Page 3 of Lies Beneath Secrets (Skeleton Crew #1)

CHAPTER THREE

Con

“You pulling the shit you did last night damn near got you killed,” Knox says as we step out of the truck. Last night when I got back to the apartment, he was already outside with a black garbage bag, ready to leave.

“Maybe.” I shrug. “Fucker is completely insane.”

“Because he wanted to get rid of a witness?” Knox scoffs. “I’ve never known you to not handle business. But I get it.” He takes something out of his back pocket and hands it to me. It’s a picture of three women. All nearly identical. They’re all smiling as they stand in front of a large, gray rock, arms intertwined. My gaze lands on the woman wearing glasses. Her dark hair in the picture is much shorter than it was last night, but that’s her. I thought she was a child last night, she seemed so small, but looking at her in this photo, I realize she’s just short. Really short. The other women in the picture stand at least six inches or more taller than her. The smile on her face is bright, and I find myself wanting to rip them glasses off her face, so I can get a look at her eyes. They’re hidden by a slight glare in this picture. Knox snatches the photo out of my grip and tucks it back into his pocket. “I would have told King to fuck off too.”

“Maybe I’m just getting soft in my old age,” I laugh, knowing full well it will get him off the topic of why I didn’t want to let King kill some girl in cold blood.

“That’s fucking true. Which is why we’re here.” He pulls open the door to the small store.

“Still think this is a waste of time and money. This still works just fine.” I pull my phone from my jeans and flip it open, getting a laugh from Knox.

“When was the last time you were able to answer a call on that fucking thing?” He takes it from my hand and drops it onto the counter where a tall, blond woman meets us with a smile.

“I haven’t seen one of these in years.” She laughs and takes it from the countertop.

“I want everything from that phone onto something with a screen. One not too complicated, so Gramps here can still use it.” I shoot Knox a glare, then look over to the woman.

“I can use a damn phone. Just get me whatever won’t cost me an arm and a leg, and I need this same number. Don’t change it.” I slide her a piece of paper with my number on it. She nods and types away at her computer. Just because I haven’t upgraded in years doesn’t mean I can’t figure out how to use a phone. I’ve watched plenty of the brothers and the women use their damn phones. I’ll figure it out.

“If you’d like, you can look over some of our phones to see which works best for you.” She gestures to the rows of phone displays, and I shake my head. “Okay.” She glances at Knox. “Anything I can get for you?” The question is loaded with more than just offering to help with this damn phone.

As Knox talks to her, I tune it out. Fucker is a pussy magnet wherever we go. Damn Ken doll.

“Here, you old bastard.” Knox hands me my new phone. I take it and put it in my pocket when it starts ringing. “Just in time I guess.” He chuckles. I look down at the screen.

“Where is 414 from?” I ask, not recognizing the area code.

“Shit if I know, brother. You take your finger and….”

“I fucking know how to answer it,” I snap and swipe across the screen to answer the call. “Hello.”

“I’m looking for a Conner Mathews,” a woman says on the line.

“You got him.”

“Mr. Mathews, this is Casandra from Social Services in Milwaukee,” she states, making the blood in my veins turn to ice. “Do you know Andrea Fletcher?” My throat dries up, and I fight my locked jaw to move. “Mr. Mathews, are you there?” It takes all I have in me to clear my throat. Even then, all I can muster is a grunt in confirmation. “We have her daughter in our custody, and you’re listed as the father. I was hoping you could get here by tomorrow. I really would hate to put her into foster care. She has been through so much already.”

“Yeah,” I find myself saying to the woman on the other end of the call. “Yeah,” I repeat, clearing my throat. “I’ll be there in a few hours.”

“Good. I have her at our office right now.” She rattles off how to get there, then tells me that she’ll see me soon. I’m still standing in the damn cell phone store, Knox watching my every move with curiosity.

“What was that about? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

“I need to go to Milwaukee.” That’s all I tell him before stalking out of the store and back to the truck, barely giving him time to get in before I take off.

“What do you mean you need to go to Milwaukee?” Knox echoes.

“My… I have a… you remember a few years back when I got sent on that solo run?” He nods. “I met a woman there.”

“Fucking knew it had something to do with a woman. She call to say she needed you or something?”

“That wasn’t her,” I answer. “It was Social Services.”

“Why would Social Services in Milwaukee be calling you?”

“Because of my daughter,” I say aloud for the first time. I have a daughter. Never have I spoken them words aloud, not even to myself in the last five years.

“You have a daughter?” He’s as shocked as I am.

“Her mom didn’t want me, didn’t want to be a part of this life when she found out what I did. So, when I left, I figured I’d never hear from her again. Until she ended up calling me a few months later, told me I had a daughter. I’m not sure why she called. She still didn’t want shit from me, not even money. I think she just wanted me to know in case…” I trail off, wondering what the hell happened.

