She carried them over to my brothers who were sitting in the middle row, four rows back from my mother.
“That’s a lie!” she said, reaching out into the air as if she could reach the files.
“The notes are in your handwriting!”
“You’re the reason I got kicked out of college?” one of my brothers asked.
“You blackmailed my high school girlfriend about the abortion?” another brother yelled as he stood.
“You’ve always been cold,” a third brother said. “But this is too much. My wife was right. We need to cut you out of our lives—and our children’s.”
My other brothers nodded, glaring at our mother.
“Oh, hey. You think that’s bad?” I asked my brothers. “She also had a doctor falsify a death certificate and fake a birth certificate. Charlie’s our half-sister.”
“The old man had an affair?” Jeff asked, running a hand over his chin.
My other brothers’ eyes looked ready to pop.
“Yup. Then dear old Mom made sure the woman believed her baby died and gave the child to Uncle Mark and Aunt Cecil to raise.”
“It’s not true,” Aunt Cecil said, turning to face Charlie. “You’re my daughter.”
“There’s no way in hell I’m your daughter,” Charlie said, snorting. “I met my mother. And the DNA results came in this morning confirming it. It was pretty easy to figure out after I read the file Audrey kept on you and Mark. Don’t think for a minute she didn’t keep records on the two of you. She documented all your crimes.” Charlie handed three files to a nearby state police officer. “In addition to Mark beating me from the age of two until I was twelve years old, they both willingly kidnapped me,” she said to the officer. “And I’ll testify against them in court. So will my biological mother.”
“You bitch!” Cecil screamed at Audrey. “After everything I’ve done for you! I even helped you cover up murdering your husband!”
“And there we have it!” Grady yelled.
My friends and family cheered as Cecil yelled her involvement over the crowd, incriminating my mother. Officers cuffed her and Mark, dragging them from the room.
“Can we arrest your mother now?” one of the state troopers asked with a grin.
“In a minute.” I walked around the table and approached my mother. She trembled with rage. She was well past angry and looked murderous. “I’m not mad at you for killing my father. As horrible as it sounds, I had no feelings for the man who sat back and watched me drown in chaos. I’m not mad at your involvement in having Charlie kidnapped. That’s her war to fight. I’m not mad at you for your silly ploy to get visitation rights over my son. You never had a chance.” I took a step closer and tilted my head as I studied her face. “But I am angry. I’m angry for all the years you screamed or hit me to be quiet. I’m angry for all the years that you treated me like I was nothing. I’m angry that you found it amusing that I was raped. I’m angry that you had me followed and had pictures taken of me during the years that I was a teenage prostitute. And I’m angry that the same blood that runs through your veins runs through mine. Because you, Mother, are the sickest, coldest bitch I’ve ever met. And I’ve been kidnapped and tortured by the best of them.”
I stepped away, waving my arm toward my brothers.
“You brought us—your children—into this world, not with the intent to love and raise, but to control and dominate. And when I refused to be owned by you, you made it your mission to go after my family. My real family.” I pointed to the other side of the room. “The ones in this courtroom who I can tell my deepest darkest secrets to. The ones who walk beside me. Hold me when I cry. Push me toward the door when it’s time to fight. And protect my son when I’m not around. They give me their strength, so I can stand up to you today and say…” I turned back to glance around the room, my eyes landing on Grady. He had tears in his eyes, but he nodded for me to finish. I took a deep breath and turned back to my mother. “To say to you—I hope you suffer every day, for the rest of your life, in prison.”
A round of cheers erupted again as I walked back to my table, nodding to the officers as I passed. I knew by instinct when my mother charged after me, but I didn’t turn to see the officers tackle her to the ground and cuff her. Instead, I walked over to Grady and allowed him to fold his strong arms around me.
