Lies Never Sleep

by Stacy Claflin

  Zion glanced at the clock. The police shouldn’t be far away.

  Nastasia whimpered again.

  “What are you doing to Nastasia, Ellen?”

  “I’m not touching her! You need to give me better than this. Paperwork isn’t good enough. I’ll burn this place down if that’s all you’ll do!”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “You bet it is!”

  Zion silently counted to ten. “You might want to rethink threatening an attorney.”

  “And you might want to rethink letting an innocent man rot in jail!”

  Ding-dong!

  Of all the times for someone to be at the door. Zion muted his phone and turned to Rowena. “Did you tell the police to go to the firm or here?”

  “There. And the nine-one-one operator just told me the cops are almost there.”

  “Who would be at the door, then?”

  “I’ll go check.” She hurried from the kitchen.

  Zion unmuted his phone and interrupted Ellen’s tirade.

  “Ellen, I can’t do anything while I’m on the phone with you. Here’s what we can do. First, you stop threatening my assistant. Then once she feels safe, I’ll set the process into motion.”

  “What process?”

  “Setting up a retrial.”

  “I told you that isn’t good enough! I’ll burn this place down if all you do is paperwork.”

  Zion gritted his teeth. “I didn’t say paperwork. There are other things I can do.”

  “Like what?”

  “Calling a judge. But you have to stop threatening Nastasia.”

  A beat of silence passed. “What will happen if you talk to the judge?”

  “They can sometimes issue a—”

  “Drop the gun!”

  “Hands in the air!”

  Zion breathed a sigh of relief and crumpled into the nearest chair. The police had arrived and Ellen hadn’t shot her gun.

  “They’re here,” Nastasia whispered into the phone. “I’m going to hang up now.”

  “Wait.”

  “What?”

  “After they leave, take the rest of the day off and Monday too, if you need it. Be sure to let me know how you’re doing.”

  “Thanks, Zion. ’Bye.”

  “Wait. One more thing.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Before you leave, tell Shirley to file a restraining order against Ellen. I don’t want to take any chances.”

  “You got it.”

  “I appreciate it.” He ended the call and took deep breaths to calm his racing heart. His stomach twisted in knots. What would Ellen have done if Zion had been there? Had she brought the gun into the firm with the plan of shooting him?

  Rowena returned. “Is everything okay?”

  He wiped perspiration from his forehead. “Yeah, the police arrived before she used the gun.”

  “Oh, good.” Rowena sat across from him. “That was Brielle at the door. She and some of the kids from school are putting together a vigil at the park down the road in about an hour.”

  Zion nodded. “Sounds good. I’m going to my study to calm down for a few minutes.”

  She reached across the table and put her hand on his. “Are you okay?”

  He frowned. “About as okay as I can be on this monumentally horrible day.”

  Rowena squeezed his hand. “We’ll find Emmett. We will.”

  “I know we will.” He got up and headed to his study, locking the door behind him. The small room was where he liked to go when he was stressed out. It usually helped, but it was anyone’s guess if it would today.

  Zion closed the shades and pulled off his phone’s cover. He pulled off the piece of tape and tugged the little key free. It took a minute to wipe off the stickiness, then he unlocked the large drawer in his desk.

  His body relaxed, just thinking about the contents inside. They wouldn’t fix his problems, but they would help. Oh, how they would help.

  Before pulling the drawer open, Zion listened.

  Silence. Rowena was probably downstairs on her phone, spreading word about Emmett.

  Zion would be doing something equally helpful, but if Rowena knew he still had all of this, she would freak out. Years earlier, she’d told him she’d leave if he didn’t get rid of them. He’d hid them, and their marriage had continued happily along.

  Besides, it wasn’t like he pulled out his items very often. Just times like this, when it was necessary. Times when he was grateful he’d kept everything.

  He slid open the drawer. His body relaxed further once he saw them.

  Zion reverently pulled out a voodoo doll. It was time to get to work.

  6

  Lila James

  * * *

  The woman staring at Lila from the reflection looked like a stranger. Red eyes, limp hair, and almost transparent skin. So much for the well-put-together woman she always presented to the world.

  None of that mattered anymore. Her son was missing and her marriage was a lie.

  Morgan had been married before her. Had fathered another child. That made her a second wife. Atlas, a second child.

  Everything was a lie. Her entire life. And she had to find out about this while her son was out there, probably hurt. Why else wouldn’t he come home? What other reason would keep him away? He’d gotten injured, either by accident or because someone had purposefully hurt him, and her baby couldn’t get home.

  Everyone in town knew to look for the boys. It was all over social media and the news had covered it extensively. Hopefully, the vigil would help. She wasn’t sure how, but it was better than doing nothing.

  Lila reached for her waterproof eye makeup and got to work, careful not to put too much effort into how she looked. She wasn’t sure exactly how a mourning worried mother was supposed to appear, but her normal amount of makeup wasn’t it.

  She settled on mascara, eyeliner, and lip color. Nothing else. It pained her to be seen like this, but it hurt even worse that she couldn’t help Atlas. And she couldn’t have anyone doubting that.

