Jensen

THE WARM SUN PEEKS BEHIND THE BUILDING that was once a booming mall on late Friday afternoon. Now instead of clothing stores, the space has been renovated into miscellaneous business suites. One such business is the office of my late Uncle Don's lawyer.

I spy my foster brother Sully pulling into the lot on his motorcycle, and I wait until he parks and walks over to me. His long, dark hair is ruffled from the helmet, and he runs his hand through it, trying to settle the rogue pieces. He nods his head at me, and we make our way inside the building.

"What'd Ike say? He know anything about what this is?" Sully's husky voice echoes in the empty hall of the converted mall.

"He was clueless. I guess we'll all learn what this is all about at the same time."

Just as we come to the office door, a voice shouts from behind us. "Hey, boys! Wait for me!"

My little cousin, JJ, runs down the hall, the click, click, click of her heels pronouncing her arrival. When she stops in front of us, she straightens her polka dot blouse and pencil skirt. "I almost didn't get off work in time. My prick of a boss is being a bigger prick than usual."

"You could always leave that shitty job and come work at the farm, you know?" I've been trying to recruit JJ to the team for years. Besides her brief employment as a teenager, she refuses to work at the farm.

"Save your breath, Jensen. You know how I feel about that. Besides, I don't hear you constantly bugging Sully about not working on the farm. You know, we can still be family and not work there, right?" She points at Sully, as if asking for backup. "Right?"

Sully's serious face slowly cracks into a smirk. "You know why he doesn't bug me about it, right, Double J?"

She rolls her eyes at the nickname, one she has made perfectly clear she doesn't particularly care for. "Ugh. Nevermind. I should know better than to ask you for help." With that, she slides between us to open the glass office door, not holding it for us to follow her.

Sully chuckles, seemingly ok with not being able to answer his own question, as we walk into the office behind my cousin. "What's the reason?"

"Huh?" Sully turns his attention to me momentarily as he makes his way over to our family congregated in the waiting room.

"Why don't I bug you? You know, about working on the farm? What reason were you going to give JJ?"

His eyes search our family before rounding back to me. "Because you know it's a waste of time."

Blowing out a breath, I nod at him, because I do know. Once Sully has made up his mind, there is no changing it.

He spent his teenage years on the farm, but then quit when he was offered an apprenticeship at a tattoo parlor a few towns over. We've been waiting for him to move back, open his own shop here in Lake Hope. I suspect, though, that he likes the few layers of separation from us and him. Although we've welcomed him into our family, treated him as one of our own, he's always held us at a bit of a distance, never truly letting us in.

I clap Sully on the shoulder as I move past him to weasel my way to the front of the waiting room. I check the clock and notice we're a bit early. I find an open seat next to Finn, who grunts at me in acknowledgement. "Ready to inherent a shit ton of money?"

"Doubtful, bro. Doubtful."

Just then, a door behind the reception desk opens and a portly man steps out. "Andersons, good afternoon. Whoa, look at that. I always forget how many of you there are." He motions with his hand to follow him. "Come along. Oh, and maybe grab a few chairs from the waiting room. Not sure there are enough in the meeting room."

Once we're situated around a long, oval table in the meeting room, the lawyer gets right to business. "I'm sure you're wondering why you're all here. Don made it quite clear this is the way he wanted the will read. I have something specific to read to you all in a minute, but here, this is for you."

He pulls a key out of a manila envelope and slides it over to me. I pick it up, fingering the keychain affixed to it. When I look up at the lawyer, he's busy ruffling through a stack of papers. "What is this?"

"Safety deposit box key. Your uncle has a box at Farmer's State Bank here and wanted your family to have the contents inside it." He clears his throat and straightens the stack of papers against the table. "Now here is what he wanted me to read to you."

His eyes briefly land on each of us as he looks around the table. After clearing his throat again, he finally reads from the paper in front of him, a bead of sweat slowly trickles from his hairline down the side of his face. "Dearest family. Since you are gathered to hear this letter, I have obviously met my death. I'm sure you're all very confused why I'd call you here since we aren't particularly close. That's on me. I've never prioritized family. I wish I could say this with regret, but I don't want to leave this earth a liar. The only regrets I have is the secrets I've kept hidden will never see the light of day after my death."

The lawyer produces a hanky from his pocket to wipe the dripping sweat. He seems nervous, which makes this odd experience even more strange. He sips from a glass of water, running a tongue over his lips. "Excuse me," he says before he continues to read from the paper. "That is where the safety deposit box comes into play. Use the key to unlock the secrets."

When he's done reading, he sits back in his seat and sighs a deep breath. We all glance around the table at each other, wearing matching confused expressions.

"Wait. Is that it? Is that all it says?" I absently twirl the keyring around my finger. "This unlocks secrets? What kinds of secrets?"

"This is weird, even for Uncle Don." Sutton drums her fingers on top of the table.

