Haven of Nightmares (Littlemoon Investigations Book 5) (5 page)

BOOK: Haven of Nightmares (Littlemoon Investigations Book 5)
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No one spoke.

While they were willing to take the weird and unusual on, they didn't out themselves. They didn’t know this woman, and they didn’t know if they could trust her.

“What do you mean?”

She opened a folder.

Then, she began sliding the cases that made the papers toward him. “You found a hundred year old dead woman who was murdered and buried in a wall. That was either very lucky or...”

Julian stared at her. “And?”

“I need you to do the same thing. However you do it, it has to be done. I don’t care if you are just making really good guesses, or if you hire that psychic who has the office outside who helped you on the last case. I need help.”

“I don’t know if we can help you,” Tori stated.

While she loved helping people, this woman sounded…desperate.

That was a dangerous sign for them.

Desperate usually equated to crazy in their line of work, and no one wanted to be taken down by insanity.

Matilda felt it slipping away.

“I can’t move on with my life.” She pointed at Julian and Justin. “You’re both identical, right?”

“Yes,” they said at the same time.

“I had that. I had a twin, and she was ripped from my life. I know she’s dead. I could feel it the day she was gone, but I can’t move forward without finding that closure. I can’t get free of this, Mr. and Mrs. Littlemoon. I’ll pay your retainer, I’ll sell my kidneys on the Black Market, but I need someone to take this seriously. More women are going to die—more and more until someone stands up to stop this evil.”

Tori went to stand, and her husband placed his hand on her arm. She knew what was coming before he even opened his mouth.

Oh boy.

“Is this school still open?” Julian asked.

Tori stared at him. He was going to take this case. Holy bloody hell! He was going to do it!

“Jules.”

He glanced over at her.

She could see it in his eyes. If this woman wanted to hit him right where it mattered, she did.

It was a direct hit to the brother target.

Ms. Boyd played the twin card and came up a winner. Everyone in that room knew that to Julian, his twinhood was a huge deal. In his world, the only person who mattered more than Justin was Tori.

“No, Mr. Littlemoon, it’s closed down, locked up, and barely maintained. The owner is a difficult man. He won’t let anyone on it. There’s a caretaker, and he wanders around with a guard dog and shotgun. I know. I’ve tried to climb the fence about one hundred times to snoop around.”

Well, that information was helpful.

Apparently, their potential client had done her research, and liked to break the law. That should set off warning bells.

Oh, wait.

It was.

This new information had helped Julian make up his mind. There was no way they could take this case. If it was marked
‘Private Property’
and guarded, this case was dead before it ever began.

“We can’t go marching onto someone’s land without their consent. We’re not cops. We’re private investigators. Guns and dogs usually mean they want everyone out of there.”

She sobbed. “I need this nightmare to end.”

“If you can get the owner’s permission, we can revisit this, Ms. Boyd. If not…”

Julian knew they could only do so much.

“He’ll never agree to it.”

“Why?” Tori asked. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“When the first three women went missing, the media accused the family’s only son of killing his sister, my sister, plus the other girl.”

They got quiet.

“You think he did it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. If he did, then that would explain why he won’t let anyone investigate.”

She had a point.

Someone cleared their voice. From the doorway, there stood Roman, and he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Could this day get any worse?

His heart lurched in his chest the second he saw her. The sound of her voice brought it all back, and it was like so many daggers to his heart.

If his day could fall apart even more, here was how.

His nightmare was coming to life.

He had to see her again.

“Roman, come in. This is…” Tori didn't get to finish.

“I know who it is. She’s Matilda Boyd.” He focused on her. Roman prayed he could get the words out. “Hello, Mattie. I never thought I’d see you again, especially today.”

Julian and Tori were both shocked that he knew their client. What was going on? Had their paths crossed?

Had they known each other in their careers?

She gasped and stood up, her chair falling backward. As he approached, his hand out, she wanted to be sick. Instead of taking his open hand, she drew back and slapped him.

Everyone in the room gasped.

That was so far off the cuff, no one saw it coming.

