The Sarah Roberts Series Vol. 4-6 Page 50

  “What kind of fucking question is that?”

  “How old were you when you learned about Vivian?”

  Sarah wondered if that deserved an answer, but he had been forthwith in explaining about Penny. The least she could do was answer this question.

  “I learned about Vivian when I was eighteen, years after she was killed.”

  “Right, so doesn’t that lead you to think that there are other family members that your parents have kept from you?”

  “No, absolutely not. We’ve been very close since I was eighteen. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today.”

  Russell leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the table. He stared at her, and she met his gaze.

  “Your mother’s sister’s name is Abigail. I’m Russell, her only son. That makes me your cousin.” He stuck his hand out. “Pleased to finally meet you, Sarah Roberts.”

  Chapter 18

  Amanda adjusted her black sunglasses as she sat in her car outside the steak house. She watched Sarah and Russell through the restaurant window. From where she sat, only the tops of their heads were visible.

  She tapped her fingers on her thighs and waited for her call to be returned. Someone had to deal with the two people that had thwarted Maxwell for over twenty-four hours. The flow of money had been affected. Several people were dead, two of whom owed Maxwell a lot of money. Sure, he planned it that way, but the death of the other guys who were sent to deal with Tyrone Percy and Mark wasn’t in their plans.

  You owe Maxwell money and don’t pay it back, he may kill you. You murder one of his employees, he will kill you.

  Amanda had started out five years ago as Maxwell Ramsey’s girlfriend. What he didn’t know when they began seeing each other was that she was an ex-kick boxer and cage fighter. He didn’t even ask why her nose was crooked when they met. All he did was hold her and caress her like no man had ever done before.

  Six months into their relationship, with Maxwell showering her with gifts and all the money she could spend, one of his men tried to cop a feel in Maxwell’s office.

  Maxwell lost it and ordered a couple of men to take the offender outside. She had quickly asked if she could handle it. Curious and unsure, he had agreed.

  Everyone had gathered outside, surrounding the offender and Amanda in a circle like a high school fight.

  It didn’t last long. She hit the man fifteen times in the span of eight seconds, five of those hits with the base of her foot. His coma broke one month later and he walked out of the hospital two months after that.

  He was never seen in Vegas again. No one ever touched Amanda inappropriately after that, and Maxwell learned she could defend herself quite well. He had been impressed with her talents.

  It wasn’t long before she did odd jobs for him. They worked together now, running things in Vegas as a team. A husband and wife team. Although everyone still thought they dealt with Maxwell Ramsey, they were actually dealing with the both of them. She liked it that way. No one expected too much trouble when a girl was sent to collect a debt.

  Little did they know.

  She couldn’t wait to get her hands on Sarah Roberts. Maxwell’s contact inside the police station confirmed a man, who they later learned was Russell Anderson, had warned Detective Collins about Sarah Roberts being in town. Then Russell was rumored to have been at Maxwell’s west end warehouse. A BMW motorcycle, registered to Sarah Roberts out of Santa Rosa was found parked a block from Maxwell’s warehouse.

  It was Amanda’s idea to leave it there with a man watching it. Sarah would return to get her bike eventually and when she did, they would be waiting for her.

  But Amanda couldn’t wait. She drove to the police station that morning and waited for Sarah and or Russell to come out.

  She had followed Sarah and stayed outside the pharmacy during the robbery. She thought she recognized two of the thugs, but that wasn’t her concern today.

  Once gunfire erupted, she snuck up to the front window and saw Sarah and Russell walking toward the back of the pharmacy, unscathed.

  Whatever power they possessed to walk into a room filled with men and guns and be able to walk out every time without a scratch was a power she needed to learn more about.

  Her phone rang.

  “Yeah?”

  “You have them?”

  “Yes, darling.”

  “Good. I’ll send men. When they leave, grab them both and bring them to the warehouse.”

  “I have a better plan.”

  Maxwell cleared his throat. “Go ahead.”

  “It’s before noon. The steak house is busy. I say you call in a few favors owed to you by the taxi drivers of this glorious city. I know a couple of them owe you more money than they can pay back over five years.” She switched the phone to the other ear. “Make sure you have at least two drivers going up and down in front of the steak house. Pick Sarah and Russell up when they come out and wherever they’re dropped off, we nab them. Sarah is most likely going to go for her bike anyway. We have men watching the bike, so she will be the easy one to grab.”

  “I like it. I’ll call it in. If they leave before the taxis arrive, can you—”

  “I’ll stay on them.”

  “See, that’s why I love you.”