"Maybe read it again? I'm lost. Why does he care about me? We're not even related?" JJ sits forward in her chair, reaching her hands out toward the lawyer as if he holds the answers.

The way he looks at her speaks louder than the words he sputters out, as if the very thought of reading the letter again physically pains him. "Here, I made copies." He slides a stack of papers to my dad, who sits to his left, issuing the demand to hand them out.

Once Vivi receives her copy, she does the honor of rereading it aloud for everyone. Once she's finished, we're all just as confused as the first reading. "OK, I guess we're making a trip to the bank?"

A quick glance at the clocks tells us we've missed our chance. It's closed for the day. "Or not. What's everyone doing Monday? Let's have a hot date at a safety deposit box, shall we?" Sutton raises her eyebrows, grinning at us.

-

Me: Done at the lawyer's. Headed to Roxy's. Wanna meet us there?

Teddy: That was fast. Course I'll meet you. I'm dying to find out what that old creep wanted.

Me: What you hungry for? I'll order for you.

Teddy: Surprise me.

Me: Teddy. I never get it right. I don't want you pissy with me when I order the wrong thing.

Teddy: Fine. Jalapeno poppers. And don't forget the raspberry sauce!

Me: Yes, Chipmunk. I know better than that.

Teddy: Chipmunk me one more time and see who gets pissy.

Laughing, I stick my phone in my pocket and head inside the bar. A pissy Teddy is one of my favorite versions of her. It's probably why I insist on calling her the childhood nickname she hates so much.

It all started one day when we were about 9 years old. Kelly, Teddy and I were taking turns doing tricks on my new skateboard at the end of the cul-de-sac. Kelly and I were utterly surprised at how natural Teddy was on the skateboard since her usual athletic ability was sorely lacking.

When it was her turn on the board, her mom stuck her head out the front door of their house and hollered, "Theodora Margaret Pierson, get off that damn skateboard and get in here and do your chores!"

It was the first time we had heard her full name, and we bent over with laughter. We teased her that it sounded like a chipmunk.

"If you're Theodore, I'm Alvin and he's Simon." I pointed first at Teddy, then myself and, finally, at Kelly.

Kelly scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "No way. If anyone is Alvin, it's obviously me."

"Whatever, losers. Call me Theodora and die." Teddy stomped on one end of the board and caught it in her hand as it sailed up to her.

"Don't worry, Chipmunk. We promise to never call you Theodora." Kelly smirked at her before stealing the skateboard from her.

"Yeah, Chipmunk. Promise." I parroted Kelly; and that is how the nickname was born.

-

ROXY'S WAS FAIRLY EMPTY SINCE IT WAS still pretty early on a Friday night. I found the usual high-top tables my family claimed, nodding at them, before heading to the bar to put my order in to the bartender.

"Hi, Randy. Can I get an order of jalapeno poppers? Those are for Teddy so please, please, please don't forget the raspberry sauce. You know how she gets about that shit. Actually, make it two orders. No way she'll share hers. And a pitcher of beer."

I lean against the bar, angling my body toward the door to watch for people trickling in while Randy fills a pitcher from the tap. I groan when I see Jackson Olson sidling in. My eyes trail his entrance into the bar, noting where he sits. He joins a group at the opposite side of the building, clapping hands with some of the guys before sitting down.

"What's got your panties in a wad?" Finn joins me at the bar, turning to see what I'm looking at, and then laughing when she spots Jackson. "Ole Ajax still sniffing around your girl?"

"Fuck off, Finn." I take the pitcher Randy offers me and glare at my stepbrother. "Knock it off with that shit." I hear him chuckle behind me as I walk away.

I set the pitcher of beer on the table and slide into a chair next to Sully. He holds an empty mug out to me, and I fill it up and then fill one for myself. "Glad you decided to hang out. You don't need to get back to the shop?"

"Nah, I got the night off. I figured you babies would cry if I ditched you after that will reading shit." He grins at me before chugging a fourth of the beer in one shot. He wipes the remnants off his upper lip and burps quietly into his hand.

"Yeah, because we miss you sooooo very much." JJ rolls her eyes as she plops her butt in a chair across the table from us. "Look, guys. Sully has graced us with his presence tonight and we're all supposed to be oh so grateful."

"Double J. You're extra sassy tonight. I like it." Sully bobs his eyebrows at her twice.

"Whatever." She helps herself to some beer, her eyes never leaving Sully, as if egging him on to say more.

They've always had this weird combative relationship. When we were younger, it felt more like sibling rivalry. Lately, it's grown into a more of a banter, as if the two of them enjoy getting a rise out of the other.

"Like you should talk, JJ." Sutton turns her heated stare on our cousin. "When is the last time you've graced us with your presence?"

"Details." She waves Sutton away, taking another swig of beer.

