by Ashley, Eden
Two uniformed officers remained at the Metts’ residence. If Greg did not receive the right explanation of events, charges were going to be pressed. But Rhane was a good judge of people and knew Greg only needed two things to put his mind at ease. First of all, he had to see with his own eyes that Kalista had not been hurt in any manner. And second, he needed to know that some opportunizing pervert had not taken advantage of his little girl. The first issue had been resolved right away. Convincing Greg of the latter was a whole other monster.
Switching gears from doting dad to prosecuting attorney, Greg directed a piercing stare at Rhane. “Why don’t you have a seat, son?”
It was a question but hung a fingernail short of being an order. Greg was letting the pizza boy know who was in charge. Referring to him as “son” meant he had graciously given Rhane the benefit of the doubt. At least for right now, innocent until proven guilty held true. He hadn’t been labeled a pervert. Yet. It was a good start.
“Okay.” Rhane silently added, Here we go.
Chapter 30
Greg took a seat in an armchair positioned directly across from the sofa. Lisa joined him, perching on one of the plush arms of the off-white chair. The picture of solidarity wasn’t a front. And it garnered more of Rhane’s respect.
Kalista wrung her hands anxiously, but stopped when Rhane sat next to her. Greg’s eyes narrowed a bit. He got straight to the point. “Officers Harlow and Remington are good friends of mine. Between the two of them, there are over thirty years on the force. These admirable men are waiting to see if their services will be further needed.” Greg paused.
Rhane waited.
“But first, I want you to help us sort this out. I ask. You answer. That’s all.”
“I’ll do my best, sir.”
“Very good.”
Eye contact was a big deal to Mr. Metts. That much was evident. In a profession like his, it was essential to weed out small seeds of truth in fields ripe with dishonesty. A life or death sentence could very well depend on it.
Liars often had a hard time getting the proportions right with eye contact. Either they made too much or too little. Rhane knew how to make lies sound like the truth. Given a lifespan that far exceeded that of any human, he’d had ample time to hone and perfect the particular skill. Rhane hated liars. But if the situation demanded it, he didn’t mind becoming one.
“Kali has been missing since Monday afternoon. I have interviewed her office manager, several classmates, as well as her principal. After she left work, no one saw or heard from her until this morning when she called from this number.” Greg pulled out a small notebook and slowly turned a few pages. Finding the right one, he read off a ten-digit phone number. “Is that your number?”
“Yes.”
“I’m a thorough man, Rhane. It’s gotten me where I am today. That being so, I had the number traced to a residence up in Hunter’s Valley.” He recited the address to Rhane’s newly acquired country estate. “That’s Holsenbeck Hall. It’s practically a piece of history and has been vacant for years. Are you living there?”
“I am.”
Greg lowered his reading glasses. “Are you living there legally?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know there was anyone left in that family.”
“I don’t know either, sir.”
“You mean you aren’t related to the Holsenbecks?”
“No.”
“Is it correct to assume you bought the Holsenbeck mansion?”
“Yes.”
Greg’s face hardened. “Then who is Wilfred Harvey?”
Rhane didn’t miss a beat. “That’s me, sir. Wilfred Harvey is the name on my birth certificate. But Rhane is a family name. Neither my father nor grandfather looked very much like Wilfreds, so their mothers called them Rhane. I was named after my father. But Mom couldn’t bring herself to call her baby Wilfred, either. So I got his nickname too.”
“Be sure that I will check that out.” Greg smiled tightly. “What do you make as a pizza boy, including tips?”
Lisa nudged him. “Greg.”
“What, baby? I’m trying to understand this. Even in the dilapidated shape the manor is in, I can’t imagine a pizza boy being able to afford such a lavish piece of real estate.” He turned back to Rhane. “How much?”
“Since I’m not a pizza boy, I can’t answer.”
“What do you mean, ‘since I’m not a pizza boy’? I tipped you.”
