by Cameron Dane
Imploring with his stare, killing Maddie with the lost look, Jayden turned to her. “I didn’t do anything.” His voice broke much more than the normal teen cracks, and moisture started filming his eyes. “I didn’t.”
Maddie rushed out of her seat and took Jayden by the arms, focusing only on him. “If you swear you didn’t take anything, then I will believe you.” Rubbing his arms, she ached for the shivers running through him, but still pushed, imploring him, as if it was just the two of them talking. “But if you did go into my house, you can also tell me that. I don’t want to get you in trouble, Jayden. If you need money for you and your mom and didn’t have any good options, then we can talk about it and figure out a solution. I don’t want to take you away from her and put you behind bars. That would make matters even worse. That’s not who I am. I hope you would know me well enough by now to believe I would only want to help you. That’s all I want, and the lieutenant will respect my wishes. I promise.” She wiped the first signs of wetness from his cheeks. “Okay?”
Wyn moved closer, leaning against the edge of the table and crossing his arms. “It wasn’t about the money, Jayden. Am I right? At least it wasn’t all about the money.” His voice softened, yet somehow commanded the room even more. “It was about something much more important than that, and that’s why you took the particular things you did.”
Jayden’s attention darted wildly from Wyn to Maddie. “I want to go home. I want my mom.”
“Because she’s your whole family,” Wyn went on, his tone still mesmerizingly gentle. “At least until she told you about Nico Corsini. Your mother is not well, and doesn’t have much longer. She finally wanted you to know about your father and told you about Nico.”
Behind them, Nico exploded, “What the fuck?”
Oh my God. Maddie put her arm around Jayden, instinctually protecting him as best she could, but her attention was rapt on Wyn.
Wyn stayed with Jayden, giving the teen his full attention, although the edge seemed softer in his stare. “I could never figure out why those particular little odds and ends were chosen by the thief. It didn’t make sense. At first I thought somehow the thief must have figured out some of the late Mrs. Corsini’s collectables had value and he was reselling them on the internet or something like that. The model car from the shed too. But now I don’t think when you entered Miss Morgan’s home, you ever intended to steal anything at all. I think you just wanted to see who your father and his family were, and how they lived, and maybe see how you might have grown up had you had your father your whole life.”
Jayden snarled and puffed out his chest, tugging against Maddie’s hold. “Me and my mom are just fine. We don’t need anybody else.”
Wyn held his hands out in surrender. “I didn’t mean to imply envy or greed, Jayden, just curiosity on your part.” He studied Jayden so closely, and Maddie could only think the focus was similar to a scientist on the verge of a breakthrough in his or her field. “But I think the more you went into the house, the greater and more intense the connection felt, and so you started taking little things in order to maintain that familial connection you didn’t have when you couldn’t be there. I think the money was probably just opportunity. It was there, and my gut says you do need it, and they were such small amounts you likely didn’t think Miss Morgan would miss it.”
“Jayden.” Maddie squeezed the teen’s shoulder, but wanted to shake him. “I wish you had told me you needed help.”
“You already gave me a job,” Jayden said, his eyes as wet as the sea. “That’s all I could ask.”
“A job which allowed you to hear stories about the Corsini family,” Wyn pointed out. “My guess is that when your mom told you about Nico, that was when you came to the garage looking for a job. You wanted a way in. You wanted a way to know about your dad and his family.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jayden spat, probably not realizing his previous statement heavily implicated that at the very least he had broken into her home.
“I don’t think so, kid.” Wyn tilted his head, and his mouth twisted into something of an inevitable frown. “I have a pretty strong hunch I do. Your mom is Janet Carson, and I bet if I do a bit of research I’ll find out that she was Nico’s last girlfriend before he graduated and went away to school.”
“Oh my God.” Nico stumbled to the table and into the seat closest to Wyn, his wide stare on Jayden. “Janet is your mother?” His olive skin turned ashen, and Maddie knew Wyn had figured out the truth.
