Free Liberty...And Justice for All by Leigh James

pretty city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Like the others in its neighborhood, Robert’s house was colorful, charming, and perfect. Unfortunately Robert Kingston was none of these things, although he was handsome and well-dressed, like the rest of the family.
    He was Alexandra’s full brother. Their mother, Rita, had passed away a few years ago. Robert had dark hair and warm brown eyes like his sister, but that warmth didn’t seem to reach the rest of him.
    He’d been warned about our visit. “I know why you’re here. I heard from Jacoby and Katrina. And then I called Alexandra,” he said, motioning for us to sit in the living room. Matthew slumped down and sighed, waiting for what was becoming a painfully familiar routine. Catherine was picking at her nails, ignoring us; Robert was handsome and seemed ill-tempered, but he lacked Jacoby’s expensive designer jeans.
    “I don’t have your necklace,” he said, cutting right to the chase. “Although I’m leery of actually calling it yours.”
    “Alexandra gave it to me, with a note from our father,” I said. “He wanted me to have it. To make up for the child support I never saw growing up, the college I never attended. I didn’t ask him for it. I didn’t ask for any of this,” I said. There was a quiver in my voice; I had officially been beaten down by the icy indifference of my new siblings.
    “He gave you money that rightfully belongs to the rest of us,” Robert said. He was calm and poised but I could sense anger running beneath the surface. “I didn’t take the necklace, Liberty. I don’t think you deserved it, or the other money Eric gave you. But I didn’t steal from you. So proceed as you will.”
    I looked at my handsome brother and sighed. “I don’t even care about the money—but I disagree with you, on principle,” I said. “That money was Eric’s to give. He made a choice to include me in his estate. Just like he made the choice to never meet me, to leave me alone in Oregon my whole life.”
    Robert looked at me for a beat. “Did you ever consider that you were the lucky one?” He asked. “Nice guys don’t do stuff like that, Liberty.”
    I exhaled. “Was he really that bad?”
    “He hurt a lot of people,” Robert said. “He hurt the people he was closest to. He ruined my poor mother. He cheated on her, with your mother and with others. She never got over it,” he said.
    “I grew up around him, but we weren’t close. So to have someone right in front of you, not accepting you for who you are… And hurting the people you love the most…” His eyes went dark. “I swear, he sent my mother to an early grave.”
    I frowned at him and then thought of the note Eric had left me, and how sorry he’d been for the choices he’d made. “I’m sure he wasn’t perfect,” I said. “I know he made bad choices. But I also know he wasn’t all bad.”
    Robert raised his eyebrows at me. “Alexandra was right about you,” he said.
    “How’s that?” I asked.
    “She said you were an optimist.” It didn’t sound like a compliment.
    I just looked at him. “Meeting you all has been negatively impacting that.”
    “But you’re not going to give up,” he said.
    “Nah,” I said. “Because now, I’m pissed. Okay, I have to ask you—did you tell anyone else about the necklace? And do you have an alibi for that night?”
    “I discussed it with Jacoby, Alexandra and Katrina, but that was it. And I went to see an author speak at The Music Hall that night. I can find the ticket stub. I’ll send it to you.”
    “Great,” I said, even though none of it was great. I had no leads, and I had three new half-siblings who appeared to hate my guts. I stood up to go. “It was nice to meet you, Robert. Sort of.”
    “It was sort of nice to meet you, too,” he said.
    I took a big gulp of fresh air when we got back outside.
    “Who needs a drink?” I asked. “Besides me?”
    Matthew raised his hand.
    Catherine just looked at me.