It felt like so far we’d done nothing but raise more questions without answering a single one. I was getting more than a little tired of being in the dark, and ready to bring whoever was responsible for Summer’s death to justice.
We ate dinner on the screened in porch, a couple of ceiling fans keeping the space cool in the sticky summer night.
“Where are you from?” Jake asked my uncle during dinner.
“Baton Rouge.” His answer echoed my own, and he glanced at me in surprise. I flushed at my rookie mistake, and he gave me a gentle smile. “You’re far more open with your ability than your father was. He lived in constant fear of being found out. He hated that part of himself.”
“Why?” The question sprang from the dark wonderings I’d had ever since reading my father’s letter. I had felt his torment over his gift, but having grown up with it myself I had a hard time understanding his aversion to using it.
“I don’t know.” His eyes met mine and I saw the truth in them. “I truly don’t. He told me once that it made him feel different than everyone else. That it gave him an advantage. I wasn’t really sure what he meant. I couldn’t understand it myself. To me it was like being able to sing or draw. It was a gift, granted not like most, but still there wasn’t anything wrong with it.”
I nodded, because I could understand somewhat how he must have felt.
“Maybe it was because he had the ability and you didn’t,” Jules quiet voice interrupted us and Duke shot her a look of surprise. She shrugged. “I grew up with two brothers and we’re all competitive. I can’t imagine having a gift like Addie and knowing my brothers didn’t, especially considering how close we are. He always had the advantage over you.”
Duke leaned back from the table, a contemplative expression on his face. “I never thought of it like that.”
“Why would you? You were the one he refused to help. It was bound to create distance between you.”
“A distance he may have wanted,” Duke admitted with a sigh. “I pushed him all the time to use his gift. I thought he wasted it.”
“It’s not as easy as it seems,” Jake said, a warning in his voice. “It takes its toll. It’s why we’re careful.”
“I understand,” Duke replied cautiously, but it didn’t satisfy Jake.
“I don’t think you do,” he countered, holding his stare. “You ask a question that hurts her in any way, or you think you’re going to exploit her, then you better think again.”
Connor leaned his elbows on the table, his expression for once completely serious. “See, the thing about Addie is she doesn’t just know, she feels, so you start throwing around questions about your dead girlfriend and this little party ends.” He paused and added, “Badly.”
“I’m the badly,” Danny mentioned offhandedly, his muscles tense as he crossed his arms.
Duke glanced between each of the guys and then to Jules and Carly before settling on me. I held my tongue even as their overprotective natures embarrassed me. He needed to decide what kind of relationship he wanted with me. If he was just using me then I’d rather find out now instead of weeks from now.
“I don’t want to hurt you. You are the only family I have left.” I blinked at his words, the knowledge startling me. “My parents are long gone, and they died believing the worst of me. My brother is also gone along with any relationship I may have had with him. There are always two parts to any story and now he’ll never get the chance to tell his. Looking back, I may have driven him away.” He glanced at my friends gathered around me. “You have an incredible group of friends, ones who would do anything to protect you.” He paused and shame crossed his face. “As I should have done for David. I want to be in your life and if that means dropping any investigation into Summer’s death then I will. I don’t want you to ever think that I only want you around for your ability, because that’s not true.” He removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“I’ve come here every summer since her death. I’d given up hope of solving her murder, but I still came….to remind whoever had done it that someone still cared. Someone still remembered. Your arrival was unexpected, to say the least.”
“But you know a lot about her,” Jake stated.
“I do, you’re right. I was informed of my brother’s death and suspected Addie would be the one to inherit, but that wasn’t the first I’d known of Addie and her mother. Even when my brother pushed me away, I still kept tabs on him after our parent’s died. He was my younger brother after all.”
Wade gave me an almost imperceptible nod, confirming my belief that so far everything he said rang true.
