26. Caleb
Chapter 26
Caleb
“ F ood,” Eli demands. “We can be hospitable and bring food.”
Theo rolls his eyes. “How about delivery? That’s easy.”
“I’m in the mood for sushi,” Liam adds, “but only if someone else is buying. Or lobster.”
I twist around, looking him up and down. “Your mom isn’t doing the soup for every meal thing again, is she?”
He shrugs. “It’s all we can afford at the moment. Do you know how cheap it is to make a million different soups? They last us a while.”
“You’re starting to run more,” Eli points out. “Which means you need to carb up…”
“Winter sucks for us,” he mutters. “Always has, always will. Doesn’t mean we won’t get through it.”
“So, maybe Chinese?” Theo says. “The Bryans aren’t going to like us crashing their house.”
I contemplate that. Robert just got out of the hospital. Anyone who knows them would also know she’s been sleeping there. It isn’t rocket science. They have a solid marriage. Real love between them. I’d have been more shocked if Lenora left his side.
Eli gets us to Margo’s house almost too fast. He drives recklessly at times, but right now, there’s a growing feeling of dread building up in my chest. It’s going to explode if I don’t see Margo safe.
I jump out before the truck has fully stopped, jogging up the walkway.
Margo yanks the door open and launches into my arms.
I scoop her up, breathing in her scent, and she locks her legs around my waist.
“Thanks for coming,” she whispers in my ear. “I told them you all were on your way. I think Lenora is going to ask if I can stay with you guys again.”
I wince. “It’s that bad?”
She leans back into my arms, eyebrows raised. “It’s…”
I set her down, and we all enter the house.
Robert is on the couch, flipping through television stations, and he waves to us. “Hello, boys. I’d get up, but…”
“Please don’t stress,” I say, going over to shake his hand. “You look better.”
He laughs, and it turns into a cough. “Better than what? Being at death’s door?”
I shrug.
“I’ll take it.”
Eli nods at him, and Theo waves.
Liam’s eyes are wide. “I like what you’ve done with the place.” He walks farther in, peering into the kitchen. “This is new.”
Margo tilts her head. “Why are you acting like…”
“My family used to live here,” he says. “Although there used to be a wall here.” He mimes a wall that would’ve made the kitchen a lot smaller. “And the dining room didn’t open up onto this porch.”
We follow him as he wanders.
He goes up the stairs, pausing on the picture of Lenora and Robert, then into the bathroom. “That’s the same.”
He comes out and points to her door. “Your room, Margo?”
She grimaces.
“Caleb and I practiced sneaking out of here quite a bit in our youth.” He winks at me. “Dare I say that’s helped him out quite a bit in recent months.”
“Whoever did this came in through the window, too.” She shoves the door open.
My mouth drops, and I step into the room. My friends follow me, while Margo stays in the hall. Honestly, I don’t blame her. A tornado of fury went through the room, destroyed every good thing about it. The walls will need several coats of paint to cover the red, and the writing…
Pretty bird, broken wings .
I narrow my eyes. It’s chilling, but… wholly unfamiliar.
“What the hell is that?” Liam points to something on the floor.
“It looks like…” Oh God.
I cover my mouth. I’ve never been one to have a weak stomach, but this…
A white bird sits just below the words.
Dead.
Oh, what a glorious fall .
“Fucking hell,” Theo growls. He herds us out of the room, slamming the door closed. “Did you see it?”
“See what? The writing?”
“The fucking dead bird,” he says, eyes narrowed at Margo.
She blanches. “Excuse me?”
“It’s a threat,” I declare. “Calling you a pretty bird, then giving you a dead one?”
She bursts into tears.
Shame flushes through me, and I go to her. Cradle her head against my chest. “I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault.”
She grabs my shirt, holding me close. “I don’t want to die.”
“You’re not going to.” I shake my head. We know the connecting pieces—it’s only Unknown who is still a mystery. But who’s pulling their strings isn’t. “You’re coming with me. I’m sure they’ll let you.”
“You want to bring her home?” Lenora asks, coming up the stairs. “Honestly, that’s… not a bad idea.”
