Page 6 of Mercy & Malice

“We’re already involved. All of us,” Luca states before he scans around and asks, “Cameras?”

“Just over the register.” I motion them to follow me away from the area.

Luca speaks lowly, “Your father questioned your mother about all the deaths connected to Belgrave alumni. He’s been digging around for a while. But he requested all the autopsy reports from all the murders last week.”

The Keepers. Even the mention of them still leaves me unsettled, much less the aftermath.

“How do you know that?”

“I have everything being monitored in case questions arise so I could get ahead of it. Your father isn’t the person I figured would poke around, but here we are.”

Cain states, “Brooke, it’s going to be fine. We just wanted to make sure you’re aware and not blindsided in case he mentions anything or tries to take a run at you. We made sure none of it would come back on us.”

“How can it not? Thirteen people getting murdered within a week all from our high school where a secret-but-not-so-secret game was taking place.”

Luca takes a step closer, his voice even lower, “We left evidence pointing to someone else in case they didn’t buy the murder-suicide cover. Nothing will connect back to us. Just be careful around your father.”

“I already am,” I mutter.

“Brooke, trust me. It’s handled,” Cain tries to reassure me.

“I trust you.” Just not myself. “I’ll get your orders ready. Luca, want anything?”

He shakes his head, before he moves to a nearby table, flips the chair back upright, then takes a seat.

After I fix both cups of ice cream and place them on the counter, Cain grabs his and leaves cash on the counter as Ivy takes out her debit card.

I hold up the bills, but Cain is already seated next to Luca as I shout, “It wasn’t that much.”

“A tip for great service,” he responds.

“You’re broke, too, so I’m not taking that much of a tip.” I ring up his order then set the change aside.

Ivy remains at the counter after I give her card back. “We won’t get you in trouble if we hang out, right?”

“No, Edmund is laid-back. He’s been friends with my mom forever. Apparently, they dated at some point way back in the day.”

“Sounds interesting.”

“Yep. And yet she picked my dad. Lucky me,” I quip.

“I understand that kind of luck for sure.” She gives me a knowing smirk.

We chat while she finishes her dessert, then she volunteers to help me get the place ready to close for the night. When I’m safely in my car, they leave, and I head to the Sullivan residence. After I park in the front of the house, I take a quick glance around before hurrying up to the porch and quickly punching the code into the keypad. Once inside, I anticipate entering another code into the alarm system, but it looks like Aurora never set it. So, I arm it then set my things down in the living room before heading upstairs.

The home is similar in size to the vast Montclair house, however unlike my current residence, this place has such a cozy, homey feel. It fits Mrs. Sullivan to a T. She is such a kind, sweet woman who spends much of her time volunteering including at Belgrave. That’s how she became acquaintances with my mom, which led to her asking if I would be interested in babysitting. And since I welcomed the opportunity to earn some extra money, I took her up on the offer. Mr. Sullivan travels a lot for work, and Mrs. Sullivan always seems to have somewhere else to be. I feel bad for Aurora, but she doesn’t seem to mind.

Peeking in her room, I find her in her usual spot on her bed with her nose in a book. “Hey, Aurora. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”

“Thanks.” She gives me a warm smile before she goes back to her book. It’s our common routine we have every time I’m over. She stays in her room reading, and I study or find some way to occupy my time. Since I’m drained tonight and finals are thankfully over, I take a quick shower then get comfy on the sofa. Mrs. Sullivan said I could stay in the guest room, but I feel more comfortable in the living room, that way I’m not shut off from the rest of the house.

Even though I’m exhausted, my mind won’t slow down. I click on the television and select New Girl for background noise. Anything to give my brain a distraction so I’m not running over worst-case scenarios in my head. Why is it that now that I actually want to sleep, my body refuses to comply?

I’m on the third episode when I glance to my left. I thought a shadow or something passed in front of the window. Walking over to the rear of the house, I scan around the backyard. The entire wall consists of windows that overlook the swimming pool which keeps the private backyard lit well with the light reflecting. Diving in is appealing especially since it’s heated and there’s a hot tub also. But the thought of disarming the security system and going outside makes me uneasy. It’s that feeling again, like I’m being watched. Moving in front of the back door, I flip on the patio floodlights, but everything in view seems to be vacant.

Why did I hope to see a crazy clown? I’d be scared as hell, but I also want Micah to come give me a belated birthday scare. It’d be better than my other thought, which is that my father is lurking around. That feels like the ultimate nightmare scenario. Give me a demented clown any day.

Making my way back to the sofa, I get under the blanket and end up watching four more episodes before I drift off.