by Mima
Now rushing to catch up to him, Diego followed Chase into Jolene’s office and closed the door, noting that Beverly wasn’t in the room. Unlike the others, she appeared stunned to see him back to the office, her eyes immediately filled with tears as she jumped up from her desk and ran toward him, her full bosom squashed against his chest as she gave him a tight hug. “Oh, Chase! I am so sorry, oh my goodness, your heart, it must be so broken.”
“Jolene!!” Diego snapped beside them. “For fuck sakes! I told you not to do this!”
“It’s, it’s ok,” Chase gently replied, surprised that he wasn’t feeling emotional as he looked into Jolene’s eyes as she backed away, wiping a stray tear away and clearing her throat. “I’m fine. It’s fine.”
Diego didn’t appear convinced and took a deep breath, looking toward the door. “I will go get you a coffee.”
With that, he awkwardly slid out of the room, softly closing the door behind him.
“I’m sorry, Chase, I didn’t mean to cry all over you,” Jolene sniffed and reached for a Kleenex on her desk. “I didn’t mean to but as soon as I see you, I could not help it. I just am so sad for you.I cannot imagine, you know? I cannot imagine how you must feel.”
“I know,” Chase shared a sincere smile with her. “It’s ok, Jolene.”
She leaned against her desk and nodded. “You and I, we’ve been together for a long time now. You’re family to me and I know Diego, he feels the same. We are so sad for you. He may not show it, but he, he’s very depressed for you too. He try to make it better but he does not know how, you know?”
“I know,” Chase nodded. “There’s really not much anyone can do.”
“I know, I know,” She waved her hand in the air and walked behind her desk again and sat down. “I cannot believe this has happened to you.”
Diego returned with two cups of coffee on a tray.
“Diego, a tray, you really needed a tray?” Jolene reached for her own coffee cup, already sitting on the desk.
“Yes, Jolene, I really needed a tray,” Diego commented and dramatically continued. “See me, I only have two hands and I can’t open the door and hold two cups without making a mess.”
“Okay, you do not have to be snippy, Diego.”
He brought the tray over to Chase and gestured toward his cup.
“Thank you,” Chase said and graciously took it while Diego took the other and sat the tray on Jolene’s desk. The two of them sat down.
“Do they know who did this to your son?” Jolene abruptly asked.
“Jolene!” Diego snapped. “For God sakes, woman, can you leave it alone!”
“It’s okay,” Chase said and put up his hand. “It’s okay, Diego, I don’t mind answering.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” Diego muttered and continued to look frustrated with his sister.
Jolene appeared stunned by her brothers remark.
“They know who did it but it seems it was an accident,” Chase quietly answered. “I don’t want to get into it a lot but I think he’s going to just get a slap on the wrist.”
“What?” Jolene appeared confused. “A slap? What?”
“I mean,” Chase hesitated for a moment, as if he suddenly couldn’t think, he noted that Diego appeared concerned. “It means, he won’t be punished much for it. At least, I don’t think he will.”
“What?” Jolene snapped. “Are you joking with me, Chase? That is not right! He must go to prison and die there!”
Diego gave her a sharp warning glance and she immediately shrunk in her chair.
“I’m sorry, Chase,” She sounded regretful. “I keep saying wrong thing. I just mean, he should be punished for what he did.”
“I agree but I know how the court system works,” Chase spoke honestly, feeling defeated by the same topic he and Audrey had discussed many times. “The worst part is that everything is played down. I mean, the guy is the town drunk, he was probably drunk at the time.”
He noted the anger in Diego’s eyes as he exchanged looks with his sister.
“Also, he has a tendency of hunting when he wants, where he wants and not following the rules,” Chase continued and bit his lower lip. “He claims he was practicing on bottles and didn’t see Leland. Everyone in Hennessey knows what he is like but when it comes to court, none of that will come up cause it’s what we know about him in general, not about that morning.”
“Who is this man?” Jolene asked and made a face as she picked up her coffee.
“His name is Luke Prince.”
“Prince?” She curled up her lips in a similar fashion as Diego often did then made a fist and slammed it on the desk. “Well, Luke Prince, may you rot in hell.”
“Can we not talk about this anymore?” Diego cut in awkwardly and the siblings exchanged looks, Jolene giving a quick nod.
“Yes, I know you are right,” She cleared her throat. “Let’s not talk on this no more.”
“Oh God,” Diego rushed in to change the topic. “Jolene, your English is so bad. I cringe every time you talk.”
“I speak fine,” She snapped. “You, you do not worry about me.”
There was an awkward silence and when Chase glanced toward Diego, he noted that he was biting his bottom lip, his eyes a million miles away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
What started off as an intense pain slowly evolved into anger; another kind of misery that ate at his soul every day and although Chase hid it well, he constantly thought about his son.
Already out on bail, Luke Prince claimed to not know he had shot anything - anything as if Leland wasn’t even a child, just another animal wandering through the woods. Of course, there were complaints about where the shooting took place since it was too close to private property but somehow that seemed inconsequential. The justice system was more concerned about the accused’s rights, stating that he was apparently ‘disorientated’ at the time and that his gun ‘accidentally’ discharged. He had no idea that there was anyone in the woods and in fact, his lawyers were questioning why Leland wasn’t being monitored better; how did the child escape Louise Jacobs’ house without her knowing? Was she a neglectful guardian?
