Chapter Six

Chapter Six

  When Ana and I were alone for the night at our hotel preparing for bed, I decided to bring up our earlier conversation about Ana’s interest in Caleb Matthews.

  “I know that there had to be more to your interest in the guy we met on the plane than just his name,” I started off as I combed out my hair, which was wet from a shower I had recently finished. “What was it Ana?”

  “Well, back in Australia, when I was only about four, my family ran into a little trouble, and had to hide out for a bit. When we came back out of hiding we tried to find my father’s brother and his family, who had also been in danger, but couldn’t. We searched as long as we could, but my parents couldn’t find my uncle anywhere and we had to leave. That’s when we left for New Zealand. I don’t really remember much of that time, but I do remember that both of my parents seemed very upset and frantic when they couldn’t find my uncle’s family. I guess I’ve always just hoped that I would find them some day,” explained Ana with a shrug as she got into her bed.

  “Well, have you tried finding them through the internet?” I inquired as I climbed into my own bed.

  “Right,” Ana snorted. “Britney, do you realize how many people have the last name Matthews? Try googling Matthews sometime. Last I checked you get about 36,000,000 hits,” she informed me. “It’d be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The only name I know to look for is James C. Matthews, my uncle. I know he had a wife, but that’s it. I don’t even know if they had any kids.”

  “Do you think they’re in the States or still in Australia?” I questioned, my head propped up on my hand as I looked at her.

  She shrugged. “I have no idea. They might be in the States, I don’t really know. They could be anywhere by now. I mean, since then my family’s lived in New Zealand, Australia again, Britain, and the USA. They probably moved around just as much, maybe even more.”

  “Well, has Jonas ever tried finding them? I thought that’s what he was trained to do, can’t he find them?” I wondered.

  “He looked into it a bit once, a couple years ago, but couldn’t find anything. It’s been so long now that it would be next to impossible to locate them. Our dad couldn’t even find them, so he doubted he’d be able to find them if our dad wasn’t able to,” she explained.

  “So what, you thought that maybe Caleb was a long lost cousin or something?” I asked her, beginning to understand why she’d been so eager.

  “I guess so,” Ana laughed. “Silly, I know,” she admitted. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand between our beds. “We should probably get some sleep. Mac has a list of some houses, and he’s hoping we can see them all tomorrow, so it’s going to be a busy day.”

  “Alright,” I sighed, turning off the light and rolling over rather reluctantly. “Night,” I called softly.

  “Night,” she replied.

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    Having received word that Ricky had finally shown up at McKenna’s bar, Hayden strolled purposefully through the door and glanced towards the bartender. From behind the bar, the man dipped his head in the direction of a table. The men seated around the table were all loud and rowdy, something that caused Hayden to dislike them immediately. However, he noticed that the man that was the main focal point of the group was not one he recognized as having ever seen before as he did the others surrounding him. So, though he inwardly cringed at the thought of associating himself with them, he grudgingly approached them.

  “Ricky Ladino I presume?” inquired Hayden. The man looked up at Hayden with unsuppressed surprise.

  “Yeah, that’s me,” he agreed, looking Hayden up and down wondering what he could possibly want with him. “What can I do for you?”

  “I’d like to speak to you about a rather important matter that I was told you might know something about.” Hayden looked over the small group of gaping men briefly before adding pointedly, “In private if you don’t mind.”

  Ricky looked around at his wide-eyed and open-mouthed audience, and then waved them away. A couple of moments longer and they were alone.

  “Now, what’d you want to talk about?” inquired Ricky, brimming with curiosity as he leaned forward towards Hayden in his eagerness. Immediately Hayden noticed an all too familiar glint in the man’s eyes. This man had a price, and Hayden was sure that he would divulge anything given the right price.

  Hayden signaled the bartender, ordered them each a drink, and waited until they were once again alone before he began. He pulled out Britney’s picture and laid it on the table for Ricky to study in the dim lighting.

  “Do you recognize this girl?” Hayden asked, carefully watching for any reaction on Ricky’s all-too-readable face. He was not disappointed. Ricky’s face first registered recognition, followed quickly by surprise.

  “Sure do,” Ricky replied simply.

  “Are you aware of who this young woman is?” demanded Hayden.

