by Ren Hamilton
She looked up, and even with the dark glasses hiding her eyes, he could see she was not in a joking mood. “Can we go inside? We need to talk.”
“Yeah, of course,” he said, “Come on in.”
He led Robin to the sofa, where she sat, removing her hat and glasses. Her crystal blue eyes looked strained and weary. Wavy blonde locks fell soft and loose around her shoulders, and the baby blue tee shirt matched her eyes. She looked soft and inviting, and Patrick quickly reminded himself that Robin was Shep’s girlfriend. Not his. “So I take it you didn’t have a very good time,” he said, offering her a glass of wine, which she gratefully accepted.
She took a long swallow of the wine. “It was weird, Obrien. It was really, really weird out there.”
“Did you see Kelinda?” he asked, unable to restrain his curiosity.
“No. She wasn’t there. They claimed she went away for the weekend to visit friends. That’s bullshit. I know all her friends.”
Patrick was stunned to see her hands shaking as she brought the wine glass to her lips. It was unsettling to see her so rattled. She was usually such a hard-ass.
“Weird that she wasn’t there if she knew you were coming to visit,” Patrick said.
“They don’t want me to see Kelinda. I don’t know why. But she’s living there all right. I saw her stuff. I saw her cat too.”
“Did you see Shep? And Joey? How were they acting? Are there followers? Do they—”
“Hold on, Obrien.” She held a hand up. “I’ll get to all of that. But there’s something I need to tell you first. It’s about Kelinda.”
“But you said you didn’t see Kelinda.”
“I didn’t. I saw her stuff.”
“You mean her clothes and personal items.”
“Yes.” She took a breath and let it out slowly, as if preparing for something. Patrick’s patience was wearing thin. If she was going to drop a bomb, he’d rather she just let it fly.
“Robin, I don’t know where this is headed, but whatever it is, spit it out.”
“She’s fucking Joey.”
Patrick blinked twice. “Excuse me?”
“I said she’s fucking Joey. Kelinda, I mean.”
Patrick looked off into space, showing no reaction as he struggled to absorb the statement. Robin waved a hand in front of his face. “Obrien? Don’t bug out on me, man. I haven’t even told you the really weird parts yet.”
Patrick looked at Robin. “Kelinda and Joey? Are you sure?”
“Pretty damn sure, yeah. I told Shep I wanted to leave her a note. He said she was staying in the back bedroom on the third floor. So I go up there, and the room is completely empty. Nothing in the closets, nothing in the drawers, nothing that belongs to Kelinda.”
Patrick moved closer to Robin on the sofa, intrigued despite his shock. “So what did you do?”
“Well, by this time I’m getting suspicious, but I’m also a little freaked out because Shep comes up and starts watching me like a hawk. I write a quick note and leave it on the pillow. Later that night, after Shep fell asleep, I went exploring. I went into Joey’s room. Her clothes were in his closets. Her birth control pills on the lamp table next to the bed. Suitcases, cosmetics, even her tampons for Christ sakes.”
Patrick leaned back on the couch, thinking. He didn’t want to believe it of course, but somehow he wasn’t as shocked as he should have been. Somehow, he knew. Somehow, he’d always known. He turned to Robin. “That’s pretty compelling evidence, but are you sure she’s actually sleeping with him, and not just storing her stuff in there?”
“Listen to me Obrien, and trust me. A woman does not leave a box of tampons in a man’s room unless she’s been intimate with him.”
“Yeah. I suppose you’re right.”
Robin placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. But I thought you should know.”
Patrick waited for the hurt to come, but it didn’t. Perhaps rejection and betrayal were becoming commonplace. Had he finally gone numb? Or were his feelings for Kelinda not what he thought they were? Whatever the reason, he felt nothing, except a befuddled curiosity. The last time he’d seen Kelinda she was fearful that someone might associate her with Joey. Now she was sleeping in his bed.
“So what’s this other weird stuff you have to tell me?” he asked.
