Unfamiliar Waters Read online

  Garrett gave up his seat to Jules and grabbed a few sandwiches, and went up to sit in a forward seat.

  “Thank you,” Nigel said, plopping into the seat closest to the window, looking out as the earth passed beneath them. He leaned close, whispering into Garrett’s ear. “Jules is having a hard time with all this, but he doesn’t want anyone to know. I think he’s embarrassed, and….”

  “There’s no need to be,” Garrett whispered back more coolly than he intended, but things were quickly closing in around him. He wanted to help Nigel and Jules, he did, but the more he did, the more they relied on him and… the harder it was going to be on all of them when he was forced to go back to his own life. “He’s been through a lot. You both have. I’m surprised both of you haven’t had nightmares long before now.” He sure as hell would have.

  “I probably will, but I haven’t had a chance to think about it.” Nigel snatched a sandwich off Garrett’s plate, so Garrett handed the whole thing over, got up for another one, and brought back a couple of sodas as well.

  Nigel spent a lot of time looking out the window as he ate, and Garrett left him alone. After a while, Garrett returned to the table at the back of the plane where the agents were talking softly, passing Jules, who was now asleep again, sitting next to Phyllis.

  “Do you know how you want to handle this with their uncle?”

  “I think so,” Carver said. “I won’t be able to be there, though I’d really like to. I’m probably going to need to spend some time at the hospital….”

  Garrett leaned over the table. “I think we arrange for hotel rooms in a public place, somewhere that’s really nice. Let them have some time in a fresh, clean, nice bed to rest. The lawyers can visit them there and take care of things. We can confront the uncle as soon as you’re ready. I’d like you to be there. After all, the guy had you shot, so you should at least have the chance to slap the cuffs on him.” If Garrett were in Carver’s place, he’d want a chance for a little poetic justice.

  “All right.” Jenkins was already working, and Garrett peered around the computer. “How about this one?” He showed Garrett one of the large high-rises on Times Square. “This will be good.” He smiled and checked rooms. “There are suites on the top floor with restricted access. I can get three rooms on that floor. We can provide security. Let me call the hotel.” He stood and walked to the galley, talking softly, and Garrett returned to Nigel.

  “This is my first time in a plane since I was a kid. Mom and Dad took me to Disney when I was seven.” His lips turned upward and his smile warmed. “Dad arranged for us to have lunch with some of the characters. I remember dancing with Winnie-the-Pooh.” Nigel chuckled. “That was the last time I flew anywhere, except for when they brought us to the island.” He shook and after a minute turned decidedly green.

  “It’s okay. Do you want something to drink?” Garrett gently patted Nigel’s arm. “Breathe deeply.”

  “They brought us there on a plane that lands in the water, and it was awful.” Nigel took deep breaths and slowly his color returned to normal. “I was sad, and Jules cried all the time. He wanted Mommy. So did I, but they were gone.” He continued breathing evenly and deeply. “I miss them still.”

  “Of course you do.” How could Nigel not miss his parents? “But you’re not alone.” Dammit, he wasn’t going to abandon them.

  The plane shook, and Garrett’s ears popped.

  “We are about a half hour from the New York area and have started our descent,” the captain said.

  Garrett made sure Nigel and Jules were seated with their seat belts fastened while the others cleared the table and took care of their papers.

  On the ground, they were met by a black limousine. Their luggage was transferred to the back of the car, and soon they were rolling toward the city.

  “Isn’t this a little conspicuous?” Garrett asked.

  “Nope. This is New York, and I figure if Hilliard is searching for his nephews here, he isn’t going to expect them to arrive in a limousine. The decoy convoy of black SUVs with lights flashing is way more noticeable.” Carver sat back.

  Once they arrived at the hotel, they were shown directly to a private elevator and whisked high into the sky. Carver had stayed in the limousine and promised to get medical care.

