They knocked on the office door, and eventually a young man came to the glass window, looking like he’d just woken up.
“Can I help you?” he asked, running his hands through his hair.
“Someone broke into my room tonight. Between six and ten,” Rachel said. “Is that a working security camera you have up there?” She pointed to it.
This woke the young man up. “Yeah. We have it hooked to a monitor.”
“Does it record?” Avery asked.
“Sure. I think we keep two weeks’ worth at a time.”
Avery smiled. “Great. Is there any chance we can see the tape from earlier tonight?”
It took a little convincing to get the guy to open the door, but he finally did and showed them how to rewind the stored video. The three of them sat in the cramped office and watched the parking lot’s activity from six o’clock on. Somewhere around eight, the video went dark.
“What happened?” Rachel asked, looking up at Avery’s frowning face.
He fast-forwarded the video, and around eight-thirty, the camera was working again. The rest of the video showed no one entering or leaving Rachel’s motel room.
“The person who broke into your room knew what he was doing,” Avery said. “He must have covered the camera from behind, so his face didn’t show, then pulled the cover off after he was done.”
They looked at each other, both knowing what the other was thinking. Jeremy.
Rachel turned to the young man. “Did you see anyone suspicious around that time?”
He shook his head. “I was working on my homework, so I didn’t notice anything. Then I fell asleep.” He looked sheepish. “Sorry, but nothing usually happens around here, and we have the camera…” his voice faded.
Avery sighed. “Yeah. A lot of good that did.”
“Well, thanks for letting us look,” Rachel said as they headed out the door.
“Should we call the police?” the kid asked. He didn’t look like he was in a hurry to do so.
“No. That’s okay,” Avery said. “But if you see anyone suspicious around here tonight, let us know.” Avery handed him his card with his phone number on it.
They walked down the long corridor to Rachel’s room.
“I’m not comfortable with you staying here,” Avery said when they reached her door. “I think you should stay at one of the better hotels along the highway. One with an indoor hallway and security locks on the outside doors.”
“I can’t,” she said, although she wished she could too. “Those places are too expensive, and I’m already spending too much staying in town this long.”
Avery took a deep breath and ran his hand through his wavy hair. Rachel noticed worry lines had formed across his forehead, and she felt terrible that it was because of her.
“I can pay for your hotel,” Avery said. He raised his hand before Rachel could protest. “I can afford it. And you won’t have to pay me back.”
Rachel shook her head. “I won’t let you do that. You barely know me. And I don’t know you well, either. I don’t like feeling indebted to anyone.”
“Then stay at my house. I have plenty of room. I also have a camera system, so I know you’ll be safe.”
“That’s sweet of you to offer, but again, I can’t do that. I’ll be okay here as long as I keep things locked up.”
Avery grabbed her hands and held them tightly. “Rach. Don’t you understand? You’re in danger here. First, you were being watched, then you were chased at the cemetery. Now your room has been broken into. You’re not safe in this town.”
She looked up into his warm brown eyes, and for a moment, she almost gave in. But she stood firm. She couldn’t always depend on someone taking care of her. She had to do this herself.
But it sure would have been nice to just give in and say yes.
“Worst case scenario,” Rachel said. “It was probably Jeremy or a friend of his who broke into the room to see what they could find on me. Since I’m telling the truth, there isn’t anything to find. I’m sure they won’t try to break in again.” She smiled bravely. “I’ll be fine.”
Avery let out a long sigh. “Okay. But I wish I could change your mind. My offer stands for the hotel or my house if you do decide you can’t stay here any longer.”
She rose up and kissed him softly on the lips. “I’ll be fine,” she whispered. “Come over around eight tomorrow morning with donuts and coffee and see for yourself.”
His smile returned. “It’s a date.”
Avery finally left, reluctantly, after she promised to lock the door and prop a chair under the handle. Once he drove away, all of Rachel’s bravado vanished, but she forced herself not to be scared. She picked up the scattered items and made sure nothing was missing. Then she searched her computer’s history to see if the intruder had done a search. But because her laptop was password-protected, it looked like no one had gotten into it. Once she was sure all her files were secure, Rachel relaxed and got ready for bed.
Before crawling between the sheets, Rachel turned out the lights and cracked the curtains to peek outside just to make sure there were no strange cars out there. Her heart thudded when she spotted it. The same dark four-door sedan was parked under the streetlight, and there was a man inside, watching her. He was back.
She closed the curtains tightly and tried to calm her breathing. Who was he, and what did he want? Crawling into bed, Rachel shivered. It was going to be a long, sleepless night.
Chapter Ten
The next morning, Avery was there exactly at eight with a box of donuts and two large coffees.
“How was your night?” he asked Rachel when she let him in.
“It was fine,” she said, avoiding his eyes. She didn’t want to tell him about the man in the car, or else he’d worry. She was worried enough for both of them.
She moved her computer, and they sat at the table eating donuts and drinking their coffee.
“So, what’s on the agenda today?” Avery asked.
She laughed. “Don’t you have a newspaper to run?”
