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  “I don’t know if he speaks the truth or not, but according to him, you weren’t his intended victim at all. Ryan was who he intended to kill all along.”

  Lauren scoffed. She didn’t hold back her disdain. “Why would he want to harm Ryan of all people? They didn’t even know each other.”

  “He needs to tell you the whole story. He didn’t tell Mac and me everything.” Brenda looked closely at Lauren. Tears edged beneath her eyelids. “Is everything okay?”

  “I just found out Ryan’s brother is the executor of his will and he’s having him cremated. I’ll never know where his remains are.”

  Brenda glanced at the letter addressed to Lauren that lay on the dresser. “If he has that right, there isn’t much you can do about it, I’m afraid. You will always have memories, Lauren. No one can take those from you.” Brenda couldn’t imagine the life Lauren Meyers had endured so far. She wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t want to speak with her father. “When did you last see your father face to face?”

  “Before that horrible night right here, I hadn’t laid eyes on him in twelve years. I didn’t think I ever would again.” She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “I’ll shower and go see what he has to say. I’d like for you or Officer Sims to be in the room with me. I don’t want to be alone with him.”

  “I can be there. I’ll have an officer near the door, and you will be completely protected.”

  When Lauren was ready, Brenda personally drove her to the station, trying to reassure her she was taking the right step. She advised Lauren to take deep breaths as they approached the interrogation room where her father was waiting under guard. “Listen, but don’t feel you have to speak. You can stand up and leave whenever you want to.”

  “I’m ready. This will be the last time I’ll set eyes on him.”

  Grady leaned back in the chair when Lauren and Brenda entered the room. His lawyer sat next to him, and Officer Swenson stood inside the door.

  “Hello, Lauren.” When Grady realized his daughter wasn’t going to return the greeting, he shrugged his shoulders. “I freed you the other night, but I suppose you are as ungrateful as ever.” He shuffled his feet in their chains and continued. “I suppose I gave you quite the scare. You deserved it, but I didn’t plan to really kill you. I need you for better things.”

  Lauren held her eyes on the man but refused to speak.

  “Ryan was never right for you. It was Ryan who took you from Seth Hill. He knew you were engaged to marry Seth and he just couldn’t stand the idea. If he hadn’t interfered, you’d still be with Seth today and I wouldn’t be in this mess.”

  Lauren seethed. “Ryan didn’t know Seth at all. I don’t know where you got this outrageous idea, but you are wrong. He had never heard anything about him other than the fact that we were once engaged. Ryan didn’t stop the marriage. Seth’s overbearing mother took care of that. Of course, you’re too selfish to understand that you were the real reason she was so against our engagement. You are the one who took Seth away from me, don’t you get it? You and your sick, twisted crime. In a way, it all worked out against you. Ryan and I were very happy. For a time…”

  “Surely your precious Ryan knew about my…incident with that poor, disgusting old neighbor of ours, Randy. Ryan must have put two and two together. You know, Lauren, you have never made good decisions and you blew it choosing Ryan over Seth. Seth could have paid for anything you ever needed or wanted in your life. What did Ryan Meyers have to offer?”

  “He offered his love and it was enough for me. Your so-called incident was out-and-out murder.” Lauren looked Grady in the eye. “Were you ever a happy person? Did you love my mother? Was her death just an excuse to become the weak, horrible person you’d always been inside?”

  “You don’t seem to remember how much time I spent with you and your mother. Doesn’t that answer your question?” At Lauren’s silence, he tried again. “Your mother…she knew who I was when she married me. Don’t you get it? Maybe that’s what killed her in the end, too. That’s what sent her out on the roads so late at night in that icy weather the night of her fatal accident. She went looking for me at a bar, wanted to drag me home again. She thought she could change me,” he spat. “Her accident was divine retribution. She deserved it. I was finally free. It’s a pity you can’t understand that. But then, you always were a bleeding-heart, just like her.” His smile tugged cruelly at his mouth.

  Lauren’s face paled and her eyes were distant as she stood up and walked past her father without a word. He watched her go with his legs sprawled out, leaning back as if ready to watch a favorite show, until the last moment when she slammed the door behind her with finality.

  Once she came to a halt in the corridor, catching her breath, Brenda caught up with her.

  “Ryan never knew Seth,” Lauren said distantly. “He never connected me with my father and his crimes, either. If he had, it obviously didn’t matter to him.”

  “It’s horrible the things he said to you in there, Lauren. I’m so sorry. Surely it was his last attempt to twist your emotions and bind you to him. But it’s time to go on with your life the best way you see fit. Think about setting up some kind of memorial in honor of Ryan, perhaps.”

  “That’s a great idea, Brenda. That will keep me occupied.” She stopped and looked at the sky filled with stars outside the police station’s reception area windows. “This area is so picture-perfect, and so peaceful. It’s the last place Ryan and I found happiness together, even if it was the site of the most awful tragedy that ended his life, it’s also the place where I finally came to terms with who my father really is. It’s the place where I finally got to see my father placed behind bars. Perhaps I’ll rent a house around here and stick around until I figure out what to do next.”

  “You will find plenty of activities in the area to keep you occupied. Have you ever tried sailing? It’s very peaceful this time of year. The town is friendly, and I’m sure you will be accepted as easily as I was when I first arrived here.”

  Lauren took a deep breath. Ryan would approve. As for going forward without him, Lauren would have to figure that part out. She opted to walk back to the bed and breakfast alone.

  Brenda watched Lauren walk away, her back straight despite everything she’d been through, and knew then that Lauren would find a way to begin her life again in peace.

  Brenda returned to Mac’s office. The detective slapped two folders down on his desk.

  “I’m done for the night, Brenda. Let’s go and do something that has nothing to do with crime.”

  “I’m all for that,” Brenda said. “What did you have in mind?” Mac stifled a yawn. She laughed at him. “I see. It looks like you are ready for a long uninterrupted night of sleep.”

  The detective looked sheepish. “I’m amazed how astute you are, Brenda. Let’s relax and do just that. I promise we can enjoy tomorrow doing something else.”

  “What about the clean-up? There’s so much to deal with in the Halloween aftermath.”

  “There are plenty of young officers around to help take care of that. City officials will have their crews out on the streets, too.”

  Brenda thought he had a brilliant assessment of the situation and agreed the next day belonged only to the two of them. Hand in hand with the love of her life, she stepped out into the cool autumnal night and headed back to Sheffield House. The twinkling lights of the tiny oceanside town winked in the evening air, and the bright moon, high in the sky, followed them all the way home.

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  About the Author

  Wendy Meadows is the USA Today bestselling author of many novels and novella
s, from cozy mysteries to clean, sweet romances. Check out her popular cozy mystery series Sweetfern Harbor, Alaska Cozy and Sweet Peach Bakery, just to name a few.

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  Read more by Wendy

  Maple Hills Cozy Mystery Series

  Nether Edge Mystery Series

  Chocolate Cozy Mystery Series

  Alaska Cozy Mystery Series

  Sweet Peach Bakery Cozy Series

  Sweetfern Harbor Mystery Series

  Candy Shop Mysteries

  Pineville Gazette Mystery Series

  Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Meadows

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.