  “Is this where we’re staying?” Jules asked. He raced into the room and landed on the huge sofa with a bounce. Then he got up and hurried to the windows, leaning close to the glass. “It’s really high up… and all those lights.” He turned away. “It’s going to be so bright. How do we sleep… and the noise?” He put his hands over his ears. To Garrett, it didn’t seem like much, but he listened as the muffled sound of the city intruded through the windows. To someone who had only ever heard the ocean as white noise, this must be unnerving.

  “Where are we going to live?” Nigel asked before setting down his and Jules’s bags.

  “That’s up to you.” Thankfully, the agents had gone to their room, while some stood guard out in the hall, and Phyllis had her own room next door, which had had the phone removed and was secured. There were two bedrooms in the suite.

  “I get this one,” Jules called as he raced into what was undoubtedly the master bedroom.

  “I think you can have the one over there on the other side of the room, and Garrett and I will sleep in here,” Nigel corrected. “Unless you want to sleep on the sofa.”

  “Nope.” Jules took off toward the other room.

  “At least carry your bag.”

  Jules raced back, suddenly a barrel of energy, grabbed the bag, and ran off.

  “I don’t remember him this wound up before,” Garrett commented.

  Nigel nodded. “I think the close quarters we’ve been in are starting to get to him.” He placed his bag on the floor of the bedroom.

  Garrett didn’t have anything. All his stuff was still on the boat, a thousand or more miles away.

  “Can we go out and see things?” Nigel asked as he wandered over to the window.

  “I don’t think so, not today. The lawyers are coming in an hour, and then I’ll have dinner brought to the room. You can watch television if you want.” He showed Nigel how to use the remote, turning on the television.

  Nigel stared at the screen for a few minutes and then turned it off. “It’s so noisy and—I don’t know the programs.” He made a face, relaxing as soon as the room was quiet again. “Are there books?”

  Jules came back in and bounced as he sat on the sofa. “I can see the ocean from my window.” He bounded up again, and Nigel went after him.

  Garrett tried to explain that they were glimpsing the Hudson River, but they were gone. So he picked up his phone and called the agents in the other room.

  “Is there an issue?” Jenkins asked.

  “Is it possible to get us a couple of iPads? I can give you a credit card. The guys are bored and need something to do.” He was sure Nigel would reimburse him.

  “Can’t they watch television or something?” Jenkins asked.

  “They haven’t watched much television in eleven years. It’s noisy to them. Remember, they lived on an island away from everyone else. Just have someone go get a couple of iPads, please. I can set them up for them. They want to read, and I think that having a ton of books at their fingertips is a good idea.” Garrett got a noise of agreement and ended the call.

  The boys were still in the bedroom, standing at the window.

  “What’s that building over there?”

  “The Chrysler Building. And right over there is Grand Central Station. I think if you look out the window in the other bedroom, you can see the Statue of Liberty. The Empire State Building is right there.” He pointed out each landmark.

  “How do people know where they’re going? There are so many buildings and roads and cars. So much to remember.” Jules’s mouth hung open, and Garrett could almost see him trying to equate this place to what he knew on the island. “There aren’t any trees, and there’s no real ocean, jus
t a fake thin one over there and….” His shoulders slumped. “Nigel, I want to go home.”

  Garrett’s heart broke. Even Nigel seemed nervous and uptight. “After we take care of your uncle, I’m going to show you the subway and take you up on one of those tall buildings so you can see everything. We’ll show you all around the city. And I can take you to Central Park. It’s filled with trees and water, a pond, and we can go out in a boat.”

  “Okay,” Jules agreed, turning back to the window.

  “And as for how people get around, they use their phones.” Garrett pulled out his and brought up the map. “You can put in the address of where you want to go, and it gives you directions. We’ll get you each a phone of your own, I promise.” Heck, he’d get them whatever they wanted if it made them more comfortable.

  A soft knock on the door drew his attention, and Garrett left the room to answer it.

  “Here you are,” Jenkins said, handing Garrett a bag from the Apple store.

  “Thanks.”

