Page 72 of Release You

Jonathan and Francesca had kept her alive because of the recording she had. They made up all that bullshit about Momnot wanting to see me because they knew I would figure out something wasn’t right. They knew I would try to take her away, which I had. I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them, the walls were covered in red spots. I braced my arms on my thighs, burying my face in my hands.

Why hadn’t Nikki sold the recording to Jonathan? He would’ve given half the Cavalier fortune in exchange for it. Had she done it to make it up to me, as she said in her letter? No. She’d done it because she knew I would use it to get Lisa out of jail. But what about Mom? What would Jonathan do if he found out I took the chip to the police? He’d have no reason to keep her alive.

This was out of the police’s hands. They had their shot, and they blew it when they put an innocent girl in prison for a crime she didn’t commit, sentencing Mom to a similar fate and upending the lives of two kids who couldn’t understand half of what was happening to them.

I had to end this with my uncle once and for all. It’d been a long time coming. Jonathan had to answer for his crimes.

CHAPTER 25

His Dad’s Killer

Nikki

I darted to the end of the corridor as the warm and musty air brushed my face. When I reached the door, I turned the handle and shoved my body against it to crack it open. The same way I’d done when Henry and I were here a few weeks ago. But the door didn’t budge. I kicked it then took off running in the opposite direction toward the garden exit.

“All the doors are locked.” Tessa’s voice echoed against the walls, like a ghost from my dreams whispering in my ear.

The pictures of James in Lisa’s file came rushing to my mind, the recording, the attempt on Henry’s life when we were stupid enough to think Tessa needed our help and went looking for her. How could she do this to her own family? I trudged back to her. She stood in the middle of the passageway, holding her elbows, her head cocked to the side.

“Why did you send Henry away? Do you have any idea how alone he’s been all these years?” I fired questions at her.

I didn’t care for her answers. I wanted her to knowwhat she’d done to her own son. She needed to feel the pain he felt all this time. In the same year, he lost his dad and mom.

“I didn’t send him away.” Her voice quavered. “Not at first, anyway.”

“You took everything from Henry. Why?” I stepped toward her.

“No.” Her hands were dark shapes wiping tears off her cheek I couldn’t see. “I didn’t. I did everything I could to help him.”

“I found the recording you kept in your security box. I heard everything. How could you? You helped them set up my sister to take the fall for what they did to yourhusband.”

“So that’s why I’m here? Francesca knows I no longer have the recording. Hipolita, you shouldn’t be here. Now Henry’s life and yours are in danger again. Don’t you see?” She paced the corridor.

“What happened, Tessa? Why did you turn your back on your son and Lisa?” I yelled at her. Heat flushed my cheeks. “Maybe you didn’t owe Lisa and me anything, but Henry is your only son. You left him!”

“I made the mistake of believing them when they said it was all an accident. I hadn’t seen James yet. I didn’t know what Francesca was capable of at the time.” She sobbed. “I only made the recording because I was sure Francesca was putting something in my food. I kept having lapses in time, so I started recording bits of conversations to replay them later, make sure I wasn’t going crazy.”

“That’s why you got sick.” A chill seeped through my body, even though the tunnels were humid and warm. “You really expect me to believe that? Francesca drugged you?” I raised my voice. I didn’t care if they heard us.

“You have to believe me.” Tessa stepped closer to me.

“You broke Henry’s heart.” I gritted my teeth. “Every time you pushed him away?—”

She gripped my arm. “Please. That day I wasn’t feeling sick, and it was a beautiful day outside. I thought a bit of sun would help me feel even better, so I grabbed my sewing bag, and for the first time in weeks, I left my room. When I came downstairs, Jonathan was covered in blood. I…I was already recording some thoughts on my phone. When I saw him, I left the recorder on and dumped the phone in the bag.”

“He killed James?” I put my arm around her. This was Henry’s mom. If there was a small chance she was innocent in all this, I wanted to believe it. For Henry.

“No.” She shook her head. “Francesca did. She smashed his head. Killed him instantly. When I found them, Jonathan was trying to move the body. They were going to bury him in the garden. Jonathan had no choice but to tell me the truth. James had decided to take us to Europe for a long while. He thought traveling again would help me recover. He also thought it was time for Jonathan and his wife to move out and get a house of their own. Jonathan spent most of his time gambling and not really doing much with his life.”

I scoffed. “Let me guess. When Francesca found out their cash cow was kicking them out, she went ballistic.”

“Exactly. She hadn’t planned to kill him.” Tessa hugged herself. “But after she killed him, they came up with a plan very quickly. I found out about it years later, though.”

“What happened to you?”

“When I turned my back on Francesca, she injected me with a strong sedative. The same one she used on me over and over, whenever I tried to escape or if they had visitors. Jonathan and Francesca, they wanted more than just the money. They wanted to take our place in Paradise Creek. They needed me to earn the town’s trust. As far as everyoneknows, I’m very sick, and Francesca has been taking care of me.”

It was exactly as Henry had suspected. Jonathan had always envied James. James had been the one to follow in their father’s footsteps, the one who’d managed to double his inheritance instead of gambling it all away on shady investments and at the poker table. Jonathan and Francesca had kept Tessa alive because they needed someone to connect them to James and this town.

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