Robin wrung her hands. “Okay. There are a group of followers that work in the fields by day and tent out around the guest house by night. They build campfires, play music, and dance like a bunch of gypsies. All in all, they seem to be having a pretty good time.”
Patrick smirked. “Does Joey make them bow down and kiss his feet?”
Robin smiled. “No. None of that. He does go out and give speeches to them. I wasn’t allowed to watch. The followers seem mesmerized by him, but they also seem comfortable around him. Shep said he and Joey have them all up to the big house for barbecues sometimes. That’s what the followers call the beach house. They live in the guest house, but Joey lives in ‘the big house’.”
“How quaint. What else?”
Robin’s face took on that strained look again, and Patrick caught veiled fear in her eyes. She leaned in close to him. “There are these three guys that live in the big house with Joey and Shep. I heard Shep refer to them as ‘the brothers’. They do errands for Shep, and they supervise the gardening out in the fields. They hang on Shep’s every word like he’s the answer to some prayer. He screams and yells at them, bosses them around, but at the same time he seems quite fond of them. He even pets and kisses them sometimes.”
“What?”
Robin nodded. “I know. I told you. It’s really weird out there.”
“So who the hell are these guys? Why do they get to live in the big house? Oh God, now I’m saying it. I mean the beach house.”
“I was introduced, but no explanation was given as to who they were, or what was their function. Shep avoided the subject when I brought it up, and I think he was going out of his way to keep me away from them. But I couldn’t help be curious, especially since they look so much like Shep. It’s creepy. Like they could really be his brothers.”
Patrick’s gut clenched. “They…they look like Shep?”
“Yeah, eerily. What’s wrong?”
Patrick buried his face in his hands. “Was one of them platinum blond, one a redhead, and one a brunette?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “How did you know that?”
“I can’t believe this. I think those are the guys that have been following me.”
“They’re following you? What the fuck?”
“It’s been going on for a while now. I’ve seen all three of them. They’re on the train, they’re in the restaurants I go to…I even chased one of them through the woods at Betsy’s house. God, I’ve been so stupid! All this time it was Shep having me followed. I thought it was the FBI.”
“Whoa, whoa.” Robin uttered a small laugh. “You went to Betsy’s? My Aunt Betsy’s? And did you say FBI?”
“Yes, but that’s a whole other story. Did they talk funny? The three guys I mean. Did they have a weird accent?”
“Well yes, but—”
“Damn it!” He slapped his thigh. “It’s got to be the same guys. I can’t believe Shep is having me followed.”
Robin put her hand on his. “Patrick, shut up and listen to me. It gets worse.”
“Worse? How could it get worse?”
“They have the scar.”
Patrick frowned. “Huh?”
“The three guys that live in the house, the ones that look like Shep. They all have the scar.” Her eyes looked haunted.
Patrick shook his head. “What scar?”
“The scar. The one on Shep’s back. The upside-down horseshoe. They all have it.”
“That’s impossible. Why would they have the scar? Shep’s father gave him that scar when he was little. He branded him with a horseshoe because—”
“I know,” Robin cut him off. “Because he was unlucky. I’ve heard the
story too, Obrien. But I’m telling you, these guys all have the identical scar.”
“That’s crazy! How do you know this?”
“I saw it with my own eyes. I told you I went exploring when Shep fell asleep. I sneaked downstairs and spied on them. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with my cousin Joey, but he was drunk as a skunk the whole time I was out there. Anyway, they were all in the Jacuzzi room. Joey was tossing bars of soap at them, and telling them to take a bath because they were getting their filth all over his new furniture. So the three brothers stripped out of their clothes and got into the tub. I saw them all naked. I saw their backs, Obrien. They had the scar.”
Patrick shook his head. “But why? Why would they have the scar?” He hadn’t meant to yell, but it came out that way.
Robin’s pretty face scrunched. “I don’t know why they have the damned scar!” she yelled. “I’m just telling you what I saw!”
Patrick stood, holding his arms up in surrender. “Okay, we both need to calm down. There has to be an explanation. What did Shep tell you about the brothers?”
