Blood Ties (7 page)

“Sure thing, Captain Nicholson,” I replied as I extended my hand and he shook it.

I remained seated, looking around.

One of the desks had some photographs, but none were
Aidan’s. If he had an actual desk in the room, it was impossible to tell.

My
cell phone rang and I checked the caller ID. It was an unknown number. I accepted the call and put the phone next to my ear.

“Hello?” I said.

“Is this Miss Samantha Pearson?”

“Yes, who’s speaking?”

“Hello Miss Pearson, I’m William Morris, the executioner of Miss Susan Andrews’ will. Is this a good time for you, or would you prefer that I call at a later time?”

“Now is fine, M
r. Morris. How can I help you?”

“Miss Andrews left some objects for you. I need you to come to my office to sign some documents and to arrange the delivery of said items.”

“Sure, will tomorrow at around seven in the afternoon do?”

“Unfortunately, it’ll have to be earlier.”

“Mmm…four?”

“Yes, that works wonderfully. I’m sorry if it’s an imposition, but I’ve got pressing commitments later.”

“That’s perfectly fine, Mr. Morris,” I replied as I grabbed a pen from my bag and a post-it from the desk; I asked for his address and, after writing it down, hung up.

I waited some more and
Aidan and Jared came in. Jared looked like a boy who’d been reprimanded and was ashamed. Captain Nicholson must have given him a huge piece of his mind, because Jared didn’t crack a smile when I looked at him and grinned expectantly. Aidan rolled his eyes, grabbed his jacket from behind the chair, curtly said goodbye and took off.

“That bad?” I asked
Jared, trying to repress a smile.

He looked at me dryly but eventually his mouth broke into a sheepish grin. He nodded and I smiled.
Jared looked just like a kid. A handsome, hot man-child.

“Shall we leave or do you have any pending conversations?” I enquired.

“Let’s go,” Jared replied as he gently placed his arm behind me and led me out of the room, through the station and into my car.

We made
a pit stop at a fast food diner and bought food to go; I didn’t really feel like cooking, and Jared said I shouldn’t trust his culinary productions, so I took his word for it and decided to take my chances with junk food.

We got home, ate as we watched the evening news, and then went to sleep.

Maggie greeted me at my office on Friday morning. Jared had dropped me off and had gone to Aidan’s for a brief meeting they had set up earlier. They couldn’t risk being seen chatting amicably in my workplace if Jared was supposed to be my boyfriend and Aidan an unfamiliar detective investigating a murder.

“Would you like me to pass
Jared’s corrections to the digital version?” Maggie offered.

“No, that’s okay, thank you. I’ll have the digital ready before
noon and after lunch I’ll start with Kelly’s book.”

“Do you want me to give it a first glance?”

“No, I need you to set me up with Andrea for Monday morning. I’ve already read her book once and the corrections were made, but I’d appreciate it if you could read it again.”

“Sure. What about biographical information from Cameron, Jared, Kelly and Andrea?”

“Cameron’s already in the flap; as the book is at the printer’s, it’s set. I had him e-mail me the paragraph last week, I’m sorry I forgot to forward it to you for backup. Kelly’s bio will depend on whether I choose her manuscript or not; Andrea can bring the text with her to the meeting, so kindly ask her to do it. And Jared will be dropping by in a little while, so I’ll get the passage from him then.”

“Okay. Samantha, if you don’t mind my asking,
” Maggie treaded with care, although the curiosity was evident, “Jared’s manuscript seems to have dropped out of the blue…I mean, I know I’m only your assistant and I don’t know everything you do here, but I hadn’t even heard him mentioned until Mark said it was a priority on Monday.”

“Maggie, I know it was a surprise, and you should feel free to ask as much as you want because I think it shows interest not only on your work, but also on other projects we develop here. Jared’s manuscript is an old creation. I mean, I’ve been working on it for a few months now, but I kept it under wraps because I think it’s one of those books that will set the market ablaze.”

“You think it’s an HP?” Maggie enquired, bewildered.

I nodded and pressed my index finger to my mouth, signaling
for her to keep it to herself. She nodded excitedly and left my office.

