forgotten (Twisted Cedars Mysteries Book 2) (4 page)

Charlotte believed he channeled those emotions into his stories for a reason—so he would never turn into the sort of man his father had been.

“Maybe you can do such a good job writing your book your father will end up spending the rest of his life in jail.”

“Love the idea. But it would be damn near impossible to build a case after almost forty years. There’s no statute of limitations on murder, but I’d bet little, if any, of the evidence will have survived this long. And remember this happened in the seventies. No real ability to do DNA testing, no Internet, hell, crime labs back then were in their infancy. Not nearly as sophisticated as today.”

“But still. Isn’t he afraid that by confessing to those crimes, he stands a chance of being charged and going back to prison?”

“Law enforcement would have to find him first. And I’m guessing he values notoriety more than his freedom, anyway.”

“Sounds like it’s also important to him to establish a connection with you.”

Dougal’s eyes darkened. “And I’ll be damned if I let that happen.”

day 1 after the accident

j
amie Lachlan pulled her car into the Wards’ driveway, feeling more lost than ever after a week-long camping trip that had been meant to give her clarity. Instead, she was wet, dirty and despondent.

A four a.m. downpour had caused her to pull up stakes and head back to Twisted Cedars.

But she felt no joy at being here.

The major changes that define a person’s life sometimes happen in an instant, like a car accident, or a devastating medical diagnosis. From that point onward, life can be measured in terms of “before” and “after.”

Other changes, equally major, take place over a period of time. Days, weeks, months or years.

For Jamie, her change happened in a span of one month and three days, the time between marrying Kyle Quinpool and discovering he’d probably killed his first wife.

In her “before” life Jamie had been a happy, well-educated woman with a good career as an accountant and a handsome, successful husband who loved her very much. Two step-children were part of the package, nine-year-old twins from Kyle’s first marriage to Daisy Hammond. Also part of the deal was a beautiful two-story Victorian, about ten times larger than the park model trailer where Jamie had grown up.

Very soon after her marriage, however, Jamie had begun to sense Kyle wasn’t the man she’d thought he was. When her brother discovered Daisy’s body buried behind the Librarian Cottage about five miles from town—and she herself had found proof that Kyle had been making withdrawals from his ex-wife’s bank account to create the illusion she was still alive—that hunch had become fact.

Jamie grabbed her backpack from the passenger seat, then went to the front door. Before she had the chance to knock, Stella was there.

Sixty-four-year-old Stella had been Jamie’s mother’s best friend, as well as business partner. For thirty-five years they’d cleaned houses together. And socialized, as well. Stella and her husband, Ward, had been like surrogate grandparents to Jamie and Dougal.

And that certainly hadn’t changed after Jamie’s mom died of cancer.

“I got rained out last night,” Jamie said. “And I didn’t know where to go.”

“I’m glad you came home.”

Stella gave her a warm hug, not seeming to mind that Jamie was damp and smelly.

After Jamie had showered and changed into dry clothes, she offered to cook a late breakfast of pancakes and scrambled eggs.

“That sounds delicious,” Stella said.

“Is Amos here?”

“Oh, he’s been gone since dawn. Fishing.”

Jamie hesitated, noting something off in Stella’s tone. Were there problems between her and Amos? Jamie hoped not. Their home was one of the few stable things in her life.

Puttering around Stella’s familiar kitchen helped Jamie feel normal again. She mixed up the pancake batter quickly, then put a frying pan and the griddle on the stove to heat.

When Stella tentatively asked how she was her anger and confusion came rushing back.

“It’s so awful what he did. I just wish I hadn’t sold my trailer. Or been gullible enough to quit my job for him. I hate not having a job to go to on Monday morning.” Her nerves tensed every time she thought about how Kyle had manipulated her into leaving her job...telling her his accountant had retired and he desperately needed help.

But when Jamie checked with his former accountant, she’d found Kyle had let her go.

Another lie. This one not as serious as the ones about Daisy. But still.

“If you ask Colin Howard, I’m sure he’ll give you your job back.”

“I hope so.” She spooned batter onto the griddle, then stopped to fume again. “How could I have been so wrong about him?”

