by SM Olivier
I laughed in disbelief as it finally clicked into place. “Unbelievable.” I snorted. “Your youngest daughter is missing, and you are still behaving selfishly. You only want me to be there for your public image. You’re running for mayor next October, and you want everyone to think you have the perfect family. Even during this time of upheaval. You should be more worried about what happened to Claire and why. Instead, you’re still putting yourself above everyone else. Have you ever thought of anyone but yourself? What in the hell did my mother ever see in you?”
“Your mother is no saint. She tried to trap me with you,” he countered back. “I can tell she did a great job of raising you, too. You have a smart mouth!”
I gaped at him. “You proposed to her,” I nearly screamed at him. “I saw the ring! You’re the one who strung her along while you were banging Catherine. At least she took care of her responsibility and didn’t run away like you did. The only−”
He snorted, cutting me off. “And where is she now? She deserves Mother of the Year, right?”
I flinched as if he had physically hit me. “Like you deserve Father of the Year?” I seethed. “You never even tried or gave her any support. You know? You’re right. She sucked at mothering. Her leaving was reprehensible, but maybe if you didn’t put her in the situation you had, she would have been better. But let me tell you something, Daddy dearest. Let me tell you about the daughter she chose to keep. I’m a fantastic dancer. I have a nearly 4.0 average. Until recently, I had a job. I bought my own bike, paid for my insurance and gas. So maybe I should be thanking you for leaving. I’m a hell of a lot better off then my dear siblings.
“You definitely wouldn't be a nominee for a Father of the Year award, that’s for sure. You have three children with a lot of issues because of your indifference and denial. All three of them behave reprehensibly. Dylan’s a bully and a pothead. Leah is a tyrant, receives subpar grades, and lives in the land of denial. And Claire, poor Claire… she just turned fourteen, and she already seems to have daddy issues, since she’s been trying to hook up with older men.”
After a thorough search of her laptop, yesterday, the police had already discovered that Claire had been on several dating websites trolling for older men. In each profile, she had lied about her age and had met up and engaged in sexual activities with men old enough to be her father.
We weren’t supposed to find out about that, but it had been leaked out yesterday evening. The analyst had talked to some of his buddies, who spoke to some of his buddies, and next thing I knew, Grandpa, Crew, Zane, Kyler, and I were overhearing some of the bored housewives talking about it.
“When are you going to take your head out of your ass and take ownership of your actions?” I continued, noticing his flinch. “I’m not saying Claire would still be gone with or without your interest in their lives, but neither one of you knew she had snuck out to a party, to begin with. You weren’t even aware that she left again to vandalize my home. No one knew about her online dating accounts or the several times she met up with these men. Tell me something, if you make mayor, will that bring your daughter back? Will it make your children better people? Are you really that self-absorbed that even the children you raised are no better than pawns in your life?” I was shaking and crying by the time I got done screaming at him.
“You−”
He held his hand up at me, and instinctively I yelped and shrunk back, expecting the hit. He looked confused for a second. The anger in his eyes was replaced by puzzlement as his hand dropped.
“Your brother, the man you let raise your child, your blood, loved to hit me,” I blurted out after the initial fear faded. I saw a look of disbelief and horror enter his eyes as I continued. “He enjoyed hitting the bottle, but he loved hitting us more. He beat Mom for years before he started in on me.” I thrust my wrist out at him where the burn mark hid under my bracelets. “He was so spoiled that when reality hit him, he couldn’t deal with it, so he took it out on us. This was one of the many things he did to me. I would love to show you where he got me with a knife, but it’s covered.”
I noticed we were at the station. I thrust open the door, feeling emotionally raw from my outburst. “Thanks for that… Daddy,” I said before slamming the door.
I heard Kyler’s concerned voice. “Peyton?”
I turned to see him standing on the sidewalk outside of the police station next to Grandpa. I took off in his Ky’s direction, wanting to feel safe in his arms and get ahold of my emotions once more.
