Rich lies & poor truths

Chapter 14 - Missing key

My heart races when I push my dad’s study further open.   His desk chair is turned backwards as if he was being lazy while working. The smell of smoke and a old-man scent hit my nose.  The smell of my dad and somehow I hated it.  I hold in my breath not wanting to inhale the disgusting smell.  I massage my stiff shoulders and take a few steps forward to the desk.  This room feels forbidden but it’s also as if an invisible force pulls me forward.  This place almost feels haunted and a shiver runs through my spine.

“What the hell.”  I whisper to myself.  I look at the scattered papers on the desk, only seeing work related stuff.  I frown.  I have to find something that can give me some kind of clue.  I go stand behind the chair and my eye catches a small wooden box laying on the seat.  I swallow and take hold of it. It fits perfectly in the palm of my hand and with shaky hands I open it.  It’s the ring. The ring he said was an heirloom.  I frown at it.  The box seems too ordinary for the ring.  I close the box and hold it tight before my eyes travel to the next place I want to check. The two drawers are built in with the desk.  I push the chair out of the way and kneel in front of the drawers. Before I do anything I rub my cold hand over my face.  The hairs on my arm is standing but I grip the handle and pull it open but it doesn’t budge. It’s locked.  I pull harder thinking that it’s maybe stuck but it stays closed.  I try the one under, but it’s locked as well.  Why would it be locked?  I clench my teeth and go sit on the floor.  My mind rides in circles and I look around.  Maybe the key will be laying somewhere.  Lifeless.  Not knowing that it holds so much value.  I pull myself up and let my hands ruffle through the papers on the table, trying to feel for the key.  Maybe the key is with him, cause he knows that there is something valuable in the drawers.  Maybe my dad also consists of many secrets.  It feels as if he’s entirely another man.  Not seeing him. Who is my dad? Finding out that Stephen is his boss and the way he acts when I talk about him just seems strange. I know Stephen knows something, that I don’t but I don’t know how to confront him.  If he wanted to tell me from all the times I have spoken of my dad, he would’ve told me already. I blow the strands of hair in my face in the air, relieving my warm face.  I look at the old wooden cabinet standing against the wall and open it.  Stacks of papers lay neatly packed on shelves.  I grumble and look in between the spaces, feeling with my fingers, for it to only be covered in dust. I double check from the top shelf, I feel on the top of the cabinet, I look under the table but find nothing.  Where could it be?  I think long and hard when deep in my mind I find a nearly forgotten thought.  It feels weird and I am taking a soothing breath.  Lisa.  Lisa was in my dad’s study. The CD.  I run out of the study towards my room. I open my bedside table, to see what I’m looking for.  I take hold of the broken CD and go sit on my bed.  Where did Lisa find this?  And why.  The CD is blank with no information on it.  I bite my tongue.  Something is going on. Maybe she and Stephen are in on something. I tap my finger on the CD when I hear someone walking up the stairs.  I quickly throw the broken CD back in my drawer and close it.

“Hello.” Lisa chirps and I remember that for the past few days Lisa arrived around this time.

“Oh, hi.” I say and force a smile. I notice her face covered in her usual make-up and her hair beautifully curled.  “You look nice.” I comment.

“Thanks.” she fluffs her hair and sits next to me.

“I have something to tell you.” this is it.  I spits my ears and look at her with big eyes.

She takes a deep breath and kneads her legs, “Uhm,” she looks up and she’s struggling to say what she wants to say, “I slept with Trench.” I jerk my head backwards in surprise.  

“Trench?” 

She nods with uncertainty.  I was hoping that she would say something else that could help me lead towards a conclusion on whatever is happening around me.  I also didn’t think that, that is what she’s going to say, as it didn't look as if Trench had any feelings towards Lisa.

“Okay?”  I try to take in the information.

“It was a long time ago.” Her voice is soft and she keeps looking down. Okay that makes more sense.

“It was just childish and I didn’t even like him then.” she bites her lips and her eyes start to tear up, “But afterwards I got stuck with the bloody feelings and he did not.”

“I’m sorry.” I don’t know what else to say,  “It’s okay we can change that.”

“You think.” she sounds defeated.

I nod and she smiles half heartedly.

“Listen,” I start but Stephen appears in front of my room and I sigh. I should really lock the front door.

“What’s up?” he scratches the back of his head and Lisa rolls her eyes and swiftly stands up and walks out.  He looks at her with raised eyebrows before he takes his place over and sits next to me.

“How’re you doing?”  I ruffle his thick hair.

“Okay, I guess.” I say.

“How does your wrist feel?” he asks and runs his finger along my cast.

“Fine.”

He looks at me and I feel melted.  I can’t get over the fact of how beautiful his eyes are.

