“How is she?” I asked my father. He’d made a giant crackling fire in the large fireplace in the family room while I’d cleaned myself up and reapplied my makeup. I had to be at Mrs. Ross’s by nine and at the courthouse for Harper’s arraignment at eleven.
Daddy stood now, staring into the flames, with his hand braced on the mantle. “She’s taking a shower. She seems to have pulled herself together after the emotional release. Your gran is sitting with her for a while, just in case she needs something.” Gran was the best. She loved wholly and completely. “It was good of you to give her some space. I know you have questions.”
“I don’t want to push her.” I sipped on a mug of coffee, staring into the flames that reflected on the Persian rug.
Daddy settled into his favorite leather armchair in the corner, a glass of scotch in hand. “Your mother claims to have an appointment this morning, but I’m going to talk her out of going.”
“That’s wise.” Mother would not want anyone around town to see her have a meltdown.
“She’ll hate that you saw her that way. She never wanted her past to affect you. Your mother is a strong woman and has managed herself with grace and dignity all these years. I can’t remember a time that something triggered such a response.” Daddy rubbed his finger around the rim of the glass.
“She is strong and controlled almost to the point of being extreme at times,” I said. “I won’t lie and say that I didn’t feel like I needed to tiptoe around her at times. And still do. Not that it matters at the moment. Now, I need you to level with me.”
“Level with you about …?”
“Don’t. Please, just stop this. I’m tired of the charade. I’ve been through enough over the past few days. People lie to me all the time when I’m working cases. I’m becoming quite proficient at figuring out the reasons behind it too. My entire life, I’ve granted grace out of respect. Now, there’s a writer in town kicking up a lot of dirt. He came by the office yesterday, asking me if I knew what secrets my family harbored. Uncle Calvin lost it. I mean, how telling is it for guarded, in-control Calvin not to be able to hold it together in front of me? And I know Calvin called here. Gran overhead the conversation.”
Daddy leaned forward and pierced me with his intelligent ice-blue eyes. “You need to stay away from that man. The writer. He isn’t what he seems to be. I’m not sure what his motives are or how he plans to blackmail this family, but I’m positive he will.”
“Blackmail us about what? Who could this man possibly be to have the power to terrify everyone in our family?”
He sighed and ran his hand through his thinning brown hair. “I knew this day would come. I knew, when your mother made me swear to keep certain parts of her life secret, that one day you would insist on knowing about her childhood.”
“What was so terrible? Were they running from something? I searched. I didn’t find much except that Grandmother’s second husband adopted Mother and Calvin.”
Daddy looked tired as he took a deep sip from the glass. “Your mother is a remarkable woman. She’s overcome so much, and we built a wonderful life. Still, trauma is like that. It’s always there in the corner of the room, ready to rear its ugly head. I won’t tell you secrets that aren’t mine to share. But I do think you have a right to some explanation.”
The look on my father’s face had my heart beating like a drum. I was almost afraid to move, to breathe even, in case the sudden movement would make him change his mind. Living in the dark about your parents’ past can be damaging. I couldn’t speak for everyone. That’d been the experience for me.
“I’m not sure how much you remember your grandmother. She died when you were still so young.”
“I remember seeing her at Christmas and Easter a time or two. One thing that stands out about her is that she favored Aunt Elizabeth to Mother.” I put my cup down on the end table.
“Elizabeth represented a new beginning for her. A new life here in Georgia.” Mother hadn’t always resided in Georgia. I made a mental note. “Your grandmother had been in an extremely unhealthy relationship, and it affected your mother and uncle. He let out a big sigh. “She escaped in the middle of the night with her children and drove across the country and settled here. Your mother had lived a rigorous and constrained life before that. Her every move was monitored, and every decision was made for her.”
My father’s description of Mother’s past sounded an awful lot like how Harper had described her marriage. Perhaps that’s what linked the two. No wonder Mother hadn’t wanted me to say anything that would paint Harper in a negative light.
“Were they abused?” I asked softly.
He glanced down at his hands. “Abuse was involved.”
“That’s why she took to Harper?”
He nodded his head. “Yes. I suppose she relates to the girl on some level. Once she’s rested, we’ll discuss it. I don’t have all the answers, Lyla. I don’t even know every detail of your mother and her brother’s past. Some things she found too painful to discuss with anyone other than Calvin.”
“How could you not know everything?” I asked incredulously.
His head lifted. “Honey, childhood trauma is unique for each individual. Some of it she’s blocked out to preserve her sanity. Not everything comes out at once. And sometimes it’s lost for good. Pushing her to recall every traumatic event is counterproductive. We deal with what we have to when it surfaces. This is about her mental health, not about my need to be told every sordid detail.”
“Yeah, sorry.” I massaged the area between my brows. “That makes sense.”
“I’m going to try to convince your mother and your Gran to go on a cruise. The change of scenery will be good for both of them.” He sipped the amber liquid. “I’m handing off the patients I can to other doctors and keeping my time away from home limited to hourly appointments.”
“That’s good. I heard a doctor in your practice evaluated Harper.”
He nodded. “At the request of the lead detective.”
With this new information, I wondered if Mother had confided in Harper a little as well. And with Charles befriending LJ and Harper, I wondered how much they were privy to about whatever he held over my family.
“So, Charles Hammond. Who is he to Mother and Calvin? One minute Mother was lunching with him and claiming the man understood her, and the next, Calvin was ready to rip his head clean off.”
Daddy gave me a blank look. “I’m not sure he’s anything to them. But I think he’s asking questions around town under false pretenses. And he knows some things about your mother’s past. How much, I’m not sure of, but anything at all is enough to send them on a downward spiral.”
I nodded, thinking over what he’d said. It made sense. Maybe Charles had come across someone from wherever they lived before, and decided to come to Sweet Mountain to collect a payday. Now he sought something from me. I could use that. And I planned on digging into all angles, both for Mother and Harper. One thing I knew for sure: I did not want my mother anywhere near any of this while the dirt flew. Calvin once told me that digging into cases such as these, those that were buried deep, shined a great big spotlight on the one holding the shovel. Now, that would be me.
“Thank you for talking to me. I think you’re right about Mother. She can have spa treatments and be waited on while soaking up some vitamin D. And by the time she returns, the police should have this case closed. And we’ll find some way to get rid of Charles.” I leaned back into the plush leather and then stood.
“Honey, how are you?” Daddy glanced up at me, his face flushed. “I should have asked about you and the assault case before dredging up the past.”
I swatted the air and grabbed my bag. “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.” I met his eyes directly, and for the first time in my life, I felt like the strongest person in the room.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go on the trip with them? You’ve gone through an ordeal yourself. And it might give you and your mother time to talk.”
“I appreciate the offer, and under different circumstances I would take you up on it. But not now.” I shook my head. “I can’t go with them. I have too much going on here.”
“Just think about it. Calvin said your attacker still hasn’t gained consciousness. And that poses a serious and dangerous question.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, without questioning the man, we have no idea what his motives were.”
I gave my father a small, sad smile. “I know. We’re digging into our past cases just in case. I’m also not under the misconception that I’m safe now that he’s been apprehended. This is the life I’ve chosen. I’m more than capable of dealing with the backlash from my choices. I’m prepared.”
“It’s amazing to see who you’ve become. You are maturing before my very eyes.”
I almost cried when I spied respect in his gaze. “Daddy, I’ve got to go.” He rose and embraced me. “Thank you,” I said. I didn’t have to say for what. My intelligent father would know how much his words meant to me.
“Anytime, Lyla bug. You stay safe.”
I kissed him on the cheek. “Promise.”