Chapter Fourteen
“Thanks for coming.”
I smiled brightly as I locked in my seatbelt.
“No problem-o.” I replied brightly. Devon raised an eyebrow, amused by my enthusiasm. It didn’t take a detective to work out it was fake. Get it? Detective?
“So what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“Right.” He reached behind his seat and grabbed a folder. “Here. Go through this, see if you recognize any names or faces.”
I bit my cheek as I caught a whiff of his aftershave. I couldn’t help myself. I breathed in the enticing scent of musk, sweat and soap. I blushed, realizing he was staring at me, his head cocked.
“You okay, there?” His voice had the slightest hint of suggestion, making me turn even redder.
“I was just thinking.” I said defensively.
“Uh-huh.” He smiled, his tongue wetting his lips. I sighed again, wanting that tongue on my lips so badly. I forced myself to focus on the contents of the folder.
There were lists of names, photos of men, and women. It took me a moment to realize they were off several dating sites. I looked at Devon questionably.
“We found some profiles of your mom on some of these dating sites. Some of these are old, as in she joined four years ago.”
Really? I’d had no idea mom even knew how to work a computer, let alone be savvy enough to set up profiles of herself.
“There’s more.” Devon looked uncomfortable as he fought to find the right words. “Your mom also had, uh, several accounts with some web cam sites.”
“Web cam?” I repeated. What the hell were web cam sites? I looked at Devon for answers. He glanced back at me, looking extremely uncomfortable. “What the hell are web cam…oh?”
It finally hit me. My mom was exposing herself on the internet. Stripping for money. I looked out the window, embarrassed, for both my mom and myself.
What had Devon seen? The thought of him watching my mom made me feel sick.
“I didn’t know how to tell you. It wasn’t something I wanted to blurt out over the phone to you…” His voice trailed off. I wished he had, because at least then I’d have something to hide behind.
An awkward silence filled the car as we drove along the freeway. I paid extra attention on counting the number of trees that lined the outer lane, while Devon sat next to me, silent.
Every now and then, his hand would brush past my thigh as he went to change gears. The feel of his touch startled me every time, and every time it roused up my feelings of desire for him.
“So what exactly am I supposed to be looking for?” I finally asked.
“Some letters, receipts we found. Some dating back a few years. I don’t expect you to be much help, but it’s worth a shot.” It wasn’t meant as an insult, but hearing him say I wouldn’t be much help cut through my heart.
As we drove along the street, my street, I took in the memories that brought me back to my childhood. It was a nice neighborhood, so much so that nobody could believe what had happened to me all those years ago, and now my mother’s disappearance. I climbed out of the car. A pile of flowers stood near the front door, some in better health than others. I hadn’t noticed them the other day.
Word of mom’s disappearance had obviously spread around the town. People walked past, craning their heads to see what was going on. I followed Devon to the front door, about to step into my old house for the second time in a week.
Devon looked at me sympathetically as I stood by the door, arms crossed. “Are you okay? Do you need a minute?” I shook my head, took a breath and walked inside.
“I’m fine.” I said. The last thing I wanted was his pity. I walked around the room, pretending to take notice of everything.
Pretending that I cared.
“Here.” He handed me a box of old letters. “Let me know if anything grabs your attention.” I sat down on the couch, the box in my lap. It was full of letters, receipts, notes, all in mom’s handwriting. Most of it wasn’t dated, and most of it meant nothing to me. I picked out a letter with familiar handwriting. Turning it over, I froze. It was from him.
I dropped the letter in disgust. I wanted nothing to do with him, or his letters. Why had he written to mom? Mom had come to her senses and left him once he had pleaded guilty. I looked at the stamp. It was dated three weeks ago. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it felt like a slap in the face.
“Devon.” My voice cracked. I coughed, clearing my throat. “Devon.” I said again, this time in a calmer voice. He sensed my discomfort and was by my side quickly. He picked up the letter I was pointing to. I peered over his shoulder as he read it.
My darling Kathrine,
Thank you for coming to visit me, it was wonderful seeing you again. You look just as good as you did two years ago. I think about you every day, and hearing you say you still love me, and want to be with me are words I will always cherish.
Love
John.
“Kait.” Devon spoke quietly. “Talk to me. Who is this guy? You know him?”
What was there to say? That my mother had forgiven the man who molested me? Is that why she’d left? To get ready for her ‘new life’ with him? Any emotion I felt for my mother, and feelings of guilt I felt over her disappearance had vanished. I’d moved past this. Why was this all coming back to haunt me now?
“Kait.”
“What? What do you want from me, Devon? I don’t have to talk to you. You asked for my help, and I am giving it to you, but I don’t have to talk to you.” Devon backed up, annoyance overclouding the hurt in his eyes.
“Actually Kaitlin, you do have to talk to me.” His voice was stiff. “In case you forgot, I’m a detective investigating your mother’s disappearance. If you know something, then you do have to tell me. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to do it.”
“Fine.” I said, staring straight ahead at the wall. “The letter is from my stepfather. The same one I put in prison.” I turned to glare at him. How dare he pretend not to know what the hell happened to me? He knew Neri and Sam’s father was in prison, he told me as much that first day. Was I to believe he hadn’t looked up the reason he was in prison?
“You put him in prison?” Devon looked shocked. “What happened?”
“What happened is he raped me for two years.” I snapped. Silence filled the air as Devon struggled to find something to say.
“Kait. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” He said gently.
“You didn’t know? And you call yourself a detective?” I sneered.
I didn’t believe he hadn’t known for one second. He would have had access to his file. Hell, the first day he spoke about Neri and Sam’s father being imprisoned. Surely he would have taken the time to find out why?
“Kait-“
“No, I’ve had enough of this for today.” I snapped, standing up. I walked over to the window that overlooked the street.
“Well, if there is nothing else in the box, I will take you home then.” He said stiffly.
“Fine.” I said, walking out the door. I waited for him by the car. A few minutes passed before Devon finally appeared at the car.
“Kait, does this mean anything to you?” He handed me a photo. In the photo was mom, and a man. They were hugging. She looked happy.
“No, why? Should it?” I handed the picture to back to him without making eye contact.
“It’s dated the day before your mom went missing.” I grabbed the picture back off him and stared at it again. She looked happy. Happier than I’d ever seen her. Who was this guy? And what did he have to do with my mother? “Maybe Neri might know him.” I mumbled.
“Come-on. Let’s get you home.”