Author's Note: So after a week of working on this story, I have realized that I can edit written chapters and write new ones fast enough that I can post this story every week (still on Wednesdays.) I only realized this today though, so you get this one on a Friday and then the next one will be on Wednesday.
Also, I changed the title of the story. I have it broken into books, which I will post as separate stories, so this should make it less confusing, but you may need to update any bookmarks you made in your browser.
Many thanks to my Betas: elise_velez, haleyhazz, His_Beautiful_Girl, Luner Kat, pyrodaemon, and Riverrah. This story would not be nearly as decent as it is without all your input and help.
And for reference's sake: the DL is short for the Disabled List.
Chapter Two
Every Word You Said Feels Hollow
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Logan's Inspirational Message
'And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.' — Emily Dickinson
In the dark bedroom, Logan's eyes fluttered, and the infinite blankness of oblivion called to him but he struggled and kept his eyes open so he could see what was coming next. 'I didn't call Ronnie,' flashed through his mind before his father's hiking boot came crashing down on his hand.
He bolted up in bed and cradled his hand to his chest, the sharp pain and audible snap of his finger bones breaking reverberating in his mind.
Thump, thump, thump. His heart beat fast and hard against his ribcage. He took a breath in and then let it back out through his nose, and then again and again. Individual breaths caused bright flashes of pain with each inhale, which settled into a dull throb with every exhale. It took a minute, but as his breaths became less harried and forced, the dull ache he'd experienced last week replaced the sharp stabbing pain that happened with every breath right after his father put him in the hospital.
With his injured hand, he reached up with jerky movements and brushed the sweat from his forehead and chin. He wiped his clammy hand on his comforter while reality began to set back in, and Aaron's attack retreated into the recesses of his mind.
The sun had breached the horizon, so he gave rapid blinks into the fading gloom of night, all while glancing around to make sure he really was alone. His body trembled while the sweat on his exposed skin cooled in the air and furthered his shivers. The tension in his muscles uncoiled, and he slumped over sending pain through his ribs. He shifted on the bed until the pain dulled a bit.
'Just another nightmare.' He continued to breathe in and out through his nose for a few minutes, trying to calm his panting. It had been a long night, and he had woken up six times total. The other nightmares usually ended when his father's boot slammed onto Veronica's delicate hand ripping a scream from her battered lungs. Those dreams took him longer to calm down from afterwards.
This time it only took a few minutes of slow breathing and he was better, that is until his alarm shrilled, causing him to jump and announcing that it was six and time to get up and begin his day.
With a sigh and his heart thumping hard in his chest once again, he flopped back onto the bed and groaned when his ribs rubbed against each other. It took a few more minutes to calm his racing pulse and labored breathing again and he took another half an hour just lying there, reveling in being alive, free and on the mend before he got out of bed.
After dragging his sleepy self out of bed, taking off his sling and the splint on his hand, he got into the shower where he lingered. The heat against his sore muscles and broken bones loosened the tightness that had been plaguing him ever since he woke up in the hospital the first time.
All too soon, he stepped out of the shower before he glanced around at his new bathroom. It was much smaller than what he was used to, and the whole apartment was more modest, but that didn't make it any less perfect. It was his, and it was Aaron free.
He dried off, wrapped the towel around his waist, and shuffled into his bedroom where he found Veronica sitting on his bed. Beside her lay a bag he was sure was the mouthwatering source of the scent of sausage, egg, and maple syrup. Breathing in as deep as his broken ribs would allow, he moaned.
She leaned towards him. "The faster you get dressed, the sooner you can eat your breakfast."
He nodded and walked over to his dresser. After picking up the finger splint, he stepped over to her. "Bobcat, can you please help me with this again?"
After giving him a sweet smile, she reached for the splint, taking it. With a gentle grasp, she held his hand and caressed her fingertips over his yellow bruised and broken flesh. She glanced up at him. "The color is getting better."
She took the splint in her other hand. "They should be back to their normal color in a few more days." He didn't comment, and she helped secure the splint to his broken pinkie and ring fingers. When she finished, she placed a kiss to the fingers, and he stepped back over to his dresser.
Veronica had stayed late the previous night and helped him put all his clothes away in the dresser and closet. They weren't sure if it'd all fit but when they finished, there was plenty of room left over, so he could still add to his wardrobe without having to get rid of anything. He also had the closet in the spare room if he needed more space.
After grabbing his boxers out of the top drawer, he slid them on under his towel. When he dropped the towel and turned to toss it in his hamper, he smirked when he spotted Veronica's pouty lips.
