Family Matters

Chapter 8

"So where are we starting?"

Rory and Happy ended up back at his place, with paperwork and pizza, and set up in the living room. Leaning her hands on her knees she watched him closely, reading her mannerisms and gathering assumptions from his quirks and ticks. She was only about half right she'd come to find out but it was still fun.

"You ain't starting shit," he grumbled. "Keep on working your end and I'll look into Ellie."

She scoffed and grabbed a piece of pizza. "I'm not going to bother with your sister but if she's sneaky a different perspective could help."

"No," he snapped.

Rolling her eyes, Rory shrugged and continued to eat. "You know," she swallowed. "You could just ask her."

With an annoyed look, Happy glared at her. "Elle wouldn't tell me shit if I asked. She tells me what she wants to and I trust her."

"I don't have an older brother like you," Rory laughed, "But if I did I can see why she'd hide shit she doesn't think is important." Her face turned dark. "And if my brother did all this before he asked me I'd kick the shit out of him."

"Yeah, she'd do that too," he chuckled. "Sun is gonna be up soon, she's sleeping by now."

"Call her," Rory urged him. "Leave a message, I don't care, but you should. She's a grown adult."

Happy grumbled as he stood and stomped off to call Ellie after Rory had made him feel exceptionally guilty, which was her goal. As soon as he left the room she grabbed the paperwork and snapped a picture of as many sheets as she could before placing them back where Happy had left them.

"She didn't answer," Happy said joining her again.

Rory nodded and pointed to the papers. "So she used your mom's name and not hers," Rory said quickly.

"You fucking bitch," he spat. "You pushed me to call her just to look at this shit?"

"Kind of," she shrugged. "I mean, yeah, you should ask her but that's not the only reason I mentioned it. That means she hasn't been all over, she's been in LA."

"Or she just kept the apartment as a home base," Happy said defensively. "That don't mean shit."

"Does the four-day hospital stay mean anything?" Rory sneered. "I'm not the goddamn enemy. Swallow your pride and let me help."

"I don't need help, this is my family. I can handle it."

Rory nodded and grabbed her computer from her bag. She typed away in silence, her fingers moving impossibly fast, then suddenly stopped and turned the screen toward Happy. "That dick your sister is sleeping with did this, himself, to two people."

The photo was red, there blood was everywhere, and scattered along the crimson stained carpet were dismembered bodies. Happy didn't immediately judge knowing it was something he could and would do under the right circumstances. He looked from the photo to Rory.

"Why'd he do it?"

Rory blinked twice, surprised by his lack of reaction to the photo, before answering. "They worked for an oil company, in house lawyers, and their CEO had them go to the Federal Trade Commission after a business deal went south. Apparently they accused him and his family's company of trying to monopolize sales in Washington state. The couple's children went missing after the murder. It's been two years now."

"Jesus," Happy hissed. "Think the kids are dead?"

"No," she shook her head. "I don't."

"My sister wouldn't be involved in this shit," he spat. "Fuck, that's sick even to me."