Without another word, she turned and walked out of the cabin.
NINETEEN
now
Brynn stepped onto the porch and slammed the door behind her, ignoring Reid’s last plea. Her hand was shaking when she released the knob. Dammit. She needed to get ahold of herself. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to quell the angry tremors coursing through her. Focus on why you’re here.
She closed her eyes and repeated the mantra in her head until her heartbeat slowed to a semi-normal pace. She didn’t have time to worry about Reid or her broken heart right now. She’d deal with both of them another day. Tonight was about finding Kelsey.
She straightened her shoulders with renewed resolve and stared out into the night. The air had turned a bit cooler and fog hung low over the dark grounds, giving everything an ethereal feel. If she had been there for different reasons, it would have been the perfect evening to hang out in the rocking chair and sip wine while listening to the sounds of the night come to life. But a normal evening never seemed to be in the cards for her anymore.
With a sigh, she crossed the wooden slats of the porch and headed down the steps onto the slate path. She looked toward the main complex they had come from the night before. All the windows in the house were lit up and paper lamps lined the winding paths that snaked out from the back of the building. The house was modern rustic—an enormous home constructed with dark logs and Texas stone. Anyone driving by would assume it was the vineyard tycoon’s mansion. Nothing about it even hinted at its real purpose.
She wrapped her arms around herself and started down the path in the opposite direction, knowing the other private cabins lay closer to the vineyards. The area got darker the farther away she ventured from the main house. Laughter and music floated on the air from somewhere in the distance, but no one seemed to be in her immediate area. Maybe this hadn’t been such a great spot to watch for her sister.
She reached the end of the path and the short wooden railing that marked the beginning of the rolling expanse of grapevines. With a sigh, she climbed onto it to sit on the top rung. At least Reid wouldn’t look for her here if he managed to escape.
Cabins dotted the land around her, but only two had lights on. The other guests must’ve already headed toward dinner and the party, ready for a fun night. Fun—what everyone else was here for.
She rested her heels on the middle rung of the fence, set her elbows on her thighs, and put her face in her hands, feeling drained and more alone than she had in as long as she could remember. How had everything gone so off course?
Her mom. Her sister. Reid. Her own life.
Was the universe bound and determined to take everyone from her? Each time she thought she had something to hold on to, it seemed to slip through her fingers like mist.
She hadn’t given over to self-pity in years, had sworn to herself that no matter what, she would create a safe and happy life for herself, her sister—help other women do the same. But as she sat on the fence inhaling deep gulps of the earthy air and feeling the darkness of the night closing around her, fat tears tracked down her cheeks.
God, she was losing it.
The breeze shifted and the steady thudding of footsteps joined in with the rustling of the grape leaves. Her heart stuttered—he couldn’t have escaped that quickly, right? She lifted her head to find an imposing figure heading her way. She could tell from the sauntering gait that it wasn’t Reid, but other than that, she couldn’t make out much else. Great, just what she needed, uninvited company.r: Roni Loren
Her mom had hit six months of sobriety, was looking for a new place and a respectable job. Had even saved some money to get a fresh start. And then, wham! Gone forever. All because Hank Caldwell, Kelsey’s druggie boyfriend, had heard about her mother’s savings and needed cash to get that night’s fix. Fucking psychopath.
And then to add vinegar to Brynn’s open wounds, she’d shown up that first day in court to see Reid and his aunt Roslyn sitting next to the cold-blooded bastard. Defending him.
Apparently, Hank’s wealthy family, who had previously disowned him because of his drug use, had jumped in at the last second to lawyer-up their son and pay the Jamisons’ exorbitant legal fees.
She still didn’t understand how Reid had stood by that man, touted his innocence, even when she’d begged him to drop the case. Was he really willing to defend anyone if the paycheck was right? She glanced over at him again, having trouble reconciling the guy in the courtroom back then with the man who’d come to the women’s center to do pro bono work. Maybe the experience with Hank had changed him.
Regardless, she thanked God that he and his aunt had botched the case and lost. She’d never be able to sleep at night if she knew her mother’s murderer was still roaming the streets.
She shook the memory from her mind and stared down at the folder again. She couldn’t bear to see the crime photos, but the temptation to find out why Reid was carrying the file around
was too compelling to resist. After a few centering breaths, she lifted the edge of the file and opened it.
As she feared, a picture sat on top of the pile of papers, but it wasn’t the crime scene, wasn’t even the killer. Instead, her little sister’s senior yearbook photo stared back at her. Brynn frowned and lifted the black-and-white photocopy, flipping it over to read the writing on the back. Reid’s neat, block lettering filled the page in bulleted notes, but the first line glared like neon in Brynn’s vision: KELSEY LEBRECK. VICTIM’S YOUNGEST DAUGHTER. SCHEDULE INTERVIEW.
Her fingers gripped the page so hard, it crinkled the paper. She forced herself to read on. Copious notes about Kelsey’s whereabouts in the days leading up to the murder. Her drug dealer contacts at the time and her relationship with Hank. Theories on who could’ve committed the murder and what motive someone may have had. A note that Kelsey had found a list of her mother’s clients that may help with the case. Then, the name J. Kennedy circled with the word killer and a question mark behind it. Finally, at the bottom of the page, the date of his notes.
Last Sunday.
Rage ripped through Brynn as she shoved the page aside and looked at the next one. Title: Hank Caldwell Appeal.
That son of a bitch.
Reid was working on a way to get that bastard out of prison and hadn’t told her? And he was planning to get Kelsey to help him?
Jesus. She put her head in her hands as another disturbing realization hit her. That’s why Reid was here. Not because he’d wanted to help her. He needed to know where her sister was for his case.