Chapter 43
Her heart was full. Paradise sat on the back deck and listened to the sounds of The Sanctuary—her sanctuary for now and always.
The tigers chuffed in the distance, followed by lions roaring. Monkeys chattered in their habitat and the parrot squawked.
Under those sounds she heard the distant clatter of Blake and Jenna cleaning up after dinner.
The door behind her slid open and closed, and two little boys ran to climb onto her lap. Levi wrapped his arms around her
neck, and Isaac laid his head on her chest. They were both fresh smelling from their baths, with damp hair that smelled like
Blake’s cypress and eucalyptus soap.
Levi put his palms on her cheeks. “I’m glad you’re ours, Paradise, and that no one hurt you today.”
“Me too,” Isaac chimed in. “You’re our girl.”
She pulled them both in for a tight hug. “I’ll always be your girl.”
The door opened again and Jenna called out for them to come to bed. “Aw, Mom,” Levi said. “We want Paradise to read to us
tonight.”
“She’s had a rough day, and I want her to rest.” Jenna’s firm voice held no room for disagreement.
“Okay.” Both boys got off her lap. “See you in the morning,” Levi said.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” Smiling, she turned to watch them go. Jenna was right about her fatigue—the police had been
here for several hours, and the day felt like it had been forty-eight hours long.
Blake exited after they filed into the house, and he shut the door after them. He settled on the glider beside her. The aroma
of grilled burger still clung to his hair. “Mom says they were scared today. They overheard all of it as the search was going
on. Jane and Rod had the Coast Guard out looking for both of us, and they kept checking in with Mom to see if she’d heard
from us.”
“Did they find Roger?” The Coast Guard had quickly located Dean’s body, but Roger wasn’t on the tiny island where Blake had
left him.
He pulled her tight against him. “They found someone’s foot, Paradise. They think he tried to swim across the waterway to
the other side to escape and a gator got him. The boot matched what Roger was wearing.”
She winced and tried to imagine the kind man from her childhood orchestrating all this. “Now Abby has to deal with what her
dad has done in an even more horrible way.”
She thought back to Abby’s warning. “Though I think the plan she overheard was her dad’s. I suspect she won’t be surprised
by this turn of events. She tried to warn me without implicating Roger. I assumed she’d overheard something at the bank, and
that’s why she wouldn’t tell me all of it.”
He nodded. “You’re right. Abby told Jane what she knew when Jane informed her about Roger’s probable death.
With all of it coming out, Lloyd agreed to a plea deal when they arrested him for Ivy’s murder.
He told them everything. Roger was determined not to let anything stand in the way of the fortune he’d get for the rare earth elements.
He was dying, and he wanted to ensure his family would be taken care of. ”
Paradise pulled back. “Now I feel even worse for Abby.”
“Adams blames you for the way his life turned out, so he was ready to do whatever Roger told him if it brought you trouble.”
“Did he tell Adams about the Phantom connection and have him leave the music box for me?”
“Yeah. He already knew about that from you spending time at his ranch as a kid, and when Bea mentioned it to Adams, Roger
dug the music box out of the basement.”
She rubbed her stinging eyes. “I loved Roger, Blake. I still can’t believe he’d do this to me. To all of us. What about the
mining company’s offer? Were they involved in the criminal activity?”
He shook his head. “Jane doesn’t think so. She did some digging early on and it appeared to be Roger who was behind it all.
He wanted that money. He hated what he had to do to you more than his plan to kill me.”
She buried her face in his neck. “I killed a man, Blake. I keep reliving it over and over in my head. I can’t seem to get
past it.”
His arms tightened around her. “I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. It will take time to deal with the guilt. Even when you know you
acted in self-defense, the guilt comes. But, babe, you had no choice. If you hadn’t acted, you’d be dead now.”
“My head knows that, but my heart keeps seeing Dean fall into the water.”
“Talk to God about it. That’s where real healing is found.”
“I know you’re right.” She leaned her head against him. “Drew texted me—he’d heard about what happened. He’s taking some vacation days and is coming to see me next week.”
“Maybe he’ll help you get answers. You’re starting to remember, and it might all come pouring out.” He started the glider.
“I hope so.” She enjoyed the companionable silence, and the rhythmic action of gliding back and forth soothed the last of
her stress. “I think the park’s future is finally secure. My social media posts will start to have an effect, and you’ll be
able to sleep at night knowing your family has a roof over their heads.”
“It feels like it’s been a long time coming. Frank brought Mom a check for another fifty thousand in donations. I think when
word gets out about what happened here, the community will rally around us.”
“And I’ll see about planning some big event days. Maybe an Easter egg hunt on the grounds.”
“And a predator feed at night, maybe during Halloween.”
“We can expand the petting zoo too.” So many plans raced through her head. With her brother arriving, she hoped to find who
killed her parents. And the thought of getting to know Drew was like anticipating Christmas. She’d have the help of someone
as determined to unravel the mystery as she was. Was the murder of his biological father related to the murders of her parents?
Blake pressed a kiss against the top of her head. “When I realized today how helpless I was to protect you, I finally understood
what you’ve been trying to tell me. It’s impossible to protect the ones you love from what happens in life. Life happens and
we can’t control it. All we can do is put it in God’s hands.”
Paradise squeezed his side. “And I realized that though I tried to summon as much courage as I could, I’m not brave at all.
My strengths aren’t the same as yours and never will be.
There’s no shame in leaning on each other to compensate where we need help.
I’m going to try to remember how happy I was to see you coming toward me in that boat. ”
His head swooped down for a kiss that she felt all the way to her soul. It promised love and care, devotion and passion. When
their lips parted, his breath was ragged and so was hers. This living apart wasn’t what she wanted anymore, but she’d already
asked him to marry her and he’d said no. Patience had never been something she aspired to, but it was something she’d have
to learn.
In the meantime she’d work at making the clinic in town a success and keeping the animals here healthy and happy. She smiled
up at him. “I’d take another kiss.”