A/N... Oh my friends, thank you so much for the well wishes. They apparently worked, because I feel tons better. I slept and slept some more. So thank you to everyone that told me to feel better.
Where were we before my own body betrayed me... Let's see... Oh yeah, research time. This chapter has a lot of information, and some things come together. Plus, a little reunion between Kurt and Bethy...
So, I know you've missed the double updates. I'll get outta your way. :)
CHAPTER 14
BELLA
"Well, they'll have to fucking show themselves eventually," Carlisle sighed, leaning back in one of the conference chairs in Gravity's office.
"Right," Jasper agreed, pointing to the board. "They have no money, and everyone they know is being monitored. Is Wes at Walter's parent's house now?"
"Yeah, he left after he dropped Makenna off," Edward murmured, his eyes locked onto pictures of Walter and Lilith. "Mickey went with him to see for herself what they were like. She wants to know if he could be trusted."
"Hey, pixie, did we ever find out if the Bridges have property outside the country?" Emmett asked, pulling down cleared aerial photos of properties that we'd had local police check into.
"Not mine," she called out, typing furiously.
I chuckled, because there was so much research going on in the computer room that I was afraid we'd blow the power and the internet. Alice was pulling everything she could – legal or not – concerning Lilith Laray, because we needed to know her complete history. Rose was doing the exact same for Walter Bridges, even though we thought we had everything already; we just wanted to be sure. I was tracing the history of the D.O.A., trying to find out if there were other communes like the one on the mountain top.
"That's mine!" Mack called out, typing away and clearly frustrated. "And no. I haven't finished yet. You know, it's a big damn globe, guys!"
Rose and I smirked at each other, especially when the boys apologized behind us and moved on to the next question.
"Did we ever find out what building they were going to attack?" Alec asked as he paced a little behind us.
"No," Eleazar answered. "I don't think Walter told them, to be honest, because not one of those guys have that answer. Not even Kenny. However, I'm going to ask Kurt again when he gets here."
"Where is he?" Carlisle asked.
"With one of my men. I allowed him a visit to his mother and sister today, because I'm pulling them into protective custody in about..."—he paused, looking at his watch—"five minutes."
"And his dad?" I called out over my shoulder, getting to a stopping point on my screen in order to be able to turn around. "What about Dr. Vernon?" I asked Eleazar.
"He's in solitary, Bella. He's safer there than anywhere, because Walter's not going to go anywhere near the police, a jail, or a Federal building right now. His face is everywhere."
"Has anyone bothered to check on Shady Glen?" Rose piped up. "I mean, if I were...crazy," she said with a grin, "I'd want to blow up the place that kept me locked up."
No one said anything, but Alice's head snapped up and looked around. "Really? None of you bothered to think it might be Shady Glen?" she gasped, spinning around in her chair. "Well, shit, shit, shit..."
She turned back to her desk, pulling another keyboard to her, but we all stopped when a voice that rarely spoke out in these types of meetings rumbled softly.
"I don't think it would be Shady Glen," Sam said, and we all turned to look at him. "I think it's Twi Towers."
My eyebrows shot up, because he'd said the one building that I'd been afraid to think of.
"If this Walter guy was seeking revenge for the closing of that lumber mill, then he'd want to go to the source, yeah?" he asked, and we all nodded a bit. "Twi Tech closed that mill. And despite the fact that you set up some sort of job relocation program," he urged, holding up his hand when Carlisle started to speak, "some of them didn't take so kindly to it. If I was a betting man, I'd put my money there."
Carlisle paled, and I didn't even have to ask why. There were hundreds of lives on the line in that building – people he knew, people he liked, people that had worked there for years... even for my father.
"Oh shit," I sighed, shaking my head.
"Okay, okay, okay," Alice chanted in a soothing tone. "At least we dismantled the bomb, right? So we have time to figure it out."
I opened my mouth to speak, but snapped it closed.
"What, Bella?" Edward asked, stepping forward to lean against the table. "Whatever you've found, let's hear it, sweetness."
I grimaced, pulling my laptop from the desk and setting it on the conference table. "I'm not sure, so don't take this shit as fact. I'm still following my line of thinking here. Okay?" I asked, making sure everyone was paying attention. "I wanted to know exactly where this group came from, but the problem I'm running into is...they aren't exactly technologically inclined. They don't post manifestos or goals or even any grievances online or in newspapers – or anywhere, for that matter. So finding them has been difficult.
"When Wes originally found out about them, we thought they were just some locals gathering together," I continued, pulling up a map of the continental U.S. "I think this group started in the South – Texas, Georgia, and Florida, specifically. It's some leftover shit from the Civil War. You know, like it existed back then, and someone copied it now..."
Jasper laughed, shaking his head and walking to stand behind me. "No way, Bells. Really?"
"Like I said, I'm not sure," I told him with a shrug. "I'm still looking into it. But if I'm right, then this little sunshine club is meeting in three other states." I held up my hands when they all started talking at once. "Wait. Now, Walter wasn't the leader, if that's the case. There's a name that keeps popping up, no matter what state I'm looking in. John Dwight Ervin." I pulled up a screen where I'd run a background check. "There's not much on him. He was born in Georgia, was moved to Texas due to his father's military career, and was arrested in Florida for taking a minor across state lines. That's it on him. There's nothing else. It's like he completely disappeared. He doesn't file taxes, doesn't own a home, never got married, and I couldn't tell you what state he's in if I tried. He's so far off the grid that it's scary. He could be anywhere... if he's even still alive. But his name has popped up once or twice in some Texas police reports for having fundraisers without a permit or some shit. I'm still looking..."
"And you think this guy is the leader?" Edward verified.
"I don't know, but his name goes further back than anyone's when I search for D.O.A." I sighed, shaking my head. "He'd be in his sixties now. The most recent thing with his name on it was that Texas police report. I have a call into that officer, but he's not in tonight. I left a message for him to contact Eleazar."
"Good, Bella," Eleazar praised. "You know," he chuckled humorlessly. "I've seen groups like this. Ervin could have started some protest group in college, but it most likely morphed into something he didn't recognize. People join – anarchists, radicals, troublemakers – and the groups splinter off into something unlike what the original person wanted it to stand for."