  “Haven’t a clue. But, since you’re looking for her, I’m guessing she has to be somebody,” Ricky commented before taking a deep drink from his glass.

  “Her name is Britney Larkin. Her father is Lawrence Larkin, a name I’m sure you’re acquainted with,” guessed Hayden. “Where have you seen her?”

  “Lawrence Larkin’s you say? Of course I know him,” Ricky snorted. “I saw her right here. Why, has she gone missing or something?”

  “Yes,” Hayden confirmed. Guessing at what he was starting to get at, he decided to save them both some time by addressing the subject head on. “And any information you have to give me regarding her will be well rewarded, I assure you.”

  Ricky nodded, licked his lips greedily, and then began. “I saw her late last year, not too long before Christmas, though the actual date eludes me at the moment.”

  Likely because you were too drunk that night, Hayden surmised in his head.

  “Anyway, she came in here looking all scared and alone, like she was supposed to be meeting someone. A little while later she left with a guy.” Ricky took another long drink.

  “Do you know his name by any chance? Or at least what he looked like?” asked Hayden, wishing the man would stop drawing things out and just have out with it already.

  Ricky nodded. “Yep, young guy by the name of Jonas Matthews. I know they’re still together too.”

  “How do you know that?” inquired Hayden, his eyes narrowing slightly. Inwardly he cursed violently. He should have known. The moment he’d laid eyes on Matthews, he’d known he wasn’t a man that was easily tricked in his work.

  “I know because the day after Christmas I was coming home from a long job and right before I turned onto the road my house was on, Matthews’ ‘cursed Maserati came whipping around the corner and almost ran me off the road.

  “Then, my daughter, Jenelle, came home from her high school graduation with that girl and Matthews. I found out from my girl that the girl was her best friend, Britney, and that Matthews was her boyfriend,” concluded Ricky.

  “You didn’t know your daughter’s own best friend?” Hayden questioned with unmasked disgust. He had also not missed that he’d likely not been home for Christmas, and that he had missed his own daughter’s high school graduation.

  Ricky shrugged. “It’s not easy being the single parent of a teenage girl and work always keeps me busy. Besides, she’s always going out with her friends all of the time anyway. I only met her goody-goody boyfriend once, and that was by accident,” Ricky offered in way of excuse for his lack of parenting.  Hayden found his dislike for the man only continuing to grow the longer he spent with him.

  “Have they come by at all since your daughter’s graduation?” Hayden asked, hoping to get what little information that was left to be gotten so that he could leave.

  “Nope, Jenelle left that same day to go stay with an aunt of hers before she headed off to college,” Ricky explained with a shake of his head.

  Probably should have done that years ago, thought Hayden. He rose from his chair, and aloud he said, “Thank you for your help. I’ll be sure to tell Mr. Larkin of the information you have given me and, if all checks out to be true, you’ll be rewarded for your assistance.”

  A broad, expectant smile spread across Ricky’s face, and he hadn’t even waited for Hayden to be out the door before relaying the news of his good fortune to his friends.

  Hayden’s anger grew as he walked towards his car with a clipped pace. Larkin would be furious to say the least once he told him what he’d learned tonight. Matthews would surely pay dearly for his deceit.

  He didn’t fully trust everything that Ricky had told him. It didn’t make any sense for Britney to have gone in to meet Matthews in that place as Ricky tried to lead him to believe. Matthews was obviously a gentleman, and despite everything else, he wouldn’t have allowed Britney to wander on foot through that part of town on her own. No, he doubted that the two had ever met before that night.

  That left some unanswered questions though. If she wasn’t going to meet Matthews, why would she have gone into the bar at all, and why would she have left soon afterwards with him?

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    “There it is,” announced Mac triumphantly. “Isn’t it beautiful?” I looked up from my phone, that I’d been checking for missed calls and texts on, to see a medium sized white house with dark green shutters and a big bay window in the front.

  “It is,” Ana agreed, taking in the well-kept home before her. “Is this the one you’ve been dying to show me?” she asked as we all got out of the car.

  “Yup. I called the couple that lives here to make arrangements to come today, so we should be good to go,” Mac explained as we went up and rang the doorbell. Sure enough, an elderly couple came to the door and let us in with big smiles across their faces.

