Page 73 of Unhinged Cain

Reaching the office door, I pulled out the lock-pick tools from my back pocket. This was one of the greatest inventions I’d ever come across. The liquid plastic would squeeze out of the end of the device on a thin piece of metal and fill the shape of the keyhole. It took sixty seconds for the product to harden once it came into contact with air, and just like that, you had a key for any door.

Grabbing the handle, I pushed the door slowly inward. The office was exactly how I pictured it would be—perfectly even lines on the shelves and nothing out of place anywhere on the desk. The walls were such a deep burgundy color that it looked like red wine had been used instead of paint. Crisp white trim circled the room. It was even around the window and door, but the framed accolades were what stood out.

The shelves and surfaces were full of them but free of any kind of family photos. There was nothing personal that told a story about who Margret was outside of work. Not a single picture of Kirby could be found. I circled the desk to be sure, and there was a picture of Margaret shaking the President’s hand sitting in a frame on the desk, but other than that, the room was barren of any emotional ties. I was starting to wonder if Kirby got her inner demons from Margaret. Maybe she was made more like the killers she chased than she liked to admit.

Running my hands over every surface and corner, I found the holy grail behind a set of filing cabinets. With a quick flick of my finger, the lock released, and I was able to swing the filing cabinet away from the wall. I wasn't sure what exactly I was after, but the thing was that Kirby’s unusual eyes were more than just rare. They were such an exotic color that legends and myths about eyes like hers were made. Purple eyes were only possible if, somewhere in her genetic makeup, at least one person had a bit of albinism, which was almost as rare as her eyes.

Someone not obsessed with eyes may not know that particular fact, but that was the thing about a collector. We learned all there was to know about what was collected. Kirby mentioned that her mother got pregnant on a mission and that she had a moment of weakness with some random guy. I called bullshit. Margaret was many things, but fucking a random guy type, she was not.

This meant one of two things. Either Margaret was raped and didn’t want to admit it, or Margaret knew who Kirby’s father was and had kept it a secret her entire life. I was betting on the second. I didn’t have any reason to believe that was the case, but I’d studied Agent Lawson almost as much as I had her daughter, so it was a gut feeling.

So that left one question. Why would she lie?

I punched in the numbers from Kirby’s phone and knew if this didn’t work, I was going to have to run for the exit. “Moment of truth.”

With the press of the last number and a quick twist of the handle, the door gave a soft clunk and pop sound as it released. Flicking on the phone’s light, I rummaged around inside the safe and found an assortment of expensive items. The fancy watch and diamond jewelry set would’ve been enticing if I'd been a typical robber, but I wasn’t. Zeroing in on the files, I pulled them out one at a time. I thumbed through the boring documents, not seeing anything out of place until I reached the thick investment portfolio.

“What do we have here, Margaret? You’re quite the devious woman, after all. I’m impressed.”

I took pictures of everything that would be useful and then some. The folder looked innocent enough at first glance, but the very last page had a name on it that was well-known in these parts. Looking closely at the paperwork, it seemed like a business agreement, but it didn’t read properly, at least not for any normal business.

With a smirk, I put everything back in just the way it had been and locked the doors on my way out. Walking out the back door, I hid among the bushes and was just about to jump over the fence when I could hear a couple talking as they walked down the street. There was the distinct jingle of a collar.

As soon as the dog reached the other side of the wood fence, it stopped and pushed part of its nose through the slat. I held perfectly still as it began to growl and then bark, making my jaw clench together.

“Come on, Daisy, stop it,” the woman said.

Yeah, Daisy, stop it.

“It’s probably a cat or something,” the man commented.

Or something would be correct.

As soon as they were out of sight, I made my move and hopped over the fence and cut across the street to the park, where I took off the booties, gloves, and mask I was wearing. My mind whirred as the information traveled around in my brain. A smirk crossed my lips as I watched a car pull away from the shoulder. There were moments in life you had to let go, and this was going to be one of those moments with my Sunshine.

Sometimes people needed a gentle shove to have them embrace their true selves, but I was prepared to throw my Sunshine off the cliff and see if she could grow wings.

MARGARET

“Oh fuck yes,” I screamed and dug my nails into the young ass that was feeding me his cock. I’d gone far too long without sex, and it was like I’d been starving for it.

“Mrs. L, you feel so fucking good,” Peter groaned as he picked up the pace.

He wasn’t able to last very long, but he could get it up multiple times. I’d taken the night off to come over and talk to Peter about ending things before Kirby got back from her trip, but as soon as he opened the door and offered to open a bottle of wine, the idea went out the window. Besides, my daughter had clarified her intentions with Peter, so why not take him up on his offer?

I gripped his ass hard and arched off the bed as I came.

“Yes, dig your nails in. I love that,” Peter said and picked up the pace. A few thrusts later and he froze in place as he came and then laid down on top of me, panting. “You’re amazing, Mrs. L. I don’t want this to end,” he said, rolling off me and flopping on the bed.

“Kirby’s trip is going to be over soon, and she will be back. Are you prepared for the blowback if we keep this up and she finds out?”

“Yeah, about that. I don’t think she’s going to want to see me again,” Peter said and sat up.

“Why? I thought you wanted to marry her?”

Peter rubbed the back of his neck, and it was easy to tell that he didn’t want to talk about it, but I needed to know what had happened. “Tell me, what’s going on, Peter?”

“We had this stupid fight, and I was a bit of an ass. We were fighting in the car, and I pulled over. We fought some more, and it got a little physical, she was hitting me, and I had a hold of her hair. Completely in self-defense, of course. Anyway, she got out of the car, and I left her on the side of the road.”