Wrecked Palace

by Catherine Cowles

  “You working? Taking out loans?”

  He must’ve known my parents weren’t helping me in any way. They’d just been happy to have one less mouth to feed. “I have a full academic scholarship. I work part-time to cover my room and board.”

  Spaulding nodded, seeming pleased with my answer. “Your parents…”

  “Are total and complete wastes of space?” I offered.

  “I’m afraid it’s worse than that.”

  I gripped the loose thread on my jeans tighter. “Will said he thought they were using drugs.”

  “Your father has gotten mixed up with a bad crew. We had suspicions before, but tonight confirmed it. He’s dealing, and I’m not talking pot.”

  The string popped off my jeans. “Dealing? He was bringing those people into the house? With the kids there?”

  Sheriff Spaulding’s gaze hardened. “I’m afraid so. In and out of the house.”

  “I’m going to kill him.”

  “You’d have to find him first. And we can’t seem to do that.”

  I stiffened. “What do you mean?”

  Spaulding leaned back in his chair. “We found your mom holed up in a motel room, high as a kite, needle by the bed. But no sign of your dad.”

  Needles. We weren’t even talking prescription pills. “I was home this summer. They were neglectful, yes, but Mom was still caring for Mia. They drank too much, but I saw no sign of drugs.”

  “A lot can change in four months, Caelyn.”

  Apparently, a whole life could fall apart. “What about the guy who broke in?”

  Sheriff Spaulding laced his fingers together and rested his hands on his desk. “Dave Herbert. Arrested on a slew of charges. He won’t be breathing free for a few years, at least.”

  It wasn’t enough. He’d scared my siblings to death, probably would’ve hurt them or worse. My stomach roiled at the thought.

  “That’s not all,” Spaulding continued. “Your brother gave us a cell phone. I think he thought it might help us find your folks because it belonged to your dad. What was on that phone…it’s going to lead to a lot more arrests.”

  “That’s good, right?” I wanted all of these assholes off the streets and far away from my family.

  “It is good. But while all this is shaking out, I want you to be cautious.”

  All of my muscles seemed to seize at once. “You think they’ll come after the kids?”

  Spaulding’s jaw went hard. “I’d like to think not. But desperate people do stupid things. They could think going after the kids might shake your dad loose. Or that the kids know where your dad is. Miss Harriet has assured me that she has a state-of-the-art security system. I think you’ll be safe on her estate, but I want you to be careful when you’re out around town. Maybe give the kids’ schools a heads-up.”

  My mind swam with all of the possible risks. I hated that we might bring trouble to Harriet’s door. But what other option did we have? “Thank you. We’ll be careful. Will you keep me up-to-date on the arrests?”

  “I’ll keep you in the loop as much as possible.”

  “I don’t need to know the ins and outs of the cases. I’d just like to know when I can take a deep breath again.”

  Spaulding’s expression gentled. “I understand. We’re going to put Harriet’s estate and the kids’ schools on the drive-by loop so there will be a police presence. That should discourage anyone from doing something stupid.”

  “Thank you.” It should’ve made me feel more at ease, but the fact that the sheriff thought it was necessary just ramped my anxiety up another level.

  Unease slid over the sheriff’s features. “We’ll need Will to testify about the phone and the people he saw coming and going from the house. Possibly Ava, as well.”

  “What? No. That can’t be safe.”

  Spaulding met my gaze dead-on. “If we want this Herbert clown and your mother to get the maximum sentences, we need that testimony.”

  I closed my eyes, letting my head fall forward. For Will, Ava, and Mia to be truly safe, to heal, anyone involved needed to go away for as long as possible. “They’ll testify.”

  “Good—”

  I held up a hand, cutting the sheriff off. “But I need you to do something for me in return.”

  His eyes grew shrewd. “And what would that be?”

  “Help me get custody of my siblings.”

  1

  Caelyn

  PRESENT

  “Come and get it, tiny terrors,” I called from the kitchen.

  Will appeared, shaking his head. “You know I’m not actually tiny anymore, right?”

