“If I had access to something that could help my wheelchair-bound daughter, I’d use it.” Langston said. The ghost of Agent Roswell’s smile vanished. “If you happened to have confiscated Dr. Wiseman’s things, you may have found something useful for Missy.”
“I didn’t take anything from William’s belongings.”
“You have to admit it sounds weird.” Langston looked back out over the dreary afternoon. “I have a mark behind my ear that looks exactly like that crescent symbol on Missy’s foot.”
“I know.”
“What’s that about?”
“I can’t say.”
“Do my siblings have the mark, too?”
Agent Roswell uncrossed his legs. “Yes.”
“Same place as mine?” Langston asked.
“Ella’s is in the same place as yours. Billie’s is on her inner ankle, and Garvey’s is on his back, at the shoulder blade.”
“Who put them on us?”
“I wasn’t there when you received the marks.”
“But it would make sense to say Dr. Wiseman did it. And if he did, how did Missy get the exact same mark on her foot? Are Billie and Garvey’s marks on the right side?”
Agent Roswell nodded.
“And Missy’s is on her right heel. It’s not a coincidence. Was there someone else working with Dr. Wiseman besides Dr. Chang?”
“William had some collaborators.”
This was getting frustrating. “Who did the procedure on Missy? What did he do? What is his name?”
“I’ll tell you about your family, Langston,” Agent Roswell said, “but I don’t feel you’re privy to my family’s information.”
“But it’s all connected somehow, right? Missy, me… you, Dr. Wiseman. It all goes together.”
“It is a complex situation.”
“Tell me about it.” Langston rubbed behind his ear. “I need to find them. I want to get my family together in one place.”
“So you’ve decided.”
Decided? Langston traced the rim of his glass with the tip of his index finger. Hadn’t the decision already been made for him? His heart had always longed for something he couldn’t identify until recently. There was no real decision to be made. This was fate, the very definition of inevitability. “I can’t go back to my life, knowing what I know. I have to be with them.”
Agent Roswell nodded slowly. “I should tell you, I think Soto sent some people here last year.”
“The shooting?”
“Possibly. There’s been some international activity with his known associates. They don’t mess around, Langston.”
“Neither do I.”
Agent Roswell raised his eyebrows. “You sure that’s not the bourbon talking?”
“I know I don’t look very tough, but when I want something, I find a way to make it happen.”
Agent Roswell looked impressed. “You know I can’t go with you.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“I could offer you and your mother protection, move you to a different state.”
“If you think she needs it and she’s willing to go, you can help out my mom, but I’m not running,” Langston said. “Can you help me pinpoint my brother and sisters’ locations?”
“What you’re planning,” Agent Roswell took a deep breath, “it will be dangerous.”
“I understand. Can you locate them?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m checking out this afternoon,” Agent Roswell said. “I’ll contact you when I get home and let you know what I find.”
Langston thanked him again and left. On his descent in the elevator, his heart raced, and his legs shook. He didn’t have a clue how he was going to pull off this plan to reunite his siblings, but he felt more and more compelled to do it with each passing second. He’d declared his commitment out loud and there was no turning back.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Khone put down her mug of green tea. “I wanted you to talk to Jake so you could have a better understanding of your past. I’m not sure how comfortable I am with you flying to goodness knows where.”
Langston and Khone were sitting on her back porch after dinner, both with blankets draped over their laps. Langston’s mug sat empty beside him.
“What did you think I was going to do?” Langston asked.
“Well, I didn’t think you were going to leave school to go on a wild goosey chase.”
“It’s just goose, Mom.”
Khone bristled. “Fine.”
“Garvey’s going to be in Thailand by the time I go on leave.”
“I can’t believe he approved your leave.”
His mom was referring to Dr. Pillay and what Langston hadn’t told her was that a) Langston had fibbed about the reason he needed his leave of absence, citing a medical emergency complete with forged documents, and b) Dr. Pillay had yet to give Langston an official answer. It was very possible he would not be granted leave and, as Langston was planning on going whether or not he was given permission, he may be invited to leave the University of Washington. But there was no need to upset his mother over a hypothetical situation.
Langston tried to sound natural. “Yeah. I was surprised too.”
“Can’t you take Everett at least?” Khone asked.
“Everett has to stay at Bronze Leaf. We can’t both leave since we’re on the same project.”
“You said Garvey lives in Long Island. Can’t you wait until he comes back to the States?”
“His tour doesn’t end for another four months. I don’t want to wait that long.”
Khone pressed her lips together resolutely. “I don’t want you to go.”
“I know,” Langston said gently, “but I’m going.”
She looked away into the dark backyard. “You’ve been fine all this time. Why do you have to leave?”
Langston knew she meant leave her. He reached out and clasped her hand in his. “You know I haven’t ever been fine. Maybe if I do this, my nightmares will go away.”
She slid her hand out of his grasp. “Or maybe you’ll get new nightmares.”
“I don’t want to argue, Mom. I just want you to know my plan.” He scooted his chair closer to hers and gave her a one-armed hug. “I love you. I’m not doing this to upset you, you know.”
