"The prom? That's cold. And you were over the moon to go to the prom with him. Why did you choose that day? Why did you leave then?"
"I couldn't wait. Because I'd raised the red flag about your disappearance with the authorities, everyone in the house was angry with me. They were treating me like a nut case. There was talk of psychiatrists and sedatives. It was very scary, and then Mr. Faulkner pulled me aside and told me that he and I needed to meet privately. He wanted to take me to lunch the day of the prom, and I freaked out. I thought if I left the house with him, I'd never come back. I'd disappear just like you had. I told Tommy, and he said I needed to get out of there. I couldn't wait." She paused. "One thing I don't understand is why the Department of Children and Family Services didn't have any record of you being at the Faulkners."
"That's because I didn't go through them."
"What do you mean?"
"I met David in front of a convenience store. I was begging for money. My grandmother had gone into the hospital several weeks earlier, and the social workers had come sniffing around the apartment. I knew if they found me, they'd put me somewhere else, and I didn't want to leave my grandmother. I thought she would get better, and then I could go home. But it was taking a long time. I was hungry and scared. David told me that his parents took in foster kids. He thought they'd be willing to take me in for a few weeks and not tell anyone. He said they were very kind people. When I met Geralyn and Donald, they seemed nice, and there were other kids there. You were sweet. I thought it was going to be okay. They said they'd let me stay until my grandmother got better, that I'd be safe there." Shadows darkened Molly's eyes. "I need some coffee. Do you want some?"
"No, I'm okay." As Molly walked over to the counter and poured some coffee into a mug, Cassidy said, "I know it's difficult to talk about the past."
"I've never spoken about it with anyone," Molly said, sipping her coffee as she leaned against the counter. "I don't even know why I'm talking about it now."
"Because I'll understand. We're the same, Molly. I ran away just like you did. I was a little older, but I was just as desperate. After that, I put the past away, and I never wanted to revisit it. But Tommy's body being discovered in that old house changed everything." She moved toward a table for two. "Can we sit?"
"Sure."
She pulled out a chair at the table and sat down, while Molly took the one across from her. "You look good, Molly—happy."
"It has taken me awhile, but I'm in a good place."
She cleared her throat, knowing she was stalling a little. "I don't want to ask, but I have to. Did Mr. Faulkner molest you? I woke up a couple of times at night, and you weren't there, but when I woke up in the morning, you would be back in your bed—except for the last time."
"I was…molested." She stumbled over the word, then squared her shoulders. "That's why I left."
"I'm so sorry."
"I just want to forget about the past. I don't want to be involved in any of this. I called you because I wanted to make sure you didn't tell anyone else you found me. You didn't, did you?"
"I didn't."
"Not even the police?"
"No. But they're going to want to hear from you."
"I have nothing to say. I was out of the house before Tommy died, so I don't know how it happened or who was involved. I'm sad that he lost his life there, but I'm not completely surprised. There was evil in that house. Thank God, both of us escaped."
"We were lucky." She paused. "And I understand your desire to stay out of this, but we might need you to help us figure out the totality of what was going on."
"Does it matter? Tommy is dead."
"I want justice for him."
"You, of all people, should know there is no justice."
"I think there can be."
"Well, I don't. And I have nothing to add."
"David suggested that Donald's brother Evan or Evan's son Colin might have been angry with Tommy over video games. Did you ever witness that?"
"No, but I tried to stay away from both of them. I didn't like them. I didn't like anyone, except for you. The younger girls were all right, but they were tight with each other. The boys were stupid, making dumb jokes, saying mean things." Molly shuddered. "That place was awful. I wish to God I had never met David, that I had never gone with him to that house. And I was so wrong about the Faulkners. They were nothing close to nice." She took another sip of her coffee. "You said you saw all the guys last night?"
"Yes. They wanted me to join with them in trying to protect Mrs. Faulkner from whatever might be coming her way. David used the pretense of wanting to plan a memorial for Tommy to get me there. But as soon as I expressed my conviction that Mrs. Faulkner was guilty of murder, everyone got very hostile, especially Jeremiah. I also couldn't help reminding them that they had lied about your existence."
"Did they own up to the lie?"
"No. They doubled down. Said I'd made you up. I told them I had proof, and I put my hand on this necklace." She mimicked her action from the night before.
Molly's gaze filled with worry. "I wish you hadn't brought me up. Did you tell them about the jewelry store, about my new name?"
"I didn't tell them anything. I just implied I knew more than they did. It was a bad decision. Someone followed me home last night and tried to run me off the road, just the way they probably did to Mr. Faulkner." As she made the statement, she remembered Hunter suggesting that Molly had been the one to ram her car from behind but seeing the shock on Molly's face now put that idea out of her head.
"I can't believe it. Someone tried to kill you?" Molly asked. "This is getting worse and worse. You need to back away, Cassidy. If you want to bury Tommy and mourn him, do that. Don't try to solve his murder. Don't work with those guys. You can't trust them."
"Believe me, I do not trust them. I barely trust anyone."
"Except Hunter."
"Except him," she agreed.
