Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 174

Vivian’s exit might have had more of a dramatic effect if she’d been able to walk without hobbling. It still left an impression on everyone in the room, especially Laurent.

He finally knew who’d taken their mother, and why. There were glaring holes in the story she’d recounted, but Laurent wasn’t focused on those at the moment. He was remembering how adamant she’d been about not involving the police after the locker incident; it’d never made sense to him, how she’d gone from being in shock to sudden panic. Now, though… now he understood.

Looking over at his father, Laurent could tell the man was having a difficult time with the information that’d been revealed. Of all the people who could have been involved, Richard Clark was a sharp blow.

As far back as he could remember, the Clark and Devreaux families were linked through business, and an odd sort of friendship. Not that the two men were actual friends, but they got along well enough. Respected acquaintances might be a better way to describe the relationship.

In the beginning, Samuel had leaned on Richard for the investigation into Annie’s disappearance, as he didn’t have the connections to do much himself. From the very start, he’d been played a fool.

Charles stood up and said, “Detective Mersey, Sergeant Maynard, I believe that’s all for today. I’ll see you both out.”

Laurent tuned out whatever the two cops said in response. Pushing his chair out, he got to his feet and followed after his sister. Something in his gut was telling him she would be just as bothered by everything as the rest of them.

He found her curled up on the couch, hidden under the blankets she’d brought down from her room. Did she honestly think no one would know she was there? Why not just go to her room and lock the door? With a sigh, he sat on the other side of the couch. The bundle of blankets shifted just a bit, but otherwise Vivian didn’t react to his presence.

“Gee. I wonder where Vivian could be hiding,” he said after a while, voice heavy with sarcasm, as he stared at the bundle.

“Don’t patronize me,” was her muffled retort. Vivian hadn’t hesitated in responding, which confused him. Why was she hiding in the first place?

Reaching over, Laurent tugged at one of the blankets, only to find his sister had a tight hold on the entire bundle. “Come on, Vivian. Why are you hiding, anyway?”

This time he was met with silence. Something was bothering her, but he couldn’t figure out what. The cops had been unwilling to believe most of what she’d said, but that wouldn’t have pushed her to do… whatever this was.

Annoyed, Laurent got up, only to sit back down on top of his sister.

“Get off,” she demanded, squirming under the weight of his butt.

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong,” he shot back, crossing his arms. “Something’s obviously bothering you. Spill it or be flattened by my ass.”

“Your ass is too flat to flatten anything.”

Her snappy response caught Laurent by surprise, bringing a laugh out of him. “That’s just low, Vivian. You can do better.”

She stopped squirming, and silence reigned as he waited to see if she’d tell him anything. “…he’s mad at me…”

Confused, Laurent stood up and grabbed a corner of the bundle, tugging it free to catch sight of an elbow. “Who’s mad?”

A muffled sigh came through. “… Dad…”

“Of course he’s mad,” Laurent told her, still confused. “Richard Clark is — or was — a business partner of his. Learning about… He just learned he’d been betrayed by someone he felt he could trust.”

“…he’s mad at *me*, Laurent.”

This time Laurent didn’t allow his sister to keep any of her blankets. They soon made a small pile on the floor at his feet, leaving Vivian curled up on the couch, her back to him. He noted she was hugging that damn plush from Theo, something that bothered him more than he was willing to admit.

What did she even see in the guy?

“He isn’t mad at you, idiot,” he retorted, sitting down next to her with a sigh. “He’s probably pissed at himself more than he is at anyone else, including Richard.”

“You didn’t see how he looked at me,” she said after another brief silence.

“I didn’t have to,” Laurent assured her as he reached over and gave her shoulder an awkward pat. “I know him well enough to know he’d never blame you for any of that.”

“…you blame me…”

Her words caught Laurent by surprise. If she’d said them two months ago, they’d have been true; after everything that’d happened since then, he no longer felt the same way. “I used to, sure,” he finally forced himself to admit out loud. “But that was when you first showed up. I’ve since gotten to know you, and can confidently say you aren’t to blame for any of it.”

“…you promise?”

“I promise,” he nodded, watching her slowly uncurl. She still didn’t roll over or sit up, but it was progress. “I will admit, I’m pissed you went to Jacques for help and not me.”

An irritated huff came from her, bringing a smile to his face. “Why is everyone so stuck on that?” She muttered, finally pushing herself into a sitting position. “I ran into him; I didn’t go to him on purpose.”

“You still asked him for help.”

“No one would listen to me, except for him,” she shot back, lips pursed as she met his gaze for a second before looking away.

Guilt welled in Laurent. It was true, they’d all dismissed her when she’d told them she wanted to do the trade, but it’d been to protect her; because they cared. For Vivian, it had meant the opposite. It meant they weren’t willing to hear her out, or give weight to her perspective. It told her they didn’t want, or respect, her input.

They’d been raised to obey their father, to respect and not question his decisions. Vivian didn’t have that upbringing. She’d been forced to grow and mature in ways that gave her a different view of the world, one they should have respected and asked her to explain, instead of dismissing without a second thought.

It’d been their fault she’d gotten herself into a dangerous situation, with only a single person by her side. If they’d just listened…

“It’s aggravating to think you trusted someone you’d only just met over your family,” Laurent explained after a moment, but then shook his head. “It’s our own fault, though. All of us… we all failed to be there for you when you needed us the most. I know you’re used to people being like that, but we wanted to be different. We wanted to always be there… And when we should have been, it was some stranger instead.”

Vivian stared at him, her expression softening a bit. “…are you jealous of Jacques?”

“No,” he snapped.

“… you’re jealous of Jacques.”

“I’m not jealous of Jacques.”

Laurent tensed when Vivian wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “Yes you are,” he heard her whisper, sounding like she was amused by this development.

“…am not…”