David didn’t deserve my tears. That man may have created me, but he shouldn’t have the power to hurt me. He had already done enough damage to me, long before I found out the truth.
●
“Did Sean or your mother smoke?” Officer Pope asked.
We were sitting in Officer Pope’s office. Kyler was sitting on my right, and Grandpa to my left. David and Officer Swift were seated behind us.
I nodded. “Sean did, on and off.”
“Do you know what brand, what kind?” Officer Pope asked as he wrote in his notebook. “Has he been smoking recently? Where did he do most of his smoking?”
“Marlboro reds,” I answered, confused why he was asking about Sean’s habits. “I think the last time I saw him smoke was a few months ago, and he smoked in the living room or his bedroom.”
“So he hasn’t been smoking in the little shed in the woods to the left or your house?” he inquired.
I tried to picture the shed he was referencing. I knew there was one set back in the woods in between the mansion and the cottage. It was about a hundred feet away from the house, neglected.
“No.” I shook my head. “He wouldn’t have walked that far to smoke. Mom had asked him to stop smoking in the house and go outside when he was smoking. He never cared to listen to her.”
“Where is he now? Where is your mom?” he inquired.
“Do you think Sean did this?” David blurted.
Officer Pope leaned back in his chair and frowned. “I don’t think so, but I would like to talk to Sean and Pricilla. It looks like someone has been smoking and camping out in that shed. They smoke menthols. We ran through the DNA on the smoke butts, but the evidence was corrupted. Whoever was smoking them put all the butts in a water bucket.”
I frowned. “Do you think someone was living in that shed? And when?”
“Recently. There was a receipt for the purchase of a pack. They paid in cash five days ago,” Officer Pope said after a pause. “Did you see anyone on the property you didn’t recognize?”
I shook my head. “I haven’t been staying there while it’s under renovation. I’ve been staying with friends."
“Can I ask with who?” Officer Pope said with a slight frown.
“She’s been staying at our house,” Kyler said immediately. “Not that it’s related to the situation. I’ve been working on the house, and I have two guys that smoke but they butt in the cans next to the garage. One smokes reds and the other lights.”
Officer Pope looked at Grandpa and then at David, with a frown. I could see the concern in his eyes. Why would I be staying with men I just met when I had a grandfather and father that lived in a house large enough for me to live in?
“She doesn’t want to stay with the man who didn’t want her, Pope,” Kyler nearly growled. “She has her own room at my place that I share with my brother.”
I did have a room there. Kyler had purchased a beautiful queen-size bedroom set for me. I only used the dressers and closet for my clothing, though. I had become so accustomed to sharing a bed, that I couldn’t sleep in there alone.
“Again not relevant,” Grandpa added. “She’s a responsible girl that will be eighteen soon enough. She goes to dance, school, cheers, and still gets good grades. Can we get back to the issue at hand? Do you think the person who was utilizing the shed could have done this? For what purpose?”
Pope seemed to be stuck in his own moral dilemma as he looked at all of us. His lips were pursed, and his fing
ers drummed on the surface of his desk.
Kyler suddenly cursed. “Some man in a gray sedan has been following Peyton around.” He rubbed his face wearily. David, Grandpa, and Officer Swift immediately began to shout out questions and making comments.
I felt a sick feeling enter my stomach as my heartbeat sped up.
No. No way! There was no way that the man I had seen following me in his car took Claire. Was it him?
Officer Pope whistled shrilly causing everyone to fall silent.
“She was walking to my house,” I said into the silence. “In the dim lighting, we look a lot alike. Do you think he thought it was me?” I whispered in horror.
Kyler stood and kneeled next to my chair. He took both of my hands. “We don’t know that, but it’s a possibility.”
I noticed the look from Officer Pope, but I didn’t care. As far as he knew, Kyler was my friend and friends were there for each other. Grandpa moved his chair closer to mine and grabbed my knee. I could feel the tremor in his hand.
