last night, too. I wonder if he’s seen them before and how often. Why wouldn’t he have told me, unless he’s being tormented by Kevin too?” I couldn’t help but wonder what he’d been up to. Owen stared quietly at a page ignoring me.

  I lifted the mattress and tossed the magazine back under the bed, and then motioned to Owen, who didn’t have the girlie mag anymore. I gave him a look and sighed while holding out my hand.

  “Fine.” He pulled the magazine out of the back of his pants where he’d stuffed it.

  “Seriously, Owen?�
�� I couldn’t believe him sometimes.

  “Hey, there are some smokin’ ladies in that issue.”

  “I’ll take your word for it. At least you didn’t try and say it had great articles.” I laughed.

  He raised a brow. “They have articles?”

  “Let’s get going; we need to get back before Talon.”

  “You gonna say anything to him? You can’t pretend you didn’t find out.”

  “What am I supposed to say? No matter what he says, I don’t want to hear the answer. And if he’s come back for me, why ruin it with jealousy over nothing?” The skin between my eyes pinched together as I pursed my lips.

  Owen’s eyes narrowed into a frown as he pointed his finger and raised his voice. “You need to call him out. Let him know that he can’t get away with it anymore. He’s obviously still seeing her. She just sent that e-mail, and I bet she has no idea about the two of you.”

  The dates showed that Talon had met this girl before our break-up, not after. I wondered how long he’d known her, and at the same time I wondered how long he’d had these paranormal magazines and why he’d hidden them from me. Strangely, I didn’t know which secret bothered me more. Okay, the girl, definitely the girl.

  Chapter Nine

  Owen weaved the ‘Cuda down a long trail-like driveway. He rambled on about being nervous of what Hunter would think, and how guilty he felt about Granny, but Talon and his many secrets stayed in the forefront of my mind until the road finally ended at a clearing. What I saw there made me gasp so loud that Owen startled and slammed the brakes causing us to both lurch forward in our seats.

  “Geez! What is it?” he said.

  “This is it.” I put my hand to my mouth. “It’s the house in the vision. The one Kevin wouldn’t let me in.” My eyes locked on the blue door and I imagined his hand coming out for me again and quickly looked away. Bundles of shingles, rolls of tar paper, and what looked like cyclone fencing lay stacked out next to a huge barn in the back that I had not noticed before in my vision. An old El Camino was parked near it.

  “As long as we don’t see him anywhere, I’ll be okay.” Owen looked around as if he expected something to happen, but eased the car forward.

  “No, it’s okay. I tried to concentrate on you and your dad for the vision, and that’s why I thought of this house. Kevin had only been there because he’s found some way into the visions. I could have been having a vision about anything and he would have showed up.” Knowing that gave me a little more peace of mind, but as we got closer my nerves started getting the best of me. I wondered how Owen felt about meeting the man who had abandoned him.

  “Do you still want to stop? It’s not too late to turn around and go back.” As the words left my mouth, a man in faded jeans and a grey t-shirt stepped from around back to greet us. Owen slammed the brakes again.

  My jaw dropped. His hair was the same blond as Owen’s, his features sharp and angular, his frame with the same golden tan. Everything about him, down to the way he walked, was Owen Riley. Owen’s eyes widened, like he’d just seen himself in twenty years.

  “He looks just like you,” I whispered.

  “Holy,” Owen mouthed. The man stood with his arms folded and a deep frown creased his five o’clock shadowed face, just the way I’d seen Owen’s do many times. He reminded me of a model for an aftershave ad. “Here goes nothing.” Owen took a deep breath before stepping out.

  I got out on the other side and met him in front of the car. I instinctively put my hand on his back and patted it for reassurance, and as it fell to my side, he took it for support.

  “Most people don’t wander this far off the main road unless they’re lost or have a purpose.” The man spat. I wasn’t sure if he chewed tobacco, but disgusted, I curled my lip. “So, if you ain’t lost then you better get to your point, boy.” He stared hard at Owen. How could he not recognize what seemed painfully obvious to us?

  “I’m Owen Riley. I’m looking for Ray Chandler, the contractor. I expect that’s you?”

  The man nodded and turned his cold stare my way. “And who’s the pretty lady?” He narrowed his eyes. You would have thought with such a question that his tone would have been lighter, but no smile found his face. Instead he seemed smug, like he already knew the answers to his questions.

  Owen tilted his head to regard me. “This is Lily Jordan.”

  I smiled and gave a nod. “Nice to meet you.”

  His eyes narrowed again and after a second of hesitation and another spit, he continued, “And what do you and Miss Jordan here want with me? You look too young to have business with me, unless you’ve got a tree house somewhere?” He sounded smooth and full of sarcasm, like Hunter delivering a joke. The idea that this man could look at Owen and not know him worried me.