"I know men like this guy," Sam added. "They don't trust anyone – government, police, even grocery stores. They hole up someplace and live off the land. The don't send their kids to school, and you wouldn't know they had any, because they would have been birthed at home. They find remote locations to live, where it's difficult for anyone to find them. They're almost like squatters, because they don't own the land where they live, or they rent it from someone using cash, so nothing can be traced or recorded."
Carlisle sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know those men, too. They're usually ex-military. They suffer from PTSD, but it goes untreated, causing them to live in a world of paranoia and fear. They create this blockade against the world."
"This Ervin isn't military," I stated with a shrug.
"But his father was," Edward added, pointing to the screen. "He could have been raised to be this way."
I smirked when Carlisle scoffed at his son, who grinned back cockily.
"Face facts, old man. You made me what I am!" he chuckled, laughing even harder when Carlisle flipped him off. "See? You're a terrible example for an impressionable mind."
I giggled at the two of them, because despite their teasing of each other, they had a damn strong relationship.
Carlisle shot me a wink, turning his attention to Eleazar. "Do you think our witnesses would know about this John Ervin?"
"Maybe," he replied, pulling out his phone. "I'll have Kenny questioned about it."
"But how did this shit get from the South to Washington?" Emmett asked, pointing to the computer screen.
"Like El said," Carlisle started with a shrug. "It could've started with one group, and then splintered off. Maybe someone got a job or changed colleges, but they brought their beliefs with them, gathering a new group of people."
"People are sheep," Alec murmured, his eyes on the large aerial photo of Walter's compound. "They're either leaders, or they're followers. The followers need someone to tell them how to think, act, believe. The weaker the mind, the better the little soldier."
"Well, hell," Rose stated, shaking her head. "That could explain Walter. He's a doctor paid to fucking sort out weak minds. He would be able to spot the perfect candidate instantly. And guess where he lived for a year when he was sixteen..."
"Texas?" I asked.
"Nope," she said, popping the "p" dramatically. "Georgia. Walter Sr. has a brother that lives there. Right in the middle of no-damn-where."
"Hmm," Jasper mused, pulling my laptop to him. He pulled up a map of Georgia. "There are parts of that state that still have a full functioning, full fledged Klu Klux Klan order. There are parts where the movie Deliverance isn't that far from the fucking truth. I mean, you have Atlanta, Macon, Tipton, Savannah...those are all well known, well developed areas. But I've been through small towns that make Jerry Springer look like a debutante ball."
We all laughed at that.
"But Florida is no better," he stated, smirking up at us all. "Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Miami...those are the cities that come to mind when you think of that state. Tourist shit, beaches. But there are parts of Florida that still look like temporary fishing towns. There are areas that still look wild – forests, swamps, trees, lakes. It's untouched, and someone could easily hide themselves there if they knew how to live off the land.
"But Texas...it's fucking huge," Jasper continued, pulling up the state. "There are large expanses there. Small towns, open spaces. Big ranches aren't uncommon, and you could easily do what Walter did, which was house several families on one piece of property. No one would think anything of it, especially if it was a working ranch."
"Okay, so I'll keep digging," I muttered, taking my laptop back to the desk.
"I found the connection between Walter and Lilith!" Rose gasped, scooting her chair back so we could all see her screen.
"Oh, nice feathered hair," Emmett muttered, his eyebrows raising up high at the sight of Walter and Lilith in their high school yearbook.
"Okay," Eleazar practically sang with a nod. "Excellent. Now we know it was more than just a therapist-slash-patient thing. Good to know. Now if we could just find some sort of connection between them and Bradlee Lumber Mill."
"I got that!" Alice yelled, spinning around. "And holy shit! It's all fucking connected!" Her eyes were wide with that last declaration. She turned to Carlisle. "Who did you buy Bradlee Lumber Mill from in the beginning?"
"I didn't," Carlisle replied. "Charlie already had obtained it by the time I took over. It was losing money," he said, leaning back to the corner table and picking up a file folder. "I had Angela pull the file for me. Charlie stopped it from closing years ago. He liked trying to save local businesses, and it worked, until the surrounding forests became too depleted and the environmentalists wanted to close it." He sighed opening the folder. "Charlie bought it from a Shawn Bradlee." He looked up at Alice with an almost confused expression.
"Mmhm!" she chirped, posting a birth certificate up on the large screen so everyone could see it. "Yuppers! Shawn Bradlee. Married to a Janet Thompson Bradlee. They gave birth to daughter Barbara first, and then...Lilith."
"No fucking way!" Rose and I gasped, both of us gaping at the document on the screen.
"It is all connected," I muttered, getting up and standing over Alice's shoulder. "Okay, so what happened to Lilith, because that right there was her turning point. Right?"
"Right," Alice said, pulling up screen after screen of police reports. "Shawn Bradlee was an alcoholic, and when he drank...he beat everyone in the fucking house. Selling Bradlee Lumber Mill only allowed him to drink more, stay home, and kick his family's asses."
"Oh, damn," Edward groaned from behind me. "He blew through every dime he made off of that sale, too. Look," he said, pointing to the financial report Alice was scrolling through. "He never did anything with it, other than fucking blow it. And he blew through half a million in less than...ten years!"
"Exactly," Alice agreed with a nod. "Poor investments, loans to too many friends and family, a powerful addiction problem – not to mention court costs for every time he was arrested, because Lilith and her older sister Barbara were removed from that house no less than six times. And he always got them back!"
"Fucking hell," I sighed, shaking my head. "No wonder she's fucked up. Well, where the hell is Barbara now?"
"Willow Brooke Cemetery," Alice stated, and the words fell to a silent room.
"And Janet Bradlee?" I asked almost in a whisper.
"Right next to her, one plot over," Alice answered, looking up at me. "Janet was the one that always fought for the kids to come home, Bells. She would bring them right back into that violent house. Barbara died the day after she graduated from high school. Despite all that bullshit at home, she'd earned a full ride at UW."
