Page 84 of Takedown

“I’ll show you my room here. I think the house is haunted because the stairs are creaky. Evan thinks there’s a ghost.”

“Evan?” I ask.

“He’s my best friend. He’ll be here on Thursday so you can meet him. Come on.” He tries to pull me to the stairs, but I don’t budge. “Get him, Ralph.”

Ralph growls, bites on my pant leg, and tries to pull me to the stairs. I look towards Ethan and Tara for help, and they both shrug. The alarm to the house beeps, indicating the back door has opened. Loud clacking of high heels hit the hardwood.

“I finally made it,” a female voice says. “Ethan? Tara?”

“In here, Elizabeth.” Ethan’s eyes lock with mine when he says her name.

“I was thinking about what you said. How he said there are other people involved. It just dawned on me that we’ve completely forgotten about his mother. I think she might be the problem and the cause for his—” The words die in her throat when she sees me. Her eyes widen, and the carry-on suitcase she was pulling falls on the floor. She gasps loudly and puts both hands to her mouth.

I’ve seen pictures of her. She looks more like her mother than our father, but she has the same nose as Ethan. And me.

“Whose mother are you talking about?” I ask her. “For your sake, I hope you’re not talking about mine. She has never been nor will ever be a problem.” She drops her hands, but I don’t miss the tears pooled in her eyes. She flies across the room and wraps herself around me, burying her face in my chest while she sobs loudly. Vincent drops my hand, and Elizabeth hugs me. My arms hang at my side, and I stand there like a statue.

I look over her shoulder and lock eyes with Ethan and mouth help. Elizabeth finally pulls away, roughly grabs my face, and looks into my eyes. I look away, unable to meet her gaze. Her hands are warm on my face and not at all unpleasant. Her eyes are friendly, and when tears start to run down her face again, something inside of me starts to thaw. I can’t stand a crying woman. Not only can I not stand it, I can’t take it either. Her hands run through my hair again, and a sob escapes before she hugs me. My hands awkwardly pat her shoulders in a lame attempt to soothe her.

When she pulls away, she smiles and lays a hand on top of mine. I find myself smiling back.

“You look and sound just like Ethan and Dad. Oh my God, Ethan. I finally have a little brother.” The tears fall and she hugs me again. Ethan does nothing to help, but Vincent does.

“He was coming to see my room, Aunt Liz.” He sounds a little annoyed at her, and he pushes his way between us and takes my hand again.

“You’re staying?” she asks, her face still buried in my chest. “Stay, please.” She finally pulls her face away, but she doesn’t leave my space.

“Come on.” Vincent gives me another tug and he pushes his aunt out of the way. Ralph bites my pants again and starts to pull. “Tara helped me pick out bunk beds for when Evan gets here. I’ll show you my room, and then you can come to the aquarium with us.”

Elizabeth finally moves away, and I know I should pull my hand from the kid’s and walk out the door. Maybe go home, get Mel and fly somewhere far, far away, but I refuse to be the one who hurts this little boy’s feelings. And I’m pretty sure the dog would bite me if I tried to leave. So, I let him lead me further into the house, and when he runs up the stairs, I follow.

“This step is the creakiest one,” he says. He jumps on top of it and when I land there, he gestures for me to jump too, so I do. And the wood practically moans underneath my weight. “See? Told you. I think the ghost lives underneath there. Come on.” We arrive on the second floor. It has vaulted ceilings and skylights throughout. Unlike downstairs, the upstairs looks pretty empty, and I can’t escape the smell of fresh paint. I sneak a peek at a few of the rooms while I follow Vincent, and most of them are empty.

I step inside Vincent’s room, and the place is pristine. Much too clean for a five-year-old boy with a dog. The beds are perfectly made and there’s a vase of fresh flowers on his dresser. The room is a nautical theme and painted in various shades of blue.

“Hey, buddy,” I say as I look around the room. There are so many questions I want to ask, but I won’t use a child for information. “This is a nice room.”

He smiles proudly at me, putting his missing two front teeth on display. “Daddy says we’ll be spending time here with you from now on. He says whether you like it or not,” he prattles on while he opens a chest and pulls out a bunch of toys. “You want to play?”

My favorite memories as a kid involve playing action figures with my Uncle Finn. He is the only father figure I’ve ever had, and I don’t remember a single time when he didn’t make time for me. I’m not here to play uncle, but when I look down at him, he smiles.

So, it’s that smile that forces me to sit on the floor and reach for an action figure. The dog comes and lies next to me while we play.

^^^

My Wife – Where are you? We need to talk.

My heart starts to beat erratically at the text. We need to talk is never a good sign, but I meant what I said that night in Vegas. I’m not letting her go and there’s nowhere on earth she can run and hide from me.

Me – I’ll be home soon. I love you.

My Wife – I love you too. I miss you so hurry.

All the tension leaves after reading her last text, and I reach over and mess Vincent’s hair.

“I have to go, Vincent, but I had fun playing with you.” He jumps up, and I do the same. He takes my hand, and we walk downstairs. The three other adults in the house are in the exact same spot at the bottom of the stairs.

“Stay for dinner! Please,” Elizabeth says. She comes over to me and runs her hands through my hair and strokes my face again. I step back, grab her hands, and put them down. “What are we having?” she asks, looking at Tara.

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