“When David married your mother, I had just graduated from law school,” Duke paused as Danny choked on his iced tea and smiled. “Yes, I’m a lawyer. Trust me, I never thought I’d be on the other side of the courtroom either.” A reminiscent smile crossed his face and he said, “When I met Summer I was nothing but a rebel with an attitude. Her father despised me, said I was a good for nothing loser and he’d never allow his daughter to date me.”
“I take it his opinion never changed,” Wade broke in, trying to solve one of the many mysteries surrounding that summer.
“No, it didn’t. I’ve thought for a long time that he killed her in a fit of rage.” He glanced up, his expression heavy. “She was found in the morning, floating face down in the water. They said she drowned, but that never sat right with me. She was an incredible swimmer, and she used to love to go watch the sunrise by the lake. A couple of times I met her there, but mornings belonged to her.”
“What about the guy stalking her?” I asked, wondering if I’d catch him in a lie. If he was the guy.
“Stalker….” Duke shook his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. There was no one stalking her. The only person she had difficulty with was her father. He’s the reason they came after me when she died. The town mayor holds a lot of power around here.”
I met Wade’s eyes and he shook his head. My question had come as a surprise to Duke which meant Summer had never told him about the man who chased her through the woods.
“Let’s go back to how you know about Addie,” Jake interrupted, his mind focused on any risk to me and less on the mystery of Summer’s death.
“Oh, yes. I saw the marriage announcement in the paper. I sent a gift, but David returned it.” He shook his head. “I can’t blame him. I think by then he was ready to put any trace of his past behind him, and that included me. Every couple of years though, I’d get curious. Wonder what his life was like. Official records are easy enough to find, and I saw Addie’s birth and then their divorce. Later, articles in the newspaper that mentioned Addie in relation to a police investigation. At that point, I suspected she might have the gift.”
“But you never contacted them,” Connor made it a statement and Duke nodded.
“I didn’t know what they might know about me. Or how they would feel about me showing up in their lives after David had disappeared so thoroughly.” I nodded at his answer, already knowing what my mom’s reaction would have been. She would have escorted him to the door, in short order. “When I came up this summer, I wondered if there would be a chance I’d meet you.” He gave me a soft smile. “And here we are.”
“Why did you disappear the other day?” Carly’s question was more an accusation, and the flip flopping emotions the question stirred made it difficult for me to decipher the truth from him.
He had the grace to look embarrassed and I knew Wade could see his discomfort.
“I wasn’t ready,” Duke admitted. “Seeing Addie….was a shock. Finding out she had the gift….I got excited. I’ll admit the first thought I had was, maybe now I’ll find out the truth about Summer’s death. I’m not proud of my initial reaction,” he defended himself, holding up a hand at Jake’s immediate glare. “But I’d rather tell you the truth. Addie is my only living relative and while I’ve known about her for years, it was always an abstract thing. Seeing her, seeing my brothe
r’s eyes, it affected me in a way I didn’t expect.” He paused as his eyes glistened. “For the first time in a long time, I felt regret. For the years I’d lost with my brother, with his family, with my family. I didn’t want to screw it up.”
I didn’t need to look at Wade to feel the truth in his words. It oozed from him, and I felt the weight of everything he’d lost.
“So you’re a lawyer?” Jules piped up, correctly interpreting that we needed a change of subject.
Duke cleared his throat as he slid his glasses back on his nose.
“I am. I’ve worked in Baton Rouge for years as a defense attorney.” He nodded toward Danny. “I recognize a kindred soul. When I was falsely accused, I was terrified. Luckily for me, they didn’t have the evidence to prosecute or maybe it was all just a scare tactic by her father. I’ve never figured it out, but I did realize everyone deserved a voice.” He glanced at me with a faint smile. “I was married, it lasted about as long as a snowball in hell. I guess that’s what happens when the past still has a hold on you. No kids. I like to think I have a full life, but I still find myself here every single year, haunted by my past.”