"Who killed her?" I asked.
Alice shrugged. "They couldn't figure it out. They assumed that Shawn did, but everyone was home that night, and neither Janet nor Lilith would say a word. The case went cold, because Shawn claimed someone broke into his home, and the police couldn't prove otherwise."
"Oh, shit," Makenna groaned, shaking her head. "What if Lilith started killing then? I mean, her sister was about to leave her with not so nice parents. What if she couldn't live with that?"
I chuckled humorlessly, because that was a fucking amazing theory. "I wonder if Barbara tried to protect Lilith when they were young," I sighed, reading some of the police reports. "I've spoken to older siblings that come from abusive homes. They always tried to put the focus on themselves, not their younger brothers or sisters. Barbara's leaving would have caused Lilith to panic."
"Or Janet," Edward added with a shrug. "Perhaps Mom was in on all of it, too."
I turned to Carlisle. "I need Esme to look at this. Seriously. We're out of our league on this abuse shit. She'd know better."
He nodded silently and got up from the table. Then he left the office, returning just a few minutes later with Esme, who was carrying Caleb in a carrier, sound asleep. And up on her Poppy's shoulders was a happy, babbling Bethy.
"Mommy!" she squeaked, practically mauling her grandfather to put her down.
"Hey, pretty girl," I chuckled, grateful for the break in such heavy conversation. We'd been working for hours, and the sun was just about ready to set. "What have you been doing?" I asked, pulling her onto my lap and tucking a loose hair behind her ear.
"Helpin' Gamma wif...apple pie," she whispered the last two words conspiratorially, and I giggled at Edward's hum of approval, because I'd taught Esme ages ago how to make my Aunt Jane's apple pie that he loved so much.
"And dinner," Esme added with a chuckle. "When you brainiacs are ready for a break, I've got enough food to feed you all."
"Nice!" Emmett said with a grin, leaning over Caleb's carrier and popping his pacifier back into his mouth.
Alice pulled a bunch of paperwork off of the printer and handed it over to Esme. "We need you to take a look at this. We think that maybe Lilith's problems started a long time ago."
As Esme studied the file, I whispered to Bethy, "Do you want to color, baby?"
"Uh uh," she replied with a shake of her head, before laying it on my shoulder.
I kept her on my lap, turning back to my computer. She played quietly with my hair as I continued to try and track the D.O.A.'s origin. Esme and Alice spoke softly, Alice pulling up anything that Esme asked of her. But it was the sound of the door opening that had my daughter frozen.
I looked up to see Kurt walking in, his guard nodding to Eleazar, but staying outside. I glanced down at Bethy. It wasn't Kurt she was staring at. She was looking behind him, looking everywhere around him. She was looking for Kenny and Lilith.
"Bethy," I said, making her look at me. "Kurt's alone, pretty girl. The bad guys aren't with him."
Edward's head snapped around as he stood on the other side of the room. He seemed to grow slightly as he walked to us.
Kurt's face looked heartbroken at the sight of my daughter's fear. The last time he'd seen her had been in the hotel room, just before I set her free. He really liked her and had done everything in his power to keep her as safe as he could. I knew this was bugging him.
Edward knelt beside us, cupping Bethy's face. "You okay, little sweetness?"
"The mean man is here?" she asked him in a nervous whisper.
"No, baby," he stated with a shake of his head. "He's someplace he can never get to you, Bethy. I promise."
The whole room came to a standstill, because they hadn't seen her reaction to anything that had happened to her. Esme had, and Edward and I had, but not her Poppy or her uncles. My girls were watching with carefully composed faces – even Mickey, who had just walked in with Wes – but I could see everyone's anger resurface with this blatant reminder of all that had happened. All eyes were flickering between Kurt and Bethy.
"You're safe, baby," I whispered against her head, my eyes locking with Edward's. "Look around you, Bethy. Do you think anyone here would let something happen to you? Poppy? Daddy? Uncle Em? Uncle Jazz? Uncle Alec? Hmm?"
She shook her head no slowly.
"Good girl," Edward crooned to her, kissing her forehead. "Never, ever forget that, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy," she sighed, and I could feel her relax a bit.
She slipped down off of my lap, and Kurt knelt in front of her when he realized she was coming to him. Edward tensed, but I put my hand on his shoulder to soothe him.
"Hey, Bethy," Kurt said, and it seemed to echo in the eerily silent room. "I don't have doughnuts this time. I'm sorry," he said with a chuckle.
She smiled up at him. "Gamma made apple pie. It's better!"
"Oh yeah? Save a piece for me?" he asked, and she nodded profusely. "Cool!" He grinned, shaking his head and reaching in his pocket. "I did bring you something, though. They told me I was coming to your house, so I thought I'd better."
"What is it?" she gasped, her face lighting up like the brightest of mornings.
"It was my little sister's, actually," he started with a one shoulder shrug. He pulled out a brightly colored, woven bracelet. "She said you'd probably like it. She made it for me a long time ago, and it never fit me, but I bet it'll fit you."
It was all the colors of the rainbow, and I recognized it as a friendship bracelet we'd all made or worn at some point in our lives. Rose and I had worn matching ones back in school.
Bethy squeaked happily, holding out her arm, and Kurt tied it on loosely.
"What do you say, Bethy?" I giggled, leaning into Edward, who was a little more relaxed and fighting a smile.
"Th-Thank y-you!" she sang, running back to show Edward.
He picked up her arm, turning over her hand and planted a loud smooch on her palm, which caused another giggle to burst forth from her. The entire room let out a collective breath, it seemed. If anything proved that Kurt was trustworthy, it was that brief moment, because if Bethy trusted him, everyone else could. He'd proven himself while she was in his care, and he'd just proven it again.
~oOo~
EDWARD
Esme stood up, file in hand, her face almost stern after what had just taken place between my daughter and Kurt. "Dinner," she stated, holding up the file. "I'll look at this afterward."
No one bothered to argue with her, because as I scooped up Bethy, everyone around us was just too fucking quiet. It was quite the slap back to reality, the reason why we were still looking for Lilith and Walter. To see Bethy's fear, not of Kurt, but of who might've been with Kurt, was like lighting a stick of dynamite and tossing it into a room. Everyone was pissed.
