CHAPTER 129
(EVA)
I am sitting silently on the Cross Industries jet as we speed towards Seattle, wondering what on earth we are going to find when we get there. I am still reeling from the events of this evening and their ramifications. There was an incident in Seattle, and from that Jared's aunt and uncle are now dead. I called Ana and at that point in time she was oblivious and told me that Christian hadn't yet returned home. Gideon obviously needs to fly to Seattle and be there for Jared and he was clearly frantic when he came to fetch me from my Krav Maga class. Information has been drip fed to us from Seattle since then and a tragic situation is unfolding. I look across at Gideon, he is still glued to his phone on a video call with Jared in Seattle, and has been for most of the flight, the poor boy seems to want that physical connection with him and who can blame him with what has happened. From the conversation that is happening, as well as Jared I've heard Christian's voice and I've also heard Caroline's voice which I am thankful for and glad that Christian has got her involved from the get go.
He has lost his adoptive parents and guardians in the space of a month in tragic circumstances so he is now quite naturally clinging on to Gideon. I'm certain that both Gideon and Christian can empathise with his situation as while obviously not the same they are similar. Christian lost his birth mom in tragic circumstances and was then adopted, and Gideon lost his own father at a young age and was plunged into an unfamiliar step family. I think that is why he didn't make a fuss about taking Jared when he first found out about him and when he removed him from Philip he deferred to Peter and Suzanne. Now though it seems he won't have any difficulty assuming full responsibility for Jared. I heard Jared asking Gideon if he could come and live with us, and naturally Gideon agreed immediately but while it is obvious that he should come to New York I can foresee so many issues now it is unreal. The first one being the media will obviously get wind of this, and once it is out there in the wild it will probably have the knock-on effect of drawing Corrine out of the woodwork, which while it will be good for Jared to meet his biological mother will be terrible for us as I have no doubt in my mind she would use the situation to try and manipulate herself back into Gideon's life. I feel a pang of guilt at my selfishness, for thinking this but I can foresee trouble on a massive scale.
My gaze turns to Angus who is tapping furiously on his laptop and I know he is trying to find out exactly what has happened. My mind once again replays the events of this evening…
"You are on fire tonight Eva" Parker says as he looks up at me from the mat.
I grin at him, "Thanks" I reply as I hold out my hand to help him up.
As I do so, Parker's attention focusses on the door, "Isn't that your husband?" he asks nodding his head in the direction of the door.
I turn and see Gideon stalking into the room, scanning it wildly with Angus at his side.
"It is" I say wondering why he has come to fetch me, and also why now as I have another 15 minutes left before the end of the session, and as I think this a feeling of dread settles over me as something must be wrong.
Angus rests his hand on Gideon's shoulder and points in our direction and immediately Gideon makes his way towards us not giving a damn about the people in his way.
As he approaches I can now clearly see something is very wrong, Angus looks shattered and Gideon is trying to hang on to his emotions but failing miserably.
I walk towards him; My first thought is something has happened to my mom or dad… or maybe El or Ana as he wouldn't come barging in like this unless something bad had happened and there are very few people in Gideon's life who he would think warrants a reaction like this.
"Gideon? What's wrong?" I ask as I reach him.
"I'm sorry Angel, you need to come with me right now, we have to go to Seattle" he blurts out.
I nod, "Let me get my things" I say and he nods and his eyes follow me across the room to where I grab my towel, bag and bottle. I pause and tell Parker I need to go and that there is a family emergency and he just waves his hand in understanding.
I return to Gideon and he wordlessly grabs my bag in one hand and reaching for me clasps his other around mine before marching out of the studio so fast I have to almost run to keep up.
As I climb into the car I turn towards him, "Ok talk to me Gideon, what's happened?" I ask.
"I don't know, that's the problem. My security in Seattle notified Angus that something is happening but until it is resolved we won't get any more details".
I pause and think, "So, you believe something has happened to Jared?" I ask and he nods.
"He has to be ok and I need to get to him. If it is something else then we also need to get there as it will be something regarding Christian, Ana or Elliot, they are the only other people who I would be notified about".
I nod and I think for a moment, "Do you want me to call Ana and find out what is going on?" I ask and Gideon nods.
"Yes" he says immediately and I quickly place the call.
"Hi sis, what's going on there?" I ask by way of greeting when Ana picks up, the lengthy silence tells me she has no idea what I am talking about.
"Erm… hi Eva and I'm not sure what you are referring to" she says. "Christian isn't home from work yet… so…" she fades off and I quickly jump in.
"Ok, that's fine. I just thought you might know. We are getting reports of something going on in Seattle so I thought I'd call you to see if you were aware of anything" I say as I realise, I can now cross Ana off the possible list of candidates.
