Aiden got to his feet and offered his chair to Rita while Jake did the same for Kim. He had a feeling she would need that chair in a few moments.
“Rita, I want you to examine a couple of pictures, and then I’ll show you documents that will back up my findings. Let's start with this one. Do you recognize the girl or the woman?”
Rita snatched the picture from him impatiently. She didn’t understand why he was making such a production out this. All he needed to do was hand Charlotte the documents that showed she was the rightful heir to the Wheeler estate and it would be over with. With little interest, she glanced down at the picture in her hand. It took a moment and a second look, and then her mouth formed a small “o” as she realized who the photo was of.
“This is me, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Do you recognize the woman who is holding your hand?”
“No, of course not. She looks like she would be one of my parent’s housekeepers.”
“You mean your adopted parents, don’t you?”
Throwing the picture onto the table in front of her, she spoke defiantly. “Yes, I’ve never hidden the fact I am adopted.”
“Did you know who your mother was, or see her?”
“Oh, Aiden. This conversation is ridicules. We already went over all of this. My adopted parents never let my real mother’s name be spoken, and I never felt comfortable asking them questions. It wasn’t until they died that I searched my family heritage and discovered that I was part of the Wheeler dynasty. Now what is this all about?”
Aiden almost felt sorry for her. She was about to receive the shock of her life, he hoped it would not turn nasty in the next few minutes.
“Rita, the woman in the picture is your real mother. That was taken just before she died and you were adopted. She was a single mother. Yes, there was a connection years ago between her great-grandfather and the Wheelers.”
Rita stood uprightly with anger and pointed to the picture on the table as she yelled at Aiden. “That woman is of Spanish descent-do I look Spanish to you? No, of course I don’t. I knew my mother was an unwed woman, but not this one. At least you found a connection to the Wheelers. Good lord, I was beginning to think you had totally screwed this up. Show me this connection to the Wheelers.”
With one hand on her hip, she held the other out to Aiden to pass her the proof she expected. Kim Heart was typing furiously on her tablet, not wanting to miss a thing. Aiden glanced over at Charlotte, ever the gentleman, he was hesitant to put Rita through the next few embarrassing moments.
Charlotte nodded her head as she told him to go ahead “It’s time she found out the truth, Aiden.”
Bracing himself, he gave Rita the second picture of the two men. One had the distinctive jawline of the Wheelers, the other was a Spanish farmhand. It was the same picture Charlotte had given him on the plane. Rita took it and recognized the Wheeler family traits right away. She was getting ready to say something, when Charlotte stood and picked up the discarded photo of the younger Rita, walking to stand next to the woman. Without a word, she pointed to the Spanish man in the picture and then to the woman in the second picture, the woman holding Rita’s hand.
Rita was silent as she stared at the two pictures. Even she could not deny the striking resemblance between the man and woman. She opened her mouth to deny her family, but no words came.
“I’m sorry, child.” Charlotte said as she put a comforting hand on Rita’s arm.
Her touch brought Rita out of her trance. She jerked away from the older woman and glared at the others in the room with open defiance.
“So, I suppose you all think this is hilarious. Not only am I not part of the Wheeler heritage, but my ancestors where farmhands and maid servants. No wonder my adopted parents never spoke of them. Fine, so be it. I don’t need you or any part of this town. Aiden, you’d better keep this information to yourself, unless you want my lawyers after you. I’ll ruin your quaint little agency before it even gets off the ground,” Rita hissed at him as she glared around the room with anger clear on her face.
Megan could tell the moment her eyes landed on Kim Heart. It was clear that she had forgotten the reporter was in the room. Kim regarded her in full reporter mode and with a straight face she asked if Rita had any comment to make for the paper.
With a shriek of rage, Rita grabbed her purse and in her haste to get out the door, gave Charlotte a slight push. Aiden steadied her and received a wink. Charlotte was well pleased with the job Aiden had just completed. She would be sure to recommend his services to anyone in town who would need him. His success and acceptance into Citrus Beach had just been secured.
Everyone talked at once after the door slammed behind Rita. Finally Charlotte clapped her hands for attention and then told them all she had a few announcements of her own. Kim started to leave, thinking that this was private, but Charlotte told her to stay.
“As the executor of the Wheeler estate, I have met with the town council about the future of the petting zoo and the farm itself. We would like to offer Emma and Taylor permanent employment. You would both live out at the farm as you are now and oversee the running of the facility. You will have complete staffing to see to the day-to-day operations. This would allow you to continue to pursue your graphic design work, Emma. As for you Taylor, the estate would like to offer to pay for you to get your veterinary degree. In exchange, you will work with the animals on site after your graduation. We only ask for the promise you will stay on for three years to work off some of your tuition cost.”
The two girls were stunned. This opportunity was the answer to their prayers, and they were ready to agree on the spot. Charlotte advised them to hear all the details before they made their decision, she would meet with them at the farm later in the day. As everyone talked, Kim excused herself. She had come with Rita to get a story, and she had gotten much more than she had hoped for. Now she needed to get it ready for print and the evening news.
When the phone rang, Jake answered it. After a second he handed the phone to Aiden and then opened the door to the office to let the dogs out. Aiden didn’t talk long, and when he finished, he smiled over at Megan.
“Want to go for a ride?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Sheriff Green is ready to talk to us, so I said we’d come into the station. We can slip away from here and be back before everyone here is ready to leave.”
Megan glanced around at the others who were all talking a mile a minute about the last week’s events and knew that Aiden was right. They wouldn’t be missed at all. With a nod of her head, she got up and made her way to the door. Aiden whispered something to Charlotte, who still stood next to him, and then he joined her.
He opened the door and they walked outside, both dogs sneaking out to join them before Aiden shut the door. Walking to the car, Aiden opened the door for Megan, and the dogs jumped in the back-seat.
Megan gave the cherry red Cutlass a good-looking over and then grinned up at Aiden.
“This car is perfect, Aiden. It shows a whole new side to your personality. A more fun, impulsive side. I have to admit, I’m captivated by this side of you.”
Leaning over, Aiden took her hands in his and gave her a thorough kiss.
“And I’m captivated by all of you, Megan Cassidy.”
A Note From The Author
I hope that you enjoyed the third installment in the Citrus Beach Mysteries.
Barney and Gypsy are up for more adventure in book four and hope you’ll follow along in their holiday adventure...
Christmas is all about the kids.
Megan and Barney soon find they are involved in another mystery revolving around a gang of runaways and a murder. Follow along as they find the clues and bring a major league criminal to justice.
Watch for: Run-a-Way for Christmas…A Citrus Beach Mystery #4. Coming November of 2015.
Curious about the Author?
Be sure to visit my web site. www.VictoriaLKWilliams.com
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sp; Author Web Site
There you will find information about the next Citrus Beach Mystery. You can also find out about two other series that I write, Sister Station and, coming in 2016. The Secret Society Adventures.
You can also find direct links to Amazon to purchase my books and links to my two blogs; A Pen In Hand and Gossip From the Southern Garden.
Be sure to go to the contact me page and let me know what you thought of this book. I love to hear from my readers!
Contents
Prologue
Saturday
Chapter 1
Sunday, the week before
Chapter 2
Wednesday, the week before
Chapter 3
Thursday, the week before
Chapter 4
Saturday
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Sunday
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Monday
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Tuesday
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Wednesday
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Murder at the Geo-Cache...A Citrus Beach Mystery (Citrus Beach Mysteries Book 3) Page 22
