Homecoming (Downeast #1)

Chapter 14

Chapter

Fourteen

When Dan came to bed an hour later, Kara reached for him and held on tight to her true love.

“We never got to talk about your lunch with the girls. Was it great to see them?”

“Yeah.”

He pulled back so he could see her face. “That doesn’t sound very enthusiastic. You were so excited to see them.”

“Apparently, I stayed away too long.”

“What do you mean?”

“They expressed their displeasure with my long absence.”

“For real?”

“Yes. Renata says I shouldn’t take it personally. They’re taking out frustrations with their own lives on me, but it felt pretty freaking personal.”

“They know why you left—and why you stayed gone.”

“I think they felt it was unfair to punish them for what other people did.”

“But you talked to them all the time. Text, FaceTime, photos back and forth.”

“I guess there’s no substitute for friends who are physically present.”

“I’m so sorry they made you feel that way, hon. You don’t deserve that.”

“In a way, I do.”

“How so?”

“When things blew up with Kelly—and Matt—I disengaged from everything. I went to work, came home and stayed away from everyone—except Bertha. I still saw her regularly. But I stopped everything else because I couldn’t bear to see people looking at me like I was the most pathetic person they knew.”

“Aw, babe. You were never pathetic. Matt and Kelly were the pathetic ones.”

“Do you know what it’s like to live in a place like this, where everyone knows everyone, and the whole town is talking about the sisters feuding over a man?”

“I can’t say that I do.”

“It was brutal. Then they got engaged, and my parents stepped up to help them plan a wedding, and I had to get out of here. I couldn’t take it for another second. I left without even saying goodbye to the girls. I got in my car and drove out of town and never looked back.”

“You did what you needed to for yourself and your own sanity.”

“I was only thinking of myself. I didn’t give a thought to what my sudden departure would mean for them. They were my real family here, you know?”

“I do know that. You’ve always said that about them.”

“They deserved better from me.”

“You’re being super hard on yourself, when yourself doesn’t deserve that. They might’ve done the same thing if it’d happened to them.”

“They couldn’t have left like I did. They wouldn’t have been able to afford to just up and leave their whole life the way I did.”

“I’m sure you used your own money to pay for the move.”

“Nope. I made the company pay for it as part of my punishment of my parents. Not that I took a lot of stuff, but they paid for what I did take, and the girls know that because I told them I stuck it to my dad and made him pay for the move. They don’t have a Ballard Boat Works to turn to when times get hard.”

“I’ll bet that’s the only time you ever turned to the company or your parents for that kind of help.”

“It is, but they?—”

“Kara, you didn’t do anything wrong. Companies pay to relocate employees all the time.”

“I know it’s common practice, but the success of my father’s business had separated me from my friends long before this happened. I swear they never believed he wasn’t fully supporting me since I had a nice apartment in town and a car I bought new, but I paid for that myself while the three of them struggled financially much more than I ever did. Coming back here has reminded me of things I’d forgotten about while I was gone.”

“You made different choices for your life than they did. Ellery got married young and bought the inn. Jessie’s chosen to stick it out with Doug, for now anyway. Renata keeps working for Williams when she might’ve moved on to something that paid better. They own their choices just like you own your decision to leave here when it became impossible for you to stay.”

“I guess.”

“It’s true, love. You’re still the same person you were the day we met.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You are. What do you mean?”

“I’m different now.”

“How?”

“For one thing, I never, ever, ever worry about money anymore. I can’t remember the last time I gave a thought to how I was going to pay for something.”

“So your marriage to the wildly successful, devastatingly handsome and fiercely sexy lawyer hasn’t helped the situation?”

Kara burst out laughing. She laughed so hard, she feared she might wet the bed. By the time she caught her breath, she had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

“Was it something I said?”

“Don’t make me laugh like that again unless you want to sleep in a wet bed. Your huge baby is camped out on my bladder.”

“I can’t help it if I’m devilishly funny on top of all my other endearing qualities.”

She pinched his lips closed. “Stop talking.”

He twisted free of her grip. “That takes me right back to our glorious early days together when you were forever trying to get me to shut up.”

“I never have succeeded in that.”

“Others before you have tried and failed.” When she raised a brow, he quickly added, “Parents, teachers, coaches, bosses, professors, law firm partners.”

“Nice save, Counselor.”

“Phew, that was a close one.”

“You’re always a heartbeat away from big trouble.”

“I like to live dangerously.” He tenderly brushed her hair back from her face. “I feel bad that your time with your friends was upsetting.”