He dropped the towel into the basket, walked to her, leaned down, and brushed his lips against hers in a tender caress for a moment before pulling back. "Sorry, but I'm told we're on a timeline."
She chuckled. "We are, and I know better than to expect you to wake up too early, so I'll let it slide this time."
He laughed before he pulled on his cargo pants then he put on deodorant and with a little help from Veronica slipped on an orange and brown striped t-shirt. He and Veronica dealt with his hair next. Styling it to his standards with only one, three-healthy fingered hand was difficult, so whenever she was there in the morning, she'd help. Once they had it styled to his usual perfection, and he put his shoes on, he picked up his wallet and made sure the check was still inside. It was where he put it the day before, so he closed the billfold and slid it, his phone, Epi-Pen, key chain, the safety deposit key, and PopPop's lighter into his pants pockets.
He turned and glanced at Veronica who was still sitting on his bed. After helping him put the Avengers sling on his arm, she handed the bag to him. "Bobby hasn't given you the green light to drive yet, so I'll drive, and you can eat on the way. That way we don't burn anymore daylight than necessary."
He sighed at that. He missed driving his car, but he shrugged and swept his healthy arm towards the front of the apartment, so she rose and walked towards him. When she passed him, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his body, before leaning down and kissing her for a long couple of seconds. When he pulled back, he told her, "Good Morning, Sugarpuss."
That brought a grin to her face. "It is now."
With a chuckle, he slung his good arm around her shoulders and led her towards the front door. He let out another sigh while they passed his perfect, beautiful, bright yellow baby parked on the side of the street. The souped up sound system and the tan leather seats with his monogram sewn into them beckoned him. He cast longing glances at his car, he missed the supple leather of the steering wheel beneath his hands and the breeze in his hair while he drove, always a little faster than the speed limit, with the windows down.
With a shake of his head to clear it of his longing, he got into Veronica's black LeBaron and let out another deep breath. He was mostly joking when he once said it must have been a huge cereal box she got her car out of, but let's be honest, it really was a full-sized toy car compared to the magnificence of his Xterra. That his larger than life, action figure girlfriend drove a toy car amused him to no end, though, he would never say that to her.
Her cream pleather seats stuck to him in the way only plastic could. It was a convertible, though, and she had the roof down so at least his hair would blow in the wind, but it wouldn't be the same. And she only had a single cd player. He missed his ten-disk CD changer he had custom installed in his baby.
He said none of that out loud, though. Veronica loved her car as much as he loved his and despite his bruised and battered state, he liked all his parts where they were, thank you very much. Instead, as soon as he had his seatbelt on, he opened the bag with his breakfast in it and pulled out a still piping hot Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddle Sandwich.
By the time they got to the Neptune Fidelity Bank on Main Street, he'd eaten both sandwiches, two hash browns, and downed half his orange juice. They walked into the bank mere moments after it opened and deposited his check. They were in and out and back in the car before he could get anxious about it.
He kept expecting Aaron to jump out from behind something and steal the check back, but when he handed it to the teller, she deposited it without question. So, as long as his father didn't tell the bank he forged it, he should get the money by Tuesday.
He let out another heavy breath, but this one carried his relief with it. Sighing sent a stabbing pain through his side, so after rubbing his ribs, he played with his lighter for a few minutes before he fell asleep and missed most of the ninety-minute drive to San Diego.
His eyes fluttered when the car stopped, and he woke when Veronica shut off the engine. With a glance around, he sat up and wiped his mouth. 'Nothing worse than drooling on my girlfriend's car.' His hand came away dry, though, so he got out and walked around to her side. After she took his battered hand in her gentle grasp, they crossed the street and strolled down the sidewalk towards the bank on the corner.
When they entered, his brows drew down at the over the top opulence of the décor. It appeared the wealthy favored this bank. Gold colored stone swirled through the marble on the floor and he guessed the gold accents everywhere were real gold. Potted plants, almost as tall as he was, stood on either side of the entrance, and every desk he could see had a bouquet on it. Even the teller windows had little bowls with flowers floating in them.
He gave a slight tug on Veronica's hand and pulled her over to the first open teller. He kissed her knuckles before letting go of her hand and reaching into his pocket, taking out the key. Placing the key on the counter, he showed it to the teller. "I'd like to open my safe deposit box."
Her smile didn't reach her eyes and had a plastic quality to it even while she took his key. "One moment, Sir, let me get someone who can help you with that."
He inclined his head and waited while he watched the hand on the big clock behind the counter tick for three minutes before a Manager came over to him. "If you follow me, Sir, I can help you."
