“Max, what the hell could he be into? Do you think it’s drugs?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I have to tell you, though—I’m not thrilled about this trip. I know you need answers, but at what price?” He paces.
“I would say wait but I’m not sure Bella will go for it. Aside from being a serial bigamist, nothing in the report showed any criminal activity.”
“Don’t you think I noticed that? There isn’t even a fucking parking ticket! No one lives that clean, Jax.” He throws his hands out in a frustrated manner. He pulls out the chair across from me and tosses the file in my direction as he sits.
“What are you thinking, that maybe he works for someone or some company that’s keeping him clean?”
“Wouldn’t be the first person to be a front man. I just don’t like it.” He rocks back and forth in his chair.
“Do you think we should take everyone with us?” I ask. Max knows me, he can figure out what I’m thinking without me having to say it. He must know I’m not comfortable with leaving my family behind.
“No way, Jax. I think it would increase the danger for everyone if they did come with us. I know you’re struggling, so am I. Maybe if I talk to Bella, I can get her to wait a few days, giving me some time to dig a little deeper.”
I rub my temples, trying to subside the headache I feel rolling in. “Good luck with that one. You know that Bella is like a dog with a bone.” I’m looking at Max and he has a blank stare—shit. “She’s right behind me, isn’t she? Don’t bother answering, I already know. Pull up a chair, sis; we need to talk.”
She takes a seat next to mine, her eyes dart to the open file. “What seems to be the problem?”
Max, being the calmer of the two of us, gestures to take the reins. “Bella, every time I picked up that file, I felt like something wasn’t right, I just didn’t know what. I finally realized what’s off. It says that he works in sales, but there is no company listed. He is squeaky clean without so much as a parking ticket. Something is off; no one is that clean.”
“Look, I need answers, but I understand if you don’t want to go. I’m going and I was looking for you to see if you think I should bring Michael Jr. He could meet his grandfather . . .”
All I hear is Bella wanting to bring Junior and my blood boils over. I pound my fist on the table, instantly silencing her. “It will be a cold day in hell before I let him anywhere near Junior! Never will he have an opportunity to meet him—never! He hasn’t earned that privilege and I doubt he ever will. Do you think this is going to be sunshine and roses? He’s a low-life, Bella.”
“Then why are you going to see him?” she raises her voice.
“To ask one question . . . why?”
“Why . . . is that it? Ring him on the bloody fucking phone then, Jax!”
“No. I want to—no, I need to—look him in the eye.”
“Are you afraid you’re like him? Is that it, Jax? You want to see if the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree? Is that why you need to look him in the eye?”
I’VE GROWN UP ALONE, having no idea about how crazy brothers and sisters can actually get with each other. Bella really knows how to push all of Jax’s buttons. She just hit the nail on the head.
“Enough!” An suddenly yells from behind us, grabbing everyone’s attention. “If the three of you insist on going, I can’t stop you. Although you don’t always act it, you’re adults. I will, however, draw the line when it comes to my grandchildren. Under no circumstances will James get anywhere near them. You’re all adults and can make your decisions. You can deal with the consequences of those decisions, but they are innocent children.”
With the silence blaring, I decide to be the first one to speak up. “Ma’am, can I ask you a few questions?”
“Of course, what’s troubling you?”
“Well, there is never a mention as to what company James worked for, or what he sold. He’s squeaky clean, almost too clean. Do you know anything that’s not in the file?”
“Maxwell, my head was in the clouds when I was with him. I was a foolish girl who thought the sun rose and set with James. He said sales and I never asked. When I was forced to go back home with Jax and Bella in tow, my family disowned me. My brother called my children bastards. I walked out that day and never looked back.”
I’m watching Jax; his jaw is tight and his fists are balled. I have a funny feeling I know what has set him off. “Why did you never tell anyone about your brother?”
“The day he called my children bastards was the day he died in my eyes. I would have given him the shirt off my back if he needed it. When it comes to my children, I will go to the depths of hell to protect them.”
Bella stands up and takes a deep breath. “Max, you’ve got two days and then I’m on that plane.” She walks out leaving an eerie silence behind her.
“Ma’am, is there anything else that you’ve kept quiet about? I understand why and I don’t blame you, but now—for safety—reasons I need to know it all.”
“I have no secrets. I never told you about my brother, Rhodri, because in my heart, he died that day. I don’t know whatever came of him. I do know he was very active in his church. I don’t even know if my parents are still alive.”
“What did your parents say when you came home?” I push. She bows her head, keeping her gaze downward. She must feel like she is reliving the humiliation all over again. Jax and I glance at each other quickly over her disposition. It stops me dead in my tracks.
Jax grabs her hands, “Mum, if this is too much then stop.”
“Are you sure you boys need to hear this? As painful and humiliating as this is, if it means that my family will be safe, then I will.”
I look toward Jax and nod. “Ma’am, as much as you want this to stay buried, I can’t, in good conscious, let any of us go there without all the facts. Safety always comes first. Would you rather tell me in private?”
“Maxwell, what I’d rather do and what needs to be done are two totally different things. Jax, please get your sister; she might as well hear it all. I will only tell you one time, and then I never want to speak about him again.”