She sighed loudly. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Langston wasn’t sure if she meant physically, emotionally, or both. “I can take care of myself.”
She laid her head on his shoulder. “Did you tell Jade?”
The majority of dinner’s conversation had been about Agent Roswell. When Khone put the coffee on to brew for Langston, he had broached the subject of Jade. He told his mom how they’d met and how he felt about her.
“Yes, I told her.”
“And what did she have to say?”
“She’s not that thrilled either.”
“When am I going to get to meet her? Does she even know you have a mother?”
Langston laughed. “Of course.”
“Are you ashamed of me?”
“Mom.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ll introduce you to her.” He raised his hand. “I promise.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“I leave on Tuesday and—”
Khone bolted upright. “Tuesday! That’s less than a week away!”
“I knew you were going to freak out. That’s why I already bought my plane ticket.” If Langston was being honest, he’d made his arrangements quickly because he was afraid he’d talk himself out of it. “It's done.”
“Don’t forget to pack extra underwear. And you need to start taking more vitamin C. Right now. I think I have some orange juice. The air on those planes just gets recycled, you know. And get to the airport early. You never know.”
“I know how to travel.”
Khone sighed, very put-upon.
“You know why I’m doing this, right?” Langston asked.
She no
dded reluctantly.
“I love you more than the whole world, Mom.”
“I know, Langy-poo. I love you too.” A cool breeze tousled her hair gently as she smiled. They were quiet for a long time. When Khone spoke again, she sounded resolved. It was a tone she rarely used. “Everything is going to change. You know that, right?”
Langston tore his gaze away from the night to meet her eyes. He nodded, his voice shaking from sudden tears he hadn’t realized were so near. “Yes.”
Khone stood up, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. She patted his cheek and walked away. Langston heard the back door close as she retreated inside. He looked up into the cold starry sky, a bright crescent moon hanging in the blackness. For several painful moments, he fought back sobs before finally letting the tears stream down his cheeks. Until now, he’d been careful not to dwell on Eve, but he knew that if he was going to address his tangled past, that meant admitting that he had another mother. Khone was right. Everything would change.
Everett leaned over Langston’s shoulder. “You do realize you’re obsessing.”
They were in Langston’s apartment. His bags were packed and at the door. He, Everett, and Jade were going out to dinner as a send-off for his trip. Instead of getting ready to go, Langston was on the computer, looking through all of the articles he’d already read.
Everett grabbed his shoulders and gave him a little shake. “This is supposed to be a relaxing night.”
“I know.” Langston continued to read. “I’ll stop when Jade gets here.”
Everett grabbed his arm. “Whoa.” He pointed to an olive-skinned woman with high cheekbones and raven black hair, standing in the background of a photo. “Who is that?”
“That’s Dr. Penelope Patton. She stole a bunch of money from Goode Planet before they were bought out. When she got out of jail, she bailed. Remember we talked about her?”
Everett sounded gleeful as he elbowed Langston. “Yep. She’s the naughty girl!”
Langston tumbled off the chair. “Hey!”
Everett flicked a hand at him, taking Langston’s place in the seat. “You’ve looked at these same sites like a hundred times.” He typed Penelope’s name into the search bar and perused the resulting images. “It’s my turn to do some research.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Seriously?” Langston said. “I’m trying to do something here.”
Everett ignored Langston, instead opting to break into a rendition of the classic “Baby Got Back” while pointing to various body parts of Dr. Patton, who routinely seemed to have worn form-hugging dresses. Langston endured Everett’s overzealous singing while Everett continued to scroll through photos of her at fundraisers, in magazine articles, and in stills from television interviews until Everett, thankfully, petered out in the middle of the second verse.
Langston rolled his eyes. “Are you done now?”
Everett pretended to think hard about his answer. “Yeah. I think so.”
Jade opened the door. “Knock, knock.”
“What’s up, Jade?” Everett said, waving.
She pointed questioningly at him. “Was that you I heard singing?”
Everett nodded. “Nice, right?”
“Um.” Jade turned to Langston. “Hey, sweetie.”
Langston kissed her. “Hey.”
“That’s cold,” Everett said.
Jade shrugged and giggled. “You two ready?”
Langston reclaimed his spot in front of the computer. “Give me two minutes.”
Everett sighed dramatically. “He said he was going to stop when you got here. Now look at him.”
“He’s just nervous,” Jade said.
Langston tuned out Everett and Jade as they continued to talk. He kept hitting the back button, through Dr. Patton’s pictures, trying to get back to the page he was reading before Everett had interrupted him. He heard Everett make a silly sound like he was blowing a raspberry, and Jade laughed.
“Come on, dude,” Everett said. “We’re hungry!”
Langston’s hand froze over the touchpad. A large close-up of Dr. Patton was displayed. Her gaze pierced through the screen, boring into Langston’s face. Her eyes had a unique depth to them, the way they peered at him…
Langston remembered the trunk opening, those same eyes looking down at him. The hairs on his arms stood up. “Oh my God.”
