Skeletons in the Mist (The McCall Twins) (8 page)

“Then what’s the big deal?”

“There isn’t one.”

“You could have fooled me.”

“Just drop it, Roxy. I’m doing my job here, nothing more.”

She gave him a skeptical look. “Are you saying your brother thinks you’re doing
more
than your job?” A flush crawled up her neck when he didn’t answer right away. “Oh God. He’s thinks you and I…that we’re…oh my God. We just met yesterday!”

“He doesn’t think we’re sleeping together, if
that’s what you’re worried about. He thinks I’m getting too personal, letting you stay at the house and all.” He grinned at the blush in her cheeks. “Don’t worry, you’re safe. You’re not my type.”

She glared at him again, this time in defiance.

“Don’t get all hot under the collar. I’m being honest with you. You did ask what Trace wanted.”

“I thought he was calling about something important.”

“So did I.”

Her glare grew more intense as the ride went on. He’d pissed her off good this time. Oh well. Maybe now they could keep their distance.

“Just for the record,” she finally said. “You’re not my type either.”

“I didn’t think I was.” He rested his arm on the open window while he waited for an indication from the construction crew to go forward.

“Sure you did,” she said on a snicker. “I’m sure there are very few women who wouldn’t find you to be their type.”

He smiled at that. “I’m flattered.”

“Don’t be. It wasn’t a compliment.”

“Sounded like one to me.”

She clenched her fists together and shut her eyes in aggravation. When they opened, they were no less angry. “You are the most conceited jerk I’ve ever met.”

“There you go again, assuming that you know me.”

“I know what I see, Chas McCall. I’ve never met a man who thinks so much of himself.”

This was getting better by the minute, he thought to himself. She was furious now.

“Do you think this is funny?” she asked angrily.

“Do I think what is funny?” He put the truck back in gear and slowly crept past the construction site. “The fact that you get worked up so easily I barely have to breathe to piss you off? Or the fact that you’re so in to the way I look that you have yourself convinced I’m a world class jerk?”

Her eyes grew wide and she let out a growl. “I am not
in
to the way you look!”

He raised a brow. Big mistake. She swung at him, her tiny fist connecting with his right shoulder.

“Good thing I’m a lefty,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. That only made her madder. She shut her mouth and folded her arms across her chest. She was silent for the rest of the ride. When they were only a few blocks from the Spokane Juvenile Correctional Facility, his cell phone rang and he was thankful for the noise.

Scott Briggs was on the other end of the line.

“No go. He doesn’t want me.”

“What do you mean, he doesn’t want you?”

“Just what I said, McCall. He said some rather nasty things, and fired me. He doesn’t want public assistance. And to be honest with you, I don’t want to
be
his public assistance. The kid’s a little bastard. And I mean a
little bastard
.”

“He’s fourteen,” Chas said quietly. “What the hell are you listening to him for? Talk to his sister. We’re almost there.”

“I have another appointment, McCall. You told me eight o’clock. It’s nearly nine. I have a practice to run you know.”

“I’m driving into the parking lot right now. Just wait.” Chas disconnected the cell phone and
turned the key off once they’d parked. “You’re brother’s not making things easy. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“What choice do I have, Chas? He’s being difficult because he’s scared. I can reason with him.”

Chas had his doubts, but kept them to himself. They both climbed out of the truck and headed for the large stone building. He greeted several of his colleagues, and then they were lead into an interrogation room. Immediately he recognized Scott Briggs.

Tall, blond and lean, Briggs was the kind of guy who spent more hours in the sun than he did in the courthouse. He was a member of all the right clubs and all the right clicks. He was GQ material all the way from his Italian loafers to his Armani suit.

He stood when Roxy came into the room, first shaking hands with Chas, and then her. “I apologize for my rudeness on the phone with Detective McCall earlier, Ms. Tavish. I think you should know what you’re getting into here though. Devon is not helping himself much at this point. He
all but fired me.”

“I realize that he’s being difficult. Surely you understand his circumstances are touchy. He’s afraid.”

Briggs raised a brow and folded his arms over his chest. “Just when was the last time you saw your brother, Ms. Tavish?”

Chas backed up and let Briggs have the floor.

