Epilogue
Four weeks later…
I looked around my new one-bedroom apartment with enormous pleasure. I had so much more space than I'd had in the studio, and my windows now overlooked the river instead of an alley.
Since we'd returned from Stonecross, Tessa had also moved into a new apartment of her own and had no roommates for the first time in a decade. Morgan had actually broken up with Steven and had gotten her own place, too, so there had been a lot of changes in our lives.
The past four weeks had also seen Mysteries Uncorked climb to incredible heights, charting in the top five almost every week, and twice we had hit the number one spot in our genre.
We'd done a series of podcasts on Stonecross, featuring different aspects of the case, including the underground railroad, which my grandmother had allowed us to talk about on the show, since it was no longer operational.
She still had plans to help troubled women in the future, but she would have to find a different way to do that.
With our success, we'd signed up six sponsors, which had put enough money into our pockets to change our immediate living circumstances and given us a launchpad for the future.
My doorbell rang, interrupting my thoughts. Walking over to the intercom, I said, "Hello”, expecting to hear Tessa's voice as she and Morgan were due any minute.
But it was Finn's voice that came across the intercom, and it sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with fear but only with anticipation.
We'd texted and chatted by phone in the past month, and he'd told me he hoped to visit soon, but he hadn't told me when.
Now, he was here, and I was so shocked and excited, all I could do was stare at the intercom.
"Cassidy? Are you going to let me in?" he asked.
"Of course. Sorry. I'm on the eighth floor."
"I've got it."
I buzzed him in, then moved quickly to the mirror over the table in the entry to check my hair and makeup. It was lucky he'd decided to come now since I'd just gotten ready for our final podcast on Stonecross.
A knock came at my door, and I ran a hand through my hair as I went to open it.
Finn gave me a smile that took my breath away. For weeks, I'd told myself he wasn't that handsome, wasn't that great, but all those thoughts went out the window now.
"Hi," he said simply.
"Hi," I echoed. "Come in. It's great to see you."
"You too."
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming to New York?"
"I wanted to surprise you. Is it okay?"
"More than okay." As we gazed at each other a little too long, I cleared my throat and said, "Do you want something to drink?"
"No. I'm going to meet Sophie and Cole in a half hour. I just couldn't wait another minute to see you, Cassidy."
We'd been dancing around the subject of us being more than allies, maybe more than friends. It had been easier to leave everything undefined and up in the air while I was in New York and he was in Stonecross. But now we were face-to-face. And the air felt like it was sizzling between us.
"How long will you be in town?"
"I'll be here for about a week. And then I'll be back…permanently."
"What?" I asked, shocked again. "You're going to move to New York? What about Kelly's Pub? What about your parents?"
"My father and I have had some long talks. He's going to promote my assistant manager to manager, and he'll supervise. He's feeling good now, and he has been itching to get back into the bar more often; he just didn't want to get in my way."
"Which means what for you?"
"I'm going to open my own place, maybe in Manhattan, possibly Brooklyn, I'm not sure. I have some leads to check out this week."
"That's amazing, Finn. This is what you want?"
He nodded. "Yes. I finally stopped pretending I could be happy living my dad's life. There are parts of it I would like to live, like running my own bar and grill and finding the right person to settle down with."
My heart skipped a beat at the look in his eyes, and a wave of anxiety ran through me.
Was he moving for me? What if we didn't work out?
We barely knew each other, and the time we'd been together hadn't been real life.
It had been high-stakes, drama-packed days, with life-and-death situations.
What would happen if we were just normal people living normal lives?
"I didn't mean to scare you," Finn said with a knowing gleam in his eyes.
"I'm not moving here for you, Cassidy. I'm happy you're here, but this is a career move I had planned to make a long time ago.
I just got derailed by my father's stroke.
Then I got stuck until you arrived and shook everything up.
But there's no pressure. I'd like to get to know you better, see if whatever this is could be more.
If you're not on the same page, that's fine. We can just be friends."
"I'm on the same page. I want to get to know you, too."
Relief flitted through his blue-eyed gaze. "Good."
"Good," I echoed.
He smiled. "I know you're doing the podcast tonight, so I'm not going to stay. I just had to see you as soon as I got here."
"I'm glad you came by. But you don't have to leave yet. Tell me what's happening in Stonecross."
"Well, Nathan is in rehab and is determined to get his life in order. He told me he sent an apology letter to Tessa."
"He did, and Tessa seems willing to accept that, although I think he should be in jail for drugging her, but I know it would be difficult to prove he put anything in her drink because her tox screen was not definitive. I guess rehab is the next best thing."
"Nathan also gave Jessica's ring to Ellen. I assume Ellen will get it to her. He's trying to make amends. I think almost losing his life woke him up, and he wants to do better."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"And the other piece of news is that your father showed up."
"Seriously?" I asked in shock. "He finally went to see Ellen? I've been asking him for weeks, and he told me to back off. If he decided to go, he'd go."
"I guess your experience didn't bring the two of you closer."
"That may never happen, but then I didn't think he would ever go to Stonecross, so I guess there's still hope."
"Well, he didn't just come to town; he went to the inn. He apparently stayed for a couple of hours. After he left the apartment, he walked out on the deck and looked at the ocean in a contemplative way. Then he got in his car and drove away."