“You’d let me go?” Margo goes to her foster mom and takes her hands. “I almost don’t want to leave, but?—”
“This house doesn’t quite feel safe, does it?” She sighs. “Not the warm and fuzzy night we had planned. The detective said we’re free to start cleaning the room, so I’m going to have a service come in tomorrow. Anything you want to salvage?”
Margo’s nose wrinkles. “I don’t think I can go in there.”
“I will,” I say. “I’ll see if anything is… untouched.”
I slip back into the room, closing myself in. Once the fresh air is sealed off, the dead bird smell fills the air. It’s a wonder the whole house doesn’t smell like it.
I grab the tipped-over trash bin and dump out the liner, using it as a barrier to scoop the bird into. Poor sucker. It appears to have had a quick, painless death. Hell, maybe Unknown stumbled upon it and just brought it in here.
Sure beats the alternative.
Her clothes look undisturbed in the dresser until I pull them out. Holes have been cut in the fabric of her shirts, her jeans have been cut, but whoever did it folded them back up.
One more fuck you toward Margo, apparently.
We aren’t just dealing with someone who wanted to mess with Margo.
Somehow, she’s made them mad. Worse than mad.
I ball my fists and walk out, giving her a quick shake of my head. “They ruined everything.”
She exhales slowly, leaning against the wall.
“I called Dad,” Eli says. “He okayed her return once I explained what happened.”
“You have the knife, Margo?” Liam asks.
She nods.
“Good.”
I roll my eyes. “Let’s hope she doesn’t have to use it, yeah? Now, let’s get the hell out of here.”
Downstairs, we wait by the door while Margo says her goodbyes. It’s hard to watch. She latches on to Robert and doesn’t let go for a long while, and he doesn’t force it. In fact, his eyes are closed, and he hugs her just as tightly.
The crash affected them more than physically.
“Margo,” Lenora says. “We’ll pick you up at eight to go into school. The principal wanted to make sure we were on the same page about your schoolwork.”
She nods, biting her lip.
I want to touch her.
Shield her from all this shit.
God , I was an idiot for ever wanting to break this beautiful, strong girl. She stands tall even as her world crumbles around her, while people are out to get her. In the face of tragedy and anger, she’s collected.
If I had it my way, I’d take her far, far away. To somewhere no one could hurt her. We’d live a happy life away from literally everyone. Have outrageous sex everywhere, get her pregnant, marry her—maybe not quite in that order.
That dream pops .
I don’t have my way. I have an inheritance controlled by my uncle for another four months, no power, no control.
No fucking clue.
She walks toward me, and I focus on her dark eyes. They’re glazed with unshed tears, but she still smiles at me and holds out her hand.
I take it and pull her close.
“Remember my promise,” I say in her ear. “No matter where you go, I’ll find you.”
It used to be a threat, but now…
It’s much more than that.
Norah and Josh give Margo two big hugs when we all walk in, and that seems to shock the hell out of her. She stands frozen for a minute, then relaxes into each of them.
“We’re going downstairs,” Eli tells them, giving his mom a peck on the cheek. “We ordered food.”
She smiles and pats the side of his head. “You all deserve some happiness.”
I agree . Especially Margo, who’s beginning to resemble a ghost with her paleness.
I haven’t released her hand since we left her house. Even in the car, and climbing out, I didn’t let go. Her bag is over my shoulder, and I guide her downstairs. She comes willingly, squeezing my hand softly.
The boys appear a second later with drinks, passing out the sodas. We all flop onto the couch.
“Lydia is the connection,” she blurts out. “I’m sorry, Caleb. But?—”
I wave off my words. “I know.”
“Why is she working at that diner?” she demands. “Lenora mentioned something about the will, but?—”
I rub my eyes. “Yeah. That.”
Eli grunts. “Story time.”
“It’s not that interesting.”
“Sure it isn’t,” he counters. “Just your mom’s entire motivation may rest on that one day. One moment where her life went…” He whistles, miming something falling and exploding.
I grit my teeth. “Fine.”
And then… Well, I do what I’ve been trying to avoid for a long time. I remember.
Past
Mom held me close. She hadn’t touched me in three days, but today she was a leech. Sucking my energy out of my body.
That’s what I told myself anyway.
It was the day before the funeral, and all we had been wearing was black. My shirt was starched and scratchy under my suit jacket and pants, and the tie strangled me.
