Forgotten Legacy

by Perini, Robin

  “I want to hear all about your trip at breakfast in the morning,” Fannie said with a smile. “Right now, I have to finish up my skin routine.”

  Riley shook her head in bemusement as the former beauty queen disappeared into her quarters downstairs. She should probably get a few lessons from Fannie. Her landlady’s skin could pass for early sixties most of the time.

  She closed the door and locked it. Madison was on her knees, trying to rescue Riley’s midnight snack and the coffee carafe.

  “You’re lucky Fannie likes spill-proof pitchers,” Madison said.

  “I can’t believe you’re here.” Riley hugged her sister tight. “You don’t know how glad I am to see you.”

  Madison gripped her so hard that Riley could barely breathe. After several moments, Riley pulled back and studied the woman who had been missing from her life since she was ten. Madison had been only twelve when she’d been kidnapped. Riley still couldn’t quite comprehend that after all these years Madison was in front of her, alive and surprisingly well.

  “Let me put this stuff away, and then you can spill the beans.” Riley placed her computer on the desk and removed her jacket and holster before stowing her weapon in the bedside table.

  She tilted her head and studied her sister carefully. Madison hadn’t changed much since leaving Singing River. Her auburn hair had been styled, probably at their mother’s salon. She looked good except for the faint lines of stress around her eyes.

  “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”

  “Me, either.” Madison grimaced. She sat on the bed and crossed her legs. “Portland is too big, too noisy, just too much. I couldn’t think, couldn’t sleep. And . . .” Her sister studied her nails.

  “Mom?” Riley asked sympathetically.

  Madison slumped. “She’s nuts, Riley. She really is. She thinks I’m still twelve years old. It’s like time stopped the day I left. My bedroom is exactly like it was when I disappeared, including the posters on the wall, the books on the bookcases. I didn’t know Destiny’s Child wasn’t still a group or that there were seven Harry Potter books. I read them all while I was home.”

  “I guess time did stop for Mom. Her world revolved around you, and where you might be.”

  “I understand. Really, I do. I feel sorry for her.” Madison shook her head. “But seriously, how did you end up so . . . normal?”

  Riley fell into her chair and laughed. “You’re the only person on the planet that would think of me as normal, Maddy. Seriously, you were only gone two weeks.”

  Madison crawled across the bed and grabbed her half-eaten cinnamon roll from the table. She used her finger to swirl a glob of frosting and stuck it in her mouth. “Mmm. That’s so good.” She picked at the snack. “I know she wants me to stay, to move in, but everything was so awkward. I tried looking up a couple of friends. Some I couldn’t find at all. The few I did find had moved away years ago and are now married. Some even have kids. Every conversation was so awkward. They didn’t know what to say, and neither did I. It feels like everyone grew up without me. I finally quit trying. The past is gone, you know.”

  Riley joined her sister on the bed and hugged her. “I’m sorry going home wasn’t what you’d hoped.”

  “Poor Mom. She’s so clingy. She won’t let me out of her sight. She checks on me half a dozen times in the middle of the night. Dad doesn’t know what to do, either. They barely talk to each other. I’m not exactly sure how their relationship has lasted, but if I ever find someone to love, it’s not going to be like that.”

  Riley didn’t know what to say. Madison didn’t need to hear the rehash of a decade and a half’s worth of family drama. “Families handle trauma differently. Ours was—”

  “Dysfunctional?”

  Riley’s jaw dropped open, and she let out a long laugh. “Oh yeah.”

  Her stress and uncertainty fell away as her sister regaled her with tales of discovering what had been going on in the world. She’d missed a lot while the man who had kidnapped her—along with so many others—held her in his compound. Freedom was complicated.

  Madison popped the last bite of her cinnamon roll in her mouth. “This has been the best day I’ve had since you found me. Do you think we could stay in this room forever and forget about the outside world?”

  “I wish we could.” She touched her sister’s hand. “Why did you really come back, Maddy?”

