Twenty-Seven
This wouldn’t be easy. Her dad never gave up information easily. “Mom told me some other information, Dad. I didn’t remember that we’d been in another compound before going to Mount Sinai.”
He straightened, and a lock of shaggy white hair fell onto his forehead. His brows came together. “You were young.”
“I decided to go to Cumberland, Dad. On our way back from Maine.”
Red ran up his neck and his eyes bulged. He rose and stalked to the window. “You had no right.”
“Your dad is dead, but Edward is still there. He’s joined up with Gabriel.”
Her dad whirled to face her. “That’s impossible. Divine Rights and Liberty’s Children have very different philosophies.”
“Edward is running things. He’s very arrogant and unlikeable.”
“Just like Dad.” Her father’s eyes narrowed, and he pressed his lips together. “Lawless, full of self-importance.”
“Why does Edward hate you so much? I mean, he hates you. He ordered us off the property and told us never to come back.”
“Water under the bridge,” her dad said. “It’s not important any longer.”
“But what if it is?” Reid said. “We already know Gabriel is here because of something Kim did. What if there’s more to it? I know talking about the past is hard for you, Charles, but Will’s life might depend on it. We need to know what’s going on. If you love Will as much as you say you do, you’ll tell us.”
Heat radiated from her dad’s face in waves. He was holding his rage in check, and she knew pushing him was dangerous. But she had to for Will’s sake.
“Dad, what happened when you left Kentucky?”
“It has nothing to do with Will.”
“And what if it does? You’re a lawman. You just told me we need to talk to Gabriel, that he might be involved in this. What if Edward is too?”
The fire ebbed in her dad’s eyes, and he went back to his chair and nearly fell back into it. He dropped his face in his hands and sighed before looking up again with such an air of defeat that pity squeezed Jane’s throat. If it weren’t so important, she would tell him it was okay, that he didn’t have to talk about it. But she had to know.
“I couldn’t stand the lawlessness. My dad and brother loved power, and they took anything they wanted from the towns around us. I’d thought we were doing God’s work and found out we were doing my father’s. We had an argument, and I left with you and your mother. I wanted to find a different way of life, one that didn’t feed on the weaknesses of others.”
“From the frying pan into the fire,” she said softly.
“I know that now, but Mount Sinai seemed different at first. It wasn’t, of course, but I was young and full of zeal.”
“I can understand why your father was upset, but why is your brother still so angry?”
Her dad rose and went to the door. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
The door slammed behind him, and rain began to strike the windows as the storm picked up.
Jane exhaled. “Let’s go talk to Gabriel. Maybe there’s more here than we realize.”
If she could only get him to talk.
* * *
Reid and Jane huddled under the canopy as the police motorboat battled the wind and waves. The covering did little to protect them from the rain that poured down in sheets. Water sluiced down Reid’s face and drenched his clothing. Jane was soaked through as well. The warm temperature kept them from any real chill from the inclement weather.
“Maybe we should have waited.” Jane lifted her voice over the sound of the wind. “The waves are ferocious.”
Reid shook his head. “If there’s any chance at all Gabriel orchestrated framing Will, we need to figure it out. If we can find proof he’s behind this, Will could be free today.”
He’d felt so helpless and useless the past few days. At least now he was doing something.
The island grew closer, and he peered through the windshield to search for signs of movement, but all he saw was the wind whipping the bushes and tree limbs. The weather had erased any marks in the sand, and the rain obscured any boats that might be hiding in the vegetation.
“I don’t see the inflatables that were here before,” Jane said.
“Maybe they pulled them farther into the trees so they wouldn’t blow away.”
If Gabriel and his men were gone, what would they do next? They needed to talk to him and see what he knew about Lauren’s death, if anything. It could be a wild-goose chase, but they had to find out for sure.
“I texted Augusta about our plans.” Jane handed him her phone, then went to the starboard side. “We’ll need to drop anchor out here and wade in. It won’t be easy in these waves.”
He nodded and let the engine putter slowly as close as he dared to the land. When Jane made a cutting motion with her arm, he killed the motor. She tossed the anchor over the side, then sat and pulled off her boots.
He took off his shoes and stowed Jane’s and his phones, then went back to attach the ladder. The waves slammed the hull and the boat rocked hard. He grabbed the railing to avoid falling.
“I’m not sure you can withstand the waves, Jane. Let me go in by myself. I know him better anyway.”
With her hair slicked flat to her head, she looked even smaller and more fragile, but she lifted her chin. “I don’t trust him, Reid. You’re not going there alone. I’m a strong swimmer.”
“It’s the current I’m worried about. There’s a bad riptide. Look.” He pointed out a main rip along a rocky outcropping and a feeder current running parallel to the shore. “So if we’re going in, stay away from that area. I’ll hang on to your hand. Let me get in the water first.”
She nodded, and he climbed down the ladder. His toes touched bottom, and he braced his knees against the surge. The water was chest high, and salty waves pulsed into his mouth and nose. He choked and sputtered before swallowing it.
Jane peered down at him. “You okay?”
“Yeah. It’s going to be over your head, and you won’t be able to take your gun. I’m going in alone.”
He’d barely gotten the words out when he saw the splash and her head bobbed just above the surface. “Stubborn woman,” he muttered. He reached out and grabbed her hand as the current started to drag her away.
Hanging on to her, he fought the waves and current a few inches at a time. His thighs burned, and his knees ached with the effort of keeping his feet planted and the two of them upright until the water was shallow enough for Jane to stand. She staggered through the water, chest deep to her and waist deep to him, as the land drew closer. They reached the beach, and she sank to her knees in the wet sand. He was winded himself, and they both paused long enough to gulp in lungfuls of air.
The rain was still coming down hard enough to make it difficult to see. He rose and tried to get his bearings. He thought the pathway through the underbrush to the settlement was to their right.
Jane took his hand to get up, and she shielded her eyes from the rain with her hand. “That way, I think.” She pointed in the same direction he’d been considering.