The Caledonian Inheritance (The Athena Effect) (13 page)

“You’re not dating him, are you?”

“We’re friends,” she said,
her irritation rising.

“Okay, okay. When can I see you? Maybe we can do lunch this week?”

“I– I don’t know.” She found herself surprisingly reluctant, and tried to come up with an excuse. “I was planning some meetings with a couple of paving contractors, but after what happened I might have to re-schedule them… Can I get back to you later?”

“Sure… No problem. Do you remember the auditorium remodel I told you about?”

“Uhm… Yeah,” she lied.

“They set the date for the grand openi
ng gala. It’s in two weeks… The San Francisco symphony is sending up a guest conductor and they’ll be media all over the place. I’d like to take you as my special guest. Will you do me the honor?”

“Uhm… I guess so.”

“It’s going to be black tie.”

“Alright.”

“It’s kind of a big deal. Our congresswoman will be there… And the mayor and some local celebrities. It’s a fund raiser for a women’s shelter.”

“That’s nice,” Layla said.

“I thought you’d be more excited… Are you angry with me for talking to Grandmother?”

Layla sighed, “No, I’m not. Calvin thinks it’s for the best too.”

“Maybe there’s hope for him yet,” he said.

~

True to his word, Ramon had accompanied Sherriff Brown on a trip out to the property the very next morning, and it hadn’t taken them long to come across some physical evidence of what was really going on at the remote location. Already suspicious, the sheriff had been in touch with the Drug Enforcement Administration for months, and in no time at all there were plans in the works to eradicate the cartel growers.

Caledonia offered her parent’s little clearing as a staging area, helpfully describing the terrain and topography. DEA agents overran the place within hours, responding to the sheriff’s request for assistance with a surprising amount of force. When one of the growers was foolish enough to take a
pot shot at a federal agent, a storm of law enforcement descended upon the quiet wilderness.

H
elicopters hovered overhead, emitting great thumping shockwaves of sound that made the quiet wilderness seem more like a war zone. Infrared cameras scanned the ground for warm bodies after dark, and loudspeakers broadcast warnings that echoed far and wide. Their safe haven exposed, the returning growers took what they could carry and departed, wise enough to recognize a losing battle when they saw one.

Caledonia’s fears proved unjustified, because
no one questioned Jesse in his role as caretaker or suspected that Caledonia and Layla were involved with the growers in any way. Of course, all of their dealings with the authorities included a healthy dose of the girl’s shared magic, and everyone who came in contact with the pretty pair left absolutely certain of their sincerity and innocence.

When the dust finally settled it looked like smooth sailing ahead for their little family, and Caledonia believed that the last major impediment to all of her plans had been removed. Calvin was awash with sweet relief
too, ready to get on with the future alongside the girl he loved. He was making new plans of his own.

Layla wasn’t so quick to celebrate, not at all
certain that there was nothing more to fear. Now that she knew about the rumors that had been swirling around town she expected the locals to be angry. She was dreading her next foray to city hall, fully expecting to be the focus of hostile rumors and innuendo.

She couldn’t have been more wrong.

By the middle of the week she ventured into town to meet with Millie, eager to get the permit process started again. There was more traffic on the roads than she’d ever seen before, and the colors of the people on the street were a little brighter, almost like it was a holiday.

“Layla!” Millie greeted her warmly when she stepped foot into city hall. “You poor thing! When I heard about what happened to you! My goodness! And to think– If you hadn’t been planning to rebuild that house we never would have rooted out those terrible people.”

Layla nodded, a little surprised. “I’m glad it’s finally over.”

“It will be once all these police clear out!”

“I’m so sorry about all of this. I only hope that we haven’t caused too much trouble.”

“Trouble? Why, this is the most excitement this place has seen for years!”

Millie went on to describe how the entire town had been abuzz with activity. The sudden surge of DEA agents and pilots had nearly doubled the population, and there was even a local news crew on hand to document the operation. The influx of people was a boon to local businesses, and the town’s restaurants, shops and inns were filled to bursting.

Soon Millie had Layla sitting at her desk with a cup of tea while she notarized a few documents, instructing Layla to get them postmarked by the end of the day. As she worked, she gossiped about a local hairdresser that was planning to get revenge on her cheating husband by running away with one of the hunky DEA
pilots. 

Layla’s face clouded over as unwelcome images of all the cheating men she’d seen in Max’s blackmail schemes crowded into her mind. She looked down, fidgeting with her nails. Millie took this as further proof of Layla’s ladylike quality, and quickly changed the subject.

“Oh! I almost forgot! I found out why they called the house Redcastle!”

Layla looked up, “Why?”

“Bill over at the body shop turns out to be a real history buff, and he says that it was named after real ancient ruins in Scotland. They called it Redcastle because of the red sandstone they built it from, and get this… Can you guess the clan?”

“Mackenzie?”

“You betcha! Isn’t that something?”

“So it wasn’t the bricks after all…” Layla mused.
“I’d like to visit it someday.”

“He said there isn’t much left to see.
But isn’t that interesting? I bet you can’t wait to tell Conrad.”

Conrad was the last person Layla was thinking of, but she
agreed. “Uh huh.”

Millie got a little twinkle in her eye. “You know, Conrad is a real catch. That young man is going places. Who knows? He might even run for office someday. You’d make a wonderful politician’s wife.”

Layla cringed at the thought. “Excuse me, but I better go and post this.” She stood up and rushed for the door, surprising the old woman with her abrupt departure.