  “We got a call from the lawyers’ office. Someone will be here soon. We’ll check them out and bring them up when they arrive.”

  “We appreciate it.” Garrett closed the door, sat on the sofa, and opened each of the boxes to get the devices charging while he set them up. Garrett added both devices to his account and hooked them up to the hotel’s Wi-Fi, then downloaded a reading app to each.

  “Guys, I have something for you.” He called them in and showed them how to work the iPad to read books. “What do you want to read?” Garrett asked each of them, and he downloaded their favorite books. Soon Nigel was curled on the sofa, the iPad on his lap, reading away, even smiling.

  Garrett showed Jules how to use the internet and play various games, and soon he was engrossed in Candy Crush. Garrett sat on the foot of the sofa, Nigel’s feet in his lap, with the television on low, watching a rerun of The Nanny.

  Time seemed to fly by, and soon enough the lawyer, Keller Phipps, arrived, wearing a gray suit and red power scarf, with a perfect, conservative haircut. She looked about twelve. Jules stayed in his room with his new pastime, and Garrett and Nigel sat at the table with the lawyer. Nigel handed her the identification papers that they’d been given and answered a number of questions.

  “I’m sorry for all that, but I had to be sure it was you,” Keller said as she opened her case. “My father originally drew up the will, and he knew your parents very well. Your dad was one of his closest and dearest friends. He’s so disappointed that he couldn’t be here today, but he’s in the hospital recovering from a heart episode. He briefed me on the things I should ask you, though, just to make sure. And eventually we’ll have a DNA test done so there is no doubt.” Keller smiled. “I bet you don’t remember me.”

  Nigel leaned closer. “Kelly?” he asked, and Keller nodded. “We played together when we lived in town before Mom and Dad died.” Nigel grinned and turned to Garrett. “Kelly was older than me, but we used to hang out.”

  Keller chuckled. “His mom and dad used to ask me to babysit them for parties. It was the easiest forty bucks I ever made. We played, ate junk food, hung out—it was a blast. Where’s Jules?”

  “Playing Candy Crush in the other room. I think he’s obsessed,” Garrett said as Keller pulled out a stack of papers.

  “Your parents’ will is very clear. Your uncle was your guardian and trustee until you turned twenty-one. Then you came into your inheritance and have the option of becoming your brother’s trustee and guardian. Do you wish to exercise that?”

  “If you’re asking if I’ll take care of Jules, then yes, I will. My uncle can’t have anything to do with him. I would have done that when I turned twenty-one if I had known,” Nigel stated.

  Keller made a few notes. “I know all this sounds really formal, but we have to handle the legalities.” She made additional notes. “I need to inform you that the penthouse where you were raised is included. Your uncle is living there now, and we can give him notice to vacate today and….”

  Nigel shook his head. “No.”

  “You want him to live there?” Keller asked.

  “Ms. Phipps…,” Garrett said.

  “Keller, please,” she corrected. “And I assume it’s okay to call you Garrett.” She seemed like a fair enough person.

  “Keller, Hilliard has tried to have Nigel and Jules killed on at least three occasions and he kept them on a secluded island for the last eleven years so he could maintain control of their parents’ estate. We have plans for Hilliard, so please do not inform him of anything whatsoever. DOJ will handle informing him.”

  Her mouth hung open and she gasped. “Is that what happened to you?” Suddenly the lawyerly stiffness evaporated. “We had no idea. Your uncle told us that he had sent you and Jules to school in Europe and that you both really liked it there.”

  “We were taken away and told we were being taken care of by an aunt. Phyllis was good to us, but she was like Fairfield, hired by our uncle. He’ll say it was to help protect us, but it was just to keep us on the island so he could control what Mom and Dad left us.”

  “Where are they now?” Keller asked.

  “Phyllis is just down the hall. She helped us get away, and Fairfield—” His voice hitched. “—died.” Nigel held his chin high, and Garrett was so damned proud of how he handled himself. He took Nigel’s hand under the table, sharing his strength.

