Loved Ones Lost (Edgewater Curse Book 1) Read online

  “Okay. First, I’m not saying no, but I’m not saying yes right now, either. Give me a couple of days to think about this, please. I have a lot going on right now. I will give you my answer by Thursday night. How does that sound?”

  “Yes, that works. Oh my gosh, I’m soooo happy.” Rose beams.

  “Yes dear, we can tell…and congratulations, that is so exciting. We all told you how amazing you are.”

  “Yeah sis, that’s great. I’m so proud of you.” Matthew gives her a big hug, lifting her off the ground, and she squeals again.

  “Thanks!” Rose smiles. “I’m going to go find Crystal and tell her.” Rose turns and runs out of the room.

  “Holy crap, there have been a lot of surprises today. I’m feeling so overwhelmed right now,” Bri states.

  “Yeah, I can feel that; just do me a quick favor—sit down here for a minute and take a couple of deep breaths.” Matthew sits with her on the sofa and wraps an arm around her. “So what are you going to do?”

  “I think I’m going to go up to my room and have a chat with your father. The decision about Rose is a big one, and I need to consult with him on that.”

  “Good idea,” Matthew agrees. “I’m going to head up to bed as well, since I have to work in the morning. I should be home around six, and then we can head to the station in Idaho Springs. It should only take two hours to get there, so maybe we can grab a bite to eat on the way.”

  “That sounds good. I’ll see you when you get home then, and thank you for helping me to calm myself. Goodnight.”

  “Anytime. Goodnight, Mom.”

  They both ascend the stairs to their respective rooms.

  As soon as Bri enters her room, she sees Jared sitting on the bed.

  “Hi.” She smiles.

  “Hi.” He smiles back.

  “So…wow.” Bri sighs.

  “Yeah. You’ve sure had a lot to think about just in these last two days,” he says with concern.

  “You can say that again; between how to handle Travis, hearing about my parents, and now Rose’s exciting news, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. How am I going to deal with all of this?”

  “With a deep breath and me by your side.” He smiles and wraps his arms around her while kissing her on her temple.

  Bri melts into his embrace. “So what do you think about this situation with Rose? What should I tell her? I mean, she’s still so young, only thirteen. And what if they want her to move to California? How the hell are we supposed to handle that?!”

  “Slow down, babe—one thing at a time. I think this is an amazing opportunity for her and if we deny her, she might never forgive us. We both know she is amazing and I’m so proud of her. If they want her to move, then give my sister Evelyn a call. I’m sure she would be willing to let Rose stay with her until she is old enough to be on her own or has the opportunity to come back. You need to stay here. The other three are going to need you, especially Travis. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s cross that bridge when we have to. Right now I would suggest that when Rose calls them back, you should be with her and talk to them yourself. Find out if there is a way she can sign with them but still live here, given her age. Also, make sure you call Jonathan McLeery; he was a colleague of mine who wasn’t on the plane. You should have a lawyer on your side if you sign any contracts on Rose’s behalf with Capitol Records. His number is in the contact section of my planner in the top left drawer of the desk in the study.”

  “Okay, and you’re right, one thing at a time. I sure hope they agree to let her stay here because I don’t want to see our baby leave; I would miss her so much. And there you go dropping hints about Travis again; you know you're worrying me, right?”

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I wish I could tell you more. Here, why don’t you get changed and crawl into bed? I’ll hold you again until you fall asleep.”

  “Thank you. You know I love it when you hold me.” Bri smiles and gives Jared a chaste kiss then does exactly as he suggested.

  Chapter Nine

  Decisions, Decisions

  Tuesday, September 4, 2018

  The next morning, after getting dressed and managing to eat some breakfast even though it felt like butterflies dancing in her stomach, Bri goes to the study to find Mr. McLeery’s phone number. Matthew has not left for work yet; when Bri enters the study, he is sitting at the desk.

  “Good morning Matthew.”

  Matthew looks up, “Good morning, Mom”, he smiles. “How are you this morning?

  “I’m good. I talked to your father last night about Rose. He suggested that I talk to Capitol Records with Rose to get more information and if they do offer her a contract, then I should call one of his old colleagues, Jonathan McLeery, and have him help us through the contract. He says his phone number should be in his planner; it should be in the top left drawer of the desk.”

  Matthew pulls open the drawer. “Here it is.”

  Bri takes it and opens it to the contacts section. “Yes, here is his phone number.” She grabs a Post-it note and writes his name and number down and then puts the planner back into the desk.

  “No need to take the planner with me. I would rather leave it here in case we need to refer to it again later. Besides, I’m not going to call Mr. McLeery until after I talk to Capitol Records on Thursday.”

  “Sounds good,” Matthew agrees.

  “Don’t you have to be at work soon?” Bri asks.

  “Yeah, I’m leaving here within the next fifteen minutes.”

  “Okay, well, have a good day.”

  “Thanks Mom.”