“Oh, that. Yeah. It basically runs itself. My employees do everything, and I’m mostly in their way.”
“Oh, come on. That can’t be true,” she said.
He grinned. “True enough.”
Rachel sighed. “I feel like there isn’t much I can do except wait for my DNA results. Unless you have some ideas.”
“Have you thought about contacting your brother?”
Her brows shot up. “In prison?”
“Why not? I’m not sure of the protocol, but we could look it up,” Avery said.
Rachel shook her head. “I don’t know. I still feel I need proof before I tell him I’m alive. Think of how that will affect him. He’s sitting in prison because he supposedly killed me.”
“True. But Keith might have information that no one has told you yet. And there’s still a dead girl.” Avery looked sheepish. “I mean, he didn’t kill you, but someone killed that little girl. He may not be all that innocent.”
“That’s true. But I’m not ready for that yet.”
“Okay.” Avery took another sip of coffee. “What about finding your dad?”
“Wow. You’re full of ideas, aren’t you?” She laughed.
Avery shrugged. “I just want to get the ball rolling on this. Honestly, I feel like if we open this case up again, it will also lead us to the person who murdered my mother.”
Rachel reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I think you’re right. Unfortunately, it all takes time.”
He nodded as their eyes met.
Rachel’s phone buzzed at that exact moment.
“Hello?”
“Rachel? It’s Jeremy. You must have someone watching over you because your DNA test came back today.”
“It did? That’s great.”
“Yeah. Why don’t you come down here as soon as you can, and we’ll go over it? It’s actually kind of interesting,” Jeremy said.
“I’ll be r
ight there.” Rachel clicked off her phone. She gave Avery a big smile. “Your Aunt Gladys has come through big-time for me. My DNA results are in.”
“Wow, that was fast.”
“Yeah, it was. Let’s go.”
***
Rachel and Avery sat in chairs across the desk from Jeremy, who looked none too pleased with Avery being there.
“I don’t know who you know on the inside, but that test came back awfully fast,” Jeremy said, scowling. “As well as the comparison to Keith’s DNA.”
Rachel grinned. “I guess I have luck on my side. So, tell me. Does it match?”
Jeremy laid out several sheets of paper in front of him. “It’s a little more complicated than that,” he said. “DNA is measured in something called centimorgans, cM for short. The more centimorgans that match, the higher the possibility you and that person are related. Full siblings share between 2300 to 3300 cM. Half-siblings share 1300 to 2300 cM. Anything lower than 1300 fans out into other family members, like cousins.”
Rachel tried to sound patient, but she wished Jeremy would just get to the point. “Okay. So, what level of DNA do Keith and I share?”
Jeremy pushed two of the sheets toward Rachel. “You show that you’re in the 1200s.”
Rachel studied the papers as Avery leaned over and looked at them too. “That can’t possibly be,” Rachel protested. “He’s my brother. How can we not have a higher match?”
“I don’t know. According to this, you’re related. Either as half-siblings, which would be a stretch or as a first cousin.”
Rachel frowned. It didn’t make any sense.
“Oh, it gets stranger,” Jeremy said, smugly. He pushed the other two sheets toward her. “I took the liberty to ask for a match between you and your father and mother.”
Rachel’s eyes shot up. “My father and mother? How did you get their DNA?”
“We had their blood taken as evidence after the murder. The parents are the first people who are investigated when a child dies. It was used for blood type then, not DNA. I checked, and there were still samples available, so I had them match it up against yours.”
“And?” Rachel asked.
“It’s right there in front of you. Your mother is a match, although it’s not perfect. But your father doesn’t match with you at all. He’s definitely Keith’s father, but there’s no way he’s your biological father.”
Rachel fell back in her chair, stunned. She watched as Avery picked up the sheets and compared them. When she looked over at him, he nodded his head.
“That’s what it looks like,” he said softly.
She thought back through the years at how kind and loving her father had been to her while her mother had been so cold. How could he not have been her real father? Had her mother had an affair? Did her father know? Is that how she and Keith became half-siblings? It was all so confusing.
“As I said,” Jeremy interrupted her thoughts. “You could be Keith’s half-sister or first cousin. It’s iffy. But you’re related to your mother. Although, your parents’ blood could have degraded after thirty-five years and the tests aren’t correct.”
Rachel crossed her arms. “So, all of this could be false?”
Jeremy shrugged. “Maybe. Everything except your relationship to Keith.”
She sighed, and Avery scooted over closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“Now what?” she asked Jeremy. “Even if I’m only a half-sibling, will you still let me look at the murder evidence?”
Jeremy ran his hand through his hair. “Technically, pulling out evidence and allowing family members to look through it is against the rules. And if all you are is a first cousin—which you could be—then that means the dead girl is Rachel Parnell. I’m not sure I can get permission from the DA to allow you to see the evidence.”
Rachel’s heart pounded with anger. “You said if I could prove I was related, I could see that evidence. Now you’re saying I can’t?”
Jeremy shrugged. “This DNA test doesn’t really prove anything.”
She stood quickly, and Avery stood with her. “I am Rachel Parnell!” she yelled.
