My Brother's Keeper
A Mentalist Story
By Brown Eyes Parker
Rated: T
Disclaimer: Once again, I have to inform you that I don't own anything.
Author's Note:
I SWEAR I did not steal this idea from anybody. I actually came up with the plot last year when the spoilers about Lorelei came out. I was just never brave enough to write it, but I decided this year was going to be the year I pushed some of my personal boundaries when it came to my stories. So, here we are with another take on the Jane/Brother/Red John theory. Oh, and I know how "cheesy" using the name "Cain" is, but please bear with me. It was the best I could come up with.
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"Jacob have I loved, but Esau I have hated." Romans 9: 13, NKJV_
Chapter 1
He watched from the back of the tent as his half-brother showed off the latest trick their father had taught him, charming the crowd of unsuspecting people into believing that he was somebody special. . . somebody worth their time and attention.
He kicked hard at a clump of grass and swallowed his anger as the applause for an ordinary boy swelled around the enclosed space. He ducked outside and sucked in a deep breath of warm evening air, cigarette smoke and concession stand food as he tried to stave off the hatred he felt towards the boy inside. But the feelings wouldn't budge.
He despised him.
This beautiful little man with blue eyes, and curly blonde-hair that everybody on the carnival circuit called "The Boy Wonder".
His younger brother.
The son that his father so obviously loved best.
He stood, watching the dizzying lights and the carnival goers, and he wished that his brother had never been born. . . that he had never even been a thought.
And for one terrible second, he really wanted to kill him. And not in the normal, frustrated kind of way either. He really wanted to do physical harm to his little brother.
It was a huge, scary thought for a thirteen-year-old boy, and he wanted to get rid of it as soon as it had taken root in his mind.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake it.
It was always there, shaping him, making him into something dark and ugly. A person that he didn't recognize at all.
And one day, he learned to revel in the darkness.
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Five Years Later – Reno, Nevada
"Well look what the cat dragged," Sam said, putting her hands on her hips and looking the eighteen-year-old boy up and down. "Kane Reynolds, aren't you a sight for soreeyes! Do Patrick and Alex know that you're here?"
"Not yet," Kane answered, taking off his aviator sunglasses and sticking them in his shirt pocket.
"You want to surprise them, ha?"
"Yeah," he replied, nodding slightly. "I want to surprise them."
"Well, Patrick will be happy to see you. Your visit is the only thing that he's talked about for the past month-and-a-half," the older woman said, starting to take her laundry down from the worn-out clothes line strung up between two sagging trees. "He's with Pete and Angie, washing the elephants if you want to go and see him."
Kane bristled slightly. "I'd rather not right now, I've had a long trip and I'm rather tired right now."
"And why wouldn't you be? Flying all that way from London, it's a wonder that you're still standing up at all."
"Sam," Kane said slowly as he adjusted his duffle bag and tried to look a little pathetic.
"What is it Kane?" Sam asked, looking at him suspiciously.
"Do you mind if I lie down in your trailer for a little bit? If I go to my dad's trailer, I'm going to have to talk to him. And I'm really not in the mood for that right now; I need a couple hours sleep before I face him."
Sam sighed heavily and balanced the wicker basket on her hip as she wrenched the trailer door open. "Okay. But only for a little while Kane. I can't have you underfoot while we try and get ready for the opening of the carnival tonight."
Kane leaned in and pecked her cheek. "Thank you Sam, you're the best."
"Yeah, yeah," Sam muttered as she led him inside and put her laundry down on the table. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll go tell your father that you're here safely."
Kane flopped down on the couch, shaking his head as he closed his eyes and stifled a fake yawn. "Don't bother, he'll know soon enough. But for now, I just want to be left alone."
Sam rolled her eyes and threw a dusty afghan over the young man's lower half. Then she crept out quietly, intent on finding Alex Jane.
.
She found him outside his trailer, fiddling around with a crystal ball.
He smiled when he saw her walking towards him, placing the ball and cloth down on the old crate sitting beside his folding chair before rising to greet her. "Sam, what brings you here this fine day? Paddy isn't being too bothersome again, is he?"
