by Rachel Angel
“Are you ditching me to go to Homecoming with that cheerleader?” Haven asked.
“Never,” I said. “I grabbed the nearest girl I could when I saw that feed of you with Max kissing in front of our gate and hightailed it over to the house as soon as I could. I wanted to make you jealous, Haven. I wanted to see if you would get jealous.” I grinned, “You did.”
“I wanted to strangle her,” Haven said. “Good thing you had Max take her out of my sight.”
“Good thing you didn’t strangle her, Haven. I might need her again so my dad and your mother never suspect you and I and the Twins are together.”
“So Max and I…” Haven began.
I couldn’t stop the angry green-eyed monster from popping up when I remembered the image of Haven going down on Max. “No!” I said. “Unless you don’t ever want to see Max again.”
Haven’s eyes widened, and I resisted going over to her to pull her into my arms and make hot passionate love to her again.
I walked out the door instead.
It was like I couldn’t think when I’m around her. I couldn’t do anything but want to touch her and pull her into me, become one with her. No shit I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I’ve never felt so out of control with anyone like I’ve had with Haven.
I walked into the garage to the trunk of my car and opened it.
There it was… in an envelope like the one her phone was delivered to me in…Megan’s mermaid purse.
And the clues it would give once I have the purse’s prints analyzed. Whoever sent me the phone managed to keep the phone clean…no traces on it.
But this purse…maybe I would have better luck with it.
“Drake,” I called my genius little brother.
“Hey,” he said. “What’s up?”
“Find some excuse to get out of school early today. I have some work for you to do. We have another piece of the puzzle, bro. A big piece.”
“Alright!” Drake exclaimed. “I’ll be home right away.”
“Not home, the Lair. We need to do a lab analysis.”
“Okay, I’ll get Dillon, too.”
“No, he needs to be at the Homecoming Game. If both of you miss out on the Game, then it’ll look suspicious.”
“Right,” Drake said. “I’d hate missing the game, too, but this is more important.”
“It sure is, Bro,” I said. “Saving Triton Industries and finding Mom’s killer after all these years is definitely a lot more important.”
“Like I said,” Drake said, “I’ll see you soon.”
Chapter 3
Haven
I tried to sleep, but my mind was going 100 miles per hour.
Megan’s purse. What was it doing in Max’s trunk? Could he have received it from the police because he was Megan’s relative, and they had found her belongings? Could Megan have had another one made, thinking she would like to have two in case the first one went missing? Women sometimes love an item so much they would get another one as a spare in case they lose or damage the first one.
And why did Terrence act so distant to Max when he’s known Max his whole life?
When I found Tristan with Megan’s phone, he told me he received it from some anonymous sender, which had the video Megan filmed of me while I was sleeping, the one where she filmed me naked and tried to sell me off to some bidder who wanted me as a “Triton piece of ass.”
Turned out Megan was not the sweet sympathetic friend I thought she was but a very bad seed. No doubt she had many enemies who wanted her dead.
But her words to me when she tried to warn me about the Tritons. Was there any truth to them?
Megan said the Tritons had a lot of skeletons in their closet. Many murders and kidnappings, many whom were the women in the family, which meant Mom and I would not be safe.
Were the tragedies mere coincidences or were they planned and tied into a more sinister plot? Why weren’t any of these murders ever solved or heard about for such a prominent family?
First, Emma Triton, who was Terrence’s sister, was kidnapped and then murdered.
Then Rose Bradshaw, who was Terrence’s first wife and the mother of Tristan, Drake, and Dillon. She was kidnapped and then murdered.
And the Triton’s last stepmother, Penelope Hills, who died just about a year ago. Drowned in Heartbreak Falls, the waterfall, itself. She was a strong swimmer, but it was hard to swim under the falls during stormy weather. Her death was deemed an accident. But it was suspicious.
Mom was back at work, but at her new office in town, now located near the café on Main Street and the library. I had to go talk to her, let her know about the Triton tragedies and about Megan.
She had always told me to be honest with her and to trust telling her the truth.
I got out of bed and changed into jeans, a pink ruffle lace top, a furry pink jacket and sneakers. I walked over to Tristan’s room, knocked and found his room empty.
I went to the kitchen and the playroom, but didn’t find Tristan around anywhere. Then I found a note tucked into my backpack. “I have to run an errand. Hope you like chicken soup. Will be back tonight to feed you that and something more.” He even drew a heart at the end of his message.
It made my own heart fluttered. Why was Tristan being so sweet?
