Page 55 of Kid
“Remember what I said about lying to me?” I growled. “I’ve given you so many chances to act right. You’ve vandalized my car. You hurt Nella and I know you have something to do with Jeremy being missing. The car and Nella, you and I will talk about later. Right now, it’s all about Jeremy and Nella.”
“What exactly are you accusing me off?”
“I’m not accusing out of nothing.” I replied. “But we do know the will you had delivered from your lawyer friend to Calie’s lawyer wasn’t the real one. Let me ask you again. Where is Calie’s original will?”
Jade crumbled into a nearby chair looking as if her world had ended.
I almost felt bad for her.
…almost.
Her eyes kept dipping to the space above the fireplace. Though she said nothing, I rose and walked over to the spot, reading the backs of the books there. They were expensive, leather bounds, first editions mostly. I dragged a finger against one.
“Don’t touch those!” She shrieked. “You neanderthal would never understand how priceless those books are!”
“No?” I asked, hooking my finger against the top of one and pulling it out. “Why do you hate Jeremy? Is it because Nella loves him more than you?”
I unceremoniously dropped the book to the floor.
It hit the marble with a satisfyingthud,and she screamed as I reached for another.
“Do you think I’m too dumb to see the only reason you took him in was because of Calie’s money?”
I showed the second book the same mercy.
“Get away from there!” Jade tried pushing me away.
“That even if Calie hadn’t left Jeremy’s guardianship to her sister, that she wouldn’t in a million years leave it to you.”
I dropped the third book.
“The question becomes…where would you hide something as important as the true will?” I carried on.”
“I’m calling the cops.” She blurted out.
“A woman like you wouldn’t have tossed it out.” I continued as if she hadn’t said anything at all. “No. You’d hold onto it so you can go back to it later to marvel about how much smarter you were over everyone else. So—which book would you hide such a treasure in?”
“Didn’t you hear me say I’m calling the cops?”
“I thought my reaction to that would have told you that I give zero fucks.” I told her in a bored tone. “It wouldn’t beIrene Iddesleigh—no. That’s considered the worse book ever written.”
When I reached her copy of Anna Karenina, I plucked it from where it was stuck between a copy ofTo Kill A MockingbirdandThe Great Gatsby. I turned to look at her and Jade averted her eyes. She wasn’t breathing then, and I flipped open the book. I only had to flip through a couple of pages before a piece of paper caught my attention.
Unfolding it, I smiled. “Do you still want to call the police, Jade?”
She staggered away from me and crumbled into a sofa.
Turning, I was heading for the door, but stopped. “Secrets tend to cast a long shadows, Jade.” I told her. “And no matter how long or far you run—they’ll find you. Nella is going to find out what you’ve done. And if you have anything to do with Jeremy being gone, I’m going to come back with her—and I have a feeling your daughter’s temper is far worse than mine.”