  “Okay. Your uncle has lived in the penthouse for ten years, which would normally allow him to apply for ownership,” Keller explained, and Garrett had to calm his impatience. “However, as your trustee he has a fiduciary duty to care for your property and assets… and he can’t apply for ownership of assets in his care. So that rule does not apply here.” She hummed softly. “He could claim squatter’s rights, but that’s a stretch considering he is your trustee and shouldn’t be benefiting personally from those assets under his trust. There are a lot of arguments to be made, but he’s going to have trouble using any of them.”

  Keller nodded, clearly pleased with her line of reasoning, and passed over sheaves of papers for Nigel to sign. She reviewed each one with him, and Nigel signed his name to them.

  “I think we’re done.”

  “Does this mean my uncle doesn’t…?” Nigel faltered, his words trailing off in a sigh.

  “Hilliard Montague officially has no say or influence in either of your lives any longer. The estate was technically yours when you turned twenty-one. All of this is to make it official and so we can register all the bank accounts, deeds, and properties in your name.” Keller gathered the pages. “I’ll call you when I get back to the office to inform you when all the papers have been filed.” She took out another set of documents. “These prove what we’ve done today and that all properties are yours now. Once he’s in custody, we will take out ads in all financial papers to announce that your uncle no longer speaks for either of you and cannot act in your name in any way. But feel free to handle your uncle in the way you see fit.” Keller chuckled. “God, I’d love to be there, but it’s best if I stay away. There are rental and tenancy laws that could come into play. It can be tricky, but if I’m not there, then I can’t comment on them.” She held out her hand, shook Nigel’s, and gave him a card. “If there is anything I can do to help, or if you just want to talk, give me a call any time.” She smiled. “Maybe you and I can have dinner soon and you can tell me all about this island of yours. I’d love to hear about it.” Keller quietly left the room.

  Nigel put his head on the table, shoulders shaking. Garrett smoothed his hands over them, being there without talking. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Nigel said quietly. “I don’t know anything about companies or apartments, and God knows what else I own now and don’t know about.”

  “I’m sure Keller will help you with all that once you’re ready,” Garrett said. “Just take things one step at a time.” He could say that, but this was overwhelming for him, by proxy.

  “I’m trying. But we’re alone now.
” Nigel sat back up, sniffing softly. “Two weeks ago I was happy, collecting my shells on the bottom of the lagoon, checking that they were okay and growing. Now I’m here, the people I thought loved me were paid to be there, my uncle has tried to kill me more than once….” He turned away. “And I met you.” Nigel sniffed again. “But you’re going to leave, and then what am I going to do?”

  Garrett wanted to deny that conclusion, but he couldn’t. “I have a job in Baltimore,” he said feebly. “It isn’t that far away, and there are regular trains. I can come here to visit you, and….” It sounded lame even to him. In the back of his mind, he could hear David scolding him. “Screw that. What do you want me to do? If you want me to stay here with you and Jules, I’ll do that. If you want me to go, I’ll do that too.” The thought of walking away from Nigel made his heart ache almost as much as when he’d first lost David. He had no fucking idea how that could be after just a few weeks, but it was true, and denying it would be stupid as hell.

  “I don’t know.” Nigel swallowed, his eyes filling with doubt and worry. “I want you to stay, but that isn’t fair to you. I’m a man now, and I should be able to do what a man does. And I shouldn’t ask you to give up your life just because it’s what I want.” He blinked. “You’ll come to hate me for that.”

  Jules came out of the bedroom and hurried over to show Garrett his game. He was already on level forty-nine. “This is really fun.” He plopped down in one of the chairs and went at the game with full concentration, completing the next puzzle in a matter of seconds.

  “Why don’t you and I talk about this later?” Garrett yawned, and Nigel did the same. “Jules, would you go down the hall and see if Phyllis would like to join us for dinner?” He thought that maybe it was time for him to place an order and try to get settled for the night. It was already nearing eight o’clock.

  Jules hurried out the door.