I took his note and shoved it into my jeans pocket. Then I grabbed my backpack, headed out to the garage where I found Mom’s car. She said I could drive it whenever I wanted. I haven’t had much of a chance when we were in New York, but now we were here in Heartbreak Falls, I was going to drive it whenever I could. Except when the guys wanted to drive me to school and back. Or Max.
I backed out of the garage and drove through the gates down the scenic road towards Heartbreak Falls’ quaint and cozy downtown.
Mom’s new office for her psychology practice was located in a red brick building that housed a cute neighborhood café on the bottom corner and a boutique shop next door.
Across the street was the town library which Drake said was what you would picture old-fashioned town libraries to be like. I still haven’t had the chance to walk in Heartbreak Falls Library to see if he was right about that.
I had the feeling Drake wanted to take me there to see it with him for the first time.
Drake, Dillon, and Tristan…the Heartbreakers… my guys who first threatened me, bullied me, and now couldn’t live without me.
My how things changed so quickly… like a 180 degree turn.
Nothing was predictable here at Heartbreak Falls… not even what I thought had been my whole life’s belief. It was as though moving here had the ability to change things like the weather.
I parked Mom’s white SUV in the parking lot in the back of the building and walked into the building, taking in the sweet smell of the pastries that drifted into the hallway from the café in the building. The directory on the wall of the building, covered by glass had my mother’s name, Dr. Pamela Hillshire, on it, which made me smile in pride for her.
As a surprise, I ducked into the café and walked up to the counter, smiling at the red-head college-age girl with glasses standing in front.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“I’ll take two red velvet cupcakes and two caramel lattes to go,” I said.
“Good choice,” the girl smiled. “The red velvet cupcakes are my favorite.”
“Do you bake them here?” I asked. “I could smell baking all the way to the parking lot.”
“We bake the cookies here,” she said. “Sometimes the smaller treats, but for the breads and pies…we have another location outside downtown where we bake and even sell fruit.”
My eyes widened. “A farm? You have farms in Heartbreak Falls?”
The girl laughed. “Of course we do. My parents’ farm is a combo fruit orchard where we sell seasonal fruit and a bakery. Everything in here was either homegrown fruit or baked from the farm.”
“I’d like to see that,” I said having never been to a farm or
an orchard before, like I’ve never been to a cozy town library.
“Sure, it’s open to the public,” the girl said, handing me a card. “Fanny’s Farm,” I read.
“My great grandmother’s place,” the girl said.
“Well…”
“Jenny,” the girl said.
“Jenny,” I repeated. “I would love to go there for a visit. I hate to admit it, but I’ve never been to an orchard/farm before.”
“No!” Jenny said. “Where have you been all this time?”
“New York City!” I said. “One of the best places in the world!”
“You should come out there. You’ll love it. I’ll even give you a tour. We have a lake that you can fish in. And there’s a little train that takes you around the property. People come out to pick their own fruit.”
My eyes widen, and I dropped my mouth into an “O”.
“Here’s your two cups of caramel latte and red velvet cupcakes,” Jenny said.
“Nice to meet you, Jenny,” I said. “My name’s…”
“Haven Hillshire-Triton,” Jenny said. “I know. You and your mom are practically celebrities here.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that,” I said.
“We were so excited to find out your mother chose to have her office here. That means we’ll have so much more traffic passing by our café,” Jenny said.
“I didn’t think about that,” I said.
“And she has celebrity clients since she’s on television, too,” Jenny said. “They’ll be visiting her in Heartbreak Falls now, wouldn’t they?” Jenny asked.
“Maybe,” I said.
“This is so thrilling,” Jenny clapped her hands. “You and your mom are the most exciting thing to hit Heartbreak Falls in a long time.”
“What about the Tritons and the Bradshaws?” I asked.
“What about them?” Jenny asked. “They’ve been here since the beginning of time. Old news. Yes, they’re rich and owns a lot of buildings and land here, but they’re like fixtures. Fixtures are things people see but don’t notice much. But you and your mom… glam city! Triton traded up when he married your mom.”
I laughed. “It makes you think why would my Mom, who had such a glamorous life uproot me and our lives back in New York to move here?”
“Must be love,” Jenny said, making a dramatic heart gesture.
“Must be,” I said, reaching into my backpack to pay.
“Oh, this is on the house,” Jenny said. “Now that your mom’s office is next to our café, we’re neighbors. We’ll watch out for each other.”
“Oh you’re so sweet, Jenny!” I said, reaching over to hug her.
“I hope you do make it out to the farm to take a look. It’ll be fun! Something you have to at least try out for the first time! Live a little!”
I laughed. Jenny’s enthusiasm was contagious.
I grabbed the paper tray of coffees and velvet cupcakes and headed up the stairs to Mom’s office.
