A Modern Love Story

by Jolyn Palliata

  Robbie snatched the phone, fumbling it before shoving it at her ear. “Hello?”

  She heard the man clear his throat. “Yes. Is Lawson Selwyn available?”

  “No. He’s out of town right now. What is this about Colin?”

  The silence was brief. “I apologize. I was told this was a secure line, and I could speak freely.”

  “You can. Colin is my uncle.”

  This time the silence was longer. “May I have your name, please?”

  “Robbie Byrne. The L’s— I mean, Leah and Lawson are…were…my foster parents.”

  “Have you spoken with Mr. Byrne recently?”

  “No. Actually, I’ve been kinda worried ‘cause I haven’t heard from Colin. Why are you calling Lawson about him? Who are you?”

  “I’m a private investigator.” He paused. “Mr. Selwyn did list you as a possible contact, but I never thought I’d need to. I apologize if I seem caught off guard. Your foster father hired me to verify your uncle was who he said he was.”

  “He did what?! I can’t believe—”

  “He was correct in doing so, Ms. Byrne.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The man is not who he claims to be. It seems he was hired to play the part of Colin Byrne. His true identity is Richard Hawstone.”

  Robbie was stunned into silence. It was a full minute or two before the man spoke.

  “Are you still there?”

  She mumbled a response.

  “I imagine this is a shock for you.”

  “Talk about the understatement of the year,” she muttered. “Who the hell hired him? Why did they hire him? What the hell is going on?!”

  “I was unable to make contact with Colin Byrne myself. By the time I deduced he was hired for the role, he’d disappeared. I was very discreet in my research, but I imagine somehow he caught wind of the investigation. As to who hired him—does the name Kate Wiles ring any bells?”

  Robbie thought about it. “Not at all.”

  “How about Payten Carmichael?”

  “Sonofabitch!”

  *****

  “Wait, Robbie. Calm down. What did he say?” Lizbeth grabbed Conrad’s arm, nearly in a panic herself from the sound of Robbie’s tone.

  “Colin isn’t even my damn uncle! That bitch Payten hired him! Probably to get me out of the way so she could sink her fucking hooks into Luc! Shit. Luc! I have to get a hold of him.”

  Lizbeth’s mind was racing to keep up. “He’s in the mountains. Last we heard, he’s heading home tomorrow. Are you positive about all this, Rob?”

  “Yeah. The L’s had hired a PI to check out Colin—thank God they did! Jesus, Lizbeth. What else did that bitch pull? First this, then the fake pregnancy. I mean, who does that?!”

  Lizbeth’s shoulders jerked back. “What fake pregnancy? She’s not pregnant?!”

  “No. Luc called and left a message on the L’s machine saying she faked it.” Robbie sniffled, then huffed a breath. “She played us. She played all of us.”

  “That bitch is going down. I don’t give a shit if she’s lawyer. No one should be able to pull this kind of shit and get away with it.”

  “My thoughts exactly! Look, I’m coming home. I’m packing my stuff right now. Try to get a hold of Luc and tell him what’s going on. I’ll keep trying, too.”

  “Do you want me to call the cops or something?”

  “Not yet. First, I’d like to have a word with that bitch.”

  *****

  “Payten. It’s Kate.”

  “Yes, Kate. I assume you received your…retainer?” Payten leaned back in her chair.

  “Yeah, I did. And I did as you requested. Got a hit, too. Apparently the Selwyn’s hired their own PI and he found out about Richard. Not only that, he knows about me and you.”

  “Shit.”

  “Robbie Byrne’s on her way home now. You’re her first stop. Just wanted to give you a heads up before I jet.”

  “And where do you think you’re going?” Payten asked, drumming her fingers on the ink blotter in front of her.

  “I’m laying low until things blow over.”

  “Coward.”

  “It’s called self-preservation. You’d better start thinking about covering your own ass, too.”

  “Already done. Take care, Kate.”

  Payten crossed her legs as she slowly twisted back and forth in her chair, taking stock of her surroundings. “So this is where it ends,” she murmured, her lips curling in satisfaction. “It’ll be perfect.”