“Has someone been following you?” Officer Pope asked. “I need everything you can tell me.”
“I noticed a gray sedan following me a few weeks ago.” I was comforted by Kyler’s hands on mine. “I didn’t think anything about it. In fact, I forgot about him. Then nearly two weeks ago I was out driving my bike. It was the man in the gray sedan again. I sped up, he sped up. I noticed the diner up ahead, and I laid my bike down in the parking lot. I was thrown into the grass. He got out of his car. A pleasant couple stopped, and they kind of ran him off. None of us saw his plates, and he had a hood over his head. I couldn’t see him clearly. It was dark and raining, but I could tell he was a stocky man and maybe five-nine or ten.”
I felt sick. I felt like I was going to throw up. I hate how weak my stomach got when my emotions were high.
“Why didn’t you call us?” Officer Swift scoffed.
“She doesn’t trust cops,” Officer Pope said softly, and I looked at him in surprise. He gave me a sympathetic frown. “I took the liberty to look into your family history.”
“What about her family history?” Swift demanded.
“It has no pertinence to this case,” Officer Pope insisted and then added with a pointed look at Officer Swift. “And I’d advise you to not go snooping either,” he said a bit harshly. “You wouldn’t want to get in trouble like your friend CJ is in.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant, but I was relieved that Officer Pope was trying to keep Eddie Swift from snooping any further. I assumed CJ was the analyst that had gone through Claire’s computer and spilled the information to the public.
“Peyton,” Officer Pope said gently. “Can you tell me roughly the dates and times these incidences occurred?”
I nodded and began to tell him everything I could remember.
9
●
Picture Perfect
Grandpa asked me if I could skip school for the rest of the day. I already had to call Anya to let her know I wasn’t returning this afternoon. There was a scheduled press conference at five o’clock, and Catherine had already purchased an outfit that she deemed appropriate for me in front of the camera.
I wanted to tell her I could dress myself, but after our visit to the police station, Grandpa seemed more withdrawn and morose. He hadn’t said a word the whole way back from the station and currently he was up at the mansion getting dressed.
I had just gotten out of the shower and was straightening my hair when my bedroom door at Kyler’s and Crew’s burst open. Paxton came stumbling in, followed closely by Golden, Zane, and Crew.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked in surprise. “Why aren’t you at football practice and yearbook committee?”
“Coach canceled practice,” Zane said, just as Paxton blurted out, “I’m skipping it.”
“We thought you needed us more,” Golden stated before he sat on my bed.
“So you heard?” I asked wryly.
“We wish we heard it from you,” Paxton grumbled.
“Like I heard about Lindsey and Tori living at your house?” I inquired with a raised brow.
“What?” Golden asked in confusion. “They're not staying at our house. They left this morning.”
“That’s not what they told us last night.” Crew snorted as he took the spot on the bed as well. “They were in Peyton’s room, and they told us that they were staying in the house until they could transfer to our school and get a job.”
Golden frowned before he jumped up from the bed, his phone in his hand. “I’m gonna get to the bottom of this right now.”
“So,” Zane said hesitantly into the silence. “The police think that you were the intended target of this kidnapping?”
I put down my straightener and turned in my chair at the vanity. Kyler had found a beautiful vanity for my room. I’d never had one before, but it came in handy when I did my makeup and hair.
“That’s what Kyler suggested,” I said carefully. I could feel the tremor in my hands, and the nausea began to return as I twisted my ring around my finger. I closed my eyes, trying to compose myself once more. “Since I came to this town, I’ve been mistaken as my Aunt Ava, several times. What if the same person who abducted Ava wanted to abduct me as well? Maybe they didn’t want Claire at all, but me.” I blinked back my frightened tears, then closed my eyes. I didn’t want to ruin my makeup. I had to leave here in less than twenty minutes to get to Grandpa’s on time.
I felt gentle hands on my face and opened my eyes to see Zane.
“You don’t know that, Peyton.”
