Mystery's Choice (Vengeance Of The Fallen Book 1) (7 page)

Once downstairs, she checked the table and satisfied, she lowered the lights. A fire crackled invitingly in the brick fireplace, casting pleasant warmth throughout the room. Candles scented the air with roses and vanilla; soft violin music drifted through the house. She arranged big, plump pillows in front of the fireplace and placed chilled wine beside them.

When Mystery heard Seth’s key in the door, she ran over to the dining room door and leaned slinkily against the frame. He froze in the doorway when he saw her standing there.

“Hiya, sailor.” Mystery said in her best sultry voice.

“I’ve died and gone to heaven!”  He slammed the door.

She chuckled as he took off his coat, dropped his book bag and stepped into her arms.

Several hours later, they sat at the table enjoying a four-star cold meal, snuggling with each other. Seth flipped his shoulder length blond hair out of his face and nibbled on Mystery’s ear. She sighed and moved closer to him. Soon he would have to leave and go back to the hospital, but for now he was hers.

Seth swore when the telephone rang, he crossed the room and snarled into the phone, “Hello!” he turned beet red “Oh….um… hello Mrs. Williams” he looked up at Mystery, “I’ll…. Um… get Mystery.”  He motioned toward Mystery, “not a word.”  He mouthed as she took the phone.

“Hi, Mom.”  Mystery had laughter in her voice. “What?”  The color drained from her face. Seth rushed to her. “No, it can’t be.”  She dropped the phone.

“Mrs. Williams?” Seth picked up the phone wondering what the witch had said to upset Mystery so. He watched Mystery lower herself to the sofa. “Thank you for calling.” Seth hung up the phone. Seth walked over to Mystery and kneeled in front of her.

“My father can’t be dead, he can’t be dead.”  She stood up, almost knocking Seth over. “This is just another one of her lies. She’s just being cruel. I’ll wait a couple of hours and call him. You’ll see he’ll be home, sitting in his chair watching reruns of his favorite show.” Mystery fell to the floor, threw her head back and bellowed. “No!!”

“I’m right here baby.”  Seth folded her in his arms, rocking back and forth while she cried.

Mystery glared out the window. How dare the sun shine?  Her father was dead and the sun was shining. Didn’t God know the world had come to an end?  The sun had no place in what was left behind.

Seth tried silently to comfort her for he knew there were no words adequate enough. She leaned into him and his arm came around her. Mystery inhaled the scent of him and tried not to start crying again.

She looked across the limo at her mother, and felt a wave of pure resentment for the woman who had always hated her. Her earliest memories consisted of two mothers; one who looked adoringly at her, whenever Daddy was watching, and one who looked at her with utter contempt, whenever he was not. Mystery reflected on the fact neither of them would have to pretend anymore, and somehow couldn’t be glad. She would rather have her father back.

David Williams had been a wonderful, loving father. He’d always had time to listen, to encourage, to support. He was sincere enough to criticize and secure enough not to trample her creativity. He had always been there whenever she had needed him. He had loved Seth and was looking forward to giving her away at their wedding. And now he was dead and the world was dimmer somehow.

The limo pulled to the curb and Seth stepped out. He offered his hand to her mother and she pushed it away, as though she couldn’t bear to be needy. Mystery took the hand she was offered and stepped into Seth’s waiting arms.

When the minister had said words and they had lowered her father into the ground, Mystery saw her mother approaching. She braced herself for the coming battle, and walked to meet her.

“Mystery, we simply must talk.”  Sarah said imperiously.

“What do you want mother?”  Mystery clinched her teeth so she wouldn’t scream at her.

“Your father begged me not to tell you the truth while he lived, but now he is dead and I no longer want his secrets, so…”

Mystery stared in awe at the cold, clear eyes. No hints of redness, no bags, no signs she had just buried her husband. And slowly, the awe became hatred.

“Oh, get on with it!  What can’t you wait to tell me?”  She glared at the woman who she’d tried to love and couldn’t. “What secrets, Mother?”

“You’re adopted.”  Sarah waited for the blow to hit home.

Seth tried to catch Sarah as she went flying backwards. Missing, he tried to stop Mystery from hitting her again. Mystery stood right over her, breathing hard. “You lying, cold-hearted, deceitful witch. I never understood what a warm, sensitive man like my father saw in a cold, dried up old fish like you. And I am thankful I don’t have to pretend to care about you for his sake.”  She backed up so Sarah could get to her feet. Seth tried to help her up, but she pushed his hand away and stood. “Now take your lies and get out of here before I finish what I’ve wanted to do most of my life.”

“Believe what you will, but I got a phone call warning me the cult he stole you from wants you back. He was on his way to tell you the truth when he had his accident. Why else would he have been going to Boulder on a weeknight?”  She backed away, hands up, when Mystery lunged at her.

“Sarah I think you had better go.”  Seth said as he fought to keep a hold on Mystery.

“Goodbye Mystery.”  Sarah said as she turned and walked away.

Mystery wrapped her arms around Seth she felt as though he was her only anchor in a sinking world. “What she said can’t be true, can it?”

