Page 24 of Lost to Thievery
“Speaking of,” Owen tried to mimic my voice, “isyourbest friend still such a raging prima donna?”
Owen and Rachel didn’t quite get along. Rachel had been fiercely protective since I returned, and Owen was on her target list. She made things difficult for him whenever the opportunity presented itself. She even went as far as slipping a large spiderinto his car, one time. And Owenhatedspiders. “You know she’s just looking out for me. You’d actually really like her if the two of you would just kiss and make up,” I huffed frustratedly.
He looked at me as if I was crazy. “In no world would I ever be caught dead kissing that woman. We’re here,” he added, sitting up straighter.
The little town that appeared before us was much like my own. It was called the sister town of Bentley Cove, and to my surprise, the town in which Grayson’s parents grew up.
I remembered the day in the forest when Grayson had shattered the fantasy of us I had cooked up in my head by revealing how he had planned to use me, why he had to take me away. He couldn’t just seduce me where I was, because it was,“…too close to home,”was what he’d said. Now I understood what he meant. His parents grew up in Bentley Cove’s sister town, and he had lived on a sprawling estate, just outside Willsbury City until he was ten.
“Where do we start?” I asked nervously. I swore I could feel Dianna with me, urging me forward.
“The children’s home they grew up in.”
“Children’s home?” I questioned, feeling a lump forming in my throat.
“They were both orphans. Both grew up in Safe Harbor Children’s Home.”
Oh, Dianna.
“We’ll see where it leads us next.”
We sat in front of the little old lady with her puffy orange cat sleeping peacefully in her lap, belly up, baking in the sun. A crisp breeze flowed through the porch, accompanied by the sounds of children playing.
“There you go,” the younger woman said, handing us each a cup of tea. She was the new house mother, but had also lived in the orphanage herself, alongside Dianna and Nicholas.
“Thank you, Theresa,” the old lady said, taking a sip of her tea. “Perfect as always.” The older woman exuded love, even her smile radiated it. The type of person you would expect to take care of kids who had no one to do so. She was the founder of Safe Harbor Children’s Home and had raised and taken care of many children in her lifetime.
Why were war veterans the only ones being thanked for their service when women like this existed? This woman had been on active duty her whole life, fighting for and sculpting the future to be a better place, one kid at a time. Because that’s what kids are, that’s what they represent—the future of humanity. And her impact will continue to ripple far and wide. How would Grayson have turned out if he ended up here, with a woman like this to take care of him?
“Now, children. Let’s talk about what you actually came here for.” Her voice was shaky with age, but sweet as honey, with a dash of mischief.
I had felt sorry for Dianna when I heard where she grew up, but seeing the woman that raised her I knew she had been fortunate.
“Dianna Grayson and Nicholas Varon,” Owen prompted.
“Aah, yes. My two little peas. That’s what I used to call them. And then they were big and rolled their eyes when I did so.” She chuckled softly at the memory. “But you are mistaken about Dianna's surname. Grayson was her father's surname. She was DiannaStarling, named after her mother. By the time her father was in the picture she got married and took the Varon name. Anyway… Nicholas was the first to arrive. Son of meth cookers. His parents were junkies too. Used their own product. His mother overdosed and his father died in prison when Nicholaswas seventeen. But he had been living with me since he was four. He’d been with me for about a year when Dianna found us.” She smiled sweetly. “They were both five at this time. Dianna’s mom had died in a car crash, and they couldn’t find any family of the mother because the girl was a runaway. She got pregnant very young, you see. I do not know more about Dianna’s family, but in college she managed to track down her father. A man from a wealthy family who had no idea of her existence. Dianna’s mother had been a mere summer fling, and he’d never seen the girl since. A sad story, really. But it ended well. Dianna’s father and his family welcomed her with open arms.
“But let’s get back to the little peas. Yes. Dianna was very scared when she first came to live with us and hid underneath a table the whole day. We tried everything.” The old woman pulled her shoulders up. “But the next thing I knew, Nicholas had coaxed her out and they were inseparable since. Thebestof friends. Nicholas was always fiercely protective over Dianna, and in return she kept him out of trouble. His voice of reason. They were so different, yet so alike. It’s difficult to explain them.” The woman laughed. “And I always assumed that the older they got, the more varied their interests would get, the more they would drift apart, but that never happened. They always found their way back to one another.
“When it was time for college, they both had to go their separate ways. Dianna went to an art school, a very gifted painter. And Nicholas went to business school. He was adamant to prove he was better than where he came from. His family’s reputation had followed him his whole life. Anyway, they both came home over Christmas break and then something just shifted between them. I don’t know if it was the time away from each other or what.” She threw her head back laughing. “I caught them kissing under the old willow tree. I was shocked but couldn’t say I was surprised. And I knew they would be good toeach other. They always were. And they continued to be good to us too. As you can see, we’re still going, thanks to them. And their son.”
Owen sat forward, wanting to interrupt the lady at the mention of Grayson, but I squeezed his arm to let her continue. I wanted to know more about Dianna and Nicholas. To hell with Grayson.
“What happened to my poor Dianna…” The woman shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. I felt my own tears spill over my cheeks. I had always resented Nicholas for shooting himself and leaving Grayson all alone, but after hearing their story, I was admittedly a little less angered by his choice. Had I not also felt that urge since Grayson left?
The old lady looked to Owen. “Have you found them yet, Agent? The men responsible?” She looked so hopeful. “Is that why you’re here?”
Gods. My heart broke. All these years she had thought the police were still looking for the sick men who had killed Dianna and Abby.
Owen shook his head, but I interrupted him before he could say anything.
“Nicholas and Dianna’s son found them. He made sure they got what they deserved,” I said thickly.
The orange tabby lifted her head at the sound of my voice, blinking away the sleep. She gave a little meow and plopped off the old woman’s lap, jumping right up on mine. She placed her paws on my chest and pressed her nose against mine in greeting. I scratched the white patch under her chin, and she rubbed her head against my cheek, brushing away a tear.
Sweet little thing.
The woman nodded thoughtfully while watching her cat settle on my lap. “That’s good. Grayson is a sweet boy. I knew he’d make his parents proud.”