I didn’t understand why we had to get so dressed up to read Dad’s last words. They were just words on a piece of paper.
Uncle David and Aunt Iris came into the room. She ruffled my hair, which Mom immediately finger-combed back into order, and Uncle David knelt in front of me.
“How are you holding up?” he asked.
I shrugged. I just wanted to go home, but home was different now. Colder. Margo was gone, too, and I couldn’t figure out why. Her parents were gone. Mom hadn’t said a word about it, just locked the door to the guest house and… walked away from it.
She’d tucked the key into her pocket, and I wasn’t sure where the Wolfes had hidden their spare. If Mom caught me digging around in the grass, in their planters, she’d yell and cry.
Margo’s house was collecting dust, and my soul was, too.
It was dramatic. Ian would say I was being a sissy, but she had pulled a piece of me out when she left, and I was… abandoned to rot.
“Lydia,” Uncle David greeted her, straightening up.
“Did you come all the way to Rose Hill for this?” She sniffed.
“Wouldn’t miss this for the world.” He winked at me.
I didn’t know what that meant, but Mom yanked me closer to her.
The lawyer walked into the room and paused beside Mom. “Good to see you again, Lydia. I wish it was on better terms.”
She nodded.
“My son is transferring to Emery-Rose next year.” He looked down at me, then got on my level. “Would you do me a favor, Caleb? Keep an eye out for Eli Black. I’m sure he’ll be needing a friend when he goes to a new school.”
I nodded.
“Caleb might not be at Emery-Rose next year,” Lydia informed him.
Mr. Black shrugged. “Perhaps not. I guess we’ll see.”
He crossed to the table and opened his briefcase. There were chairs around the room, but no one was sitting. Relatives I didn’t know very well were scattered around, plus Uncle David and Aunt Iris. Mom at my back.
“No matter what happens,” Uncle David whispered to Mom, “you have a place with us.”
She stiffened. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Careful, dear,” Aunt Iris cooed. “The wolves may come out of the woodwork if you show… weakness.”
Mom glared at her. “How dare?—”
Mr. Black started talking, silencing the room. It appeared that no one wanted to miss a word of this. “‘I, Benjamin Asher, am of sound body and mind…’”
I zoned out. It sounded like gibberish, and my attention was on the window. On the way the light reflected through the prism hanging from the window lock, casting a pale rainbow on the floor.
“‘To Lydia Asher,’” Mr. Black read, “‘I leave only the dust beneath my shoes. You…’” He cleared his throat. “‘You deserve nothing, not even our son.’”
Gasps filled the room.
I looked up at Mom, whose face was… horrified.
“No,” she whispered. “That bastard.”
“Mom?”
“It’ll be okay, honey,” she said.
Mr. Black coughed behind his fist. “‘To my son, Caleb Asher, I leave in a trust my shares of Prinze Industries, all monies and investments, and physical properties, to be matured when he turns eighteen years old.’”
My mouth dropped open. “What does that mean?”
“He left you… everything,” one of the relatives said.
“And finally, to my brother, David Asher, I leave the stewardship of Caleb’s inheritance and the board position, to guide and protect until it is transferred to Caleb’s name. This includes potential guardianship of Caleb himself, should David and family remain fit per state standards.”
Uncle David turned to Mom and me. “Well, that was… worth the trip, dare I say?”
Mom pushed me behind her. “You had a hand in this,” she snarled. “All because?—”
“You got into bed with the wrong person,” he finished. His attention moved to me. “I’ll be seeing you soon, I suspect.”
I glared at him, and it just made him laugh.
It was the last thing I heard out of Uncle David’s mouth as he walked away.
“Josh,” Mom said, shoving through relatives until we were up to the desk. “He can’t be serious. When were these changes made?”
Mr. Black shuffled some papers. “July 5, 2008.”
She gasped. “He knew.”
“About your affair? I suppose he did.” He produced a sealed envelope and passed it to her. “He left this for you. And one for you, Caleb.”
I took the envelope he handed me carefully. “Can I read it?”
“Whenever you want.” Mr. Black raised his head. “Give us the room, please.”
