The Horse Shifter's Mate: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance (The Bond of Brothers Book 2)

by Harmony Raines

  “It’s okay.” Penny held out her hand to Helena. “You’re right, it’s better that we learn the truth together.” She looked down at Helena’s hand as her sister took it. “You are freezing. Have some coffee and warm yourself up. We can always go to the library tomorrow.”

  “No, let’s go today.” She accepted a cup of coffee from Logan. “Thanks.”

  “What do we know so far?” Ivan asked.

  “We know that Barry has some knowledge of what happened. He told us that the same man who killed our father also killed his father.” Helena cupped her coffee in both hands. Dario wanted to hold her close and comfort her, but she was strong.

  “And now we know that Dad was murd... That our dad is most likely dead. But Jeremy doesn’t know who did it and neither did anyone when it happened. So how does Barry know?”

  “He could have investigated the murders himself,” Ivan suggested. “If his father was murdered but no one was charged, then he might have picked up the investigation. He might have linked the two murders. Certainly, Barry might have more information than the authorities.”

  “Does that mean we should bring him back here?” Penny asked.

  “No!” Helena shook her head firmly. “At least until we know for sure he doesn’t have some ulterior motive. He broke into my apartment. If he is the innocent party here, why didn’t he tell us what he knew?”

  “He seemed a little...unhinged to me,” Dario admitted. “There was something off about him. When he told Helena about her father, there was no empathy, no concern for her feelings.”

  “We don’t know what life he’s had.” Penny’s voice caught in her throat. “Mom might not have been perfect but at least she was there for us. How do we know Barry wasn’t abandoned? What if he was alone in the world and he wasn’t lucky enough to have someone as kind and caring as Valerie to raise him?”

  “You’re right, Penny,” Dario agreed. “We shouldn’t pass judgment on the man until we have all the facts. When we go to the library, we should look for other similar deaths at around the same time. If Barry’s father was murdered at around the same time, that adds some weight to his story.”

  “There’s one other thing we need to know,” Helena began. Everyone turned to look at her. “Why can’t Penny and I remember any of this?”

  “You were young, it must have been very traumatic for you both. You probably blocked it out.” Dario moved closer to his mate, his voice tender. “Maybe it’s a blessing that you don’t remember.”

  “But I need to,” Helena replied. “I need to know. The more I think about it, the more my monster in the closet is the person who killed Dad. I might be a witness. I might be able to solve this for us and for Barry.”

  “Or your monster might not be connected,” Valerie replied softly. “If this was traumatic enough that you have blocked it out, then maybe it’s better not to remember.”

  “It’s like we’ve been living fake lives,” Penny said. “I agree with Helena. It’s time we knew the truth, it’s time we remembered what happened. I want to remember our father. And I know the memories might be traumatic, but there would be good memories, too. There must be. Our dad made fun sweets that made people laugh.”

  Helena pulled away from Dario and went to Penny, holding her close. “We’ll find a way.”

  Dario’s heart contracted, he hated seeing his mate in pain. But the pain might get much worse if she remembered her past here in Wishing Moon Bay.

  She deserves to know, his horse told him. We would want to know about our parents.

  Would we? Dario asked. Would our lives have been better if we grew up believing they had both died in an accident rather than knowing that our father killed himself because our mother died?

  The truth has made us who we are, his horse replied.

  And not knowing the truth has made Penny and Helena who they are. The truth might not set them free. The truth might make a prison they can never escape from.

  It’s not our decision to make, his horse replied.

  On that, they agreed. All Dario could do was be there for his mate.

  Chapter Twenty-One – Helena

  “Deaths and marriages are all registered here along with births.” The rather bemused elderly female assistant at the library showed them to the archives.

  “Thank you, Daisy.” Logan and Penny would search through the register for anything containing information on their parents along with Penny’s and Helena’s birth certificates. Unless their mom had changed their dates of birth, those should be easy to find.

  Along with their father’s death certificate, once they found the newspaper article with the information in it. Even without it, they could narrow their search down to within a few years.

  “And I’ll show you to the newspaper archives.” Daisy eyed Helena up and down. “You’re new in town.”

  “I am, yes. I arrived a couple of days ago.” She took a deep steadying breath. “But I believe I was born here. That’s what we’re trying to find out. My father used to own a candy store in town.”

  Daisy’s steps faltered and she swung around to face Helena and Dario. “Sweet Creations. Oh, Oliver Olsen was your father? I’m so sorry, he was such a kind man. My daughter used to love his jiggle wobbles. They used to make your tummy jiggle and wobble, had her in stitches. He was such a clever man.” Her eyes misted with tears. “So unfair, the way he...”

  “I don’t know how he died,” Helena admitted. “Until a couple of days ago, I had no idea he was murdered, and I only found out today that he owned the candy store.” She swallowed down her emotions, fighting the need to grab hold of Daisy’s hand and beg her to help them. “Do you have any information that might help? Even just the date he died so we can narrow our search of the archives.”

  “I’ll find the archives for you. It was one of the biggest news stories for years. There are not many murders in Wishing Moon Bay.” Daisy beckoned them to follow her and she switched on a computer and sat down at the keyboard.

