Who Shot the Bitch Troll?
Chapter 7
Clark
At last, I've got a real break in the case. The Mia Grey suspect angle did not pan out, but I didn't expect it to. It bought me some time to explore other avenues and it kept the press busy for a while. I am still of the opinion that despite the recent rift in the relationship between Lincoln and the Grey family, none of them felt strongly enough about her to kill her. I think that it also gave the ex-husband a feeling of security that if I was pursuing other leads, his ass might be out of the fire. Fat chance.
The Linc Lincoln angle on the other hand has been very useful with regard to providing the kind of background information that might be useful for constructing a real case. Unfortunately, like the other angle, it is no more than a circumstantial case. And the DA doesn't like cases based on circumstantial evidence. In this case, he has no concrete evidence whatsoever to go on. However, Lincoln had a lot of motive to kill his ex.
I went back to Christian Grey to discuss the matter of his breaking up of the Lincoln Timber company. The guy is richer than Midas and has no need for the nice profit he made. The move cost a lot of innocent people their jobs and from what I have been told, this is not his usual MO. He may ruthless, but he's not considered vicious.
No, this take over was about revenge pure and simple. I knew that it had to be personal. His explanation floored me because I had no idea that his security people were so good, better, I hate to admit, than our investigative unit. Of course, they've got a much larger budget and the ability to hire expertise that we don't have. In fact, a lot of his people are ex-FBI and ex-military.
It turns out that Grey's guy Welch was somehow able to discover that Linc Lincoln had posted bail for Jack Hyde. I knew when the judge granted that million dollar bond that it was a mistake. Sleaze like Hyde are always able to find a way to slide though the cracks in the system. What makes that move strange is that I have been able to uncover no previous contact or relationship between Lincoln and Hyde. However, the common denominator is Grey. They both hate him.
Lincoln posted bail with full knowledge of the charges and pending investigations against Hyde. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Hyde had a huge vendetta going on against Christian and all of the other Greys and that he was particularly pissed at Ana Grey. In fact he was so obsessed by Christian Grey that letting him out of custody virtually insured that he would go after one or more of the Greys again.
Lincoln lost his money on the deal. but at the time it didn't seem to bother him that Hyde had kidnapped one woman and nearly killed a second one and her unborn child. Lincoln is one cold son of a bitch. If I had known that he had posted bail, I would have put a watch on him.
It is obvious to me that he has his own personal vendetta against Christian Grey, especially now. But I am sure that it predated him posting bail for Hyde. I have not been able to make out the full story on the divorce, but seeing how Lincoln acted in such a vicious way against Grey for no apparent reason, I can definitely see how he would order the cold-blooded killing of his ex, if he had a reason. I suspect that Grey has some kind of link to that mess, but so far I have not been able to uncover it.
It makes sense that Grey would have exacted his own revenge for him posting bail by destroying Lincoln's company. He had a good deal of shares in the publicly traded company that he folded into his own company. He never gave me a good reason as to why he had them, but I am thinking that it had something to do with the divorce, simply because he acquired them around that time.
Grey never gives much away and for the moment I don't want to press him. That is one line of communication that I need to keep open. Grey may not have committed the murder, but if I can establish the link between him and the Lincolns, I believe that I will finally be able to crack the case.
As of now, it looks as though Lincoln is going to be the heir to his ex-wife's fortune. Naturally, the press is crucifying him and doing some digging of their own. I am at the point where I would be happy if they would uncover something, but right now all they have come up with is a conspiracy theory that, like Elvis, she is not really dead or she was killed by alien invaders.
Since there was absolutely no physical evidence anywhere at the crime scene. My last hope is that someone will talk to someone and word will come to light about a hit. I just can't believe that deafening silence out there about the crime other than speculative gossip. Normally, there is at least one person who knows something that cannot keep their mouth shut.
My last effort will be to try to convince the DA to swear out an arrest warrant for Linc Lincoln based on the circumstantial evidence. Maybe a night or two in the slammer will loosen up his lips. Then he won't be so circumspect about coming up with the finer points of his divorce and the cause of his irrational vendetta against Grey.