No, I didn’t think the manuscript was that good; once
it hit the market, it wouldn’t sell a thousand copies, but that wouldn’t have made any sense for my keeping the manuscript—and Jared—a secret.

I spent the rest of the morning
going the digital version of Jared’s manuscript—it actually belonged to a young woman named Allie—without getting any interruptions from Maggie.

Jared arrived at noon, bringing along a chicken salad for me and a burger for himself, with sodas and fruit salads for dessert. We had lunch in my office, and I could tell Maggie was curious because she only took a fifteen minute lunch-break and didn’t move from her desk unless she had to use the bathroom.

Once we were done with our food, Jared went to pour a couple of mugs of coffee while I finished Jared/Allie’s manuscript. I sent it to Maggie, so that she could read it again, just like we’d done with Cameron’s and Andrea’s.

I started Kelly’s manuscript but only managed to read the first three chapters. The first narrated her childhood; the second her teenage years, and the third contained significant memories from her family. Kelly changed names and slightly altered the context, but deep down, her work was a biography, not a fictional creation.

I left the manuscript on my desk and parted from my office with Jared at half past three. I told Maggie where I’d be and that if there were any urgent phone calls, she should forward them to me; otherwise, I’d receive messages on Monday. We wished each other a lovely weekend, and Jared and I were gone.

William Morris greeted us himself. He was thin and barely taller than me, with black hair that was receding and dark blue eyes. He mentioned his secretary had left due to an emergency fifteen minutes earlier, so now he was taking care of everything. There were other offices, but they were empty; people were taking their holidays, he informed us.

“Please sit down, and call me Bill,” he said, motioning for us to sit on a couch; he grabbed a file and spread some documents and a pen on the coffee table that was in front of us. “Miss Pearson, did you know Susan Andrews had included you in her will?”

“Not really, and please, call me Samantha. I suspected, due to the fact that she had no living relatives, but we’d never actually talked about it.”

“I see. Well, I’m sorry for my promptness, but as I’ve mentioned, I have commitments I can’t be late for. Susan left her apartment for a charity she was involved with.”

“Missing Children?” I asked, knowing she’d
contributed money on several occasions.

He nodded.
“Her car was left to you, as well as whatever clothes and shoes, accessories and jewelry you may want. The things you won’t use are to be given to goodwill.”

I nodded.
Susie always gave away her clothes to different organizations.

“You are to go over all her items and decide which are to be given away and which are to be disposed of.”

“But I can’t do that.”

“It’s what Susan wanted, Samantha. She stated that you’re the only one who’ll be the best judge for what is significant and what isn’t.”

I sighed. I hated the idea of going through Susie’s things, but I understood what she’d meant.

“What about Ray?” I asked, curious.

“He gets the photographs and any object Susan had that included or had been bought by him. Samantha, I believe you’ve got a set of keys to Susan’s apartment?”

“That’s right. Can I go over there during the weekend?”

“Sure. I just need you to sign these documents and it’ll be set. Raymond said he’d be dropping by tomorrow morning. These are the car keys,” Bill said, handing them over to me, “and this is my card, with my cell phone number. Please call me if you have the slightest doubt or question, okay?”

I nodded, signed the papers, put the car keys away and stood up. Bill led us to the door, and he surprised me by hugging me.

“I’m very sorry for your loss, Samantha. Susan was a wonderful woman.”

For whatever reason, I got emotional and had to fight back tears.

“Thank you very much, Bill. I’ll give you a call to let you know how things went.”

We parted, Jared shook his hand, and we left. I asked Jared to pull over at a park, and I sat on a bench, staring at the horizon. Jared sat by my side and hugged me. I burst into sobs and
clung to him. We remained seated until around half past six, when my eyes were dry and Jared said it was time to go back home.

I took a shower while Jared picked a DVD. Then he took a shower while I cooked. We had dinner, watched a movie, and called it a night.

The phone rang at midnight. My hand pounced onto the bedside table and wandered until it fell on the receiver. I grabbed, placed it on my ear, and literally grunted.

“Sam?”