Jax goes to get Bella as I pour An a brandy. “Drink this; you look like you need it.”
I watch her take the glass and her hands are trembling. She is visibly shaken by all of this. Jax and Bella are back and I see that they notice An’s struggle. Hell, you’d have to be blind not to.
Bella puts her arms around An. “Mum, it’s okay, you know nothing you tell us will ever change the love and respect we have for you.” Bella gives her another squeeze before she pours herself a brandy. I set up my phone to record everything. Bella furrows her brows at me. “Is that really necessary, Maxwell?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I need to record this so nothing is forgotten. Take your time, ma’am.”
She takes a few slow sips of her brandy, closes her eyes, and finally finds her voice. “As you know, I was born in Wales. My father worked in the shipyard in Cardiff Bay. My mother was a homemaker. I have an older brother, Rhodri. My parents were very proud of him; he was on track to become a minister. I wanted to become a nurse, so I volunteered after school at the hospital as a nurse’s aide. One day, during my shift, your father came into the emergency room in need of stitches. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him; he was so very handsome. We got to talking and he told me he was in sales. When I asked him what he sold, all he said was ‘importing and exporting rare things.’ I asked him what kind of things and he spun a tale about rare artifacts. I could blame my youth; I was only seventeen. But the reality was, I believed him because I wanted to.” She’s tearing a tissue into a million tiny pieces.
I reach over and pull out a pad from one of the kitchen draws. I begin to make notes of questions I have. I don’t want to stop her, having her lose her train of thought. I hand her a glass of water, “Go on, An.”
“Thank you, Maxwell. Anyway, we started dating, but I didn’t dare take him home. He was older th
an me and I knew my father wouldn’t approve. I continued seeing him on the sly. Every week, James would go away for days at a time. I should have questioned him, but it created an air of mystery around him. Every time he came back, he would bring some sort of exotic trinket.”
I take her hand and stop her, “Do you still have any of them?”
“I only kept a few. Are they important?”
“Everything, at this point, is important. We can look at them later. Go on, please.”
“I think I knew he was trouble, but I was a naïve girl. He talked about all the places he visited and how he wanted to take me along with him. I believed every word of the tale he spun. Sometimes, he would take me on day trips with him. He always introduced me as his fiancée, which I found very exciting. He had lots of money and he always spent it on me.”
An lifts her glass of water to take a sip, but her hand is shaking so bad, she gives up and puts it back down. “Ma’am, if you need a break then please stop.”
“No, I want this over with. I don’t want to keep reliving my shameful past.”
Jax takes her hand, trying to offer his support. “There’s no shame here; you were an innocent girl.”
“Jax, I was not that innocent. I knew he was trouble, but I was excited with the mystique that surrounded him; he was so mature and worldly. He was my first love, and I was clueless about so much. I trusted him with my heart and my body in the short time we dated. I felt like I was on a secretive whirlwind romance and soon, I found myself pregnant and unmarried.” She quickly looks away, avoiding any eye contact. “I went to him and told him and he said I should handle it.”
Jax slams his fist on the table, startling everyone. “He told you to handle it?!’ Was he expecting you to get an abortion?” His voice growing louder as he runs his hands through his hair, practically pulling it out of his head!
An quickly wipes away her tears. “Jax, he never said anything other than ‘handle it.’ I didn’t know what to do, I was too afraid to tell my parents. I went to my brother first; I really trusted my brother and felt he would understand. Rhodri flipped out on me and went straight to father. My father had a lot of friends on the docks and they went and paid James a visit. It was right after that we were ushered in to the court house. And . . . just like that . . . we were married.”
It’s eating me up inside, asking her to relive all of this, but I have no choice. She is always the strong one. The one that we turn to, the one everyone leans on. I clasp her hands and try to offer some sort of comfort. “Go ahead, ma’am.” I nod in encouragement.
She shakes her head lightly and takes in a deep breath. “We had set up house not far from town, and everything seemed to be fine. I finished school and began my studies as a nurse. Soon, I found myself pregnant again. James said he was happy and that he rather I stay home to take care of the children. His time home started getting less and whenever I would question him, he would always claim it was business. Sadly, I believed him. Besides, I was too wrapped up in my pregnancy to dig any further, if I wanted to. Once Isabella arrived, he seemed to be around even less. Isabella had a rough first year; she was sick a lot as well as colicky. When I think back to the time right before he left, he seemed distant and preoccupied. One day, he left and never came back. I needed to pay the rent and my children needed food, so I went to my mum for advice. She told me I needed to be strong and deal with it. She said, ‘you’re not a child anymore. You chose this path, now deal with it.’ That was the day I decided to look for him. I went to see Garth, a friend of mine from high school. He had just opened his own investigation business and agreed to help me find James.”
I have a million questions, but right now, I need to take it slow. Before you go any further, I have quite a few questions. The records show he was born in Scotland—the Highlands, to be exact. How did he end up in Wales? How long was he in Wales before you met him? How did you track him down? Did he have any bank accounts that you were able to access? Did you ever hear him talking business? Where were these ‘day trips’ he took you on?”