Chapter 4
Haven
I knocked on the frosted glass door with “Dr. Pamela Hillshire” etched on it in gold lettering.
“Be right there,” my mother’s voice called from behind the door.
I waited a while, sitting outside on one of the cushioned chairs placed in the hallway behind another glass door and panel. A side table in glass and gold sat next to my chair where I placed the paper tray of coffee and cupcakes.
Finally, the door opened, and a young couple, who looked recognizable, walked out. They didn’t look like normal everyday people so I knew they were some kind of actor, singer, or celebrity.
I avoided looking at them to give them some privacy.
When they left, I stood up and took the tray into Mom’s office.
Looks can be deceiving. From the outside, I had imagined her office to be small but cozy.
Inside, it was huge, almost taking up two spaces on the top floor of the café.
“Mom! Your new office…I love it!”
I placed the tray on top of a beautiful crystal and glass side table next to a blue velvet upholstered sofa. A silver ornate coffee table was in front of the sofa, and a large comfortable velvet grey armchair faced the sofa.
On the wall, there was a large flat screen, and on the ceiling, a large Art Deco-inspired chandelier lit up the room.
Mom’s own desk was a beautiful silver ornate hand-carved Art-Deco-inspired one that matched the furniture in the sitting area.
“To make my clients feel comfortable and right at home,” Mom said. “They seem to like the quaintness and small town atmosphere of Heartbreak Falls,” Mom said. “Which is good since it brings them back to their childhood.”
“Those two,” I said, looking out at her door, “They look familiar.”
Mom laughed. “Believe it or not, their producer sent them to me. New clients. Said they had to make their relationship work or else it would be the end of their career and their fame.”
My mouth dropped opened, “No…they’re the new bachelorette and bachelor combined couple – Ryan and Bethany!”
Mom nodded.
I laughed. “The Relationship Fixer is in the House!”
Mom took one of the cups of coffee and began sipping on it while she walked over to give me one of the cupcakes. “So Haven, why are you visiting Mommy on a school day?”
“I had to call in sick today, Mom,” I said.
“Oh Honey,” Mom immediately put her hand to my forehead. “You should be in bed resting then.”
“Mom, I have to tell you something. I wanted to tell you before but you were on your honeymoon. Now that you’re back…”
“Honey,” Mom said, “I’m so happy you and your new stepbrothers are getting along so well. You guys look so happy together when you surprised Terrence and me with that lovely and very thoughtful dinner.”
I smiled. The dinner really was a success, and I was proud of the Twins and Tristan for helping me pull it off.
“Mom,” I said, not knowing how to say it delicately without making her defensive or alarmed. “You do know about the Triton history here in Heartbreak Falls?”
“A bit. Terrence told me a little about how the town got its name,” Mom said.
“You know about what happened to their mother?” I asked. “Rose Triton?”
Mom looked down and said, “Of course I do. I also know how it affected Tristan especially. Poor Tristan. That’s why I’m here.”
“What?” I asked.
“Here living in Heartbreak Falls,” Mom said, “So we can all be a family.”
“So you can be a family with Tristan and the Twins?”
“And you, Haven,” Mom said. “You went through a very traumatic last year in school with those bullies. You needed to get away from that. So…Heartbreak Falls seemed like the kind of place where we can start over…as a family. Terrence…he’s been through a lot, too. Losing his first wife and then his second wife. She didn’t seem like the kind who liked children, but it was tragic how she died.”
“Mom,” I said. “Doesn’t it seem strange how it seemed all the women the Triton’s married or was born a Triton end up dead?”
Mom laughed. “Been sleuthing?”
“Mom,” I said, “Isn’t it just strange?”
“The Tritons are an old family with lots of history. Like the Vanderbilts and other family of fame and vast fortune, the Tritons would attract unwanted attention, sometimes criminal because of it.”
“Mom!” I said, “I can’t believe you’re taking it so casually.”
“Nothing to be alarmed about, Honey,” Mom said.
I didn’t want to tell her about Megan’s attempt to get me kidnapped. Mom would never let me go anywhere by myself again or make new friends. “Mom, just be careful,” I said, taking a sip from my coffee before biting into my red velvet cupcake. It was delicious.
“Finish up your cupcake and coffee,” Mom said. “I can drive you back.”
“I drove your car, Mom,” I said.
>
“Oh, good,” Mom said.
“How did you get here?” I said, “I can wait for you to finish up the day and take you home.”
Mom smiled before hugging me, “My little grown up girl! Sometimes you act like the mother in our relationship.”
“Have to grow up fast because it was just us two for a while,” I said. “Living by ourselves in New York…then suddenly, poof! There was Terrence, Tristan, and the Twins!”