I would almost like to put Lincoln away and throw away the key, just based on principle. That guy is a slime ball from the word go. To be perfectly honest, I think that Linc and Elena Lincoln richly deserved each other. I would hate to see him profit from this crime, especially since it might set an example for other creeps out there who might try to pull the same stunt. No, I'm convinced that Lincoln is my man. Now I just have to figure out a way to prove it.
Christian
The move to the new house has been accomplished with the least amount of disruption to my life. I know that Ana is pleased to be finally living in our new home. Every detail of the design of the house has been perfectly executed by Elliot. Although she may have loathed Gia, the woman did do a splendid job with the plans for the renovation, from the glass wall in the back to the chef's kitchen that she and Gail designed.
I am also pleased because now that we have our own indoor gym and pool, Ana can work out in the comfort and privacy of home. Even on days when she may not wish to leave the house, she will still be able to get a brief swim or walk on the treadmill. She also enjoys the distance that the commute gives her from her job. She likes to relax on the way back and forth to the city and, as she puts it, change her mindset. Unlike myself, she really does not like to bring her work home. Of course, now that she is pregnant she is falling asleep much earlier in the evening.
She does get more tired after a day at work. I am reliably told that this is a normal part of pregnancy and nothing for me to worry about, the subtext being: don't bother Dr. Greene with it. And I know that after the baby is born, once she goes back to work, all of her attention will be focused on him when she gets home. We are still discussing the issue of whether or not we should hire a nanny to live in.
Ana feels that she would rather have someone come in five days a week during the day so that she will have care of the child during the evenings and weekends. However, since we often have engagements in the evenings and on weekends, I feel that someone who is a live in would be better to pick up those extra babysitting duties. Of course once I mentioned our busy social calendar, Ana got that stubborn look of hers on her face that told me that she was not going to go along with that without a fight. She wants to spend every spare minute with the baby.
Once again, I suggested that she consider taking a longer leave from the job than she was planning, perhaps as long as a year. This was met with stony silence. On the advice of my mother, I have decided to let it go for now. Mom says that her perspective would most likely change once the baby is born and she would have a more definitive idea of what kind of parent she wants to be.
She has of course spoken with Mom about being a working mother, but Mom was very up front in telling her that she never had to care for a newborn. Mia was six months old when she was adopted and Mom took the usual time for adoptive leave (three months). Being that she is the owner of the company, Ana can take as much leave as she likes. And there is the possibility of working from home a couple of days a week.
It is all giving us a new perspective on working mothers, and I suspect that within a year or two there maybe day care centers at both Grey House and Grey Publishing. I have to admit that this would not be a bad thing. I have lost a number of excellent female employees who had a baby and then didn't want to leave them at home. Of course any day care center run by Grey Holdings would be state of the art and free. When I do something, I do it right. Especially when it involves keeping topnotch employees happy.
Ana and I have not had any major arguments since before the Jack Hyde attack. We have had a few squabbles, but nothing anywhere near as big as some of the blow ups that we had during the first three months of our relationship. I realize now that this is because of our more open communication, not to mention the complete absence of Elena from our lives.
Moving from the city has been better for me than I had expected. I have to admit that the commute is not as tiresome as I thought that it would be. I use the time for my usual rounds of phone calls and emails. And I find myself relaxing each evening as I step out of the SUV and into our own private paradise on the Sound. It is much quieter than the city, and the grounds have a real serenity to them. I am looking forward to the warm weather when we can have a few of those picnics that Ana is planning.
I am also looking forward to our upcoming weekend in Aspen. In fact, I have decided that Ana and I will spend the entire week there. Life in Seattle is tiresome with the constant gossip and "breaking news stories" about Elena's murder. And even though, Clark knows that I had nothing to do with the crime, he is trying to draw some kind of connection between Linc, Elena, and myself.