“I don’t know. We will hire a lawyer to look into it. In the meantime we will just be careful.”  He hugged her back.

“Why would he have lied to me?  Why not tell me the truth?  I wouldn’t have loved him any less.”  She couldn’t hold back the tears any longer and she broke out crying. She began to shiver as she remembered the dream and the bald man’s warning time was running short. She opened her mouth to tell Seth, but all that came out was a loud sob.

“Please God; don’t let it be true, please!”  Mystery prayed silently.

Seth put his chin on top of her head and held her tightly. Rain began to fall softly as tears rolled down her pale, pale cheeks.

Mystery rubbed her sweaty palms on the skirt of her rose colored suit, anxiously looking over at Seth. He smiled at her and took her hand. The lawyer would come through the door any moment now and possibly destroy her world. They had hired a lawyer the next morning after her father’s funeral. He had begun looking into the medical records and various other documents from the time she was born. It had taken him only a couple of days to have enough information to want to speak with them again. She squeezed Seth’s hand as the door opened and a short, man with disheveled hair and thick glasses came in the room. He smiled absent-mindedly at them and took a seat behind his desk.

“Thank you for coming in to see me on such short notice, Ms. Williams.”  He shuffled some papers, looked up and studied her face for a moment.

Mystery couldn’t stand it anymore she had to know what he found. “Did you find something?  Am I adopted?”

He focused friendly eyes on her, “I found exactly what we were looking for.”  He shuffled the papers around again, “Sarah Williams has never had a baby.”

“NO!”  Mystery shook her head refusing to believe. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry. In looking through your father’s papers I found no evidence of your existence until you would have been three. At which time there was a change to his will and you were added to his life insurance policies.” He took a sip of water from the mug on his desk. “He did take a trip to California around the time of your third birthday for a business meeting. You were added to his will the day he returned to Denver. The day before a missing persons report was filed for a three-year-old girl named Melusine Natasson. The parents listed a California address. I checked it out and it is a vacant lot. It has been a vacant lot since approximately three days after the missing persons report was failed. The bar that was located there burned to the ground with the bodies of seven men inside it. The remains were burned beyond the ability to identify them. It is thought they were the owner of the establishment and several employees, who went missing, themselves after the report.”  He looked at Seth. “The trail goes cold after that. No further information on the parents, nothing further in your father’s legal papers.”  He looked at Mystery. “If anything further is known, I would be willing to bet Sarah knows it. You will have to talk to her to find out where the story goes from there.”

Seth stood and helped Mystery to her feet, she leaned against him and he could feel her shaking. He put his arms around her, pulling her close. “Thank you for your time and effort, Mr. Simon.”  He shook hands and they headed for the door.

Outside, Seth helped Mystery into the car and went around to his side to get in. He started up the car and looked over at Mystery; she was leaning back in the seat with her eyes closed, tears streaming down her face. “Do you want to go over to Sarah’s and get this over with today?  We can get the rest of your stuff and you will never have to lay eyes on the bitch again.”  He brushed her hair out of her face.

“No.” Mystery whispered. “I just want to go home.”  She didn’t open her eyes.

Seth studied her ashen face and shaking body and decided she couldn’t handle any more today. “Okay. I’ll take you home.”

“Do you have to go in tonight?”

“I’ve missed too much work as it is, if I’m not careful I will have to start my residency over.”  He pulled out of the parking space and headed out of the parking lot into the heavy lunchtime traffic. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“I understand. I’ll be okay.”

Seth wished he believed her, he also wished he had someone to stay with her. He said a prayer as he drove them home. This nightmare was just beginning.

Sam Jeffries sat back in his chair and studied the teenage girl sitting across from him. Her blue hair stood in spikes around her pixie face, which was covered with several body piercings. He tried to decide if he could believe her outlandish tale of being kidnapped by a cult.

Kim Owens claimed she had been taken a block from her home, imprisoned, threatened with torture and death and then rescued. All of this had happened in one night and her parents had not even noticed she was missing.

Sam turned and watched the chaos going on out in the squad room. Hookers screaming at their arresting officers, a couple loudly disputing their domestic bliss, good-natured ribbing between the cops all made it through the thin glass separating the interrogation room from the squad room. He returned his gaze to the teenager sitting across from him.

“The problem I’m having with your story, Kim is these people walked into your house, past your parents open bedroom door, deposited you into your bed, and walked back pass your parents and out of the house, without setting off the alarm.”  Sam said as he played with the desk blotter.

“I’m telling the truth!”  Kim started sobbing, “Please you’ve got to believe me!”

“I will research your story, Ms. Owens.”  Sam stood and walked towards the door and opened it. “I’ll call you if I have any questions.”

Kim stood and walked out the door.

“Kim, if you need to talk or you find any more evidence…” Sam touched her arm “You have my card. We just don’t have much to go on….”

“They’re gonna get me.”  Kim turned away and walked through the door, “I guess then you’ll believe me.”

Sam watched her weave through the chaos of the squad room and wondered.

Kim tossed the glossy teen magazine she was reading across the room in frustration. She stared unseeing at the television, not hearing a word of the cheery sitcom. The wind banged the shutters against the house and Kim jumped.