"I don't know, I'm expecting Christian home soon, so as soon as I know anything I'll call you" she says.
"Alright, well I'm sure we will find out what's going on soon, we are making our way to the airport right now and are flying out to you so I'm sure we will find out soon" I say. We talk for a few more moments and then I end the call.
"Ana is oblivious, she has no idea what has happened. I suggest we sit tight until someone calls us. If it is Jared, he will have called Christian as that is what you told him to do, so as soon as he is able to Christian will call you" I say.
Gideon thinks about that and nods, "You're right" he says, "He has to be ok" he mutters again.
Despite my words I can see him getting more and more agitated as we leave the Brooklyn studio, "Fuck this, I'm calling Christian" he says suddenly and he reaches for his phone.
As he does so it starts to ring in his hand, "It's Christian!" he exclaims and he quickly answers.
"Christian, I was just about to call you - what the fuck is happening there?" he barks, I reach for his knee and give it a gentle squeeze and he shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath.
Christian is clearly explaining what has happened and a moment later, I see Gideon relax but only slightly. He reaches for my hand which is still resting on his knee and grips it tightly.
"Right, so Jared is physically ok as far as you know?" he asks.
The conversation continues and I listen wondering what the hell has happened.
"I'll call him, and reassure him that I'm also coming. I'm making arrangements to fly to Seattle, I should be in the air within the hour… Yes, yes ok, thanks Christian" he hangs up abruptly and looks down to make another call.
"Well?" I ask, Gideon glances at me and holds up one finger, "Just give me one moment and I'll explain" he says.
I nod and wait and then I see Gideon take a deep breath before hitting another speed dial. I watch and wait wondering who he is calling. It becomes apparent very quickly when I hear the gentle tone he is using.
"Jared, please tell me you are ok?" he says. Jared is clearly explaining to Gideon what is going on as he listens his grip increases on my hand.
"Listen to me Jared, you stay right there and stay safe. If anything else happens call Christian immediately and do exactly what Christian tells you. I promise you that I am on my way to you right now, and I know Christian will be with you shortly. I will be leaving New York within the hour so I will see you later this evening but I promise you I'm coming; I'm coming right now".
Jared obviously says something else and Gideon takes another deep breath. "Alright, stay there until Christian gets to you" he says, and reluctantly after a few more words he hangs up.
He swallows hard and stares at his phone for a moment.
"Well?" I repeat gently.
Gideon turns towards me, "The man who Jared saw in his uncle's home in Chicago is now in Seattle. The man who he saw with his Uncle Phil".
I quickly recall the previous events, "The one who freaked out when he saw Jared and who caused Phil to threaten Jared with the gun?" I ask and Gideon nods.
"Yes, it appears he is in Seattle. Jared thought he was mistaken at first but he saw him a few times today and now the man is outside the house and it scared him enough to notify Christian who has raised the alarm".
"But he's ok? He's safe?" I ask.
Gideon nods, "He said Christian told him to stay in his bedroom and if the man enters the house to hide. He told me that he will hide in his closet if he needs to but at the moment he is in his bedroom".
I glance at Angus, "I'm assuming you have organised a plane and we are making our way there now?" I ask.
Angus glances at me through the rear-view mirror, "Ay lass and there is a change of clothes for you in the back of the car" he says.
I smile gratefully at Angus, and settle down. I can have a shower on the plane and there is nothing more we can do until we reach Seattle. I am assuming that Ana is being made aware of events now as Christian has called us so all we can do is wait.
oooOOOooo
As we are making our way to the airport Angus receives a call and he places it on speaker so we can hear and the disembodied voice of an anxious man comes through loud and clear.
"Angus, inform Mr Cross the perp has been apprehended. Grey's men have him contained and law enforcement have been notified, he should also know there were two fatalities – the aunt and uncle were both shot. No sign of the boy, Grey and Jason Taylor have just arrived on the scene. Grey is talking to Jared on his phone and I believe he told him to hide and he has done. Grey has gone to find him and Jason Taylor has assumed command on the ground".
"Alright, Mr Cross is now aware as he is with me and you are on speaker" Angus replies.
There is a brief silence and then the man speaks again directly addressing Gideon this time, "Mr Cross, it appears the man breached the house when the uncle arrived home. He executed the uncle with a gun shot to the back of the head, he didn't stand a chance. The aunt tried to take cover but she was shot in the chest. The paramedics fought to save her but she died a moment ago. Grey has gone to find Jared".
"Thank you" Gideon says hoarsely. We are both shocked by the turn of events.
"Angus, I'm sending you photographs of the perps car and the man for you to run, see if we can find out anything more about him, although I'm fairly sure he is going to talk. He wasn't expecting us to show up and he's already said a few things which have been interesting".
