Burning Your Lies (King and Queen Duet #2)

20

Huxley

Jordan shifts uncomfortably in the car’s silence. He stares at the piece of paper in my hands before finally asking, “Why do you keep looking at that?”

Turning my attention to him, I shrug.

“I keep wondering why Xavier hacked into the system and created a death certificate for his mother months later. We’re under the assumption he doesn’t know I’m playing the game. But what if he does? I am the only person he told about his mother’s death.”

“But Savannah knows too.”

I click my tongue.

“Savannah knows he murdered her. He told me she died. I looked for her death certificate the day Savannah was taken away, and I couldn’t find anything. But amid putting this plan together, I did one more search to be on the safe side. And this popped up.”

“Maybe he’s just covering his bases.”

He grins at me.

“Why are you so worried? I think you could take him in a fight.”

It’s not me I am worried about. Xavier knows my family. He knows where they live. He can have them murdered before I even know what’s happening.

“I have people I need to protect. People who are innocent in all this.”

“Sometimes I wonder if all this is worth it,”

he admits.

“Even combined, our resources don’t compare to what he has. He could wipe us out,”

he clicks his fingers, “like that. And then what will we have achieved? I am an only child. I’m not a perfect son, but I am all my parents have.”

An odd feeling spreads through me for the man beside me; sympathy.

“You can back out. Savannah will understand.”

Jordan is lost in the past when he speaks.

“I told Elliot to borrow money from Cam. I was the reason he kept bothering Sav for money. That’s the only reason he was on Xavier’s radar. I’m the reason he died.”

I don’t bother wasting my breath explaining it wasn’t his fault, because no matter what I say, it’s a guilt he will carry with him. Perhaps there is some truth to it. But, it was Elliot’s recognition of Xavier’s true character that ultimately caused his death.

“He has no idea that you’re involved. Savannah didn’t mention you and Mia. She made out like she manipulated me into marrying her. He cannot kill us all. If nothing else reassures you, let that do it.”

I unbuckle my belt.

“Let’s go.”

Jordan lets out a shaky breath.

“What are we saying again?”

“Reporters for a local paper, writing an article about Xavier.”

We exit the car and trudge up to the house. Three sharp knocks and we patiently wait. When the door opens up, we are greeted with a waft of stale cigarette smoke and a balding man. His attire is crinkled and I’m pretty sure those are food stains on his t-shirt. When he smiles, I fight the urge to recoil in disgust.

He offers us a handshake.

“You’re here! Henry Pruitt. Please come in.”

Jordan and I share a look before we step over the threshold. One glance around the first floor makes it clear why he quickly agreed to a paid interview. He lives in poverty. His furniture is worn out and mostly broken. His wooden window frames are chipped and some of them are in pieces. He walks, picking up dirty clothes scattered in the room.

He points at the sofa.

“Please. Take a seat. Can I offer a drink?”

I set up the camera, so it’s focused on Henry. Unwillingly, I sit on the lumpy sofa.

“No, thank you.”

I smile at Henry.

“My name is Steve James. This is my colleague, Ned Daniels. We are journalists for a local London newspaper. As agreed on the phone, this interview will be recorded, in case we miss any details in our notes.”

Jordan offers the man a weak smile.

“Please say your answers in a full sentence so we can use direct quotes. Please start by introducing yourself.”

Henry looks at the camera.

“My name is Henry Pruitt. I am recording this from Plymouth.”

“What made you leave London for Plymouth?”

“There was no—”

“Full sentences,”

I remind him.

He gives a nervous nod and tries again.

“I left London because there was no life for me there after my divorce. My children didn’t want to know me. I had nothing. So, I moved away and found a life for me here.”

“We’re writing an article about CEO Xavier Rivers. It’s an inspirational story about his upbringing and his success. In his interview, he spoke of his mother and her relationship with you. He said while it hurt for his parents to separate, he was glad his mother found love and happiness with you.”

His eyebrows shoot up at the lies.

“I have to say, I am very surprised to hear that.”

“Because you never had a good relationship with him?”

Jordan asks.

“I had no relationship with Xavier at all, because I was not aware he knew about the affair.”

I feign confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“Elizabeth and I were both married when the affair began. I met her at work. She was the most beautiful woman I had seen. She was always so put together and wore a coy smile. We both had small children. My eldest daughter was only eight or nine. Liz only had the one child, and he was no older than ten when the affair started. It continued for a few years. And then, one day, she just stopped replying. We were meant to spend the evening together, but she never showed.”

Jordan is sucked into the sadness the man radiates.

“And you never looked for her?”

He sighs.