  Her sister didn’t speak for a moment. She stared at their hands. “You’re the only person I can talk to, Ri. I was so alone. All those people in Portland, and I had no one.”

  Madison’s eyes teared up. “I’m not allowed to contact the kids from the compound. Their parents don’t want me to. They’re trying to move on, and I get that. I’m almost thirty, and I’ve never had a boyfriend, never been in a relationship.”

  “What about Bobby Frost?”

  Madison’s jaw dropped. “You knew about him?”

  “He was your first crush. When I started investigating you, I found out. He was my prime suspect, until I realized he wasn’t the sharpest pencil in the pack.”

  Madison’s eyes brightened. “You never stopped looking for me, did you?”

  Riley shook her head. “It’s why I came to Singing River in the first place. Your trail led here.”

  “So you found love with Thayne because I was abducted. There’s something twisted about that.”

  “Yeah.” Though she wanted to talk to her sister about Thayne, she felt vulnerable where he was concerned. Maddy had so much to deal with already. Adding to the pile felt wrong.

  Riley’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen. “It’s Mom. Please tell me you didn’t leave without saying goodbye.”

  “I left a note.” Madison’s cajoling voice caused Riley to shake her head.

  “Not cool, Maddy.” Riley tapped the speakerphone icon. “Hi, Mom. Madison’s here with me and she’s safe.”

  “Oh, thank God.” Her mother breathed hard into the phone. “It was like before. She wasn’t here, I . . .”

  “I left a note,” Madison repeated, but this time at least she had the grace to show some guilt.

  “It could’ve been faked,” their mother argued.

  “I know. I’m sorry, Mom. It was all . . . too much.”

  “What are you talking about? This is your home.”

  Madison pinched the bridge of her nose and mouthed a desperate plea to Riley. Please.

  “Mom, Madison’s going to stay with me for a few days. The traffic, the people—she needs it to be quiet.”

  “Our house is quiet. She needs time with her family, not to be in some town in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of strangers.”

  Riley gripped the bedspread. “I’m her family, too, Mom.”

  “And I’m her mother. I’ll send money for a plane ticket. Madison, you need to come home. You need care and treatment and—”

  “Shut up, Adrienne.” Their father’s voice came through the speakerphone loud and clear. “You girls take care of each other. Call us every few days, though.” He let out an audible sigh. “We miss you.”

  “Thanks, Daddy,” Madison choked out. “I love you.”

  “Love you, too, sweetie.”

  Riley ended the call and met Madison’s gaze. “That was really bad of you.”

  “I didn’t think. I just needed to get out of there.” She covered her face with her hands. “What’s wrong with me? I can’t seem to make the right choices. It’s like I’m disconnected from everything.”

  “I know Mom’s a lot to handle, but when you disappeared, it nearly killed her.” Their mother’s life had narrowed in an unhealthy way when Madison was taken, but that wasn’t her sister’s fault.

  “Do you want me to go back? Because I’m not sure I can survive her right now,” Madison said. “It’s like she really is from another planet. I just can’t relate. Not yet. It’s too much.”

  “Stay with me.” Riley hugged her sister and yawned. “How about I get into my pajamas a
nd we have an old-fashioned slumber party. We could talk until dawn?”

  “Slumber party.” Madison’s eyes flew open. “Oh my gosh, right before I was taken, you were supposed to come to my slumber party. I disinvited you.” She grimaced. “I’m sorry, Ri. I was a real jerk when I was twelve.”

  “And I was a pest. The good news is we get a do-over. Tonight.”

  “Can I pilfer more cinnamon rolls?” Madison asked.

  “Fannie would be insulted if you didn’t.”

  The house had burned to the ground, turning every lying memory into ashes. Kim hadn’t deserved mercy. She’d done what most women do when the going gets tough: run out on their marriage.

  He should have known better. He should’ve learned his lesson when his mother ran out on him and his father.

  Women couldn’t be trusted. They pretended to love you, and then they just walked away with your heart and turned your kids against you.