The only people who know the true story behind their divorce, that her affair with me was the cause of the marriage break up, are Mom and Dad. Even Mia and Elliot have not figured that out. Luckily, word of the affair has not gotten out. While it certainly would not make me a suspect, it would certainly create a scandal that would reverberate through the press. I do not want that kind of publicity for business reasons, but I know that the whole thing would devastate Ana. And that could put the baby in jeopardy.
I am still amazed that I have not only come to grips with the pregnancy, I have found that I truly love the child who is now growing inside of my wife's body. Ana claims that every time I put my hand on her stomach, the baby moves. Dr. Greene told us that any day now, I should be able to feel him kick.
I find it difficult to believe that the baby knows who I am and that my touch is different from anyone else's, but I have read in the books that even in utero, the baby will learn to recognize my voice. Therefore, I have taken to reading to Ana's stomach each evening. Sometimes when I play the piano, Ana will sit beside me.
"Do you hear that, Blip?" she says. "Daddy is playing some Chopin for you."
The other night I told her that we should pick a name soon or when the baby is born, he will only answer to the name "Blip." Ana has suggested Theodore, after my grandfather. I am seriously considering it, because she told me that we could call him Ted for short. Ted Grey would be a good name for business. I haven't told her yet, but I would like to use Raymond, after her father, as a middle name. I like the distinguished sound of Theodore Raymond Grey.
I have a feeling that even after we pick a name, the baby will be "Blip" until he is born. Even though, Blip now has a head, arms, and legs, and we have seen and heard his heart beating, Ana still carries around the first ultra sound picture. Dr. Greene says that he is going to be a big baby. Considering Ana's small size, a Caesarian section may be in order. Naturally, that is greeted with another Anastasia Grey patented stubborn look. Greene looks at me and I shrug. Now she's looking for my help after shooting down my suggestions for months?
"Mrs. Grey," she says patiently. "This is only a suggestion based on the information available now, but a scheduled Caesarian birth may be much safer than a vaginal birth."
"But you're not certain," Ana replies.
"Not yet," she answered. "But we have to leave the option open."
"I want to push him out myself," she grumbles. "And I want natural childbirth."
No anesthesia! Now I know that she is nuts. But Dr. Greene doesn't comment.
"Why don't you get changed?" she says instead.
"Don't worry Mr. Grey," says Dr. Greene when we have left her alone.
"About the Caesarian?" I ask.
"About the anesthesia," she replies. "She'll probably be looking for an epidural long before she hits hard labor. She doesn't strike me as the type who had a high threshold of pain."
I smile at the thought. No, she doesn't. But at least in this context it could be beneficial.
"But what about the Caesarian?" I ask.
Greene shrugs.
"She may change her mind when she realizes how difficult it will be," she says. "I would prefer to schedule the surgery, it would be safer. But I would never endanger her life or the life of the baby. Are you going to be there?"
"Of course he is," answered Ana as she comes through the door.
I turn pale at the thought. This is one of those things that I thought was still under discussion.
"You certainly enjoyed participating in the other end of the process," she smirks. "I don't see why you would bail out on me now."
"I wish I had a dollar from every first time mother who ever said that," replies Dr. Greene.
I keep my mouth shut, knowing that I won't win this round. On the way out I stop and turn to Ana.
"I just don't know if I can stand to see you in all that pain," I say.
She looks back at me stunned and then bursts out laughing.
"You are surely joking!" she answers between giggles.
Well, okay, I know that it sounds absurd, but hell, in the playroom, I control the pain. In the delivery room, there won't be a blasted thing that I can do about it. We'll see who has the last laugh about this one.
Gail
After all of the hustle and bustle of moving and settling in, I am glad that Jason and I will finally be able to escape for our own long weekend in Las Vegas. The Bellagio looks like it will be a wonderful place to stay. Neither Jason nor I have any interest in gambling, however Mr. Grey has provided us with tickets to all of the best shows in town. Of course, from my perspective, the best show in town for us will be taking place in our suite.