“I’ve been away,” Roxy hedged, looking to Chas and then back to Briggs, who was staring at her questioningly. “Ten years,” she finally admitted.

“I see.” Briggs backed up to rest on a corner of the table. “Look, I’ll be honest with you here. I think the kid’s got some serious problems—drugs and alcohol being two of them. I would guess he’s had to go through some serious detox the last few days. He’s bitter and angry and volatile. Is that something you can deal with, after seeing him as a four-year-old innocent ten years ago?”

Chas watched her shrink slightly. He waited for her response. He didn’t have to wait long.

“Just why did you all bring me here?” She looked first at Briggs and then over at Chas. “It doesn’t
appear to me that either of you want me to see my brother—either of my brothers. So why did you call me?”

“Because we had to,” Chas said simply. “You’re the next of kin.”

“So butt out and let me do what I came here to do. Where is he?” She looked at Briggs, determination in those big blue eyes.

“They’re going to bring him in. They were serving him breakfast when I left him last. I’ll check on his progress.” Briggs walked into the hallway, leaving Chas and Roxy alone.

“For the record,” she said, the minute the door closed behind Briggs. “I see what you mean about hiring my own attorney.”

Chas shrugged. “Scott’s not bad at what he does. He just doesn’t give a damn.”

“He shouldn’t be defending a child for murder.”

“No one should have to defend a child for murder,” he pointed out.

The door opened again and Briggs returned. Behind him were two armed policemen. Chas watched Roxy’s face carefully as Devon Tavish
sauntered into the room with them. His hands were cuffed in front of him. The orange jumpsuit he wore held the insignia of the Spokane Juvenile Correctional Facility.

Roxy’s eyes filled with moisture immediately. For the first time in ten years, she was face to face with her brother. And it was clear that she had absolutely no idea what to say to him.

SEVEN

Roxy found the breath leaving her lungs the minute she laid her eyes on her younger brother. The face that was before her was completely unrecognizable. Of course there was an abundance of scraggly hair covering it. She wanted to reach forward and push it aside so she could really see him, but she didn’t. Instead, she rested her fingers against her mouth, afraid that anything she said would be wrong.

When she’d left town ten years earlier, she remembered a small toddler, barely out of diapers, staring up at her with a look of confusion and sadness. His tiny thumb had been in his mouth and his blanket had been tucked in his free arm. He’d barely said goodbye. Instead he’d just stared at her with those sad, blue eyes. Those eyes weren’t sad anymore. They were angry.

“Have a seat, Devon,” Chas said, apparently figuring out that Roxy couldn’t speak.

“Don’t want to sit. I’ve sat enough.” The boy shook his head to flip the hair out of his eyes. “What the fuck do you want now? I fired him.” He gestured to Briggs with his eyes. “He’s a dick.”

Briggs didn’t dignify that with a response. He just looked from Chas to Roxy with a look that said
I told you so
.

“You have to have counsel,” Chas said, looking at Roxy for some kind of support. She really didn’t know what to say. She was way out of her element here. God, she hadn’t let herself believe things were as bad as Chas had warned her they would be.

“Who the fuck is she?”

Roxy nearly jumped when her brother spoke again. When she met his gaze, her heart cracked a little further. He was glaring at her, those angry blue eyes filled with hate and mistrust.

“She’s your sister,” Chas told him, nodding at her to say something. She didn’t. She couldn’t. This boy was a complete stranger to her. Her own brother was a complete stranger. The realization that she had completely and utterly screwed up not only her life, but the lives of those around her,
became crystal clear right at that moment. She wanted to crawl into a hole and cry.

“I don’t got no fucking sister. Now leave me alone!” Devon shook his cuffed hands angrily. “Why do you keep coming here? What do you care what happens to me?” He glared at Chas.

“The question isn’t why I care, Devon. The question is why you don’t.” Chas took a step toward Roxy. “Your sister is here because she is your next of kin. She’ll be making all decisions as to what’s in your best interest.”

Devon turned those hateful eyes on her again and she nearly cringed visibly. Her skin broke out in goose bumps and her eyes narrowed tensely. “Hi, Devon.”

He stared at her, his expression blank.