The man's blue suit hung off him instead of draping over his slightly paunchy figure and it was obviously off the rack rather than a tailored suit.
He almost gagged when the stench of onion left over from whatever the manager had for breakfast wafted over to him as the man spoke. Logan wrinkled his nose a little and held in the gag but didn't comment on his foul breath. The man led them to an office down a hallway he hadn't noticed earlier.
When they entered the office, he studied the room with its cream carpet, tan walls, a mahogany desk that took up two thirds of the cramped space, and a potted plant that almost reached a few inches above him sitting beside the window. He guessed the bank wanted customers to think about things that grew when they came there so they'd leave their money with them and assume the bank would grow their investments nice and big like all the plants they had on display.
He and Veronica sat in front of the man's desk in chairs so hard their butts would hurt if they were in there for more than a few minutes. The Manager, Mr. T. Norton according to his name plate on his desk, still hadn't introduced himself and Logan reassessed the clientele that bank dealt with. It had big aspirations, and the clients did, too, but you wouldn't catch Aaron in there with such an unrefined man between the public and his hard-earned money.
Mr. Norton took the chair behind the desk. "I understand you wish to access a safe deposit box? You have a key, but I don't recognize you and I'm the one who handles the deposit boxes."
Logan released a heavy breath. So, the man had lofty aspirations, too, or at least delusions of grandeur. Gaining access to the box would not be as easy as depositing his check. Mr. Norton's lips formed a thin line that tried to tilt upward. Logan supposed he meant it to be an encouraging smile, but like the teller's grin, Mr. Norton's also came across as plastic and practiced with his lips forming a thin brittle line. "What name is the box under?"
Logan glanced at Veronica and shrugged. While normally he would boss the man around, he had no idea what the name on the box was though, so he had no clue what to say.
Veronica took the note out of her purse and passed it to Mr. Norton. "Uh, we don't know. Logan got this note left in an envelope with the key on his front stoop yesterday afternoon."
Okay, so for once they were going with the truth. Mr. Norton's eyes got big, and he sat straight. "May I see an ID?"
He fished his wallet out of his back pocket and handed Mr. Norton his license before something resembling a genuine smile grew across the manager's face. "Yes, the owner warned me you would come, but that was months ago so it slipped my mind."
He rose from his chair and handed Logan the note and his license. "Mr. Echolls, if you'll follow me, I'll bring you to the vault."
With a glance at Veronica, he raised an eyebrow. The truth worked? She blinked at him slowly but didn't say anything, so they stood and followed Mr. Norton to the vault with its countless rows of secure boxes.
The manager led them towards the correct one and Logan took the key back from him before unlocking it and tilting his head at Mr. Norton who slid the box out of its space. He'd guess the box measured two feet long, a foot wide, and a foot deep. The man stooped with it and seemed to struggle to hold it up all the way, so he patted himself on the back for not attempting to pull it out. There was no way he would have been able to carry it.
Mr. Norton inclined his head and led them out of the vault and into a little room beside it. The almost dirty mauve walls in the room and the stains that littered the carpet lowered Logan's estimation of the bank even more. The man placed the box on top of the little table. He and Veronica sat before he scowled at Mr. Norton who hovered a little too close. Logan gave him his standard obligatory jackass smirk. "If you don't mind, we'd like some privacy. We'll let you know if we need anything."
The man deflated and Logan guessed that was the most excitement Mr. Norton had ever had. Still, he inclined his head. "Of course, Sir, I'll be right outside."
Logan waved him off without looking at him, the way he'd seen his mother do it countless times before. Once Mr. Norton left, Logan looked at Veronica and leaned in and pecked her lips. When he pulled away, he placed his hand on the metal lid, and his mind flashed on the last time they opened a safe deposit box together.
That time it was her mother's box, and they found fifteen grand and surveillance photos of Veronica with a sniper's target Photoshopped over her face. Clarence Wiedman sent them to scare off her mom, after she threatened to demand a DNA test and take Jake Kane for billions.
In response, Mrs. Kane scared her off, or perhaps she wasn't even aware of Lianne's threats. Maybe she just knew that her husband was in love with Lianne and she wanted to make sure he didn't get ideas in his head about leaving his family for his mistress.
Before he lifted the lid, he frowned. "What are the chances that the contents of this box are better than the money and photos of you we found in your mom's box?"
She took his hand in hers and gave a gentle squeeze. "If it came from your mom, or rather someone she entrusted this with, then I'd say the chances are good, but we have no clue who left the key on your doorstep or their motives, so it's a crap shoot."