"Did Ellen tell you that?"
"No, someone Sophie used to work with. You know gossip flies fast in Stonecross."
"Well, I'm happy they talked."
"Has your dad spoken to Jessica?"
"She told me yesterday he reached out and asked to meet next week. She's nervous about it but also excited. I hope he doesn't let her down. But whatever happens, she and I will have a relationship."
"Jessica is safe now, right?"
"Yes. She gave her testimony and turned over all her evidence.
She can no longer be silenced. The police also found a money trail between Marcus Pierce and the fake Tyler Pierce in his murder-for-hire scheme.
Apparently, Marcus's real brother washed his hands of Marcus years ago.
" I paused. "Sometimes, I still can't believe I got taken in by a hit man.
I was just lucky I wasn't the hit. He could have easily killed me. "
"Let's not think about all the what-ifs anymore. Look at your beautiful apartment."
"It is nice," I said, giving him a proud smile. "You didn't see my other place, but it was about a tenth of this size and in a really noisy area. This feels so much better."
"I like the neighborhood. It has a good vibe."
"I can't believe you're moving here, Finn."
"I just wish it was today. But I have to find a place to live and a place to work until I can figure out how I might open my own restaurant."
"That's a lot to do."
"But it's exciting, and I can't wait."
"Me, either," I said. We stared at each other for another minute, and then I said, "Can I—"
He cut off my needy question with a hug, followed up by a kiss that was as hot and wonderful as I'd imagined it would be. One kiss turned into two as we sank into an embrace, we'd both been thinking about for a long time.
I could have stayed in his arms for a lot longer, but my doorbell rang, breaking us apart.
"We shouldn't have talked so long before we did that," I said breathlessly.
He laughed. "We'll make more time later."
"We better." I walked over to the intercom and buzzed Tessa and Morgan in. "Morgan is dying to meet you, by the way." I went over to the door and opened it.
A moment later, Tessa came in with her usual burst of energy, walking with the aid of a cane, but it was good to see her on her feet and looking like her usual self. She gave Finn a friendly hello, having forgiven him ages ago for not realizing she'd been drugged on Nathan's boat.
As Tessa stepped back, I introduced Morgan.
"I've heard a lot about you," Morgan said.
"Mostly good, I hope."
"How long are you in town, Finn?" Tessa asked.
"About a week, but I'm planning to move here."
Tessa's jaw dropped, and she flashed me a quick look. "Well, isn't that great?" She smiled as her gaze moved back and forth between us. "And if there's something going on here between you two, that's also great."
Finn smiled. "We'll see. I'll let you ladies get to your podcast."
I followed him to the door and stepped out into the hall with him.
"Give me a call when you're done with the podcast," he said, giving me another kiss before walking down the hall.
I let out a little sigh and then stepped back into my apartment to see two very curious faces.
"You and Finn?" Morgan asked. "Really?"
"Maybe. I didn't know he was moving here, so I didn't think anything could happen, but now…who knows? I guess we'll see where things go."
"I'm happy for you," Tessa said. "Where's Jessica? She's not here yet?"
"She's on her way." I had barely finished my statement when my doorbell rang again, and I buzzed Jessica in.
She arrived a moment later, looking happy and well-rested, her eyes no longer filled with fear, her face no longer stressed with worry lines. I gave her a hug and then introduced her to Morgan and Tessa.
"I feel like I already know you. Cassidy has talked a lot about you," Jessica said.
"Is everything good for you now?" Morgan asked.
"Yes. I'm finally free, and I'm ready for a fresh start here in New York and a chance to get to know my sister, and, hopefully, my father."
I smiled as her gaze swung in my direction. "I'm excited about all that, too. So, are you ready to do this? I know our listeners are eager to hear directly from you."
"I'm ready. This podcast is probably the reason I'm still alive so, let's do it."
I motioned everyone to my round kitchen table where I'd set up the microphones and camera.
"Why don't you start, Cassidy?" Tessa said. "This story has really been yours from the beginning. And this is our last podcast on Natalie, Jessica, and Stonecross."
"Okay," I said, much more comfortable with being the lead now.
"Welcome to Mysteries Uncorked. I'm Cassidy, and I'm joined by Morgan and Tessa, and a very special guest, one of the women we hoped desperately to find, Jessica Trent.
Tonight, we'll be wrapping up our series on the Stonecross disappearances, and we'll hear directly from Jessica about what it felt like to run and hide, fake her own death, and face down a killer. "
"Which she didn’t do alone," Tessa interjected.
"She's right," Jessica said. "Cassidy was right there with me, and I wouldn't be here without her."
"Let's start at the beginning," Morgan interjected.
As Jessica launched into her story, I looked at the comments pouring in and then at the faces of my dear friends and my unexpected sister.
The podcast had started as a lark, a way to kill time while we looked for other jobs.
And now it had become not just a job but a career, with listeners and sponsors and the opportunity to change lives, to put a spotlight on people who had fallen into the shadows, and hopefully to do some good.
I had no idea where we would go next, but I couldn't wait. So many people needed their stories to be heard, and I was going to make sure that happened.