I didn’t respond. The three of us knew all too well what it felt like to have someone you love disappear. Even if, in our case, our mother made a conscious choice to walk away.
Becket straightened. “Speaking of desperate. My contact in Montreal called,” Becket said, and he looked unusually tense. I should have noticed it from the moment he walked in.
“And?” Phoenix urged.
Becket’s gaze moved between us before settling. “Our mom’s name came up.”
Silence fell heavy. My stomach felt like I had just bungee jumped off a bridge.
“She’s in Canada,” Becket said matter-of-factly. “She was in the US for a long while, but she’s in the country now.”
The words hit harder than any punch I’d taken last night. Alive? All this time?
I stared down at the bar.
Phoenix let out a slow breath. “You sure?”
“Yeah,” Becket said quietly. “It’s her. It’s not a lot, but knowing she’s here in the country…”
We all sighed in some way.
“How do we get more information? Why does your contact have information on her? Are they following Mom for some reason?” My questions came out like shots.
“Trust me, I had just as many questions,” Becket replied. “My contact in Montreal knows the story of how she left. She always told me that she probably just started a new life and a new family somewhere, even though she said as a mom herself she didn’t know how someone could leave her kids.”
His words sat heavy between us. Her leaving marked each of us in a different way.
“So what does this mean now? She’s in Canada, so what?” Phoenix asked, his voice scratchy but underlying with hurt.
“My contact couldn’t say much. Everything was off the record. I’m not an officer involved on the case she’s working, so I need you guys to keep this quiet. Especially from Dad,” Becket emphasized.
“Don’t you think he’d want to know?” I snapped.
“No.” His answer was immediate. Final. “Dad made it clear a long time ago he didn’t want to look for her. I don’t know if he was driven by ego or hurt, but this stays between us.”
“Eric should know,” Phoenix added.
“So tell him, but keep it quiet. Whatever case my contact is working can’t get compromised. She said it was important and a long time coming. I shouldn’t have shared this with either of you, but I couldn’t hold it in either,” he said sadly.
“I get it, bro,” Phoenix said, and he reached a hand across the bar and placed it on Becket’s shoulder.
“Who’s this contact in Montreal anyway? Wasn’t she helping with Harmony’s stalker too?” Phoenix asked, his lip curled on the right side.
“Not like that, bro. She’s a single mom of two. Her ex-husband works for the RCMP,” Becket explained, which meant he was high level like the FBI in the United States.
“Ex-husband,” I laughed.
“Don’t start, Asher. You’re an easy target right now. That pretty blond working the orchard has your panties in a twist,” Becket countered.
“Fuck off,” I countered with a chuckle. “Looks like I hit a sensitive spot. Single mom. What is she, provincial police? She helped with Harmony, so maybe she’s RCMP too.”
“You’re such a child,” Becket said, shaking his head.
“You can’t use that on me anymore. I’m responsible now,” I winked.
“That’s enough,” Phoenix said sternly, looking between us. As our oldest brother, he was used to putting his foot down.Then he focused on Becket. “If you hear anything else on Mom, keep us posted.”
“I won’t hide anything. We all deserve an explanation,” Becket said solemnly.