Jeremy stood and stared at her with those dark, beady eyes. “Prove it.”
“I will!” Rachel turned on her heel and stormed out of the office with Avery close behind her.
“Rachel? Wait up,” Avery called.
She was already on the sidewalk and striding quickly away. When she heard his voice, Rachel stopped and turned back toward him. Tears filled her eyes as she walked right into his arms. “I’m right back where I started. I don’t know what to do now. I’m even more confused than ever.”
He hugged her close. “We’ll figure this out. There has to be something we can do to learn the truth.” He led her to the café where they found a table and ordered coffee.
“Okay,” Avery said once Rachel had calmed down. “We have to look at what we have, then we can see what our options are.”
She nodded, wiping away the last of her tears. When their coffee came, she sipped it and took a deep breath. Once again, her face fell. “I forgot to pick up the DNA sheets from Jeremy’s office.”
Avery smiled and lifted the folded sheets from his jacket pocket. “See? I’m good for something.”
Rachel laughed. “Thank you.”
“I haven’t done anything yet.”
“Yes, you have. You’ve stood by me the last couple of days even though I have no proof of who I am. And you were there this morning when I fell to pieces. Now, you’re still willing to help me. You don’t know how much I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Now, let’s look at everything again.”
They sat in the café until lunchtime. Avery had retrieved the folder of court case information from his car, and they scoured it again, writing down any important names and information. The District Attorney’s name, the evidence used in the investigation, and the coroner’s report. The girl was described as fifty inches tall and fifty-two pounds with tan skin and long black hair. The description could have easily described Rachel as a child. There was also the information that only Rachel knew.
“I’m the person who scratched Keith’s face,” she told Avery. At this point, she trusted him enough to tell him this one piece of vital information she’d kept to herself except for telling Gladys.
Avery sat back in his chair and stared at her, clearly surprised. “Wait? What?”
She glanced around to make sure no one was within hearing range. “The scratches on Keith’s face were made by me the night before I disappeared. Why he never explained that during the trial, or my father never mentioned it, is beyond me. Maybe his lawyer thought that would have made Keith look guiltier. Or they thought it wouldn’t help his case. Since the prosecution never had the samples of skin found under the girl’s nails tested, it was just assumed it was Keith’s skin. Which I find really strange. Because they could have tested it to compare blood types.”
“Maybe the DA, Robert Mitchell, didn’t want to know the truth,” Avery said.
It was Rachel’s turn to look surprised. “Why?”
Avery leaned across the table, closer to her. “Don’t you think it’s odd that Jeremy’s father was the prosecuting attorney for Keith’s case when his son was the chief witness?”
“I think this whole case is odd.”
“Well, maybe the DA didn’t want any evidence to mess up Jeremy’s testimony. I’m sure he thought he had a guilty verdict in the bag, so there was no sense in adding more evidence.”
Rachel thought about this. “Could be. But why would he have it out for Keith?”
Avery leaned back. “Who knows? Maybe he’d never liked Keith and didn’t want his son around him. Jeremy’s dad may have just thought he was the perfect target.”
“That’s terrible.” Rachel frowned. “I would hope he felt he had more evidence than just disliking Keith.”
Avery shrugged. “You never know in these small towns. They’ve put people behin
d bars with less evidence. It wouldn’t surprise me.”
She hated thinking that her brother—or half-brother—was railroaded just because someone hated him.
“Or maybe Robert Mitchell suspected Jeremy had killed the girl and didn’t want any evidence leading to his son,” Avery said.
This hit Rachel like a brick. “Jeremy? Do you think he could have done it?”
“If you can believe Keith was guilty, it’s just as easy to believe Jeremy could be. He was there, by his own admission. He hung out with Keith all the time. It’s a possibility.”
“And he’s been doing his best to keep the evidence under lock and key,” Rachel said. A chill ran down her spine. She didn’t know what to think. “So, what do we do now?”
Avery looked at his phone. “It’s one o’clock. I can drop you off at your motel so you can get some work done, and I’ll go back to the office and make a few calls. I’ll see if a lawyer friend of mine can help us.”
Rachel bit her lip. “I can’t afford a lawyer.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll call in a favor or two.”
Avery drove Rachel to the motel and made sure she was safely in her room. He offered to bring take-out food later for dinner, which she thought was a good idea. She didn’t really want to run into Jeremy at one of the restaurants tonight.
As Rachel worked, she couldn’t help but think of all the twists and turns she’d discovered since arriving. She’d thought it would be as simple as telling someone she was Rachel Parnell so they could figure out who the dead girl was. She hadn’t expected the Chief of Police to fight back or to learn that she and Keith weren’t full siblings. That really had thrown her for a loop. It pained her to discover her father wasn’t really her blood relative. Had her mother had an affair and ended up pregnant? Was that why her mother had always resented her? Yet, her father had treated her as his own daughter. Maybe he’d never known the truth.
About three-fifteen, her phone buzzed, and Rachel was surprised to see it was from City Hall.
The Truth About Rachel Page 9