“I have this man’s DNA,” Wyn went on, jerking his thumb at Nico, but his attention remained on Jayden, “and I suspect when I get results back, which will have been compared to candy wrappers I found under a bed in Miss Morgan’s home, the lab is going to tell me that Nico isn’t an exact DNA match but that the markers are familial, meaning it’s someone related to him by blood.”
Maddie turned Jayden to face her. “Talk to me.” Finally, she did shake him. “You’re not in any trouble and you won’t lose your job. I promise.”
At the table, Nico whispered, “I had no idea Janet got pregnant.”
Jayden instantly pointed and raged, “Because you went away to have a great life and you never wanted to come back here!”
Thundering to life, Nico exclaimed, “I didn’t know about you! When I moved I was able to get comfortable with myself enough to come out. After that I didn’t feel like there could ever be a fulfilling life for me here. Janet never told me about you, which I have to imagine she told you she didn’t, because Janet was never the type of person who would lie. If I’d known, of course I would have come back.”
Jayden vehemently shook his head, but Maddie murmured, “I can’t believe I didn’t see it.” Like watching a tennis match, she kept bouncing her focus back and forth between Jayden and Nico, picking up on a dozen little things that previously had gone right over her head. “The bone structure on your faces is so similar, and the dark silky hair and the pale brown eyes.” Shaking her head in wonder, she looked Jayden up and down with new eyes. “I always assumed your father must have been Latino, but Greek/Italian works for your coloring too.”
“People tend to see what makes sense in their minds,” Wyn explained. “I’m guessing you knew Nico was gay so it didn’t occur to you that he might have had a girlfriend in high school and thus possibly a child.” His lips briefly twisted as he shot a glare Nico’s way. “Just like I didn’t know he was gay and so I was insecure that you might be into him because he’s so friggin’ good-looking.” Wyn spoke as if giving an insult rather than a compliment.
Maddie rolled her eyes at Wyn. “But that doesn’t mean he would have been into me.”
“You’re you,” Wyn said back, as if speaking the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course he would be into you.”
Jayden suddenly spat, “I don’t want anything to do with you,” and buried daggers in Nico with his stare.
Nico, now looking his true age rather than his usual decade younger, pushed his fingers through his hair and sighed loudly. “I would at least like to see your mom, Jayden.”
“Yeah, right.” Jayden snorted. “You’ve been here for almost two weeks and you haven’t tried to get in touch with her yet.”
“You’re right,” Nico conceded, staying even toned. “But I would like to talk to her now. If everything that is being said here is true, she has a few questions she needs to answer for me.”
“She doesn’t have to do a damned thing for you!” Jayden strained and clenched his fists, as if he were going to break out of his skin.
Nico only replied, “I need her to tell me that herself.”
“And when she tells you to fuck off,” Jayden responded, “then you’ll just disappear from Redemption again, because that’s what you do.”
“She won’t tell me to fuck off.” A hint of a smile finally graced Nico’s lips. “Your mom never cursed. It was one of her biggest things.”
Jayden took a step toward Nico, and Wyn leapt i
n between them in one stride. He looked at Nico first. “Maybe I should drive you both to Jayden’s home so I can be there when you ask to speak to Janet.” He then swung to face Jayden. “This way if she says no, I can, in my official capacity, escort him away from the property, and he won’t be able to put up a fight and upset your mom.”
His eyes still flashing, Jayden nonetheless backed off. “I can live with that.”
Nico nodded. “Me too.”
Her head spinning as fast as her heart, Maddie took her youngest employee’s hand. “Jayden, do you want me to come with you?”
“No ma’am.” Looking down, Jayden mumbled, “I’m sorry for what I did. Sorry for breaking into your home and making you scared. It was wrong. I’ll pay you back the money I took. I promise.”
Maddie put her hand under the teen’s chin and brought his face out of hiding. “Don’t worry about any of that right now. Are you sure you don’t want me to come along?”
The boy shook his head. “I’ll be all right.”
“You will be all right,” Maddie vowed, squeezing his hand, “no matter what. You still have your job, and we will discuss how to deal with the money another time. We’ll work something out. I swear.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Jayden suddenly threw his arms around Maddie and buried his face in her shoulder, breaking Maddie’s heart. His youth and vulnerability hit Maddie hard, and she hugged him back, softly assuring him everything would be all right.