  I clutched at my chest in an overdramatic move. “Don’t remind me. You’re forever eight in my mind.” But it didn’t change the fact that my little man was now sixteen years old. He had a driver’s license. And was shaving. I didn’t even want to think about all of the girls who made googly eyes at him.

  I shook myself out of the downward spiral I was rapidly descending into. “Where are the girls?”

  “I just finished Mia’s braids and she was looking for the right bracelet to go with her outfit. Ava was packing her backpack. What do you need in here?”

  God, my brother was the best kid on the planet. Too good. But no matter how much I tried to get him to cut loose, it never happened. “Can you pour some OJ for everyone?”

  “You got it.”

  While Will got everyone glasses of juice, I slid the rest of the scramble onto plates. The toaster dinged, shooting up the bread in a little hop. I quickly buttered the slices. “Girls, the countdown is on.”

  “We’re here! We’re here!” Mia huffed. “Look at my braids. Will gave me ribbons.”

  I turned to take in my little spitfire. “You look beautiful. And I love your outfit.”

  Mia was into anything brightly colored or that had glitter of some sort. Today it was a white t-shirt with a sparkly rainbow, pink pants, and gold glitter slip-ons. The pink, polka dot ribbons and a wrist full of bracelets just completed the look. “Thank you.” Her face scrunched. “You can still see my string, right?”

  The worry in Mia’s expression had me crouching so that I was eye-to-eye with her. “Let’s see.” She held up her arm for my inspection. There was an array of jelly bracelets, some beaded ones, but peeking out between the bangles was a rainbow-colored friendship bracelet.

  Two years ago, these fancy bead kits had become all the rage with Mia’s and Ava’s classmates. They were ridiculously expensive, and we didn’t have a lot of extra money for that kind of thing. So, as an alternative, I’d taught the girls how to make simple friendship bracelets with string. They’d become obsessed, and Mia had made us all matching rainbow bracelets. Even Will wore one.

  I held up my wrist, touching it to Mia’s. “Rainbow power in full effect.”

  She beamed at me. “Good.”

  Ava appeared in the doorway. “Morning.” Her voice was soft, just like the rest of her. My girl was the most sensitive of souls. The therapist I’d taken both Will and her to for the first year I’d had custody of them had told me that she might always be this way. Growing up in such an unstable home had made her constantly take the measure of those around her, always cautious to avoid any volatile situations. As much as it hurt my heart, I knew that Ava’s empathy and sense of others’ emotions could also be a superpower.

  “Morning, Avs.” I wrapped an arm around her for a quick hug. “All right, get settled. It’s time for food.”

  “Pancakes?” Mia asked hopefully.

  Will chuckled. “You ask that every day.”

  She turned hopeful eyes to me, and I couldn’t hold in my laugh. “It’s not a weekend.” I tried to reserve the super-sugary stuff for special occasions.

  She slumped in her chair. “Vegetables?”

  I tried to reel in my laughter at her dejected expression. “You’ll survive. I promise.”

  “I like the veggie patch scrambles,” Ava offered.

  “I’m glad.” I’d come up wi
th the name because when we first moved into our small rental house, I’d planted a vegetable garden in the backyard. The kids loved helping tend to the plants, and I thought it would make them keener to the idea of eating the vegetables on their plates. It was hit or miss most of the time. But Ava was always a trooper.

  “I like the veggie patch scrambles,” Mia parroted in a whiny voice.

  My gaze cut to her as I took a seat. “Mia Renee, we don’t make fun in this house.”

  She slumped lower in her seat. “Sorry, Ava.”

  It wasn’t exactly heartfelt, but it wasn’t sassy either so I let it slide. Everyone dug into their breakfast, and my lips twitched when Mia was the first to finish hers. When she caught my smile, she shrugged like someone way older than her seven years. “It wasn’t so bad.”

  “I’m happy to hear it.” I took a sip of orange juice, glancing around the table. “Okay, hit me with the good stuff. Three things.” I pointed to Ava.

  “Um…” She thought for a moment. “I got a ninety-seven on my spelling test.”