I heard Kierson call out to have the judge arrested, and Maggie telling another officer to have the local doctor and two deputies arrested. They had the files to turn over as evidence. Maggie and Kierson would help the state police pull the strings on the weaker cases to get confessions. My opinion was that as fast as the house of cards was falling, the wolves would turn on each other. I’d follow up personally with anyone who was lucky enough to walk free.
I let the noises around me float away as I looked up at Grady. “Take me home, Grady Tanner.”
“With pleasure, Kelsey Harrison,” he said, leaning down and kissing me like every woman dreamed.
Epilogue
Three days later…
I walked around Anne to get the dinner plates out of the cupboard. “Where is everyone?”
“No clue,” she answered, glancing up at the clock. “Whiskey was babysitting Carl today while he cleaned Donovan’s garage. Donovan didn’t trust Carl not to tear apart his generator again.”
“They finished the garage hours ago. I talked to them after my run.”
“They’re in the basement at Headquarters,” Sara said, running down the stairs.
“Why?”
“I don’t know why. The door was locked so I couldn’t follow them.”
“Since when is the basement locked? There’s nothing but office supplies down there.”
“I don’t know!” Sara sighed. “Geesh.”
Nicholas had been sitting at the table quietly listening.
“Do you know something?”
Nicholas raised his shoulder in a half shrug. “Grady said it was a project for men only. They locked the door yesterday and have been hauling packages down there.”
I texted Grady that dinner was ready. He texted back that he’d be late and to eat without him. I texted again, asking if they still had eyes on Carl. He answered: Yes.
“They want us to eat without them.”
Sara giggled. “Whiskey’s never late for dinner. And he knows we’re having fettuccine chicken alfredo tonight.”
The garage door opened and Bridget walked in carrying Abigail. Lisa followed her inside, loaded down with a diaper bag and a case of beer.
“Why did you bring beer?” I laughed, taking it from her and setting it on the counter.
“Donovan asked me to buy it. Said he’d have one of the guys come get it. They’re working late on some project.”
Bridget handed Abigail to Anne but raised an eyebrow at me. “After dinner, do you want to see the new war room?”
“Yes!” Tech answered, coming in from the back deck. “I want my office back. I can’t believe you hid the keys.”
“Only until the big reveal,” Bridget said.
I looked back at Anne and winked. “Sure. We can go after dinner as long as we can make a detour to the basement to see what the guys are hiding.”
“The lock on the door has a magnetic card reader,” Sara said.
We all turned to Tech. “Fine. I can get you past the card reader. It’s worth it if I get my war room back.”
“Our war room,” I said.
Tech smirked. “That’s what I said.”
“You handle the card reader, and I’ll handle the lock,” Bridget said. “I’ve already checked it out. It’s top of the line, but so am I.”
“I’m guessing Bones is part of the secret men-only gathering down there?”
“Oh, yeah. He said he’d be working late and not to wait up. So much for taking the time to shave my legs this morning.”
Alex jogged up the basement stairs and scooped Abigail from Anne’s arms. Katie walked inside through the garage door and slammed i
t shut.
“What’s gotten into you?”
“I tripped in my apartment over Carl’s pile of shit. What the hell am I supposed to do with a bean bag, a Led Zeppelin poster, and a bag of soldering tools?”
“He returned a pile of stretched out clothes to me,” I said, smiling.
Lisa snorted. “I don’t know what you two have to complain about. My living room is currently piled with Carl’s bed, his Spiderman pillow, an assortment of pajamas, three boxes of miscellaneous electronics, and a full-size tire. If I didn’t agree with Beth and Kelsey that he needed to be taught a lesson, I would’ve taken it all back to Alex’s.”
“What other option did he have?” Alex asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Carl’s got plenty of money to buy stuff, but he’s never had access. He either has to beg for things or steal them. If he asks for the money, he’s grilled with a million questions and usually told no.”
“If you give Carl access to his money, he’s likely to buy plutonium,” Tech said.
“Give him a prepaid Visa,” Katie suggested. “Throw a couple hundred on there a month and see how it goes.”