“We’ll figure out what happened to her,” I replied as I reached over the table to pat his hand before quickly withdrawing it. “And if it means anything to you, I think my dad had more than a few regrets of his own. But the past doesn’t have to define our future. I’d like to get to know you, Duke.”
“I’d like that and thank you,” he answered and at my questioning glance he elaborated. “Thank you for being willing to solve Summer’s murder, for giving me an opportunity.”
“Well, you did bail me out of jail,” I joked, uncomfortable with all the feelings floating around.
I startled a laugh out of him and he said, “Yes, well, hopefully I only need to do it once.”
I raised my eyebrows as I glanced around at the others and they started laughing. “Let’s just say, it might not be a bad thing having a lawyer in the family.”
An understanding expression dawned on him as Connor said, “She does tend to find trouble.”
“Like I don’t have help!”
He nodded in acknowledgement at that as everyone laughed. Once our laughter died, I spotted my uncle’s uncertain glance. I pinpointed it as one I’d seen from everyone at some point or another who knew about my gift, he wanted to ask a question, one he wasn’t sure I’d want to answer.
“What do you want to know?”
Jake tensed next to me and I laid a hand on his leg under the table. My uncle would have questions, probably hard questions, but at least he was willing to consider my feelings.
“I don’t know if I should ask,” he replied uncertainty before he closed his eyes and admitted, “Actually, I know I shouldn’t. This would be one of those questions that could potentially hurt you.”
“Then don’t ask,” Jake gritted out, tensing further. I squeezed the taut muscle under my hand, wordlessly trying to tell him to relax. It didn’t seem to help and even Connor bristled next to Jules.
“Let’s write the question down and decide,” Wade suggested in an attempt to ease the tension. A glance around the table and Jake gave a short nod. “Okay,” Wade passed over a piece of paper and pen he’d magically pulled out of nowhere. “Write it down, but don’t give it to Addie.”
Wade’s stipulation caused Jake to shoot a glance at me, but I only shrugged. We’d discovered asking questions over text message didn’t work with my gift, but my father’s question in his letter had, a fact Jake knew nothing about.
Duke nodded and grabbed the pen, as he hesitated over the paper I noticed he was a leftie. I wondered if my dad had been left handed as well. He quickly scratched out his question and shoved it toward Wade, almost as if he might change his mind. Wade read it, but his expression remained blank as he handed it over to Jake.
My jaw ached as I curled my fingers into the muscle of Jake’s thigh. He rested his hand over mine and I eased my grip. It was frustrating having others decide whether or not I should hear a question, but my own latent fear of the consequences kept me from yanking the paper from Jake’s hand.
“I don’t like it, but I know Addie wants to know the answer to the question as well,” Jake gave me an understanding look and I relaxed slightly. He briefly closed his eyes and exhaled. “Addie, how did Summer die?”
Chapter Twelve
My head jerked back as a hand covered my face. Instinctively, I reached up to wrench it away, but they were too strong. The tight grip over my mouth and nose refused to loosen, and the arm around me was a steel band trapping me. Struggling was futile and as my body desperately fought for air I could feel myself growing weaker.
Why? Was my last thought as I watched the sun break over the edge of the tree line and I sank into darkness.
I coughed and bent over as Jake rubbed my shoulders. When I finally caught my breath, I said, “Dying sucks.” Another raspy cough overtook me and Danny shoved his glass of tea toward me.
I took a couple of gulps gratefully as Duke stared at me. Emotions flickered across his face rapidly, but it was the guilt that gave me momentary pause.
“I had no idea it would affect you like that,” he finally whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
I shook my head, unaccountably relieved it was my suffering that caused the guilt he felt and not a past action of his.
“She was smothered, for lack of a better word.” I shrugged and Connor nodded as he added, “Asphyxiated. The coroner suspected that was her actual cause of death. It was in his handwritten notes, but never mentioned in the official report.”