  Bri leaves the study and heads back to her bedroom. When she’s there, she grabs her laptop and goes out to the deck from her room. Sitting at the table, she downloads a family tree program to get started on the so-called “project” she said she was putting together. It was initially supposed to be just an excuse to get information about her parents, but since Travis now wants to see it when it’s finished, she figures she better have something to show him later on. She concludes that while the rest of the kids are at school, this would be an excellent time to focus on researching and adding names and information to the family tree. Additionally, she decides that this would be a good place to document the supernatural elements as they happen as well. This could be something that can eventually be added to Crystal’s grimoire. Besides, by the time she finishes the project Travis will probably have his power, whatever that may be, so it won’t matter if he sees that part of it by then. With the way Jared has been hinting at Travis needing help, Bri is guessing that it’s going to happen soon. At least she hopes it does; the waiting is driving her crazy.

  Losing track of time, Bri finally looks at the clock when she hears Duke whining at her feet; he’s always nearby when Travis is at school.

  “Hey Duke. Do you need to go out?”

  Duke stands up, vigorously wagging his tail and panting.

  “Come on, boy.” Bri and Duke head downstairs and she lets him out the back door by the kitchen. Turning around, she sees the clock on the microwave and realizes it’s after one in the afternoon already. I should probably eat something, she thinks to herself. Grabbing a sandwich and a glass of iced tea, she lets Duke back in and they both head back up to her room and back out to the deck. Duke settles back down at her feet, and she continues her research while eating her late lunch. Sometime later, she notices Duke’s ears perk up, and then he jumps up and runs out of the room. She can hear the kids downstairs coming in at the front door. Now that Travis has his license, he usually drops the girls off at their respective schools and picks them up on the way home. Even though Crystal graduated high school three years ago and is currently attending college for her undergraduate degree, majoring in English Literature, she is still only thirteen and not old enough to drive herself—legally, anyway, not that she wasn’t capable. Rose, on the other hand, also age thirteen, is attending seventh grade at a private middle school.

  Deciding to go see them, Bri s
aves her work and closes her laptop.

  Descending the stairs, she greets her children. “Hi everyone, how was your first day of school today?”

  Everyone looks up and smiles, and before anyone can speak, Rose enthusiastically responds first.

  “Hi Mom.” Rose smiles brightly. “School was great! I told everyone about Capitol Records calling me. Some didn’t believe me, but those who did are so happy for me. Of course, I told them it’s not official yet, not until you give permission.”

  “Oh Rose, I wish you had waited to tell people. We have a lot to discuss about that.”

  Rose’s face drops. “You’re going to say no, aren’t you?” Tears start to well in her eyes.

  “Hold on there; I didn’t say that. Actually, I’m still thinking about it. As I’ve said, there are still things we need to discuss. For one, I need to talk to them, and we need to find out what their expectations of you are. Since they are located in California, they may want you to move there.”

  Everyone’s eyes go wide.

  “We can’t move!” Crystal goes into a panic.

  “Agreed!” Travis says.

  “I know. Everyone just slow down,” Bri says

  “But what if they want me to move, Mom. You just agreed with these two that we couldn’t; does that mean we have to tell Capitol Records no?” Rose looks worried again.

  “Not necessarily,” Bri answers

  Everyone now looks confused.

  “As I said, there are things to discuss, and we need to deal with one thing at a time. I need to talk to Capitol Records first to see exactly what direction things are going to head. If they want you to move and if you agree, then I will make a call to your Aunt Evelyn to see if she would be willing to let you go live with her, so your music career has a chance to take off. If that all happens, then we will need to get a lawyer involved to help us with the contracts, we will have to make moving arrangements for you, and I will have to call to get you transferred to a school down there. So as you can see, there are a lot of if’s.”

  Everyone’s eyes are wide again.

  “Wow” is the only reaction Travis has.

  “You’re going to move?” Realization dawns on Crystal as she looks to Rose and now her eyes start welling with tears.

  Rose sighs, “I know you don’t want me to, sis, but this is my career we’re talking about here. I could really make it big. It’s been my dream as long as I can remember.”

  Crystal turns and runs up the stairs toward their room, crying.

  Bri calls after her, “Crystal, honey, we don’t know anything for sure yet!”

  Crystal calls back, “We all know that’s what’s going to happen. She’s good, Mom, really good. Capitol Records wouldn’t be calling for any other reason!” The bedroom door slams shut.

  Bri turns to Rose. “I’m going to say this one more time. We have a lot to discuss before I make a decision and things start changing. Please, let’s just take this one step at a time.”

  “Yes Mom,” Rose concedes. “I’m going to go up and see if I can calm Crystal down.” She kisses her mom on the cheek and runs up the stairs.

  Bri sighs.

  “Wow, Mom. This is a lot to take in. Are you okay?” Travis puts an arm around her.

  “Yeah, I’m okay, and you have no idea. There’s a lot more going on here than you know.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Bri stills for a moment, realizing what she just said. What can she tell him without giving too much away?

  “Well, you know that David stopped by last night and brought some information by for me about Grandma and Grandpa.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, he brought their autopsy reports to me. While putting together this family tree, I want to be able to add how people died in our family so if any genetic diseases in our family could be passed down, then we have a record of it. Anyway, you know how the police told us that Grandma and Grandpa died in a car accident?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, according to their autopsy reports, they were poisoned.”