People grumbled behind me, but I paid them no mind. Dad had always taught me that lesser people will always make more noise—it’s action that mattered.
I took a step away from Mom, who was… well, I wasn’t sure if she was crying , exactly, but she was definitely in shock.
I half listened to their conversation. “David and Iris aren’t fit parents,” she said. “But his will made it sound like Caleb…”
“He can’t take away your parental rights,” Mr. Black said.
“But I have nothing, is that right? Just a savings account in my name that I can…”
I pulled out the letter and unfolded it.
Dear son,
I am writing this in the event of my death. You could be reading this when you’re twelve or twenty-two, I don’t know. And for that, I apologize in advance. Things between your mother and I are getting more tense, and I’m not sure to what ends she would go.
Be strong. Everything is left to you. If you’re not yet eighteen, your Uncle David will take care of everything, including you. He’s a good man with a short temper—kind of like your old man—but I trust him to do right by you.
You’re holding up the Asher name on your shoulders, and that is no easy task. Your fate in life is uncertain. To sell the shares, move away, become your own person with a healthy bank account? Continue as I was?
Make us proud, son.
With love,
Dad
My memory of him did have dark spots—when his anger boiled over. But overall, he was good. He taught me important lessons without being too harsh, took me to the park when work allowed. He worked for the family.
His whole life was dedicated to building up our name.
And one night ruined it. Dragged it through the mud.
I ran my finger across his signature, folded the letter, and shoved it in my pocket.
When I turned around, Mom was still clutching her unopened one, arguing with the lawyer.
“We’re going back to the house,” she informed him. “It’s Caleb’s.”
“It’s David’s to control,” he corrected, shrugging. “I can’t stop you either way.”
She came to me, holding out her hand.
I took it.
“Goodbye, Josh,” she said. “Let’s hope we never have to do this again.”
He just watched us. And when I craned around one last time, he winked.
Present
I relay the story as best I can. I don’t tell them the contents of the letter—I did have the thing memorized for a while, when I would read it under my sheets with a flashlight—but the gist of everything.
“Your mom was having an affair?” Margo asked. “With who?”
I shake my head. “It didn’t occur to me to question her.”
Eli groans. “And your dad wrote you a tragic fucking letter. Of course.”
“It was comforting at the time.”
We lapse into silence.
Then Margo says, “Norah did say Josh being Dad’s lawyer was a conflict of interest. But she had said him and your dad weren’t on good terms. Why did he use Josh for his will?”
Eli leans toward her. “She talked about that?”
“I asked,” she says, sheepish.
“She’s never bothered to answer any of my questions about it. I transferred to Emery-Rose soon after you had left, and Caleb sought me out—evidently because of Dad,” he adds with a smile. “But they both clammed up whenever I asked about…”
“Our dads were friends,” Margo says.
Surprise ripples around the room. Through me. I had never got that impression from our fathers’ interactions.
“Norah said it was the three of them, and mine left… came back with Mom, engaged or whatever. And they had a falling-out.”
“That isn’t what we should be focusing on,” Theo interjects. “Unless Tobias is the one she was having an affair with…”
I snort. “Seriously?”
“How else would you get someone to risk their entire career?”
“Money,” Liam says. “So much fucking money. Enough money to swim in. Not that you idiots would understand, since you already have that. But for someone like Tobias? Who started at the bottom? Yeah.”
“So, Caleb’s dad suspected his own death because Lydia was having an affair? That doesn’t make sense.” Eli scowls. “Jesus. This is making my head spin.”
“Who would’ve known? Besides the parties involved who might lie?” Margo asks.
“Well, there was your parents and mine,” I list, “and whoever Mom was sleeping with. I guess your dad would be the most impartial.”
“Besides the whole murder thing,” Eli says.
“He didn’t do it.” Margo glares at him. “And you know what? For the first time in this crazy mess—I actually believe it. Your mom had more motive than he did. Did the police even look into her?”
“I don’t know.”
She groans, but she leans into me. I hold her close. My chest fills with something light, because we’re actually doing this together. A place I didn’t think either of us would get to.
“You should talk to him,” Eli suggests.
She straightens. “The last time I talked to him, I?—”
“We’ll go with you. In two cars.”
Her attention flips to my face. “What do you think?”