Rhane grinned affably. “And it was very kind of you. Had I actually been a delivery boy, I would have been very appreciative.”
Greg was noticeably offended. “The first time I laid eyes on you, you lied to me.”
“No. I never said I was a pizza boy. The delivery arrived just as I came along, so I went ahead and paid for the pizza…and tipped. Then I brought the pie in to your daughter.”
Greg scowled briefly but didn’t admit he was wrong. “So how did you buy the property? How can you afford it?”
“I’ve made a few good investments over the years.”
“Investments?” Greg sounded incredulous. “You’re still wet behind the ears. What do you know about investing?”
“I’m no expert, sir.”
Greg’s eyes became tiny slits. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.” Technically it wasn’t a lie. Though Rhane was much older, his current driver’s license said otherwise. Living as long as he did, he couldn’t keep renewing it indefinitely. And since he hardly showed signs of aging, fresh starts and new identities were a frequent part of his existence.
At the admission of age, Lisa’s mouth formed into a hard line of disapproval. Greg’s brown skin turned red. Not a good sign. “That’s eight years older than my daughter.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
Remington and Harlow moved in closer. That was definitely not a good sign. Rhane really didn’t have the spare time to spend a night in jail.
“Has she been with you this whole time?”
Answering truthfully would have brought the spotlight back to Kalista. She claimed to have no recollection of the first twenty-four hours she was missing. Being in China, Rhane couldn’t account for her whereabouts for that time either. Though he was as concerned as Greg regarding the missing timeframe, there was no way to safely discern the answer from Kalista’s mind. Pushing her to remember could once again release what slept dormant inside her. He couldn’t deal with that again so soon. Her parents might never be able to deal with it.
Rhane deliberated all those factors in less than a fraction of a second and decided. “Yes.” Then he moved in for the cover story. “Allow me to explain, sir.”
“Please do,” Greg said forcefully.
The best thing Rhane could offer was a truth seasoned well with a relish of lies. He began relating a half-fabricated story which came out seamlessly. Pauses were in the all the right places to indicate genuine recall. “Kalista had a fight with her boyfriend at school on Monday. She called me, upset and needing to vent, and perhaps wanting to make this other guy even more jealous. I wanted to cheer her up. Knowing how much she loves the water, I offered to drive her to the coast. Let her see the sunset, you know? It was only supposed to be a daytrip, but on the way back, we got a flat. The spare was useless. Nowhere was open to buy a new one, so we waited until the next morning. After the tire got fixed, we both decided to be irresponsible and played hooky from everything.”
Greg was calmer. Still angry, but it was a less red version of angry. “Did you sleep with my daughter?”
“I did not have sex with your daughter.” Rhane cleared his throat. “I only recently became aware of her age, sir. But that’s no excuse. I should have asked.”
“You understand that I can’t allow you to see her again. She’s still very much a minor.” He looked at Kalista pointedly. “And from her recent behavior, she’s very immature as well.”
Rhane exhaled. “I understand.”
Kalista wasn’t conceding so easily. “B
ut--”
“No buts, Kalista,” Greg snapped sharply. “You will not see this man again.” He turned back to Rhane. His words came out calm and even. “Get out of my home. If you come near this family or this house again, I will have you arrested.”
There was tightness present within Rhane’s chest that hadn’t been there before. Though discovering Kalista in the body of a human teenager who was mostly dependent on adoptive parents severely complicated his life, he liked the Metts. It wasn’t the reception he’d hoped for. On top of that, protecting Kalista from what was to come had just gotten way more difficult. But considering the circumstances, it was a good outcome. Unexpected things happened all the time. Rhane would do as he’d always done. He would adapt.
As he dipped his head to acknowledge Greg’s decision, Kalista sprang from the couch. Her limbs went rigid. The light fled from her eyes as she stared her parents and the officers down.
