Page 45 of Kept in the Dark

“I hadn’t planned on it,” Hailey said. “But…well, that’s actually the other reason I came to talk to you. I have some questions about my mother.”

Lauen’s brow lifted behind her sunglasses. “Is this the real reason you’re staying in town? Not that I don’t want you to, but…" Lauren paused for a moment and sighed. “I don’t mean this offensively, but we both know you’re not out getting coffee with people. Plus, I know Trinity has been staying with Genevieve while you do…whatever it is you’re doing.”

Hailey contemplated starting this conversation with her. Once she admitted to reopening her mother’s case, Lauren would no doubt share that information with David. That is, if he didn’t already know. The grapevine was both a blessing and a curse depending on which side you were on.

But, she supposed, the truth had stayed buried for far too long.

“Did you know my father had an affair before my mother died?”

Lauren blinked quickly, surprised by the question, but she didn’t hesitate to answer. “Yes. I knew about it…after the fact, anyway.” She paused and took a sip of her sweet tea then continued, “And I’d assume that if you know about the affair then you know about your half-brother.”

“Yes, no thanks to my father. I found out about it in my mother’s diaries,” Hailey said.

Lauren nodded slowly. “He’s not a very honest man, but you already know that. I found out about it a year after I started working for him. I overheard a conversation between David and Nicole mentioning a son, so it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.”

“So clearly he and Nicole were still talking, if not seeing each other.” Hailey couldn’t believe her father would do that to her mother, after all he had put her through. “Does Ryan know?”

“Ryan grew up knowing David was his father, so there was a lot of tension between the two families.” Lauren shook her head. “I don't know why Nicole would do that to him. It probably wasn’t healthy for a boy to know that his father deliberately abandoned him and then went on to have two more children he obviously loved more.”

Lauren fidgeted with her fingers. “I love your father, even for his faults, but he put himself in an awful situation, something I think he secretly still feels guilty about.”

Hailey held her breath to keep herself from laughing at Lauren’s words. What love? David Gallagher hadn’t loved them; he had hated them. He wasn’t capable of love. Hailey had learned that the hard way.

“Why didn’t he tell us? Ryan was awful to us, and my father did nothing about it.”

Lauren smiled sadly. “You know exactly why, Hailey. I love that man more than he knows, but even I can see that his reputation is everything to him. Ryan would ruin what David had spent years building.”

Hailey had always wondered why David hadn’t pressed charges against Ryan after he attacked her that night. She thought he hadn’t wanted to add to the trauma of Morgan’s death, but that clearly wasn’t his motive at all. The fact that he swept her attempted murder under the rug just to save his own reputation, to keep his secrets, infuriated her. It made her hate him even more.

Lauren gently touched Hailey’s hand and tilted her head to the side. “What’s really going on?”

“What do you mean?”

Lauren smiled. “I mean, why are you asking about your mother? And why are you asking me about her?”

Hailey debated on how much to tell Lauren. She didn’t want her father finding out about the tape or that they were looking into her mother’s death, but she knew the news would spread eventually.

“My mother’s case may get re-investigated.”

Short and sweet, not giving too many details.

“I don’t understand why,” Lauren said flatly. “Sara was already tried and convicted. I don’t see a point in opening a case that’s already been solved.”

“We may have found some evidence that exonerates her, and Trey is looking into things.”

“I guess I'm just confused.” Lauren sat back in her chair. “For the last thirteen years you've not so much as stepped foot in this town. You haven't called to check on your heartbroken father and you’ve never said anything about Sara being innocent. Now all of a sudden you think the police got it wrong?”

Hailey knew it sounded crazy. And she couldn't blame Lauren for being hesitant. No doubt David only spewed his narrative to her. Plus, love could be blinding when something threatened it. It would only be natural for Lauren to feel the need to protect David from the pain of old wounds should the case be reopened.

“I know, and that was wrong of me. But I can’t ignore what I’ve found out.”

Lauren scrunched her brows together. “I don’t understand how you think an entire investigative team could have gotten it wrong. They’re not incompetent. Whatever information you were given is wrong.”

Hailey gently said, “I don’t expect you to be okay with this, but we’re going to look into it. And I’d really appreciate anything you can tell us that might help us find who really killed my mother.”

Lauren bit her bottom lip, contemplating what Hailey said. “You really believe Sara is innocent?”

“Yes, we have proof. She had an alibi.”

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