  “This stuff makes me horny,” Amanda said. “Be ready tonight.”

  “I’m always ready, baby. But listen, I’ll be busy for a few hours. Have you got this?”

  “Do you have to ask?”

  “I know, I know …”

  “What are you doing? What’s keeping you busy?”

  “I’m meeting with Detective Collins and then going to see Alfred to tell him the bad news about Tyrone and Mark.”

  “How do you think that’ll go?”

  “I think with how gruesome Tyrone’s death was, Alfred will be more than willing to work with me on the deal. Mark still needs to be taken care of, though. He’s languishing in that hospital and that won’t help me with Alfred.”

  “Kinda shitty how these two interrupted everything, isn’t it?”

  “I think it can work in our favor.”

  “How do you see that?”

  “Mark is in the hospital. That puts Dr. Scott Emmet in a unique position. He’s into me for a lot of money. He could bet that Mark Stead won’t last the night. Since it is clear that Mark only suffered a severe beating and the odds are he will make the night, everyone will bet high on Scott to lose. Once Mark dies, Scott gets paid on his bets. Then we get paid. The other side of this is that Alfred will be able to see that I can get to anyone anywhere and at anytime. He will have to sign me on as a partner. He will be left with no choice.”

  “You do have it all figured out.”

  “Just make sure those two stay away from us and the hospital. At least for today.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. The morgue will be as close to the hospital as they’ll get.”

  She disconnected and set the phone down beside her.

  Sarah’s head moved in the restaurant window as she talked to Russell. Amanda watched and cracked her knuckles.

  “Your time is coming, bitch. Your time is coming.”

  Chapter 19

  Sarah sat stunned into disbelief.

  Her cousin?

  She shook her head. “That’s impossible.”

  Russell imitated her and shook his head. “No, it’s not.”

  Sarah smacked the top of the table, rattling the utensils on the plates. A few patrons turned to look at them.

  “Don’t sit there and deny me. When I say it’s impossible, that’s what I mean. If my mother had a sister, I would know about it.”

  “Call her.”

  “What?”

  “Call her. Ask her. But don’t be all nonchalant. Ask her seriously. Ask as if you already know she has a sister. See what she says. I think you’ll be surprised.”

  “Okay, to put this stupidity to rest, I will call her. And when she confirms you’re a liar, I will get th
e truth out of you or I will beat it out of you, ‘cause if this is a lie, it’s the kind of shit that really pisses me off.”

  “Fair enough. Do and say what you will. Just call her first.”

  Sarah pulled her cell out and dialed her parents. On the second ring, her father picked up.

  “Sarah, how are things in Vegas? So good to hear from you.”

  “Are you all settled in now? How’s Parkman doing in his new business venture?”

  “Yes, we’re settled in. Parkman’s got everything ready to go, but since his client list is small right now, he took off for Maine.”

  “Maine? Why there?”

  “It’s the toothpick capital of the world. You should have seen him the day before he left. Researching toothpicks, running around our house one night when he came for dinner spouting off trivia he had learned. Did you know that the toothpick is the object that Americans most often choke on? On average, every year, almost nine thousand people injure themselves in some way with a toothpick? Also, did you know …”

  “Dad?”

  He cleared his throat. “Yeah?”

  “You’re sounding like Parkman.”

  “Sorry, just had him around the house for a few days before he left. Anyway, you called me. What’s up?”

  She looked across the table and met Russell’s eyes. Could she see any family resemblance? Could she tell something like that by staring at him?

  “I need the truth about something,” Sarah said.

  “Of course, Baby. Ask away.”

  He was the only man on earth she would let call her that.

  “Did Mom have any brothers or sisters?”

  Dead silence met her question. For a second, she wondered if the line got disconnected.

  “Dad?”

  “Yeah, I’m here. Why would you ask something like that?”

  “Oh, no, Dad. No deflecting. Does she have any siblings or not?”

  “Wait, here she comes. I’ll put her on.”

  “Dad …”

  The line was pulled away. Tinny voices resonated to her as they spoke a few feet from the phone. Then her mother’s voice broke in.

  “Sarah, I’m so glad you called.”

  “Me too, Mom. I asked Dad first, but he didn’t get a chance to answer.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I asked if you had any brothers or sisters.”

  “Well, I …”

  “It’s a simple question, Mom.”

  “Why, though? What’s the reason for asking?”

  “I learned about my sister when I was eighteen. I just thought there may be others.” She decided to take Russell’s advice and assume that her mother did have a sister. “Then I found out about your sister, Abigail.”