“Yes, who is this?”

“It’s Brody.”

“Noel’s passed out again?”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“No rush, just get here whenever you can.”

I hung up the phone and sighed. I heard the door open.

“What is it, Sam?”

“My brother’s wasted; he’s at his regular bar, which is ten minutes away from here. I’m sorry, Jared. This is quite usual on Saturdays or Sundays, but it’s rare on Fridays,” I told him, my eyes still closed.

“I can go and get him for you.”

“Thanks Jared, but he’ll never go with you; he’s paranoid about kidnappings, and if he’s drunk, he won’t stop yelling and punching,” I explained as I stood up.

Jared left the room while I put on shoes and grabbed a coat and purse. By the time I got to the living-room, he was fully dressed and expecting me.

As he drove, I gave him indications. The ride was a quiet one, not tense, but certainly disturbed.

Jared parked and I took a deep breath in before exiting the car. I walked towards the door with Jared closely following me. He opened the door and let me in. I could make my way to the bar with my eyes closed. I knew where there were tables, chairs, cigarette vending machines and the jukebox.

Brody smiled tightly when he saw me and, after I introduced him to Jared, he led us to the back room. Noel lay on a couch, completely disheveled. His eyes were closed but I could see he was awake, his breathing was too uneven. I knelt beside him and patted him on the back.

“Sammy! You’re here,” Noel said merrily, after a few seconds of focusing his sight on my face had gone by. “Why are you here?”

“I’m taking you home.”

“But I’m resting,” Noel explained, smiling. “Brody let me crash on his couch. He’s the greatest, isn’t he?”

“I know, Noel. But it’s late, and it’ll be better if we just go home now, okay?”

“But I don’t want to go anywhere, Sammy,” Noel said slowly, his words slurring.

I sighed and shook my head. There were two possibilities: this could take a very long time, if I continued being nice, or this could end quickly, with bitching and moaning on Noel’s behalf, and my not giving a rat’s ass.

I decided I didn’t want to spend the rest of the night trying to convince my brother he needed to go home, so I turned around and looked at Jared.

“He won’t want to come, but I’m fed up. We’ll just carry him, okay?”

Jared nodded and moved next to Noel. He grabbed him from the hand and placed his arm around his back, lifting my brother. Surprised, he, in turn, looked at Jared.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Sam’s friend, and I’m taking you to her house. I know you don’t want to go, but it’s what’s going to happen, okay?”

“But I don’t want to go, and you can’t make me!” Noel said, getting upset.

Jared ignored him and forced Noel to his feet. I stood on his other side and placed his arm over my shoulders. Brody walked ahead of us as my brother argued he didn’t want to leave, and he started cursing. We placed him in the back of the car and he dozed off immediately. Carrying him up to my apartment was no easy task, but we managed.

“You think you’re so great because of your home,” Noel mumbled. “All you do is boss people around, but you won’t control me!”

Jared lunged Noel onto the couch and looked
at me expectantly.

“You suck! I was having fun! And your fucking need to be in charge and to interfere in every life is pissing me off. Get a life of your own and stop messing with mine!”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. I’d be hurt, if I knew Noel meant it, or even made sense.

“You, my friend, must be her slave, or something. How much does she pay you?”

“I’m here because I choose to be,” Jared replied.

“Please! Sam hasn’t had a man since Caleb, and, keep this between us,” Noel said, lowering the volume of his voice to an attempted whisper, “I think he stood in the line of fire on purpose.”

Jared was certainly surprised at what Noel had said. I’d already heard it a bunch of times, and even if I knew Caleb’s death had been an accident, the fact that my brother implied otherwise hurt like hell.

Noel looked spitefully at me and tried to
sneer.

“Bitch!”

“That’s it,” I told Jared. “I’m going to sleep now. You can crash in my room if you want to, I don’t mind.”

“That’s okay, I’ll stay here, don’t worry.”

“Where will you sleep?”

“On the other couch or on the rug. The stiffness of the floor may be good for my back.”

“If you say so…”

I didn’t feel like arguing or trying to convince Jared of anything. I was tired, sad, pissed off, hurt, and plain old mad.