  I held out a hand for a high-five. “That’s awesome! Proud of how hard you studied.” I turned my attention to Will.

  He only rolled his eyes a little bit. “Mr. Harmon was sick yesterday, and we got to watch a movie during history.”

  I broke off a piece of my toast. “That definitely qualifies as a good thing. And what about you, Miss Mia?”

  She beamed. “Coach Hughes wants me to practice with the big kids next week!”

  I straightened in my chair, letting the piece of toast fall from my fingers. “She does? Why didn’t she talk to me?” I was going to kill that woman.

  Mia shrugged. “She said she was going to talk to you today.”

  I did everything I could to make sure my siblings got to do whatever activities their hearts’ desired. And pretty much from the time Mia could speak, she had been asking for gymnastics. I’d put her in a pre-K tumbling class when she was four, and Mia had taken to it like a fish to water. The coach of the program had told me that Mia had real potential. But elite gymnastics programs, even the one on our tiny chain of islands, were expensive.

  It was nearly killing me to send her three times a week. If she started the elite program, that three would jump to five. I wasn’t sure I could swing it. All I could think about was the letter I’d received from our landlord the day before about our rent increase. That would be hard enough, but adding gymnastics on top of that? It would most likely be impossible. And there went any chance at the culinary class I’d had my eye on for the past few months.

  “I can do it, right?” she asked.

  I swallowed against my suddenly dry throat. “Let me talk to Coach, and we’ll see.”

  “Okay.” Mia smiled in a way that said she had all the faith in the world in me. It was a smile that socked me right in the gut. And I knew I’d simply have to find a way. Maybe I could look into selling a kidney on the black market.

  “Nope, nope, nope.” Kenna waved her hands in front of her face. “Don’t open that within a twenty-foot radius of me.”

  I slowly put the packet of bacon back into the fridge under the counter. “I thought you were loving bacon lately.”

  Kenna’s hand went to the small curve of her belly. “Something changed this week. It’s so bizarre. Now, I can’t stand the smell of it. It has me puking my guts up in seconds.”

  Bell scrunched up her face as she slid onto a stool opposite us at my kitchen station. “Thanks for that mental picture right before we eat lunch.”

  Kenna shrugged. “I figure you’d rather have the warning than me barfing in your purse.”

  I bit back a chuckle. My job at The General Store had many perks, but one of the highlights was cooking for my best friends when they stopped by. “Okay, bacon’s off the table. What’ll it be, Barfy Magee?”

  Kenna scowled at me for a moment before turning her gaze to the chalkboard above my head, taking in the array of salad and sandwich offerings. “How about the kale and apple salad with chicken?”

  “Coming right up. Bells, you want the vegan BLT?” I glanced quickly at Kenna. “That’s not gonna make you upchuck, right?”

  “No, your weird health nut fake meat should be fine.”

  I shook my head as I started pulling out ingredients. “No weirder than your fake sugar, fake hazelnut, fake milk coffee concoctions. How is that decaf treating you these days?”

  Kenna pointed her fork in my direction. “That is cruel and uncalled for.”

  Bell let out a snorted laugh. “She knows how to hit you where it hurts.”

  Kenna gave a pitiful moan. “I miss real coffee.”

  “It’ll be worth it. You don’t want that baby popping out jonesing for its next hit of caffeine.” I poured some chopped kale into a bowl and reached for the dressing.

  “You sound like Crosby. Do you know he’s read all of those baby books already? He’s even joined Mom forums. Every time I even look longingly at his coffee, he starts listing off all the potential side effects. He even tried to limit my chocolate intake.”

  My chest gave a painful squeeze, but I kept my smile firmly in place. The last thing I wanted Kenna to know was that jealousy had made a home somewhere in the vicinity of my heart. It was a mixture of joy and pain. Over-the-moon happiness for my friend, who deserved a happy ending more than anyone else I knew. But also, a searing ache, because I so deeply wanted what she had—a true partner who would support me through all of life’s ups and downs. Someone who would be there for Will, Ava, and Mia. Who would see the kids as the treasures they were.

