Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
NATE
N ate paced the floor of the living room, his eyes constantly going to the driveway. He drummed his fingers against his forearm, his stomach twisted into a tight knot. He’d watched his mother being led into the back of a police cruiser over an hour ago. Their family attorney had raced to the police station to be with her along with his father, but so far, they hadn’t heard a word.
His mind couldn’t stop from imagining nightmare scenarios where things turned out horribly. Would his mother miss his engagement announcement because she was in jail for a crime he couldn’t believe she had committed?
Maddie sat hunched into a tight ball in an armchair, still sniffling. “Do you think Mom’s going to have to spend the night in jail?”
“I think…I think Clifford can get her out, Maddie.”
“Are you sure?” Her voice broke, filled with a sob.
“No, I’m not certain, okay?” Nate snapped, irritation flashing in his eyes as he ran a shaky hand through his hair, struggling to contain his own fear and frustration.
He twisted to find his sister’s forehead resting on her knees as she sobbed again.
“Oh, Maddie, I’m sorry,” he said with a shake of his head as he snaked his arm around her. “Don’t cry.”
“Don’t cry?” she repeated, raising her head to stare at him, her features red and twisted with upset.
“Yeah. I mean, we don’t know anything. And…Clifford’s a really good attorney. And Dad won’t let anything happen to her.”
Maddie frowned at him but gave a small nod.
“I’m sure we’ll hear something soon.”
A knock sounded behind him, and he twisted to find Stephen in the doorway. “No word yet?”
“Nothing yet,” Nate said with a shake of his head.
“Hey, Nate, can I talk to you for a second?”
“Right now?” Nate questioned, his gaze going to Maddie.
Stephen nodded. “Yeah, just for a second.”
“Maddie, I’ll be right outside. Try not to dwell on things, though, okay?” He strode toward the door, drawing his brother away from the room into the foyer. “What’s up?”
“Hey, ummm, just thinking…you know, what if…what if they question me, too? Like I don’t want to hurt Mom’s case by saying where I was last night, you know?”
Nate slid his eyes closed, scrubbing his face. “Yeah. I don’t know. I guess…do what Cliff says? I mean…you also don’t want to lie to the police.”
“Yeah, but…I mean my testimony could put Mom at the scene right before the murder. I don’t want to be the reason she goes to jail, Nate.”
“No kidding, Stephen,” Nate answered, heat entering his voice, “but I’m pretty sure the cops have some evidence that Mom was there already, so I’m not sure this matters. They came here looking for Mom when we all thought they’d be looking for you.”
Stephen slumped against the wall, letting his head fall back with a thud. “I know. This is just insane. Why did I even marry her? I was a total idiot,” he muttered, his voice laced with regret and self-reproach.
“Yeah, well, that makes two of us. She was very good at manipulating people.”
Stephen covered his face with his hands as he shook his head. “I feel like we need to do something. I just don’t know what.”
“The best thing we can do right now is sit tight and see where this is going. We don’t want to start creating problems where there aren’t any. It could make things worse.”
“Yeah, I get that, Nate, but we can’t let Mom go to jail over something we both know she couldn’t have done.”
“And she won’t. The truth will come out.”
“Nate, come on, people are wrongfully accused all the time. We don’t want the truth to come out like five years from now!” Stephen’s raised voice echoed off the walls of the too-quiet house.
“What?” Maddie’s voice squealed from behind Nate.
He twisted to find her hovering in the doorway, a horrified expression on her features after overhearing their discussion.
“Maddie…” Nate tried.
The girl stormed past them, racing up the stairs to her room as fresh tears fell. Nate let out a muffled groan at the latest development.
“You gotta watch what you say, Stephen, she’s really upset.”
“We’re all really upset.”
“Yeah, well, she’s still a kid, okay? She’s afraid she’s losing her mom. ”
“We’re all afraid of that, Nate.” Stephen stared at him, his features incredulous.
Nate shifted his weight from foot to foot as the sudden realization of his circumstances struck him. He was the oldest. He was the one they all were looking toward to guide them.
He reached out to clap his brother on the shoulder. “I know. But we’ll get through this, okay? If they do call you in to question you, just…don’t say anything until Cliff’s with you. And then… do whatever he tells you, okay? He knows about Mom’s case and yours.”
Stephen bobbed his head shakily. “Right. Okay. Hopefully, it won’t come to that. I really just hope this is all a formality and someone confesses or something.”
“I’m not sure we’re going to get that lucky, but…if they found out that Mom was there, maybe they have a few people on their list. Maybe someone else went to her apartment last night.”
“Yeah, yeah, that has to be it. Mom didn’t do this.”
“No, I don’t think she did either.” He shoved aside the thoughts in his brain that said otherwise; his mother wasn’t the type to snap and do something foolish. She was innocent. “For now, all we can do is wait.”
“Right, okay. Let me know if you hear anything?”
“I will. I’m going to check on Maddie.”