"Not at all," Sam answered. "He's with Pete and Angela right now. I actually came to talk to you about Kane."
"Kane?" Alex repeated, frowning slightly. "What about him?"
"He showed up at my trailer five minutes ago," Sam answered.
Alex's frown deepened. "That's funny—"
"He just wanted to rest for a little bit before coming to see you," the black woman explained quickly. "He was exhausted after his flight—"
"No, I mean it's funny, because we weren't expecting him until the beginning of next week. His classes just ended today, he was due on Tuesday."
"Oh. . ." Sam trailed off and toyed with one of the beads at the end of her dreadlocks. "Well, I just thought you'd want to know your son was here safely. I'll let you get back to your work."
Alex nodded. "Thank you Sam. Maybe I should drive into town and call his mother, see if everything's okay. Could you do me a favor and make sure Patrick's fed and ready for the show tonight?"
Sam nodded. "It'll be my pleasure."
"And as soon as Kane is awake, could you please send him over here to see me?"
"Of course Alex," Sam answered.
"Thank you," he said, taking his keys from his shirt pocket. "I'll be back soon."
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"Alexander, thank God that you called!" Sasha Reynolds said, breathing deeply into the phone. "I didn't have any idea how to get in touch with you. Kane went missing three days ago, I dropped him off at school and he disappeared—"
"He's fine, Sasha. He showed up at the carnival today—"
"WHAT!?" Sasha screeched. "Why!?"
"I don't know," Alex replied. "I was hoping you could tell me why he's here early."
"You mean you haven't talked to him yet?"
"I haven't even seen him yet," Alex answered. "He showed up at Sam's trailer. She was the one who told me that he was here."
"Oh. . ." Sasha trailed off. "I'm really sorry about this Alexander—"
"Don't be," Alex interjected. "Now tell me, how are things going with him? Is there any reason to why he would show up so early?"
"We had a big fight the night before he disappeared," she said slowly. "But that doesn't result in him leaving the country. He usually hides out with his friends for a few days before he comes back to me, full of apologizes and promises to do better. . . to be better—"
"What do you mean, promises to do and be better?" Alex asked.
Sasha huffed. "If you must know Alexander, your son is more interested in partying and sleeping around then in getting a good education."
"Oh, is that all? He's a teenage boy, Sash. Of course he's more interested in girls and parties. What boy isn't—?"
"My parents don't approve," she said sharply. "They don't want him to turn out to be like you."
"I know that," Alex replied a little impatiently. "And that's why we agreed that I'd only see him during the summers and the rest of the time he would live with you over in England. Which is kind of silly if you think about it, do you know how much you could influence somebody over three months?"
Sasha laughed, breaking the tension between them. "I'm sorry for getting angry with you Alex. It's frustrating trying to raise a teenage boy on my own. I don't think I'm cut out for it."
"I don't know. I think you're doing a pretty good job at it," Alex said generously. "You should try raising Patrick."
"How is Patrick doing?"
"He's doing well," Alex answered. "I don't know what I'm going to do with him. I have a feeling it's only a matter of time before I lose him. He takes moral issue with everything we do here, and he's so hungry for knowledge that he spends hours at the library whenever we're gone for long periods of time."
"Does he ever ask about his mother?" Sasha asked.
Alex sighed. "He did on his last birthday. I know he's fifteen, but I still didn't know how to explain to him that his mother didn't want him. . . that she dumped him on my doorstep literally days after I was born. I don't know how to tell him that she was just a girl I had a one-night stand with, a random girl out that I picked out of a crowd. Especially because he has all these romantic notions in his head that sex is only connected to love and marriage."
"You'll have to tell him the truth one day," Sasha told him. "Kane's known about you ever since he was four-years-old."
"He's been coming to stay with me summers ever since he was four," Alex reminded her.
"I'm just saying that sometimes honesty is best!"
"Define honesty for me," Alex replied trying to keep things light and playful between them. But nothing had been the same between them since she had gotten pregnant with Kane and her parents had stormed into the United States to separate them.