It was a game Leland liked to play. While savages like Luke Prince wandered through the wooded area shooting at defenseless animals and slapping themselves on the chest when they made a ‘kill’, Chase’s son ran through the edge of the woods looking to capture various animals to bring home. In the child’s world, he was merely playing cops and robbers; the small animals were the robbers and he was capturing them, much like a cat after its prey. He rarely was successful, more thrilled by the chase than the capture but he had been known to snatch up a wiggly toad before it managed to escape and hop away. There were also snakes but he hadn’t been allowed to capture them since scaring his mother when he brought one into the house. Most of the time it was a butterfly and on one occasion, Audrey found him sitting on the ground with a small bird perched on his hand.
He was a daredevil and as such, often put himself in dangerous positions - climbing on unstable furniture, hanging from the banister, jumping off the bed and on top of his brothers - the list was endless and yet, their fears were usually that he would just break an arm or leg. It never occurred to them that he would wander into the woods and get shot.
The worst part was that Luke Prince didn’t seem to think he was accountable. He appeared to have no remorse. Audrey insisted that his lawyer probably told him to keep a stiff upper lip to not seem weak but when before the judge, show regret and disbelief that he committed such a crime. It seemed unreal that people were even taking his claims seriously but they were.
Luke Prince was older than Chase. Always on the football team during high school, he was part of the unofficial alpha dog club of Hennessey; the same one that had rejected Chase, yet because of his size and strength, generally kept their distance too. He wa
s the kind who thought being a man was in direct correlation to how much liquor you could drink and still stand up and how big of an animal you could kill. This time, he got the biggest kill of all, Chase bitterly thought.
Luke worked in the oil fields for weeks at a time and had just returned home a few days before shooting Leland: something that locals knew meant that he was ‘on a drunk’ since that was his regular routine. Chase had seen it with his own eyes while working at Bud’s bar years earlier. So many times had he watched Luke - or ‘the Prince’ as some called him - strut up to the door, already smelling of alcohol either with a ‘lady friend’ or some of ‘the boys’ showing off his money, paying for drinks and being an overall jackass. Bud had been the icon for white trash and yet he looked down at Luke as if he were the dirt below his feet. He always instructed Chase to be ready for a fight or some tense situation if ‘that fucking hillbilly started something’ and it wasn’t uncommon for Chase and Bud to find any reason to escort him out.
Chase didn’t talk about it much with Diego. The few questions he did ask were carefully worded as if he didn’t want to kick the hornet’s nest but gently tap it. His reactions were always calm, his face tense even though he rarely said anything, it was clear Diego shared his anger but yet, never expressed it. Perhaps, they didn’t have to since they shared a bond that was stronger than any words that could be spoken.
The weeks went by and somehow got a little easier and in some ways, more difficult. Audrey grew angrier, while Chase heard that his own mother had aged overnight. She no longer took the children to her house. Audrey didn’t offer them and Louise Jacobs didn’t ask. Chase felt numb. No longer sad or angry, he felt nothing.
His actions were mechanical. Work was a distraction and where he once was the ‘nice’ one in the office, he discovered himself to become tougher, even grabbing Sylvana’s attention when he snapped at her one day. Stunned, she quickly apologized and scurried away but he instantly saw a change in how she acted around him. He felt stronger, powerful, and not just Diego’s lackey, dutifully following behind.
While he avoided Deborah upon returning to work, something between them changed over the weeks. Where he originally had no interest in hooking up with her, a couple of weeks after returning, a gentle brush up against him in the staff room prompted a fast hookup in the public washroom two floors down. It was a release that seemed to remove him from his current life, if only just for a short few minutes and it was the start of an affair that was pretty regular, if only for selfish reasons. It was an emotionally void and ideal for both because neither had anything to give.
Fortunately, no one at the office was aware of their affair. Diego knew that Chase was spending much more time at the gym, releasing his anger on the heavy bag and certainly had no idea of the sexual relationship he often shared with Deborah after going to the gym. The fierceness he released on the punching bag was nothing compared to the passion that sprung between the sheets after the gym, the only way he could escape the dark thoughts that followed him every day. It was the only time that he wasn’t thinking of his deceased child.
Grief has many stages. Where Audrey was once full of anger, she was falling into a depression as the holidays grew near. She dreaded Christmas. They both did. It was too painful and although Chase’s ex-wife was speaking to a counselor, Chase was starting to wonder if it was working. She was doing worse, not better. Then again, was he doing any better either?
Diego insisted that the best way to move forward was to get involved in a new project.
“At first, I thought it would be boxing,” Diego commented one day while they were at work. Chase was sitting at his desk, feeling ill after learning that the charges against Luke Prince would probably be minimal. The police finding little reason to not believe his story of shooting a child in error. It was like a nightmare. Diego knew about this and insisted the best way to get through it was to preoccupy his mind. Chase was surprised he was the voice of reason.