  “Was there only one murder?” Dario asked.

  “Only one?” Daisy ducked her chin and looked at Dario over her glasses. “Isn’t one enough?”

  “We were told that there were two murders. That the same person who murdered Helena’s father murdered another man. Are you saying that isn’t true?” Dario reached for Helena’s hand.

  “As far as I am aware there was only one murderer in Wishing Moon Bay in the time surrounding your father’s death.” She slipped her hand over the mouse and clicked. “Of course, this is a town filled with magic. There could have been a murder that was treated as a suspicious death. We can search the archives around the same time for anything that might fit if you really want to.”

  “Thanks,” Helena croaked and then cleared her throat.

  “Is your source reliable?” Daisy didn’t take her eyes off the screen.

  “He’s the same person who told me my dad had been murdered. He said his father had been murdered by the same man.” Helena received a startled look from Daisy.

  “How could he know that when no one had a clue who murdered your dad? It’s one of the biggest mysteries. One of those unsolved cases. They even reopened it as a cold case a few years ago.” She dropped her voice and glanced around. “It’s like the one that got away. The police officer who was first on the scene went on to become a detective. He sees it as a black mark against his name that he never brought anyone to justice for the murder.”

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out. If you can help us in any way... Or the detective you spoke about. Do you think he would be willing to talk to us?” This could, potentially, be the biggest breakthrough so far. Instead of trawling through past records for new stories, they could go directly to the source.

  “I don’t know. Oscar Renshaw keeps to himself these days. He lives on the outskirts of town and doesn’t entertain many visitors.” Daisy stared at Helena over her glasses and Helena held her breath as if waiting for Daisy to pass judgment on her. “Bu
t that case did get under his skin and I’m sure he’d like to speak to you.” Daisy frowned, her brow wrinkled as she thought for a moment. “You are who you say you are, right?”

  Helena’s head snapped back. “Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Well, I don’t recall Oliver and Amanda having a child.” She pressed her lips together thoughtfully. “And you’ve been away all this time.”

  “I don’t remember living here,” Helena admitted. This was a time for honesty, she needed Daisy’s help and she suspected if the librarian smelled a lie, she would withdraw all offers of help.

  “Then how do you know you are Oliver’s daughter?” Daisy tilted her head to one side.

  “My mother, Amanda, is in a photograph with Oliver. On the back of the photograph it says Oliver and Amanda Olsen. Although, we grew up with the last name Stanhope.” Helena took her phone from her pocket and tapped the screen. “See, this is a copy of it.”

  “I can vouch for its authenticity,” Dario said. “My mom, Valerie, found it up in the hotel attic. There’s a stack of old stuff up there from the previous owners.”

  “Is there?” Daisy’s eyes narrowed as she surveyed Dario. “Perhaps I could come by and take a look sometime. I am a volunteer curator for the museum. There might be something there that we could display. That old building and its occupants have some secrets, I’m sure.” She smiled, but there was a brittle edge to her words.

  “I’ll speak to Valerie about it when we’re finished up with finding out what we need about Helena’s father.” Dario put his hand on Helena’s shoulder. There was something possessive about the touch and the look in Dario’s eye as he stared down Daisy.

  “We have a deal.” She cracked a smile, but there was something unsaid in her eyes. But Helena had enough mystery on her hands without adding more to the mix.

  Daisy turned on her heel and strode back to her desk near the main entrance. After a quick glance at Dario, Helena followed. When they got out of there, she planned to ask him what was up with Daisy.

  “Where are you going?” Penny hurried over to them.

  “Daisy says there’s a retired detective in town who might be able to help us. It sure would be faster to go to the source than to go through all the newspapers.” Helena watched Daisy out of the corner of her eye. “Have you found anything?”

  “I found Mom and Dad’s marriage certificate. They were married here in Wishing Moon Bay.” Penny’s face was flushed pink as she showed Helena an image of the certificate.

  “That was fast.” Helena’s throat tightened and she swallowed down a lump of emotion. Their mom’s familiar signature, the same signature she’d used to sign school permission slips was there in front of her. “Mom.”

  “We searched around the year of your birth. Added another nine months for the pregnancy. Although Mom could have already been pregnant when they got married... Anyway, we found it.” Penny’s voice trailed off. “We know for sure who our father is.”

  Helena held out her arms and the two sisters hugged each other, crying silently in the library in the town they once lived in and called home. They might even have visited here with their mom and dad. Did their father read to them? Did he sit by their bedside and tell them a bedtime story?

  “Helena, I have the address.” Dario came to them, holding a piece of paper in his hand.

  “We should go.” Helena wiped her eyes as she let go of Penny. “All of us.”

  “You don’t want Logan and me to stay here and look through the records?” Penny glanced over her shoulder. “Logan is looking for our birth certificates. I want to know if we were born here. If the ones Mom had were fake.” She gave a low laugh. “We might even celebrate our birthdays on the wrong day. I might even be the eldest.”

  “Daisy can’t remember us,” Helena whispered. “Just like Jeremy.”