  Knock, knock!

  Lila ignored the door. Or more precisely, she ignored Morgan. The twins had already left for the park, she knew it wasn’t one of them knocking.

  “Are you almost ready?” Morgan called from the other side of the door.

  Lila frowned at herself in the mirror before opening the door. She very nearly hit Morgan.

  “It’s about to start.”

  She walked past him toward the stairs.

  He chased after her. “You have to talk to me. We can’t go there like this.”

  Lila spun around. “Can’t we?”

  “We need to be united, at least until Atlas is back.”

  “How convenient for you! Let’s just ignore the fact that our marriage is a farce!”

  “It’s not.”

  “It is.” She turned her back on him and marched down the stairs.

  “Lila!”

  “Don’t talk to me. I can’t deal with this.”

  Once at the bottom of the stairs, he stepped in front of her. “My past changes nothing about us. Everything we’ve built together—this family, the memories, everything.”

  “You didn’t tell me what I was really getting. You lied to me before we ever had a chance.”

  “I never lied.”

  Anger surged through her to the point that she wanted to punch him in the face. “You lied about everything!”

  He shook his head, sadness covering his eyes. “I didn’t tell you about it because it hurt too much. I’d promised myself I would never speak of it again.”

  “Don’t you realize all you’re doing is proving my point? You lied to me! You hid important information from me. I never had a chance at knowing the real you.”

  “Are you saying you’d have never married me if you knew I’d been married before and that I’d lost a child?”

  “I’m not saying anything. I don’t know what I would’ve done. You never gave me the chance to make that dec
ision!”

  Morgan nodded. “I understand, but I also hope you can see my point of view. Having Atlas gone is close to the pain I feel, but at least we still have hope. We’ll probably see him again.”

  “Probably?”

  He threw his hands into the air. “Nothing I say is going to help, is it?”

  “Not really. Just leave me alone. I need to process this alongside processing the fact that I’ll probably see my son again.”

  Morgan’s eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t trying to lie to you!”

  “Trying or not, you did! You didn’t trust me, and now I don’t trust you. At least we’re on equal ground, for once.”

  “Lila, I’ve always trusted you.”

  She laughed bitterly. “That’s rich. You may not have told me before we married, but you’ve had nineteen years to tell me since then. Not once did you bring it up. You don’t trust me one bit!”

  “We’ll have to agree to disagree on that. I didn’t want to relive the pain by having to talk or think about it. The fact that I was willing to have a child with you proves how much I love and trust you. I was willing to risk the heartbreak.”

  “You’re unbelievable.” She went around him, grabbed her purse from the table, and stormed to the door.

  “Lila, wait. Would you please put your anger aside until we find Atlas? Then you can yell and scream at me all you want. But we need to stick together now. If not for us, then for the girls. Think about Violet and Scarlet. They’re also dealing with Atlas being gone. They need us.”

  “Of course I know that, Morgan. I’m their mother. I have every intention of being there for them, just as I was this morning. And so you know, I don’t appreciate you trying to use them against me.”

  “I’m not using them! They need us strong. United.”

  “More lies. Why not?” She forced a smile and slid her hand into his. “Let’s do this. Let’s lie to everyone. What’s new?”

  “You don’t have to be like this.”

  “I think I can be any way I want after living a lie for so long.”

  “Okay then.”

  They walked the short distance to the park in silence, hand-in-hand. Rather than feeling like she was holding her husband’s hand, it felt like she held a snake. It wasn’t far off from the truth.

  Once they arrived, neighbors and friends engulfed them in hugs, pulling them apart. Lila welcomed it, and stayed with her girlfriends while people milled about and spoke.

  In the middle of the park were pictures of Atlas and Emmett along with stuffed animals, flowers, notes, and other trinkets.

  Tears blurred Lila’s vision. She blinked them away. How could this be happening? How could the two boys be missing? It was closing in on a full day. She’d last seen Atlas right after dinner. He’d gone into his room, supposedly to study for an exam. Then later, she’d checked on him and thought he’d gone to sleep. But the reality was, he’d stuffed the bed to deceive them.

  So much like his father.

  Tara, one of Lila’s friends, put an arm around her shoulder. “They’ll come back safely. I can feel it.”

  Lila leaned against her and sobbed. Not just for Atlas, but for everything. Her whole life was up in the air. She couldn’t stand to even look at her husband. How could they stay married? The last thing Lila wanted was to put the kids through a divorce, but there might not be another option. Atlas would probably hate her for it. Divorcing his dad during his senior year. Maybe they could wait until after he graduated. The twins’ junior year might not be so bad. They would be distracted with their own lives, and everything would settle into a new normal by their senior year. Then none of the kids’ senior years would be ruined.

  But all of that was assuming Atlas even returned. As much as it killed her to think like that, she couldn’t deny it was a possibility. Her son was responsible and got good grades. He wasn’t one to do something to make his parents worry.

  And that was what worried her.

  Tara patted Lila’s back. “People are going to start sharing now.”

  Lila stepped away from her friend. Then Morgan was at her side, and he put his arm around her.