  Payment for the crime of abandonment had been served.

  He longed to walk through the remnants and take in the scents, the destruction. The ashes he’d made of their fake life.

  He’d cleansed them of their sins. He took in a deep, long breath. Now he had to finish what he’d started.

  The rumble of a motor sent him back into hiding, crouched behind a row of trees.

  A beat-up truck stopped in front of the house.

  He ground his teeth together until they ached. This was his time. He needed to say goodbye.

  A familiar-looking gray-headed man opened the door, then closed it. One glance into the research notebook he always carried and he had the name: Dan. Handyman.

  Dan walked into the old house and bent down in the middle of the former living room. He grunted and lifted a metal door and peered down.

  So that’s where they must have found Chloe, why she hadn’t died along with her mother and the man pretending to be her father.

  The nosy old man disappeared beneath the earth.

  A flutter of fear settled across his shoulders. He stood and stared. Surely this man hadn’t seen him. He’d been careful. So very careful.

  There was only one rule he knew he had to follow. He couldn’t get caught. No one could ever know what he’d done. At that moment the man poked his head from the underground room.

  Their gazes met.

  The old man’s eyes widened.

  In recognition?

  He couldn’t be certain, but it didn’t matter. Another loose end to tie up.

  Because of a woman’s deceit, he’d have to kill again.

  The rays of early dawn crept through the slatted blinds of Thayne’s office, where he sat in forlorn silence behind his desk. He’d been unable to sleep all night. He was an idiot, giving Riley every reason to turn her back on him and this town.

  He was fairly confident he could try seducing her into staying. They created Fourth of July–level fireworks between the sheets. Despite popular opinion, passion could last a lifetime—he was a firsthand witness—but fire didn’t see you through the hard times. Love, commitment, and trust did. His pops and gram had taught him that lesson, especially over the last couple of years.

  Riley might stay, but if she grew to resent him, he couldn’t live with that, so instead of rolling an uncertain future around in his mind, he’d escaped his lonely bed and retreated to a deserted sheriff’s office.

  The only other business open this early happened to be the hospital. Chloe hadn’t awakened yet, which was starting to worry Cheyenne. He’d heard it in her voice. He’d have to contact the fire inspector and let him know he planned to investigate further. He trusted Riley’s instincts. He always would.

  The bell on the front door jingled. Only bad news arrived this early in the morning. His whole body tensed for what was to come.

  Riley walked into the room. He shouldn’t have been surprised. His heart thudded against his chest at the sight of her, his usual reaction, but today something else rushed through his blood. Nerves. Was she here to tell him goodbye after what he’d said yesterday?

  She paused at his door and knocked. Not a good sign.

  “Hi.”

  The awkward greeting caused Thayne’s insides to knot.

  “You ready to start your new job?” He rushed through the words. “There’s no real office space, but you can use the conference room.”

  She stilled, and a slow smile lightened her eyes. “We make a good team,” she said, cautiously. “But it doesn’t change my methods or how I work.”

  He raised his hands. “Don’t worry. I know you’ll need to use the wall of your room at the B and B as a murder board. I won’t interfere. Much.”

  She tilted her head and arched a brow.

  Thayne met her gaze squarely. He refused to lie. “I’m not as certain as you are, but I trust your instincts. Besides, Kim, Aaron, and Chloe deserve the truth.”

  “No matter what seemingly crazy places it takes me?” she asked, pressing the issue.

  “I’ll accept whatever you can give me. We need to know what happened. I’m committed to justice for them.”

  Her entire body relaxed. “That’s all I can ask.”

  “You look like you could use a hug.” He stood, unsure but hopeful they might be able to work things out. “I wouldn’t be opposed to giving one.”

  She flung herself into his arms, and he pressed her close. She felt so right in his arms, yet he hadn’t been wrong yesterday. Riley had to decide what she wanted her future to be, and he couldn’t turn his back on his family. If she couldn’t stay in Singing River . . .

  Damn, he didn’t want to consider the future without Riley.