She shrugged. “Not much. When I asked him about the resemblance, he said they liked to imitate his style, but that he wasn’t related to them. He’s completely full of shit, don’t you think? You’ve seen them. There’s no way those guys aren’t related to him.”
Patrick walked to the window and stared out, hands on his hips. “Why would Shep lie? If he had brothers, why didn’t he say so? He always told me he was an only child.”
“Yeah, same here,” Robin said. “No brothers, no sisters, no cousins even.” She walked over to join him. “Hey, Obrien, I’ve told you an awful lot here. I think it’s time you answered one of my questions.”
He glanced at her uneasily, knowing what she was about to ask. “Sure. What do you want to know?”
“Was the miracle a fake?”
He silently cursed Joey and Shep. How was it that he ended up being the one to tell Robin that her boyfriend and her cousin were a couple of sleazy con men? She watched him expectantly. He smiled sadly. “Of course it was a fake.”
She let her breath out. Calmly, she nodded. “I figured as much. I mean, I love Joey, but he’s no saint. Or prophet for that matter. Were you involved? Or maybe I don’t want to know.”
“I knew about it, yes, but I opposed the idea. I begged Joey not to go through with it. He promised he wouldn’t. They tricked me into going to the church that night. Shep told me Joey was contemplating suicide, and that he went to be with his family. They knew I’d deduct that he’d gone to the cemetery. I did. That’s when I spotted Joey on the roof of the church. I thought he was really in trouble. I didn’t realize it was a set up until I got to the roof and that…thing appeared.”
Robin frowned at Patrick. “They really did that to you? Joey and Shep?”
“They claimed that my ignorance made the whole thing more real. That was their excuse for betraying me and risking my life. Good theatre.”
“Wow.” Robin hung her head. “Now I understand why you’re not out at the Bluffs with them. I mean, I thought it was strange, you know? You three have always been so inseparable. Shit. They’ve really gone off the deep end.”
“Yeah,” Patrick said. “That’s why I’m so shocked that Kelinda would move out there. I mean, she of all people…”
He trailed off, seeing the stunned look on Robin’s face. “Kelinda was involved in this too?”
Patrick felt a stab of guilt for betraying Kelinda’s trust. He imagined her in bed with Joey, and the guilt dissipated. “Kelinda was the model for the apparition.”
Robin turned away from him. Surprisingly, she laughed. “Was it Russell and Craig? The Hoax Patrol?”
“Yes.”
Robin laughed again and leaned against the couch. “I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out sooner. But Kelinda! Her dad’s a deacon for crying out loud. Why would she agree to be involved in something like that?”
She and Patrick looked at each other as the realization hit. “Joey,” they said in unison.
Robin took Patrick’s hand. “Do you think you could talk to Joey? Do you think you could get him out of this stupid church nonsense? He’ll listen to you, Obrien. He looks up to you.”
Patrick doubted that Joey looked up to him in anything other than height. But he did want to try and get Joey out of Forest Bluffs, at least before the Feds got hold of him. Along with Betsy, this was now the second woman from the Duvaine family that had asked him in no uncertain terms to save Joey’s crazy ass. The problem was, he wasn’t sure Joey wanted saving. He wasn’t sure about anything anymore. And the priest’s comment was still echoing in his mind, demanding an explanation he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear. You never did a blood ceremony, did you?
He looked at Robin’s pleading face. “I think there’s something you need to hear. But you have to promise not to freak out.”
“Okay. No freak-outs. What is it?”
Patrick told her about the FBI and his visit with Father Carbone. “They want me to infiltrate the group out at Forest Bluffs. For some reason, they’re interested in what they have growing in the fields out behind the house.”
“The fields? Really? It just looked like a bunch of grain to me. Shep said it was some sort of investment project. What does the FBI think it is? Drugs?”
“I’m not sure, but they want to know desperately enough to trust in me. They want me to go out there and pretend to be all cozy with Joey and Shep again. My time is about up. I have to give them my answer.”