I am not used to traveling in such style. Jason knows what to expect because of his years of guarding Mr. Grey and making all of the arrangements for his various trips. He tells me that I can expect to be pampered and cared for beyond my wildest dreams, and to enjoy it while I can. As well as Mr. Grey pays us, we will be experiencing luxury that only the richest of the rich do.
I have never really aspired to any of this kind of wealth. I remember when my first husband and I would travel when he was on his tours throughout the world. We would fly coach and then check out the local attractions wherever we were. We often stayed in the cheapest accommodations, but it never bothered us. We were there to see the sights.
As I was helping her pack for Aspen, Ana shared with me how pleased she was that they were going to see the Prices again. However, she was worried about something.
"Gail," she asked. "Do you think that it is disloyal of me to encourage Christian to develop a relationship with his biological father?"
I knew that she was referring to the Greys.
"What makes you think that you are being disloyal?" I asked in return.
She hesitated.
"Kate told me that the Greys are hurt because Christian and I are spending the weekend with them in Aspen," she finally answered. "She said that it is like we're going behind their backs or something."
"But didn't Mr. Grey choose a meeting place outside of town to save their feelings?" I asked.
"Well, that was a part of it," she replied. "But now he really wants to get out of town to get away from all of this Elena stuff. You know. It seems like every time we turn around there is some other thing being raised about it. And Detective Clark seems determined to uncover the part that Christian played in the Lincolns' divorce. Do you know about that?"
Now I feel like I am walking into a minefield, but I don't think that Ana realizes it. It is the responsibility of staff members like myself to stay invisible and "know nothing."
"Ana," I answered uncomfortably. "I do know a great deal about your personal lives, however there is an unspoken code of silence regarding that knowledge that I would prefer not to break."
Then she looked at me with her big, baby blue eyes.
"Please, Gail," she almost begged. "You are like a second mother to me. I feel like I have to talk to someone and I don't want to bother Christian with my worries. You know how he is about that. He has enough stress without taking on mine."
"Okay," I admitted reluctantly. "If you are going to put it that way, then yes, I do know of the connection that Mr. Grey had to the Lincoln divorce."
"What do you think will happen if Clark figures it out?" she asked quietly.
"Other than Mr. Grey throwing a fit of epic proportions?" I said. "I really don't know. I don't think that it has anything to do with the murder case. In fact, if Mr. Lincoln wanted to get revenge for that, it would have been more logical for him to murder Mr. Grey, not Mrs. Lincoln. Besides, the divorce happened years ago."
"But it was only recently that Christian destroyed his company," she replied. "And he told me that he had the plan in place for a while, ever since Mr. Lincoln put Elena in the hospital because of him."
"Well then, it still would have made even more sense for him to kill Mr. Grey, if the motive was revenge," I replied. "However, if he was looking for profit, then it does make sense for him to kill Mrs. Lincoln since he knew that he stood to inherit all that money from her, especially if he was broke."
Jason and I have already had this discussion. I just wish that the police would find some conclusive evidence to prove that Lincoln had the old bitch murdered. That would put an end to all of this speculation. But Jason thinks that Lincoln covered his tracks too well. He doesn't think that they will ever find anything solid enough to prove that he did it.
"That makes sense," she said slowly. "I just wish that they would leave Christian alone. And I just wish that we could go off in peace to spend time with the Prices without feeling guilty about it."
"Ana, dear," I replied with a smile. "You know that you are the one who feels guilty. Since when has Mr. Grey ever felt an ounce of guilt about something like this?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, I am breaking the code of silence again, but I presume that you won't tell," I answered.
"Of course not," she said conspiratorially.
"When Mr. Price left, he told Mr. Grey that he would make no more efforts to contact him again," I said. "Mr. Grey, of his own free will, called him on Christmas, did he not? Did you tell him too, or even suggest it?"
"No," she answered slowly. "In fact, it was a surprise to me that he called him."
"Did you suggest the trip to Aspen?" I asked.
"No," she said. "We already had planned to go, but I had no idea that he planned to ask the Prices."