Just as fast, the kid pulled away and murmured to Wyn, “I’ll wait for you out front.” He pushed past Nico without a word.
His cheeks ruddy, Nico rose to his feet. “I’ll wait in reception, so as not to set the boy off.”
The moment Nico excused himself, Maddie rushed to Wyn, awe and love making her blood hum. She wound her arms around Wyn’s neck, praying a galaxy’s worth of respect glowed in her eyes. “You are incredible at what you do, Lieutenant.” She kissed the hard line of his lips, loving the unforgiving harshness of his face and body that she alone knew housed the kindest, smartest, sexiest man beneath. “Simply amazing.”
Grinning down at her, Wyn brushed his knuckles against her cheek. “I had a powerful motivating reason to want to figure this mystery out.”
“You work just as hard for complete strangers, and don’t try to tell me any different.” Before he could protest—Maddie put her fingers to Wyn’s lips when he parted them—she unlinked her fingers and rubbed her hands down his wide chest. “While you take care of this new family,” a vision in white haunted Maddie’s thoughts so very vividly right now, “I have someone I need to talk to.”
“I understand.” The glint of light in Wyn’s dark stare told her he knew exactly where she planned to go. “I’ll see you soon.” With a press of his lips to her temple, Wyn grabbed his badge off the table and disappeared.
I know now, Mrs. Corsini! I know! I know!
With the excitement of having answers vibrating through her, Maddie popped out into the garage, told Ernie she would need an hour uninterrupted and to act in her stead, and bounded out of the back of the garage and across the field, eager to get home. She reached her porch in minutes, her chest pounding like mad and her throat a little tight, but took a breath and let herself in through her front door.
Shadows crossed the foyer and stairs, patterns from the sheer curtains dancing through the lines of sunlight. Maddie walked into the front room, her steps careful, as if she might accidentally step on the ghost if she didn’t pay attention to where she was going. This was Mrs. Corsini’s parlor; her boss had told her so when she’d bought the house from him. Almost everything in the space still belonged to her, the antique furniture, in dark woods and velvet and brocades, pieces Nico had chosen to leave behind.
So many of the clues, if Maddie was interpreting them correctly, made sense now. The repeated sightings in the garden; Mr. Corsini had once told Maddie that his late wife liked to tackle the flower beds in there with Nico when he was a boy. The shed, with all of the family history, waiting for Nico to come to them. Even the photo slammed to the floor. She hadn’t been trying to tell Maddie that Nico had a childhood secret, but rather than there was a child out there who was made up of half of Nico’s DNA. Maddie could only imagine if she could see a picture of Jayden at the same age as Nico was in that picture, they might look very much alike. There was also the possibility that the ghost tried to manifest and make herself known to Maddie at times when Jayden had been on the property. I’ll never know for sure if I don’t ask.
Maddie took a seat on the red velvet settee and looked all around the room, searching for a hint of the specter’s presence. “Mrs. Corsini, are you there?” Her eyes probably looking as if they were bulging out of her head, Maddie continued to scan the room. “If you are, I think I have good news, and I’m hoping you’ll be able to summon the energy to let me know if the information I have to share is right.”
Near the entry, just in front of the stairs, a hint of a soft white fog moved through the air, just for a heartbeat, but the sighting was enough and Maddie breathed a sigh of relief.
“I think we figured out what you wanted us to know—or Wyn did, in truth,” Maddie began, smiling as she thought of Wyn’s detective’s prowess once more. “He was pretty amazing. If it had happened in the house and you could have observed, I think you would have been proud. You wanted us to know it was Jayden coming into the house. Is that correct?”
One bang against the window pane rattled the frame, and Maddie took that as a yes. “Okay. But more importantly you wanted us to know why he was coming into the house—and I don’t know how you knew, other than as a spirit you absorb all kinds of energy and information we can’t understand, or maybe Jayden just outright said something while in the house and you heard him—anyway, the thing you wanted us to know was that he is your grandson. He’s Nico’s son. Is that right?”