  Chapter 16

  Luc came home first thing the next morning, and dove right into the weekly inventory. He knew it’d be best if he kept himself busy. Three days in complete and utter solitude had leveled him out enough to feel steady, but if he sat around doing nothing, he was bound to get fucking twitchy again.

  A knock at Hooligan’s door pulled him from his thoughts and he went to see who it was. He looked at the medium-built man in the dreary suit for two seconds before deciding he was a cop.

  “Detective,” he said absently, holding the door open for the man to enter.

  “Detective Merrill. How’d you know?” he man asked, amused.

  “Are you kidding? You scream cop.” Luc walked back behind the bar, picking up where he left off with the inventory.

  “Why not Sargeant then, or Officer?”

  “Because you’re wearing a suit. I’m curious though…since when does a detective follow up on a drug report?”

  “Excuse me?” he asked, pulling a notebook from his pocket.

  “Aren’t you here about all the drug shit?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. Fill me in.”

  Luc shrugged. “Someone’s been slipping shit into my drinks. It’s been reported, so I thought that’s why you were here.”

  “No. I came on another matter.”

  “What can I do for you?” Luc asked, tucking a couple boxes of cocktail straws back under the bar.

  “It’s my understanding you’re dating a Payten Carmichael. Is that correct?”

  Luc looked up as he shoved his hand in his pocket. His fingers immediately curled around the engagement ring he’d bought for Robbie. Since he’d gone to the mountains, he had taken to carrying it around with him. It was probably a chick-thing to do, but he didn’t give a shit—it calmed him, made him feel close to Rob.

  “That is not correct. Why do you ask?”

  “You are aware her father died, yes?”

  “Yeah. We were together at that point, but broke up shortly after the funeral.”

  “What can you tell me about her?”

  “She’s a fucking psychotic bitch, that’s what I can tell you.”

  Detective Merrill’s face lifted with surprise. “Seems a bit extreme for a spurned ex-boyfriend. Care to elaborate on that?”

  “I cut off all ties when she lied about being pregnant. That bitch played me.”

  “Seems she might have done more than that.”

  “Like what?”

  “We suspect foul play in her father’s death. I’m the investigating officer on the case.” It was obvious the detective was watching for his reaction.

  “What the fuck? Are you serious? I thought a fire got him.”

  “It was, but first it was blunt force trauma to the head.”

  “No shit?”

  “A bookcase had fallen on him. Given, there had all kinds of marble bookends and whatnot, but that feels a little too convenient to me. Couple that with a bottle of brandy spilling just right to splash toward the fireplace?” He shrugged. “It could have played out like that, but not likely.”

  “That bitch is even more psycho than I thought,” Luc muttered, bracing his arms against the bar.

  “I could be wrong, mind you. It’s all guess work at this point, but I wanted to get your insight on her. Apparently, you don’t see this murder scenario as too farfetched.”

  Before Luc could answer, Lizbeth came wandering into the ba
r from the back. “Conrad asked me to help out with inventory.” Her eyes came to rest on the detective, then traveled to his badge, now visible with the way his jacket hung open. “Oh, a Mr. McCutie cop. What did Luc do now?” She giggled as she snatched up Luc’s clipboard.

  “He’s here about Payten,” Luc said with a scowl.

  “Oh, good. Robbie got a hold of you. Can you believe that bitch?”

  “Whoa,” Luc said, his whole frame tensing. “What about Rob?”

  “All that shit with Colin.” She glanced at the detective. “I didn’t think she could get arrested for it, but shit…I’ll take it. I just hope Robbie gets her licks in before you pick her up.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Luc demanded.

  Lizbeth looked to each man’s expression. “Oh, God, you don’t know. I thought for sure she’d get a hold of you. Colin wasn’t her uncle. Payten hired him to get Robbie out of the way.”

  “Are you sure about this, ma’am?” Detective Merrill asked, jotting some notes in his notebook.

  “Yeah.” She turned to Luc. “The L’s hired a PI to investigate Colin. He told Robbie what he found out. Luc, she was so fucking pissed. I’d almost feel sorry for that bitch Payten if I didn’t already hate her so much.”