Two small hands cupped my face, making me turn my head, and I chuckled at Bethy's sweet smile, because it was secretive and mischievous, looking much like my own when I wanted something.
"Guess what, Daddy," she whispered, though it was more exaggerated than anything.
"What, little sweetness?"
"We got ice cream, too!" she exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.
I chuckled, kissing her forehead, simply because there was a part of her that was like her mother – nothing kept her down for long. "That's the only way to eat warm apple pie, baby," I growled into her neck as we crossed the yard. "Don't you know that?"
She squealed into a peal of laughter, her head falling back as I rubbed my stubble against her soft skin. Bella giggled next to us, and I grinned over at her and shrugged, because I lived for that sound.
"Come here, silly girl," she snickered, taking Bethy from me. "Let's fix your plate, okay?"
"Okay, Mommy," she chirped, going to her happily. "But Daddy will share his pie wif me."
"Well, you're just about the only one on the planet, baby," Bella laughed, shooting a wink my way. "Did he tell you he ate whole pie all by himself?"
Bethy gasped, her green eyes bright and wide as the looked up at me.
"It's good pie!" I stated, ignoring their giggles at me as they skirted around several people once we were inside.
"Is she okay?" I heard by my side as I watched Bethy and Bella get their plates ready.
The house was now filling with chatter and debates and laughter. They were a little more relaxed now that they saw that Bethy was smiling and laughing.
I glanced to my right to see Kurt with a worried expression on his face. "She will be," I sighed. "It wasn't you she was scared of. If that were the case, she wouldn't have gone anywhere near you. It was who she...associates with you."
"Oh," he muttered, his brow wrinkling a bit. "I didn't mean to scare her, but I get it. I really did my damnedest to keep her and Abby out of the crazy zone."
I huffed a humorless laugh, but gazed over at him. He wasn't a bad kid. I knew I made him nervous, so for him to even approach me about Bethy showed he wasn't a coward. From both my wife's and daughter's actions around him and the things they'd said about him, I knew that he'd just been trying to protect his family by going along with Walter and Lilith, but he didn't put up with dangerous, irresponsible, or unnecessary bullshit. And for that, he was all right with me.
"She reminds me of Evie at that age. All happy and sweet." His voice was soft, almost sad.
"Your sister?" I verified, smiling at his nod. "She's what? Thirteen now?" I asked, because I knew there was a seven year space between them.
"Yeah, and still just as fun, only now we can have real conversations," he chuckled. "We used to go to the movies just about every week, until I went into Shady Glen."
"And your dad put you there?" I asked, because we only knew what little research we had on Shady Glen.
"Yeah, I was a wreck, but he finally got me on the right meds and with the right therapist," he snorted, rolling his eyes up to mine. "Not Walter."
I laughed. "No. I can't imagine it was him." I pointed toward Esme. "You know my stepmother, Esme. She's a therapist. If you need to...you know, talk. She's great."
"Oh, okay. Thanks," he sighed, almost in relief.
"She's very...private," I murmured, raising an eyebrow at him, so he'd understand that despite the fact that he didn't know us that well, his confidences would still be kept with the utmost integrity. "Come on, I'll introduce you."
He followed me around the kitchen table, dodging people with full plates as they headed outside to eat at the long tables that seemed to be perpetually in use since Bethy's disappearance.
"Excuse me, Esme?" I said, not wanting to interrupt her conversation with my dad, but Kurt had yet to meet her, and she was someone that could help him. "This is Kurt Vernon..."
Esme's eyebrows shot up, but a soft smile played on her face. "Esme Cullen," she said, shaking his hand. "Kurt with the doughnuts, Kurt?" she verified, and my dad laughed, nodding to her.
Kurt chuckled, his face showing a touch of embarrassment. "I suppose Bethy would have been just as happy with with chips and soda for breakfast," he said with a grin. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cullen."
"Call me Esme," she said, guiding him toward the enormous amounts of food she'd prepared. "You're thin, Kurt. Eat something. And you'll make me proud if you come back for seconds." She smirked over at him. "Look around you, son. These boys could eat a side of beef and still go back for the other half. They don't play around at dinner time."
As if to emphasize a point, Emmett walked by with a plate almost stacked to his chin, and we all froze, staring at it. "What?" he mumbled around a dinner roll, where he'd just shoved the whole thing in at one time.
"See?" I laughed.
Kurt smirked, shaking his head, but he finally looked at me. "Why are you being so nice to me? I would think you would hate me for going along with..."
I held up my hand to stop him and took a deep breath. "You did the best you could under circumstances that were out of your control. But the way that you did it," I said, stopping him again, "was dangerous as hell. They could've killed you for letting those girls go, for protecting my wife." I shook my head slowly, my temper barely under control, until Esme's hand landed soothingly on my shoulder. "Well, let's just say... I owe you one, okay?" I asked, with a raising eyebrow and stiff one shouldered shrug. "So if feeding you, giving you someone to talk to, letting you into my home is being nice, then so be it."
Kurt stayed quiet, but nodded solemnly, before taking a plate from Esme.
"What's wrong?" Bella asked with a worried expression as she studied my face. She was walking by with a full plate for her and Bethy, my daughter holding a bowl of ice cream and pie.
I shook my head, my brow wrinkling to let her know it wasn't the right time. "That better not be all the pie!" I growled dramatically at Bethy.
She giggled and shook her head. "No, Daddy, this is our pie," she said, grinning and biting her bottom lip.
I harrumphed, folding my arms across my chest, until she leaned over to kiss my cheek and whisper, "Mommy said we could have dessert first."
I smiled, kissing them both. "Okay...I'll be right there. Save me a seat, ladies."
~oOo~
I bent down, placing a long kiss to Bethy's forehead. She'd lasted as long as she could after dinner, but a full tummy and boring adult conversation lulled her to sleep in my arms at the table. Bella said not to even bother with baths or pajamas – just to take her socks and shoes off and tuck her in.