“Ms. Boyd!” Tori stated, shocked to see that go down. They were big advocates of never striking anyone, especially part of their family—and Roman was definitely that.

“Why don’t you ask him why he won’t give anyone permission to search that school?” Matilda Boyd asked, as Justin held her back and away from Roman. “Why don’t you ask the last living heir to that death forsaken hell hole why he won’t let anyone investigate?”

“What?” Tori asked, caught off guard again. “Roman? What is she talking about?”

“All you had to do was ask, Mattie. For you, I would have let you play investigator. I would have gladly helped you too.”

She didn’t believe him.

This was the man who may have killed her sister.

He could see her doubt.

“Julian, I know why she’s here, and if it’s to hire you, then you have my full permission to search the school. In fact, I’ll pay the retainer—not her. I need you to find the dead girls, figure out who did this, and clear my name,” Roman stated. “Once and for all. I didn’t kill anyone.”

He stared at Mattie and his heart ached. She was lovely. She was the exact replica of her twin, but with a less edgy side. She was sweet.

That’s how he would describe her.

Everyone in the room was speechless. No one saw this one coming.

It was one hell of a twist.

Roman could see that it was time for him to come clean. Truthfully, he was a little shocked they didn’t find it in their research of him. Surely, they ran a background check, right?

“My family owned Remington Academy, and now it’s mine.”

“Why?” asked Matilda Boyd. “Why all of a sudden?” she asked.

“Because three more women went missing last night. It was on the news as I headed back here. Believe it or not, I need this nightmare to end. I want it to be over, and I know the only people I trust are in this room. They’ll believe me when I say that I didn’t kill anyone.”

Julian glanced over at Tori.

“Well, holy shit.”

Yeah, she could say that again.

 

Maybe his gut wasn’t exactly right.

Roman wasn’t the man he thought he was.

 

At all.

Chapter Two

 

 

 

Before Roman could be slapped again, Julian separated his employee and prospective client. In all honesty, he really thought Ms. Boyd would go after him as soon as she could.

It was tense.

This needed to be sorted out. Roman was in the middle of one hell of a mess, and they needed to work it out.

As he sat in Tori and Julian’s office, he looked as miserable as sin. This was obviously weighing on him, and he was afraid. It was clearly there in his eyes.

Before they got their makeshift interrogation started, Tori handed him a cup of coffee and patted him sympathetically, or maybe that was reassuringly, on the shoulder.

“I’m so sorry about this. I never thought my past would pop in like this. Had I…”

Julian leaned on the corner of his desk. “Well, it’s here, and you need to come clean with us. We deserve that, don’t you think? Something this big was bound to come out.”

His boss was right.

They deserved an explanation about this mess from the start, but he was scared they wouldn’t hire him. Then, after he was part of the team, he’d thought about doing it as the anniversary approached, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak up.

It was wrong.

He was wrong.

Yes, in a way, he had lied to them, and they didn't deserve it.

“If you fire me, I’ll get it. I can have my office packed and be out of here.”

Tori spoke up, “You can’t run forever, Roman. I personally learned that lesson long ago. The ghosts haunt you, and at some point, they catch up. You need to stop running. Trust us with that. We’re a family, right?”

They were the only people he had left.

If they let him be part of their family, it was he, who was the lucky one. All he wanted was a place to fit in, and he’d found it with them.

Roman knew how lucky he’d gotten.

Granted, they were new, but he was already attached to them.

“It’s time to decide, son,” Julian stated. “You stand and let us have your back, or you put your tail between your legs and run for the rest of your life. You’re young. That’s a long time to be chased by this weight.”

He was right.

Roman had to make a choice.

Taking a deep breath, he took the leap of faith.

“Ten years ago, I was nineteen and heading off to Journalism school. I was going to get my education, maybe be a teacher, and come back to Remington Academy to start my life and help the family.”

They listened.

“The day Mattie is talking about is one that will never die in my memories. It’s my biggest nightmare. I replay it over and over again in my head, in my waking hours, and in my sleep.”

Tori sipped her coffee. “We have you, Roman. Trust us to be part of your family.”