“Okay. Thanks, Nate.” Stephen hesitated for a moment before he pulled his brother into a hug, clapping his back.
It seemed like it had been eons since they’d shared a brotherly hug. Chloe had torn them apart once, and now she was bringing them back together. Maybe something good would come from all of this mess.
Nate pulled back, patting his brother’s shoulder. “We’ll get through it.”
After another nod from Stephen, he left his brother behind and climbed the stairs, snaking through the halls toward Maddie’s room.
Music blared from within as he banged on the door. “Maddie! Open up.”
She didn’t answer.
“Maddie! Come on, open the door. What you heard…look Stephen was just upset, okay?”
He banged against the door again before he sighed. “All right, fine. I’m coming in, ready or not.”
He twisted the knob, finding the door unlocked, and pushed into her room. He inched further into the frilly room, finding Maddie lying in a heap on her bed.
He twisted the knob on her speaker to turn down the music. “Leave it up,” she complained.
“No, I won’t. Come on, Maddie, you’re a kid, but you’re not a baby.”
Her features twisted as she curled her fingers into fists. “Do you think Mom’s going to jail for a long time?”
“No,” Nate said with a shake of his head.
“Well, that’s not what Stephen said.”
“Well, Stephen is…just…saying stuff, okay? He’s…just upset.”
She sniffled again. “You stink at this.”
He let his head fall back between his shoulder blades. “Yeah, well, I’m sorry I’m not Mom, okay?”
“Or Dad.”
He rubbed his temples. “Or Dad.”
“You better start learning,” she answered, her lips still tugged into a tight frown. “If you and Ellie have kids, you don’t want to stink at talking to them.”
“I will just…let Ellie talk to them if I’m bad at it.”
“That’s crappy, Nate. You should be a good dad.”
“I will be a good dad. I will be…but…okay, Maddie, look, we don’t know what’s going to happen. All we can do right now is stick together. Mom didn’t do this, so let’s just…hope the truth comes out really soon, okay?”
“What if it doesn’t though?” She sat up, tears welling again. “What if we all lose Mom because they think she did it?”
“We’re going to fight to make sure that doesn’t happen, okay?”
Maddie sat back on her heels, chewing her lower lip. “Right. Okay. Maybe we should…like…investigate or something.”
Nate screwed up his face. “What?”
“Investigate. You know like in Nancy Drew.”
“Maddie, this isn’t a novel. We’re not going to go prowling around, searching for clues and probably getting in trouble. We’re just going to wait to hear something and go from there.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” She threw her arms in the air, her lips tugging into a frustrated frown. “I’m sick of waiting.”
“Hopefully, we’ll hear something soon. Just…sit tight. I’m going to call Dad and see if there are any updates.”
“Okay. Will you let me know after you talk to him?”
“Yeah,” Nate said with a nod as he dug his cell phone from his pocket. He backed his way from her, pulling the door closed as he blew out a long breath.
His thumb hovered over Elena’s name for a second. He nearly pressed the call button, but he preferred not to disturb her in case she had turned in early. With the time difference, she’d likely be in bed or close.
Instead, he found his father’s name and dialed.
“Nate,” Charles answered a moment later. “Everything okay there? How are you all holding up?”
“We’re all pretty upset, Dad. Any word on when they may be finished with Mom? ”
“Nothing yet. They’ve been questioning her since we got here.”
Nate’s heart sank at the words. "Is there a chance it won't go any further than this?"
“Hard to say. I’m hoping they’ll give her a break soon, and I can get some information from Clif–oh, wait, he’s coming out now. Let me give you a call back as soon as I’ve spoken to him.”
“Okay, Dad, good luck.” Nate ended the call, pacing the floor as he waited for the phone to ring again. Seconds seemed like hours as he stared at his phone, willing it to ring. The longer the conversation went on between his father and Clif, the more complications it probably had.
Would Stephen’s worry about their mother going to prison come to pass?
After what seemed like an eternity, his phone rang again. He bobbled it in a desperate attempt to swipe to accept the call with sweaty palms. “Dad, what’s up?”
“Police are going to let her come home. She can’t leave the country, but…no charges yet.”
He pressed a hand against his chest, allowing his heart rate to slow a little. “Thank goodness.”
“Don’t celebrate just yet. I don’t think this is over, but…for now, we’re safe.”
“Good. That’s good.”
“Hey, Nate, there’s something else I’d like you to do, though.”
“Name it,” he answered.
“I want you to take Maddie and Stephen to Eldoria. Tonight.”
Nate crinkled his brow. “Tonight? Dad, we’re not leaving with all of this going on.”
“I really think you should. I don’t want Stephen anywhere near this given what he could say to the cops. Or any of you to see what they may put in the papers.”
“Dad…”
“Nate, I’m not kidding. Now, make the arrangements. Your mom and I will be home within the hour, I think. We’ll say our goodbyes, and you’ll go to Eldoria—where you belong.”