"So, what do you do now?" Molly asked. "If you'll let me change the subject."
"I'm a landscape designer. I work at a nursery."
Molly suddenly smiled, her first real smile since they'd reconnected. "That's perfect. You loved flowers so much."
"It is perfect. An older couple took me in when I was nineteen, taught me the business, and I love it. We both found a way to start over."
"Yes. The church really helped me. One of the older women counseled me on letting go, allowing myself to be reborn, cleansing my soul of all the darkness. It's finally working. I'm starting to feel free. It's amazing how long the ties of hatred lasted for me. So many years of nightmares. But now I'm starting to feel like I can breathe again. I can do what I was born to do."
"Your jewelry is beautiful." She touched her necklace again. "When I saw this, I thought of you. I had to have it."
"Was it just by chance you went to that store?"
"We went to a bunch of stores before that one. All I could remember about you was your silver-turquoise necklace and how you said your grandmother Lily used to work in a shop in San Francisco that sold a lot of Native American-inspired jewelry. So, Hunter and I went looking for such a store on the off chance that we could find it and maybe locate someone who knew your grandmother or knew you. I have to admit I was afraid I was going to find out you were dead."
Molly looked amazed by her words. "I can't believe you went to all that trouble."
"I couldn't do anything to move the police investigation along into Tommy's death, so I went back to you. You were the big question in my head all these years. But even when we found the jewelry store on Union Street, I didn’t know you were Kenna. The clerk—Helen—just said her daughter had found you. She didn't seem to know that you were related to Lily or Molly. She told us to go to the church where your grandmother volunteered."
"Helen doesn't know that Kenna is Molly. I wanted to sell my jewelry in that store, but not as Lily's granddaughter."
"I understand. I changed my last name, not my first, although t
hat made me a lot easier to find. Not that I really thought anyone would look for me after I turned eighteen, but keeping secrets was part of my survival plan."
"Mine, too."
"Your grandmother would be proud that you've carried on her traditions."
"I'm just glad she never knew what happened to me. She died while I was at the Faulkners' house. I didn't know it until I left. I missed seeing her by two days. Maybe that was for the best."
"She didn't know you would be left alone when she got sick?"
"She thought she'd get better, but she didn't."
"Why didn't you go to the church in the first place, instead of asking David to take you to the Faulkners?"
"I did go to the church, but the first person I spoke to immediately got on the phone to the police to find out where I should go. So, I ran. For some stupid reason, I thought I would have more control over the situation if I stayed at the Faulkners. That was a mistake. Anyway, when I went back the second time, I managed to get to one of my grandmother's friends, who was willing to take me in, hide me away. I was very grateful to her." She let out a heavy breath. "It's been good seeing you, but I don't think we should talk again, Cassidy."
"Why?" she asked, disappointed by Molly's words.
"Because we'll only remind each other of the pain."
"We could find a way to a new friendship. I'm not interested in rehashing those days. Once is enough. I just needed some answers. We can move on."
"Maybe. Let's see how things go. I definitely don't want to be a part of the investigation into Tommy's death, so when that's over, let me know."
"All right. I can understand that."
"And you won't tell anyone who I am or where I am?"
"I won't," she promised.
"What about Hunter?"
"He'll keep your secret. He'll understand why you want to stay out of it. And like you said, there's nothing you can add that will help since you weren't there when Tommy died."
"Exactly." Molly stood up. "You should go. Hunter is waiting."
"No, he's not. He was going to a fundraiser. He just wanted to make sure that you weren't trying to lure me into some sort of trap, so he wanted to walk me up here."
Molly gave her an odd look. "Why would he think that?"
"Because of what happened last night on the Pacific Coast Highway."
"Right. That makes sense. That makes me even more certain he's waiting downstairs." Molly smiled. "Maybe this is your second chance with him, Cassidy."
"I don't know. We're good together, but I have a lot of baggage."
"Everyone does. It's nice when you can find someone willing to hold the bags."
"I'll have to remember that."
"Good-bye, Cassidy."
"Can we just say see you later?" She didn't like the finality of Molly's words.
"Okay. See you later."
"Definitely." She wanted to hug Molly, but she felt like her friend still had too many walls up to be comfortable with that. So, she just smiled and left.
When she walked out of the building, she found Hunter sitting on the front steps, just as Molly had predicted. He jumped to his feet when he saw her.
"I told you to go to the cook-off," she said.
"This is a deserted area; I wasn't going to do that. How did it go in there?"
"Not bad."
"Not bad doesn't sound great," he murmured, a questioning glint in his eyes.
"It was good. We talked. She told me she was molested; that's why she ran away. She also said David met her when she was homeless, and he asked his parents to take her in until her grandmother got out of the hospital. They agreed, without filing any formal paperwork. I guess that's why David and the Faulkners denied she was ever there. They didn't want to get in trouble and jeopardize the rest of their foster care business. Anyway, Molly doesn't want to be involved in any of this. She made me promise not to tell anyone I'd found her, not even the police, and I agreed."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because Molly was gone before Tommy was killed. She can't help with that case, and she has suffered enough. She has made a new life for herself, and she doesn't need to be dragged back down into the darkness. I understand that. If she could help us find Tommy's killer, I wouldn't keep silent, but she can't."