  He forced his expression calm and collected and pulled back from her. “I suppose you want to start with photos of the crime scene for your wall?” He slipped a memory card into his laptop and turned it around so she could see the images.

  “Yeah.” She paused. “I should tell you Madison came back last night.”

  “Your parents went overboard?” Thayne had seen them in action. He understood how damaged they were.

  “They drove her crazy.”

  “They would me. How long is she staying?”

  “I didn’t ask. As long as she needs to be here, I guess. Fannie’s putting her up at the B and B in the room next to mine.” Riley leaned forward in her chair. “She’s a bit lost. She wants to be normal, and I don’t know how to help her transition. Fifteen years is a lot to lose.”

  “Give her time. It’s only been a month since she escaped. She can’t just expect to start living again after being held virtually a prisoner for so long. Even if she wasn’t chained up, she was still a captive.” He paused. “Do you think she would speak with a professional to get some help?”

  Riley wrinkled her nose in skepticism. “I don’t know. Mom forced her to visit a therapist the day after she flew to Portland. It didn’t go well.”

  “Her entire world was controlled for fifteen years. I’m no expert, but the psychological impact of confinement is real. The military has created a series of training exercises and treatments on dealing with captivity.”

  “I’d have to do a lot of convincing, but I agree with you. She needs someone who can help her with coping strategies. She’s putting on a good front. I haven’t seen her break, and I’m afraid she will.”

  Thayne had seen more than one soldier fight a psych battle and lose. It wasn’t a conflict he’d want to fight alone. “Would she talk to Cheyenne? She knows a therapist in Jackson Hole.”

  The tension on Riley’s face relaxed. “Cheyenne saved Madison’s life. She’s the one person my sister might actually listen to.” Riley hugged him again. “Thank you. If I didn’t have you, I don’t know what I’d do.”

  And that was the big question: What would either of them do without the other?

  Riley hovered near the printer in the sheriff’s office. The machine spewed out the final sheet of photos. Riley pulled out each image and scanned it for details with hungry eyes. She’d feel more centere
d when she tacked them all to the wall in her room and organized them according to patterns.

  Deputy Quinn Pendergrass strode into the building with two file boxes. He nodded at her in greeting. She picked up the folder to meet him in the small conference room where Thayne waited.

  He placed the boxes on the table. “Ironcloud’s still interviewing anyone who might have come into contact with the Jordans. I have his notes so far, but it’s nothing we didn’t know. They were pretty much living off the grid. Most of the townsfolk thought they were standoffish and odd. Chloe didn’t have any friends that we’ve found so far.”

  “A twelve-year-old girl and no one knew her?” Riley could barely fathom the reality of Chloe’s life. Would the isolation have caused her to snap, to want to end her life? Or maybe escape from a type of captivity?

  She didn’t say anything, but Thayne’s frown had deepened. Human beings weren’t meant to function in a bubble.

  Quinn flicked through some of his notes. “No one will admit to socializing with them. They moved here six years ago, paid cash for everything. Mostly worked under the table. They generated their own electricity. Had their own well. No internet, no cable.”

  Thayne leaned back in one of the chairs. “So, if I wanted to disappear, you’ve given me the perfect blueprint. Anything pop in the law enforcement databases?”

  “Nothing. I ran their names, and there’s no records prior to them moving here and buying the land. Once again, cash only.”

  Riley had heard of living off the grid, but she’d never actually had firsthand experience. Not like these people.

  “Any evidence at the house?”

  Quinn shoved the box at Thayne. “A big fat goose egg. We got nothing to go on, and when I say nothing, I mean nothing. If I had a vote, I’d call it an accident, because we’re sure not making any kind of case in court. Not unless Chloe can give us something concrete.”

  Riley peered at the meager evidence. “Do you mind if I have a look?”

  “Knock yourself out. I’m cross-eyed. I have samples, but I don’t see the point in sending them out for testing.”

  “How long have you been up?” Thayne asked his deputy.