My Wicked Half-Sister (Someone Else's Fairytale #4)

One - A Failed Test

"Your brother swiped you from the elementary school playground when you were eleven, drove you out onto the mesa, and put three bullets in you. Why?" Victor James had a sinister appearance: black hair slicked back with gel, a narrow, pale face, and thin lips that peeled back from slightly crooked, yellowed teeth.

We were standing on the playground of my old elementary school, which looked very different than it had when I'd been a student. There seemed to be as many portables as permanent buildings now, and the old metal jungle gyms had been ripped out and replaced with bright, plastic equipment that had rounded edges and no point too high off the ground to risk a serious falling injury.

Nevertheless, it was eerie to be here. This marked the first time I'd gone back to stand on the exact spot I'd been sitting when Chris had hoisted me over the fence and cut my childhood short.

Jason, my husband, put a hand on my shoulder. He and my half-sister, Beth, were here with me. I wasn't alone this time.

The sun was sinking low in the sky and the air smelled like smoke, likely from someone illegally burning dried leaves nearby.

Victor was still waiting for an answer to his question. Why had my brother tried to kill me?

"We need to understand his motive," Victor went on, "so that we know whether or not he might do the same thing again."

This was relevant because Chris was about to be paroled—again. Last time, he'd vandalized my house and purchased a firearm, which had gotten him sent straight back to jail. Now, he'd probably be more circumspect—but no less dangerous.

"Um, can I say what I think?" Beth asked.

"She knows our brother better than I do," I said.

"Please," said Victor.

The four of us stood in a loose circle, I with the school at my back so that I faced the direction of the road. Instinct wouldn't let me turn my back on the cars sliding past.

"There are some easy answers," Beth said. "He was angry when he found out Chloe's mom and our dad were having an affair. He was also a drug user who did some steroids, which made him rage."

"You're right that those are easy answers," said Victor. "Trying to kill a child is a pretty extreme act. When it's a virtual stranger like this... Well, that's rare."

"Right," said Beth. "I think his reasoning was similar to a boyfriend who kills his girlfriend's child. It was that territorial jealousy. Plus, he went after the weakest person because he knew she couldn't fight back."

Victor turned to her, silent for a moment. "You know something about violence against children, then?"

My sister nodded. "I work in crimes against children for the DA's office. I'm an attorney. Please don't tell me you have personal experience with this?"

He laughed. "No. My crimes were all drug trafficking and money laundering. Grew up in a household where there was a lot of abuse."

Victor's criminal record was part of why he was so good at his job. For the last fifteen years, he'd worked his way to become one of the top security specialists in Hollywood, and all of Jason's actor and actress friends used him. He'd put his crimes behind him in his teens and maintained a squeaky-clean record ever since.

"So, describe the jealousy dynamic," he said.

"My brother is a clueless person. He can't read situations or people very well at all, so he was really surprised to find out that our dad was having an affair with Chloe's mom. Someone had to actually point out to him how Chloe and I can almost pass for twins."