Conspiracy

Chapter Twenty Six

I was just staring at them across the table, I couldn't even remember the last time I saw my Mother. I was in high school when she took off, and I hadn't spoken to her since. My dad had said he heard from her a couple of times but I never had any need or want to talk to her because she had left us. It had been years since my dad and I even spoke of her, or honestly since I even thought of her. Now I was looking across the table at my best friend in disbelief finding out that she not only is dead but was murdered. Angelica and Bailey were both just staring at me but if they were talking I couldn't hear anything. I was reliving moments in my head trying to figure out how she could be connected to all this mess. It was then that I felt a hand on mine, it was like I finally opened my eyes and actually saw Bailey looking at me, "Mc, Mc do you hear me?" I shook my head to snap out of the trance I was in, "Ya, sorry I'm good." I didn't know if that was a lie or not but right now it didn't matter. "How could you not tell me?" I said looking at Angelica. It's not like we hadn't spent time together or hadn't talked all about this case, "It doesn't exactly make you look innocent in all this." I don't think that I actually believed she was capable of the awful things that were happening but right now I was mad that she withheld such a big piece of information from me, "Wait, you think my dad is involved don't you?" She didn't answer but the look on her face said I was right, I stood up out of the booth, "There is no way my dad is involved. It's just not possible." The words were coming out of my mouth but I doubt they sounded convincing. I went behind the bar and found a bottle that my dad hadn't moved and grabbed a couple glasses that weren't broken. I poured three shots and sat back down in the booth and did the shot, "My dad is not involved." Angelica responded this time, "I don't think he is, well I don't think he is anymore, and for the record I don't think Amy is either but I do think your mom was." I looked at Bailey and she nodded, "Tell her." Angelica looked at Bailey and then back to me, "Tell me what?" I was pretty sure that it wasn't her but there was still a leak within the FBI. "Ok, we know some things, but you cannot tell anyone," she looked at me waiting for more but I needed to hear her say it. "I really mean it. We have information that says there is a leak in your neck of the woods and I will not risk this putting anyone else I love in danger." She obviously knew who I was talking about, but at the same time I meant everyone in my life, my dad, Bailey, Val, even her. I wasn't willing to risk any of them. She reached across the table and grabbed my hand, "I promise Kel, nothing will leave here." I took a deep breath and started telling her everything. That Amy was involved but she didn't know what she was involved in before things got out of control. That it was her dad that got her involved and the deal with the FBI and how nothing had come of it. When I told her about the deal she looked surprised which further the feeling that she wasn't involved, but begs to ask the question why was she not aware of it in the first place. Angelica just listened and Bailey poured me a few more shots while I told her everything she needed to know. I left out the hotel room but said that I knew how to get a hold of her if I needed to. I didn't know how she was going to react, there was a chance that she would want to report all this to her people, but the first thing out of her mouth was, "Does Amy know anything else? Or who might be the person leaking the information?" I shook my head, "Not as far as I know, but I can ask her if she has any other information." She nodded but I could see her wheels spinning, "Can I meet her?" Bailey just started laughing and I threw her a look, "Shut up B, I'll talk to her about it but I won't do it if she's not comfortable." She didn't fight me on it although I think she wanted to but there was no way I was going to do anything before I talked to Amy. "Ang, I need to know about my mom." I was going to have to talk to my dad and I needed as much information as I could get. "I have the file at the hotel, you can have it," she was being a lot better than I thought she was going to be and I appreciated that. "I'm going to make an inquiry about the deal that Justin made, but I'm going to have to go above some of my bosses because it's weird that I didn't know about it." I nodded and we had a plan to try and figure out what was going on. There was one more question I had that hadn't been answered, "Ang, where have you been the last little bit? You've been late and not around and then after I caught you with my phone It was part of why I thought you were involved." She sighed before answering, "The truth is that I was trying to find a way to get to Amy. I knew you would be pissed but I knew that she would have information that we needed. Turns out I was right." I guess I couldn't be mad at this point but had to try and start fresh, "Alright, no more secrets." She and Bailey both nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'm pretty sure after these drinks our work day is done. I'm going to go talk to my dad and then I'll come by to pick up that file." We all agreed and got up and left.