"I would but I have to go," Sasha said. "It's late here. Have Kane call me tomorrow, would you?"
"Of course," he promised.
"Good. I'll talk to you later my darling Alexander, have a good show tonight. And say hello to Patrick for me."
"Goodnight Sash," was all Alex said before he hung up.
.
"All I'm saying is it was very stupid for you to run off like that without telling your mother," Alex said.
"You don't know what it's like living with her, dad!" Kane retorted, lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag. "She's always on me about something, if it isn't my homework then it's the girls I spend time with, and if it isn't the girls then it's my friends. When it isn't that, she's on me about the one time I go caught using drugs—"
"That's another thing," Alex interjected. "Don't you know how stupid it is to use drugs, Kane? You're going to ruin your mind if you—"
Kane rolled his eyes. "So, I ruin some brain cells. It isn't like I need them anyways, I'm going to go off and be a worldwide sensation like your son—"
"Patrick doesn't have anything to do with this conversation," Alex cut him off. "And if I knew he was off smoking, drinking, and getting high I would talk to him too. Your mind is a gift, son. You need to take care of it. All that aside, you're underage! You shouldn't be drinking—"
"The legal drinking age in England is eighteen," Kane reminded his father. "Besides, it isn't like you didn't drink when you were underage."
"What I did when I was your age is beside the point," Alex said firmly. "We're talking about you here, not me."
Kane groaned and flung open the trailer door. "I'm going out. I'll see you later, dad."
Alex sighed. "Kane—"
"Goodnight!"
"Hey Kane! When did you get here, dad said you weren't supposed to be here until Tuesday—"
"Not now Patrick," Kane said, waving his younger brother off as he tossed his cigarette butt on the ground and brushed past him.
"But Kane—"
"I'm not in the mood Patrick," he said.
"He's even meaner this year," he heard Angela Ruskin whisper as he retreated.
"Don't say that! He's probably just really tired from his trip. Do you know the time difference between here and England?"
"Yes," Angela answered primly. "But it isn't that much time that Kane has to be so rude! You're his brother, Paddy! The least he could do is say hi and see how you're doing."
For a moment, Kane was chastened by her scolding. He had always had a soft spot for the beautiful Angela, he never wanted to be in her bad books. . . hated it when he actually got there, and did everything he could to get out of them. Unfortunately for him that usually meant he had to put up with Patrick, because the pair was inseparable.
But tonight, he didn't care about what she thought. She could curse him to hell, call him the worst names, avoid his eyes and ignore his subtle attempts at flirting, he wouldn't weaken. Even if it meant he didn't get to spend a couple of hours with her.
Tonight his brother wasn't worth it though.
So, he kept on walking.
.
When he got back early the next morning, Patrick was curled up on a faded, green sleeping bag. His father was sitting on a chair, reading a worn out novel and drinking instant coffee.
"What's up with Patrick?" Kane asked, nodding to his little brother.
"He decided he wanted to wait up for you," Alex whispered, bookmarking his spot and raising to his feet. "Come, walk with me for a little bit. We're going to have an adult conversation, and after what happened last night, I really don't want to wake Patrick up. He was up all night—"
"And he probably needs his rest for some big show this afternoon," Kane finished for him. "I know the drill, dad."
Alex shook his head. "I changed my mind, we're going into town to get some breakfast and then you're going to call your mother because I promised her that you would."
Kane sighed, knowing that arguing wasn't going to get him anywhere. "Fine. But let's make it quick, I'm exhausted."
He could tell by the look on his father's face that he was refraining from saying something like; well that's what happens when you stay up all night.
Eighty minutes later, Kane had made promises to do better and called his mother to apologize for their argument and for leaving the country without telling her about it first. He didn't mean a word he said, but he knew if he didn't do it, his father wouldn't leave him alone until he did.
When they got back to the carnival grounds, Patrick was awake and eating cereal straight from the box.
