Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1)(17)

I waited for my magic to click. It didn’t come. Cornelius was telling the truth. No love lost between him and Adam Pierce’s mother. I made a mental note in case I’d need it later.

“How long have you known Adam?”

“Since we were very young children,” Cornelius said. “Four or five.”

True. “Are you his friend?”

Cornelius laughed quietly, a humorless, dry sound. “Are you a member of House Pierce?”

“No,” I said.

“So you’re hired help?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Are you doing this job under duress?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

Cornelius smiled. “Because nobody in their right mind would go after Adam unless they had no choice. Also because that’s the way House Pierce operates. They use both carrot and stick at the same time. You’re hired help, and I assume at some point you will be paid. I was hired help, but I received no compensation. Quite the opposite. My mother and Christina Pierce went to college together. At some point it was decided that Adam needed a boyhood companion.” He sank an ocean of sarcasm into those two words. “I was volunteered for the job. Nobody asked me or Adam if we were happy with the arrangement.”

“Were you happy with it?”

Cornelius leaned forward a little and said, pronouncing the word with crisp exactness, “No.”

True. “Why not?”

“Because I had the designated role of Adam’s keeper, even though we were roughly the same age. I was the ugly friend who makes a woman look better at a party: less powerful, less wealthy, less significant. When Adam got in trouble, I was supposed to step forward and take the responsibility for the act. Except Adam reveled in rubbing people’s noses in things he did. If he broke something, he would step forward and claim it like it was some worthy deed. Then I received the lion’s share of the punishment because I ‘failed to help him make good choices.’ This arrangement continued until college, where he and I finally went our separate ways. I do not count Adam among my friends. He is somebody I used to know.”

“And yet you posted his bail six times.”

Cornelius sighed. “After college I took some steps to separate myself from my family. I love them, but they tend to use me, and I’ve decided I don’t like being used. When my grandfather died, he left some money to me, which I used to purchase this house. For my sister, this would be a spare residence, one of several. For me and my wife, this is our home. This will likely be the only house we have, and we plan to pass it on to our children.”

His voice told me he was proud of it. He probably thought his house was modest. To me it was a palace. It was all in the frame of reference.

“I took steps to become largely independent of my family,” he continued. “However, at the time of Adam’s first arrest, his mother was in a position to influence my wife’s employment. I was given funds and asked to post his bail.”

“Why go through the trouble? Why didn’t House Pierce bail him out?”

“Because he publicly turned his back on them.” Cornelius grimaced. “His bad boy image would take an unrecoverable hit if it became known that his mommy and daddy put up the money to spring him out of jail.”

“But you, being the ‘boyhood’ companion, were safe.”

Cornelius nodded.

This was beginning to look like a dead end.

A hint of movement on the stairs made me turn. A Himalayan cat, its fur cream and chocolate, ran down the stairs, followed by a raccoon and a white ferret.

“Excuse me,” Cornelius said.

The three animals ran to his feet and sat, staring at him.

“I take it Matilda is awake.”

Three heads bobbed in unison.

Cornelius rose, took a sippy cup with a bright red top out of the refrigerator, and washed it under the faucet. The raccoon stood up on her hind legs. Cornelius held the cup out.

“Take the juice to her and entertain her until I come up.”

The raccoon took the juice into her dark paws and ran up the stairs on her hind legs. The cat and the ferret followed.

“You are an animal mage.” They were so rare that I’d only met one before.

“Yes. I’m not a Prime, so you shouldn’t worry about me summoning a pack of wild wolves to rip you to shreds.”

“Why did you wash the cup?”

“Because if I don’t, Edwina will wash it for me. It’s instinct, and she can’t help it. Unfortunately, she can’t distinguish between the water from the sink and the water from the toilet, as both smell clean to her. Are we finished?”

“Just a few basic questions. Do you know where Adam Pierce is?”

“No.”

True. “Do you have a way to contact him?”

“No.”

True.

“Does he have any friends or acquaintances with whom he keeps in touch?”

“Not from his old life. I’m his only link. He wasn’t unpopular—he was too handsome and wealthy—but he didn’t form any lasting friendships.”

“Do you have any information that could help me find him?”

“Direct factual information, no. But I can tell you that Christina would never allow her golden boy to suffer discomfort. One way or another, she is supporting him somehow. My advice is to follow the money.”