Family Ties

Part 58

"Wait, my mother, was the one who asked for the investigation because she thought I'd stolen the damn gem?" He asked in disbelief. "And the kidnapping was Kevin's idea to try and pay off his gambling debt?" What the hell kind of mess was he in the middle of?

"Are you saying that the person I thought was my best friend, cooked up the whole plan to have me kidnapped and terrorised? That because of that asshole, I had to suffer and sit with the guilt of having possibly killed my friend?" He was angry beyond reason, his head scrambled with all the information that he had to take in.

"In a nutshell, yes. The only thing is... well Kevin didn't die that night."

"What are you saying?" He felt the blood drain from his face.

"He somehow managed to get away with the gem but had pissed a lot of people off in the process. So, to take the heat off, he left the country and at some point, he got the brilliant idea of taking his brother's identity.

"It was easy," he continued when he saw Jackson's brow crease. "They looked alike enough that he didn't have to do too much plastic surgery and I'm sure when his brother's parents started asking questions, they met an untimely end, shall we say. The last part is merely speculation though, so you should take that with a bag of salt."

"He killed three people and nearly ruined my life so that he could have a peaceful life without care?! This doesn't sound like real life." He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe Kevin would go that far."

"It's a lot to take in, I know, so take your time to come to grips with it."

"Where does my mother fit into this?" He asked sharply.

"Between her and Kevin they cooked up a plan to ask for the gem as ransom as well and claim the insurance money. The idea was that he'd give it back once he got paid, but he'd kept it for some reason. Interestingly, the police report indicated that it had been found four months later, and your mother of course had the gem insured at a much higher value again. Only this time, it was a fake."

"She committed fraud and then insured  a cheap copy, to what end?"

"Maybe she hoped to have found it by now, but time was running out because the insurance company was due for a re-evaluation.

"But my own mother had me kidnapped! Do you know how fucked up that sounds?" Jackson could feel himself shake with anger. His mother was a snake who never loved anything other than her reputation and money. From the way she'd treated him after he'd been rescued, should already have been a red flag.

He looked at Raymond who was holding his hands, calmly and patiently.

"At least one good thing came from her horrible parenting." He said grimly. "I got to meet you and Skye. What are you going to do now?"

"That's the thing, Jackson, she's your mother. Your so-called friend is clear cut; his ass is off to jail for a very long time, but are you going to be okay with me handing your mother over to the police?" This was a lot to ask of any child, he thought. Even if that mother would eat you without thinking twice.

"After what she's done to me, she's not my mother. She should pay for everything she put us through all because of her greed!" How could she have put him through hell and pretended as if nothing happened? What kind of monster had he been living with all these years?

"You're taking this awfully calmly," Raymond observed with concern. Was this going to be the quiet before the storm?

"I've got other things to worry about. A mother who sold her son and a friend who nearly tried to kill him is the least of my problems." He shook his head with a sad smile. "I am pissed, Cook, really I am, but what good is that going to do in the long run? All I want to focus on is you and Skye, my family."

"My sweet, sweet man." Raymond leaned forward to kiss him. "You always amaze me, but I've got an ear and a shoulder free if you ever need to use them."

"I'll be sure to use it." He chuckled. "What are you going to do about the whole situation?"

"Well, there isn't really anything to do other than handing over the information to the authorities. Are you going to speak to your parents?"

"Not soon I won't." He sighed. "There's really nothing to say to them. I already know that my mother did it for greed and personal gain, so what's the point in asking her why? I don't want to open a wound that I spent years trying to close."

"And Kevin?"

"Kevin." He rubbed his hand across his face. "They're all the same, aren't they? They all did it for money and I was an easy target or at least a convenient one." He shook his head again as if to get rid of a thought. "There's nothing they could say that would change any of what had happened, but at least I finally got the whole story."

"I'm sorry this happened to you." He said simply, while they sat in silence, each processing their own thoughts.

--

"So, Saul, why did you want to see me in person?" Raymond asked as soon as Saul's office door closed, his henchmen waiting outside with strict orders not to let anyone in. He was surprised when he got a call, asking for a meeting. Under normal circumstances, he would have refused, but Saul had never initiated contact between them, so for him to do so, must be serious.

"Inquisitor," he swallowed hard, mopping his brow with a handkerchief. No matter how many times he stood in front of this man, he always felt that he was on the brink of death if he did or say anything wrong. But hopefully, this time would buy him some grace.

"Spit it out, Saul. Nobody has ever complimented me on my patience." He said with menace in his voice, the voice modulator adding to the horror of the expressionless white mask and black attire.

"Yes, of course, Inquisitor." He swallowed again, taking a deep breath. "I er, I wasn't sure if you'd heard, but er, I er, I thought that..." He trailed off, suddenly unsure of whether he was doing the right thing. He watched the masked man who stood completely still in front of him, as if he was petrified to the spot, his full attention on him.

"That lady who went looking for your kids, well she, she has hired the Russians to get what she wanted." He quickly spat out the information.

"Why would you tell me this?"

"Thing is..." He didn't dare tell this man that he needed his help to get rid of the gang that had set up shop in his backyard.

"They're making your life difficult and you thought I could help you out?" He took a step closer to Saul.

"N-no, of course not. I-I thought you should know if, uh, you know, if..." He stumbled. Even though he couldn't see any eyes behind the mask, it felt to Saul as if those blank slits were boring into his soul.

He stared at Saul, looking for any tells that he was lying or hiding something, but he seems to be telling the truth. He was under no illusion why he was being told this. A new contender wouldn't be good for their business and could destabilise the already tenuous agreement that he held in place.

"Very well, here," he pulled out a black card from his jacket pocket and handed it to Saul, who took it with a shaky hand.

"Inquisitor?" He asked looking at the black card in confusion. He'd never seen one of these before. He's only very come across the cursed white cards with happy or sad faces on them, but here, was a black card with a white mask, similar to the one that was staring at him.

"That's your reward. He placed his hand on Saul's shoulder. "If you ever need me..." Turning around, he left the room with Saul still staring at the card in amazement.