"So forgive me for mentioning it, but where does your friend get the idea that you are being disloyal?" I asked logically.
She was silent for a moment. I have to admit that Kate Kavanagh is not one of my favorite people. She has a very abrasive personality and doesn't know when to quit when she begins prying into Ana's life. There are times when I think that she is even competing with Mr. Grey for little Ana's affections. And I think that she is more than a little bothered by the fact that she is no longer under her control.
"Ana," I stated firmly. "You have been nothing but a loyal and loving family member to the Greys since the beginning. You risked your life for Mia and you have made Mr. Grey happier than anyone could have imagined. Don't let Miss Kavanagh bully you into thinking otherwise."
"So then do you think that it's okay that I'm friendly to the Prices?" she asked.
"Ana, if you are unfriendly, don't you think that it would make things very difficult for Mr. Grey?" I asked. "He is feeling his way through all of this. It wasn't that long ago that he realized that you and his family loved him unconditionally. Now another family is offering him that same unconditional love and it has to be confusing. Within six months, a man who considered himself unlovable has discovered that many people do love him.
"Look at it this way. Six months ago, he was a lonely bachelor going from one meaningless, unhealthy relationship to another. He spent his days obsessed with making money and his nights attending boring charity and business functions, alone I might add.
"Now he has a loving wife and a baby on the way. He is closer to his adoptive family than he has ever been and reconnecting with his biological father and his family. He is no longer locked in that ivory tower overlooking Seattle, but is now living in a lovely, Mediterranean home overlooking the Sound. I have known him for over four years and I have never seen him so happy and content.
"Think about it. This has all happened since you entered his life. You know and understand him better than anyone, even Dr. Flynn. Just keep following your instincts and inclinations where he is concerned and don't let anyone convince you to second guess yourself."
"You really do know him well," Ana commented. "And me. How do you do it?"
"It's all part of the code of silence," I said with a smile. "I know more about the both of you than you realize, but I would never speak of it. And it's not just because I have signed a non-disclosure agreement. I am genuinely fond of both of you."
"Is Taylor?" she asked curiously.
"Why do you ask?" I frowned.
"Well," she said. "Christian thinks that Taylor does his job so well because of the fact that he pays him very well and because he is paying for Sophie's schooling. I told him that I thought that Taylor really does like him."
"Just between you and me?"
She nodded.
"Jason likes the both of you just as much as I do. He just doesn't show his feelings very well or very often," I answered honestly. "But it doesn't have anything to do with money. Believe me, you couldn't pay someone enough to put up with Mr. Grey's moods and tempers the way that Jason does."
Now she smiled.
"I told him that," she said. "I always kind of think of him as 'Uncle Taylor.' You know, he has an avuncular appeal. He has always been very kind to me in ways that he doesn't have to. But I've also been in trouble with him."
"And sometimes, you should have been," I answered. "At least since you've been pregnant, you have developed a greater desire for self-preservation. Since the Jack Hyde nightmare you have been a lot more cooperative in your security."
"I guess that was my wake up call," she admitted ruefully. "It was the first time that I realized that Christian had a real reason for being so overprotective. I don't think that I could have forgiven myself if anything had happened to the baby."
"Neither would Mr. Grey, forgiven himself that is" I added. "Jason told me that he was beside himself when he saw you lying there on the ground. His first thought was of your life, his second for the baby's. I suspect that it was the first time that he acknowledged to himself that this was a real, live baby, his very own child. When the EMTs arrived, he begged them to save both of you. The first thing that he told them was that you were pregnant and needed special care."
"I know that," she replied. "He was very relieved to find out that the baby was well. I have a vague memory of the conversation from when I was unconscious. But you had told me not to worry anyway. You told me that he would come around and that he just needed some time to get used to the idea."
"Well, as I said, I know you both very well," I said. "And Jason and I aren't going anywhere, anytime soon. I promise. Other than Las Vegas to get married that is."
"Christian wanted to take me to Las Vegas to get married," she said wistfully. "It would have been very romantic. But our families would have been very disappointed."
