Chapter 8
Mason
It's only been a few hours, and Grace has already managed to surprise me several times. She's asking a lot of questions, but not the ones I expected. And while she does seem to be scared from time to time, she never displays the level of terror that anyone would deem appropriate in her situation.
It's almost like she's enjoying this.
Let's see how long that will last.
I walk up the stairs and leave the tray in the open kitchen area on the first floor, before I continue my way upstairs to the second floor and head for my office. This house is only one of many places I own, and I haven't actually lived here in a while, but it's still the place that comes closest to what I would call home.
Because of Anna. She was the reason I bought this house in the first place, and she was the person who really turned it into a home for the brief time that we lived here together. It wasn't a happy time, not at all, but I still remember it fondly.
If it weren't for Anna, I wouldn't be here where I am today. I definitely wouldn’t be here with Grace, the girl who I couldn’t stop thinking about since the day I first laid eyes on her.
And now she’s mine. Finally.
I sit down at my desk, shaking my head to cast the thoughts about my twin sister away, so I can focus on the task at hand. Grace mentioned four brothers who would “come for me”, and I have to find out what's behind that. I never saw anything about siblings in her file. She was admitted to the ward by her father, a man with many question marks, and a widower as it appears. Grace's mother died years ago when she was still a child and there was never much emphasis put on her or her death in relation to Grace's issues.
But I don't remember seeing anything about any brothers in her file. That's unusual, unless I simply missed it. Who are they? And why would Grace try to threaten me with them?
I open the uppermost drawer of my desk with a quick yank and reach for the folder on top—copies of Grace's file from the ward. It's not very thick and most of it is useless, but I'm only interested in one thing for now. I go through her case history, looking for one of the first papers regarding her admission and anamnesis.
And sure enough, there it is. Four brothers, all older than Grace and even mentioned by name—Logan, Jack, Carter, and Tyler. How did I miss this? Probably because that’s all there is. They are only listed as family members, but never mentioned in relation to Grace’s mental health. It doesn’t look like the play an important role in her life, but I write down their names and open my laptop to do a little research on them, just in case.
The first three names—Jack, Carter, and Tyler—don't tell me anything. There are plenty of results popping up, but none of them can be traced back to Grace in any way, so I doubt that the guys I did find are actually brothers. That in itself is a little suspicious. I may have to fall back on my private investigator if I want to learn more about them.
Things are different when it comes to her oldest brother, Logan. A Boston native with an Ivy League degree and a prolific businessman and investor, as it seems. He must be swimming in money, but if Grace thinks that this poses a threat to me, she couldn't be more wrong.
Her threat was empty, as far as I can tell. However, it is interesting that she'd mention her brothers in such a fashion, but not her father. After all, her father was the one who admitted Grace to the ward against her will. But as much as he showed concern for his daughter then, he never cared to visit her even once since, and based on what I was told by her physicians, she also never talked to him on the phone. When I studied Grace's case, I came to the conclusion that she doesn't have any close ties to her family, and may even be seen as a burden by them. They appeared absent and detached from her life.
But maybe I was given the wrong impression. Maybe there's more to her family than the information in her file made me believe.
One thing is for certain: I shouldn't ignore this. I'll have to put my private investigator to work.
Right after I paid Grace another visit in the basement. We have things to do.