Jade walked over to the computer. “What’s up?”
He remembered the morning in the parking deck with Dana. You’d think with all that money, she could afford a better plastic surgeon.
Langston’s heart slammed against his ribcage. “Oh my God.”
“What?” Everett asked.
“No-no-no-no,” Langston chanted under his breath. His fingers flew over the keyboard. Suddenly, his body felt engulfed in flames and he started flapping his shirt to let in some air.
“Is he okay?” Jade asked.
Langston didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or freak out. He clapped his hands against his cheeks and let them slowly slide down, pulling at the skin on his face. He looked up at Everett.
Everett raised an eyebrow. “I think you’re losing it.”
“It’s an anagram,” Langston said.
“What is?”
“Eve, Lane, and Pope.”
“Antoinette’s company?” Jade asked.
Langston backed away from the computer. “I can’t believe I missed it.”
“Missed what?” Everett asked.
“Eve, Lane, and Pope is an anagram,” Langston pointed to the screen, “for her.”
Everett looked doubtfully at the screen. “I hate to break it to you, but there’s no V in Penelope.”
Langston moved his finger to point at a caption.
Everett looked closer at the screen. “Oh, shit.”
“Someone please explain,” Jade said impatiently.
Everett straightened from bending over the computer. “Her middle name is Eva. Penelope Eva Patton.”
“We weren’t able to find Eve, Lane, or Pope because they’re all the same person. Eric Lane has nothing to do with it.” Langston felt sick. “Antoinette Grayson is Penelope Patton.”
Jade’s laugh was brittle. “What? No. It’s like a coincidence, right? I mean, I feel like maybe you’re reading too much into this. Right?” She looked at Everett for support, but he just stared at her like a deer in headlights.
Langston broke into a cold sweat. “She looked in my eyes, Jade, and told me if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be here.”
Jade started pacing, dropping her purse on the couch, and holding her fingers up to her temples. “Let me see if I got this. Penelope Patton was the OB/GYN who worked with Dr. Wiseman.”
“Yes,” Everett said.
“She ran off when she was still on probation.”
“Yes.”
“You’re making kind of a leap, aren’t you?”
“No,” Langston said. “Antoinette had some plastic surgery. You can tell, if you really look at her. The fact that she already knew who I was, and my biological father, and the fact that her company name is an anagram for her real name, requires absolutely no leaping.”
“Do you think her being in Seattle has anything to do with you?” Jade asked.
“I think she wanted a new name and a new face, so she could start a new life.” Langston closed the computer. “The first time she saw me, she was shocked. I don’t think she had any idea she’d ever meet me. And the way she keeps avoiding me, I think she wishes she never had.”
“Think about it,” Everett said. “She’s probably afraid that if we figure out who she is, we’ll call the police. She’d have to go back to jail.”
“Or worse,” Jade said. “From what you’ve told me, going to jail might be the least of her problems. She seems like she could be in deep with a bunch of unsavory people.”
Everett looked at Langston, speaking slowly. “You know, if you did tell her you know her real identity, you could blackmail her into telling you
everything you want to know about your past.”
“Are you crazy?” Jade asked. “Anyone who would skip town and get plastic surgery to avoid recognition is clearly either desperate or crazy. You do not want to back that kind of person into a corner with blackmail.”
“He makes weapons,” Everett argued. “If she gets out of hand, he can just eliminate her. Who’s going to care if she goes missing? Plus, if things go right, he might not have to go on this trip.”
“And who’s going to go with him to blackmail her, Everett?” Jade snapped. “You? No offense, but you don’t seem like you’re in any shape to be anyone’s bodyguard. It’s a bad idea.”
“It’s stupid for him to fly all the way to Thailand when the information is right here in Seattle.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You aren’t the one who’s going to get hurt if things go badly.”
Langston was tired of being talked about like he wasn’t in the room. The arguing grated on his nerves, made it difficult to process, concentrate. He got up and locked himself in the bathroom, not bothering to turn on the light. He sat on the floor with his back against the tub. Think, think, think.
“Langston?” Jade knocked timidly. “Are you okay?”
He wanted to be left alone. This avalanche of information was threatening to crush him. Langston drew his knees to his chest. “I don’t think I’m going to make it to dinner.”
Everett spoke. “But it’s your last night here. Just come on out. We’ll do some shots and you’ll feel better.”
“Sorry, but I can’t,” Langston said. “I’ll text you tomorrow.”
“Drinks are on me. You need to get out of here and—”
Everett stopped suddenly, and he and Jade started whispering emphatically. Langston saw their shadows under the door, unable to decipher the words, but knowing they were having a disagreement. He waited for the argument to subside. When it didn’t, he got up and opened the door. Everett and Jade stopped in mid-dispute, Jade pointing ardently at the bathroom. She dropped her hand when she saw him.
“I know we planned on going out,” Langston said quietly, “but I’m asking you to please give me some time.”
“We can hang out here, order in,” Everett said.
“No,” Jade said. “We should go.”
The Wiseman Revelation (The Wiseman Series Book 2) Page 19