By this time it was early evening and since the bar was closed I knew my dad would be at home. When I got there I let myself in and I could smell food coming from the kitchen. "Did you make me dinner?" I yelled from the front door. He came out of the kitchen smiling, "Well I wasn't planning on it but there's always enough. How am I lucky enough to get you here tonight?" I gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked by him. "I'm hungry," I went and started picking at the stuff on the stove and he came over and slapped my hand. I sat down at the island, "How are you doing Dad? He turned and looked at me with the spoon in his hand and I couldn't help but smile because it reminded me of every Sunday as a kid. He always made dinner, whether it was just me and him or I had friends here. Even when mom was here she wasn't really around, "I'm alright." I was picking at some nuts on the table trying to work up to what I really wanted to talk about, "Have you been by the bar?" He nodded and turned back to the stove, "Ya, I had to see what kind of damage I was looking at. Have you?" His voice was somber and I could tell he was trying to hide his hurt, "Ya, I was there today. We'll get it all cleaned up and back to normal Dad." I know that it wasn't the bar he was upset about but losing staff members like that is not something you forget. "I know, it's just awful. So not that I don't love the unexpected drop by, but I know you didn't come here to check on me. What's going on?" That was my dad, he could always read me. There are times that I thought that he could read everyone, but now comes the hard part. "I know we don't talk about it much, but when was the last time you heard from mom?" He spun around and almost dropped the spoon, it was clear that he was shocked by the question, he started talking and turned around half way through the sentence, "Honestly, I don't know. It's been years. I haven't exactly tried to keep in touch." It had been just us for so long that we knew that we didn't need anyone else. "Why do you ask?" I took a deep breath, "Umm, Dad you might want to sit down." He looked at me with a concerned look on his face and walked over towards me leaning on the island, "What is it Kel?" I put my hand on my head and then looked up at him, "She's dead." I expected a reaction, not necessarily screaming or crying, but something. Instead he was just looking at me, the look on his face said I'm sorry, "You knew." He started to move towards me but I stood up and put more of the island between us, "How could you not tell me?" He stopped moving because he knew I was ready to bolt, "Kelly." I shook my head, "No, don't do that. How could you not tell me?" I was trying to process what was happening, how my dad could keep that kind of information from me. "Please just let me explain." I wanted to leave and if this was just about my mother I probably would, but this was about my case and other lives were at risk so I listened. "It happened a few years ago. I hadn't spoken to her in years. I had no reason to and she had never made an effort to be in your life. I ran into Amy's dad and he said that while he was travelling he heard a rumour that she had died. I had no idea where he would hear such a thing, and it seemed like such an odd thing for him to find out. So I didn't believe it, it was a year later when I got a letter. Somewhere in her paperwork I must have still been listed as next of kin because it was notification of her death. I don't know what happened, I just knew that she was gone." I could see the look on his face and I knew that he had been carrying this for a long time and it was hard for him. "Ok, but you still should have told me Dad. She's not my favourite person but she's still my mother. Was still my mother." He put his head down and sighed, "I know, but after everything with Amy. You were finally in a good place, I just didn't knock how to throw anything else at you. I'm really sorry sweetie, I just didn't know what to do." I could be mad at him later, right now I needed information. "What did Justin say when he told you. Was there any information at all?" He shook his head, "No why?" Great now I get to drop a fun bomb, "Well because she was murdered and it looks like it's the same people doing all these shootings. Dad do you know if she had any connection to Justin?" My dad just looked at me confused, "Not that I know of, I mean they talked when you guys were kids, but that's about it. Is he connected to this?" I just nodded, I didn't really know what to say. My dad and I sat and ate dinner pretty much in silence. He was trying to process what was happening and I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on. There was one thing I knew for sure, I needed to find Justin.