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“When you buy the next case, then you can get your fill. This is my place and my beer.” It really wasn’t her place, and they all knew it. She was living off the government’s dime. Heather didn’t know what they’d do if they ever found out that she didn’t have Daisy, the baby that she no longer knew where she was, with her all this time. She’d been telling them that she’d been with her daddy when they came around to see her. Like she even knew who her daddy was.
The knock at the door startled her. Going to the door after putting her beer in the cabinet, she opened it to see the police standing there. Before she could get her wits about her and figure out what they wanted, she was shoved a blue file in her chest and knocked back a few steps.
“Ms. Gerald, we’re here to inspect your home.” She said that they couldn’t do that without notice. The man only opened her mailbox on the door and handed her about a week’s worth of mail. “It was mailed out to you two weeks ago with this date on it. You signed for it, and the man who had delivered it said that you were either drunk or hungover and put it in your mail slot. You signed for it.”
They went through her home like they owned the place. Tearing up the living room where Conner was sitting without a care that he was there. Once they made it to the bedrooms, she knew she was going to be out on her ass soon. She’d been using the extra bedrooms for growing pot for the last four years. It helped her with money when she needed it.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” She told them that she’d never seen that room before, and that went over badly. The inspector had her put in cuffs, as well as her brothers, as they were there with her. Christ, this wasn’t going at all like she had planned. “I have a message for you, Ms. Gerald. The woman who turned you in said that if you three were to stop looking for Sebastian, she’d help you out. Otherwise, we’re to prosecute you to the max.”
“Who would turn me in around here? Nobody, that’s who. And what does this woman mean about not looking for my son? He’s my fucking son.” He asked her where her daughter was. “She’s visiting her father.”
“We’ve contacted him before coming here. At least the name on her birth certificate was who we contacted. He said that Daisy could have been conceived by any number of men that you’ve shared your bed with. That he’d not be taking any kind of trouble associated with you until you proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was indeed his daughter. And she’s not. We tested him while we were talking to him.” She asked them why they’d do that. “Because, Ms. Gerald, you’ve been collecting government benefits since she was born. We have also heard—with proof that she hasn’t lived with you since she was two years old. You’ve been lying to the government offices for years, and it’s finally, I’m happy to say, caught up with you.”
Roger was laughing as he was taken out to the cruiser. Conner was cursing, and he was good at it, when he was put into a separate cruiser than either one of them. Heather didn’t know what this was all about, but she was handed a cell phone, a really nice one, as soon as she was put in the back seat. She thanked the man for it.
“It’s not for you. There is a person on the other end who wishes to speak to you. Then you’re to give me the phone back.” Heather said he’d have to take it from her. “Don’t think that I won’t either. Talk to her.” After saying hello, she had to wait on the person. It did sound like a woman to stop laughing before she would speak to her.
“Heather Lynne Gerald?” She said that was her name. “I have been doing a bit of research on you. Seems to me that you’re not nearly as nice as you think you are.”
“So? What the fuck do you want? I’m sort of in the middle of something here.” She told her to hang on. “I don’t have time to hang on. I’ve been arrested for something I didn’t do.”
“Hello, mother.” Heather felt like her entire mind just emptied in that moment. “It’s Sebastian in the event you didn’t know my voice. Though I don’t know why you would. I’ve not spoken to you in decades. I will tell you that Daisy is safe from you and anyone else you might be trying to send after us. And I’d not expect to hear from her anytime soon. Also, you and your brothers aren’t going to be getting any of Grannie’s money either.”
“Why not? Christ, Sebastian, I’m your mother for fucks sake. The very least you can do is to—”
“The very least that I can do is to ignore you as you have done to me. And I will. As soon as this call is over with, I’m finished with the three of you.” She asked him why he’d bother her then. “You talk to the other two into dropping this pursuit of me, or I’ll go to the police on some of the other shit that I’ve found on you and my uncles. You’ll think that bilking the government was easy street before I’m finished with you.”
“You don’t have shit. Besides, who would believe you anyway? You’ve stolen our inheritance and ran off with my child. Where is she, Sebastian? I’m sure that the courts will believe me over you. I’ve had a lot of practice about making myself out to be the poor little woman scorned by her only son.” He laughed. She might have thought it was a good laugh, but she didn’t want to give him anything that would make it sound like she was happy with him. “So you find it funny that I’m going to run you through? That I’m going to get all the money, and you’ll have shit?”
“No. I think it’s funny that you really believe that you could fool anyone after the shit that I’ve found out about you. Especially about how you got Daisy.” She felt her face go pale. Dread like nothing she’d ever felt rolled over her. “Ah, I can tell by your silence that you know what I’m talking about. It wasn’t bad enough that you took their child from them when they’d only just had her, but to kill them both in a fit of what I can only assume was rage, too, is something I think that the police will be happy to hear about.”