As I walked to my bedroom I could hear mumbling on Noel’s behalf, and Jared answering, but I seriously could not care any less for what they were saying, so I closed the door, removed my shoes, and lunged myself onto my bed, falling asleep before my head landed on the pillow.

I slept horribly. I didn’t rest at all. Luckily, there were no dreams, but it was still an awful night.

When I woke up I stayed in my bed. I kept my eyes closed and breathed slowly. I wondered if I could spend the rest of my life lying there, cuddling a pillow under the covers, only getting up to go to the bathroom and kitchen.

As thoughts streamed into my mind, I wished I could have a slight case of temporary amnesia. But I
didn’t. So I remembered.

Susie had been murdered and there were no leads in the investigation. Sandy was dead and it could have been an accident or murder; this case was an even bigger question mark than Susie’s. I had had a bomb delivered to my apartment, my sister was the only suspect. And the cherry to the
sundae, my alcoholic brother was probably hung over in my living-room, and even if all I wanted to do was throw his ass onto the street and never talk to him again, I felt guilty of even thinking about it.

I grunted. I did not want to leave my bed. Under any circumstances. But I remembered Jared, and my immediate reaction was to smile. Then I realized he was putting up with Noel by himself, and I couldn’t really be mean to Jared like that, not interrupting.

I removed the covers, got up, put on slippers and reluctantly walked to the living-room. I was surprised to find it empty, but upon hearing noise coming from the kitchen, I directed myself there.

Jared and Noel sat around the kitchen table, drinking coffee and talking softly. My brother looked worn out, while Jared seemed concerned. If he’d
have to put up with Noel’s shit as much as I’d had to, he would not be preoccupied.

Jared looked up as I entered the kitchen; Noel chose not to.

“Good morning, Sam. How did you sleep?” Jared asked.

“Like shit, Jared. What about you?” I
was straightforward as I made my way around the kitchen, pouring coffee into a mug and yogurt and cornflakes into a bowl.

“It was a restless night.”

“Okay,” I replied, deadpan.

I didn’t feel like having breakfast with Noel, so I placed the mug and bowl on a tray and walked back to my bedroom.

I sat on my bed, grabbed the remote control from my bedside table, turned on the TV and selected a news channel. I placed the tray on my legs and set the control next to me. I started eating my yogurt with cornflakes when Jared knocked on the door and popped his head into my room.

“Come in,” I said after swallowing.

Jared sat on the other side of the bed slowly, making sure I wouldn’t spill my breakfast.

“He’s sorry, Sam.”

“He always is, Jared.”

“Noel’s going through a lot right now, and he’s really embarrassed that you’re always picking up after him; considering he’s elder, he thinks he should be looking out for you.”

“Jared, I know you’re trying to do a good thing here, but trust me, there’s absolutely nothing you can say or he can do to change things. Wait, actually, there is. Noel can get sober, go to AA meetings, and stop fucking up everyone’s lives.”

“He’s feeling terribly guilty.”

“Jared, he’s a drunk. He has been one for years now. My mom and stepdad choose to ignore the situation. Kelly is unable to care for herself, let alone a thirty-year-old inebriated man. What are his problems, Jared? What story did he tell you?”

“Noel said his wife is seeking a divorce and wants full custody of their kids. Last
night he wouldn’t stop crying…You should cut him some slack, Sam.”

“Jared, Noel is single. He has no wife, no children, nothing! Every time he gets drunk, he makes up a sob story that attempts to justify his behavior. He tells me he’s about to get fired, but doesn’t work! He can’t hold on to a job, so my mom sends him some money, and he’s somehow managed to make Kelly feel guilty enough to pay for his apartment.”

“Hasn’t he gone to a psychologist?”

“He went once, but didn’t go back. The doctor told him he had certain issues to resolve, and Noel didn’t like what he was told, so he never returned.”

“He really is sorry Sam.”

“He missed my best friend’s memorial because he was drunk. Susie
grew up in our house, she spent more nights over at our place than at her own; Noel was like her elder brother, and he couldn’t garner the will to stay sober for her memorial service!”

