Read Online Quid Pro Quo by Vicki Grant - Free Book Online Page A

and probably pretty stupid, but my mind wouldn’t give it up. It was like my subconscious or whatever you call it wanted to prove the worst was true, rub my nose in it. It said things to me like “She was just playing hard to get.” And “There was obviously something going on. She let him stay, after all!” Somehow blackmail didn’t seem like enough of a reason for anyone to put up with Byron.
    I saw little pictures of things that happened while Byron was living with us. Him singing, him giving Andy that “hey, baby” smile, her making sure he got his salad just the way he liked it. Then I remembered seeing that C.C. tattoo on his biceps when we were arm-wrestling, and all the blood ran out of my face. I suddenly knew what it stood for.
    Cyril Cuvelier.
    I really was his son! And the stupid mistake Andy said she made when she was a kid was me! And the reason Byron went to jail was because Andy was only fourteen when he got her pregnant, and that’s illegal.
    Oh, God.
    It all fit. I even remembered what they called it. “Statutory rape”—sexual relations with a minor child. An adult can’t do it with a kid under fourteen, even if the kid wants to. It was one of the few things they talked about at law school that I actually found interesting.
    I wanted to go back to sleep and just forget about everything. But I couldn’t. I still didn’t know why Andy’d just disappear like that. I still didn’t know where she was or what she was doing. I still didn’t know how I was going to survive.
    I heard the newspaper land at the front door. I needed to pee anyway, so I went and got it. I was really stiff, and my eyes burned when I opened the door and the light shone in. I grabbed the paper, slammed the door and went to the can.
    I didn’t trust my aim, so I sat. I scratched my head and rubbed my eyes. I put my elbows on my knees and looked down at the newspaper on the floor.
    There was a big red headline: “Suspect Sought in Masons’ Hall Fire.” Below it was a picture, one of those jailhouse photographs where the guy holds the numbers up in front of his neck. The guy was twenty-something, I’d say. He had a moustache that hung below his chin, and one eye was swollen shut, but I still knew right away it was Byron Cuvelier.

chapter
twenty-one

Arson
    The intentional setting of fire to a building
    Halifax Daily
    SUSPECT SOUGHT IN
MASONS’ HALL FIRE
    ANNA VON MALTZAHN
CRIME BUREAU
    Halifax Police have released the name of a suspect wanted in relation to the fire that destroyed a historic landmark and killed a homeless man on August 20 of this year.
    Byron Clyde Cuvelier, 37, of no fixed address, is described as being 5’11 and having a slim build and blue eyes. His arms and chest are extensively covered with tattoos and he is missing his right hand. He was last seen at the Life’s Work Shelter for Men on the night of the fire. According to witnesses, he left around midnight to go to the Masons’ Hall.
    Mr. Cuvelier served six years in Dorchester Penitentiary for the robbery that cost him his hand, but is not believed to be dangerous. According to acquaintances, Mr. Cuvelier began frequenting the men’s shelter about eight months ago upon his return to Halifax after several years of travel. He was apparently well liked by all.
    Gisele Theriault, Director of Life’s Work, described him as “kind and extremely intelligent. Byron was always helping the other guys with their problems. He spent time in Guatemala doing aid work so he knows how to relate to people in crisis.” Based on his experience, Ms. Theriault had just offered him a part-time job as a counselor at the shelter.
    Police are releasing few details, but sources reveal that an anonymous phone call this week provided the first real lead in the suspicious fire that killed Karl Stafford Boudreau, 49.
    The Masons’ Hall had been vacant for over three