40. Conspiracy Theories

40

CONSPIRACY THEORIES

H ow dare Van tell her not to come today?

She'd played the whole "sure, baby, I'll let you take care of this on your own" thing.

He had another thing coming if he thought she'd actually listen to him though.

Kelsey had stayed at her house last night, but she was on her way to Van's now rather than going to the office.

He told her the meeting was at ten, but she didn't believe it.

She'd even tried to get it out of her father when it was going to be, but that proved useless.

When she pulled into Van's a few minutes before eight, she saw Christian getting out of his car.

Ha, he was trying to pull one over on her. Making her think it would be after the first ferry arrived.

Nope, Christian probably spent the night on the island to get here early and get back.

She waited until Christian was in the house and then parked behind him, grabbed Frankie and ran up the front steps. The door was unlocked and she walked in.

"What are you doing here?" Van asked her.

She lifted her chin. "I left something here and was getting it on my way to work. Am I interrupting anything?"

Frankie started to bark and snarl in her arms. He'd never done that before.

"What's wrong with that dog?" Christian asked.

"Maybe he smells a rat," she said, grinning and moving into Van's bedroom. She grabbed the first thing she could of hers, which was her brush. It was lame and she knew it.

She put Frankie down on the floor and would use that as an excuse to go into Van's office.

Frankie took off like she knew he would to search out Van, but instead was in the office barking at Christian.

She rushed in. "Sorry," she said.

"Kelsey," Van said, his eyes not saying how calm he was acting.

She shrugged. "I'll go put him in your room."

"Go," he said.

No way she was leaving, but she wasn't going to let Christian know that.

She put Frankie in Van's room and shut the door and then snuck back toward the office and hid outside the door.

"What was it that you needed to meet about?" Christian said. "That you couldn't tell me over the phone?"

"I'd like to know why you broke into my house, Christian. What are you looking for?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Christian said. "Why would I do that?"

Kelsey almost snorted over how innocent he sounded.

"That's my question too, Christian. But then I got thinking. You've said more than once that you were close with Barry. He watched you grow up. Maybe you thought you'd get something when he died and you didn't. You were shocked when I showed up too."

"Barry and I were close," Christian said. "But I never expected anything."

"Are you so sure of that?" he asked. "My lawyer said that you tried to contest the will."

Her jaw dropped. She hadn't known that. Why wouldn't Van have told her that?

"I'd have no grounds to do that," Christian said.

"That's what you were told," he said.

"I think you're reaching for straws over some things that have happened recently. It seems to me you're just out of your element here. You handled things wrong with Carl and that came back on you. Or rather Kelsey. Neither of you know the first thing about dealing with the public, but if you'd listen to me you could learn."

She started to grind her teeth. "Mr. Franklin," she mumbled to herself.

"You and I both know that has nothing to do with someone breaking into two of my properties. The funny thing is, I didn't put it together until I saw some pictures of my mother at another property as a kid."

Christian shrugged. "I'm not sure what one has to do with the other."

This was just pissing her off.

She turned the corner and stood in the doorway. Van rolled his eyes and Christian turned to look at her.

"Don't be a dick," she said. "We all know you were the one that broke into the house."

Christian laughed at her. She hated when someone laughed at her like she didn't know what she was talking about.

"You two have something going on and that is all fine, but don't get me involved in your conspiracy theories."

"Frankie snarled and growled at you because you were in the house when he was locked up. You scared him."

"The only time I've seen that dog is when you were in the hotel," Christian said.

"You can keep lying," Van said. "But Miles already rolled on you. Said you hired him to break into the first house."

"You're going to believe some degenerate?" Christian asked. "He had a thing for Sarah."

"How did you find out he knew Sarah?" she asked.

Christian looked back and forth between them. "Kyle must have said something."

"Nope," Van said. "We haven't said a word to anyone about it. Kyle didn't know either, as it had nothing to do with him."