Greg and Lisa did not hide their startled expressions. Lisa started to move forward, but Greg placed a restraining hand on his wife’s arm. Officer Harlow reached for his gun. Remington’s cool eyes remained steady, but his stance was very alert. Stepping in front of Kalista, Rhane blocked the view of everyone else in the room. He was all her eyes could focus on. And only he could see the expanded pupils and dark veins that’d slowly begun to snake around and from within her eyes. Staying casual, he grazed a finger across her cheek. “Your father is right, Kalista. Listen to him.” His voice, like his touch, remained gentle.
“I don’t want to not see you again.” Her voice trembled. Her eyes were human again. “I lied the other day when I said I didn’t care.”
“I know.”
“Then don’t go.”
“Kalista, please,” he implored softly. Because his back was to the room, only she saw his lips form three silent words. The flicker of emotion that briefly transformed her face assured him the message was received. “Sometimes these things have the worst timing,” he said aloud.
To show the rest of the room he was serious about removing himself from her life, Rhane needed to walk away. But staring into her moist brown eyes, his chest tightened even more and he couldn’t do it.
Kalista bit her lip and lowered her face, releasing him. “I thought you were different.” She brushed past him and left the room.
Rhane exhaled, watching her go. The muted sound of a room door closing reached his ears, and he looked at Greg again. “I apologize for any trouble I have caused.”
Greg accepted the outstretched hand warily. “Have a nice life, son.”
But Rhane couldn’t go back to a life without her.
Chapter 31
Kali sat at the edge of her bed waiting patiently. One of her parents would come to see if she was okay. She was better than okay. The last few moments from downstairs kept replaying in her mind. Rhane’s lips moved. I’m still here. His unusual eyes had let her peer inside of him for a change. And Kali had seen the truth in those three words. I’m still here. He wasn’t walking away from her.
She understood why Rhane had been so concerned in the first place. He could have easily gone to jail if not for his incredible ability to hoodwink her adoptive father, the human lie detector. But everything was so messed up. Rhane was on eggshells with local law enforcement and her parents, because he’d taken the blame for her vanishing act.
In truth, Rhane could only account for twelve of the missing hours. What if I hurt someone else? It was possible. Kali couldn’t recall anything before the morning of the present day. She closed her eyes and forced everything else out of mind. She needed to go back to where her memory ended. Monday night at the office, she had descended the stairs into the dark, chilly basement searching for the stolen artifact. She had found it. She studied the memory. The statue, gorgeously crafted from the purest ivory and the blackest onyx, was the form of a woman entwined with her lover. Wes had told her its name. She roped the words into focus. The Siren’s Heart.
Kali’s eyes flew open. Her hands were shaking. The memory ended where that statue began. The Siren’s Heart. Wes was the last person to see her before she had disappeared. Maybe talking to him could help her remember.
Someone knocked at her door very softly. Kali knew it was Lisa. She quickly summoned a few tears, letting them well up and threaten to brim over. “Come in.” She hoped her voice had trembled enough.
“How are you, honey?”
Kali nodded like she didn’t trust herself to say too much.
“Downstairs…you looked like you were ready for a fight.”
At that, Kali really couldn’t say anything. She wanted to say she could never hurt anyone or anything. But last night with Rhane had proven that wasn’t true.
“Does he mean that much to you?”
Stifling a real sob, she nodded again.
“Maybe you think Greg and I overreacted. Kali, we thought you had been taken by someone. These high profile cases your father and I take on tend to create enemies. If something ever happened to either of our children because of something we did…we could never forgive ourselves.” She took a seat on the bed beside Kali.
“I don’t think you overreacted.” She leaned her face into Lisa’s shoulder. The soft cashmere of Lisa’s sweater muffled Kali’s voice. “I was gone for two days. I’m the one who should have called. It was wrong for me to make you guys so worried.”
“But it wasn’t only that.” Lisa sighed. “You were one of two teenagers who went missing on the same night.”
“What?” Kali lifted her head in surprise.