“It is what it is, but I’m hoping to have more time with them while we’re here to work things out. If that doesn’t happen, it’ll be okay because I have you and Dylan and Bertha and Buster and your family and all our family on Gansett Island. Our chosen family.”

“I’m sorry if being with me has made a tough situation worse for you, though.”

“Being with you has made my whole life complete. Despite your overinflated ego, you’re the best thing to ever happen to me, and you make me deliriously happy most of the time.”

He gave her the side-eye. “Only most of the time?”

“Take the victories where you can get them.”

“Yes, dear. So I’m the best thing to ever happen to you, huh?”

“Go away, Dan.”

“But you just said you loved me more than anything!”

“When did I say that?”

“I heard it. I swear I did.”

“I’m going to sleep now.”

“Kiss me good night.”

“I already did.”

“Do it again.”

She reached for him and kissed his face off, until he was panting like a teenager in the throes of first lust. “Good?”

“Um, well, I seem to have a whole other problem now.”

“You can work that one out on your own. Your child and I are going to sleep.”

“Wow, that’s super mean. I never knew you were so mean.”

Kara fell asleep smiling, the way she did every night since Dan Torrington had given her no choice but to fall madly in love with him.

Wide awake in every possible way after that kiss from his wife, Dan set up shop on the kitchen table. He helped himself to one of Bertha’s Millers and then got busy digging into the police and autopsy reports.

He was thoroughly engrossed when he sensed a presence behind him. When he turned, he found Buster hovering in the doorway as if he wasn’t sure if it was okay to come into the room.

“Hey, Buster. Hope I didn’t disturb you.”

“No.”

He went to the fridge, withdrew a Miller and twisted the cap off. “Kara?”

“She’s okay and so’s the baby, thankfully.”

Buster nodded as he took a sip of beer. “They didn’t kill that girl.”

“I know.”

“Keith’s a dick, not a murderer.”

Dan nodded, intrigued by Buster’s take since Kara had once described her uncle as the keenest observer of people she’d ever met. “That’s what I hear from others.”

“Can you fix it?”

“I’m trying like hell.”

“Good.” He took his beer and headed for the door, dropping a newspaper on the table as he went.

“Night, Buster.”

“Night.”

Dan picked up the copy of the Mount Desert Islander and glanced at the front page, which bore a banner headline that said Ballard Sons Arrested In Weekend Murder .

Bar Harbor — Keith and Kirby Ballard, sons of Ballard Boat Works owners Chuck and Judith Ballard, were arrested on Saturday in connection with the murder of Tanya Sorenson, 21, who was in town for a bachelorette party. She was the daughter of Mitchell and Deborah Sorenson, longtime summer residents of Bar Harbor. The party was for Jessa Kaul, the fiancée of Tanya’s brother, August Sorenson.

Sources tell the Islander that Keith Ballard, 37, had been seen with Ms. Sorenson at the Barnacle Lounge during the evening. According to onlookers, Ballard and Sorenson danced for most of the evening and disappeared together for about forty-five minutes before returning for last call.

The wedding party was staying at the Sorenson home on West Street. Ms. Kaul and August Sorenson are due to be married at the Sorenson home in October.

Keith Ballard, who’s well known to local police, works as a laborer at Ballard Boat Works. He attended Mount Desert High School, but there’s no record of his graduation. His brother Kirby, 30, is also employed by BBW, as a master craftsman. He’s a graduate of Mount Desert High School and Colby College.

The Sorenson and Kaul families have requested privacy at this difficult time. Calls to the Ballard family went unreturned at press time. Celebrated defense attorney Daniel Torrington, brother-in-law to the Ballards, is representing Kirby Ballard. Torrington is married to the former Kara Ballard, and the two reside on Gansett Island in Rhode Island. Another brother-in-law, local attorney Matthew Gallagher, represented Keith Ballard at today’s arraignment at which the brothers were held without bail pending a preliminary hearing next week.

Dan had no sooner read the article than his phone rang with a call from the Mount Desert Islander .

“Dan Torrington.”

“This is Elias Young with the Mount Desert Islander . I apologize for calling so late, but I have a couple of questions after today’s court appearance. Do you have a minute?”

“I do.”

“You’re listed as representing Kirby Ballard. Who’s representing Keith?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Why are you not representing both of them?”

“Because Keith chose not to retain my services.”

“For real?”

“Yes.”

“Does Keith know who you are?”

“Probably. I’ve been married to his sister for a couple of years now, but I’ve only met him once before at our wedding.”

“Huh, personally, I’d jump at the chance to have you on my team if I were in his shoes.”

“I can’t speak for him. He’s not my client.”

