DEADLY HOPE a gripping detective mystery full of twists and turns

by Jack Parker

  "Luci, you look at me, girl," Katherine commanded, and Luci obeyed. "They're messing you around, Dear Heart. If they thought they could prove anything, you would still be in that cell. Now start the damn car and drive." Maybe it was the accent that made Luci obey her blunt commands.

  We rode in silence and arrived at Carver quickly. I breathed deeply when I walked through the front door. The sight and scent of the old wood surrounded me, relaxing my body. Katherine practically bolted towards Luci's office. I stared at Luci as she looked around the entrance of her home. After a few moments, her icy blue eyes landed on mine. They were empty. She'd become so overwhelmed with the morning's events that she literally felt nothing, I assumed. It was the only explanation.

  "My proper surname is Carver," she admitted quietly, the usual softness of her blue silk voice had vanished, and I longed for its swift return.

  "So, that means that your family…" She nodded. "Damn." I looked around the Great Hall in astonishment. I didn't even know who my grandparents were.

  "My great-great-great-grandfather founded this town. My great-great-grandfather commissioned this house." Her voice continued in monotone, and I reached for Luci. I just wanted to touch her, be near her, take her pain. She flinched when I touched her arm but did not pull away like she had at the courthouse.

  "Luci, I'm sorry for all of this. I never wanted to get you involved in my messed up life. That's why I didn't want to come work for you at first. I'm sorry." She slipped her hand onto the back of my neck and pulled me closer. My body reacted instantly, readily. I'd longed for her to return any sort of gesture or emotion all morning, and could not have described the level of my relief if I'd tried.

  She lowered her forehead to mine and closed her eyes in relief. She needed tangible proof of my continued presence at her side, and I was more than happy to give it. I settled my hands on her hips and traced her sides with my thumbs. She sniffed and pulled away to search my eyes for any reservations.

  "You should bathe and rest, Lauren. I feel certain you did neither last night." I nodded. Dirt still spattered my hands from my work with David yesterday, and I'm fairly certain my tank top had begun to stink even before I'd reached the holding cell last night.

  "You should, too. The resting part, I mean." One side of her mouth lifted and tried to smile but didn't quite make it.

  "There will be time later. I must go put my files in order presently. I will collect you later, and we shall chat about this if you wish." A semblance of her blue silk had returned, and I wished that I could turn her voice into something corporeal just to feel it physically glide across my skin. I smiled.

  "Okay. Try not to worry too much." She nodded once and then turned towards her office. I watched her until she disappeared behind the closed door and then climbed the stairs wearily. I had intended to shower and then crawl into bed, but the second I set eyes on my huge comfy bed, all thoughts of personal hygiene were forgotten. I may have fallen back asleep before my head ever touched the pillow.

  I awoke when the bed beside me sunk, and my unconscious mind sensed the presence of another person near. I jerked towards the intruder but relaxed when Luci's face smiled down at me. She lay on her side with head propped on her hand. "I do believe you sleep more than any other I've ever met."

  "Making up for lost years, I guess." I rubbed my eyes. "What time is it?"

  "Just after 4 in the afternoon." She had returned to herself once more, and my chest uncoiled in relief. Angry Luci was terrifying, but depressed Luci was worst.

  "Why did you let me sleep so long?" Not that I wasn't grateful, but I'd just slept an entire day away when I should have been at Luci's side, comforting, supporting.

  "You were exhausted, Darling. At any rate, Berta is preparing an early supper. I believe we shall all bid goodnights a shade earlier than usual this night." She seemed to be babbling to herself more than me as she stood and straightened her clothes.

  "I'm going to take a quick shower and then I'll be down. Tell everyone else to go ahead and eat." I stretched my arms above my head and groaned as my vertebrae realigned. I felt good despite the investigation and the revelation of Luci's real identity. I honestly didn't care that she'd changed her name or that she had been involved in the death of her classmate. She wasn't a bad person and hadn't meant for anyone to get hurt. She'd been a scared kid who had made a bad decision and paid the emotional price as a consequence.

