Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Her headlights disappeared down the road after the deputy and I realized I’d underestimated her. I’d been so certain the moment she saw my message she’d do exactly what I wanted and run again. She hadn’t.
She was always stubborn. Just like her uncle.
My mouth thinned as I continued to observe the activity around Pete’s cabin.
All they had to do was back off. That’s all I wanted.
I’d warned the former sheriff to let the past go.
Told him if he dug too deep he’d find something ugly.
But the lawman refused to back down. He couldn’t accept defeat.
Pete had failed to solve Abby’s case in the past and he was determined to do so before he died.
He had. Only I couldn’t let the world know that truth.
Now, Pete’s niece was here to take up the quest of her uncle.
They just wouldn’t let her rest in peace.
I watched the deputy and her talk without realizing how close I am.
I have no doubt he’d called in the crime scene tech.
Not that it mattered. They wouldn’t find anything to identify me.
And I now had the journals. They would confirm what I knew in my heart.
Pete had figured out the truth. Getting rid of him had been the only answer.
Their voices had drifted my way. Hers tense. His uncomfortable. Their reunion was almost humorous. But it’s time for me to leave. I’d almost given too much away earlier when my phone rang. Thankfully, I’d had the foresight to put it on silent.
I retraced my steps back to the place where I’d parked. I must hurry. Thankfully, I know a shortcut that will shave off precious time.
Driving without the headlights on, I think about what will come. If Charlotte continued to dig into the past she’d find the truth like her uncle. And when she did, I’d bury her in it. . .just like I had him.
Ryan turned his truck around and pulled up beside her window as they reached the edge of town.
“You should be safe here. Be sure to lock your door and call me if anything comes up.”
Despite their rocky history, she was grateful for his concern. “I will, I promise. You’ll let me know what you find?”
Those unforgettable gray eyes bored into her. “I will. Whatever it is, I’ll let you know.”
It would have to do. Charlie thanked him and rolled her window up. She drove slowly away, her gaze flicking to the rearview. Ryan sat where she’d left him for a moment longer before he headed back up the mountain.
With distance between them, she could breathe normally again though all sorts of emotions swirled around in her head.
She’d loved him. In the months following her parents’ death, grief had brought them together.
They spent every possible second with each other.
The sweet romance that had started as teens deepened into love.
But the pain she couldn’t let go of tore them apart. For a year she fought it hoping things might turn out differently, yet every minute she spent in Pine Haven was a reminder of the things that were lost.
And so she’d left. She didn’t have the courage to tell Ryan in person. She’d just left him a note on his car windshield and fled despite Pete begging her to stay. Talk it out with Ryan. She’d taken the coward’s way out back then.
She would never do that again.
Charlie drove slowly through downtown. She needed time to compose herself before facing Lila. Her high school friend was another casualty of her actions. She’d made so many promises to come back to Pine Haven for a visit only to back out at the last minute. She couldn’t. She just couldn’t.
The town was the embodiment of Christmas as she drove around for a bit collecting herself. Pine Haven always went all out for the holiday. It was one of the things she loved about the place.
As Christmas drew closer, there was the festival at the park downtown.
Then the Christmas Eve service at church.
Good memories mingled with the ugly ones.
It hadn’t been all bad. While growing up, Charlie couldn’t imagine leaving Pine Haven.
Her parents owned a hundred-acre spread with horses and cattle.
Charlie had learned to ride with her father as a toddler.
They’d spend hours on horseback in the mountain trails.
And later, she and Abby and Lila would take the horses out for rides. Abby was like a sister to her. So was Lila.
That night drilled at the back of her head.
Lila had refused to go along with their plan and so it had been just her and Abby.
She’d thought about calling Ryan. Back then, they were dating, and she loved spending time with him, but Abby had been going through a difficult time.
Something was troubling her, and she needed to talk.
Charlie suggested they meet up at the bridge.
She’d waited for hours that night, but Abby didn’t come. Afterward, Charlie slipped back into her room and fell asleep. The next morning, Abby’s parents came to the house wondering if Abby might be there.
The truth had come out. Uncle Pete was called to investigate.
And Abby walked into the pages of history.
Remembered by the releasing of balloons annually on her birthday or the anniversary of her disappearance.
She’d been honored at their high school graduation.
Whenever Charlie spoke to Lila, Abby inevitably came up as she did in Charlie’s conversations with Pete.
“I’m sorry, Abby. I’m so sorry.” Charlie glanced in the mirror at the older version of herself.
The fear shadowing her eyes reminded her that it was a very real possibility that what happened at her uncle’s home was connected to Abby’s disappearance.