  “Feel sorry…? Hold up. You said something about Robbie getting her licks in?”

  “Yeah. She’s probably over there right now confronting the bitch.” Lizbeth folded her arms across her chest. “Don’t tell me you’re worried about Payten?!”

  Luc’s wide eyes landed on the detective. “If she killed her father, there’s no telling what she’d do to Robbie.”

  Detective Merrill pulled his keys out of his pocket and raced towards the door. Luc was right on his heels with Lizbeth yelling behind them.

  “You can’t go,” the detective barked as he ran to his car. “Stay here. I’ll call you,”

  “I can go with you, or I can go on my fucking own. Either way, I’m there.”

  “Get in the back.”

  Luc jumped into the back of the car on a curse. Detective Merrill grabbed the CB to call for backup as he squealed away from the curb.

  Luc fished out his cell phone and went to punch in Robbie’s number before he remembered she’d changed it. “Fuckin’ A,” he muttered, then called Payten’s.

  There was no answer.

  *****

  Robbie was a ball of throbbing fury by the time she leapt out of her car and stomped to Payten’s door. A piece of tape over the doorbell had her pounding an impatient fist on the door instead, and she was pleased when it swung open under the force of her knock.

  “Payten?!” Robbie yelled, knowing full well she was home—Payten’s car was in the driveway.

  “Robbie?” She sounded pleasantly surprised. “Please, come in. I’m in the office—second door on your right.”

  Robbie scowled at the nerve of that bitch, and stormed in without a second thought.

  The minute she stepped into the dimly-lit room, the stereo assaulted her ears with the melody of ‘Kashmir’. Her breath caught and held as her muscles locked up. Fighting the roaring in her head, Robbie struggled to fill her lungs with oxygen. She made a wheezing sound, her heart thundering, and for a moment all she could do was hold onto the edges of consciousness. But, suddenly, cutting through the din, was a sharp jab in her neck. Heat radiated from the pinprick of pressure, then raced down her shoulder.

  Her legs felt like wet noodles as she slumped to the floor, falling into a pile. She rolled on her side as the music cut off.

  “Well. That was certainly easier than I thought it’d be.”

  Robbie shifted her gaze to look at Payten. She had a satisfied smile as she tapped the stereo remote against her thigh.

  “Wha—” Robbie swallowed thickly. Her mouth felt like it was filled with sand.

  “I imagine it’ll be hard for you to speak, so you needn’t bother trying. Besides, I can’t think of a single thing you’d have to say that I would actually want to hear.”

  Robbie fought to make her tongue cooperate and found if she worked at it, she could speak. “I know what you did to me.”

  Payten’s eyebrows arched as she brought a hypodermic needle up for her inspection. “Really? I was told this drug was still in the experimental stages.”

  “Colin,” Robbie clarified.

  “Oh, that.” Payten tossed the needle on her desk and leaned a hip against it. “Yes, well. You do what you need to in the name of love.”

  “Love?”

  Payten’s eyes narrowed. “You have only yourself to blame for all this, Robbie. I told you Luc was mine, but you continually failed to realize the truth of it all.” She spread her hands out in front of her. “And to think I had tried to help you, to do you a favor.”

  “A favor?”

  “Yes,” Payten snapped. “Richard was a gift to you when I discovered your real family had died years ago. He was the perfect choice in that he was at least partially genuine. You see, he’d grown up with your father, so at least the stories of your father’s childhood rang true. He was resistant to the idea of portraying Colin at first, but he needed the money more than a clean conscience. Turns out, that wasn’t enough. Richard had become quite fond of you, and had decided to tell you the truth. I just couldn’t let that happen.”

  “What did you do?” Robbie breathed, trying to move her heavy limbs.