  “But we must have been born before Mom left. Before Dad died. The date on the photograph of Mom and Dad...you would have been five, I would have been three.” Penny shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  “We need to go and speak to this detective. I suspect he might be more useful than these records.” Helena ran her hand through her hair, her eyes prickling with unshed tears. “Get Logan. We should go together. This affects the four of us.”

  “Okay.” Penny nodded and backed away. “I’ll also need to call Rift and check if he minds taking care of Milo for a couple of hours. I feel as if I’ve abandoned my son today.”

  “I’m sure he’s having fun with Rift and this is important,” Dario said. “This is his history as much as yours.”

  “You’re right. This goes to the very heart of who we are. It’s starting to feel as if someone rewrote our past when we left town.” She gave a small smile and then went to find Logan.

  “I think Penny is right.” Dario side-eyed Daisy who was watching them while tapping on a keyboard.

  “Which part?” Helena asked quietly.

  “That someone rewrote your past.” He pressed his lips into a thin disapproving line.

  “Is that possible?” Panic welled in her chest and her heart beat so hard it was as if it were trying to break free.

  “Sometimes I think anything is possible in this town.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the door. “I need some fresh air.”

  “And I need some answers.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two – Dario

  “I remember Detective Renshaw. He came to the school and gave a talk on keeping safe. You know, the usual, don’t talk to strangers or strange creatures. He seemed like a nice genuine guy.” Logan met Dario’s surprised look. “You don’t remember him?”

  “There’s a lot about school I don’t remember,” he admitted. “I’m surprised you remembered that talk, though, since you are a wolf. You always thought you could look after yourself, even before your first shift.”

  “I remember him saying there are creatures a lot stranger than us out there.” He gazed toward the mountains. “But then he might just have come to scare us. With an unsolved murder on his hands and a town filled with supernatural beings, the more people that are vigilant, the better.”

  “Our father was killed before you came to Wishing Moon Bay, though.” Helena had been very quiet since they left the library. Too quiet.

  “Yes, if you were five and Penny was three, then the murder happened before either of us arrived in town.” Dario got into the back seat of Penny’s car. Helena was seated next to him while Logan was in the front passenger seat.

  Penny inserted the key in the ignition and started the car. “What about Valerie?”

  “Valerie was out of town for a few years before she bought the hotel. She went traveling before she moved back and settled down. I expect the news might have died down a little before she came back. Although, I’m surprised she didn’t hear about the case being reopened as a cold case. We’ll have to check back with her when we’ve seen Detective Renshaw.”

  “If he agrees to see us.” Penny put the car in drive and headed away from the library, following Logan’s directions. “If Detective Renshaw has chosen to live a quiet life away from people, he might not take too kindly to meeting us. Especially since we haven’t contacted him before to check if it’s okay.”

  “Or he might be happy to see us. I know everyone else seems to have forgotten we existed but I’m certain Detective Renshaw will remember us. If this case had haunted him, I doubt he’s forgotten about the victim’s two children.” Helena leaned her elbow on the car door and looked out into the gathering darkness.

  “Why do you think Daisy and Jeremy don’t remember us?” Penny mused. “I can understand Jeremy, I guess. But Daisy. She’s a shrewd one. I don’t expect a lot gets past her.”

  “Why don’t we leave all speculations until we’ve talked to Detective Renshaw?” Logan suggested. “We’ve been going around and around in circles for days with all of this. Detective Renshaw might give us the answers we need about your dad and Barry’s connection t
o all of this.”

  “That’s the weird thing, Daisy didn’t know about another unsolved murder in Wishing Moon Bay. So either Barry’s father’s murderer has been caught and only charged with one murder. Or else the murder took place outside of town. Don’t the police here liaise with other police forces?” Penny cast a sideways glance at Logan.

  “We’ve spent our lives avoiding contact with the police,” Logan confessed. “We never caused the police to even look at us twice, we had too much respect for Valerie.”

  “What Logan means is that when there are six young kids together out in town, people look at you with suspicion, so we kept to the beach and the mountains. If there was any trouble to be gotten into, we did it where no one would ever see.” Dario chuckled. “It was all innocent fun.”

  “I am going to need to hear all of these stories one day,” Helena told him. “Just so I have a heads-up where our children are concerned.” She paused. “If we’re lucky enough to have children.”

  “I am happy to adopt if we are never blessed with our own,” Dario admitted. “These last few days I’ve been thinking more and more about how lucky we were as children to live with Valerie in such a special place. Any one of us could have ended up in a city where no one had a clue what we were.”

  “And you would like to give another shifter child the same chance.” Helena nodded. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Even if we have our own children, I’d be thrilled to adopt a shifter child. Or any child. There are plenty of children out there who need a family of their own.”

  “Maybe we should think of adopting, too,” Penny suggested to Logan.

  “The more kids, the better.” He flashed Penny a smile.

  “We’re lucky guys,” Dario said. “As shifters, we long to have families, we love any child that’s part of our family, which is why we all adore Milo. For Logan and me to have mates who are willing to open their hearts to other children...well, that’s just amazing.”