I left on her night light, made sure that the door was slightly cracked, and headed down the hall. As soon as I'd gone to tuck her in, everyone had made their way back out to Gravity's office to get a little more work done.
"She's asleep?" Rose asked from the rocking chair in the corner of the living room.
She was feeding Caleb, taking the next babysitting shift inside the house so that Esme could sit in on the Lilith research. He gurgled as he gazed wide eyed around the room, shifting his chubby legs, and I couldn't help but smile down at him, because Bethy at that age had been just as happy, just as content.
"Yeah, she's just...out," I snickered.
"Anything I should know?" she asked, pointing toward the hallway.
"She's better than I expected, but may wake up calling for Bella," I sighed, "so just come get us."
The blue in Rose's eyes darkened with anger and a touch of sadness as she nodded. "You're right...it could be worse. What will you do when we have to go after these people?"
I shook my head, because I just didn't fucking know. Bethy would be heartbroken to watch both of her parents leave. "Esme can handle her, but..." I shrugged and winced at the same time. "You saw her when I had to get on the truck. Bella will be a wreck if she sees that."
Rose sighed, rocking Caleb slowly as she thought for a moment. "Bella wants to stop Lilith – and Walter, for that matter – but maybe we can let Bethy hear you over the radios or something. I'd be willing to bet that Alice can set up some sort of Mom-slash-Dad-slash-Bethy link." She grinned up at me, and I couldn't help but chuckle at her. "Or even better, those cameras were fantastic. We could see just about everything."
"Food for thought, Rose," I said with a light laugh. "We'll figure something out, because these people have to be stopped."
"Right." She nodded, watching me walk toward the door. "And a little revenge doesn't hurt, either," she called out behind me.
"No... No, it doesn't," I sneered to myself as I walked across my yard.
I opened the door to the office to an explosion of yelling voices. It seemed they were all arguing at once.
"So where the fuck is this Shawn Bradlee now?" Emmett boomed. "Because if we're going to find out anything, it's going to start with him. What he did, for how long, and what he turned Lilith into," he stated, ticking off each point on his hand.
Everyone quieted just a bit as I made my way to an empty chair beside Alec. He looked up at me and shook his head.
"What he turned her into was a raging bitch," he murmured to me, which made me chuckle. "He turned her into a remorseless killer. Period."
This time, everyone heard him and grunted in agreement.
"Right, so is talking to her father that necessary?" Jasper asked, folding his arms across his chest. "I mean, shouldn't we be looking for Walter?"
"Okay, first things first," Esme started softly as she read the file in her had, but she demanded everyone's attention simply out of respect. "The last known whereabouts of Shawn Bradlee is in a state run assisted living facility. He's suffering from emphysema and liver problems, due to his...lifestyle. Years of not taking care of yourself..."
"I'm pretty sure," Makenna interrupted with a scowl, "that he's not suffering enough."
Bella grinned over at her, but then turned her attention back to Esme. "You think Lilith is the driving force behind Walter, don't you?" she surmised.
"I do." Esme's no bullshit answer fell like a flat basketball onto a gym floor; it just sat there for a minute while everyone thought about it. "I think that Walter and Lilith knew each other from high school, maybe dated, maybe hung out with the same crowd, but I think Walter always had a thing for her. So, that being said, it may not have gone away. Seeing her at Shady Glen would have just opened all that up for him again. He's using his power with the D.O.A. to help what he feels is a damsel in distress." She stressed the last few words, showing what she really thought of the idea.
She held up her hand when Eleazar started to ask something, and then continued. "On the other hand, you've got Lilith, who obviously is a sociopath, a seasoned killer, and is out for revenge." She turned to Bella, asking, "Didn't you say that Christopher Douglas accused her of being alone?"
"He did," Bella answered with a nod. "She told him she wasn't, that she had Walter, but I got the impression that she didn't really need Walter...or that she was lying somehow. That was just before she killed him."
Esme wrinkled her nose, took a deep breath, and let it out. "See that?" she pointed out, looking around the room. "One person points out her fault, and she...removes them from the equation."
I sighed, shaking my head and looking over at Bella. "That's one idea, but Bella, didn't you say you constantly argued with her? Even fought with her?"
"Yeah, but she needed me," Bella sighed, looking up when Esme nodded in agreement.
"Okay, this all fine," my dad said, leaning back in his chair and pointing to Bella, "but I only have one question... If Lilith was the driving force behind Walter, then which one needed the money?"
"All of them," I stated with a shrug, "but I'd be willing to fucking bet that those D.O.A. members would never have seen a dime."
"Then which one needed it? Walter or Lilith?" Alec countered.
"Lilith," Alice piped up from the computer room. "Lilith needs it. She may be clean, but she wasn't at one point, and according to her last arrest report, she was carrying a lot of fucking money. It's now evidence."
"Oh," Bella gasped, her eyebrows rising high. "She was a drug mule..."
"You know what neighborhood she was in, don't you?" Makenna asked, scooting her chair around until she could tug a map of Seattle down and slam it onto the table. Her finger landed on the paper, and she looked up at Bella. "Here. Preacher's neighborhood. The same neighborhood that her drug dealer Sharky runs with an iron fist."
Bella let out a little giggle. "I liked Preacher." She smiled, looking up at me. "We should go talk to him again."
I smiled back, because the big guy was damned cool. He was tough, but still held onto his faith, trying his best to clean up a neighborhood that didn't seem to want fixing. The people around him respected him, though their faith wasn't as strong. He only wanted a safe place for kids to hang out when home wasn't so safe. I respected him for that.
"Well, we do need to see how that rec center is coming," I reasoned, shooting her a wink. "I bet he'd know all about Lilith, if that's the case," I stated, pointing to the map.
"Good," Eleazar grunted, pointing to us. "You two will do that tomorrow." He spun to Wes, Mickey, and Makenna. "What did you guys find out about the Bridges?"
"That there is another home...Canada," Mack stated, pointing to her computer screen. "It's pretty fucking north."
