Chapter 32
Casey
The vibe at the Whelan house is very bad after the funeral.
Declan meets with his mother and his brothers about what happened with Donnell.
I’m allowed to sit in on the meeting when Declan insists, but I get the feeling the siblings would prefer I wasn’t there.
It isn’t like they have anything against me personally, but more that I can tell it’s unusual for a spouse to be a part of these discussions.
Nobody knows what Donnell’s going to do from here.
Seamus thinks they should roll him up and break his knees.
Cormac suggests outright killing him and making him an example.
Finn and Siobhan are much more level-headed.
Declan tends toward a more moderate response, and in the end they all decide to keep a close eye on Donnell and to wait and see.
The meetings dry up almost immediately.
I notice it over the next few days.
Before the funeral, Declan was speaking with several Whelan clan members every day. Now it feels like everyone’s forgotten about him. We show up at the office and he’s doing actual office work instead of tending to real family problems.
He acts like it’s no big deal, but I can tell it’s a problem.
And I don’t know how to help.
I try to be there for him. At night, when he’s stressed, I happily give my body over to him. When he gets bossy, I play meek and obedient. When he’s stressed, I curl up in his lap and try to help him get through it. Mostly I’m moral support, but I wish I could do more.
During this time, Sheila moves into an empty guest suite at the far corner of the house.
“It’s really generous,” she says one night about three days after getting settled. “My place is currently one big black ash pit. I was going to have to get a hotel for God knows how long.”
“Declan’s happy to help.”
She smiles to herself. We’re sitting out back on the porch.
It’s almost nine at night, and the bottle of wine is nearly empty.
I take a long sip and think about poor Declan strategizing with his brothers again.
All their talk and stress, and it doesn’t seem like anything really matters.
Donnell is riling up some of the smaller members against them, but so far, he hasn’t made an outright move.
It’s nice having her around, though. She’s my connection back to my old life before all this crime syndicate insanity, even though she was a part of that world from the very start.
“I always knew we’d end up here, but I never pictured it would look like this.” She smiles to herself and stares out into the night.
“Really? You knew a crazy murderer would try to burn down your house?”
“Well, that part was a nice surprise.”
I laugh and shake my head. “I’m not sure if nice is really the right word.”
“Okay, good point. I didn’t think we’d end up here like this, but I knew Declan would get his way with you sooner or later.”
“Do you think it’s a bad thing?”
“I wasn’t sure what to think at first. Declan’s very… intense.”
“You’re really good at using all the wrong words tonight.”
“You know what I’m trying to say. Declan comes off like he’s a controlling asshole without any substance, but…” She trails off with a slight frown.
“But there’s more beneath the surface.”
“It’s the pressure his family puts on him, I think, but I don’t know the man well enough to say.”
She’s right about that. Declan’s been the heir to his family’s empire for a very long time, and that has molded him into a certain shape.
While his younger brothers all have a kind of selfish streak to them, doing whatever they want and living however they see fit, Declan has been steady.
That’s what they expect, and that’s what he lives up to.
But there’s a whole ocean underneath his skin. There’s more emotion in that man than he lets on. I think the longer we’re together, the more likely it is that we’ll finally unlock it all, but I’m still worried about what the weight of this succession battle might do to him.
“That’s the thing with this whole crime world,” Sheila says quietly, shaking her head. “There’s what you see on the surface and there’s everything else. All the lies they tell. All the truths they keep buried away.”
“You told me one time that my parents kept secrets.”
“More than you realize.”
“I was looking into them, and I haven’t been able to find many of their old associates. And those that are still around won’t talk to me.” I don’t mention my little Senesi mistake. That would only upset her. “Do you know why?”
“I have guesses. Nothing concrete.”
“Give me something. I’m getting kind of desperate. If I’m going to help Declan with Senesi, I need everything possible.”
She hesitates, clearly debating something with herself. I’m not sure what, but eventually she finishes off her wine and empties the last of the bottle into her glass. She swirls it and seems to come to a decision.
“When your mother died, there was a part of her will that I haven’t told anyone. Not even Declan knows about it.”
My eyebrows raise. “Really? You never talked about my mom’s will.”
“She made me swear never to talk about it. There was a letter. Your mother could be peculiar sometimes, but she was smart. If she tells me to keep a secret, I’m going to keep that secret until my dying day, but maybe it’s time.”
“Time for what?”
Sheila stands and finishes her glass. “Stay here. I’ll be back.” She walks off and disappears inside.
I watch her go, feeling confused and on edge. Anything that has to do with my parents is always really painful. It feels like there’s always another secret and a new problem to deal with. I wish Sheila would’ve told me everything so much sooner, but I can almost appreciate why she didn’t.
I had a good childhood. I mean, aside from losing both of my parents and becoming an orphan, life’s been surprisingly good.
Sheila took great care of me, mostly thanks to Declan’s money and influence.
But I didn’t know any of that. All I saw were soccer games, good schools, close friends, solid internships, and dozens of happy memories.
Now it’s all foggy and slightly twisted in my head, but still. All that good stuff happened. All that happiness was there. I can’t act like it wasn’t.
Sheila comes back a few minutes later. She sets an envelope down in front of me and collapses into her chair with a sigh. “One of the few things I saved from the fire,” she says and finishes off her wine.
“What is this?” I open the envelope and take out a small, simple key. It doesn’t look like it would unlock a door, though.
“That is the key to your mother’s safe deposit box.”
I stare, my heart rate doubling. “I didn’t know she had one.”
“Nobody does. I doubt your father even knew. She left me that key in her will and told me never to mention it to anyone under any circumstances unless your life was in immediate danger. And while there’s no gun to your head, I think it’s about time you took a look at what your mother left for you.”
“For me?” I hold the key up to the light. It’s surprisingly plain.
“She also made that clear. Whatever’s in that box is for you and you alone. I never opened it. Never even tried.”
“Mom left me this,” I say quietly to myself like I’m trying to believe it. “What am I supposed to do now?”
“Well, if you want my opinion, it’s pretty simple.” She leans back like she just got a huge weight off her shoulders. “You should go to the bank.”