Prelude of Lies (26 page)

“No one said you had to hate her. She’s messed up. Had she not fallen off the wagon she would probably be a different person. None of this is your fault, you know.” Sydney wasn’t sure she was saying any of the right things. She couldn’t seem to find her usual comforting words right now.

“I know that. She infuriates me and yet, I feel sorry for her. For how she chose to live her life.”

“Chose is the right word. She made these decisions on her own and they had nothing to do with you. What did you mean when you said you have to fight to not end up like her?” Sydney worried over that last question. Never had she seen any signs that Daisy would end up like her erratic mother.

“Just an idea I’ve had since I was little. If the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, will there be a point in my life where I’ll be faced with the same decisions Nadine made? I wonder if I’ll make the right choices.” Daisy didn’t seem like she wanted to share more than that.

“You make the choice to not be like her every day. Besides you grew up on a different tree, so I think it doesn’t apply to you. If you had grown up under Nadine’s influence it might be a different story. You’ve already faced and dealt with more than Nadine ever will. She hides from her problems with booze, drugs, and men. You face them head on. I don’t think you have anything to ever worry about.”

Daisy nodded. “Logically. I know that. It’s just one of those fears that will probably color every decision I ever make. It has so far, ever since I heard that phrase for the first time. The last thing I ever want to do is turn out like my birth mother.”

“Then you won’t. It’s that simple. You’re aware. I don’t think Nadine ever was. I’m not trying to change your mind about having children, but I think you’d be a great mother. You know exactly what not to do.” Sydney watched Daisy’s control slip back into place.

Just in time. The door swung open and a different officer entered the room. “Sorry. That should have never happened. She was supposed to be long gone. The transport van got a flat tire. She’ll be on her way before we’re done with this paperwork.”

He dropped a stack of forms in front of Daisy.

“Nadine claims you will take full financial responsibility for her.” He pointed to the top page. “If you sign that, she’ll make bail.”

Daisy shoved the paper back at him. “Not a chance.”

“Good. I’m required to make sure.” He marked a big X over the page and stuck it in the back of the folder.

“Am I responsible for her, financially?” Daisy fiddled with the pen.

“Not if you don’t want to be.”

“Good. That’s what started this whole thing.”

The officer’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t been aware of the situation. He shook his head. “I hadn’t made the connection. We have another family dispute going on here. I’m sorry. I would have never given you that page had I understood the situation.” He reached for the stack of papers, returning only one to Daisy.

“Protection from abuse order. Just in case. One for each of you.”

Daisy quickly scribbled her name on the page and handed it back to him as Sydney did the same. “What about the legal stuff?”

“You’ll be contacted. You don’t need to be there for the preliminary.” He rustled through the papers. “There’s quite a bit to sift through before her trial can be set. She needs to be clean and she’s not. A psych consult to see if she’s even fit to stand trial. There’s a lot to do before we get to that stage. Don’t worry. You’re the victim. So far we have enough on her, without what she did to you, to keep her behind bars for a very long time.”

“Like?” Daisy leaned forward. Sydney did, too, trying to see what was written on the top page.

“Illegal drugs, sale, and manufacturing. Prostitution. Attempted murder. That’s the biggies, without the kidnapping. She admitted to trying to kill Kay and Ed. She said they were trying to steal you away.” He shook his head, and Sydney hoped he wasn’t feeling sorry for Daisy. Or Nadine.

“Ha. She dumps me off at my aunt’s house when I’m tiny and now worries that someone is trying to steal me away. And she signed the adoption papers.” Daisy stood. “I assume I’ll be contacted. My uncle Al will serve as my legal counsel. Thank you for making me come in here. And thank you for screwing up so I had to see her.”

The officer seemed upset until Daisy smiled.

“Listen, if the mix up hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t know that I’ve made the right decisions. Nadine abandoning me was the best thing she’s done in her life. I’ll never forgive her for not being stronger than the drugs she loved more than me, but at least she didn’t try to take care of me. Thanks for your help. Let me know if I need to do anything else.” Daisy held her head high as she left the room.

Sydney followed. Peace settled inside of her. Her sister was going to be just fine.

Would Sydney?

Marshal waited for them in the campground office. His van was the only vehicle Sydney could see. She figured Graham had already gone. Daisy didn’t seem to notice and she couldn’t help but wonder how things had been left between them. Sydney didn’t believe there was more than slight attraction between Daisy and Graham, but she couldn’t say for sure. She’d been so wrapped up in her own tragic love life she hadn’t seriously thought about what was going on with her sister’s heart.

