Castle's Fortress. Rhonda Lee Carver

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СКАЧАТЬ behind bars.”

      Tossing her head in frustration, she searched his expression. How could he say the words without any sign of emotion? “You don’t believe that, do you?”

      “They found the evidence. You saw it yourself.”

      “I saw an image through an aperture of time.” A lump developed in her throat. She swallowed, but it remained. She sipped at the coffee, hoping it would help.

      His thick brows knitted into a V. “I was there, Fall. Something possessed your body that night at the abandoned house.” His hand raked into his hair. He glanced around the room and lowered his voice. “When you awoke in the hospital you gave the police an account of what happened to my sister the night she died and where they would find her buried. You also told them about the cross necklace.”

      “My father wasn’t the only one who owned a cross and gold chain, Jake. Count how many people in a day you could find wearing a similar necklace. It isn’t that odd.”

      “They believed your father must have divulged his guilt to you and that’s how you knew so much. And his DNA? What logical explanation is there? They found traces of his genetic material on her body, underneath her fingernails.” He sat back in the chair, frustration evident in the dark depths of his eyes and the thin line of his lips.

      Fall didn’t back off. He needed to hear what she had to say. “The sheriff’s department did very little in investigating the case. They should have called in the State Police, who were better equipped to handle a case of its severity.” Old emotions were unleashed inside her as she spoke of the past. “They convicted Charlie before he went to trial. When he went to prison for life, the whole town breathed a sigh of relief. They’d wanted closure to Crystal’s murder so they could return to their serene lives.”

      “Do you blame them? Murders don’t happen in Marietta,” he snapped.

      “They never thought much of my parents anyway.” She wrapped her hands around the mug, soaking up the warmth. “You can’t deny there were missing pieces to the puzzle surrounding Crystal’s death.”

      “I can see that you’d want to defend your father, Fall.”

       Sympathy filled his eyes and it turned her stomach. The last thing she wanted was Jake Castle’s pity. “The evidence was stacked against Charlie with the results of DNA testing. I agree it was overwhelming. And I knew where the body was buried–” She looked past his shoulder, thinking back on the memory. “It was all the proof the townspeople and the court needed.”

      He rubbed his temple. “DNA is hard to deny. Nobody would have believed a ghost told you where Crystal was buried. They thought you made up the story to make it easier to tell the truth. How else would you know that Crystal was in those woods unless Charlie somehow let it slip to you?”

      She brought her gaze back to his face. He sounded like he didn’t believe her story either. Her shoulders slumped. “Charlie worked out of town during the time of Crystal’s kidnapping. He had left the night before she went missing. You remember, don’t you? He came back from his trip two days after the search ended.”

      “But his boss said he hadn’t shown up at the construction site for work for three days.”

      “Because he was laid out drunk in his motel room.”

      “Or so he said.”

      Fall pushed her cup away, her frustration building. “I believe him.” She knew her father had lost many jobs because of his love for the bottle.

      Stroking the back of his neck, Jake shook his head and sighed. “Fall, it’s in the past. I don’t want to rehash the memories. I’m sorry about Renee. I am. However, her disappearance and Crystal’s murder are in no way related and over twenty years apart. I know you want to believe Charlie’s innocent, but you have to let your guilt go. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

      Anger surged through her like a heated branding. “Do you think it’s been easy living with the guilt, knowing I helped put my father behind bars? Don’t you think the people of Marietta see Charlie’s genes every time they look at me? My father going to prison destroyed Mom and shattered what little family I had.”

      “Charlie Winters was a lousy father and a drunk.” His lip curled. “You were better off without him.”

      His words cut through her and it took her a moment to gain her balance. “Maybe, but at least with him around we had heat in the house, milk and peanut butter in the kitchen, and hand-me-down sneakers.”

      He clenched his hand into a tight fist as if he wanted to slam it down on the table. He looked at her and his eyes softened and the tightness in his jaw loosened. “I’m sorry, Fall.” He started to reach for her hand, then pulled back. “I know you believe people hold you responsible for your father’s sins. You have to remember how the townspeople rallied around you in support after he was put in prison. No one would have allowed you to go hungry.”

      Her bitter laugh echoed, drawing attention from the size-C blonde who was clearing a table beside them. At this point, she didn’t care who listened in on their conversation. “They collected around me for pity’s sake. The poor little girl with the murderer for a father and a crazy mother. Sure, let me knock on their door and beg for bread. That would have certainly changed their opinion of me, wouldn’t it?”

      “They wanted to help you. You were hurt...” His gaze fell to the neckline of her sweater.

      Fall instinctively brought her hand up and covered her chest, although the sweater hid the deep, white scar. She didn’t want to talk about the disfigurement or her livelihood as a child. That wasn’t the reason why she’d come.

      “Jake, I’ve been having dreams, or rather nightmares, since Renee went missing. The meaning is unclear.” She swept a tendril of hair behind her ear as she stared down into the murky liquid in her cup. “My visions, you know, they don’t always make sense. It’s more like a puzzle I must piece together. Sometimes it can take weeks, a month, maybe longer.”

      “What’s this got to do with me?”

      “I need you in Marietta.”

      He started to laugh but it fizzled. “I must not be hearing you right. Why should I come back to Marietta?”

      “Because when we’re together my visions are stronger, clearer. I want to use my ability to find Renee.”

      Her gaze collided with his, and the world seemed to evaporate. The layers of years and distance separating them melted. Doubt seemed to peel away as the strong bond resurfaced. Her heart thumped against her rib cage as the hairs on the back of her neck lifted. It took her breath away.

      “No, Fall.” His pupils dilated. “I can’t go back.” Jake’s tone fell soft, desperate. “I can’t...”

      “Then I will face this battle alone.”

      “It’s not your battle, Fall. Let the police handle it.”

      “So, you do still read my mind.” Fall pushed back in the chair, upsetting his coffee; it spilled over the side. She was prepared to walk away without gaining his help. She’d known convincing Jake to come home would be a long shot, but still it pained her that she’d failed. “Now read this.”

      Fall СКАЧАТЬ