  Bell waved a hand in front of my face. “Hello? Earth to Caelyn. Please don’t chop off a finger.”

  I forced my smile wider. “Sorry. Lost in my own world.” I quickly focused on slicing the chicken once more before placing the vegan bacon strips in a skillet.

  “You look tired. Is the new manager position a lot more hours?” Kenna asked.

  I’d recently taken over as manager for The General Store. It meant that I not only ran the kitchen but the rest of the grocery, as well. It was a lot more responsibility and hours, but it also meant a bit of a pay raise. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough to cover both my increased rent and Mia’s gymnastics. Not even close. “The job’s good. You know me, I just lose myself in another world sometimes.”

  Kenna and Bell shared a worried look that had me biting back a curse. “I swear, I’m fine.”

  “Okay,” Bell started. “Ford and I wanted to know what night would be good to take the kids to Rocco’s.”

  I knew both Bell and Kenna adored my siblings, but I also knew they tried to take them off my hands once a week so I had a night to breathe. They hoped I’d used the time to do something for myself, but I typically used it to catch up on whatever I’d fallen behind on during the week—laundry, meal prep, bills. It wasn’t exactly a glamorous life, but it was rewarding in many ways. “I think Thursday would be good.”

  “That should work for us. I’ll make sure Ford has someone to cover at the bar.”

  “Sounds good to me.” I plated the sandwich for Bell and then lifted both meals onto the counter. “Lunch is served. Can I get you guys drinks?”

  “I’ll take an iced tea,” Bell answered.

  “Just water,” Kenna grimaced.

  Her pout had me grinning. “Coming right up.” I grabbed two bottles from the drinks fridge and passed them to my friends. “Here you go. I’ll be right back. I need to make sure no one’s ready to check out up front.”

  Kenna waved me away. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll just be here stuffing our faces.”

  I chuckled and wove my way through the aisles, greeting a couple who looked to be tourists and telling them to flag me down when they were ready to check out. I rounded another corner and almost collided with a hulking form. “Oh, schnitzel! I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going and—” My words cut off as my gaze met ice-blue eyes. “Griffin.” His name came out a bit breathy.

 
I cleared my throat. “Did you need to check out?” I glanced in his basket and frowned. A stack of frozen meals—like always. “You really should mix in some fresh produce with those.”

  He grunted. “Been eating the same thing for years, haven’t died yet.”

  The voice was exactly what you’d expect from a man with a six-foot-six frame and shoulders so broad, I was surprised he fit through most doorways. It was low and rough, and made me want to lean in a little closer, even though everything about Griffin screamed: “Go away!”

  I gave my head a shake to clear it. “Want me to make you a sandwich or salad before you go?”

  His expression gentled the slightest bit, or maybe I simply wished it did.

  “Sure. Surprise me.” His eyes narrowed. “Sandwich. No weird vegetables.”

  I rarely got more than twelve words out of Griffin at a time. But it had become a game of sorts for me to try and get as much out of him as I could. But the days where I made his lips twitch or eyes brighten were the ones I really felt on top of the world. “One surprise concoction, coming up.”

  I turned on my heel and left Griffin to his shopping. I wasn’t sure why I got such ridiculous pleasure from providing the man one rounded meal a few times a week, but I did.

  I froze at the end of the aisle as my gaze caught on Patti Jenkins. She stared at Griffin as he reached out to grab something from a shelf. I could practically see her gossip-hungry mind whirling. When he caught her stare fixated on him, she muttered something under her breath and tugged her toddler down the aisle and away from Griffin. He tensed but didn’t say a word, simply studied the chips in front of him with intense focus.

  I fought the curse that wanted to surface and headed back towards my cooking station. That woman was a nosy and judgmental jerk-face. She had a daughter in Mia’s grade and was always condescendingly offering me advice and help. But seeing her cast that same judgment towards Griffin had me seeing red.

  “Was that Griffin?” Bell asked as I rounded the counter.

  I cut a sharp look in her direction. Too many folks on this island talked about the mysterious man behind his back, and I didn’t want my friends adding to it.