  No need to waste more time hiding our purpose, so I encouraged Owen with a nudge. “I was wondering if you know a LeAnn. LeAnn ... Riley? Owen sounded as if he had no idea what last name his mother used.

  Ray made his way over to the barn and took a couple of lawn chairs and opened them up. “Have a seat,” he offered, taking a chair of his own.

  “Thanks,” I said. He continued to eye me and though I felt uncomfortable, I took a seat between him and Owen.

  “I suppose you didn’t come down here to ask me if I know your mother. Obviously I know her very well.” He laughed, showing the first sign that his smile matched Owen’s as well. Or that Owen’s matched his, rather. I started to relax if only a little and rubbed the goose bumps from my arm.

  “You know what I came for. You’re my father,” Owen said.

  “So, what else do you want? I know LeAnn didn’t send you. Besides, it’s a little late in the game to start playin’ daddy now, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t need anything from you. I just wanted to see if you were an ass or not. Hunter’s hoping you’re a nice guy.” Owen shrugged as if it didn’t matter to him either way.

  Ray laughed. “So, what are you gonna tell him?”

  “You seem okay to me.” He shrugged. “For an ass.”

  “Well, thanks, glad I have your approval.” He chuckled and turned to study me again. His gaze lingered on me making me feel uneasy. “You’ve got the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen, Sunshine.” Then he turned and smiled at Owen. “That’s one fine looking young lady you got there.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Owen winked at me. I didn’t say a word to correct him. “So, do you still see my mom?”

  “No, not in years. Why, did she finally tell you about me?”

  I let out a short breath. “No, she tried to sell the information instead,” I sneered.

  “Hmm, that sounds like her.” He nodded and brushed off both knees, “Well, I’m afraid you caught me on my way out,” He suddenly stood, took his keys from his pocket and then started toward the El Camino. I wondered why he offered us a seat in the first place. “If you want, you and your girl could come back tomorrow after lunch and bring your brother. I’d like to see if he looks as much like me as you do.”

  “He does,” Owen and I spoke at once.

  ***

  “Well, that was strange,” Owen said, once we were in the car. “He seemed okay, you think?”

  I watched as the man got into his car. “He kept looking at me funny.”

  “Yeah, my dad’s a dirty old man—makes sense.” Owen started out the drive.

  I poked his arm. “Ew, I didn’t mean it like that.” I made a face.

  “Oh yeah, he was hot for you, I could tell,” he teased.

  “Gross!” I sunk down in my seat.

  “Hey, he’s not gross! He looked just like me, only older. If I hold up that well, I’ll be happy.”

  “I don’t mean gross looking, I mean, gross, he’s old, he’s your dad, and he’s a smart ass.”

  Owen feigned shock at my choice of words. I rarely cursed and often discouraged him from it.“Again, like father, like son.”

  We both laughed and talked more about our freaky meeting on t
he way home.

  ***

  When we arrived home Hunter followed Talon out to meet us. Laughing on the ride home with Owen had made me forget about my issues with Talon for a while. As he approached, his stiff posture announced his disapproval. Remembering the pink screen, I disapproved as well, but I’d made a promise to myself to hold my tongue on that subject.

  “Where have you been?” he asked, eyeing Owen. I grew tired of his constant attitude.

  “I’ve got good news,” Owen said to Hunter, deliberately ignoring Talon. “I found him. Lily and I went to check him out.”

  Hunter frowned. “You found who?” I had a feeling he already knew.

  Owen held out his hands defensively. “Our dad. I wanted to make sure he wasn’t an asshole before I said anything.”

  Hunter’s expression hardened so I stepped forward and touched his arm. “He’s not so bad. He looks just like Owen.” I tried to sound encouraging.

  “So he just looks like an asshole.” Talon mumbled to himself. I gave him a sour face as did Hunter, but it didn’t faze Owen.

  “Well, I want to meet him, too,” Hunter said. His vague expression made it hard to tell if he was mad, glad, or just confused.

  “You will. We’re going back tomorrow. He wants to meet you, too,” The brothers walked away jabbering about Ray, leaving me to face Talon alone.

  But his tone had changed since learning my reason for going off with Owen. “I’ve been looking for you.” He stepped closer and wrapped his arm around me. “I wanted to ask you about tomorrow. I thought we might go out, just the two of us. I think we need time to talk alone.”

  “I promised Owen I’d go back to Ray’s house with him and Hunter,” I said. Talon exhaled. Part of our break-up was that he felt like he shared me with Owen, but since he’d ended things, he really couldn’t say anything about my choices, so I supposed he’d been biting his tongue as well. “You could come too, then afterward maybe we could go out somewhere and talk?” My eyes brightened with hope. Maybe he’d tell me about Miss Whatshername.