"Does Walter Sr. think his son will use it?" Eleazar asked, eyeballing the map, and I could almost tell what he was thinking, because it wasn't far from Aunt Kate's.
"He thinks so," Wes answered with a nod, sitting forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "It's the one property they don't really watch. It's an old cabin, and it's been on the market for years. No one cleans it or checks on it, because it's so damn deep in the woods. He said if Walter was going into hiding, that would be the place to go. No one would know it. He also said that Walter will eventually self destruct, that he'd forced his son to stay away from Lilith back in school. Mr. Bridges knew she was trouble then. It was how Walter got into trouble in the first place, requiring Dad to come to the rescue and seal the records."
That seemed to make a helluva lot of fucking sense, and it all seemed to be coming together as far as Walter and Lilith's history together.
"Okay, so what about this bomb threat?" I asked, looking to Benny, who'd been damned quiet on his computer since he got here.
He grimaced, looking up and around the room, finally landing his concerned gaze on my father. "They scoped out Twi Towers," he stated, spinning his laptop around and playing a video that clearly showed Walter and Lilith walking into the lobby from the parking garage. "Sam was right. This falls back to Bradlee Lumber Mill. She's going back to the beginning."
"Hmm," Esme grunted. "She's seeking revenge for her childhood. In her mind, if Charlie hadn't bought out her father, if her father hadn't become an addict, then Shawn Bradlee would have never beaten his family. She's going back to the beginning. She failed at taking Bella, so she'll go even farther back than that to seek retribution."
"Okay, so hold the fuck up," my wife growled, shaking her head. "You mean, I was just for the money? Bethy was just for fucking money? She doesn't care about Bree or Ashley, does she? This isn't for taking Ashley away from her; this all about her poor, pathetic life?"
"Ooh-wee, Bellissima's feisty when she's pissed," Alec sang low, almost to himself.
"You have no idea," I muttered, shaking my head, because as scary as Bella's temper could be, she was simply fucking stunning when she was angry.
"From what I can tell...no," Esme sighed, looking over at Bella with sympathy.
"Lilith didn't care about her kids!" Kurt suddenly stated from the corner of the room. "Not at all. She used the deaths of Bree and Ashley to get Kenny and Rusty to go along, because Rusty was the dad, but she didn't give a shit! She all but said it in group therapy," he grunted, shaking his head and folding his arms across his chest. "Rusty was an idiot to fall for it, first of all, because I'm pretty sure even she doesn't know who the father was of either of those kids. Second, the only reason she remembered you," he stated, pointing to Bella, "was she saw your picture in the paper. A wedding or some shit."
"Oh sure," Emmett huffed, shaking his head, but a smile played on his face as he kicked my dad's chair. "You just had to have the big deal wedding, didn't you, Daddy Warbucks?"
The tension in the air broke instantly, because there was nothing we could do about the wedding or the past. The whole room chuckled at my dad's red face, but even more at Esme's pride-filled smile.
Eleazar smirked, pushing off the wall he'd been leaning against. "I guess what we need to do now is find out if Walter has the resources to re-group, to build another bomb. Edward, Bella, go talk to this preacher guy. Find out what you can. Hell, maybe they're holed up in that neighborhood somewhere, but I'm sure we're not that lucky. I still need more about this D.O.A. There might be another splinter group around here that we don't know about." He sighed, looking tired, but he finally turned to Benny. "Get to Twi Towers tomorrow. Up the security. Take Mickey, Jasper, and Sam with you to get them prepared. They'll need to know that there was a bomb threat, but not that there could possibly be another one. Carlisle, you should go, too. Maybe pull in a professional security team."
"We are a professional security team," Alec, Jasper, and Emmett all countered, wearing the dumbest of smiles.
"Fine, then all of you take your asses over there and show them how to limit access to unnecessary areas!" he snapped, rolling his eyes at them. "And remember," he said, stopping us as the meeting broke, "armed at all times, and keep your wits about you, okay?"
"Sir!" we all grunted out of habit.
~oOo~
BELLA
"God, I could kiss Makenna," I groaned, once we were on the road heading into Seattle.
"I thought it was Rose you like to make out with," Edward teased, shifting gears in his Challenger.
"Once!" I laughed. "You'll never let that go, will you?"
He laughed, but said nothing else.
Makenna had taken Bethy aside that morning and started her on some art project. By the time Edward and I were ready to leave to go speak to Preacher, Bethy was so absorbed in whatever it was that she was making that our leaving didn't bother her. At all. I'd been so worried what both of us walking away would do to her, but Mack had been a lifesaver.
Forests eventually gave way to the suburbs, the city drawing closer and closer. Soon, we were surrounded by tall buildings and tons of traffic. It didn't take long to navigate the streets, before we pulled to a stop just outside Preacher's church, and I smiled up at Edward.
"Looks like it's much further along than last time," I chuckled.
Edward grinned, turning the car off. "Weapons, love," he ordered softly, and I reached under the seat to grab his Glock and my nine mil.
"It seems wrong to take a gun this close to a church," I muttered, shaking my head.
"Maybe, but it's for the street between here and there that we've got them, Bella," Edward reminded me, and I looked around.
Despite Preacher's obvious hard work on the two buildings he worked in, there was no change to the neighborhood from the last time we were there. Broken down cars, shabby looking stores, and boarded up and abandoned homes lined each side of the street for as far as I could see. People looked tired, wearing accepting expressions on their faces, almost like they knew this would be all they'd see for the rest of their lives. It was tough to see, because struggling on a day to day basis wore down people's souls. I could see it in the blank, unfeeling expressions on the faces of the young boys on the corner, the older man that was sitting on a milk crate in front of a closed store front, and the young woman that didn't look more than twenty that I was sure was "working" the street.
I just shook my head, because Preacher's efforts, while extremely noble, seemed fruitless, like a salmon swimming upstream.
I looked up at Edward, the calm in my storm. He was checking his gun, popping the chamber and clip, only to snap it all back together expertly. He stowed it in the small of his back, as I did the same with mine.
Beautiful green eyes locked with mine, and Edward reached out and cupped my face. "What's this?" he asked, rubbing the dip that had appeared between my eyebrows.
