Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (Sunset Cove #3)(65)

No, she’d still love him. That realization set her world on an even keel again. Claire was right. She’d let herself be defined by what she didn’t have instead of what she possessed. Kate had been through so much in her life, and she didn’t need to fear the future. God had been with her through every bit of the trials she’d endured. He’d be with her no matter where her path led.

She twined her fingers into her dog’s coat, then leaned forward and put her arms around his neck. Drake had helped her see in some small way that she didn’t have to earn love. He loved her just because. Just like God did. Just like anyone who really mattered would love her.

She rose and inhaled one last gulp of sweet, salt-laden air, then turned and went back inside with Jackson close behind. She had to let go of the fear she’d carried for so many years. As she pulled the drapes on the door, she caught a glimpse of the moon shining down on the water. Light always shone in the darkness.





THIRTY


Drake yawned and opened his laptop at the small table in the main area of the hotel suite. He should go to bed, but after talking with Kate, he knew he’d turn their conversation over and over in his head. It would be better to look at more of Heath’s files. He checked his e-mail first, and six new messages popped up. He scanned them and saw one from Deputy Kissner. He opened the attached document titled with his brother’s name and scanned it.

Seeing his brother’s face on a steel table at the coroner’s made him close the lid of his computer and lean back in the chair. His heart hammered in his chest, and he looked at the computer with loathing. How did he even get through looking at that autopsy? His hand shook as he reached for the laptop lid again. Maybe he should start with Melissa’s autopsy report.

He made a quick jump back to his mail and opened the other document, but seeing Melissa’s white face wasn’t much easier. Though she’d made some poor decisions, he loved her like a sister. Moisture filled his eyes and he blinked it away, then focused on the report.

The autopsy had begun at eight thirty the morning after her death. He looked over what she was wearing: black jogging pants and a bright-yellow athletic shirt. Black-and-yellow jogging shoes. She’d clearly gone for a jog. He forced himself to change windows and look at Heath’s report. His list of clothing included jeans and a T-shirt, so he hadn’t been jogging with her. So what had he been doing up there? Drake flipped back to Melissa’s report and scanned the toxicology report. No drugs. Nothing notable in Heath’s drug report either, just some antihistamine.

Inhaling, he forced himself to look at the rest of her report. The marks on her neck indicated she’d been choked before being tossed over the cliff. If he were the sheriff, he would have assumed Heath strangled her and threw her off as well, but Drake couldn’t bring himself to believe it. He scanned down to the internal exam section, then gasped.

She’d been pregnant.

The sheriff hadn’t mentioned that. Had Heath known she was pregnant? There was no way he would have killed his own child. This evidence added to his certainty that his brother was being accused of someone else’s crime. Who would have wanted to kill Heath and Melissa? He was going to have to keep digging. Drake had barely touched a fraction of all the cases Heath had handled. The answer had to be there somewhere.

He glanced at his watch. It was nearly ten, but maybe the sheriff was still around. He called the office and was told the sheriff was just walking out the door but to hold on. While he waited, Drake peeked in on the girls. They were sound asleep, each with a stuffed animal he’d bought in the gift shop downstairs when they checked in. He walked to the other bedroom door and put his ear against it but heard nothing. Maybe Kate had been able to sleep. He hoped so.

Finally Sheriff Colton’s gravelly voice spoke into his ear. “Drake, you just caught me. Has something else happened?”

“Sorry to disturb you so late, Sheriff. I was just looking over the autopsy reports.”

“Jonas told me he’d sent them. Sorry I forgot about them. It’s been a crazy summer.”

“You never mentioned Melissa was pregnant. I just want to say again that there is no way Heath would have killed her when she was carrying his baby. No way in the world. He was the best father you can imagine.” Drake put a commanding tone into his voice. “You’ve got to start broadening your search. There are plenty of men who hated Heath for letting them get convicted. Maybe one of them was released from jail and is out for revenge.”

The sheriff cleared his throat. “We got back some other information today, Drake. That’s why I’m here so late. It pretty much shows our investigation has been on the right track all along. The baby Melissa carried wasn’t Heath’s.”

The words crushed Drake’s heart. He tried to speak and couldn’t. Not Heath’s. That knowledge could have made him snap. Had Melissa brought him to Maine to tell him the truth? Maybe she’d admitted she was taking the girls and leaving. Any man might react poorly to such devastating news.

“Drake?”

He wet his lips. “I’m here. I-I’m just stunned.”

“Ayuh, I can imagine. Sorry to have to tell you such bad news. I think I told you we’ve got a witness who heard them arguing the night before, then with all this other evidence . . .”

“Yes, I understand. Thanks for telling me.” He ended the call and pressed his fingers into his eyes. Heath appeared to have done exactly what everyone said.