  "As you wish, Darling." I smiled and pulled my shirt over my head as I turned towards the bathroom. "Lauren?" Luci called, and I poked my head around the door frame. "If you want to talk about all of this, please don't hesitate. It has been stressful for all of us, but you most of all. Remember that you are not alone." She smiled a full, complete, teeth-revealing smile. I'd only seen it a few times before. The expression felt odd given the current circumstances but no less stunning. Luci was a strange being indeed.

  "Thank you. That means a lot to me." I offered a smile of my own, forced as it was. She nodded and turned to the door, and I closed myself up in the bathroom and leaned against the cool wood. Maybe we'd get through this relatively unscathed if Luci and I relied on each other for emotional and mental support.

  I had only intended to bathe and go downstairs as quickly as possible, but as the warm jet spray soothed my aching shoulders and racing thoughts, I found myself unwilling to leave the safety and comfort of the shower. I was surprised to find my hands wrinkled and ghost white from the water. Dinner had probably gotten cold. I dried quickly and pulled on a pair of basketball shirts and baggy t-shirt, toweling my hair as I wiggled into my old sneakers. I really should take those fat checks Luci had been sending to my bank account and buy new cloths. I'd become so consumed with the goings-on at the manor that I hadn't even bothered to see how much she'd been compensating me. I only know that she had because the payroll column in her ledger book increased, but I'd never calculated how much.

  The house had grown cool during my nap, and goose bumps trailed up my damp legs as I descended the stairs. I was beginning to rethink my choice of clothes, but when I stepped into the dining room, I found that it was warmer than the Great Hall. Luci sat in front of a plate covered in a silver dome; another sat to the chair at her right, my place. No one else was in the room, and I assumed they had already eaten while I was in the shower and gone off to finish chores or relax for the day. She stood when I entered and sat only when I took my seat. She studied my very casual dress with an amused smirk and uncovered her food.

  "You certainly do things your own way, don't you, Love?" She sipped from a glass of water and then straightened her back to its full length as she positioned herself a few inches from her plate. Her perfect etiquette always made me smile. In her home surrounded by such elegance, her mannerisms were appropriate, but when she had eaten at Barb's during our first month of acquaintance, her erect posture and controlled movements while eating were incredibly misplaced. I grinned.

  "Always have." I uncovered the rosemary chicken and steamed vegetables and inhaled the herb-scented steam wafting from the food. I missed burgers and fries and chocolate milkshakes, but Berta's dishes were absolutely delicious.

  "I've noticed." I watched her fork slide between her full lips as she placed a piece of zucchini on her tongue. I'd seen her do it a hundred times, but my eyes fixated on her full lips, envious of the food, as adrenaline shot through my fingertips. Where had that come from? I shook my head and forced my gaze to the food in front of me. I suddenly had no appetite but obligingly cut into the chicken with my fork and shoved a piece into my mouth unceremoniously. I chewed quickly and swallowed.

  "So, I've been thinking about your company, and I realize that I have no idea exactly what it is that you do. I think I'm ready to start learning. I know that I still have a lot to learn about the stock market and investing and stuff, but I want to be ready when the time comes." She paused for a sip of water and set her fork at the edge of her plate. She leaned back and fixed a thoughtful gaze upon me as she consid
ered my statement.

  "Very well." She leaned forward and reclaimed her fork. "I own three companies in the United States and one in England. You needn't worry about those at the moment. I've personally handpicked vice presidents of the highest integrity. I simply review the revenue reports and make sure that a certain percentage is directly deposited into my bank account. On occasion, I visit headquarters without warning only to ensure that the highest efficiency is being achieved and schedule unofficial interviews with one or two random employees from every type of service, from janitorial to VP. Everyone is entitled to fair pay and a decent, safe work environment." Her eyes lit up with pride when she talked about her companies, an expression I'd never before seen on her face. She truly valued every human being under her employment, whether she knew all of their names or not.