Faster than the first response, another tap against the window quickly sounded through the small room.
Maddie smiled, she couldn’t help it, and her heart swelled against her breast. “Wyn figured it out, ma’am. Nico knows now too. And Jayden knows we know he was the one breaking into the house. I’m sure your husband will be told soon enough about his new grandson and be thrilled. But don’t worry,” Maddie sat up strait as a rail, as if Mrs. Corsini were perched on the chair across from her, “Jayden is not in trouble. Wyn got him and Nico together and put everything out in the open. Nico was shocked, but I think he’s dealing with it. Jayden is very defensive right now, but he’s a good, smart kid, and I believe he’ll eventually soften and come around. Wyn took them both to see Jayden’s mother. The three of them are going to have a sit down and talk. You did it, Mrs. Corsini.” Her throat suddenly painfully tight, Maddie blinked back tears and put her hand against her heart. “You got your boy united with his son.”
Right then a whoosh of warmth surrounded Maddie and then went straight through her body. Oh my goodness. For a split second a hint of dark hair surrounding a softly rounded face and white flowing lines appeared before Maddie, floating in the air. The specter disappeared fast, but just as it did Maddie swore she the felt the imprint of lips against her forehead.
“You’re welcome,” Maddie answered, the warm glow of the phantom kiss surrounding her heart.
A long moment of silence stretched ahead of Maddie, and she wondered, “Are you able to move on now?”
When Maddie didn’t get any taps or knocks she continued to study every inch of the room, searching for clues. “Does your spirit have to remain here forever?”
As had happened many times before, Maddie’s questions remained unanswered. It appeared as though, at least for the moment, once again Mrs. Corsini’s spirit had gone.
Oh well. Bummed out, but not truly sad, Maddie added, “I hope if you needed this secret revealed in order to go forward, that this gave it to you. But if you’re stuck here, don’t feel like you have to be a stranger. My house is yours.” A bubble of laughter filtered through Maddi
e, and she looked toward heaven. “Literally.”
Maddie sat in the parlor for a long stretch of minutes, waiting, not sure if she was hoping for Mrs. Corsini to show herself again. When she didn’t, Maddie could only figure she’d finally been able to move on, or she’d depleted her energy to the point where she could not communicate any further this afternoon.
Kissing her fingertips, Maddie sent the salutation out into the atmosphere. “I hope you are at peace now, Mrs. Corsini, whether that is here or somewhere in the great beyond.”
A car door slamming nearby sounded through the house, and Maddie jumped up and raced to the door. That was fast. Wyn would want to know Mrs. Corsini had approved of Wyn’s detective skills and that her mystery was indeed solved.
Maddie yanked open the front door, prepared to throw herself into Wyn’s strong arms, but pulled back fast at the sight that greeted her on her porch. Oh my heavens. Maddie’s stomach lurched into her throat. So much like Wyn in almost every physical way, only with more gray running through his hair and without the mischievous sparkle so full of light that kept Wyn’s gaze from ever being truly frightening, before her stood Wyn’s father. Graham Ashworth. This was Wyn’s dad. There could be no mistaking the resemblance. Yet for all that Wyn looked so much like him, this man left Maddie cold.
No wonder. Every hint of story Wyn had shared or Maddie had pulled out of him about this man gurgled up in Maddie’s system, and she charged forward, slammed with righteous strength and life.
Maddie jammed her finger into this stranger who wasn’t a stranger, pushing him backward across her porch with every poke. “You get off this property right now, and you do it before your son ever sets eyes on you. You are not wanted here, not by me, not by Ethan, and most definitely not by Wyn.”
At the steps, Graham finally stiffened his frame and became an unmovable force. “I drove out here to see him. I think I’d like for him to tell me that himself.”
“Why?” On her toes, Maddie barked the question in his face. “So you can try to manipulate him and guilt him and ultimately hurt him again? No way.” She sliced her hand through the air, drawing an invisible line between this absentee man and those she loved. “You’ve jerked with that good man’s emotions way too much in this lifetime, and I will not let it happen again.”