Chapter 37 – Twisting the Knife

“Avery have you seen my glasses?” Came her mother’s voice from down the hall.

Avery rubbed her temples as she tried to focus on the email in front of her.  Her mother had been living with her for a week now and somehow the stunning penthouse she’d bought as a reward for her hard work seem very, very small.  

“Have you tried on the mantle?” Avery called back.  She paused to listen for a response.

“Found them!” Her mother hollered back.

Avery nodded in satisfaction returning to the work in front of her. 

“Avery?”  Her mother called out again.

Avery sighed and closed her laptop.  It was clear she was not going to get any work done this morning. That was the fourth interruption in the past half hour.  Leaning back in her chair she stared at the ceiling. It had been a week since they’d decided it was best if they consolidated living quarters and to work through whatever was happening to her family.  At first the idea had seemed the right decision. 

The first thing they had done after getting settled in, was visit her father’s office.  It had been a hard task to endure, the office was an embodiment of her father.  She couldn’t look anywhere in the office, without being reminded of the hole where he should have been.  In retrospect, she wasn’t sure what she’d expected to find, a secret note, another list, some physical clue.  She supposed having that original list had given her a false hope that there be more.  Alas, even the man’s desk was empty of anything but office detritus.  She’d opened every drawer and rummaged through just to be sure. A secret compartment, she thought, would that have been too much to ask?!  She ran her hands through her hair massaging your scalp, trying to find any morsel of peace. 

“You look like your father when you do that.” Came her mother’s voice from the doorway.

Avery jumped ten feet from her chair. Swiveling to glare at her mother for scaring her.  The woman held up her hands in surrender and defense.

“I apologize,” she said, “I didn’t mean to startle you.  When I’d walked in you’d looked so deep in thought and then you did that and…” Mrs. Aquitaine gestured towards her daughter as her voice gave away and the tears filled her eyes. 

Avery immediately felt regret.  Pulling herself out of her chair, she walked up to her mother and led them both to the couch near the floor-to-ceiling window.  She sat the woman down on the couch as she dabbed at her eyes with a piece of her sleeve.

“Im sorry dear.  It’s still all so new, everything reminds me of him, and as his daughter, well you’re a spitting image of your father, much prettier of course,” she quickly added with a laugh, “but you two share so many similarities.”

Avery rubbed her mother’s arm. Trying to console her, while holding back her own tears. “I know mom, I know.”

Mrs. Aquitaine, Loraine, inhaled and steadied herself, before looking up at her daughter.  “I’m sorry dear, I’m sorry you have to go through all of this. It’s a burden no child should have to bear.”  Her mother seemed genuinely distraught by the fact she had been pulled into this mess.

She looked for the right words to say. What could she say? It’s ok? It’s not your fault? How could you know? “I just don’t understand how daddy could get mixed up in all this.  I knew him.  He taught me! Ok maybe I can understand the insurance and business problems. But murder and, and hit lists?!” Avery dropped back against the leather backing of the sofa, overwhelmed and confused. “How could he be involved in any of this?”

Loraine studied her daughter for a moment before answering, feeling torn, between the image of the man she loved, and the monster she was discovering him to be.  “Your father…your father is a complicated man sweetie,” was all she could manage, “and I know he loved you very much.”   

Avery didn’t say anything in response to that.  She looked down at her hands and then out at the sky beyond.  A storm was approaching the city, she could see it.  From this vantage point she had a beautiful view of it. She was able to see the lightning dancing in the distance.  The rain looked like an impenetrable gray sheet, marching forward, consuming everything in its path.  She wondered if her mother knew how fraught her relationship had been with her father.  The fight over her leaving the company had been a particularly perilous one.  Some rather unsavory things had been said by both parties.  They had made amends in the years since, but even stil, regrets hung with her and only more so now. 

“Mother I…” Avery wanted to open up, but her mother stopped her by holding up her hand.

“Listen Avery.  I wanted to discuss something with you.”  Loraine paused, seeming hesitant to speak, “I’m going to sell the company.” 

Avery blinked trying to process what her mother just said. “What?”

Loraine sighed, before firmly stating her intentions again “I’m going to sell the company.”

“Now?!” was all Avery could manage to get out, while still reeling in her head.  In the middle of a family crisis, her mother wanted to sell the seemingly only link to anything going on around them. “Why?!”

“I know I must sound crazy.” Her mother said trying to placate her daughter.

“You think!” Avery blurted out.

Loraine held up her hand again trying to finish her sentence. “But your father was already in the process of trying to sell off the asset before his death.  In part for his impending retirement, but I think now also to eliminate some of those debts hanging over him.  He had mentioned he had found a buyer for” she paused “thi.  I think we should reach out to him and see if he’s still interested.”

Avery was at a loss for words.  “I know dear this must sound crazy, but maybe, if we sell the business off, this will all go away! I have enough tragedy to deal with out feeling like I’m part of some twisted murder mystery!”

Her mother was beginning to get hysterical as she said it.  Visibly upset by the weight of everything bearing down on her.  Avery reached out again to touch her mother’s arm steadying the woman.  “I know mom. I know.  It’s just…the only lead we have. And besides who would even buy the business.  It’s in shambles! Between daddies dealings and his death. I don’t see why anyone would even consider it.”

Dabbing at her eyes again Loraine looked at her daughter. “Well dear, we’d probably have to take a rather severe price cut, but it’d be worth it to be rid of this weight. And besides the man your father was talking to has already reached out to me. I have a meeting with him tomorrow.”  

Avery’s was befuddled “And who is this buyer?”  She worked with a number of the powerful and elite within the city, there was a good chance, she’d at least heard of them.”

Loraine, sniffled, composed once more. “His name is Christopher Crawford.  He just recently came to the city, but your father has had dealings on and off with the man for many years.”

“Topher?!” Avery was stunned “The buyer of daddy’s company is Topher?!”