"I see your point, but she does have knowledge of everyone at the house."
"No more than I do. Can I count on you to back me up on this?"
"I'll agree for now, but I might change my mind. If I do, I will tell you before I tell anyone else."
"All right. I'll take that. You should go to your fundraiser now."
"I really hate to let you make that drive home on your own."
"There's no one here." She waved her hand toward the empty street. "No one is watching us. No one is following me. I'll stay on the busy freeways."
"And you'll text me when you get home?"
"I will. You can't watch over me twenty-four seven, Hunter. You have a job, and so do I. And I'm not going to stop living my life. The Faulkners already took too much from me; I'm not giving them anymore."
"At this point, I don’t think it's the Faulkners we need to be worried about."
"Well, if it was one of the guys who took Geralyn who came after me last night, then they don't have anything more to fear from me. I can't speak out about a woman who isn't in custody."
"Sure you can. You can shout your story to the rooftops. You can go to the press. You can cause all kinds of trouble. Don't get complacent, Cassidy. You have good survival instincts. Keep those sharp."
"I will. I won't underestimate anyone."
He walked her to her van. "Do you think you and Molly will see each other again?"
"I'd like to see her. She seemed leery about the idea of us being friends. She thinks we'll just remind each other of the bad stuff, but I believe we could start fresh. Maybe after all of this is over, and Geralyn is in jail, then we'll be free to try again. But even if that doesn't happen, I'm just thrilled that she's alive. That's all that matters. Now, you should go." She started to push him away, but he captured her hand and pressed it against his heart.
Then he lowered his head and kissed her. And despite her earlier intentions to put some space between them, she was immediately lost when his mouth touched hers. She couldn't help but kiss him back. The pull between them was impossible to fight. Her head might be on one page, but her heart and her body were on another.
When they finally let go of each other, she gave him a helpless smile. "I hope Molly didn't see that. She'll think I really didn't change at all. I still can't give you anything but the longest kiss good-bye."
He grinned back at her. "That wasn't one of our longer good-byes, by any means."
"No, but just because we want each other doesn't mean we should have each other."
"It doesn't mean we shouldn't, either. But that's a conversation for another day." He opened her door, so she could get inside. "Lock this and text me when you're safe."
"I will." As she climbed into the van and started the engine, Hunter waited on the sidewalk, and his concern touched her heart. Actually, it wasn't just his concern; it was everything about him: the way he pushed her to be everything she could be, the way he smiled, teased, kissed, loved… Maybe they could be together.
It seemed like an impossible dream. And when had her dreams ever come true?
Emotional tears blurred her eyes, and she blinked them away. She suspected there might be crying to come later; she wasn't going to start now.
Twenty
Monday was filled with fire calls, training drills, and more fire calls. Hunter exchanged several texts with Cassidy, and everything seemed to be fine with her. She'd had no problems getting home the night before, and she was busy working at the estate with two of her coworkers, so he didn't have to worry that she was alone.
But he was still concerned. She might think that Geralyn's escape had taken the interest off her, but he wasn't so sure. And he wasn't going to rel
ax until Geralyn was recaptured and whoever had taken her was arrested. Unfortunately, that didn't seem like it would happen any time soon. He'd already bothered Max several times, and there were no new leads.
As he wandered into the kitchen, looking to grab a late afternoon snack, he was surprised to run into Kate. "Hey, what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to check in before I take off."
"Take off? I thought you were here for the week."
"There's a case I need to consult on down in LA. I'll be back Thursday.
"That's good. How was the weekend?"
"It was great. We had so much fun. Female power."
He smiled. "There's plenty of that in our family."
"Plenty of testosterone, too," she said dryly. "I didn't want you to think I'd forgotten about the favor you asked me. I had a coworker put in the information you gave me, but while she came up with the girl's grandmother, who is now deceased, as you mentioned, we weren't able to find any reference to Molly Bennett after the age of fourteen. No school records, no DMV, no credit cards—nothing. But I will keep looking. I have some other ideas on how we might be able to find her."
He felt guilty that he hadn't thought to update Kate. "We found out yesterday that Molly changed her name. I should have called you last night. I'm sorry. There has been a lot going on."
"Like what?"
"Cassidy and I actually tracked Molly down through her grandmother's jewelry-making business."
"Whoa! You found her?" Kate asked in surprise. "Seriously?"
"You're not the only detective in the family. However, there was some luck involved."
"That's amazing. She's alive and well then."
"Yes."
"Is this woman going to be able to help the current case?"
"No. Molly left the house before Tommy was killed, so she has no idea who was responsible for that, but Cassidy had always wondered what happened to her, and she was thrilled to find out she's alive, especially after what happened to Tommy. I feel badly that I didn't text you to stop working on my favor."
She gave him a careless shrug. "It wasn't that big of a deal, and I meant to call you last night, too, but Mia and Annie and I started talking with Mom when we got back, and things went late into the night."
Secrets We Keep GO PL Page 20