“Guess we’re on our own now.” Daisy commented as they got out of the car.

“Yep. We’re going to be just fine.” Sydney hoped so. The words felt like a lie.

Marshal hugged them before moving to the conference room at the back of the office. The only equipment present was a laptop computer. She and Daisy settled themselves around the screen as Marshal dimmed the lights.

“Graham sends his apologies. His mom was rushed to the hospital this morning. Things don’t look good. He left as soon as his sister called.” Marshal shook his head. “He’s supposed to update me as soon as there’s news.”

“Crap. I’m so sorry to hear that,” Daisy said, her heart breaking for Graham.

“Keep us posted, okay? Let us know if there’s anything we can do for him.” Sydney sat at the table.

There was a few seconds of awkward silence. Marshal checked his phone one more time and moved to the table.

“You know how much I hate to say there’s no scientific evidence to dispute odd phenomena.” He glanced at Daisy, who nodded.

“I have to say it here. This place definitely has a lot of paranormal activity. From what we found, there is nothing to be afraid of, mostly memory spirits who don’t interact with the living. There are a few others that seem to want to interact, though. You both have seen evidence of that, I believe.” He hit a few keys and brought up a screen, pressing play as he settled back in his chair.

“What are we seeing here?” Daisy leaned in and Sydney had to reposition herself so she could see.

“The woods outside the first bathhouse. The spirits can see and even touch people. There’s no malice. Listen to this.” Marshal opened a smaller screen and paused the first, preparing to start them at the same time. “This is a voice recording done at the same time we taped the figures in the trees.”

He pressed ‘play’. Sydney stared at the screen as the tape played a scratchy, nighttime recording. Two figures came into view, moving slowly and toward each other. At first she thought they were Marshal’s crew, but soon she realized she could see right through them.

Whoever manned the recording device asked if there was anyone who would like to speak to them. One of the figures turned toward where the question had been asked.

She could see the figure nod. Goosebumps rose on her arms but she wasn’t scared.

“Why are you still here?” the voice on the recording asked.

“I cannot leave him. He is my one true love. He cannot go yet,” a faint female voice said, sounding like she was speaking directly into the recorder.

The other stayed put, reaching arms out toward the female figure.

“Why can’t he go yet?” Marshal’s voice asked.

“He won’t. He won’t forgive himself so he can go. I must stay with him until he sees that his sins have been forgiven.” The voice sounded sad and resigned. The woman appeared to know Marshal could understand her.

“Why does he torture himself?”

“It was such a terrible accident. He had no way to know that I would come through these woods. He knew the traps were here, but didn’t warn me. He blames himself for not making sure. My father was watching me. I had to find another way.”

Intrigued, Sydney scooted forward on her chair.

“I must go to him.”

“Do you see me or just hear me?” Marshal asked.

“I see you. I see much. I try to help when I can but sometimes I only scare.” The woman leaned close to the camera, her soft features further blurred by the wispy whiteness of her face. “Don’t ever give up on love. The one you desire is not the one for you. She belongs to someone else and always will. Your heart’s love is out there. You will find true happiness.”

Tears sprang to Sydney’s eyes and she couldn’t believe Marshal had shown them this clip. Especially since the woman obviously spoke about her and Marshal. The video continued to run, showing the woman returning to the male figure and holding him in her arms. Finally the video ended and Sydney couldn’t find a single thing to say.

“Whoa. That was interesting. What happened?” Daisy leaned forward, looking at the screen where the video stopped showing the lovers entwined in each other’s arms.

“We didn’t find much. Local lore tells of a young couple from rival families. Kind of a version of
Romeo and Juliet
. The older brother set a trap. The boy found out, but felt confident the girl wouldn’t come that way. She ended up with a metal spike through her heart. He found her the next morning after being angry all night that she hadn’t shown. They were supposed to elope. She forgave him on her dying breath and he shot himself right there. Sad story. Don’t know how much of it is true.” Marshal clicked out of the video.

“Interesting. What else?” Daisy bounced with excitement but Sydney could only feel sad.

“Your Native American travelers. It’s highly possible this was part of the Trail of Tears. They’re just memory spirits. I think the whole journey is done over and over again. Look at this.” He clicked ‘play’ and Sydney watched as several blanket-wrapped figures passed in front of the camera. “Back there.” He pointed to where three figures stood around a child-sized mound of dirt. “Many died on the journey. We have hours of this type of footage. It’s different every time. I’ll leave this with you to go over at your leisure.”