“Do you remember me?” she finally asked nervously. She suddenly wished she had listened to Chas and taken things a little more slowly. The kid was looking at her as though she were the antichrist.

“Should I?”

“I hope so. I remember you. It’s been a long
time.” She gave him a forced smile. “You were just this high when I saw—”

“I know how fucking tall I was. When people look down at you, you remember those kinds of things.” He looked away from her abruptly and met Chas’s gaze. “I don’t want you here and I don’t want her here. Just get out.”

“Sorry,” Chas said simply and rested on a corner of the table near Briggs. “You’ve been appointed counsel. That counsel is Mr. Briggs here. You need to answer his questions and do what you can to help him defend you.”

“I don’t gotta do shit.”

“Devon,” Roxy began.

“You mind your own business! You’re the reason I have no fucking father! He couldn’t stand being reminded of you so he put a gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger!”

The words sliced her good and she stepped back in surprise.

The room was quiet for a moment and then Chas spoke. “She’s here to help you, Devon. She gave up a lot to come a long way. You owe her at least some
respect.”

“I don’t owe her shit!”

“He doesn’t,” she heard herself say, and hated the fact that her voice was shaking. “I never meant to hurt you.”

Devon ignored her. He turned to the guards and gestured with his hands. “I don’t want to be here. Take me back.”

“You’re making a mistake here, Devon. Precious time is going by while you play this game. It’s only hurting you and your brother.”

“Fuck you,” he said to Chas as the guards led him by. When he passed in front of Roxy, he looked her directly in the eyes. “Stay away from my little brother. You’re a bad omen.” Before she could step away, he spit in her face. And she just stood there in shock, unable to move. She heard Chas as he stepped forward and gave Devon a shove. She also felt him wipe at her face with a piece of cloth. After a moment, she realized it was a corner of his shirt. He was talking to her but she blocked him out.

“I need to go outside,” she said abruptly, the bagel she’d eaten earlier suddenly feeling like a rock in
her stomach.

“Okay, okay. Hang on.”

She didn’t know how long a walk they took, but moments later fresh air hit her in the face. She grabbed hold of the railing in front of her and just breathed in and out restlessly. This had all been a horrible mistake. Another error in her judgment to add to the stack of screw-ups in her life.

“I tried to warn you.”

She held her hand up to warn Chas off. The last thing she needed right now was for him to say I told you so.

“Come on,” he said, gesturing to the steps. “Let’s get out of here.”

The ride away from the juvenile detention center was made in silence. Chas pulled the truck into the drive thru lane of a fast food restaurant. “What do you want?”

“I’m not hungry,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.

“I’m buying and you’re eating. Now what do you
want?” He’d given her time to regroup. Now it was time to build her confidence up again. Nothing about Devon Tavish’s behavior had surprised him. But everything about Roxy Tavish’s had. She’d crumbled like a pile of rocks.

“I don’t care, Chas.”

He ordered two cheeseburger meals and two sodas. Then he pulled into a parking space and opened up the paper bag filled with food. He handed several packages to her. “Eat.”

“I don’t want any food, okay!” She looked up at him and he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. Up until now, she hadn’t let a single one fall. When she blinked, that all changed. The droplets overflowed from her eyes and she swore again.

Sighing, he stared at her. “What do you want me to say, Roxy? And what exactly did you expect him to say?”

She didn’t answer.

“He’s a screwed up kid and he’s been hurt. Just get over your own feelings and think about that.”

“Don’t say that to me! Don’t you dare act like what he just said to me shouldn’t hurt!”

“I know it hurt. But let me warn you that you’d better get a hell of a lot thicker skin if you’re going to stick this out to the end. Those two boys are ready to strike out at anyone who will listen. And right now you’re the one that’s there.”

“I never wanted Daddy to kill himself!” Her voice raised and a small moan escaped from her mouth. “God, I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

“I know you didn’t. Deep down, so does Devon. He wanted to hurt you and he used whatever means he could.” Chas set the bag of food aside and reached toward her, against his better judgment. His fingers brushed against her curls in a gesture of comfort. “You were a kid, Roxy. Sixteen years old. How many times are you going to take a trip back in time and torture yourself?”