“Come back for
another cup after you’re done!” Millie’s voice rang out just before the door whomped shut.

Layla stepped out into the street and nearly ran smack into Ramon leaning against his police cruiser. She reeled back
reflexively, instantly alarmed by his mirrored sunglasses. Once again she was reminded of Max and his men.

“Hey Layla,” he said, trying to keep his voice casual.

He was dressed in street clothes, and if Layla thought he couldn’t look any better than he did before she was wrong. His worn jeans fit him like a glove, and a thin white t-shirt clung to his lean torso and displayed tanned arms rippling with previously hidden muscles. Judging by his anticipatory orange, she could see he’d been waiting for her.

She took a deep breath and gathered herself, reaching out her hand politely, “Hello
Ramon.”

He took it in his warm grip, holding it a split second longer than necessary.

“So,” he said. “Looks like it was cartel growers that were shooting at you.”

She nodded, “I guess so.”

“We found the shell casings at the spot where the shooter was lying in wait… They had a clean shot. If they’d wanted to hit you they could have. It seems like they were trying to send you a warning.”

She swallowed hard and tried to look surprised. “
That’s terrible.”

“We saw all the signs you posted, and the DEA guys said it looked like someone had been up there trying to clear them out.”

“We don’t want
any
trespassers on our property.”

“They won’t be coming back now.”

She nodded with relief, “That’s good. Thank you.”

He pressed his lips together, crossing his arms across his chest. “Why were you so worried about trespassers? Did you know who they were?” He was back to being suspicious again, and with his glasses shielding his eyes, there was nothing she could do about it.

She raised her head defiantly. She could see the reflection of her flashing eyes reflected in the lenses. “I’m
trying
to build a house.”

He studied her for a moment and his voice softened, “Why didn’t you tell me what was going on? I
just want to help you.”

It was true– He’d only ever been kind to her. She looked down at her feet, flooded with a sudden, bitter shame. She
felt terrible about lying to him and manipulating him to get away with it, but most of all, she was ashamed of everything she’d done her whole life. She clutched the letter in her hand, “I– I… Excuse me, I need to go and post this.”

“I’ll walk you.”

“You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to fall down,” she said.

He smiled
with real warmth, and it instantly made her feel better. “You can’t be too sure about these things.”

The post office was a block down the street, and they walked side by side in silence, neither one of them sure what to say
next. When she went in the door he waited outside, watching her through the window.

By the time she stepped outside he’d worked up his courage
. Trying his best to sound casual, he asked, “Hey, what are you doing this weekend? Do you want to go to a thing with me?”

“A thing?” she echoed.

“A Quinceanera.”

“A what?”

“My niece’s fifteenth birthday party. On Saturday.”

Layla was surprised, but curious. She’d never actually been to a birthday party. “Really? With cake and everything?”

He smiled at the wistful look on her face. “Uhm…Yeah. It’s a big family thing. So what do you say?”

He watched her eyes dart around as she fought a battle inside her mind.

Once they were old enough to sit still, the professor used to take Layla and Michael to the opera to celebrate their shared birthday, and out to dinner afterwards at his favorite French restaurant. He didn’t believe in singing, and there was never any cake. Layla had always dreamed about having a giant pink birthday cake. And hats.

She really liked Ramon, and that was all the more reason to avoid spending time with him. She couldn’t bear the thought of him finding out about her criminal past; after all, he was a policeman. But she was sorely tempted, and downright curious about what a big family birthday party would be like.
“I don’t know…” she wavered.

He lifted his glasses to reveal his beautiful deep, dark eyes. “C’mon. You’d be doing me a favor! My cousins are always trying to fix me up with their friends, and if I bring a date they’ll leave me alone.”

A date, she thought, unable to squelch a little rush of excitement. He saw her look down and felt the rejection coming.

“As friends?” he added hopefully.

She looked up. The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint him again. “Okay, sure.”

They walked along, and this time instead of anxiety he was radiating happiness and relief. She kept glancing over at him out of the corner of her eye, trying to figure out what he was thinking. When she looked back ahead she nearly tripped over her own feet when she spotted a familiar face.

“Conrad? What are you doing here?”

“Grandmother told me you’d be in town today, and I thought I’d surprise you.”

He came closer to take her hand in his. When he leaned over to kiss her cheek she could feel Ramon stiffen by her side. The two men eyed each other while Layla stood awkwardly.

“Why, hello officer…. Ruiz, isn’t it?” Conrad asked.

Ramon inclined his head. “Mr. Smithson.”

“Off duty today?”

“Yes I am.”

“With everything that’s been going on?
This is probably the most action this backwater sees all year!”

“Drug trafficking a federal offense. It’s out of our hands now.”

“Well, I certainly hope that
they’ll
be capable of taking care of it. These people are vicious criminals. We could have been killed the other day.”

Ramon’s eyes met Layla’s, and the look they exchanged spoke volumes. “Sounds like it was more serious than I was led to believe,” he said.

Conrad didn’t like the way they were staring at each other. “Imagine, cartel criminals in our little town. How does it feel, knowing they were operating right under your nose?”

Ramon felt a sudden flush of shame, because he’d been torturing himself with the same question. “Not good,” he answered honestly.

Conrad continued to needle him, “It’s a good thing you’re letting the big boys handle this one. Clearly, this is out of your league.”

Ramon’s temper flared red hot, and Layla’s eyes flew open in response. He noticed her reaction, taking a breath and controlling his voice with considerable effort. “It was nice seeing you Layla. Goodbye,” he turned to walk away.