Daisy practically bounced in her seat. “There’s more, isn’t there? I told you, Syd. We have to use this on our marketing. People will pay to stay here just to see a ghost.”

Sydney couldn’t find her voice. She nodded in a noncommittal kind of way.

“This video is of the pond. I think they were ice skating. You’ve both seen this and it seems to happen every week. This was part of an estate at one time. The main house burned down with the entire family inside. And then there’s your bathhouse death.” Marshal pushed a button. “She’s gone now. Thought you’d want the tape. There’s also this.” He pushed another button and Sydney watched as several cats appeared on screen.

“Ghost cats?”

“That’s how it appears. I don’t know. I’m leaving you with about thirty hours of clean footage besides the pond and the trail. All of it shows something different and we’ve noticed the activity seems to go in cycles. Nothing appears threatening. If either of you feel like that’s changed, call me right away and we’ll reassess the situation.” Marshal popped out the disc and placed it into a case before handing it to Daisy.

“Thanks, Marshal.” Daisy hugged him.

“I’m thanking
you
. This was the best vacation I ever had. For many reasons.” He shot Sydney a sideways glance and what was left of her heart shriveled up and turned to dust. “We really learned a lot by being here and I think you’ve helped make us an even better investigative team. I wonder if you’ll let us come back in the off-season for training and stuff.”

“Absolutely. You’re always welcome here. Even if you just want to get away from it all.” Daisy hugged him again, and Sydney wanted to cry.

“I might take you up on that. That is, unless Sydney minds me hanging around.” Marshal’s need for reassurance poked at the ashes in her chest.

She nodded. “Anytime.”

Sadly, Marshal would always be just a very good friend and nothing more. What felt like a cold hand on her shoulder comforted her. Sydney didn’t know if that was Gramps or some other spirit, but it didn’t matter. She whispered a thank you.

CHAPTER 25

The next few days passed in a whirlwind of preparations, shopping, and phone calls. As soon as the ads hit the papers, the phone lines had gone crazy. They’d booked nearly the whole campground for the next month within a few hours. And that was without the added benefit of being able to advertise that Brookside was actively haunted.

Sydney still didn’t know if she wanted that to be a well-known fact. She was all about having ghost tours, but didn’t know if capitalizing on the spirits in residence was a good idea. It felt wrong and she told Daisy so.

“I agree. I’m fine with just doing the ghost tours. And not yet, either. We need to re-establish Brookside.” Daisy leaned back in her chair and grinned. “We’re doing it, aren’t we? Making Gramps’ wish come true.”

Sydney nodded. She hadn’t been able to say much lately and let Daisy be excited for both of them. Nothing felt right in her life right now. Except re-opening the campground. Even the spirits that had come to her for help avoided her now. Maybe she sent out too much negative energy or something. Or maybe they were acting on the compassion they had in life and knew she was hurting.

Guests were due to arrive by noon tomorrow. Everything was ready. They’d gone all out for their grand opening. The weekend would be filled with music, food, and fun activities. Daisy practically vibrated with excitement. Sydney was having trouble finding even a smile.

So far, Al hadn’t given them any more information, even though they called him every day. Jace had left without a goodbye and Sydney refused to torture herself by calling him.

Violet had stayed out of the picture, too. Since they were reopening the campground ahead of schedule, her plans were finished. Even though Sydney was pretty sure Jace stopped her legal action against the property, she wouldn’t put anything past the woman.

The lack of information was draining.

She stood and stretched as the phone rang. “Your turn. I’m going for a walk.”

Daisy answered, a smile on her face and in her voice and Sydney heard her say what they’d both been repeating constantly since they started taking reservations.

There were maybe six sites left for this coming weekend. And the calendar was similar until well into August. At least she’d be too busy to moan over her broken heart and terrible luck. Now if she could only apply that and actually be happy they had achieved what had seemed impossible only a few weeks ago. Of course, Gramps’ hidden money had helped immensely. She couldn’t help but wonder if they would have been able to ever open without the extra cash.

She wanted to think they could have. They’d had a great plan, one that required many sacrifices of their own comfort and a slightly higher rate than they were now charging. Gramps’ money only made things easier.

A car stopped but she kept going. Daisy had arranged for one of the local papers to come out and do an article about the re-opening. Sydney knew they wanted to talk to both of them, but figured she’d catch up with them in a few minutes. Once she had a chance to clear her head and stretch her legs.

She passed the circle of cabins where they’d spent so much time and couldn’t help the pang of loss and loneliness that settled over her. The guys might have been a huge pain in the butt but having them here had been fun.