“In case?” Knox prompts.

“When I met her, she was married to some asshole doing a dime in Dodge. I think she was scared of him.” I grip the steering wheel tight. He was halfway through his sentence when we met. He probably got out. “That was a social worker on the phone. They have my kid there and don’t want her to go into foster care. Something must have happened to her mom. I need to get my ass there before tomorrow. My kid is not going into foster care, if I can help it.

“You’re going to bring her here?” Knox laughs a little. “Fuck, can I be there when you tell Tina?” Jesus. Fucking Tina. I can’t deal with that bullshit right now.

“Fucking prick,” I mutter and press on the gas a little harder.

* * *

I peer through the glass in the narrow hallway. It has flowers stuck to it, those ugly plastic things that cling to glass. The edges are peeling up and collecting dust. My daughter sits on the other side of the glass. Her blond hair is pin straight and down to the middle of her back. Close to her mother’s hair color, or how I remember it being. “I was one of the officers first on the scene. We got a call around two AM,” Officer Rice tells me as I watch my daughter through the glass, “Domestic disturbance. The neighbors called and reported they heard shouting, then very loud banging. The door had been broken off its hinges, showing clear signs of forced entry. We found Ms. Fletcher on the floor. She was deceased upon arrival. We searched the home but didn’t find the assailant. Your daughter was found hiding in the cupboard under the kitchen sink. It’s likely she witnessed what had happened.” My jaw clenches tight. It takes every ounce of energy I have left, but I manage to get my question asked without yelling.

“What did he use to kill her?” I ask between gritted teeth.

“We’re unsure at this time, but it seems to have been his fists and…” She trails off a little, then finishes. “His boots.” Meaning he stomped her to death.

“Her face?”

“Yes, sir.” I close my eyes and suck in a deep breath.

“How did you know to call me?” I direct my question to Casandra now.

“Her mother had listed you as the child’s father and an emergency contact.” I raise my brows and look back at my daughter.

“When can we leave?”

“Mr. Mathews. Do you have the means to take care of a five-year-old?” Casandra asks me.

“You called me to get her, and now you’re questioning if I should take her?” Turning around again, I keep my tone low and bite back the urge to take a step toward her.

“I apologize. I only mean this will be a shock to you both, and Gabby has been through some very significant trauma.”

“Gabby?” I ask, interrupting her. Fuck, I didn’t even know her name.

“Yes, Gabby. She’s going to need professional care. A child this young, experiencing something like this, isn’t a simple thing to overcome,” she explains.

“You mean her mother’s husband coming home from prison and beating her to a bloody pulp while she watched? Yeah, I get that.” I pause, then look over at Officer Rice. “Did you find him?” My fists clench tight as I imagine them strangling the life right out of the motherfucker.

“Some officers caught up to him a few blocks away. He drew a weapon on them, which resulted in him being shot. He died on scene.”

“He got off easy then,” I state. “Get me whatever I need to sign so I can get her the hell out of here,” I tell Cassandra.

“It’s just a couple of release forms, but you should go in and meet her first, don’t you think?” I nod in agreement and follow her into the room. Damn, this is such a messed-up situation and not at all how I wanted to meet her for the first time. To be honest, I never thought I would ever get the chance to meet her. “Hey, Gabby, remember me?” Gabby flinches slightly at the abrupt noise of Rice speaking, then turns to look our way. I can only imagine what I seem like to her. After a day on the road, I must look pretty damn scary. Especially to a kid. I tried my best to tame my beard, and I tied my hair back under my bandana. I did leave my cut at home. No way I’d be showing who I was down this way. At Casandra’s question, Gabby gives a small head nod, then looks at another woman who’s in the room. I was so focused on my daughter, I didn’t even see her sitting at a desk in the corner.

“Gabby, can you say hi?” the woman asks and stands up from the desk, making her way over to us. “Are you her father?” she asks very quietly. I nod my answer and direct my attention back over to where Gabby is watching me like a hawk. “She hasn’t spoken yet.” The woman keeps her tone low but by the sharp stare of my daughter, she can hear every damn word. She’s a smart kid. “It’s very normal in these cases, but I do strongly suggest she see someone at least once a week.” I nod again and take a tentative step toward Gabby.

“Hey, kid. Do you know who I am?” She still keeps her eyes on me and gives a small nod. “Yeah?” She nods again. This time, it’s a little bigger. “Good, then you aren’t afraid of me, are you?” Her head shakes back and forth and damn, if I wasn’t in love before, I sure the hell am now. “Casandra?” I ask without taking my eyes off my daughter. “Get me them damn papers. I’m taking my kid home.”