“One of your classmates didn’t show up for school today or yesterday. The police have been looking for him too. When he was found this morning, your father and I didn’t know what to think. ”
“Oh my god.” Kali slid away from her adoptive mother. “Was he hurt?”
Lisa hesitated. “Yes.”
“Who was it?”
“Trevor Walker. Is he a friend of yours?”
“Not exactly…” Kali’s stomach clenched, threatening to skip the thirty-day notice and evict her entire breakfast. She struggled to find enough courage to ask the next question. “What happened to him?”
“They’re running tests. They think Trevor might have overexerted himself at practice. Got disoriented later and wandered off. He was unconscious when he was found.”
The explanation didn’t sit well with Kali’s gut feeling. It would liberate her from all accountability, but she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. Trevor was admitted to the hospital on the same night she had become a life-sucking man-eater. It was possible she had attacked him and didn’t remember it. Overexertion. They’d said the same thing about the boy on the soccer field.
Kali worked hard to clear her throat. “Please, tell me that he’s going to be okay.”
Lisa nodded. “They found him in time. He’s going to be fine.”
It was great news. But Kali felt awful. She wanted to dive underneath the covers and hide, even while knowing it was childish to think blankets could shield her from the guilt. Why do I have to be like this?
A long moment passed when neither of them said anything. Then Lisa took Kali’s hand in hers. “I do agree with your father. Rhane is too old for you. Aside from that, you and Callan just broke up. It’s much too soon for you to be genuinely falling for someone else. Give it some time.”
“He saved me Friday night.” Kali hadn’t forgotten Rhane’s warning, but she had to say something. Her parents needed to know what type of person he really was.
Lisa’s expression was puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“Some creep at the theater was harassing me. When the movie got out, he was waiting outside. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I was so scared. Then Rhane showed up and made him go away.”
After a beat of stunned silence, Lisa gathered Kali into her bosom, hugging her tightly and patting her hair. “Thank God, you’re alright.”
“I didn’t say anything sooner because I didn’t want you gu
ys to worry.”
“Honey, we’re parents. The worrying started as soon as your beautiful little face came to us. It never stopped after that.”
Kali mustered a small smile. “But you don’t have to worry about him. He really is a nice guy.”
“Kali, he’s eight years older than you.”
“Isn’t Greg eight years older than you?”
Lisa pursed her lips. “Yeah, and I thought he was a nice guy too.” But then she laughed, shaking her head. “Maybe you should rethink law school.” Her expression got serious again.
“This is such a horrible time for both of us to leave town for work. I’ll be flying out in a few days and Greg’s plane leaves late tonight for D.C. Maybe one of us should cancel. Larry has been great in assisting me these last few years for the defense. I think he’s ready. He could take the chair for me.”
Excitement fluttered through Kali. She had forgotten her parents were going away so soon. It’d be impossible for them to keep a foot down about her dating life from hundreds of miles away. “You don’t have to do that. Rozzy’s here to help look after me. We’ll be fine.”
“As long as you two try to get along and work together.” Patting her shoulder, Lisa rose from the bed. “You were an independent and spirited young thing when Greg and I first met you. We did our best to nurture and not stifle. You’ve always followed your own heart, Kali. But at least consider what I said. Don’t rush things.” She lingered with her hand against the doorknob. “And I wouldn’t worry too much about your father. Over the years he’s gotten good at recognizing bad guys. He also knows a nice guy when he meets one.”
Feeling hopeful, Kali allowed herself to genuinely smile.
Chapter 32
A line of ants ran single file next to the dusty sole of a worn leather boot, unaware of the potential it held to crush their lives out of existence. Not that the thought had crossed the mind of the boot’s wearer. Human or animal, Rhane had lost the taste for killing long ago. The way he lounged against the tree lent him the air of a young slacker cutting class, simply too carefree to bother with the hassle of nearing midterms. But appearances were deceiving.