Almost Midnight (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3.5)(126)

“But what if he never comes to the realization, or never says it aloud?”

“From what you told me, he’s close,” Holiday said. “Don’t push it.” Then she leaned forward. “Have you seen the sister again?”

“Briefly last night. But I … might see her today.”

Holiday nodded. “Remember what I said. Stay calm and try to get her to talk to you.”

Fredericka stood up to leave. She got to the door when Holiday spoke up.

“Did you read it?”

Fredericka turned around. “I can pay my tuition now. He left me over a hundred thousand dollars in the bank.” She noted Holiday’s surprise. “Didn’t Marissa tell you about the money?”

“No,” Holiday said. “She told me the reason he left you with Lucas’s father was because he had enemies after him and his biggest fear was that they would take you to hurt him.”

She nodded. “He wrote that in his letter.” She swallowed the lump of hurt that swelled in her throat. “I still say he was wrong. He should have at least told me.”

“People make mistakes,” Holiday said.

“He was a hit man for some human mob boss.”

“Some of those mistakes are worse than others,” she said, sadness in her voice.

She hesitated to say it, but because it was the one thing that made her a bit less angry, she forced the words out.

“Did she tell you how he died?”

“No,” Holiday said.

“He’d been hired to kill someone. He didn’t know until he went there that it was a girl. A young girl. He couldn’t do it. Instead, he went to the girl’s father, who was the real target, and warned him. My dad wrote me in a letter that she reminded him of me. He said that he knew if he didn’t do the job, the person who hired him would come after him, but he did it anyway because he felt as if it was his way of redeeming himself.”

Fredericka felt tears sting her eyes and she saw similar tears appear in the camp leader’s green gaze. Then Holiday spoke. “He gave his life for someone else. He wasn’t all bad.”

“I guess not.” She started out, then turned back. “Thank you for encouraging me to read it. It still hurts. But you were right. It helped.”

*

She almost called Brandon to tell him she was coming early and then decided to just surprise him.

Much to her dismay, he wasn’t home. Or he wasn’t answering his door. For one second, she worried Cary might have gotten to him.

Snatching her phone out, she dialed his number. By the second ring she was panicking, then he answered.

“Hey,” he said. “If you’re calling to cancel, I’m not hearing it.”

She chuckled, relief washing over her, the sound of his voice pulling a soft emotion to her chest. “No, I’m calling because … I came early. I’m here and you’re not.”

“I’m in Bayberry … about an hour north of Fallen, at a storage shed my sister had. She had some of my stuff here from years ago.”

“Art?” she asked, thinking he could have other pieces to add to the gallery.

He paused. “No. My … grandmother’s things,” he said. “She had a diary.”

She swallowed and her heart raced. “Really?”

“Yes. She wrote some really interesting stuff,” he said. “And some of it … some of it reads like … it was written to me.”

“Really?” she said again because she didn’t know what else to say.

“Yeah, I’ll tell you about it when I get there.”

“Okay.” She bit down on her lip.

“Go on inside. Wait for me, okay?”

“Yeah. But it’s locked,” she said.

“There’s a key under the fake dog poop in the front flower garden.”

“Fake poop?” She laughed.

“Yeah. My sister’s idea. I’m gonna head out. See you in a bit.”

*

Fredericka found the fake poop and unlocked the door. She’d barely gotten the door open when, in the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of yellow, the same color of Linda’s sundress, disappear into the kitchen.

Pushing back fear, Fredericka hurried inside, and followed her.

Only Linda wasn’t there. Or maybe she was, but just not showing herself. The cold from the room sent chills up Fredericka’s arms.

Remembering Holiday’s advice, she forced herself to speak. “Linda? Can we talk?” And please have both your eyes in their sockets.

The sound of the wind chimes from the other room filled the cold air. Fredericka walked into the front room where the chimes hung.

“Brandon told me you made these,” she said. “They are beautiful.”

She waited to see if she would show herself. She didn’t. But the chimes kept playing.

“I want to help you,” Fredericka said. “I want to help Brandon. He wants answers. And … answers are good things sometimes.”

Still nothing.

Then the chimes stopped ringing. Like really fast. The dead silence of the room reminded Fredericka of the other time when …

She heard a car stop in front. She heard the motor cut off. Then she heard footsteps treading across the front yard.