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“Can I ride Bonsai when we get home? Or are we going to our other home?” Kai asks and licks the banana ice cream from the cone he’s holding. “Oh, look! I’m winning, I’m winning! Yay! I won, look!”
This kid always makes me smile with his hopping ramblings about anything and everything. I bought him a pony last week. It wasn’t my intention but Zoanne was dropping off a Quarter horse for a client and they had a pony who used to belong to one of their daughters. He wasn’t getting the attention he needed because the daughter switched to a horse and now the pony didn’t get enough riding and grooming time hence them looking for a new owner.
Zoanne thought about me, letting Kai ride my massive Melody, and sent me a picture to ask if I was interested for Kai. She explained he was sixteen years old and very sweet and I was instantly sold. Needless to say, so was Kai. And it’s such a funny sight to have Bonsai riding next to my Melody; tiny and massive side by side.
Kai has made great progress with his riding lessons and yesterday was the first time he got to ride Bonsai all by himself without anyone next to him. The smile on his face from winning the game just now was double the size yesterday. His feet are dangling underneath the bench he’s sitting on while he plays some simple game with balls on my phone.
“Okay, why don’t you stop while you’re ahead and then you can play again when you’ve finished your ice cream and you’ve washed your hands. Here.” I take my phone from his hand and tuck it safely and–more importantly–non-sticky into the pocket of his cargo pants and button it closed.
We’re across from the station, waiting for Calvin’s shift to end. Well, it ended but he’s still talking with Ezra and Ivar since there was a possible sighting of Maurice in the next town over. They checked it out but it’s a dead lead so I guess they’re discussing if it could have been a misunderstanding or if it was indeed Maurice.
I hate this. I want everything to be behind us; to know both Kai and Calvin aren’t in danger and can finally leave the past behind them.
These past few weeks we’ve been making sure both Kai and Calvin aren’t alone. Calvin insisted the same for me and that’s the reason a deputy is standing next to us. I only wanted to walk across the street to buy Kai an ice cream, but I guess Calvin is right; can’t be too careful with these two nutjobs on the loose.
Fisher has made a lot of progress in the investigation of the accident involving Elvira’s parents. Well, not so much accident but murder. Fisher and the other guys managed to obtain security footage of someone getting on the boat for a few minutes and he slipped away right before it blew up.
Through facial recognition they managed to make an arrest. Some dude named Gerard Frees was the one who caused the explosion. At first, they didn’t find a connection but Gerard lawyered up and wanted a deal. He admitted to his crime and gave up who hired him.
Surprise, surprise, it was Maurice, the ten years younger lover of Elvira. Maurice and Gerard were golfing buddies and that’s how Maurice knew Gerard had a background as an explosive engineer and knew exactly what to do to make it happen. Add the fact Gerard just divorced and had a huge debt of child support, the thirty thousand dollars Maurice promised him was just what he needed to start over.
We all know everything is tied to Elvira but nothing links back to her. Except for the fact it was her parents Gerard murdered. Gerard only talked to Maurice and therefore never met Elvira. To make things more complicated, both Elvira and Maurice are nowhere to be found.
Of course, there isn’t an arrest warrant for Elvira because technically she hasn’t done anything, but she is wanted for questioning. Maurice’s face is plastered all over so we’re hoping it will lead to an arrest. We’re all aware Elvira isn’t a happy camper because by now she knows about her parents’ will.
It was such a stupid move to name a minor as the sole beneficiary. Not to mention, he appointed Kai’s living parent to look after the funds, making Calvin a target along with it. Seriously, Kai’s living parent? That’s like a huge arrow blinking at the “living part.” If Calvin dies, Elvira will technically be his only living parent.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. But then again, everything about this trust fund, money stuff, and how this family has handled it is insane, snort a few lines and then make life-changing decisions.
“So?” Kai quips and reaches out with his ice cream covered, sticky as hell fingers toward my nice clean pants.
Yes. Pending stickiness doom will rip me right out of my mind and back into the here and now to avoid my own personal crisis of hell. Don’t ask, I’ve had sticky issues for as far as I can remember.
“Here you go, let’s wipe those fingers, huh?” I give him a smile and fight my gag reflex.
I can’t help it, getting sticky consumes my every thought and it won’t diminish until everything is clean and most definitely not sticky.
“There, all is right in the world again.” I throw away the tissue and grab another one to wipe his mouth.
Kai throws his cone away at the same time I throw the tissue in the garbage can and it slightly collides with my hand. I quickly grab another tissue but it doesn’t help. I know this will stay sticky until I’ve had a chance to wash my hands.
“Okay, let’s head over to the station.” I keep my eyes locked on the sticky part of my hand.
Maybe it’s better if I went into the diner for a minute, it’s closer and I can get it off sooner. I’m stressing. Normally, when I’m cooking for instance, I have the same urges to get clean fast but it’s different because the option of washing my hands is right there within reach.
Kai is standing in between me and the deputy–ready to cross the street–but my gaze is locked on the window of the diner. I’m still contemplating going in and washing my hands when I hear the screeching of tires. The reflection in the window tells me it’s a white van. I see, and hear, the door slide open when I turn to grab Kai.
“Stop,” the deputy says and reaches for his gun.
My eyes collide with the driver of the van while at the same time I hear a gunshot followed by a burst of pain slicing through the left side of my head. Then there’s nothing except darkness and pain.
I’m trying to open my eyes and bring my hand up to my head. Blinking a few times, I watch the crimson starting to take shape. Shit. There’s blood on my fingers. I’m bleeding? What happened? Fuck.
“Kai!” I bellow and try to get up.
“Stay down,” Calvin orders.
I try to take in my surroundings but everything is blurry.