"Do you think..." I sighed, shaking my head and not knowing exactly what I was about to ask. "Do you think society makes these people hard and desperate?"
He wrinkled his nose, looked around at the street, and then back to me. "I don't know, sweetness," he said softly with a shrug. "I've seen a lot of shit in my life, and I do know when there's no money, there's desperation. People will do anything to take care of what's theirs – lie, cheat, steal. Even kill. It happens everywhere, baby. It's the animal in people, I think – the instinct to fight for survival. At least, that's what one of my commanding officers explained once when I was laid up in the infirmary after I got through that rundown village. He was trying to explain...why."
I looked around us again, thinking he was right. The neighborhood we were currently sitting in could be anywhere. Any country, any place. Suddenly, I was grateful that my husband no longer had to travel to such places anymore. I wasn't sure I'd make a good military wife, because I'd wouldn't trust a fucking soul but myself to watch his back.
I leaned over and pressed my lips to his. "I bet you made a hellacious patient. All cute and grumpy..."
Edward smiled against my lips. "Come on, silly, let's go see Preacher."
We exited the car, and he immediately set the alarm and waited until I joined him, before we crossed the street.
"The center first, you think?" Edward asked as we stepped onto the sidewalk.
"Yeah, might as well," I sighed, taking Edward's hand when the "working girl" eyed him like a piece of meat as we walked by her. As we passed, I realized that she was just as young as I'd made her out to be, but her eyes were dark, lifeless.
Ignoring her, Edward tugged open the door of the rec center, and we were met with laughter, taunting, and happy chatter. The place was filled with kids of every race and age, playing basketball, ping pong, and working on the computers. There was even a small corner filled with comfy chairs and sofas, where a few kids were reading. The place looked amazing.
"Whoa," Edward chuckled low, giving the place the once over.
"Edward, Isabella!" Preacher boomed, standing up from his front row seat on the bleachers. His smile was wide and proud as he walked across the large place to greet us. Shaking both of our hands, he asked, "It's good to see you. Are you here to see the place?"
"You, too, Preacher," Edward said with a smile as he glanced around. "Yes and no. I was wondering if we could talk again."
"Well, let me give you the dime tour, and then I'm all yours," he chuckled, placing a large warm hand on my shoulder.
I could see the pride, the happiness in Preacher's face as he pointed out all the new things the rec center had to offer. He was interrupted a few times by excited kids asking questions, telling on someone, or just showing off some project they'd been working on. I could see the respect and love that they had for him, but the kids showed much more spark and light in their eyes than the adults we passed on our way in. It was good to see, and it was good to watch someone's dream come to fruition. It gave me hope for the neighborhood that not ten minutes prior had me questioning Edward.
"I want to thank you again for Hannah," Preacher said as we made our way out of the center and across the parking lot to his office in the church. "She's been...amazing."
I smiled, because Hannah was a busy, busy bee. She worked, set up, and negotiated with every charity that Twi Tech contributed to. She was an organized force to be reckoned with, but it was her sweet, "no problem" attitude that people fell in love with. And usually her ideas were fan-fucking-tastic.
"Hannah's great," I agreed with him. "Did she come in and throw ideas at you like a tornado?"
Preacher laughed, and it sounded like a booming rumble. "Yes, as a matter of fact, she did. Her ideas beat mine ten fold, and I'm not sure she's done. She wants to hold a fundraiser here when everything is totally finished," he said, holding the door open to his office. He gestured to the two seats Edward and I had sat in before and sat down in his desk chair. "What can I do for you two? You aren't still looking into Ricky's death, are you?"
"No, we solved that case," Edward stated, giving Preacher the short story of how Rick had been killed by accident by his boyfriend, Jeff. "We're here on a more personal investigation. This neighborhood... How long have you been here?"
"Well, I grew up right around the corner. The only time I wasn't here was when I went off to seminary school," he explained. "And that was only for two years. My mother still lives in the same house, though I put bars on her windows years ago."
Edward reached into his jacket and pulled out a few photos, lining them up on the desk. "Do you know any of these people?" he asked.
Preacher leaned forward to glance over the pictures of Walter, Lilith, Kenny, and Rusty. "I've seen them all, I think," he mused, studying the photos hard, but he pulled the picture of Lilith to him. "Her...I definitely know. Terrible reputation around here. Into all sorts of illegal stuff. Laura...Layla..."
"Lilith," Edward and I said at the same time.
"Yeah, yeah! That's it. Lilith," he said with a nod, gazing back up at us. "Laray, right?" he verified, and we both nodded. "She was a mess. Drugs, prostitution, battery...and if I'm not mistaken, she lost two kids. One died, and the other was taken from her..."
"They both died," I sighed, shaking my head, but Edward slipped his hand in mine, rubbing his thumb soothingly over my knuckles. "It's a long story, Preacher, but I need to know if she's been around here lately. If you've seen or heard about her being back."
"Hmm," he mused, rubbing his chin. "I haven't, but I bet who has..." He stood up abruptly, saying, "Follow me. We'll need to go see Miss Geneva."
Edward gathered up the pictures, and we followed Preacher through the church, coming out through the front doors. Instead of taking a left to head to the parking lot, he took a right, walking a few blocks until we came to a small alleyway. He approached the doorway of a boarded up shop, kneeling in front of what looked like a pile of discarded blankets.
"Miss Geneva," he sang in his deep tone. "Wake up, sweetie. I need to talk to you."
The blankets moved, and the sleepy face of an old, African American woman appeared at the top. She blinked rapidly at the sunlight in her eyes, but her face beamed at the sight of Preacher. She was small, toothless, and already chuckling sweetly at him.
"Moses!" she said, reaching up to hug him, which he did, willingly and lovingly.
"Miss Geneva, you look gorgeous, as ever," he told her softly. "Did you eat last night?"
"Oh, I had a bite," she hedged, trying to wave him off, but he wouldn't have it.
"Well, when you're up and about, come see me. I hate eating lunch alone, now – you know that – and Bonnie's at work," he said with a sweet smile that reminded me of Emmett's. One second, he's all tough and big, and the next thing you know, there's a boyish smile you can't help but mirror.