“But now,” Diego continued, “I think, we need to work on some new ideas for next year. You know, the parties are still popular but you can’t let things get stale. We got to keep moving forward.”
Chase silently nodded.
“We have a meeting soon, you and I, with someone who is very important to this company,” Diego commented as he closed his laptop and relaxed in his chair. Dark eyes shone from across the room as he pressed his lips together and rocked back in the chair while staring at Chase, “An important investor, a silent partner.”
“We have a silent partner?” Chase was surprised. “I guess, I just thought…”
“That it was only me and Jolene running the show?” Diego grinned and slowly shook his head back and forth before sitting upright again and pulling his chair closer to the desk. “No, but in fairness, it’s not something I talk about and most people around here, they know better than to ask too many questions. That’s how I like my employees. I want them to do their job and not worry about these things.”
“How long has this person been a partner?”
“From day one,” Diego raised his eyebrows and tapped a finger on his laptop. “He and you will meet sometime soon. I think it’s time you get more involved in this business, the behind the scene stuff, not just the office.”
Chase silently nodded. A strange sensation seemed to creep up inside of him, causing his heart to lurch. He shared a look with Diego that was strong. The truth hidden in dark corners was about to be exposed and he was ready.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“Fuck its cold!” Diego complained as they made their way to his car on a late November morning. The temperatures were slightly unseasonable but yet, Chase didn’t have the heart to tell him that the worst was yet to come, that the chill of that morning was minor compared to the bitterly cold days in January and February. Granted, he was also new to Ontario and someone told him that it wasn’t as bad in Toronto as Calgary, regardless he knew Diego would hate it. Having lived in Colombia and then California, winter was a foreign concept. “How do you people stand it?”
“We’re used to it,” Chase gently replied as he got into the passenger side and buckled his seatbelt. “Wait till it starts snowing.”
Starting the car, Diego didn’t respond as he turned up the heat and flew out of the parking garage. Their daily ritual had formed throughout the months and although Chase was now looking at buying a car, he knew he would continue to go to work with Diego in the mornings. Even though he would’ve preferred to arrive at the office a little earlier, he learned to go with the flow and not say anything.
As they drove to work, Chase felt his heart grow heavy as he noticed the Christmas decorations in the windows of various shops throughout the city and he automatically thought about Audrey and the twins. How would they get through this holiday season? Although they all were doing a little better since Leland’s death, it was still a hole in everyone’s heart that would never go away.
“Today is the day,” Diego interrupted his thoughts, an appreciated gesture at that moment. “Today, you will meet our major investor, our silent partner.”
Slightly unprepared, Chase opened his mouth to respond but wasn’t sure what to say. Not that it mattered, Diego was already talking again.
“I told him that we can trust you,” Diego airily commented, as if there were no suggestion behind his words. Chase felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck but ignored it. At one time, this would’ve unnerved him. Now, nothing could throw him off course. After losing a child, anything seemed manageable in comparison. Nothing scared him like it once did; now that he had faced his worst fear.
Chase made eye contact with Diego as they sat at a red light and gave a quick nod, a vague smile on his lips.
“He’s Mexican but we, we get along okay,” Diego wrinkled his nose as he spoke, almost as if there were something tickling it and quickly shifted his attention back to the road as the car moved for
ward.
“You make it sound as if that’s a surprise,” Chase commented and grinned to himself.
“Nah, you know, sometimes, you can’t trust those Mexicans,” Diego spoke skeptically, his body shifted uncomfortably in the seat. “But, I got to give credit where its due and this man you will meet today, is a clever business man.”
“Where did you meet him?”
“When I was in California,” Diego answered, appearing slightly more comfortable. “He was….a business contact of my daddy. He contacted me after he heard that I was thinking of starting a business and said to keep him in mind, that maybe we could work together. The rest is history.”
“Does he live in California?”
“No, he lives in Mexico but he travels some with his work, throughout North America, I don’t know where else,” Diego began to twitch again. “I don’t ask.”
Arriving at the office, everything about the day seemed relatively normal. The meeting with the mystery investor was to take place at 10 a.m. at a luxury hotel in the downtown area. Chase was as eager to see inside the building as he was to meet this man, having never visited a pricey hotel, he wanted to compare it to some of the places he had stayed as a kid.
As it turns out, there was no comparison. The hotel was beautiful from the outside alone, while the inside was nothing short of spectacular. Chase could almost smell money as he walked through the doors; everything from the decor, to the courteous staff that made him feel like a king returning to his palace; it was easy to see how someone could get used to this lifestyle. He often wondered if that was how Diego’s ‘daddy’ had lured him in so many years ago; was the promise of living a charmed life with all the comforts too much to deny? Chase wasn’t so sure he would’ve been able to deny it either if he was in his shoes.
Not that Diego had specifically said that he lived an elegant life but it appeared that he was pretty carefree, without the worry of paying rent, for school or anything else but in other ways, Chase recognized that maybe it did affect him. There was a vulnerable side to him that he rarely displayed but for some reason, he was showing it that morning. Did this man, the investor, intimidate Diego? Had they had a relationship of some kind? There was something odd about his body language all morning that Chase couldn’t put his finger on. There was something off about this entire situation.