She breathed a laugh, pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “How did such a one-track mind come to lead such an elite organization of crime fighters?”
He pressed his face to the hollow of her throat and inhaled. “The world’s a strange place, Bee.” Groaning then, he turned her back to face the terminal. “Alright, playtime’s over.”
Caiphus pushed the disc drawer home and
Lamont Pevsner’s image faded in on screen seconds later. Caiphus
and SyBilla traded a look. The two operatives were all business as
they observed their deceased colleague.
~~~
“SyBilla...God I hope it’s you I’m speaking to right now. I hope you’ll share this with Caiphus. If you choose not to, please tell him- as I’m telling you-that I’m sorry. No doubt you have or will learn things about my involvement with certain aspects of this case. Hmph...this case...the one that’s consumed us for most of our careers. I’m sorry and I know nothing can make up for my betrayal, but I pray the information I’ll share will help knock down some of the walls I helped to erect.
I don’t know how much of what I have to share will help you or if you’ll even trust its validity. Maybe it’ll give you a picture an...understanding of who you’re dealing with and what motivated it all.
My name is Lamont Pevsner. I took my mother’s maiden name while my sister took the name of our childhood home-the place where we lost our mother shortly after we moved there. My father went there to work- to find a way to save my mother from the thing that killed her.
My mother’s name was Carolina Pevsner. My
sister is Saffron Manoa and Jake Shannon- the man you knew as your
captor, SyBilla. I knew him as my father.”
***
Persephone tamped down a new wave of nausea-one brought on by nerves and terror for a scene that was still only part of her imagination. It had yet to become tragic reality, but Persephone feared that was imminent.
Exhaling on a slow breath, Persephone closed her eyes and rapidly searched for the place that would shelter those useless emotions and make room for courage and strength. Her hand was steady when she removed the gun from its side holster. Hope sputtered infinitesimally and caused her to keep the weapon concealed until it absolutely had to be revealed.
Bracing for the fates to have their say, Persephone threw open the sliding door and stormed out. The sight meeting her stricken silver stare couldn’t have been more unexpected or impossible.
Two little girls. Her little girls were tackling Maeva Leer to the ground as shrieks of wild laughter livened the air. Seated contentedly in a cushioned lounge chair; at a safe distance from the action, was Tammy James. The woman laughed just as brightly as the three players.
Maeva; then sprawled on her back, faked injury as the little girls cheered in triumph.
“Mommy!” Layah James’ shriek eeked out across the vibrant expanse of the lawn. In another second, the six year old was barreling towards Persephone with her twin sister Leeya hot on her heels.
Quickly, Persephone concealed the gun while going to her knees and bracing to receive her own tackles. She grunted in response to the impact and the relief that her children were secure in her arms. Her hold on the small girls was a cross between a hug and a restraint. She glared with vicious curiosity at Maeva.
“Well isn’t this a surprise! And a happy one!” Tammy James’ voice was next to ring out over the girls’ combined laughter. Anyone listening carefully, might detect the shakiness of her voice.
Clearly, Tammy and Maeva were not as happily revved as Leeya and Layah. Both women appeared wary when Persephone slid an accusing look to her mother.
Tammy seemed undaunted. Hands clasped, she rushed over to where Persephone knelt with the girls pressed close. “This is so nice,” Tammy said. “We lost track of time with all this playing, didn’t we girls?”
The twins giggled madly. Fat spirals of soot-colored curls bumped their cheeks as they nodded in unison. Tammy bent at the waist and tapped her granddaughter’s noses.
“How about you two go get those cookies and milk I promised? Scoot.” She voiced the command in a hopeful tone, looking to Persephone for approval.
“Wash your hands first,” Persephone planted hard kisses to the backs of her daughter’s heads and then slapped their denim covered bottoms to send them on their way.
The women waited, silently watching the twins race off toward the 10,000 square foot house in the distance.
“What’s this?” Persephone breathed out the words while coming to her feet.
“Honey let’s all sit-” Tammy swallowed, her hands jutting out from where they’d fidgeted at her sides. She saw Persephone retrieve the gun from where she’d tucked it in the back of her jeans. “Honey please this- this isn’t what you think. Everything’s fine.”
“Are you insane?!” Persephone hissed to her mother. She saw Maeva advance and she seamlessly lifted and aimed the 9mm she held.
Coolly, Mae raised her big hands defensively. “Please Perry. I need your help.”
Stumped then, Persephone wasn’t sure what to make of Maeva’s behavior. Lucid wasn’t a word she’d use to describe Maeva Leer, but in that moment, lucid was just how she’d sounded.
Mae risked another tentative step forward. Persephone cocked the weapon, gripping it in both hands as she was ready to fire.
“Mama? What the fuck?!” Persephone cried when Tammy stepped in front of the gun barrel. She disengaged the trigger and aimed the nozzle at the ground.
“Honey please! I swear it’s not what you think! Please listen-”
Maeva took another bold move forward. That time, Persephone moved faster jerking Tammy behind her. She raised the gun so that, the barrel was aimed right between Maeva’s eyes. At Persephone’s back, Tammy struggled to free herself of the hold her daughter had about both her fine-boned wrists.
Persephone was aiming the weapon, her intention to put Mae on her back. Again, she heard her mother’s cry in her ear.
“Persephone please!”
Persephone cocked the weapon a second time.
“Baby, she’s your sister!”
The gun wavered, shifting slightly. A shot then, would’ve planted the bullet through Maeva’s windpipe. Persephone could feel the trigger give ever so slightly as her index finger began to pull back on it.
“Honey please…” Tammy set her chin to Persephone’s shoulder.
“What are you doing, Mama?” Persephone’s voice shook then as madly as her finger did on the trigger.
“I’m telling you the truth. Finally the truth.”