He sighed and rubbed his ribs before he squared his shoulders and lifted the top, looking inside. There were stacks of crisp hundred-dollar bills with the currency strap on them stating that they had a hundred bills in each pile. He counted while he took them out and laid them on the table beside the box. Two piles each with thirty bundles of cash lying in front of a near to bursting file folder.
'Damn! Six hundred thousand.' He assumed it was now his. They'd have to see if the bank could transfer at least half of it into his account. His sleep would be for shit even more than it already was if he had that much money lying around in his apartment.
After moving the money, he opened the overflowing folder. Inside he found copies of titles and deeds to multiple properties and vehicles and two lists. The first list had bank names, account numbers, and passwords. The second list looked like lawyers and accountants. Beneath the lists lay two envelopes.
He gave the lists, titles, and deeds to Veronica, and opened the first envelope. A single sheet of paper lay inside. He unfolded the page, and Chanel No. 5 wafted from it. After closing his eyes, he savored the scent he hadn't encountered since his mom jumped off the Coronado Bridge, before he opened his eyes and read, 'Dearest Logan, Use the keys of my heart to give us our freedom and reveal all of my secrets. — Love, Mom.'
He handed that sheet to Veronica who read it and looked at him. "She's talking about her charm bracelet right? The one with the hearts and keys on it."
While he scratched the back of his neck and under the strap of his sling, he shook his head. "I think so. She always wore it, and I remember that she was wearing it that day at the school. Her fingers toyed with it over and over and my eyes kept going to it every time she fiddled with it while we waited for Dad to show up. So, unless she took it off before... jump-ing…"
Veronica ignored the crack in his voice again and leaned towards him, wrapping her arms around him. Unable to help himself, he buried his face in her hair and cried.
When he pulled away, Veronica wiped his tears away. The corners of her lips lifted upward. "The clue is obvious so what happened to her car?"
His lips tilted up before he told her, "It was in her name only, so it's in the storage unit that Dad put all her stuff in."
Veronica leaned into him. "In Neptune?" He inclined his head, so she grinned. "Let's see what's in the other envelope, and you can deposit at least some of this money into your account, and we can head back to Neptune and see if the bracelet is in the car."
He sat back and picked the second letter up before opening it.
'My Dearest Logan, if you're reading this, my life as Lynn Echolls is over. Whether it was from a natural progression of our life or something of my doing, either way, it was the only way to give us both our freedom. I have taken steps to take care of you. You will never need or want for anything, ever, regardless of what Aaron does or doesn't do for you. I set it up so the bank will notify my lawyer when you access this box. He will call you soon and arrange for you to receive your full inheritance.
I haven't been a good mother to you. I never should have hid the truth. I should have left Aaron the first time he hurt you, and I regret that I took over fifteen years to do something about it. I have faith that once I am gone, Veronica will help you escape him. She's a clever girl. She will figure out how to help you break free.
Veronica was always my favorite and I would have loved to welcome her into our family someday. Love her with all your heart and hold on to her for the rest of your life. I doubt you'll ever find a girl better suited to you who will love you more than she does.
You're my pride and joy, Logan. I regret that I made you doubt that, made you feel unloved and unwanted. I am so sorry for not being the mother I should have been. Though, I hope you'll tell your children only happy stories of me.
I love you more than life itself and this was the only way I could see us both making a clean break, the only choice I felt we had. I hope one day you'll forgive me for abandoning you all those years ago, but even if you don't, I hope you know that I love you and you are my greatest creation. I'll miss you every day we're separated, and you will always be on my mind.
Live, Laugh, and Love with all your heart, and you will continue to be my greatest triumph, the one I am most proud of. I will watch over you. — Love Always, Mom.'
Veronica reached up and wiped the tears off his cheeks before pulling him into her arms. He buried his face in her shoulder again and let the grief he locked away in a box when they put an empty casket into the family mausoleum surface and flow out of him. He had no idea how long he held on to Veronica, but when he pulled away, he wiped his cheeks and handed her the letter.
She read it and wiped her own tears away, but then she reread it and tilted her head to the side. He knew that head tilt. She picked up on something she found interesting, so he asked, "What? Did I miss something?"
She looked at him and shook her head. "No, I just wonder when she wrote it and the wording is funny, but I can't figure out why I think so."
He rubbed his chin before he handed her the cash which she put in a canvas tote she took out of her messenger bag. She placed the folder and two letters into the bag, too.
When they exited the room, he stopped in front of Mr. Norton. "Can you tell me the last time someone accessed the box?"
The manager tilted his head to the side. "We don't keep records of that sort of thing, but I remember that Mrs. Echolls came and saw us two days before her tragic passing."