"Really?" Gideon asks leaning forward.
"Yeah, he mentioned Philip Martin by name a couple of times, which considering the circumstances is understandable, but my guess is he will try and throw Martin under the bus for this".
Gideon glances at Angus, "We need to find out the truth and the links between this man and Philip Martin" he says. Angus nods.
After a few more words are exchanged the man hangs up and I am trying to work things out.
"Angus?" I begin, and he looks at me questioningly.
"Ay lass?" he says.
"That guy, wasn't he supposed to be watching Jared?" I ask carefully as I don't want to sound accusing.
Angus nods, "He was" he sighs, "With hindsight, I'm thinking he probably wasn't experienced enough for this role. I take full responsibility for this; he impressed me so I gave him the chance to prove himself… perhaps I should've chosen a more experienced security operative and that's on me, but I assumed that as he had the backup support from Grey's security everything would be fine".
Gideon shakes his head, "I don't blame you Angus, yes you made the call but I signed off on it. If I'd had any concerns with your decision, I would've raised them at the time. Yes, he is relatively new but he proved himself on a number of occasions and on paper appeared to be the best candidate".
"I'll look into all this lad, no stone will be left unturned" Angus vows grimly.
Before he can answer Gideon's phone starts to ring, he glances down "It's Christian!" he exclaims and quickly answers.
"Is he safe?" he blurts out and then almost sags with relief as I realise Christian has confirmed he is.
"Oh, thank god" he breathes and then his face darkens, "Does he know?" he asks warily.
He winces and then composing himself speaks again, "Alright, just get him out of that house Christian" he almost begs. The next thing he is nodding, "Yes, yes please put him on" he says anxiously.
There is a pause and then I see total relief sweep over Gideon as he obviously hears Jared's voice.
"Are you safe? Are you alright? He asks.
Jared is obviously speaking and telling him he is ok.
"You did, and I'm so proud of you, now I need you to go with Christian, ok?" he says gently.
"Yes, go with Christian, and I am at the airport right now and making my way to Seattle as we speak" he says. I look up and glancing out of the window I realise we have indeed arrived at the airport. We board the plane quickly as Gideon brings the call to an end.
"He's ok I think, whether that will still be the case when he knows about his aunt and uncle is another matter" he says.
I touch his arm, "Well, you are getting there as quickly as you possibly can and you will be able to take care of him when you do, until then you have to trust Christian will do everything he can for him" I say.
Gideon nods, "I'll leave my phone on, in case Jared wants to call me again" he says.
"Alright" I reply. As we are gathering ourselves to board the plane my phone rings and I see it is Ana.
"Are you aware yet of what has happened?" Ana asks anxiously after the preliminary greetings. "I'm starting to get worried as Christian should be home by now" she adds and upon hearing that I feel a surge of guilt for not calling her and telling her what was happening, but I just assumed Christian had already done so.
"I'm sorry I should've called you but I assumed Christian had called you by now. As far as we know Jared called Christian and Jared's aunt and uncle have been shot, Gideon has just spoken to Jared and assured him we are coming" I say bluntly and then cringe at just how blunt that was.
"Oh my god is Jared ok?" she asks.
"I believe so, as I say Gideon has spoken to him and Christian and the last thing we knew Christian was taking him from the house".
"Alright, in that case I'll call Christian now" Ana says.
"Alright sis and I'll see you later when we arrive" I say.
We take our seats and in what seems like record time we are soon in the air. As soon as we are able to move about, I make the decision to go for a shower. I tell Gideon and he just nods. I sigh, this is going to be a long flight, Gideon is clearly brooding and I know Angus feels a degree of guilt for what has happened.
I have a very quick brisk shower, dress and come out into the cabin. I consider calling Ana again but decide against it as I reason she will be busy, and there will be plenty of time to talk with her when we land. There is a heavy silence in the cabin until it is suddenly broken by Gideon.
"I want him to come and live with us" he says.
I look up at him in surprise, this wasn't totally unexpected and I nod.
"Remember Jared has another uncle – you can't start making those sorts of decisions without talking it over with Jared" I say.
Gideon shakes his head, "I am not going through a situation like this again. He hasn't really mentioned his other uncle and I'm not sure where he is located" he argues.
I nod patiently, "I know, but remember what happened to you when your dad died. You were ripped out of your home, away from everything that was familiar and dumped in a house with a strange man. Admittedly your mom was there, for what it was worth but Jared doesn't even have that. You have to remember that you are still essentially a stranger to him and so you need to tread carefully" I say.
Gideon considers this and nods, "I wouldn't want him to feel how I felt back then" he mutters.