“I…” Fuck, I don’t know. Am I ready to see her dad again? To get answers? To judge for myself if he’s lying or not? “Yeah, we should.”
Liam pulls out his phone. “Visiting hours tomorrow are in the afternoon.”
I run my hand over my face. “I’ve skipped so much damn school. What’s another day?”
“I’ll be at the school in the morning,” Margo says quietly. “To determine when I’m coming back.”
“We only have two weeks left until Christmas break,” Liam points out. “They should just let you work from home.”
“That’s a rich kid treatment,” she mumbles.
“If that’s the sorry excuse they give you, they’ll have to deal with Lenora. And then me.” I crack a smile. “She’s fierce when she needs to be.”
Margo laughs.
It brings the whole mood up a few degrees.
“Food’s here!” Mrs. Black calls from the top of the stairs. “How much did you guys order? My God.”
“We’re growing boys, Mom,” Eli hollers back. We all stand. To us, he says, “At least we figured some things out, yeah? A game plan.”
“Visit Margo’s dad,” I repeat. “That’s… not much of a plan.”
Not to mention, the idea of seeing him again—even if he’s innocent—makes me feel week inside. After all those years of conditioning by Uncle David, it’s hard to shake the disgust. And the blame. But now, along with it, comes guilt.
“Worst comes to worst, you know where to find your mom.” Liam shrugs. “And apparently, she’s with Margo’s mom. Isn’t that a bit fishy? Shouldn’t those two hate each other?”
“Mom looked semi-decent,” Margo says. “Which… was surprising. Like she wasn’t using anymore, you know? I haven’t seen her clean…”
“She might be clean, but… let’s not count on that, okay?” I lead them upstairs.
I think back to meeting my mother outside the diner only a few weeks ago. I asked her where Amber was, and I’m pretty sure she lied right to my face.
Shame, Rose Hill isn’t good for that woman .
I curse to myself. We weren’t in Rose Hill. Lucky’s Diner sat proudly just over the town line, in Beacon, which made Mom’s answer not quite a lie. She knew. Margo’s mom was probably inside the diner as we spoke, making me the biggest fool on the face of the planet.
“I’m curious if you saw your life going in this direction from the beginning,” I said. “I’m mostly curious about why you let your brother-in-law run the show?”
“Your father wants it that way.”
Wants, like he was still around.
But then again, his memory was a pungent one, and the will left no wiggle room.
Could my mother have had something to do with it? She seemed more surprised than anything that the will had been changed. But if it was something that was done because she cheated on him, he wouldn’t tell her.
Money is a good motive, Liam said it himself.
Norah is opening containers across the kitchen island when we get up there. The guys move around me, grabbing silverware and plates.
Margo looks up at me, touching my cheek. “You okay?”
“I just realized…” I glance over at Eli’s mom. “Mrs. Black, did you know my mother before she married Dad?”
She frowns. “That’s an out-of-the-blue question, Caleb.”
I wait.
“We both went to Emery-Rose, although she was a year older. I didn’t really interact with her until we both started dating the boys.” Her gaze slides away. “It’s disgraceful how far she’s fallen.”
Margo flinches.
“They had a falling-out, right? Mr. Black and my dad.” I don’t wait for her response. “Yet he was the one who read the will.”
She nods slowly. “He did. It was Josh’s firm that held Ben’s will, and neither of them saw the sense in changing it once things got… complicated.”
“Complicated is an understatement,” Eli whispers.
“So for a while, you were friends. Or friendly.”
“Somewhat. She was a hard person to get to know. And then—” She stops abruptly. “Excuse me, I think I hear my phone.”
She leaves, and the five of us are left in silence.
“Why do I get the feeling she’s hiding something?” Margo finally asks.
Eli shakes his head. “Hopefully your dad will be able to fill in some cracks.”
She swallows, then nods firmly. Mind made up, determination coloring her expression. I want to cheer, that’s my girl . The little lamb seems so far removed, now. Even scared, even traumatized, she’s keeping her head up.
“Right. Tomorrow.” She looks at me.
My stomach twists, and I nod along slowly.
Visiting my father’s murderer.
Alleged murderer?
Time will tell if I can keep my temper—and tongue—in check.