He grimaced at the mounting evidence that his mom premeditated her suicide. It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing like he thought. He shook the manager's hand and walked to the teller and had them transfer half the cash into his bank account back in Neptune.
Once the money transferred, he strode out of the bank. Turning, he stomped down the street but when he got to a trash can, he stopped and kicked it hard, pulling his sore muscles in all the wrong ways, but he kicked it again, anyway.
Veronica placed her hand on his back. "Logan?"
He shook his head. "I'm okay, it just stings that she planned out her leaving me behind. I always figured the heat of the moment got the best of her, and she didn't control the impulse to end it all. This letter, though, it shows that she planned her suicide for at least two days before she went through with it. She actively left me behind, and I don't know how to feel about that."
He ran his hand through his hair. "I mean, I know my mom loved me. She did, but maybe she didn't love me as much as she should have. If we ever have kids, I can't imagine the thought of leaving them behind, and our children don't even exist yet. How does a parent think it's okay to leave their kid behind, especially if you're leaving him stuck with an abus—an ass—once you're gone? How could she think it was okay to leave me?"
Veronica moved around him so she stood in front of him and wrapped her arms around him before speaking into his chest. "I don't know, Logan. I can never imagine me leaving you, and I'm not your mom. Like I've said before, I know she loved you, so it makes no sense to me either. It's okay to be mad at her though. She chose wrong, Logan, and you're allowed to feel whatever you feel over that. There is no wrong emotion here."
He tightened his old on her for a second before pulling away and wiping his cheeks. After glancing around, he let out a little breath when everyone walking by ignored them and failed to recognize him, so he took Veronica's hand in his and led her down the street, and they crossed and got back into the LeBaron.
He played with his PopPop's lighter for the whole ride back to Neptune, flipping and turning it in his hand over and over. They hit a little traffic, so the drive took over two hours. Veronica seemed to ignore the clicking every time he flicked the top of the lighter up and then clicked it closed.
They passed the Neptune City Limits at ten minutes to one and while she drove Veronica glanced at him for a second. "Do you want to go home and eat something and head over to the storage facility after? Or do you want to go search your mom's car first?"
He sat and thought for a moment. "I think I want to look in the car now and I'll think about eating something once I know she didn't forget. If I try to eat first, I might toss my cookies. What if she forgot to take the bracelet off? She was pretty upset, so she could have been so focused on ending it that she forgot to take it off."
Veronica reached over and squeezed his hand before she looked both ways and then took the turn, driving towards the U-Save-It storage facility. They created it with oh-niners in mind, so it was a collection of massive warehouses in the most inland part of the town. It had storage units inside climate controlled, well-lit buildings with aisles wide enough and ceilings tall enough to get a good-sized pickup through.
After Dear Ole Dad's lawyer, Barry, read his mom's will, Logan changed the code Aaron used and replaced it with a ten digit one. He would have made it longer but the locks at the facility could only handle ten-digits. He had Mac to thank for the suggestion of creating as long a code as possible and he couldn't get out there fast enough to change it once she mentioned it to him over lunch after he and Veronica got outed as a couple.
With a shake of his head, he focused on the here and now and once inside, he led Veronica to his unit and unlocked it. He lifted the door enough it carried itself the rest of the way up before he turned the light on.
Using the spare key his mom gave him when she bought the car, he unlocked it and opened the door. After he sat down in the driver's seat, he slid it back, making room for his long legs, before leaning over and opening the glove compartment. He pulled out a stack of papers including the registration and a half-full flask. His hand moved around the around the compartment, he found nothing but air. It wasn't there. "Dammit."
When he sat back up, he looked through the windshield at Veronica before shaking his head and blinking a couple times to keep the tears at bay.
Veronica moved closer and stood beside his door, before she tilted her head again. "Logan, what's that under your seat?"
He adjusted the steering wheel as much as he could and bent before he looked between his legs, but saw nothing, so despite the pain it caused, he leaned down and swept his hand under the seat. The tips of his fingers snagged something, so he pulled it out until his mother's good-luck charm bracelet dangled from his fingers. A chuckle bubbled out of him. "Well, I'll be damned, she remembered her plan and took it off!"
Veronica grinned and stepped back when he opened the door. He slid out of the Viper before walking to a box he previously packed to make sure Aaron wouldn't go through its contents and pilfer the jewelry and other little mementos his mom collected. After picking it up one handed off the stack of boxes it rested on, he barely turned before Veronica took it from his arm. "You're still not supposed to be lifting things."
Laughter rasped out of him despite the slight discomfort the action caused in his ribs. "It's not even heavy."