As far as she knew, Daisy hadn’t spoken to Tucker since the morning he came to see the kittens. Then again, Daisy kept her cell phone off most of the time. Sydney wanted to ask her but could never find the courage. Bringing up Daisy’s love life hurt as much as thinking about her own. She had to get over Jace.

She had no choice. They could never be together.

Her brain knew that. Her dreams were a different story. Every night she dreamt of him and what their future could have been if it wasn’t for the shared DNA. Every morning she woke in tears, her heart breaking all over again for what she’d never had the right to want despite him being perfect for her in every way possible.

Lately, sleeping had been a chore. She didn’t want the dreams so she stayed up as long as possible in the hopes that she would be so tired they wouldn’t come.

But they always did.

Her cell phone rang but she ignored it. Daisy was probably reminding her that they were scheduled for this interview and photo shoot. She forced her feet to move past the little cabin where she’d learned so much about love and life. Her phone rang again and she pressed the silent button on the top, not looking at the number and not caring who tried so hard to get a hold of her.

Reaching the edge of the property, she sat on one of the benches that closed off the rest of the land Gramps left them. They had a few years until they could expand the campground, if they even would. Sydney kind of liked that the land was free and the animals that sometimes ventured from the woods into the campground. Except for the bears. At least they’d moved on for the season, with the help of some park rangers with tranquilizer guns.

Still, the sites that bordered the woods often brought deer into the campsites. She worried about that. Worried that the campers would make the animals depend on humans for food. They’d adopted a strict no feeding policy to deter that and to keep the peskier types of critters from over taking the campground. The last thing they needed was a band of raccoons or squirrels ravaging through their guest’s belongings. Hopefully it worked, or else they’d at least have to put up a fence to keep at least some of the animals out.

Peace filled her. She couldn’t help the feeling that Gramps approved of what they’d done and the sense grew stronger with the smell of his aftershave. Since his journals had turned out to be mostly cryptic messages and odd references, she figured she’d never know the dynamics between him and Violet. The sense that he felt he could save her stuck though, and for the first time since Violet started issuing orders and acting strange, Sydney found some compassion for the woman.

Her phone vibrated this time and she finally checked the caller ID. She still didn’t pick it up, knowing that was stupid since they’d called Al every day and this was the first he’d returned their call. She scrolled through the missed calls. Daisy had called her twice and the other number was one she didn’t recognize.

She supposed she should return to the office and get her portion of the interview over. Maybe she could take a nap afterward. They’d need every ounce of energy they could muster in a little more than twenty-four hours.

Two cars were now parked in the lot in front of the office. She didn’t spend too much time thinking as she opened the office door. Daisy’s laugh filtered through and she forced her best smile on her face and entered.

Except the only faces she saw were familiar ones. Al and, God forbid, Jace. He didn’t acknowledge her. His eyes were blank and his expression grim. She wondered what that meant, hoping Violet hadn’t found a way to get her hands on the campground after all.

Al smiled broadly and hugged her and it was all she could do to return his embrace.

“You sure like to keep things on your own terms, don’t you?” She hadn’t meant to sound rude.

Luckily, Al just laughed. “I know you’re mad at me. I would be, too, but I didn’t want to talk to you until I had all the information. I asked Jace to join us because he has a right to know the truth.” Al motioned for them to sit.

Sydney dumbly followed orders even though she had a million questions

“Violet did have a child when she was a teenager. A girl. Her parents shipped her off to a home for girls to give birth. She was supposed to give the child up for adoption.” Al took a drink from the coffee cup in his hand. Sydney had to stop herself from telling him to get on with it.

“The baby was stillborn. A girl. Violet was distraught. She maintained that the baby was Del’s even though there was much talk over who fathered the child. Apparently she wasn’t a one-man type gal. Her parents refused her requests to come home. They didn’t believe Del was good enough for her and they figured she’d just get into trouble again so they sent her to a private school and moved away from the area.”

Sydney really wanted to tell him to get to the point, but Al appeared to need them to know everything so she stayed silent.

“I didn’t know any of that. That’s much different than what she told me. Are you sure your sources have the right information?” Why did the sound of Jace’s voice cause that razor-sharp pain to slice through the remnants of her heart?

“Absolutely correct. No doubt at all. That’s what took me so long to call this meeting. I triple-checked my facts and more.” Al stopped in front of Jace and still Sydney couldn’t look at him.

“So, the baby Gramps fathered died at birth?” Daisy asked.

“Yes. If that child was even his. A year later, Violet got pregnant again. There’s no way that child was Del’s. She refused to give the baby up for adoption as her parents insisted. She had another girl. The child died at age two from the whooping cough.”