  She resisted her urge to kick him, and leaned against him, pretending to find solace in his fake comfort. He was right about needing to keep up appearances, at least for a time. The last thing anyone needed was for people to start whispering rumors about them when the focus needed to be on finding the boys.

  Brielle and a few other kids got everyone’s attention and shared about Atlas and Emmett.

  Lila tried to focus, but her mind wouldn’t stop racing. She tried to listen every time she heard her son’s name, but she just couldn’t do it. Her pulse drummed and her limbs wouldn’t stop shaking. Her stomach twisted so tight, it felt like her intestines might break apart.

  On the other side of the collection of flowers, pictures, and trinkets, Zion and Rowena clung to each other, appearing to actually be relying on one another. It was too bad she and Morgan couldn’t have that. Lila felt completely alone in the world. At least her girls had each other. They stood huddled together with some of their friends, including Brielle’s little sister, Topaz.

  Some members of Emmett’s drama club shared, then some of Atlas’s computer friends stepped up. After that, Brielle returned to the center and asked if anyone else wanted to speak. Some teachers and neighbors took their turns, talking about the boys and how much they wanted to see them come home safely.

  Brielle then asked Morgan, Lila, and the Powells to say something.

  Lila shook her head, more tears spilling, but Morgan guided her over to Brielle, who moved aside.

  Morgan thanked everyone for coming and supporting them. He spoke about both boys.

  Everything spun around Lila. Normally, she loved having all eyes on her, but at the moment, she would’ve given anything to get out of the spotlight.

  Morgan squeezed her shoulder. “Do you want to say anything?”

  Lila wiped her tears. She wanted to say no, but she had to say something. “Please find our boys.” Her voice cracked. “We just want them back home where they belong.”

  Morgan pulled her into his embrace, then Zion and Rowena gave similar sentiments.

  Some of the students passed out candles as it grew dark, then everyone sang some somber hymns. People dispersed after that, though many stayed around and spoke quietly or looked at the pictures and flowers.

  A headache squeezed Lila’s temples. Out of habit, she looked around for Morgan to tell him that she was going to go home. He was speaking with Zion and Tom, Brielle’s dad.

  Lila hesitated before deciding to go without saying anything. She spun around and walked away.

  “Lila!”

  She glanced back to see Morgan jogging over. “Were you trying to get my attention?”

  “You must be feeling guilty. You’re actually being attentive.”

  “I’m trying to be supportive.”

  “Guilty, supportive—same thing, apparently.”

  He threw her an exasperated glance.

  “To answer your question, I was just going to let you know I’m going home. A headache is starting, and I want to try and stop it before it gets bad.”

  “I understand. I’ll go with you.”

  “You don’t have to. Really.”

  They stared each other down.

  Brielle strolled over. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. James.”

  “Dr. James,” Morgan corrected.

  Lila shook her head. “We all know you’re a doctor. You don’t need to remind us.”

  Brielle looked back and forth between them. “I’m doing everything I can to find them. I set up this vigil and I’ve been asking around to see if anyone knows anything. Asking about haunted houses and stuff. There are a few in the area. I had no idea.”

  “Thanks.” Lila cleared her throat. “We really appreciate it. Let us know if you hear anything important.”

  “I will.” Brielle turned to Morgan. “And I’m so sorry that you have to
deal with this after everything you’ve already been through.”

  Lila froze. She couldn’t possibly be referring to his first son.

  Morgan’s mouth gaped. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you know.”

  “No, I don’t. What do you mean?”

  Brielle’s eyes became as wide as her purse. She swallowed. “You know, your first kid.”

  Lila nearly lost her balance. Brielle knew about the baby? Before Lila did?

  Without thinking, Lila slapped Morgan across the face. “How dare you tell her!”

  People turned and stared. She didn’t care.

  Morgan held his hand to his cheek. “I never told her!”

  “Then how does she know?”

  “I don’t know! And can you lower your voice?”

  “No!” She turned to Brielle. “Who told you?”

  Brielle backed up a few steps and swallowed. “I’m so sorry I said anything. I didn’t mean to cause any problems.”

  “Who told you?” Lila demanded.

  Brielle bit her lip. “Atlas.”

  Lila glared at Morgan. “You and me. Home. Now!”

  7

  Brielle Harrison

  * * *

  Topaz flopped on Brielle’s bed and pulled a black-and-white-striped blanket over her. “What was up with Scarlet and Violet’s parents? Yikes.”

  Brielle scooted over, giving her sister room and picked at a fleck of deep purple, almost-black paint starting to peel from the wall. “I didn’t mean to upset them.”

  “What did you say? That you thought Atlas was dead or something?”

  “Of course not!” Brielle shoved Topaz. “Don’t be such a brat.”

  “I’m not being a brat.” Topaz shoved her back. “Mrs. James slapped him and started yelling like a psycho. What else am I supposed to think?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe that she’s over-the-top upset because her kid is missing!”

  Topaz frowned and adjusted a crooked rock band poster. “I guess. Not that I’d be surprised if you did say you thought Atlas was dead.”

  “You really are a brat. Go away. And stop messing with my stuff. I like that poster crooked.”