The Hours in Between - The Devereaux Case Files Book 5

Chapter 15

A week passed and things weren't getting much better. Kelly was still popping up out of nowhere to torment the kids, but less frequently, which convinced the kids that it really was Reed they were seeing. To make it worse, Reed couldn't find any contact details for Kelly anymore; it seemed he had fallen off the grid completely. And things weren't going well at work either.

They had been busy rearranging items for a new exhibition, making room for a prominent archaeologist to display their finds and discuss it with an exclusive audience. Anyone would think Carter would be happy to have such a new and exclusive event taking place in his museum, especially since it was still only a local treasure and not well known within the history community. But no, he had gone on the rampage again.

Reed didn't mean to, but he announced his arrival home from work, at six o'clock at night, by slamming the door. He stormed through to the living room, yanking off his tie and throwing his suit jacket onto the floor in frustration. Reyes followed him into the room more solemnly, obviously knowing when to speak and when not to when Reed was in a temper. Ayah had been stitching together a new costume for Olivia's school play when she saw him, and the instant he saw the surprise on her face at his entrance, he began to explain.

"That idiot of a father-in-law of mine thinks I stole a statue. A statue! It's the size of a bloody truck and he thinks I stole it." Reed swore to himself as he kicked off his shoes at the coat rack and then bypassed everyone to go upstairs to change. Ayah waited a moment to make sure he was gone, waiting for the angry footsteps to quieten before turning to Raidon curiously.

"What exactly is going on?" She wondered, setting aside the costume she was working on, in preparation for going upstairs to calm Reed down. He had been working late all the time recently. Since finding out about this new exhibition and the rich entrepreneurs that would be in the audience, he was never home earlier than six o'clock and missed dinner with Olivia.

"Your father called him a thief today. In front of a very highly respected contributor to the museum. A friend of Reed's in fact." Reyes explained, trying to be impartial but finding that he couldn't help but take Reed's side in the argument. Carter was just sore because Ayah had married Reed without his permission and had been married for over a year when he first found out about her marriage. "He just came right out with it, pointing his finger and screaming at the top of his lungs 'Thief...you bloody, good for nothing thief!' with the security guards trailing behind him." He explained with a sigh.

"One of the guards identified Reed, rubbing the back of his head. He said he'd been hit over the head an hour ago and left unconscious at the back door while Reed and two other men smuggled the new statue for the exhibition out the back door and into a black van." He continued with a shrug, not sure what else to say except that it was all her father's fault. But it seemed that Ayah knew that well enough. She got to her feet, looking as angry as Reed felt.

"That man just can't bear to see me happy." She claimed furiously. And with that, she disappeared upstairs to join Reed, and probably tell him she would deal with her father.

Reyes was impressed with her anger at her own father, only too able to remember the countless times she had chosen Reed over her parents when she had been faced with such a choice. He couldn't help but think that Faith had once made the same choice and it had ended badly for her. She had never been as lucky as Ayah was. Even if the girl did get herself intro trouble constantly and end up getting herself caught up in more murders than she could handle. At least Faith didn't have to face that. He wasn't sure she would cope; she seemed so fragile since she had escaped Reggie.

"Poor dear. She's under so much stress lately." Faith appeared from the dining room, surprising Reyes into staring at her. She was so beautiful. Naturally so. Her hair hung down around her shoulders and there was a tiredness in her eyes that said she'd had a hard day. If he thought she had any affection for him at all, he would have offered her comfort and tried to take care of her the way Reed took care of Ayah when she was overworked and tired from looking after the kids. But she didn't. And he knew that. So he stayed where he was, only able to answer with a curious thought.