  "So, if I don't have to worry about those, what do I need to worry about?" She sliced a piece of chicken and raised it to her mouth. I swallowed as I watched her pouty lips glide over the fork again before I could command my eyes elsewhere. She chewed and sighed as she thought of the best explanation for her work.

  "Wherever I currently reside is the place where I search out companies in need of investors, such as the sawmills or Barb's. I generally work on a much larger scale than mom and pop businesses, but I must work with what I am granted. I am then hired out as a contractor of sorts to find and convince larger investors to commit to the companies. In return, I generally receive a very small percentage, which could number anywhere between a few thousand to a few million depending on the investor and the company. Additionally, the company for whom I've contracted an investor gifts several thousand dollars worth of stocks to me as incentive for my continued service if the results are amiable." She shrugged a shoulder like she'd just explained basic math to me and cut into her chicken absently.

  "You make it sound so easy. I'm really, really not qualified to do what you do, Luci. I'm sorry." A slight panic rose in my chest, and I placed my fork gently on my plate before my hands started to tremble.

  "Nonsense." She still believed I could do it, and I knew that I couldn't. Would she keep me on her staff if I refused?

  "I don't even know how to keep a check book. What makes you so sure I can talk people into investing millions of dollars?" She smirked and bit into a piece of steamed zucchini.

  "Do not underestimate yourself, Darling. You may go to college and obtain a degree in business or finance or accounting if you wish, but you already have everything you need, which is yourself."

  "Myself," I repeated depreciatively. I wasn't seeing what she saw. I was a barely high school educated, promiscuous girl from Podunk nowhere, West Virginia. At least Luci had breeding and sophistication to fall back on when everything else failed. I had nothing. I scooted my food around the half-empty plate with my fork and tried to overcome the pity pooling in my stomach.

  "Yes, yourself. Get off your cross and look at me, Lauren." Her voice had changed, a red silk edge had hardened it enough to catch my attention, and I raised my eyes but not my head.

  "My cross?" I almost laughed at the Biblical term.

  "Indeed. Despite what you'd like everyone to believe about you, Darling, you have a severe lack of self-esteem. You constantly apologize for events and actions for which you should hold no feasible responsibility or guilt, such as your father poisoning Mr. Hedrick's cows. Every mistake or unfortunate event is willingly placed on your shoulders because you believe if you apologize enough or appear guilty enough, the people around you won't blame you or, more importantly, abandon you. You need to believe in your abilities a bit more. When you look at yourself and all that you are in your mind's eye, you still see a waitress in a hideous red polo shirt. I see an incredibly intelligent young woman. You know how to read people and situations, see into the minds of others and pluck their deepest desires to the forefront, yet you are observant enough to understand when and how far to push in order to obtain the highest results. That skill makes you uniquely qualified to do what I do. Your youthful charm and elegant, if a bit rough beauty, only adds to your appeal."

  I smiled when she stopped to take a breath. "You think I'm beautiful?" One high pitched laugh escaped her mouth, and she shook her head at me.

  "All of that, and the only compliment you gleaned pertained to your physical desirability." She smirked and chewed a piece of chicken simultaneously as she stared at me with amused eyes. A jolt of adrenaline singed my cheeks at her choice of words, and I turned my gaze to my food.

  "Ah, Berta, another excellent meal. Much gratitude for your flexibility with the schedule this evening." Luci grinned up at Berta who was standing in the doorway with two plates of some type of cake on a tray. I shifted my eyes between the two women as the tension grew. Luci wasn't nice to Berta, ever. What was different about tonight? Luci's mouth tightened as the smile became more forced at Berta's silence.

  "You've made tiramisu for dessert this evening. Excellent choice." Luci attempted again, but Berta only stared. I started when she finally moved from the door and sat the tray on the table at Luci's left hand.

  "Thank you, Berta, dinner was wonderful as usual." The old cook patted me on the shoulder and grinned as she reached for my plate, but her eyes held the unmistakable glare of anger as she turned to Luci.

  "You need to tell her the truth about you, Luci, before you end up alone. This is the last time I clean up your mess." I swallowed roughly as Luci's rage swirled palpably around the room.