"Well, being that this is the second time around for both of us," I said. "We get to pick. And neither of us are close enough to our families for them to care. My wN sister is just happy that we will no longer be living in sin."
"Did you have a big wedding, Gail?" she asked curiously.
"Oh, yes," I replied. "I was about your age and it was very exciting to be marrying a naval officer. He wore his dress whites and we walked out of the chapel under the crossed swords. You know the old tradition."
"Oh, yes," she replied. "I've heard of it. I'm sorry that we won't see you for a whole week after."
"Well, no offense," I replied. "But it will be nice for Jason and I to have some time alone when we get back. I am grateful that Mr. Grey is willing to stick with Sawyer and Ryan as his close security for the whole week."
"He figured as much," she replied. "Giving you time alone was his idea. Maybe he's going a little soft in his old age."
We looked at each other and laugh. Christian Grey will never grow soft at any age. However, he is not the hard ass that he likes to project that he is. But that is a side to that very complex man that very few people have ever seen.
Price
I am rather surprised at how anxious I am for our upcoming weekend in Aspen with Christian and Ana. I am not sure of what I am expecting from it. I only know that when I said good bye to my son almost a month ago, I didn't know if I would ever see him again. The phone call and invitation on Christmas were two of the best surprises that I have had since I learned that I had a son.
However, I have just had another surprise. Melissa has discovered that after years of trying, she is pregnant again. In fact, she is due two months after Ana. We were initially concerned because she is over forty, but the doctor has assured us that many women have healthy babies in their forties and this is her fourth child. Once again, we are hopeful that it will be a boy, but we are not getting our hopes up too high. We love each of our girls, and one more will be just as great a blessing.
We have told the girls of course, followed by Melissa's parents. I am wondering when we should tell Christian. I am hoping that the opportunity will arise while we are at Aspen. Melissa thinks that it would be a good idea to wait until after the trip. That way we will have a better gauge for the direction of that relationship. When we last saw him, we were on fairly good terms. But a lot has happened since then.
The girls are also looking forward to going to Aspen. It is one of those few places that a lot of their friends have been to, but they haven't. With the house in Lake Tahoe we haven't really had a need to find another place to ski. And all of them are great skiers. They were all fascinated by Christian when we went to visit him. For one thing, they could to understand why he had such a large penthouse if only he and his wife lived there.
They were impressed by the size of everything and all of the artwork in the great room. I think that they were also a mystified by the large "command and control" center for his security staff. I must admit that it is impressive, but even I don't have anything like it on the ranch. I also don't have security staff following my wife and children everywhere they go.
I hated to have to explain to them that Christian was very nervous about security because a very bad man had tried to harm him and his wife. When she heard that, of course Sarah had to run and do some Internet research where she found all of the stories about Jack Hyde and his many attempts on the lives of the Greys. It was the first time that she had ever realized that very wealthy people can be vulnerable to such attacks.
And of course, she picked up on the story of how Hyde and Christian had briefly shared a foster home in Michigan. It was the first real view that she had of Christian as more than just one of the wealthiest men in the United States and prompted some very difficult questions for me. When we told the girls about their much older brother, we had skimmed over the details of his terrible early years. Now she wanted to know everything.
"Daddy," she said seriously, one night after dinner. "Why didn't you know that Christian's mother was pregnant?"
"Well, honey," I replied, taking a deep breath. "Ella left town and I didn't know what happened to her."
"Didn't you look for her?" she asked.
"I didn't really know what to do," I tried to explain. "I as only a high school kid."
"What happened when she disappeared?" she asked.
"Well, Sarah, I think that you are old enough to understand this, but I don't think that your sisters are ready to hear it," I answered seriously.
"I promise, Daddy," she replied. "I won't tell them if you don't want me to."
"When Ella left town, she went to Detroit," I said, taking a deep breath. "Initially, she found people who helped her to have the baby because she didn't want to have an abortion or give the baby up for adoption. But she got tricked into becoming a prostitute and then got addicted to crack. She wasn't really able to take care of Christian and her pimp beat up both her and Christian.