“I’d still suggest some kind of monitoring,” I warned.
“Set the account up to email you the receipts,” Katie said. “We’d have plenty of advance notice before liquid nitrogen or rocket launchers were dropped off by FedEx. Maybe sometimes packages accidentally get lost in shipment.”
“I don’t have access to his money yet, but I’m willing to throw a couple hundred of my own funds on a card to test it out,” Alex agreed. “And, luv, can we reconsider some of his belongings being returned?”
“I didn’t realize he gave up his bed and Spiderman pillow.” I laughed. “Let’s keep the odd crap, but give him back the basics. He can earn the rest back if he behaves.”
“Lisa, what kind of tire do you have in your living room?” Katie asked.
“I don’t know. It’s big, round, and black. Donovan said it looked new.”
Katie looked at Tech who was grinning. “I’ll check after dinner.”
I raised an eyebrow at Katie.
“It’s likely the damn spare for my SUV,” she answered as she pulled the milk and filled three glasses.
I followed her over to the table, setting plates down for the kids as she set their glasses of milk beside them and the third glass in front of Tech.
“Aunt Katie…” Sara said.
“What?”
“You owe thirty pushups,” Nicholas said, laughing at her.
“Damn it,” Katie swore again. “Cr—” She fisted her hands, pinched her lips together, and jumped up and down, mentally swearing.
“Forty.” Sara giggled.
“You have issues,” I said to Katie as she got on the floor to start her pushups.
“Where’s Nana?” Anne asked, changing the subject.
“She flew home this morning. Charlie left with her.”
“Is Charlie coming back?” Katie asked between pushup twenty-one and twenty-two.
“No. She wants to travel for a while. She promised Pops and Hattie she’d stop in Texas at some point this winter.”
“Will Aunt Charlie be back for Christmas?” Nicholas asked.
“That’s about the only date on the calendar that she knows where she’ll be. Blizzards and hurricanes couldn’t keep your aunt away from spending Christmas with her two favorite brats.”
The kids giggled as they scooped large portions of fettuccine into their mouths.
“Smaller bites, you two,” Anne scolded, setting filled plates down for us. “You want anything to drink?” she asked me as she held a hand out to help Katie up.
“Nope. I plan on shoveling down my dinner so I can go snoop on the boys.”
“Can I go?” Anne asked.
“Sure. But we need someone to watch the kids.”
“I’ll keep an eye on them,” Alex said.
“Abigail too?” Lisa asked.
“Absolutely,” Alex answered as he made funny faces at Abigail. “Uncle Alex found this adorable outfit for you today. We’ll have a mini fashion show while the crazies go break into a basement, instead of asking their better halves what they’re up to like normal people.”
“They’d lie,” Bridget said. “Besides, that lock is a 500-Series F18 Prosecure lock. They’re a treat to pick.”
“It also gives me a chance to show you how to bypass the card readers,” Tech told Bridget. “If you’re going to be working cases for Kelsey, you’ll need to be ready for anything.”
I frowned. “I promised Bones I’d keep Bridget out of trouble.”
“No, you didn’t,” Katie said. “You promised him that Trigger would shoot anyone who was a threat to her. You know better than to promise Bridget won’t find trouble.”
“Are you guys ready?” Bridget asked, clearing her already empty plate. “We’ve got things to do.”
We all scarfed down our food.
~*~*~
“Don’t turn on the lights,” Tech warned when we entered the gym. “They rigged a sensor to alert them when someone turns them on.”
“Those sneaky bastards,” I said, leading the way with my flashlight across the gym.
When I reached the basement door, I stepped back and held the light for Bridget and Tech. In less than three minutes they had the door open and nodded to me to lead them down the stairs. Anne and Lisa giggled. I glared over my shoulder at them, and they fell silent.