Another death laid at Charlie’s feet. Her precious uncle had become the latest victim of the nightmare that wouldn’t end.
Find me. . .
Charlie could almost hear her friend whisper.
Find out what happened to me. . .
“I will. I’ll find out what happened, Abby. I promise.”
She turned onto Aspen Street where the park was located. Twinkling lights were draped along every light post. Across the bushes and trees. The gazebo was decked out as well. Near it, the small bench dedicated to Abby was a reminder of one of the darkest moments in Charlie’s life.
Growing up, she’d loved Christmas. Abby’s death and then five years later when her parents died, she’d come to hate it.
“I’m sorry, Jesus. I know this is an important time of year, but I just can’t.”
She never put up a tree anymore. Didn’t go to the Christmas services near her home. She just wanted to sleep through the whole event.
Turning back onto Main Street, Charlie drove to The Avalanche Café and parked out front. With a heavy sigh, she got out. Stress had her shoulder muscles cramped tight. The hours of driving and dreading being back here had turned a mild headache into a migraine.
The memory of that warning flashed through her head, turning her stomach.
Leave the past buried.
She couldn’t. Would she regret that decision?
Before she had time to reach for the door, it swung open.
“Charlie Wells, as I live and breathe.” Lila Jennings launched herself at Charlie who braced for impact.
Her bright smile was the last thing Charlie saw before she was enveloped in Lila’s strong hug.
Glimpses of red from Lila’s coat flashed in Charlie’s eyes.
“I’m so glad you’re home,” she said, out of breath.
Home. Was she home? Pine Haven was the last place she wanted to be.
The only place she had to be. Pete told her when he died the cabin and everything he owned would go to her.
Charlie couldn’t imagine staying here, yet the thought of selling the place hurt.
It was the only tangible place she had to call home anymore.
In DC, she lived in an apartment surrounded by neighbors she didn’t know.
She traveled extensively due to her work.
She hadn’t put down any roots since leaving Pine Haven.
Lila pulled back. “You look awful.”
Charlie smiled at her friend’s brash manner. “I’ve missed your directness.”
Lila’s intense brown eyes held Charlie prisoner. “Are you okay?”
Charlie didn’t want to get into it. “It’s been a long night.”
“I heard Ryan call it in on the police radio. You know how fast word gets around Pine Haven.” Lila draped her arm around Charlie’s shoulders. “Come on. I’ve got the wood stove fired up for you in the room. There’s elk stew ready, hot coffee, and I just happen to know all the town’s gossip.”
Charlie smiled her gratitude. “Thank you.”
She followed Lila through the door at the side of the café that led to a set of stairs. Whiffs of the promised stew mingled with what Charlie guessed would be Lila’s grandmother’s cinnamon roll recipe.
Down a long hallway with windows that faced the town was the studio apartment. Lila opened the door. The warmth inside greeted her. The place was decorated to a tee in a cozy mountain design. The wood stove scent mingled with a pine scented candle.
Lila shut the door and took Charlie’s bag, dropping it on the bed that beckoned her to sleep for hours.
“There’s a small kitchen through here.” Lila disappeared and soon came back with a bowl of her elk stew and warm sourdough bread. She placed them on the small round table opposite the bed. “Come. Eat. Tell me everything.”
Lila went back to the kitchen and poured two coffees.
“This smells wonderful.” Charlie sat down in front of the bowl of stew. “You really didn’t have to go to this much trouble.”
Lila slid the opposite chair out and sat. “No trouble. This was the special of the day and I remembered your favorite. Eat.”
Charlie took a spoonful of the stew and glanced around the small space. The bed was made up and everything looked ready for a guest.
“I never undid the bed from the last time you were supposed to come for a visit.”
Charlie sat her spoon down. “I’m sorry. I know I promised. Lots of times”
Lila held up her hand. “It doesn’t matter. I have you here now. And clearly your arrival has stirred up a stink.”
She hadn’t said a word to Lila about what she suspected. “You think—”
Before Lila could respond a firm knock sounded on the door. Lila rose and looked out the window below before turning back.
“Looks like your storm cloud just arrived.” Lila used the nickname she had for Ryan as a teen. She said he was like a storm cloud blowing through, clearing everything from its path.
Charlie sighed. “I wasn’t expecting him so soon. He never quits.”
Lila arched one blonde brow. “That used to be one of your favorite things about him.”
Charlie didn’t respond. She descended the stairs with her arms crossed and opened the door.
Ryan stood before her with his Stetson in hand. Snow melting on his jacket. “We need to talk.”
“About tonight or the past?” The words were out before she could stop them.
He didn’t blink. “Both actually, but for now, just the case.”
Charlie stepped aside to let him in. “Then let’s talk.”