“You wouldn’t.” Not only did he laugh again, but he told her that he was going to tell on her anyway. “Why? What harm did I do to those people? They couldn’t afford her anyway. And I needed proof that I had a kid since you wouldn’t cooperate with me.”
“You drugged me, and then when you weren’t getting the things you wanted, you drove by the emergency department and tossed me out of the door while still moving.” She smiled at that memory. “Grannie also knew some of the things that the three of you got up to once you left home. Shall I list a few of them for you? I will here in a second. I want you to tell your brothers to back off. Or else. I’m not fucking around with you anymore, mother. Do it or don’t, I don’t care, but I will ruin the three of you if you don’t. In fact, I probably will anyway. I don’t trust your word any more than I do a lot of things that you’ve told me over the years.”
“You think you know so much, do you? Well, have at it, son. Tell me what sort of juicy information you have that will get your mother into trouble. I don’t believe you have shit just so you know.” He told her about the three children that she’d helped kidnap and sell with a friend of hers. “Yeah? Prove it. There is nothing you can say that makes me think you know much about that.”
“All right. You want good stuff. How about the fact that you and your brothers killed your father. That you lured him out to the barn one evening because you told him that you saw someone in the barn. Then, when he was out there, each of you took an axe and hit him several times with them. After he was dead, the three of you went to the creek and washed up, leaving your bloodied clothing to run downstream so that it wouldn’t be in the house.” She laid her head back and wondered at how he’d gotten so much information. “Then there is the time that Conner raped a young woman, nearly killing her. Not that it mattered that he didn’t kill her then. You and Roger snuck her body into the trash dump and cut her up, feeding her body to the animals there so that you wouldn’t be caught. Want more? I have it.”
She had no doubt that he did, too. Just the couple of things that he’d mentioned, she thought for sure they’d gotten away with. Christ, love a duck. She was going to be in deep shit if she couldn’t convince her little boy—a man now, she supposed that she wanted him in her life and that they could start over. Heather was just working up to saying a few things to get in on his tender side when the woman was back on the phone.
“You leave him alone, do you hear me, Heather? I have a great deal of money, and I’m not afraid to spend it to get you and those two morons that you’re related to put away for good. By prison or grave, at this point, I don’t care.” She asked her who she thought she was. “The one that is going to be bringing you to heel like the dog that—no, not dog. They’re too kind and loving to be associated with you. No, I’m just going to make sure you pay for what you three have done.”
When the line went silent, the phone was jerked from her hands. She didn’t even get to admire it for a second; the cop snatched it from her so quickly. Asking what his deal was, he turned in the seat and smiled at her. It wasn’t a friendly smile either.
“She said that I could have the phone after she was finished with you. There might be another time that she wants to speak to you.” Heather wanted to beg the man to allow her to go free. Showing a little tit usually worked but not for this man. “Christ, put that away before I get sick. When was the last time that you had a shower? Not to mention, change your bra? That thing is as dirty as your fucking skin.”
Feeling about as low as she’d been in a long time, Heather sat in the back seat without saying a word to the two cops with her. She’d show them. Not talking to them, or in this case, she supposed it would be joining in on their conversation, was going to teach them that they couldn’t talk to her like that and get away with it. Bastards. All men were bastards.
~*~
“I didn’t know it would be that easy.” Toby told him that with enough money, she was sure that anyone could find the most determined of creatures. “I suppose. That’s what Caleb says, anyway. I’ve not used my money for evil just yet.”
When she laughed, it brought a smile to his face. He’d been staying with her over the last few days, and he had never felt so good. There was plenty to occupy his mind in the form of books to read. There was also a computer that he could use in his room, she’d told him. At night, when she went to work, he’d go with her just to hang out with the others in the bar and with Toby. She was easy to get along with, and he thought that they had a good hamburger and fries meal that he could have eaten daily.
“What would you call this thing that we’re doing?” He asked Toby what she meant. “You know, us living here. Not that I mind. I’ve not shared a residence with anyone but staff since…well, my family was killed. But I’m finding that I like having you around. You’re not too gabby. You don’t go on and on about one thing. And I feel safe with you here. Not that I couldn’t take care of myself, but it’s comforting to know that you’re here with me. Does that make sense?”
“It does. Those are the very reasons that I like being here, too.” He looked at her then. “Also, and I’m not being sexist or anything, but you’re not hard on the eyes either. You’re beautiful. Charming when you want to be and hard-assed when you don’t. You don’t prattle on either. Also, I just enjoy having you here if I have something to say. You know, like an old married couple.”