“I wanted to look for her, but I assumed she wanted to end things and believed it was the easiest way. A few days later, I heard she had gone travelling. I didn’t believe it, but I forced myself to because it was easier than accepting the truth.”

“Which was?” I probe.

“The truth was, she stayed with him, even though he beat her.”

For the first time, Henry has an expression other than nostalgia. He looks angry.

“He was a violent son of a bitch. She tried to hide it, but I knew. I saw the marks. They were almost black. I asked her what happened, and she told me to forget about it. But I couldn’t forget. I have spent many years of my life wondering what he did to her when he found out about the affair.”

“What do you think happened, Mr Pruitt?”

“He definitely beat her. I think he handed in her notice. I think he kept her hostage the way he truly wanted her to be. He thought making her diamonds would make up for all the times he battered her.”

“Xavier claims she lived happily with you until she died.”

I pretend to flick through my notes.

“He said she maintained a loose relationship with him.”

Henry shakes his head.

“I don’t know where he got that impression from. I never heard from Liz after that day. After that day, it was like she vanished. Almost as if she never existed at all.”

Jordan edges closer to the edge of his seat.

“You still sound heartbroken about that.”

The old man stares out of his broken window.

“I loved her dearly. I wish Xavier was right, and she lived a happy life with me. Perhaps we both would have had something left to live for. Her departure took a toll on me and my marriage. My wife suspected something happened and one day she just asked me, and I admitted the truth. She found it in her to forgive me and we lived in silos for a few years. And then I lost my job and couldn’t find another. I had no money to provide for my family. Karma came and bit me. And my wife soon realised, if I couldn’t be a man and take care of her, I was just a cheat. She kicked me out of the house.”

Jordan stares at me in disbelief, and I see the fear in his eyes.

“Your life fell apart.”

He blankly stares at the camera as he continues.

“A few years after my divorce, some thugs attacked me in the streets. I remember laying on the side of the road, wishing I would die from my injuries. When a stranger called the ambulance, I begged them not to.”

Me and Jordan share another look. I look at Henry again and feel a pinch of pity for him. He fell in love with the wrong woman and Xavier and his father tore him apart until he was left with nothing but this dingy, shattered house.

Time to plant the seed.

“I have to ask, Mr Pruitt. If you never heard from Elizabeth after that day, and Xavier claims neither did he nor his father, where did Elizabeth go? How does a woman just vanish?”

He dwells on my question.

“All I know is that he killed her. Every part of her that deserved to shine. So, perhaps she escaped from us all. Maybe she found peace elsewhere.”

“Or maybe her husband did more than beat her that night.”

He takes in a deep breath and shudders.

“No … he can’t have…”

His eyes are wide with fear as he contemplates our suggestion.

“He murdered her?”

I dig the knife of doubt in deeper.

“And maybe her son helped cover it up.”

Henry shakes his head.

“Xavier was just a little boy. He was thirteen. How could he murder his own mother?”

“Xavier said he had a relationship with his mother after the affair. He stated he saw the love the two of you shared. Yet, you state you haven’t heard from her since she resigned. It begs the question, why would Xavier lie about that unless it’s to cover something up? Something sinister happened in the Rivers home and all we know is Elizabeth Rivers has never been seen or heard from again.”

Henry, now desperate to end the interview, asks if we have any further questions. We spend another few minutes taking general statements about his life before we ask for any pictures of him and Elizabeth.

I have never seen Xavier’s mother. When I hold the picture, I can’t look away from the smile on her face as Henry cuddles her. She’s nothing as I imagined her to be. From the stories Xavier shared, I imagined an evil woman. But her gentle eyes and sombre smile make it hard to look away. How could he murder his own mother?

“That was Xavier, right? The whole him not being able to get a job?”

Jordan asks as we walk back to the car.

I lock my belt in place and rub my temples.

“I think so. I think he is also the one that got him jumped.”

“He ruined his life. It wasn’t enough that he murdered the love of his life. It wasn’t enough that he got away with murdering his own mother. It didn’t satisfy him. He kept going until this man lost everything.”

He sounds haunted as he stares out of the window.

My mind is burdened by something else. The car is filled with a dense, stifling air that makes it hard to take a breath. This is worse than I could have imagined.

Jordan studies my side profile.

“You saw it too, right?”

I close my eyes and clench my jaw. “Yes.”

He exhales and lets his tears fall.

“He’s never going to let her go. I keep asking myself why he welcomed her back after admitting the truth to her. Is that why he’s been so obsessed with her since he saw her?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose.

“Yeah. It’s because Savannah looks like his mother.”