"Sounds like you know what was going on," Kelsey said. "Because, you know, Miles told the police."

Christian's face turned red. "I was supposed to be left half of his hotels," Christian said. "Barry promised me. I saw the document. It was there."

"So you were looking for it?" Kelsey said.

"I needed a copy of it to contest the will," Christian said. "My lawyer told me I could use that to fight, but I didn't have it."

"My grandfather's lawyer would have it," he said. "You didn't find it in the house though, did you?"

"He drafted it himself," Christian said. "He was putting it in as an amendment. It never got there. It should be part of it. That had to be the reason."

"Or it never happened," Kelsey said. "And you're making it up."

"I'm not making it up," Christian shouted. "I saw it in that desk. Right in the third drawer. That's where he put it, but it's not there now."

"And that is the drawer you opened and closed all the way looking for it, Christian?" Van asked.

"I thought it was in the first house. He had sentimental value to that house. He'd told me more than once there was a safe in the wall, but that idiot Miles said he couldn't find the safe and left because a neighbor saw him."

She couldn't believe how easily Christian just spilled that. "So you thought it'd be here?" Van asked. "That's why you broke in over the weekend looking for it?"

"I'd been in the house a few times looking before you got here and couldn't find it. Then I remembered I'd seen it in the desk and wanted to see if there was a hidden panel. That damn dog wouldn't stop barking and I thought someone would hear it."

"You thought since we were at the wedding it'd be the perfect time to not worry about anyone coming home?" she asked.

It actually started to make sense.

"No one got hurt," Christian said. "What's the big deal? I know it's there. I just need to find it. Or you found it and you destroyed it. It's more likely that! You want it all."

"It's not yours," Kelsey said.

Van gave her a dirty look, but she didn't care at this point.

"You can't fire me over this."

"Being fired is the least of your worries," Van said.

"It's your word against mine what was just said," Christian said. "No one is going to believe it."

"We got it all," she heard and started to look around to see where the voice came from.

Van lifted his phone. "That would be the State Police listening in and recording," he said.

Damn. Guess Van was good on his own.

She thought it was odd he kept using Christian's name in the beginning but then realized that he wanted it clear who was in the room.

"You've set me up and have no grounds for anything," Christian said.

"You just admitted you'd been in the house more than once and that you were aware of Miles looking for it at the other location," Van said. "That's more than enough for an arrest."

"This is crazy," Christian said. He stood up. "I'm not sticking around for this. You're going to hear from my attorney and I'm going to sue your crazy ass along with Kyle's. You can't fire me over speculation."

"Why aren't you going after him?" Kelsey asked when Christian stormed past her.

She looked out the front door and saw Jarrett get out of the State Police car and go right toward Christian.

"No reason to," he said. "And I didn't need your help."

"But you got it," she said, shrugging with a forced grin. "Admit it, we make a great team. Me and Frankie."

He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. Tighter than normal. "You put yourself at risk. Don't do that shit again. Frankie almost blew it."

"Because he recognized Christian?"

"Yeah," he said. "And then you wouldn't leave when I told you to. But I couldn't call this whole thing off now that it was set up."

"Sorry," she said, wincing. "Maybe if you'd told me what was going on I would have stayed away."

"No, you wouldn't have," he said.

He loosened his grip on her.

"Were you nervous about me being here?" she asked. "I wasn't. I knew you'd take care of me."

"I will always take care of you," he said. "But things happen and it's not always possible."

"Like you wanted to take care of your mother?" she asked softly.

"Yes," he said. "Next time I tell you to do something, please listen."

"If you ask me nicely," she said, "I will...maybe."

"I guess that is better than nothing," he said and kissed her on the forehead.

The barking got through to her and she rushed out of his arms and went to Van's room to open the door.

Frankie came running in and jumped on Van's legs.

Van picked the dog up. "I've got you too," he said, running his hand over the puppy's head.

"Softy," she said. "You're lucky I didn't call you Jell-O."

"Never change, Kelsey."