And because Alex was watching him, Kane forced himself to smile and sit down beside his little brother. "Hey buddy, I'm sorry about last night—"
Patrick shrugged. "It's fine, really. You were probably just tired after the long trip you had."
"Yeah," Kane agreed hollowly, hating that his conscience had started to prick him ever so slightly. He swallowed hard and set his lips in a thin line while he forced himself to try and make small talk. "So, are you ready for today's show?"
"Sure," Patrick answered, closing the box of cereal and putting it down on the ground beside him. "Are you going to come?"
"Maybe tonight," Kane replied. "I'm going to try and get some sleep this afternoon."
"You know—"
Kane sighed as he prepared himself for another one of his brother's smarter than you are remarks. Thankfully he was saved just in time by the arrival of Angela.
"Hey Patrick, mom sent me to see if Danny was here with you."
"I haven't seen him since last night," Patrick said, getting to his feet. "Come on, I'll help you look for him."
"I'll come too," Kane volunteered quickly.
Angela narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "Thank you, but we're perfectly capable of finding Danny by ourselves. We do it all the time."
Patrick sighed. "If you really want to help, you can come and look with me, Kane. I don't mind."
Kane took one look at Angela and then shook his head. "No, it's fine. You'd be better off without me, especially since I haven't slept much in the past few days—"
Patrick laughed. "Come on, it isn't like Danny's in danger or anything. He's probably hanging out at the merry-go-round or the concession stand."
Angela took him by the arm and dragged him away. "He said he didn't want to come, Patrick! Now come on, my mother wants me back at our trailer in fifteen minutes, and she wants me there with Danny."
"I'll see you when I get back," Patrick said, looking at Kane apologetically.
"Sure," Kane replied tightly.
He was halfway in the trailer when he heard Angela asking Patrick why he was always so nice to him when it was obvious that he didn't really like having him around that much. He didn't stick around to hear his brother's reply; he had had enough guilt for one day, he didn't want to deal with anymore.
.
As the years had passed by, Patrick had grown more and more famous. Word of his skills had passed all over North America, and he was no longer performing for a small crowd of people in a tent. The only thing that hadn't changed was Kane's desire to scream at everybody that they were wasting their time.
He wanted to tell them that the teenage boy they revered so much was nothing but a conman in training. He wanted to spill all his secrets and make him look like an idiot. But the smarter part of him knew doing something like that would only get his father upset with him.
It was even worse than the times Angela got upset at him.
So, he kept his mouth shut and quietly slipped away from the crowd, not caring if Patrick noticed or not.
"I thought you were going to Patrick's show tonight."
He turned around and saw Angela staring at him with her hands on her hips.
"I'm still tired—" Kane started.
"You're going to have to get adjusted to the different time zone sometime," she told him. "You're going to be here for three months—"
"Angela," Kane said wearily.
"Don't Angela me!" She replied. "Patrick is so excited that you're here, and you've treated him like crap since last night. I don't know why you're having a bad attitude towards him, but you better cut it out or I'm not going to talk to you for the rest of your visit."
"So?" Kane asked, quickly schooling his features so she wouldn't know that she had gotten to him a little bit. "It wouldn't matter to me one bit if you ever talked to me again."
Angela frowned, looking more than a little startled by his words. "But I thought. . . I mean, I could have sworn—"
"Well, you thought wrong. Now if you'd excuse me, I'm going to go to bed now. If Patrick asks, tell him that I was too tired to stay for the show. I'm sure he'll understand."
"Yes," Angela agreed dryly. "I'm sure that he will. He always does."
Kane winced slightly at the edge in her voice and suddenly, he hated her too because she was Patrick's own personal champion. . . because she would never care for or like him the way she did for his younger brother. He turned and ran away from her, angry and embarrassed with himself for ever thinking she actually liked him for anything other than the fact that he was the amazing Patrick's brother.
As he retreated from Angela, he made a vow to himself that this was going to be his last summer visiting his brother and father.
He had had it with Patrick and the world that revolved around him.
TBC. . .
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Author's Note II:
Thoughts? I'm anxious here.
Holly, 4/8/2013_