  "You need close your mouth this instant, Berta, and remember your place, which is to serve me," Luci seethed, barely containing her emotions.

  "I served your mother, girl. I raised you like my own daughter and I'm here now to look after you and good thing I am, too. You always were sloppy, leaving messes all over the place." Berta snapped back, meeting Luci's anger with her own. I pressed myself into the chair, but the motion did little to remove me from the situation. Luci pressed her hands flat on the table and stood so abruptly that her chair tipped onto the floor.

  "Remove yourself from this room and do your job, old woman. I require tea and Lauren coffee," Luci commanded in dangerously deep red silk that washed over my face and gripped my spine. I blinked rapidly as my fight or flight response kicked in and I struggled to hold myself in the chair. I wasn't sure if I wanted to run or take up a defensive stance, but I knew that I didn't want to be sitting here right now.

  "Lauren, I will be right back with your coffee." She shuffled from the room. Luci hung her head between her shoulders and breathed heavily. I dared not speak or move for fear of triggering her anger. Berta returned less than a minute later with two cups. Luci didn't move. Berta placed my coffee beside my dessert plate and Luci's tea by hers. She placed her hand on my cheek for just a second in what I assumed was supposed to be a comforting gesture before she exited the room again.

  I watched Luci's body slowly relax and waited until she'd gained control of her emotions enough for me to speak. "Luci?" I stood and retrieved the chair from the floor, positioning it against the back of her knees. She instantly sat and propped her elbows on the edge of the table, face buried in her hands.

  "Are you okay?" I slid into my seat and studied her body language. I hadn't a clue what had just transpired between the two elders of the house but I was curious to find out. Luci pulled her shoulders back and straightened her spine before she uncovered her face.

  "Yes, Darling. Just a misunderstanding is all." She didn't believe anything she'd just said, but I waited until she'd taken two sips of her tea before I pressed any further.

  "What was that about?" I asked carefully as I poked at the tiramisu with my fork. It was covered in a red sauce and smelled faintly like chocolate. I cut a tiny slice from the tip and tested the taste on my tongue. I would have moaned as the cold cake exploded into a combination of sweet coffee, cream and whatever flavor the sweet red sauce was.

  "Do you like it?" I nodded enthusiastically and slipped another bite onto my tongue. One side of her mouth quirked
upwards at my child-like satisfaction with the dessert, but I knew it was forced.

  "I shall ask Berta to make it more often, then." She sipped her tea, and I leaned back in the chair as I studied her.

  "Please do," I answered, but my mind was a thousand miles away from the delicious dessert suddenly.

  "So are you going to tell me what really happened?" I asked and then sipped my coffee. Berta had added sugar and cream already, and I smiled. It wasn't quite to my exact specifications but close enough that I couldn't possibly complain.

  "As I explained, Darling. Berta and I have had a misunderstanding of sorts. It will run its course in a few days and then be over, I assure you." Her voice had resumed its neutral blue silk texture, but her eyes told me that she wasn't being completely honest.

  "Come on, Luci. This is me you're talking to. I just want to help." I tried again, but she ignored my comment and placed a forkful of tiramisu into her mouth. Her eyelids batted involuntarily and her shoulders sagged when the dessert hit her tongue. If I hadn't been so determined to uncover the truth behind Berta's rift with Luci, I might have jumped out of my chair. I pushed the distracting dessert away and sipped my coffee.

  "Does this have anything to do with me being arrested?" Her fork clattered against her plate, and I interpreted her silence as an affirmative answer. "She's pissed because I was arrested? Why is she angry with you, then? You didn't have me arrested."

  "Why is this so important to you?" Her face reddened as her anger flared again, but I was too far invested to quit now.

  "I just want to know, all right. And if it is about this stupid investigation, then I think I have a right to know what I'm not being told. That's all," I said firmly and crossed my arms over my chest. I may have appeared defiant and confident, but in reality, I wanted to run away from Luci's searing gaze.