She shook her head. "Uh huh, do you want to risk being on the DL for longer than necessary?"
He shook his head back and forth but smirked. "Have I told you how much I love it when you use sports terminology?"
She snickered and told him, "What can I say? I love sports."
With a tilt of his head, he toyed with the edge of his sling using his uninjured fingers. "No, you love your dad and baseball. Baseball you'd watch on your own. You watch other sports only because your dad loves them, and you get to spend time with him if you watch the games, too."
She shrugged. "Well, sure." She paused. "But you knew what the DL is, didn't you? So, what's your excuse?"
He smirked. "I think I'd lose my guy club membership if I didn't know what the Disabled List is."
Veronica grabbed his hand with her free one. "You would at that." She looked up at him. "Anything else you want to take home with you?"
He swung his head back and forth a few times and told her, "No, I mean I'll end up going through it all at some point, but I don't want her jewelry anywhere Aaron can get to it, especially once he realizes I went into their safe and took out all the jewelry she had in there. I checked with my lawyer, Franklin. Anything Dad gave her as a gift is mine now. Because they were never legally married, she cut him out of her will, and left him nothing, the jewelry is mine, and you better believe I took it all. Most of it I'll sell because it's from Aaron and we both hate him, but some of it my mom bought or chose for herself and he gave it to her as a gift."
She tipped her head to the side. "After you decide what you're keeping, you could put it all into a safe deposit box of your own to keep it safest."
He grinned. "That's an excellent idea. That way there will be no way Aaron can get to it, well other than killing me and I already drew up a will that my mom signed off on as my guardian at the time that leaves everything I have to you and Trina so even then he wouldn't get jack."
A scowl formed on her face. "I don't want your money, Logan."
He wrapped his free arm around her. "I know you don't, and I don't want to leave you, so I hope we'll get my wish and the will won't matter. My being out of Aaron's house makes it less likely that I'll need one so…"
She sighed but hugged him back before pulling away and after they glanced around for a second, she led him out of the unit by his hand. After putting the box in the back seat of her car, she came back and pulled the door of the unit closed. That would hurt his ribs too much.
When they got back to his apartment, he let them in, and Veronica walked straight to his bedroom. She put the box with his mother's jewelry onto the dresser before she took his mom's bracelet and stepped over to his nana's chest. Her shoulders drooped, and she dropped her chin to her chest before her lips turned downward a moment later. She turned and pouted. "They're too small."
After taking the bracelet from her, he peered at it and sure enough, the keys dangling from the chain were far too tiny. He sat on his bed with the charm bracelet full of keys and hearts in his hand, his down-turned lips matched Veronica's while he tried to figure out what the keys belonged to. With a deep, melancholy sigh, he handed the bracelet to her. "Guess we were wrong."
He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his grandfather's lighter, turning it round and round and upside down in his hand. When he flipped the lid open, Veronica grabbed his hand and tilted the whole lighter so she could look at the bottom. Her eyes lit up, and she grinned. "Can I see it?"
With narrowed eyes, he handed it to her. She closed the lid and tried sliding the various keys from the bracelet into the little slot she found on the bottom. The second to last key popped the bottom off and she grinned. "Ah hah," and tilted the lighter showing him the hidden compartment with another bigger key inside it.
Veronica bounced on her toes. "I bet that's the key to the chest."
After grinning at her, he tilted his head. "I agree, but why do you think so?"
She rolled her shoulders, limbs loose. "Your mom always said that one day the key would magically reappear. Your mom hid it in a hidden compartment of a lighter a POW acquired during the Korean War. We found the key to that compartment on a charm bracelet that your mom hinted at in a mysterious letter in a safe deposit box. If those aren't as close to magic tricks as we can get, then I don't know what is."
With a chuckle that caused his ribs to object, he grabbed his side. "Fair point. You want to see if you're right?"
Her eyes lit up probably in anticipation of solving a mystery. She raced the few steps to the chest sitting at the foot of his bed. She stared at him for a minute and bent down a little and slid the key into the hole before giving a gentle twist. With an audible click, the top of the chest popped open. His smirk spread across his face, and he told her, "Well, how about that? It worked."
She grinned, so he got up and walked to her before pulling her upright and kissing her. When they separated, he glanced at the chest. "Let's see what's inside, shall we?"
She lifted the lid all the way open, and they found boxes of varying sizes with stacks of paperwork, over two hundred thick journals that took up most of the space, and five smaller tin boxes on top of the journals. He opened one of the tin boxes and found it full of twenty-five or thirty thumb drives. Three of the other tins had more thumb drives, but the last tin box had a stack of credit cards and a handful or two of bank books. The name on the cards and bank books was Lynn Hamilton.