  “Don’t concern yourself. He proved useful, in his own way, when he was cooperating. How’d you think I knew when you were coming back, so I could conveniently be at Luc’s place when you did? How’d you think you came into the inheritance money funding your new life away from my man?” Payten crossed her arms as she studied Robbie. “I do wonder though, what is it about you that gets these men all keyed up about you? It’s a shame I don’t have enough time to learn your secret. Although, I suppose, in the end it has done you no good. You cost Colin his life when he tried to protect you, you gave your own life for trying to take what’s mine, and if Luc doesn’t fall into line, you’ll cost him his life as well.”

  “No,” Robbie whimpered, screaming inside to move a leg, an arm. Anything!

  “Oh, don’t you worry about Luc. I imagine he’ll come back in no time. After all, he’ll need to lean on to someone after your tragic suicide. Sure, it might destroy him, but you know what they say: You always hurt the ones you love.” She gestured vaguely at Robbie. “You’d know about that, wouldn’t you?”

  “I wouldn’t—I won’t…”

  Payten sneered as she taunted. “What could I do? I just walked in and found you had bled out all over my floor. I tried to resuscitate you, but you were already gone. And I’ll have your blood on my hands, evidence that I tried to help. I’m a highly skilled actress when I need to be. Always have been—even at the tender age of seven when my mother plummeted to her untimely death. Everyone felt so sorry for me—a child crying and screaming for her mother as gray matter oozed from her crushed skull. My father was beside himself as he tried to comfort me. It was easy to manipulate him—the man was a fool. But he gave me everything I ever wanted in life…including Luc.”

  “You killed your own father?”

  “Just like my mother, it served a purpose, and therefore, suited my needs. Besides, the man had outlived his usefulness. There wasn’t a thing he could provide me that I couldn’t gain for myself now. Except Luc, as it turned out.” She smiled as she mused, “It was about time my father proved useful again.”

  The phone ringing had Payten glancing away, but she didn’t bother to pick it up.

  “Don’t hurt him,” Robbie mumbled, feeling the fatigue washing through.

  “Who? Luc? Only if he denies me again, but there are ways around that. He resisted me in the past, but I made him fall in line.” She smoothed back her hair and glanced at her watch. “Ya know, I heard from Luc that you have a thing for little-known-facts. I bet I have some for you: Did you know that Rohypnol, in small doses, can cause someone to lose their inhi
bitions without knocking them out? Ketamine’s pretty handy, too—it can make someone mellow and relaxed, more open to suggestion… Unfortunately,” she added with a sour expression, “it can make you very depressed as well. Ecstasy…well, we all know what that one can do.”

  “You had to…drug him…to have sex with you? Pathetic.”

  “Pretty ballsy for someone about to die,” Payten said, pulling a scalpel out of her desk drawer. “I believe an anthropologist would have access to these at work, correct?”

  Robbie tried to struggle when Payten bent over her, but her body didn’t move an inch. She pulled Robbie’s arms out from her side and rolled her on her back. When she was satisfied with the positioning, she moved in.

  Robbie felt the bit of the knife despite the odd paralyzing of her limbs, and then the shooting pain as Payten dragged the scalpel down, cutting her vein open lengthwise.

  “An anthropologist would also know the right way to do this. It’ll show you meant business. Don’t worry. You’ll go fast. Faster than you deserve, no doubt.” She glanced at Robbie’s face, then grimaced when she noticed Robbie’s hand twitch. “And not a moment too soon, apparently. It seems the drug is starting to wear off. Thank goodness they’d have no reason to test your blood,” she muttered under her breath. She shot Robbie a smile. “Not that they’d know what they found if they did.”

  Robbie’s mouth moved, but no sound came out.

  Payten leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I always get what I want, Robbie. I don’t care who gets in my way. That’s why I always win.”

  *****

  Traffic had them slowing and Luc’s anxiety kicked up. Grabbing the metal mesh between them, he shouted, “Can’t you go any fucking faster?!”

  “Shut it, sit back, and buckle up!”

  “Fuck you! Get me to Rob!”

  “I’m trying,” the detective murmured, weaving through traffic.

  “Shit! She’s not answering her phone! Hurry up!”

  When they raced up Payten’s driveway, Luc’s heart jumped into his chest as he spotted Robbie’s car. “Get me the fuck out of here,” he demanded, shoving at the locked door.