“What can you tell me about Kirby’s whereabouts on the night in question?”

“He spent the evening at home and left only to pick up Keith in town to give him a ride home. He had no contact with the victim, except to ask his brother if she wanted a ride somewhere. Keith said she was all set. When they left, Ms. Sorenson waved to them from the sidewalk. I believe the place where she was staying was close to where they were.”

“The eyewitness report puts both brothers on the sidewalk with her.”

“Kirby never got out of his vehicle.”

“That’s something I hadn’t heard before now. Why do you suppose he was charged?”

“You’d have to ask the state police and attorney general about that.”

“Is there anything else you can tell me?”

“My client is an innocent man. He should never have been charged in this case.”

“Thank you for your time.”

“No problem.”

Dan ended the call, hoping he hadn’t made anything worse for Kirby by being blunt with the reporter.

Next, he dove into the police report, which laid out the timeline of events, including statements from witnesses that confirmed Keith and Tanya had danced for more than an hour, disappeared for a time together and then returned for last call. After that, they were seen leaving the bar hand in hand. Security cameras in town had recorded them walking down the hill toward the waterfront.

The eyewitness claimed that he’d seen Keith and Kirby standing on the sidewalk next to Kirby’s vehicle, talking to Tanya, yet Kirby claimed to have never left the vehicle. So how did this so-called witness see him on the sidewalk?

The autopsy report was next and detailed a blood alcohol level of 0.19%. He used his laptop to search for the legal limit in Maine, which was 0.08%, so Tanya was significantly over the legal limit for intoxication. She’d died from a blow to the head, but police hadn’t determined the weapon used. DNA found on her body and in her vagina had matched with the sample taken from Keith Ballard after he was arrested, which meant they’d had sex when they snuck off together.

His next move was to find Tanya on social media. He located an active Instagram account full of photos with friends and family, including her brother and his fiancée taken at an engagement party for the couple earlier in the summer.

Tanya had long blonde hair, blue eyes and a gorgeous smile.

Had Keith realized she was only twenty-one? He wouldn’t have known that just by looking at her because Dan would’ve guessed her to be in her mid-twenties at least.

His heart ached for her family as he read some of the tributes to her that’d been posted.

My baby sister is gone, August had written along with photos he’d posted of them together from the time they were young children. Judging by those early pictures, he was about five or six years older than her. Tanya’s smile lit up our world. She filled our lives with joy and laughter and a childlike sense of wonder that she never outgrew. We’re forever changed by this loss and will do everything in our power to get justice for our Tanya. Sleep in peace, sweet girl.

The post had generated an outpouring of sympathy for August and his parents as well as their extended family.

He clicked on the link to Tanya’s Instagram account and scrolled through a year’s worth of posts, looking for insight into her life. She’d graduated from high school in Madison, Connecticut, and had attended the University of Connecticut. She was a proud Huskie, often posing in UConn sweatshirts and other clothing, due to graduate in May.

She’d loved spending summers in Bar Harbor, where she worked as a sailing instructor at the Northeast Harbor Sailing School.

Dan fell into a social media rabbit hole as he read through posts and comments. One of the posts from May caught his attention. She’d posted a selfie in which she looked reflective. Sometimes things don’t work out the way you hoped they would. People show you who they really are, and that can be super disappointing. Thankful to all my sweet friends who are there for me when I need them.

The comments were equally revealing.

He didn’t deserve you. I never thought so.

You’re better off without him.

You won’t be single for long, girlfriend.

We’re here for you! Glad you threw out the trash!

Dan sent an email to Clarissa, one of the female investigators who worked for his innocence project in Los Angeles. She was young and hip and understood social media at a level he never would. He sent her the link to the post that had piqued his interest. How can we find out who the guy was?

As a defense attorney, his goal was to introduce reasonable doubt into a case, to show the jury that the murder could’ve been committed by someone else who had a motive. Tanya’s ex was a possible avenue in that direction. Was it a long shot? Sure, but it was a place to start.

Clarissa emailed him back a short time later. Hey! Let me dig in. I’ll get back to you tomorrow. How’s Maine?

Thank you. Maine is interesting. Lots of family dynamics at play—and not all of them the good kind. Appreciate the assist.

Happy to help.

Dan continued to read through Tanya’s posts until his eyes were crossing from exhaustion. Yawning, he closed his laptop and got up to stretch out the kinks. He did a double take when he saw the clock on the stove, which read 2:10 a.m.

He moved quietly through the house, got ready for bed and snuggled up to Kara’s warm body, his thoughts full of another young woman, whose life had been taken from her far too soon.