Secrets in a Small Town (24 page)

Thanks to Piper’s insistent belief that Ty Garrett had been innocent, a twenty-five-year-old secret had been brought to light and two people had been brought to justice.

Both Charlie and his father, Hank, were taken into custody when it was discovered Hank had killed Mimi LaRoche to scare Ty into keeping quiet when Ty threatened to blow the lid off the Red Meadows case.

Once the FBI reopened the investigation—again, thanks to Piper—it was discovered Hank had been pocketing gobs of dirty cash raked in from the Aryan Coalition’s drug and gun sales. When Hank discovered William Dearborn had started sharing details about what went down the day of the massacre, he convinced Charlie to put the guy down in the hopes that no one would care what happened to a crazy old recluse and the past would die with him.

And while it felt good to have some closure on something that had torn his life apart for so long, he was most grateful that his father had gained the respect he deserved for trying to do the right thing, even if no one had been allowed to know his part.

And he had Piper Sunday—soon to be Piper Morning Dew Sunday-Garrett—to thank for it.

He glanced at his watch. Almost time for Mama Jo’s appointment. Piper came from the stage, clutching her plaque with bright eyes but she also checked her watch. “Time to go?” she asked, grabbing her purse.

“You should stay. I can take Mama to her appointment.”

“Mama Jo is my family, too. I’m not going to miss her first chemo and radiation appointment at this fancy new cancer clinic you insisted on taking her to. Besides, I told her I’d read her my
award-winning
article while she got juiced up, and she’s looking forward to it.”

He chuckled. “Sounds like a plan.”

Life wasn’t too shabby. He’d finally managed to convince Mama Jo to come to California, wooing her with the promise of innovative cancer treatment as he appealed to her stubborn and welcome belief that she was going kick cancer’s can and he’d managed to convince Piper to marry him—and maybe even have a kid or two.

Now, if only his soon-to-be-in-laws would stop forcing him to choke down tofu—life would be perfect.

SECRETS IN A SMALL TOWN

Copyright © 2011 by Kimberly Sheetz

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