Robin gave him somber blue eyes. “I don’t want Joey to get in any trouble,” she said.
“All I have to do is get a sample of the crop, and I’m out of there. If it’s nothing but a bunch of grain as you say, then they leave it alone.”
“And if it’s not?”
Patrick sighed. “If it’s not, I don’t know what they’re going to do. But I’m with you. I don’t want Joey or Shep to get in any trouble, regardless of how pissed I am at them. I figure if I do this, prove they’re not terrorists or drug dealers or whatever, the feds will back off. I kind of don’t have a choice.”
“No, I guess you don’t.” Robin looked thoughtful, tapping her chin with her index finger. “You know, if you wanted to infiltrate, it would be really easy for you. They talk about you all the time out there.”
“Who talks about me?”
“Joey, Shep, hell I even heard some of the followers talking. Joey seems particularly upset that you’re not out there.”
Patrick frowned. This was the part he didn’t get. “What did you hear them say?”
“Just little comments like ‘Obrien will come around’ or ‘things will be better when Obrien gets here’. I even heard Shep tell one of the brothers that Joey would stop drinking so much when you got there.”
Patrick shook his head, scowling. “That is fucking unsettling. I’ve made it clear that I have no intentions on joining them. Why would they think differently? And why does it matter to them if I go out there or not?”
“I can’t answer those questions, Patrick. I’m just saying if you did want to go out there and spy on them or whatever, it would be a breeze. They’d welcome you with open arms.”
“I don’t know,” he said, doubtful. “I think they’d be suspicious. They know me too well. They know I wouldn’t just suddenly have a change of heart.”
Robin shrugged. “From what you’ve told me, they’re trying to break you down, leave you so frustrated with your life that joining them is the only option. They obviously expect you to crack eventually.”
“I have to go see somebody before I make my final decision. I need to ask that Father Carbone about something he said to me.”
“I’m going with you,” she declared.
“No. You’re not.”
“Why? I want to be involved!”
“Sorry, Robin, but no way. You’re too close to the situation. You can’t be objective.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Yo
u’re close to the situation yourself. You’ve been Shep’s bitch longer than I have.”
Patrick narrowed his eyes. “I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that. You can’t go. I know you, Robin. You get defensive when it comes to Joey. The priest will say one thing about him and you’ll go valving off at the mouth. If anyone talks about Joey, you rough them up.”
She laughed. “Rough them up? I do not make a habit of manhandling clergymen. You make me sound like a lunatic.”
Patrick raised an eyebrow.
“Fuck you, Obrien.”
“I’m only saying, you may hear some unsettling things about Joey and Shep. I’m not going to sit there and listen to lies about them, but I do want to hear what the priest has to say. And I want to know why there’s an investigation in the first place. It they’re going to accuse my friends of terrorism, or whatever the hell this is about, then they’d better have some damn good reasons.”
Robin hung her head. Much to his dismay, she started to sob. It completely disarmed him. “Oh, no. Come on, Robin. Don’t cry!” She continued to weep tiny muffled sounds into her hands. Patrick went to her and pulled her in to his chest. He expected her to pull away but she let him hold her. He lifted her chin and wiped her eyes. She allowed him to do so. He looked into her crystalline blue eyes, just a shade darker than Joey’s but identical in shape. “Your eyes are like Joey’s,” he said, uncomfortable suddenly. He’d never been this close to her.
She sniffled. “So I’ve been told.”
He felt strange and warm with his arms around her. He could smell her soapy scent and feel the bones in her shoulders, and the way her back curved into her tiny waist. He was afraid to hold on to her, but he was afraid that if he let her go too abruptly, she would sense his discomfort.
“Let me go see the priest with you,” she said. “I might be able to help. I know Joey and Shep as well as you do.”
“But how do I know you won’t rough up the priest?” He grinned.
“You’re going to have to trust me.”
“Oh? Why should I put my faith in you? I’ve already got one Duvaine on my shit list.”