Page 286 of Nobody's Girl

“That was very productive,” Eden’s father says as he takes a seat on the large sofa next to his wife, Sierra. “We found out who let him in. It was a member of the kitchen staff, a young man named Brady Mathews. He’s been with us for about two years. I know him very well. I can’t imagine what he was thinking. We’ll soon find out. though, because the officers are going to the mansion to get him right now. I’m praying they can get the information from him as to where Stiles is.”

Ally looks at Lyle with curiosity and asks, “So there’s no way Linda had anything to do with it at all?”

Eden’s eyes go wide and he drops her hand. “Linda?”

Ally looks at us all, then says, “They said she could be a suspect, Eden.”

Eden looks at his parents. “Papa, you told her this?”

Lyle shrugs his shoulders, and says, “I said it could’ve been anyone who was here yesterday. That’s all, son.”

Eden turns back to Ally, a bit of a glare in his eyes. “Alyssa, why would you even think such a thing about her?” His question seems to physically hurt her. Her eyes drop to the floor and she wrings her hands.

Her demeanor makes me feel like she’s lost something of herself she had found just before I left her in New Orleans. It brings out my protective side. I leave Laura’s side to walk over and place my arm around her shoulders. “Eden, I’m sure you have to understand all people who’ve been in this house yesterday had to be in question in everyone’s minds.”

Ally sends me a scene—Eden and a lady with brown hair kissing by his swimming pool. I wince at how intense it looks. I look up at Eden and he knows she shared it with me, by the look in his eyes. He’s hurt.

He reaches his hand out for Ally to take. She looks up at me, then moves away from me. “We’ll discuss this later, princess,” he says and gives me a look before he darts his eyes to Laura.

I guess he wants me to leave his wife alone and mind my business. Sorry, dude, Ally is mine to watch after, and I’m not going to let anyone get in the way of that.

I made vows too, after all.

CHAPTER 51

ALYSSA

“They brought Brady here to see you, as you requested, Eden,” Lyle tells him as he comes into the kitchen where the four of us are playing cards.

I turn to look at Eden. “You asked them to bring him here? Why?”

“I want to ask him some questions. Do you have anything that you want to ask him?”

Dropping my cards on the table, I say, “I hadn’t thought about it, Eden. I’d like to know some things. Can I come with you?”

He stands up, holding his hand out to me. I take it, looking back to Laura and Kyle. “We’ll be right back.”

Kyle frowns at me and sends, ‘I should be there too.’

He should, but Laura would find that more than odd.

I send back, ‘Laura! Duh!’

As Eden takes me from the room, Kyle sends me one last thing, ‘You and I will straighten this shit out before the night’s over! I’m not going to be shut out. I’m your protector!’

Great! He’s pissed! And apparently I get to deal with that later.

Lyle leads us to my father’s office, where the two policemen from earlier are standing just inside the door. There’s a young man sitting in my father’s chair. He’s in handcuffs.

Eden and I follow Lyle into dad’s office. My father comes in too, shutting the door behind him after he asks the officers to give us some privacy and they step outside.

The man has his head hanging down. “Won’t you please look up at me?” Eden requests.

The man shakes his head. It doesn’t detour Eden though. “You have done my family a great wrong. I would like an explanation for why you’ve done this.”

The man shakes his head again. His wavy brown hair bounces as he does it. I feel this man has much sorrow in him. I move towards him slowly, feeling compelled to touch his head. I slowly reach out to touch him.

Eden looks at me. I stop for a second and then he nods. I place my hand on the top of the man’s head.