I turned my flashlight off and stepped down the stairs, one at a time. Everyone else followed just as quietly. In the distance, I could hear Grady and Bones laughing. The basement was divided into three sections. The first section at the bottom of the stairs was cluttered with racks of old files and office supplies. At the other end of the room was a hallway that led to the middle section where I expected to find the men. The last section was a mechanical room in the back.
I crossed the room and signaled for everyone to remain quiet as we entered the hallway to the center section. The door at the end was propped open. I neared the door and crouched down, so the others could see over me. Bridget and Katie crouched down beside me. Lisa, Anne, and Tech leaned over us to look around the corner.
In the center of the room was Carl’s fighting contraption. Carl was teaching Bones how to run the controls. In the center of the ring, Donovan, with one arm in a sling, was fighting the mannequins. Meathead appeared to be missing, replaced by a much more fluffy-looking mannequin. Franky’s lead pipe had been replaced by a plastic sword. Willy still had the kick of a donkey, though, and caught Donovan from behind, sending him sailing into Franky before he was hit by the plastic sword.
“Uncle!” Donovan yelled, laughing as the machine shut down.
“You got your ass kicked, brother,” Grady teased.
“I’ve only got one arm!” Donovan argued as he crawled out of the circle.
“You still scored higher than me,” Whiskey said, offering Donovan a hand to get up from the floor.
“Who’s in the lead?” Bones asked.
“Hang on,” Grady said as he scribbled on a notepad. “Bones is still two points ahead. I’ve got second place, and Donovan is ten points behind in third place.”
“We should buy a scoreboard. Mount it to the wall,” Donovan said.
“One like they use in the Olympics,” Whiskey agreed. “Where you can have several competitors listed.”
“I can find one online,” Carl said.
“You find one and let us know how much it is before you buy it. If it's cheap enough, we’ll all pitch in,” Grady said. “Who’s next?”
“I am!” Lisa said, pushing me into Bridget so she could walk into the room.
“Shit.” I giggled. “Why did we bring her?”
“If she actually gets in that ring, it’ll be worth getting caught,” Anne said, running out to join Lisa.
I looked at Bridget who shrugged, stood, and walked into the room. Tech, Katie, and I followed.
> “Lisa…” Donovan sighed. “You can’t get in the ring. You could get hurt.”
“But you can go in with a fractured arm and a concussion?” Lisa glared. “If it’s safe enough for you, it's safe enough for me.”
“Watch out for Willy. He has a mean kick,” I warned her.
She grinned, stripped off her shoes, and entered the ring.
“Wait. Bones, don’t you dare start that thing!” Donovan ordered, following her inside the circle and dragging her out by the elbow.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Lisa asked as she glared at his hold on her arm. “Let me go.”
“I said it’s not safe,” Donovan growled.
“Let. Her. Go,” Anne ordered.
Donovan sighed and released his hold on Lisa, but turned to block her path into the ring. Donovan would never hurt Lisa, but we all knew Anne saw red whenever anyone was held against their will.
“Get out of my way, Donovan,” Lisa hissed.
“What can I do to convince you not to do this?”
“Promise you’ll never go in that… thing… again.”
Donovan looked down at the floor and released a long sigh. “I can’t promise that.”
She stepped around him and entered the ring, nodding to Bones to start it. Bones looked at me and I shrugged. Bones looked at Grady.
“Slowest speed and dial Willy’s kick back to about half power,” Grady instructed.
Carl was bouncing up and down with a wide grin on his face.
“Get ready,” Bones called out to Lisa as Donovan growled. “Three, two, one… go.”
The contraption started spinning, and Lisa was hit and kicked a few times before she started to get the hang of it. Donovan kept his eyes glued to her as he paced back and forth. Whiskey stood nearby to jump in if needed. Willy kicked out, but Lisa leaned out of the way in time. Then she turned and blocked Franky’s arm as it came down with the sword. Bones hit the switch for Meathead, and I sucked air between my teeth as the mannequin tilted forward and launched.
Day and Night Page 32