He let it out.

“I had just walked my girlfriend, Devora, to the trees that led toward the gym. She had tennis, and I had Chemistry. I was running late, so I told her I’d see her later.”

They didn't speak.

“I left her there—alone. Then she was gone. Not only did she disappear that day, but Felicity Sepp, a freshman went missing, and my own sister, Rylee, was taken too.”

Tori made notes. She scribbled down the names as she prepared to start running them for more information.

“When they realized they were gone, the school, and authorities, searched the campus for them. All they found was a chloroform soaked rag, one shoe, and Devora’s notebook with my name scribbled in it. That’s where my hell began.”

The emotion overwhelmed him.

His chest constricted at the flashes of memories. He wasn’t sure he could do this.

It was so hard, and it felt like yesterday.

Julian crouched down to be eye level with him. “Purge it. Once it’s out there, you’ll be able to start working through it. Let us help you carry it.”

Roman had to trust them.

“She was my heart. I was crazy in love with her. I wanted to marry her one day.”

Tori could hear the pain.

They’d both been there.

“Matilda looks like her. They are the same down to that braid. When I saw her, I wanted to be sick. It was like that sucker punch to the gut when you least expected it.”

Julian needed to know.

“Did you kill them?”

He didn't get mad.

He didn't look outraged.

Instead, Roman looked exhausted. This had worn his soul down so much that he looked about ready to quit.

“No. I didn’t kill them. I loved Devora and my sister. I didn’t know the third girl. I’d never seen her before. The police tried to tie me to her, and they couldn’t—because I wasn’t the one who did this.”

Julian believed him. He knew what that pain could do to a person.

“What happened next?” Tori asked.

“The police tore the place apart, but no one was found. They needed to calm the town, and I stood out on their radar.”

“Why didn’t you go to jail?” Tori asked.

Roman glanced up. “Like I said, they couldn’t tie me to the last girl, and there were numerous witnesses that say they saw me kiss Devora goodbye at the clearing and head in the opposite direction. Then my teacher gave me an alibi too. I was in back to back classes.”

That was good enough for them.

Julian was a good judge of character, and he trusted this man. Why? He didn't know, but he knew that Roman wasn’t lying.

“What happened after that?”

“I went away to college. I ran. I couldn’t be there. My parents were broken by Rylee’s disappearance, and there was pressure to let cops wander the grounds.”

“Did they let them?”

“Yes, multiple times but nothing was ever found. Nothing turned up.”

“So, you’re away at college,” Tori began.

“Five years ago, I was starting my Master’s degree and working on becoming a writer. I was hiding in plain sight. The situation died down, and no one was asking me questions anymore. I was making a name for myself.”

“Then?”

“It happened again. Three more students went missing, and the finger was pointed at my dad. I wasn’t there, so it had to be him, right?”

They didn't speak.

They’d both been investigators and cops. That looked…suspicious.

“When they put the heat on him, he couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t handle another three girls being taken from a school that he worked so hard to create. They were professors. Both of my parents loved education, and they created a place where it flourished. Now evil was ruining it. He had to escape it.”

They knew what that meant.

“He killed himself?”

“Yes, he did, and there was no confession. My mother mentioned having a conversation with him beforehand. He told her he felt helpless for not protecting the students, and that he didn't do it. The cops couldn’t pin it to him either. He had an alibi. He was teaching all day.”

They listened.

“After his death, my mother closed the school. She locked it up, and then she took her own life too. It’s there, abandoned, and gathering weeds and dust. I haven’t been there since their deaths. I haven’t gone back.”

“Why didn't you just come to us?” Tori asked. “Why didn’t you simply ask for our help? We would have done it.”

“You didn't trust me as a reporter. This was going to make your mind up, and it wouldn’t be in my favor. I’m good at what I do. I love my new job, and I didn't want to ask you to help. I figured one day, maybe, but now wasn’t the time. I wasn’t ready.”

“And now?” Julian asked.

“Now I have no choice. The police in Haven have three missing girls. Time is ticking. They want on that campus, and I don’t have to let them, since the girls went missing at the public school in town. Remington Academy is in the clear, but I think it’s time to give everyone closure.”