  There was a deep intake of air on the other end of the line. Her mother was moving, walking somewhere. A door shut.

  “You okay, Mom?”

  “Just give me a sec.”

  Sarah realized the man sitting across from her was probably her cousin. A man with a similar psychic trait as hers, but instead of writing down messages, he heard them and wielded those messages through pictures. Photos that helped the police solve crimes after they had taken place. She wondered who the enigma was now. Him or her?

  “I do have a sister,” her mother said. “Her name is Abigail. How did you learn of this?”

  “I’m having breakfast with my cousin in Vegas right now.”

  Her mother gasped. “Sarah, listen to me very closely. I said I have a sister. I did not say she had kids. My sister Abigail did not have any kids. Whoever you’re sitting with is not your cousin.”

  Sarah leaned back and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Why all the lies? Who was telling the truth? She gave her parents a free pass when they withheld Vivian’s existence from her, but why not talk about Abigail? Could she trust her mother after this? Would she trust her mother after this?

  “Why haven’t you told me about your sister?” Sarah asked.

  “It’s a long story. When you come home, we can talk—”

  “No, now. I’ve got time. I need to know.”

  Her mother was breathing too close to the phone. That’s all Sarah heard for the half a minute she waited. She wasn’t going to be the one to break the silence.

  Then her mother started.

  “The short version is, my sister and I didn’t always get along. Then, when Vivian was kidnapped, Abigail didn’t come out to help with the volunteers who had gathered to search for Vivian. I felt let down by my family.”

  “I know the feeling.”

  “I guess I deserve that.” She paused for a moment. “Once Vivian was found and we had the funeral, which Abigail did show up for, she drove home and we didn’t talk for a long time. She called me over a year later to see how you were doing. I told her that we hadn’t told you about Vivian to spare you having to learn about grief at such a young age. I asked her to not even say the name Vivian until we were ready to tell you. Your father and I had a tough enough time trying to stay together in those days. You understand, don’t you?”

  “Go on.”

  Without hesitation, as if now was the right time to unburden years of repressed secrets, Sarah’s mother continued. “Abigail said she disapproved of our decision and wanted nothing to do with us if we were going to remember Vivian by forgetting about her. What she didn’t get was that we weren’t forgetting anything. We were trying to protect you.”

  “When was the last time you talked to your sister?”

  “When you were three or four.”

  “Then how do you know whether she had children or not?”

  “Because she couldn’t have children. She babysat kids, even brought them on outings with us. I always thought she would’ve been a good mother, but things were wrong down there. Endometriosis or something. Doctors told her at twenty-five years of age that she would be childless. So if someone claims to know my sister, that’s fine. But if they are claiming to be Abigail’s kid, they are absolutely lying to you.”

  “Call your sister for me.”

  “Why?” Her mother sounded offended.

  “Ask her if she had any kids.”

  “But she didn’t.”

  “Ask anyway. Make sure you find out the truth. Don’t let her lie to you.”

  “Why would she lie to me?” her mother asked.

  “Doesn’t it run in the family?”

  “Sarah …”

  “Come on. What do you expect me to say? Just do this for me. Call her. Then call me back. I gotta go.”

  When Sarah ended the call, her thumb and fingers went numb for a quick second. She opened her text program.

  As fast as Sarah could type, Vivian dictated her next move.

  Sarah didn’t like it one bit.

  She looked across the table at Russell. Because he didn’t know how Vivian contacted her, he politely waited until she was done typing, probably assuming she was simply sending a text to someone.

  Sarah wanted out of the restaurant, away from him and all the family drama that came with him. She needed to sort everything out. She needed to hear back from her mother before she decided what to do next.

  “Where can I find you?” Sarah asked.

  “I’ll be around. I’m sure we’ll meet again. Don’t you want to talk about this?”

  “Not right now. My mother is calling her sister. I’ve got something else to attend to. Then come find me and we’ll talk. And I need some sleep.”

  Russell edged out of the chair sideways and stood up.

  “I got this,” Sarah said, referring to the bill.

  “Thanks,” Russell nodded. “I’ll see you soon.”

  She watched him weave through the tables and chairs. Near the front, he stopped at the waitress’s supply nook, grabbed a handful of ketchup packages and headed for the front door.

  What the fuck? That’s strange. Why does he need ketchup packages?

  After he stepped outside, she turned in her seat and looked down at the messag
e on her phone.

  Step outside. Get in a taxi. Wait three minutes exactly, then beat the driver until he needs to be hospitalized. Drive him to the hospital in his cab. Get yourself admitted too.