They finished the call with a few last items before Nate ended it, swallowing hard. He didn’t want to run off during a crisis, but Elena was facing a crisis, too. Maybe he could be of more help there while also keeping his siblings from living through what could become a major scandal.
The tug in his heart to see Elena was strong, yet abandoning his family was not an option. What should he do–send Maddie and Stephen?
He paced back and forth, trying to think through his options. Both his fiancée and his family needed him. How could he choose?
Time slipped away as he tried to think through his options. Voices floated to him, calling him back to the present. He glanced up to find his parents striding toward him.
“Mom,” he said, his voice filled with relief. “Thank goodness.”
He pulled her into a tight embrace. “We’ve all been so worried.”
“I’m fine, Nate,” she said, her voice tired but reassuring as she rubbed his back. “I’m just fine.”
He pulled back, concern etched on his face. “What happened? How did the questioning go?”
She raised her eyebrows as she shrugged. “I was honest. I told them the truth. I did go to see Chloe last night. I asked her to leave my boys and my family alone, told her she’d done enough damage. ”
“And?” Nate asked.
Victoria’s forehead creased. “And what? I left. You don’t think–”
“No, no, no, no, no, of course not,” Nate said with a shake of his head. “I just…did they ask you that? Did they believe you when you told them she was alive when you left?”
“I did tell them. I don’t know what they believed, but no charges yet, so that’s a good thing. Have you talked to Maddie and Stephen about leaving yet?”
“No, because…Mom, if you need us here, we’re staying here.”
“Honey, I’m going to be fine. I want you to go to Eldoria. I want you away from all of this, and with your fiancée. I’m sure Ellie would like to see you and have your help with the wedding planning.”
Nate smiled at her. “Yeah, and I’d love to see her–”
“You were nearly out the door before Stephen got arrested. It shouldn’t take this much coaxing, Nate.”
“I just…want to be here for you if you need it.”
“I don’t. I’m insisting you go to Eldoria. Take your brother and your sister away from all of this. We’ll join you as soon as everything is cleared up.”
He bobbed his head. “Okay. I’ll tell Stephen and call for the plane. You may want to see Maddie next. She’s been beside herself.”
“I’m sure. I wish she didn’t have to see what she saw.” Victoria shook her head before she stepped around Nate to Maddie’s door.
Nate bobbed his head. “She’ll be okay. But she will be very happy to see you.”
They parted ways with Nate heading to Stephen’s room to pass along the news. Both brothers grabbed their bags again, sending them to be packed in the car while Nate made the arrangements to leave on the private jet .
When he returned to Maddie’s room, he found her still clinging to their mother.
“I’m not going. I want to stay with Mom.”
“Maddie, you should go. You can help Ellie with the wedding.”
“I’ll help her when we can all go,” Maddie insisted.
“Come on, Maddie,” Nate said with a grin. “Come with us. You can explore Eldoria to your heart’s content.”
“No. I’m not leaving.”
“This has been going on since I got home. Why don’t you and Stephen go and leave her here?”
“Well, Mom, we could all stay.”
Victoria rubbed her daughter’s shoulder before she rose from the edge of the bed and crossed to Nate. “No. I want you far from this. I don’t want your name on any of this. You go and be with Ellie. We’ll be there soon, I promise.”
He read the insistence in his mother’s eyes. She’d allow the youngest of her children to stay home, but that was it. She wanted the two adults, the two the media would hound for a statement, out of harm’s way.
He couldn’t blame her. “Okay, Mom. If it helps, we’ll go.”
“It does. Maddie needs to stay. She’s just…she may be best here.”
“Okay,” he said with a nod. “I guess Stephen and I will spend some quality brother time.”
“You need it,” she answered with a smile as she patted his cheek. “I’ll walk you down so I can say goodbye to Stephen.”
Within twenty minutes, they’d said their goodbyes, made the short trip to the private airstrip, and boarded the plane, and several hours later, they were descending through Eldorian airspace.
The plane’s wheels bounced off the ground, and within minutes, he and Stephen climbed into the car he’d arranged to take them to the palace. He hoped arriving unannounced wouldn’t be an issue, but he wanted to surprise Elena.
They easily made it through the gates and were in the palace’s foyer shortly after. Nate shifted his weight from foot to foot as he waited for one of the maids to deliver the message to Elena.
“Hope they’re not mad,” Stephen whispered.
“Yeah, me too.”
A moment later, Queen Sophia appeared at the top of the stairs, descending them with grace as she offered a warm smile. “Mr. Kingsley and Mr. Kingsley, this is a surprise.”
“Yes,” Nate said, curious about Elena’s whereabouts, “sorry for the unannounced arrival. I wanted to surprise Elena.”
The queen’s smile never left her face as she joined them, hands clasped in front of her. “How lovely, though I’m afraid impossible.”
His stomach clenched at the words. “Impossible?”
“Yes. Elena is not here. She’s gone.”
His world tumbled around him at the words. Where was Elena?