  “Oh, is this your young lady?” the woman asked upon seeing Ana at Mac’s side as we walked in.

  Mac grinned. “Yes, this is Ana Matthews and her brother’s girlfriend, Britney. Ana, Britney, this is Emma and Harold Hendricks, the owners,” he introduced.

  “Nice to meet you,” Harold said, shaking our hands. “Would you like to see the place now?” he questioned kindly, still smiling.

  “Sure,” Ana answered, looking eager as we stepped inside. We spent the next hour or so walking through the house as the Hendricks explained that they had to sell the house to go live with a daughter in Arkansas. I could tell Ana was more than impressed with the three bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry area upstairs. She seemed equally pleased with the large kitchen, office, living room, dining room, and den of the downstairs level. We finished back at the entrance area we started in.

  “And of course, there’s the two car garage and shop area through the kitchen,” Mr. Hendricks said to complete the tour. “Mac’s already seen that, but if you want, we can go out there too.”

  Ana shook her head. “No thanks.”

  “We really hope you like it,” Mrs. Hendricks said. “Are there any other houses you’re looking at?”

  “We looked at a few others today, but I really like this one,” confided Ana.

  “Well good. You kids let us know what you decide, alright?” Mr. Hendricks instructed as we began to go back out the door.

  “We will,” promised Mac before closing the door behind us. We got back into the car and headed back to the hotel Ana and I were staying at.

  “So, what do you think?” Mac asked Ana, glancing over at her as he drove.

  “I really liked the last one we went to the best. It’s close to your job, and the hospital that I’m going to put an application into is nearby too,” Ana commented. “I think it’s perfect for us. What do you think, Britney?”

  I hesitated a moment before answering. “I thought it was nice,” I told them. “But it’s up to you guys, not me. I’m just along for the ride,” I reminded them lightly.

  “I think we should talk to that agent you’ve been working with tomorrow then,” decided Ana. “That way we can hopefully get everything taken care of before Britt and I leave again.”

  “Sure, I’ll call him first thing tomorrow then.”

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  The next day, while Ana and Mac met with the agent who was helping them finalize things for buying the house, I decided to go out for a jog. Ana and Mac had been slightly hesitant to allow me to go out by myself, but I reminded them that I was in Seattle, not LA, and would be fine.

  I’d only been jogging for about fifteen minutes before I heard someone calling out my name. Wide-eyed, I looked around, panicking more than just a little. Who could possibly have recognized me here? Maybe Seattle wasn’t as safe for me as I’d thought it was. Suddenly, I spotted Caleb Matthews making his way towards me, and I quickly relaxed, though I was surprised to see him.

  “Mr. Matthews,” I greeted him when he finally reached me. “I can’t believe we ran into each other here,” I laughed, “Seattle’s a big place.”

  He laughed a little and nodded in agreement. “Call me Caleb. I don’t feel old enough to be called Mister yet. Where’s your friend?” he questioned as he looked around the area, trying to locate Ana on the busy sidewalk.

  “She’s with her fiancé, finalizing some papers to buy a house,” I informed him carefully, not wanting to say too much to him, a practical stranger.

  “Fiancé? I suppose I should’ve known she was already taken,” he joked. “I noticed that she didn’t really seem to like me much, did I do or say anything that upset her?” he asked me, seeming genuinely concerned about having offended her.

  “Oh, no, you didn’t do anything,” I quickly reassured him. “It’s just that she’d thought you might have been a long lost cousin from Australia or something, since your last names were the same,” I explained to him, feeling he deserved an explanation for Ana’s strange up and down moods while we’d talked to him.

  “Long lost cousin, huh? So then, her last name is Matthews too? What a coincidence that we’d run into each other,” he laughed, though it sounded a bit tight and forced to me.

  I didn’t have time to think about it though, because just then, my phone went off, and I quickly looked at it to see who was calling me. Seeing that it was only the alarm I had set for when I should head back to where Ana and Mac were, I snapped the phone closed again.

  “I have to get back to Ana and Mac now,” I told him, turning around and heading back the way I’d come. He turned back with me, and matched my stride, walking beside me.

  Again, my phone beeped at me, and I pulled it out. Seeing that I had a new text, I checked it.

 

      miss u. ask a. to bring u home early? *hopeful look*

           -j

 

 I smiled and shook my head as I typed off a hurried reply.