“Come.” he takes hold of my good wrist and pulls me out of the room.  I smile at him, wondering what he has planned this time when I see from the top stairs food laid out on the table.  I sigh, purposely for him to hear and he lifts his shoulders at me.

“You’re really trying to get me fat.” I comment and roll my eyes.

“Just doing my job.” he says and I feel a flutter in my stomach.

“Thank you.” I say genuinely, feeling thankful.

I sit and eat, this time Stephen joining me and then Lisa. I try to make it less awkward by talking more than usual.  

I bite my lips, “I’m quickly going to the bathroom.” I  say and pull myself from the chair.  I take my time in the bathroom, knowing what has to be done.  When I return I take hold of my phone that was on my seat on record and save the audio, trying not to let them see anything.  I join their conversation about music and continue to eat my chicken sandwich.  Whilst talking and engaging in the topic of music I desperately want to listen to the recording I secretly captured.

“Well thank you for the food Stephen.” I say when I take the last bite.  Lisa nods politely.  I stand and give Stephen a hug.

“I’m staying.” he says.  I don’t want to be mean and I really want him to stay, but it feels as if he just keeps standing in my way when I try to figure out stuff.

“Okay.” I say in his embrace.  I'll just have to find another way.  

“I’m going to watch a movie.” Lisa yells  excitedly and runs towards  the living room.

“Let’s join her.” I say and before Stephen can say anything I follow Lisa.  who’s already busy pushing buttons on the remote.

“Star Wars.” she say in a cartoon voice and I nod at her enthusiastically.  Stephen flops on the sofa and I fall next to him into his arm.  Lisa makes herself comfortable on the other sofa and we all look at the screen intendly.   After a while I make ready to excuse myself but a thought invades my mind.  What if they talk about something important now when I go.  I sigh softly, knowing that I should wait.  We watch the movie in between stolen kisses that I hope Lisa doesn’t see but I keep my mind on the recording, knowing that I tend to forget easily.

“Let’s go to your room.” he whispers in my ear, making shivers appear down my spine.  I breathe in his warmness and close my eyes, savouring the moment. He traces his fingers along my thighs and I quickly turn to look at Lisa, whose eyes are closed.

“Okay let’s go.” I say and stand up.  I make sure that my phone is still in my back pocket.  He takes hold of my hand as I lead him up the stairs and in my room.

He sits on my bed with his back against the wall and I sit on top of him and we start to kiss passionately. He takes hold of my head and pushes it harder against his lips.  He breathes deeply as his hands travel down my back.  His hands grope my bum and he pushes it down on his hard manhood making a moan escape my mouth.  I let my head fall backwards and breathe deeply.

“You okay?” Stephen asks with concern laced in his voice and I nod at him.  Even Though I’m uncontrollably hooked onto everything about him, my mind knots around the recording on my phone and the key.  I need to find the key.  Before the police comes tomorrow.

“Wait.” I place my hands on his chest.  Even thoughI don’t want to, I say, “I need to go.” he frowns at me as I climb off of him.  

“Period.” I lie and he opens his mouth in an ‘oh.’  I give him a shy smile before I escape my room and lock myself in the bathroom.

“Okay.” I take hold of my phone and tap on the last recording.  Biting my lips I put my phone close to  my ears.  I hear some ruffling and noises of cutterly hitting the plate. I screw my eyes, listening harder.

“Where is it.” there it is.  Stephen’s voice starts.

“What?” Lisa asks, but she sounds irritated.

Silence, in which I think they probably communicated in face expressions.

“I hid it.” Lisa says in an obvious tone.

“Where?” Now Stephen sounds irritated.

There’s more silence.

“She wouldn’t know it’s a key, so what does it matter.” Key.  They know about the key.  My breathing starts up when their voices die down.  This has to come to an end. I grip hard on my phone and walk towards my dad’s study whenI turn around. They probably keep coming to my house because they don’t want me to go in there.  So I go towards my room and take out clean pajamas.  “I’m going to take a shower.” I say and close the door behind me.  I go downstairs to see Lisa still asleep.

“Okay.” and go back up.  I turn the shower on knowing Stephen would hear the water crashing to the ground and go outside.  I close the bathroom loud enough so that Stephen thinks I’m busy in the shower.  I go towards my dad’s study and leave the door open with a little space. I stand still for a moment, thinking of all the things that I touched and saw.  Papers.  Dust.  Papers. Dust.  I breathe deeply.  Papers.  Dust.  Wait. The ring.  I march towards the chair to see the small wooden box, exactly where I left it. I take out the ring and inspect it.  I look closer, when on accident the green diamont pops open revealing a sharp object looking exactly like a key.  

“Okay.” I say again and put the ring inside the lock of the drawer.  It clicks open and my heart hammers.  What is in the drawer and what has Lisa and Stephen got to do with it.

When I open it,I frown .

“What the hell.”