  “What?! Who poisoned them and why?”

  “I don’t know that yet, but it was quite upsetting to find out. Then right after David left is when Rose came storming in with her news. Don’t get me wrong; I’m really happy for her and proud of her. I’m just feeling very overwhelmed right now.”

  “Wow. Well, that is understandable. I’m sorry you have to deal with all of this alone.”

  Bri smiles. “I’m not actually.”

  Travis raises an eyebrow.

  “Your brother has been helping me, at least with the thing about your grandparents. We are going to meet a friend of David’s tonight. He’s a detective, and he’s going to give me a copy of the police report. I’m hoping to talk to him about the conflicting information as well.”

  Travis appears surprised. “Wow. I’m glad Matthew is helping you. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Actually, there is something.”

  “What? Anything, just name it.”

  “Tell me the truth.”

  Travis stills. “What do you mean? Truth about what?”

  Bri tilts her head with a really? Look. “Travis.”

  “What?”

  Bri sighs, “You know what? Just forget it. I need to go up and change before your brother gets home from work. We are leaving as soon as he gets here and we are going to eat dinner in Denver. Can you feed yourself and the girls? That would be helpful.”

  “Sure Mom,” Travis says with a pang of guilt and concern, knowing that feeding the girls wasn’t what Bri was really looking for.

  “Thanks,” she says before turning and heading back to her room.

  Chapter Ten

  Something Doesn’t Feel Right

  Later that evening…

  Matthew and Bri are in the car on their way to the police station.

  “Have you thought of what you want to ask Detective Vasilie?” Matthew asks.

  “Yes, some, but I’m sure I will have more questions after we meet with him.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure you will. I’m interested to see what the police report says.”

  “Me too,” Bri agrees.

  “I’m also hoping I can get a read off him, see if he’s telling us the truth or if maybe trying to cover up something or for someone.”

  “That may be helpful, but we need to remember that he may not know anything about why there are different stories. It could be someone completely different that tried to cover up the real reason behind my parents’ deaths.”

  “True,” Matthew agrees. “Did you remember to bring the autopsy reports?”

  “Yes, and I made copies and left those at home.”

  “Good thinking,” Matthew says, then changes the subject. “So where do you want to eat?”

  “I think there’s a lodge near Mount Evans that we can eat at,” Bri says.

  “Okay, cool.”

  Matthew and Bri continue casual conversation during the car ride, and after they eat their dinner, they proceed to the police station. After parking, they walk into the station and up to the front desk.

  “Hello, how may I help you?” says the officer behind the desk.

  “Hello. We are here to see Detective Vasilie; we have an appointment with him. My name is Briauna Aldridge.”

  The officer looks down at her computer and then picks up her phone. After a beat, she begins to speak into the receiver. “Hi Roman, your appointment is here…yeah sure, okay.” She hangs up the phone and looks up.

  “Please follow me.” She stands, and they follow her to a small conference room. “Please have a seat. Detective Vasilie will join you in a moment.” She leaves the room and shuts the door behind her.

  A few moments later, the door opens, and a fair-skinned, tall, distinguished-looking man with jet black hair and black eyes walks in wearing a black Armani suit. He looks to be in his mid-fifties and has a clean-shaven face with a square jawline. There is no emotion visible
on his face when he sits down, places a laptop on the table in front of him, and looks up to addresses them.

  “Mrs. Aldridge, I presume?” he asks with a deep baritone voice and a very thick Russian accent.

  “Yes, that’s me, and this is my oldest son, Matthew,” Bri answers.

  “I’m Detective Vasilie, but you both can just call me Roman. I’m not big on titles.” He smiles with a wide grin, and Bri notices how very white and perfect his teeth look. She shifts uncomfortably in her chair and clasps her hands together on top of the table in front of her.

  Matthew puts his left hand on her hands, trying to help calm her, and outstretches his right hand to shake Roman’s hand.

  “Nice to meet you, Detect…um, Roman. Thank you for meeting with us.”

  “Yes, of course. I didn’t realize your mother would be bringing someone with her. I mean, a son, um…” Roman turns to Bri. “I guess I assumed that you would be bringing your husband with you instead.” Which was a lie because he really thought she would be coming alone.

  “My husband passed away in a plane crash three years ago.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  “Thank you,” Bri replies.

  “Well, why don’t we get down to business?” Roman opens the lid on his laptop. “You mentioned on the phone, Mrs. Aldridge…”

  “Bri, please call me Bri.”

  “Bri.” Roman smiles. “You are interested in getting a copy of your parents’ police reports from their car accident…again, I’m so sorry for your loss. It seems you’ve had a lot of loved ones lost recently.”

  “Yes, I lost a son this year as well.”

  “Wow, I truly am sorry to hear that.” Roman furrows his brows.

  “Thank you again.” Bri sighs.

  “So if I could just have you answer a few questions, I should be able to pull the report up on the computer here and print a copy for you. I really could have just done this over the phone for you and mailed you a copy. It would have saved you a trip here.”

  “Actually, after looking at the report, I have a feeling we are going to have some questions for you. That’s why I requested this meeting,” Bri states.