“Kay said Violet claimed that baby was Del’s daughter.” Sydney finally found her voice.

“That’s what she told him. It wasn’t true. A year later, she again found herself unwed and pregnant and married the baby’s father. A guy she met while bussing tables at the diner in the town where she lived. Remember this was a long time ago. Unmarried mothers were considered an embarrassment.” Al leaned against the desk and grabbed his coffee cup.

“Was that my grandfather, or whatever he was to me?” Jace asked.

“No. Her first husband was a truck driver. He was killed when his truck caught fire about three weeks after they wed. That baby died as well, before birth.”

Sydney felt a pang of sympathy for Violet. Three dead babies was a lot to consider.

“A few years later, she met and married your grandfather,” he told Jace. “They had three more miscarriages and one baby that died at three months before finally having a healthy daughter, your mother. She apparently inherited Violet’s childbearing difficulties and hemorrhaged after you were born. She was very young, not quite eighteen. Your father was only a little older. He shipped out for boot camp without even knowing your mother was pregnant and was killed by an artillery accident a few months later.”

“Grandmother said they died in a skiing accident.” Jace’s voice was quiet.

“In collaboration with the DNA results, I’d sign my life on this as fact. None of you are related in any way.” Al sat in the oversized chair.

Sydney waited. Her heart alternately swelled and deflated. She wasn’t related to Jace. But he thought she’d forgotten how she felt for him. His comments to her when he’d found her and Marshal in the woods came back to haunt her.

Daisy stood. “So why did Violet tell so many different stories?”

“I’m sure Jace isn’t even aware, but Violet has been under psychiatric care since shortly before his grandfather died. I could not legally learn the exact diagnosis or anything else, but I think a hard evaluation of her life could give cause. She’s dealt with a lot. Remember I went to school with Violet and Del. Violet loved him, but her love twisted to obsession. She tried convinced him the story you were told was true, Jace. He really only pretended to believe you were his grandson because he liked you so much.”

“Wait. I thought she said Jace was his son.” Daisy stood beside her and Sydney resisted the urge to grab her hand.

“Did she say that? Well, it doesn’t matter either way. It’s not true. While Violet did come here to see Del while your Gram was away, nothing happened. She told him their daughter had died. Del was polite, even flirted, but he did not cross the line. Your Gram would have skinned him alive. So that story was never told to Del.”

“So why did he think Jace was his grandson then?”

“He didn’t. He adopted Jace as a grandson. I think because they were so much alike. Del loved Violet. He always did. And I really think he believed he could bring her back. All that pain she went through, I always got the impression Del felt responsible for some of it. Like if he had been with her, he could have prevented some things. I think he realized marrying her was a mistake. It took him a while. She was wonderful to him, just not to anyone else. When she turned that side onto him, he finally understood why his family stayed away.”

“That’s why he left the money.” Daisy covered her mouth as the words spilled out, and Sydney wanted to poke her. They hadn’t told a soul about the box of money Gramps had hidden for them.

“So you found it then? I thought so. Good. That’s what he wanted. He even had me draw up legal documents that the money was yours if you weren’t the ones to find the box. Right before he died, he realized what a terrible situation he’d made. I think he kind of knew that all along. No offense, Jace. Violet is seriously unbalanced.”

“None taken. I don’t consider the Violet you’ve all seen as my grandmother. She definitely wasn’t perfect, but she loved me and I knew that.” Jace sounded sad, and it was all Sydney could do not to reach out to him.

“There is something you need to know.” Al stood and stood in front of Daisy. “According to the DNA tests, you and Sydney aren’t even related. I had them done a second time and each result matches. You and Sydney aren’t even cousins. And you are not Nadine’s daughter.”

Daisy faltered, and Sydney reached over and put her arm around her shoulder.

“What do you mean?” Sydney stared at Jace.

“There is no record of your birth. I did the best I could searching medical records, but that’s a dead end without a court order. I talked to a few people who knew Nadine and they don’t ever remember her being pregnant.”

“What are you saying?” Daisy’s voice was so quiet, Sydney had to strain to hear.

“Nadine is not your biological mother.” Al dropped a stack of papers onto the desk. “I checked for kidnappings, but haven’t had much luck. This is the information I found. It’s yours. Do with it what you want but take some time to recover from this shock first.”

Desperation covered Daisy’s face and Sydney gathered her into her arms. “It doesn’t change anything. You have always and will always be my sister. I’ll help you with whatever you decide to do.”