"What we havin'?" she asked, sitting up straighter, now more awake, and her eyes glinted with a touch of childlike mischief.
"Well, if you're good, then fried chicken leftovers from last night's dinner, mashed potatoes, and corn," he said with a smirk, because he knew he had her hook, line, and sinker.
She scoffed, rolled her eyes, and tsked at him. "If you insist..."
I couldn't help but giggle. She was utterly adorable. Even Edward chuckled quietly next to me.
Miss Geneva spotted us over Preacher's shoulder, and she frowned. "They're here to take me away? I'm not going, Moses! You can't put me in a home! They do things to me!"
"I'm not, sweetie," he said soothingly. "I promised you that I'd never do that again, but you promised to eat for me. I told you to come to me if you couldn't find something somewhere else." He picked up her hand and rubbed the top of it. "These are friends of mine. They're looking for someone. And I'd be willing to bet you've seen them."
"What'choo say that for?" she grumped, obviously still mistrusting him.
Edward apparently couldn't take it, so he knelt down in front of her. "Miss Geneva, my name's Edward, and this is my wife, Bella. We're looking for a woman. She's...well, she's done some bad things, and we need to find her before someone gets hurt," he explained, using the tone of voice that usually had women melting in the palm of his hand.
It totally worked on Miss Geneva.
Her gaze softened as she looked up at him, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Who you lookin' for?"
Edward held up the picture, stating, "Lilith Laray."
She grimaced, looking away from the picture, practically pushing Edward's hand away. "Crazy woman," she scoffed. "Thought the neighborhood was rid of her, I did. Heard she went into the nuthouse," she said, pulling her blankets away. She was wearing a football jersey that was two sizes too big for her and some jeans that had seen better days. "But she showed up a couple of days ago, looking for Sharky."
My mouth hung open, and my eyebrows shot up. "Her dealer?"
"Oh, honey, he don't deal no more," she stated, waving me off. "He been taken over by Reggie...Sharky's been missin' ever since."
Edward turned to look at me, his face serious and his eyes dark. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
I sighed, shaking my head and looking around the alleyway, before locking gazes with him again. "If you're thinking that Lilith just snatched someone else that wronged her, then yeah..."
First, it was Christopher Douglas, then myself, and now, it was Sharky, Lilith's dealer, who she owed a shit-ton of money to. Add all of that to Twi Tech and the Bradlee Lumber Mill issue... Lilith truly was out to get revenge on everyone that ever wronged her.
"She owed Sharky a lot of money," I stated to Edward, but it was Preacher that replied.
"Not anymore," he chuckled darkly. "Reggie took over this neighborhood last year, so all deals, all debts, and all payoffs go to him now. He bought Sharky out."
"Damn," Edward sighed, shaking his head, but he turned back to Miss Geneva. "Do you think she's still here?" he asked her softly.
She mulled it over, and then shrugged. "If she is, then she'd be down at the old warehouse two blocks over."
Preacher nodded, looking up at me, and then Edward. "That would be the old shipping warehouse she's talking about. Lots of people use that place to crash, come down from highs, or to hook up with prostitutes."
Edward huffed a humorless laugh, finally standing up. "You mean the warehouse Walter Bridges Senior owns?" he asked me, and I groaned.
"Ah hell," I sighed, pulling out my phone. "We're going to need more than just the two of us for this, because that place is enormous." I looked down at the little old lady that was being helped to her feet by both Edward and Preacher. "Thank you for your help, Miss Geneva."
She giggled like a girl, gesturing to Edward. "Oh, now... Have you ever turned down that face?"
I laughed, shaking my head no. "No, ma'am. I haven't," I chuckled, patting Edward's pink tinged cheeks.
"Well, there you go," she chortled, and then gazed lovingly up at Preacher. "Now, about that fried chicken..."
As they walked a few steps away, I got Alice on the line. "Pixie, I need whoever is available. Edward and I have a warehouse to check out..."
A/N... Okay, first things first... My brother lives in Georgia, and he tells me some of the craziest stories about the backwoods of that state, and the fact that the KKK is still around bothers me to no end. And I LIVE in Florida, so I know it like the back of my hand...born and raised (I honestly don't know if that's a good thing or not. LOL) Anyway, there is no offense to anyone from either of those states...it's just fiction, Okay? But know that I do research some shit. :) And in all reality, I'm thinking Florida might be the Jerry Springer capital of the world. Just sayin'...'cause you haven't met my neighbors... LMAO
Now, I loved me some Preacher when I wrote him the last time, and it was nice to see him again, though Miss Geneva is just as fun. She's actually based on someone I've seen. She's hilarious.
Anyway, like I said, tons of info in this one. Walter and Lilith go WAY back, and she's always made trouble for him, it seems. There will be more on Lilith's background, too, just so you know, but first the warehouse...
I need to thank JenRar for more than beta'ing this...for coaxing it out of my sick mind for a week! :) Thanks to GooberLou, who was kind enough to tell me to post early (which I'm doing) and to let me text her at all times to pick her poor, poor brain. LOL And to MedusaInNY...I love you...period. You and I have had rough weeks, I think. It's time to relax, don't you? ;)
For those of you that don't know, I wrote a o/s for the Squeeze My Lemon folks, and it should post tomorrow (Wed the 17th). You'll be able to find the link at www(dot)dirtycheekymonkeys(dot)blogspot(dot)com, and it will also go up on my profile on FF, so if you want to see it, then Auth Alert me, because it will post as a separate story. I've brought back a well-loved, really missed old friend... Angelward makes a rare reappearance. And GOD, have I missed him. It's sort of a future take on The Angel Series, but for those of you that haven't read it, it will stand alone, so you can get a glimpse of what he's like. He's so very special to me. I hope I did him justice.
Okay, back to Mercward ('Cause he gets jealous as shit). I'm all better now, so I'm hoping that I can get back to my normal posting schedule, so as of right now, Sunday is lookin' GOOD. :D With that being said, then I'll see you all next time... Later. :)