It was time for his closure.

Tori knew how hard this was for him.

“I want to give Mattie Boyd closure too. I want her to be able to move on. I want to stop thinking about them. I want to sleep at night without a nightmare. I want that silence.”

Tori patted him on the shoulder.

She got it.

Before Julian, she was haunted by the ghosts of her past too. Now, she was just haunted.

Julian needed to clear the air. “For the record, I wouldn’t have used this against you, Roman. You’ve proved you’re part of the team.”

“So you’ll help?” he asked.

“Yes,” they said together.

Julian reassured him. “We’ll go in, look around, and end this nightmare for you.”

“Are you bringing your ghosts? Will they be on the case too?” he asked, looking around as if he was actually going to see them.

“They follow me, so, yes. Why?”

“They may have some competition. That place is going to be haunted.”

“By who?” she asked.

“My past.”

 

It said it all.

 

 

 

 

 

       
         
* * *
  L   i   t   t   l  e  m  o  o  n  * * *

 

 

 

 

She paced the room in frustration.

Mattie couldn’t believe this. The one PI firm that could finally offer her help, and
HE
was there.

Great
.

This was a mess.

There was no way they’d help her now. Roman Remington had already beaten her to them. He likely was in the other room telling them some sob story about how he was innocent.

It figured.

This whole thing sucked.

“So, how long has he worked here?” she asked, finally getting the nerve to talk to the people in the room. Mattie knew they were watching her.

She could feel it.

Claire was sitting in Julian’s chair with her feet up on the desk. “A while. Why?”

“He knows something. I can feel it. He’s hiding information about this case.”

“Well, here’s a thought, but bitch slapping him isn't the way to get it from him,” she stated. “We get that you’re emotional, but men don’t dig woman who put their hands on them in anger. For the record, that goes in the reverse too.”

“Yeah, about that…I know it was wrong. I’m not usually violent like that. It’s just when I saw him…I lost it. His family and mine have a long history.”

“Why don’t you tell us about it?” Beckett asked.

“When my sister disappeared, I was lost. My family fought so hard to get her back, to find her, to find anything, and the Remington family wouldn’t release anything. First, Roman was under investigation, and then his father was. They fought hard to keep the media out—and with the Remingtons, they generally got whatever the hell they wanted.”

Even she knew how bitter that sounded.

“Do you know that he ended up being a reporter?” Justin asked. “And that he’s pretty much dedicated his life to finding justice for the forgotten victims?”

She stared at him. “Penance perhaps?”

Mattie wouldn’t let this soften her. Of course the man was going to be a freaking saint. If you killed people, you tended to want to portray the opposite, right?

“Or maybe this touched him too? What if, Ms. Boyd, you’re both looking for the same thing? If what we’ve heard is true, then Roman lost people too.”

She didn’t want to feel sorry for him. After all, he was a Remington.

“I hear what you’re saying,” she stated. “It’s hard to forgive and forget.”

Yeah, didn’t they all know it?

This woman was preaching to the choir.

“Do you think that you’ll be helping me?” she asked. Matilda was desperate for their help. She couldn’t do this without them, and if she wanted resolution, she would need them to have her back.

“You’ll have to wait until my brother decides,” Claire stated. “Justin and I each own a third of the company, but we all know it’s only on paper. This is his and Tori’s baby, and they have the final say in the matter.”

She got it.

It was looking slim.

As the door opened up, Tori headed in, her face blank. Behind them, Julian was walking in with Roman, his arm over the man’s shoulders.

It said it all.

They’d made their choice, and it wasn’t going to be with her. Why had she even thought she’d get help? The last ten years had been one roadblock after another.

“Ms. Boyd, we need to talk,” Tori stated.

She couldn’t help it.

The emotions overwhelmed her. Matilda began crying. She’d lost another round to the Remingtons. She was beyond fighting them. There was nothing left in the well. She had drained it dry the last ten years.

BOOK: Haven of Nightmares (Littlemoon Investigations Book 5)
11.27Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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