“You aren’t the first woman to be charmed by a bad man.”

“I guess you’re referring to my Mom and her marriage to my father.” Jamie knew very little about Ed Lachlan. Her father had been gone before she was born. According to her brother, she was lucky.

Given what had happened subsequently—her father remarrying, then killing his second wife in a domestic dispute, and serving time for manslaughter—Jamie acknowledged Dougal was right.

But she felt an aching sadness about her father, all the same.

“Amos and I blame ourselves for introducing Katie to Ed in the first place,” Stella said.

“Mom wouldn’t want you to feel guilty. She made her own choice to marry him.” And now Jamie had made almost the same mistake as her mother. Only, instead of marrying a violent man who would one day kill his wife, she’d married one who already had.

“I can’t believe no one saw anything the night Daisy died.” Jamie added butter to the frying pan. “In a small town like this how is that possible?”

“There are more secrets in Twisted Cedars that you might guess.” Stella adjusted the wedding rings on her hand, then sighed and got to her feet. “Here, let me get the eggs for you.”

“Please sit down and relax. You work hard all week. You deserve a break.”

“Ah, you’re such a sweetie. So like your mother that way.”

“Helping out is the least I can do to thank you. I have no idea where I’d have turned if you hadn’t offered me your spare room.”

The house she’d shared with Kyle so briefly after their early June wedding had been cordoned off by the police after they found Daisy’s remains. Kyle had moved into his father’s apartment, while the kids, fortunately, were still at summer camp, blissfully unaware of the ugly drama playing out at home.

“It’s a pleasure to have you,” Stella insisted, sounding like she meant it.

Jamie put her arms around Stella’s plump shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “I can’t stay forever, though. And since Liz bought my trailer, I have no idea where I’m going to move.”

“Don’t be in a rush to leave. You have enough problems to worry about. Like those poor kids. Who’s going to tell them about all this?”

Jamie bit her lip. Despite having married Kyle, she had no legal claim to the twins. And that worried her. In the short time she and Kyle had been together, his daughter, in particular, had come to count on her.

Jamie had promised Cory that she would be still be there, a part of the family, when the twins came home from camp. At the time it had seemed an easy promise to make, because though she’d begun to have uneasy suspicions about Kyle, she’d never guessed he was actually behind the so-called “disappearance” of his first wife.

“Today is their last day at camp. Kyle and Charlotte, as well as the Sheriff, are going to pick them up and tell them the news together. ”

“Poor things. And where will they live now? Surely not with Kyle, if he’s under suspicion for their mother’s death?”

“Charlotte’s going to take them. She has lots of room in her house and I’m going to help with the move.” Jamie wished she could be given custody, at least temporarily, but since she and Kyle had been married for little more than a month, a blood relative had been preferred.

“What about the twins’ grandmother?”

Jamie shook her head. “Muriel isn’t up to it.”

“She did look frail at your wedding,” Stella agreed. “And I noticed she left early.”

A year ago everyone in town had been shocked when Muriel left her husband of over thirty years, Jim Quinpool, and moved to live with her sister in Portland.

But Kyle’s parents must have known what happened. How could they not, when they were living in the house where Daisy had died?

It could very well be that the strain and guilt had driven a wedge in the marriage and led to the divorce.

“What a sorry mess,” Stella said.

Jamie had to agree. In her “before” life, she would just be returning from her honeymoon now. Instead, she was alone again, without home or job.

t
here’s something I probably should have mentioned last night.”

Charlotte snuggled in Dougal’s arms. They were both naked, mellow after making love in the late morning sunshine that streamed through the open window. Across the room, Borden sat on a chair, watching them. Charlotte couldn’t decide if the cat looked disapproving, or merely bored.

Dougal ran his hand gently up and down her back. “What’s that?”

“The twins are coming home from summer camp today.” She cleared her throat, then gazed at his face to check his reaction.

“Good thing they weren’t home when we found their mother.”

“Yes...”

Dougal shifted up on one elbow. “What are you trying to say?”

“With Kyle under suspicion for Daisy’s death, and their grandmother out of town and in poor health, the kids need a temporary guardian.”