"Then, one day she overdosed and died. It took them four days to find her and all that time Christian was alone with her body. When the police finally found them, they took Christian to the emergency room where Dr. Grace treated him. She felt so sorry for him that she and Mr. Grey adopted him when he was four years old."
"That's very sad," commented Sarah. "Is that why Christian is so scared that someone is going to hurt him and Ana?"
"I think that that is part of it," I said honestly. "For a couple of months while they were looking to see if Christian had any family, he lived with a very nice foster family. But that man Jack Hyde was a child who lived there too. For some reason he was mad that he wasn't adopted by the Greys as well. We think that that was why he wanted to hurt him."
"Daddy, when they were looking for Christian's family, why didn't they find you?" She asked.
"They didn't really know where to look," I answered. "I was up in Traverse City, but they didn't know that that was where Ella came from. And she didn't put my name on the birth certificate."
"Are you mad that the Greys adopted him?" she asked bluntly.
Boy, was this getting tough. But there was really only one answer that I could give her.
"No, honey, I'm not," I replied. "In fact, I'm glad they adopted him. It is hard for older children to be adopted and Christian wasn't able to talk. Whoever adopted him was going to have to give him lots of special love and attention. I hate to admit it, but at that time, the Greys were much better able to do that than I was. I am very glad that it was them who adopted him. They gave him all the love and care that he needed."
"Daddy, will you get mad at me if I say that he doesn't actually feel like a real brother?" she asked, almost fearfully.
"Why is that?" I asked curiously.
"Well, I just don't know him," she answered. "I mean he seems like a nice guy and all, but he's so much older than us. And he didn't grow up with us, you know? But if the new baby is a boy, then he will feel like a brother because he will always live with us. But Christian is just . . . well, not like a brother."
"Well, Sarah," I reply. "One of the reasons that we are all going to Aspen is so that we can get to know each other better. In fact, I think that that is why Christian invited us. And it's okay if he doesn't feel like a brother to you. I have a feeling that you three don't really feel like sisters to him."
"He already has a sister, doesn't he?" she asked.
"Yes, Mia."
"I don't think that Mia liked us much," she remarked.
"What makes you say that?" I asked.
"Well, she was always making faces and rolling her eyes whenever we talked," she said candidly. "And she was rude to Emily when she asked her a question. Then, after dinner, she went to her room without saying good night. If that had been one of us, you and Mommy would have been mad."
"I'm sure that Dr. Grace spoke with her later," I said, even though I couldn't say for sure. "She probably didn't want to embarrass her in front of company."
"Okay, that makes sense," she nodded. "Thank you for talking to me, Daddy."
"Anytime, dear, anytime," I replied, absently.
She gave me a hug and I realized that Sarah will actually be closer in age to Christian than to the new baby, whether it's a him or a her. The age spread between Katie and the baby will be a full eleven years. That is nearly a whole generation. On the other hand, Christian's son will be a mere two months older than my youngest child.
As Sarah walked up the stairs, I looked and was amazed at how tall and grown up she was becoming, almost a young lady. In fact, in a couple of months she will be fifteen. Then I thought of Christian at fifteen, only a little older than Sarah. It made me ill to think of what that pedophile whore had done to him. I can only feel happy that she had gotten what she deserved.
Elena Lincoln's murder has created quite a stir around Seattle, but Christian seems oblivious to the conflict going on around him. The only thing that really bothered him was when Detective Clark interviewed Mia for making idiotic threats against the woman. However, that seems to have all died down. All of the focus now is on Linc Lincoln. I am hoping that it stays there.
If nothing else, Lincoln deserves to be punished for the actions that led to Ana almost being killed. But unfortunately in that case, he did nothing illegal. There was nothing to stop him from posting bail and there was no way to contest his statement that he had no idea of what Hyde was capable of doing. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing that man locked up for life. It's a great pity that there is no evidence that he committed the crime.