Wait, Lynn Hamilton? Like my all-time favorite author, screenwriter, and playwright who has won more awards than God? That Lynn Hamilton?
He looked at Veronica who watched him back while she hovered over him, probably wondering if the contents would send him into despair. His lips tilted up a little. "Can you go get me my laptop off the dining room table?"
With a beaming grin, she raced from the room before returning a moment later with his computer in her hands. He took it from her and after sitting on the bed, he inserted one of the thumb drives. When the drive opened, he saw hundreds of folders. All the names of the folders were familiar to him and anyone who hadn't lived under a rock for the last twenty years.
He opened one of them and found three folders, marked 'Chapters,' 'Old,' and 'Research.' Besides the three folders he also found a word doc titled 'A Vow and a Ring_FINAL,' which was the title of Lynn Hamilton's very first published book and one of the bestselling books of all time.
The folder marked 'Old' had over a hundred Word docs all with the name 'VR.' After he clicked on the first file marked, 'VR_vs 001,' he scanned the first couple of pages of the document before he opened the last file named 'VR_vs 110.' Reading the first few pages of it told him it was the last or second to last draft of the book and the one marked vs 001 was the first draft.
After closing both word docs, he looked at the other folders. The chapters folder had all the versions of the chapters and the research folder had Word docs, pictures, and Wav files the last of which had the label 'Pronunciation' followed by other words, such as 'dedushka' and 'babushka.'
He peered at all the main folders on the drive. There were over three hundred folders, and all the names were ones he recognized from books, movies, television shows, and plays. The dates on the folders and files for more than half of the titles were within a month of his mother's passing, like she had recently transferred the files from another disk, but some of the titles were first published over twenty years ago.
He glanced up at Veronica. "It looks like the research, first and last drafts and all the ones in between for Lynn Hamilton's books, movies, plays, and T.V. shows. I don't—how does my mom have all of this and in her secret box no less? My mom once said she had an inside track to Ms. Hamilton, and that's how she got me all her books and scripts signed, but I figured it was because Mom starred in a few of her films and shows but that doesn't explain how she has all this."
Veronica moved the computer and sat beside him. She took his hand in hers and gave a gentle squeeze before telling him, "I don't know, Logan, but do you think your mom was actually…"
She trailed off and his eyes widened, and he looked up from their joined hands. "Wait, you think my mom was Lynn Hamilton?"
Veronica's brow wrinkled. "You've got credit cards and bank books for a bunch of accounts, so, yeah, unless your mom stole her identity, the chances are good she was both women."
He narrowed his eyes and scratched his forehead. "If that's the case why didn't she tell me? I mean she started giving me her books and scripts right after we moved here. The first one was mom's housewarming gift to me. She said that after watching how well I cared for the first edition Ian Fleming books PopPop gave me for my tenth birthday she thought I was responsible enough to grow a collection of first editions that was all mine outside her collection. Hers are all in the storage facility now and mine are in the packed boxes in the living room."
He shook his head. "Why wouldn't she say anything though? I mean I would spend hours gushing about each book and she'd just sit there and promise to send my approval on to Ms. Hamilton. And how would she sign them so I wouldn't recognize her handwriting? They look different from her usual handwriting."
Veronica lifted one shoulder before dropping it and then turned his laptop to face her and opened his browser before typing in the address of one of her dad's PI sites. She typed in Lynn Hamilton and pressed enter. Little popped up except the bank accounts they had the books for. In fact, the lack of info on the site sent up red flags for him, and he could tell from Veronica's narrowed eyes and her chewing on her lip that it struck her as odd, too.
He rifled through the stack of bank books and papers and found some legal paperwork that answered at least a few of his questions. Lynn Lester created Lynn Hamilton about five years before she pseudo-married Aaron and publicly became Lynn Echolls. Logan Ruiz and H. R. Lester followed two years later but didn't seem to have any accounts associated with them.
Now that he thought about it, it all seemed obvious. Hamilton was his mom's paternal Grandmother's maiden name and Logan wasn't just his name, it was also his PopPop's first name, and Ruiz was his Nana's maiden name. Lester was his mom's maiden name and the 'H' in H. R. was probably from his Nana's first name, Honoria. Though he supposed the 'H' could also be for Hamilton and the 'R' For Ruiz. Lynn Hamilton's pseudonyms made so much more sense now and he didn't know how he didn't figure it all out before.