I wished I could believe him, but I saw the same fear in his eyes.
“You’ll never be alone again, not until Claire is found,” Kyler said with determination from the doorway. “One of us will be taking you to the dance studio in the mornings and come to get you at lunch to take you to school. Since Golden doesn’t have any extracurricular activities until this spring, he’ll be taking you back to the studio after school. Anya has already been advised of the situation and is aware that you aren’t to leave the studio without any of your…escorts.”
I frowned. I really didn’t want them rearranging their schedules for me, but my fear outweighed my misgivings. “Okay.” I nodded.
“Okay?” Paxton asked as if he were surprised I acquiesced so readily.
I nodded once more, laughing with little humor, before I kissed Zane’s cheek and turned back around in my seat. I didn’t feel like arguing, it was fruitless. The pessimistic side of me wanted to ask what happened if Claire was never found, but I feared if I voiced it aloud, it would come to fruition.
“Lindsey and Tori lied,” Golden said as he came back into the room. “Lochlann told them they weren’t welcome to stay any longer. He’s been on the phone nearly all day with Aunt Patty and told her the same thing. Apparently, Aunt Patty was displeased with Lochlann until he explained how Lindsey and Tori had overstepped. Tori was taking Peyton’s clothing without permission, and Lindsey nearly threw away the entire pantry and freezer. He also told the girls that he couldn’t allow them to stay while he was in the process of getting the children.” He paused for a minute, then added, “He believes Lindsey won’t be giving up that easily, that she has every intention of applying for a job here and returning, if she’s left at all.”
“Time out, what?” I asked in shock after processing everything. I felt some relief that those dumb girls had been lying. However, other things concerned me more. “What do you mean, she tried to throw away the pantry and freezer?”
Paxton started laughing but with no mirth. “Yeah, you missed all the fun yesterday. She took all the meat products from the freezer and refrigerator and threw them out. Then she proceeded to the pantry and got rid of all the kids’ snacks, cereals… anything else that she felt had preservatives in them.” He shook his head. “Luckily, she didn’t know about the freezer downstairs. She threw away more than a thousand dollars worth of food, and that was before we woke up.”
All I could do was stare at him in disbelief as I finished styling my hair. “You’re joking, right?”
“I wish we were.” Golden snorted. “I can’t remember the last time Loch yelled. It was bad enough that he called Mr. Jenkins to come to watch the children on the playset as it went down.”
Honestly, I couldn’t believe all of what Mr. Isaacs had done. Even when he was angry or perturbed, he always had this eerie, deadly, calmness about him.
Kyler snorted as he took a seat on the edge of my bed. “I see Lindsey hasn’t changed much. She always was a controlling bitch. I’m just glad Loch’s eyes are wide open, and he recognized it.”
“More than controlling,” Paxton muttered cryptically as he picked up the clothing I had laid out on the armchair in the corner of my room. “Uh…what’s this?”
I wanted to ask him what he meant by that “controlling” comment but shook it off. I already had too much on my mind without adding more drama to it.
“Stepmommy Dearest sent that over for me to wear for the press conference.” I laughed bitterly as I padded over to the outfit in question. She had sent over a white cashmere sweater, a high-waisted, maroon skirt, black stockings, and black knee-high saddle boots. I had no clue how she knew my sizes, but she got them right.
I think she was trying to give me an air of innocence and wholesomeness, but I wasn’t sure. I thought the outfit was cute, but I resented the fact that she demanded I wear it.
It was only for Grandpa that I decided to wear it. I didn’t want to cause Grandpa any further stress.
Paxton cleared his throat. “Um, Pey… what are you wearing under that robe.”
I nearly forgot that I was only wearing a short, silk kimono-like robe. I had a thong under it and a white padded bra. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” I said saucily as I winked at him and walked into the bathroom.
My heart wasn’t into flirting or teasing them, but I needed to grasp onto any life-ring thrown at me. If I allowed my brain to dwell on the fear, it would soon consume me.