She gets a distant empty stare and her bottom lip begins to tremble. Oh fuck, I want to kill the bastard. I pour her some water. She is shaking so much, the water spills out of the glass as she takes it.
Jax jumps up so quickly, his chair practically knocks over, “Enough! This is not a few questions!”
“No, Jaxson, this information might be helpful. It could mean everyone’s safety.”
Bella grabs Jax’s hand and pulls him back down. “Jax, let Mum finish, it’s important to all of us.”
“I told Garth everything I knew about James, which really wasn’t much. James said he was born in Scotland. He said he went away to university and never went back. He said his family was deceased. He was in Wales on business, and I’m not sure for how long before I met him. He had no bank accounts anywhere. Nothing was in his name; not the apartment or any of the bills. The last week we were together, I heard him yelling at someone on the phone, but I don’t remember much. My focus was on you two.” She glances at Jax and Bella, then back to me. “The trips were always by train around London.”
“Tell me about the cut: how did he get it, where was it and how deep?
“Maxwell, does it matter?”
“You know me, An—everything matters. Close your eyes and picture the cut. Describe what you see.”
She closes her eyes and seemingly gathers her thoughts. “He walked into the emergency room holding a bandage on his right arm. I helped gather all the necessary information from him and then took him back to a room. The nurse pulled away the bandage to expose his wound. She informed him that it was deep and would require stitches. She asked him how he got it. He laughed it off, saying he was messing around with his friends. He needed twenty-six stitches. Now tell me, how does that help you?”
I get up and begin my pace. “It tells me he was in a knife fight and that he is left-handed.”
“You’re right, Maxwell, he was left-handed but, how could you possibly know that?”
“A wound that size was probably not from horsing around with friends. From where you described the location of the wound, it tells me he put his right arm up to block the knife, and his left hand would have reached for it. Did your friend find out anything else?”
“Yes, Garth found out he was married, but I didn’t believe him. I could not imagine that the man I loved and trusted would betray me in the cruelest way possible. That’s why I went to see for myself.”
I stop pacing and pull her out of her chair and into my arms. This woman has become so much to me, I hope someday I will be able to express that to her. I hold her tightly as she begins to cry. “I’m so sorry that I had to put you through this. I’ll need to see those trinkets now, please.”
“Of c-course, Maxwell. I’ll be right back.” She leaves and I have a seat.
The three of us sit around the table, staring at each other . . . waiting. “Jax, believe me, mate, if there was any other way, I would never have put her through this.”
He pours himself a scotch, staring at the amber liquid as if all the answers are buried there. “I know, Max. What the hell was this man into?”
Before I can answer, An walks in with a box. “Here is everything I kept. I really don’t know why I kept it all, maybe to remind me of the fool I was.”
Jax leaps up, startling all of us. “Don’t ever consider yourself a fool; you did nothing wrong. I will have none of that, you hear?! The only person to blame is my father.” Emotions are running high; we all need to dial it down a notch.
“An, maybe you could make us some tea, please.” I quickly shoot a look at Jax that I know he’ll understand. When An makes tea, it calms her. I walk over to the box and lift the lid. I’m quickly looking through the contents. Shock is all I can register; I know exactly what my father was into.
I begin to close the box when Bella gets up, “What’s in the box, Max?”
She reaches in and lifts up one of the necklaces. I quickly
take it from her and whisper in her ear, “Not now, Bella.”
Jax follows An. “Mum, let me help you with the tea.”
“Maxwell, is anything in the box useful?” An glances over her shoulder at me.
“It’s too soon to tell, however I will go through it later. I think we’ve all had enough for today.”
“Thank you. I would like to lie down for a bit, if you would excuse me, please.”
The minute An is out of ear shot, Jax and Bella are all over me. “Max, what the fuck is in the box?”
“Calm down,” I hold my hand up for emphasis. “I had my suspicion from the story An told, but I knew, from the moment I lifted the lid, what the old man was into. Both of you take a look and tell me what you see.”
Bella lifts the lid and begins to pull them out. Each one is more spectacular than the last. When she pulls out the last one, she gasps. Her eyes are wide and as she opens her mouth to speak, but only silence is uttered.
Jax picks up some of the items. As he looks at them, his jaw becomes tight and his face reddens. He’s going to lose it, and I might not be able to stop him. “Jax, please try and calm down; think of your mum.”
“Max, are these real?” Bella finally finds her voice.
“One look at these, and even to a layperson, such as myself, I can see they are very valuable. I also venture to say that the ‘day trips’ were for moving the merchandise around. I don’t think An had a clue to any of this.”
Jax closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths. “Max, do you think he was a fence, a thief, or both?”
“I’m not sure. I’m going to look into some of these pieces and see if I can find out anything about them. In the meantime, I really think we should hold off for a couple of days. You’ve waited this long, a few more days to confront him won’t matter.”
Bella gets up and as she heads toward the door, she stops and turns on her heel. “I’ll give you two days, but then I’m leaving. I want answers—answers that only he can give me.”
With that, she’s gone, leaving Jax and me alone. “You’re very quiet, what are you thinking?”
Shattered Lies Page 3