I smile at that then Gideon's phone buzzes notifying him a text is coming in. He looks and then immediately places a call.
I watch him as I see he is placing a video call and I wait realising it must be Jared or Christian calling.
A moment later I hear Jared and my heart lurches, as he gasps Gideon's name and then I hear heart-breaking sobs, the expression on Gideon's face kills me completely, he wants to be with Jared and he physically can't be there.
Gideon grips his phone tightly, "I'm coming, I'm coming as quick as I can" he says…
I am pulled from my thoughts by a loud curse, and I glance across to Angus. He apologises for his outburst and then he is tapping furiously on his laptop once more. I stand up and wander over to him.
"What's happened?" I ask and Angus looks up at me.
"If this information is correct, it appears that Philip Martin was behind this" he mutters.
"You're kidding?! He arranged to have his brother and sister-in-law murdered?" I ask.
Angus shakes his head, "No, it was Jared he wanted to kill. He wanted Jared out of the way as he was sole heir of William's estate".
"A fact he was incredibly pissed off about" I whisper as I recall what Jared told us about his uncle.
Angus nods, "So, if this information is correct, he had engaged this man to kill Jared so that as his legal guardian he would then inherit the money. Gideon put an end to that plan when he took Jared away from Philip and so it appears he continued with the plan to get revenge on Gideon for what he had done but all he has succeeded in doing is killing his brother and sister in law".
"But it's all so petty, why?" I begin.
"Philip Martin is now facing serious charges of child abuse. He threatened Jared with a gun, he hit him and he made him live in squalid conditions. His nephew goes off into the sunset with Gideon who is then giving money to his brother to help contribute to Jared's upbringing".
"Something he didn't get" I say understanding immediately and Angus nods.
"So, he thinks by killing Jared he gets back at Gideon – that's sick!" I say.
"I agree lass, but this man isn't entirely rational. He didn't want Jared at all until he realised that by taking him and then killing him he would get his hands on William Martin's estate".
Before he can say anything else, his email pings and he frowns.
"I have an email from Welch" he says.
He quickly opens it and I see Angus tap in a code.
"What's that for?" I ask.
"Encrypted, this is clearly sensitive" he says.
I move closer and grabbing a seat I sit down next to Angus. I glance over my shoulder at Gideon who is still talking with Jared.
"What has he found?" I ask.
Angus doesn't reply but continues to read.
"Well, damn" he mutters a moment later and he leans back in his seat and runs his hand down his face.
"What is it?" I ask.
"It appears the death of William and Angela Martin was no tragic accident after all. It appears it was the man the police in Seattle are currently holding for shooting Peter and Suzanne Martin".
"You are kidding?" I gasp.
Angus shakes his head, "I wish I was, when the team sent him the details of the car, those along with the photographs Jared took of the man and his car and has given to Taylor, which have also been passed on. Welch has done his magic and uncovered CCTV footage on the day of the shooting in Chicago and guess which car was in the vicinity at the time of the shooting".
"How did he get that?" I ask.
Angus smiles, "It's best not to ask those sorts of questions lass, but I'm assuming he got Barney on the case".
"Christian's IT man?" I ask.
Angus nods again, "Yeah although he is much more than any ordinary IT man" he says.
"But can we use this? I mean if he acquired it by not so legal means then surely, we can't pass it on to the police?" I say.
Angus thinks, "No we can't, but we can anonymously send a tip to the Chicago police who are still investigating that death, and I can also call my contact in the Chicago police department and mention that there is a man currently being questioned in Seattle regarding another shooting who might be of interest to them in that case, and let them join the dots accordingly".
I glance at Gideon again, "This will totally destroy Jared" I say.
"Ay lass, it will. But Gideon will take care of him" he says with total confidence.
"He's thirteen years old Angus, he has lost everyone close to him – first his adoptive parents and now his aunt and uncle and that was all within a month. He has been abused by another uncle who now it seems is the person responsible for him losing all his family. That is enough to break an adult let alone a thirteen-year-old child and the fact it is all down to greed will make it worse".
"I know" Angus says simply.
"What were Philip Martin's motives for killing Jared's parents?" I ask.
Angus shrugs, "I'm not sure to be honest, money was the motivation for killing Jared, so I can only assume that it was a similar motivation in that case".
I think about that, "You said he assumed he was getting something upon the death of Will and Angela until it became apparent that Jared was the sole heir… so that would be the most logical assumption to make at this point" I say.
"I'm sure all will be revealed. Welch has said the shooter is being very talkative so I'm fairly sure we will have an accurate picture of what went down quite soon".
"That doesn't bring back Jared's parents or aunt and uncle though does it?" I say.
Angus shakes his head, "No lass it doesn't" he replies.