 

   same here. u know I can’t

      -b

 

 With a final smile, I clicked it closed.

  “So, was that your boyfriend?” Caleb asked nonchalantly.

  “What?” I asked, slightly startled, having forgotten he was there. “Why would you think that?” I wondered if he’d been reading over my shoulder.

  “The smile on your face and the blush after I asked kind of gave you away,” he informed me with a smirk.

  “Oh,” I could feel myself blushing again. “Um, yeah, it was.”

 “If you want, I can go so you can talk to him,” Caleb offered. “I’d just been walking you back because it’s not really a good idea to be out by yourself.”

  “It’s ok, he was just trying to get me to get his sister to bring me home early,” I laughed. “He’ll survive.”

  “Sister?”

  “Yeah. My boyfriend, Jonas, is Ana’s younger brother,” I explained.

  “Younger brother?” Caleb questioned with a curious look in his eyes. “How old is he?”

  I gave him a strange look, wondering at the question, but answered anyway. “He’s twenty-one. Actually, probably close to twenty-two now,” I realized, knowing his birthday had to be coming up soon here. “Why do you ask?”

  He shrugged. “I suppose I just figured it would be an easy way of figuring out how old you are,” he teased. Seeing that I had stopped in front of a hotel, he stopped as well.

  “Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your visit here,” he told me before hurrying off. I was surprised by his sudden departure and questions involving Jonas, but didn’t have long to think about it because Ana and Mac returned a minute later.

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  Caleb got into a cab, told the driver where to take him, and settled into the back seat. It didn’t seem possible, not after all this time. Yet, there she was, Ana Matthews. It was just too coincidental for her not to be the same girl. What he hadn’t expected was that she had a younger brother too. That news had definitely taken him by surprise.

  The cab pulled up in front of his apartment and he paid and got out. He walked inside, still puzzling over the new information that he had received from Britney, who he’d followed from where she had left Ana and Mac. He had already suspected Ana’s last name, but Britney had helped confirm it for him.  He just couldn’t believe that it was even possible, not after so long.

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  When Ana’s and my visit was over, Mac took us to the airport. I wandered around, looking out the windows at the taxiing planes as Ana and Mac said their good-byes. Feeling as if I were being watched, I cautiously glanced around myself, but saw no one appearing to be paying any attention to me. I turned back to the windows, but couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me. I was relieved when Ana finally joined me and we made our way onto our plane. When we seated ourselves, Ana turned to me with a hopeful smile.

  “So, what do you think? Do you want to move here with Mac and me? There’s plenty of room in that big house,” she said, obviously hopeful that I would agree to living in Seattle.

  “I don’t know, Ana. I mean, it’s nice here and everything. I’m just not sure if I want to move here. I still need to think about it,” I explained apologetically to her, knowing how eager she was for me to agree, but still unsure of what I ought to do.

  “Britney, I don’t want to rush you into choosing, but you need to decide soon here. Mac and I are getting married in just a couple of weeks,” she reminded me. “You need to figure out what you’re going to do.”

  “I know it’s just...it’s just a hard decision. I promise you though, I’ll have an answer for you one week from now,” I assured her.

  “Alright,” Ana agreed.

  When we left the plane and made our way to the luggage claim, we were intercepted by Jonas.

  “How was your trip?” he asked, coming up and giving us each a hug.

  “It was wonderful!” Ana replied with enthusiasm, “Mac and I picked out a house, and we bought it yesterday, so he’ll be working on moving in his things that he has at his apartment. Oh, and I had an interview with a local hospital there, and I’m fairly confident that they’re going to hire me, though I won’t start working there until October if I do get the job.”

  “That’s great, Ana,” Jonas told his sister, hugging her around the shoulders.

  “Have you had anymore trouble with Hayden?” I inquired as Ana went up a few steps ahead and Jonas hung back with me. He shook his head slowly.

  “Nope,” he replied. “Things have been pretty quiet here.” He looked over at me, the question he wanted to ask plainly expressed in his eyes.

  I haven’t decided yet,” I informed him. “But I promised Ana an answer in one week.”

 

Reviews

[Zachary_James]

Caleb Matthew's, anna's potential boyfirend i assume? Very nice!!!