“Don’t tell me.” Dougal scrambled out of bed and reached for his clothes. “My sister volunteered, right? Jamie hasn’t been married to Kyle for even two months, and now she’s going to be saddled with his kids? Damn it, I wish that sister of mine would listen to me once in a while.”

“No, not Jamie.”

Dougal was pulling out his phone, but he paused at her words. Then he frowned. “So, if not Jamie, then...?”

“Me, Dougal. I’ve agreed to take custody of Chester and Cory. In fact, Wade will be here in thirty minutes. We’re supposed to be at Wolf Creek Camp by noon.”

* * *

“So how does Dougal feel about you taking custody of Daisy’s kids?” Wade asked.

Charlotte turned her gaze to the ocean on the right. The churning waves matched the way her stomach was feeling right now. “I just told him this morning. He was kind of...shocked.”

When she agreed to take the kids, she’d known her decision would likely endanger her fledgling relationship with Dougal. He had trouble enough committing to a woman, let alone one raising nine-year-old twins.

“It’ll be a big adjustment.”

“Yes.” They were about ten minutes from Wolf Creek Camp. Most of the drive up, Wade had spent on his phone checking in on the investigation into yesterday’s accident, as well as other Sheriff’s Office matters, including a call to the hospital to ask about the accident victim, who was still in a coma.

Ten minutes later, Wade turned off the coastal highway and headed east into the mountains. Wolf Creek Camp was only thirty minutes away now. Behind them, Kyle followed in his own vehicle, far enough back that Charlotte couldn’t see his face, let alone his expression.

If she was feeling anxious, she could only imagine how much worse it was for him. She gave a small laugh.

“What?” Wade asked.

“I just caught myself feeling sorry for Kyle.”

Wade glanced at her sympathetically. “It’s a complicated situation.”

They were quiet, then, as Wade concentrated on the narrow, winding road. Eventually he took the final turn and ahead of them were the camp buildings, including the main lodge, two bunkhouses, and a barn for the horses.

The camp had been configured around Wolf Creek which ran a lazy “S” through the property. Wade’s SUV jostled as he drove over the wooden plank bridge. The parking area ahead of them was almost empty. Wade had arranged with the camp director for them to pick up the twins two hours before the other campers’ parents were scheduled to arrive.

“I just wish I knew them better,” Charlotte said, her gaze fixed on the Lodge where all the children would be gathered for lunch.

“Your wish is about to come true.” Wade parked, killed the engine, then turned to her. “Ready?”

She sighed.

At that moment, Kyle pulled in beside them. He was wearing sunglasses, but when he glanced in her direction, Charlotte felt a shiver zing down her spine.

This was the first time she’d seen him since she’d found out about Daisy. Not that she’d seen much of Kyle previously. She’d always sensed he didn’t like her, and that was why he made it so difficult for her to spend time with her niece and nephew.

But now it seemed more likely that being around her had reminded him of his guilt.

Charlotte was not a violent person. But when Kyle got out from behind the wheel, dressed as if he’d just come off the golf course, she wanted to pummel him with her fists. It was so unfair, that Kyle should be enjoying his life, when he’d stolen her sister’s.

As if sensing her agitated emotional state, Wade took her arm and guided her toward the lodge. “Must be hard for you to be around him. But try to keep your cool. Remember we’re here for the children.”

Charlotte took a deep breath. Wade was right. She had to remain calm. They walked as far as the outdoor campfire site. It was a gorgeous summer day, with cotton ball clouds in a baby blue sky. The good weather made their mission seem all the more surreal.

Behind her, she could hear Kyle walking through the grass toward them. A moment later he was standing on Wade’s other side, his gaze fixed on the main door of the lodge.

“Do we go in?” Kyle rubbed his palms against the fabric of his pants.

The coward. He hadn’t even acknowledged her presence.

“The camp director is going to bring them out,” Wade said.

“They haven’t been told anything?” Kyle asked.

“No.”

There was no cell coverage out here, only a satellite phone to use for emergencies, so it had been possible to shield the children from the outside news for a week. But now it was time for the truth. How were they going to react? Charlotte had brought tissues with her, she had an entire box in her purse which she was clutching like a lifeline.