He showed Veronica the paperwork, and while she browsed through it, he looked through the rest of the box. He found an oblong jewelry box and opened it. Inside was a tennis bracelet with pink stones that mimicked a crown with a row of small diamonds below the tear-shaped pink stones. He found a note tucked into the box. 'Dearest Lynn, Here is a token of my affection besides the keys to my heart, which you already have. I hope you'll return my calls, but I'll respect your wishes and not contact you again if you don't wish to speak with me. — Josef.'
He showed Veronica the bracelet and paraphrased the note before her lips turned down. "That's odd. Any clue who this Josef guy is or when he gave it to her? Or what type of stone that is? They're too dark to be diamonds, but they don't look dark enough to be rubies."
He tilted his head to the side and studied the stones, trying to recall everything his father had drilled into his head about 'quality' jewelry. "Could be Pink Sapphires, though those are rare, but they look like they have the right color clarity to be Sapphires. As for who he is and the date, I've never heard of a Josef, with or without that spelling, and it's dated around the time my parents met, June thirtieth of 1987. They met on July fourth and had a one-nightstand that became more but they didn't start publicly dating until the first week of August and got pretend married in a private ceremony on Halloween. Mom always said I surprised them by coming in late March instead of mid-April."
He slouched. "My understanding is it was a shotgun wedding. They met, they dated and slept together for a while, not necessarily in that order and when they found out she was pregnant they got married like a month later. Mom didn't want me born out of wedlock, worst decision of her life. We would have been so much better off without him. Of course, Daddy Dearest being the controlling ass he is, didn't file the license within the thirty-day time limit from the ceremony, so I guess technically Dear Ole Dad was right all those times he called me a little bastard."
His shoulders drooped, and he shook his head. "Diane, Trina's mom, got a huge divorce settlement, something like half his estate and tons of alimony and child support. So, my gut says he did it on purpose and never intended to file the license, so Mom would get nothing if she left him. Since he forced her to stop working and on the rare occasions she worked, anything she made went into his account, he got to keep all that. If she had filed for divorce and discovered they weren't married, since California doesn't recognize Common Law Marriages, he wouldn't have had to give her a penny. I think that was what he meant when he said he would leave her with nothing when they argued the day she died."
Veronica inclined her head but resumed reading while he took out a velvet bag wedged between the side of the trunk and a stack of journals. A ring box sat inside the bag with his nana's wedding ring nestled in velvet, a sterling silver piece with the sides of the ring acting as branches and little emeralds depicting the leaves and a small ruby in the middle. His father always said that it was too small, and Aaron would get angry if Mom tried to wear it, stating that it made him look cheap that his wife wore such inferior jewelry.
Logan liked it, though. It was understated, and it didn't overpower the wearer's hand. The thought that when he asked Veronica to marry him, he would do so with that ring had been in his mind for a long time now. He hoped she'd want to wear it. Nana wore it from the day she got engaged when she was seventeen until her death when she was seventy-one. She once told him, right before she died, that during the fifty-one years she was happily married to PopPop, she only ever took it off once, when one emerald popped out. Once she got it back from the jeweler's it stayed on her hand until her death when his mom slid it off her finger.
Nana made it clear before she died that she wanted him to have it, so he could give it to his future wife. Aaron had tried to toss it into the garbage disposal one time, so his mom hid it, though until then he hadn't known where it was.
With a mischievous upturn to his lips, he showed Veronica the ring, and she looked away from the document she was reading and then looked back at the papers before jerking her eyes back to the ring and going, "Whoa, pretty," with the last word said in a quick rush of air as if he had sucker punched her.
He chuckled. "Do you like it?"
She beamed at him and reached towards it before tilting it a little in his hand so the light caught in the stones. "It's beautiful, Logan."
He gave a shy grin and told her, "It was my Nana's engagement ring. I plan to give it to the woman I ask to marry me." His smile grew. "Will you agree to wear it when that day comes, or would you want a different ring?"
She tilted her head. "You're serious? You've been thinking about marriage?" After he gave an emphatic nod, her lips turned upward. "Well, good. If I get my way, you're stuck with me for the rest of our lives, and, for the record, I will proudly wear that ring for all the years we're married, ya know, once you ask."
His chuckle rumbled in his chest and he brought his hand to his ribs. "Good, but I think your dad would object to me proposing before we graduate so I will keep this in a safe place and give it to you when the time is right."
She gave him a gentle grin and leaned over and kissed him. They remained in each other's arms with their lips pressed together until her stomach growled a little later. He laughed. "Time to feed the hungry beast?"
She giggled, so he stood and led her out of his bedroom towards his front door.