“I blame her father,” Duke growled, shoving back from the table. Anger radiated from him and I couldn’t blame him. He’d basically witnessed me relieve his girlfriend’s death. I didn’t imagine that would be easy for anyone.
“She was definitely murdered. Someone grabbed her from behind, covered her mouth and nose.” I paused as other details filtered in. “She was by the lake, she watched the sun rise as she,” I stopped as I saw the pain flash across Duke’s face. Perhaps he didn’t need all the details. “She didn’t see who attacked her. I’m not sure she knew who it was.”
I inhaled, and then inhaled again more deeply. It would be awhile before I forgot the sensation of being suffocated. Jake kept his arm around me and I rested against him, suddenly exhausted.
“Maybe it’s time we left.” Connor gazed at me and I nodded. “I think there have been enough revelations for the evening.”
“I have to say, Connor, sometimes you surprise me,” Wade joked, standing up, his own expression vaguely sick.
“I’m not just a pretty face and hot body,” he told him, playing along to see if I’d smile which I did. “There’s a deep and sensitive soul in this perfect casing.”
“Oh, God. Stop now, please,” Jules exclaimed, punching his shoulder.
“Thank you for coming,” Duke said distractedly, lost in his own thoughts.
“I think it’s us who should be thanking you,” I replied quietly. My voice seemed to snap him out of whatever he’d been thinking of and he gave me a regretful look. “It’s okay. Not the first time that’s happened.”
“Still, I never would have asked had I known.”
“Which is why Jake asked, because he did know and he knew it was more important for us to know the answer than to shield me.”
“I don’t know about that,” Jake denied next to me, and the look of understanding that passed between him and my uncle caused me to sigh.
“Well, I do know since I went through it,” I said firmly. “We’re getting closer to finding the truth. That’s what’s important.”
“Dinner was lovely,” Jules chimed in, shoving Connor toward the door where Danny was already standing with an anxious Carly.
The sun was just beginning to set, casting twilight shadows over the ground. Duke flipped a light switch to turn on an outside light so we could make our way to the dock. We piled into the boat as he stood on the por
ch steps. Jake turned the key, but the ignition just whined.
“What the hell. It was fine on the way over,” he muttered irately. Danny wandered over to take a look, pulling a flashlight out of the console.
“We got a loose wire?” Jake asked him and I shuddered with the knowledge that the wires weren’t loose. Danny gave me a swift glance and shook his head.
“Cut,” he answered shortly.
“Cut sounds intentional,” Carly shrilled, glancing around nervously. “Who would do that?” She slapped her hand over her mouth the second she asked the question and gave me a guilty look.
“A man, baseball hat covering his eyes, older?” I couldn’t describe him any better so I shrugged.
“Why?” Danny stared straight at me. “You didn’t want us to walk over. Now the boat won’t run and we’re gonna have to walk. I want to know why.”
“They wanted to search the cabin. Scare us,” I responded slowly, impressions flickering through me. “They’re angry, intrigued.”
“By who?” I didn’t know who asked the low question, but flinched when I knew the answer.
“Jules.”
“What the hell is going on around this fucking lake?” Connor roared, his arm going around Jules protectively. “It’s that damn asshole who was watching y’all on the lake. He’s not going to get away with this.”
“We don’t know that,” Jake said, pulling the key from the boat ignition. Connor grunted in disbelief and Jake tilted his head. “Yeah, that’s the most likely scenario, but we’ve got plenty of possibilities. It’s no good jumping to conclusions.”
“You’d do the same if it was Addie,” Connor retorted.
“Hell, yeah, and Jules is my sister,” Jake reminded him. “I don’t want anyone stalking any of the girls.”
“It’s the same guy,” I told them, absolutely certain with zero idea why.
“See! Crawling all over my ass when Addie knows the truth,” Connor grumbled, lifting his hand to me for a high five. I slapped it and said, “It’s the same guy that stalked Summer.”
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