Just then, Teddy breezes in through the door. She halts in the center, catches my eye, and points toward the bar. I answer the silent question with a nod.

As she makes her way to the bar to grab another pitch of beer, I study her. She traded in her ratty work jeans for a fitted black pair that accentuates all the things I'm trying not to notice about my best friend. I especially try not to notice the crop top that shows a sliver of skin.

But it's her hair that really grabs my attention. She rarely wears it down, always opting for the convenience of a single braid. Tonight, though, the light brown locks are curled, hanging loose down her back. I wonder what it would feel like to run my fingers through her hair, but then stop the thought immediately. My thoughts are going to get me in trouble one of these days.

Once Teddy's in the chair next to me, she fills a mug, takes a sip, and turns her attention to the group. "So, spill. What's good ole Uncle Don want? Wait, let me guess. He left you all a big bag of gold doubloons. No? He has some old savings bonds he wants to bequeath to you? I'm getting warmer, right?"

"You're cold. Freezing fucking cold. Couldn't be colder." Charlie pulls a folded piece of paper out of his back pocket and hands it to Teddy.

"What's this?" She unfolds it and quickly scans the letter from Uncle Don. When she finishes, she looks up in confusion. "Huh? Unlock a dead man's secrets? That's some weird shit."

"You're telling us. We have to wait until Monday now to see what's in the damn box at the bank." Sutton leans her elbows on the table, wearing a look of pure confusion.

"What if it's like severed body parts? A thumb or some sick shit?" Finn looks around the table for our reactions.

"It's probably a collection of panties he bought off the internet. You know the kind I mean? Where you pay some chick to wear them for a certain number of days before mailing them to you." Charlie and Finn bump their knuckles together, congratulating each other on their clever ideas.

"Or," Vivi interrupts their nonsense. "It's probably a detailed list of all the people he fucked over in his lifetime, and he wants us to make amends for him. I'm telling you now, I refuse."

The talk of the mysterious safety deposit box contents is dropped when Randy delivers the jalapeno poppers and Teddy thanks him profusely for remembering the damn raspberry sauce like it was his doing.

"You're welcome," I lean over to whisper in her ear. I get a whiff of her strawberry-scented hair, and I'm tempted to bury my nose in the strands and inhale deeply. Instead, I clear my throat and turn my attention to the food. "I got a double order because I knew you wouldn't share with me."

"Smart man." She winks at me, and I swear my dick does a little jump. Jesus, what is wrong with me?

-

SUTTON DRAGS ME TO THE BANK EARLY Monday morning, the task having been delegated to us since we're the blood relatives. Their words, not mine. 

She walks in, striding with purpose to ask a bank employee how one can access a safety deposit box. After a lengthy conversation about Uncle Don's will, the man leads us down a hall to a room filled with floor to ceiling metal boxes. He locates the number for Uncle Don's box, inserts the key, and walks out of the room.

"Ready?" Sutton pulls the box out of the slot and sets it on the table in the middle of the room. When I nod at her, she opens it up, revealing two pieces of paper. On the top piece of paper is a yellow post-it note with a single question mark written with a black marker.

Sutton tears the post-it note off before lifting the top piece of paper out of the box. The paper has several black lines on it, as if someone took a Sharpie and crossed off vital information. She hands it to me after scanning it. "It's a birth certificate but the names are crossed off."

"The father is left blank. And the birthdate is crossed off, too. What the hell are we supposed to do with this?"

Sutton shrugs and pulls the other piece of paper out of the box. It's a faded newspaper clipping. After quickly reading the headline, a memory from years ago springs back in my mind. A missing child from a few towns over. It was all over the news about two decades ago.

My sister points at the birth certificate in my hand and then nods toward the newspaper clipping in her hand. "Ummm...what the hell is this about?" She finds the discarded post-it note with the question mark on it, waving it in my face. "Is this his idea of a sick joke? Is this meant to be a mystery for us to solve? I don't understand why he has a birth certificate in a safety deposit box with all the important bits crossed off. And how does this newspaper clipping fit in?"

"Do you remember when that girl went missing?" I steal the newspaper clipping from my sister, reading over the article. The girl was reported missing 19 years ago by her mother, last seen at a playground they regularly frequented. "You were pretty young. What, like 7?"

"Yeah, but I do remember. That was scary shit because suddenly we had strict rules. Remember how freaked out everyone was?"

There's not much crime in small towns, so a missing five-year-old girl was big news, even if it happened in a neighboring town. If it could happen there, it could happen here, was the general consensus that permeated the usual carefree community.

"OK, so we have a missing girl and a mystery birth certificate, courtesy of Uncle Don." Sutton gathers the papers, replacing the post-it on top, and sticks the safety deposit back in the slot. "Now what?"

"Beats me." I shrug, following my sister out of the back room and through the bank. "But I need to get to work. We can meet with everyone later to get their thoughts."