“What will you do now?”

“I don’t know. Every time I get him, he hurts me. You heard him last night…The psychological damage he causes is far more significant than whatever responsibility I may feel towards him. I’m…I’m done.”

I looked at Jared, beaten. For whatever reason, when I thought about the situation, I found myself always relenting and giving in to my guilt. But now, talking it over with Jared, even if he was trying to explain Noel’s behavior, I knew I couldn’t put up with it any more. Yes, he was my brother, he had an addiction
, a disease, but I could not make him change. If Noel couldn’t see for himself the problems he had and caused, I couldn’t do it for him. And I loved him, I really did, but there was a limit to the amount of pain I could endure. And it had been reached.

“Look Sam, whatever you decide to do, it’s up to you. I’m not fully aware of your brother’s life, and I don’t know everything you’ve had to put up with. My sister’s addiction was completely different and that whole situation was
dissimilar. All I can tell you is, Noel wants to talk with you. If you’re ready to sever all ties with him, just listen to what he has to say, for the last time.”

I looked at the now empty bowl. What Jared
was asking for wasn’t irrational. I sighed, gulped down what was left of my coffee, and looked at Jared. After picking up the tray, I stood up and walked to the kitchen.

Noel sat quietly, following me with his sight as I placed the tray on the counter and then sat across him.

“Hung-over?” I asked sternly.

Noel’s eyes locked on mine and got teary. I’d feel sorry for him, and would probably be moved by a thirty-year-old expressing his feelings like that, but I was simply fed up.
This were not the first tears I’d seen in his eyes after a night—or day—of drinking our doing drugs.

“Sam,” Noel whispered, “thank you for last night. I’m so sorry, I really am,”
he said as he choked up, but didn’t cry. He sighed and shook his head. He looked at me with pleading eyes, but I wasn’t sure of what he expected from me. “I promise you Sam, this is the last time you have to put up with all of this, with me getting wasted and Brody having to call you to pick me up. I’m so embarrassed, I’ll have to get him a DVD or something to thank him,” Noel added, trying to lighten the mood.

I stared at him, confounded.
Was he really expecting me to buy his bullshit? He seemed to think I hadn’t heard his words before.

“Noel, you’re right. I want you to listen to me carefully, okay?” I spoke slowly and earnestly, seeking to avoid a violent confrontation. “Last night was the last time I answered Brody’s call. This is not a warning, it’s a statement. Before you get all worked up, I need you to pay attention to what I have to say: you’re a drunk,
you are a drug addict, you’ve got addictions, and you’re in denial. If you refuse to look at yourself and try to change, I can do absolutely nothing for you. Every time you drink Noel, you hurt me, as well as everyone around you. I’m sorry, but I can’t muster the strength to put up with you anymore. I’m just telling you this because I want you to know it’s not that I don’t care for you or don’t love you; it’s simply that the amount of pain you cause when you’re drunk overrides my love for you. I am sorry to have to tell you this, but I can’t take it anymore.”

Noel looked at me, perplexed. He blinked, took a deep breath in and exhaled. Dramatically, he gazed around and finished by setting his sight on mine again.

“You can’t take it anymore, Sam? You can’t take it?” Noel asked, the tone of his voice started low but rose with every word he uttered; he was going to argue heavily, I knew it. “I’m so sorry I can’t live up to your expectations! I’m sorry I’m a burden for you, Samantha. You, with your holier-than-thou attitude. Do you think it’s easy, trying to live my life with you and Kelly by my side, always nagging me to change my ways? Haven’t you ever considered that maybe you’re the ones who need the attitude change? Mom sees nothing wrong in me, and she’s the sanest person I know! I do not have a drinking problem; I’m always fine, but all Brody does is overreact and make a huge deal out of everything! And you certainly like to magnify what you consider to be my problem Samantha, so that you can come in riding your stallion and save the day, don’t you? Stop trying to find bad things in me to make yourself feel better, and focus on your own defects!” Noel spat out at me, shoved his chair back, stood up and stormed off; I heard the door slam shut.