Page 7 of Unmasked Legacy

Her tone is clipped, and I am tired of being treated like I’m a monster.

“I am looking to talk to someone about my dead mother because I am here to find out the truth. Now, can you help me, or do I have to accept that you’re going to treat me like I’m some kind of killer, even though I was just a damned child when my father raised hell in this town.”

Her mouth drops open, but before she can answer, a voice behind me has me spinning around.

“Mera Sloane? Is that you?”

As I turn, I'm met by a familiar face—Sergeant Davidson. He was a pillar of kindness after my mother passed and even more so when my father was taken to prison. I trust him in a way I don’t trust many. He was the only one who ensured I was safe and taken care of when everything went down, unlike others who were quick to condemn me.

Over the years, he hasn't changed much, except for his hair thinning on top and his once chubby cheeks becoming gaunt. Age is catching up with him, but he still has those warm brown eyes and that unmistakable dimple on his right cheek when he smiles. He is the kind of police officer you want on your side when things go wrong.

“I bet you never thought you’d see me again,” I say, stepping forward and letting him pull me in for a hug.

He holds me tight. A feeling I hadn’t realized I had missed so much until this very moment.

“I certainly didn’t think I would see you yelling at my receptionist, but I should have known that spirit would come out when you finally arrived home.”

I pull back, giving him a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry, but people in this town have been less than friendly with me returning home. Do you have time to talk?”

He nods. “Always.”

Shooting a quick glance at the receptionist, who simply scowls at me, I hurry down the hall after Sergeant Davidson. Arriving in his office, he waits for me to take a seat before he closes the door. Once he is across the desk in front of me, he offers me a smile. “What can I help you with?”

“A few things, but mostly ... I wanted to know more about my mother’s case.”

His eyes soften, and sympathy washes across his features. “Of course, I’m happy to talk about anything. Within the limits, of course.”

“Well, I guess I never asked much about it after she died. I was too young, and I just believed everything Da ...hesaid. I have a feeling what I know is so far from the truth. I know she died in a car accident caused by drink driving, but why do I have a sick feeling it wasn’t that simple?”

Something flashes across Sergeant Davidson’s face, something that has me straightening in my seat. “A car accident?”

His words send a shiver up my spine. “Why are you looking at me with confusion, Sergeant?”

“You know my name is Harry, please call me that, and I’m looking at you like that because I am concerned about the story you have been told.”

Swallowing, I take a deep breath. “It wasn’t a car accident, was it?”

He shakes his head. “No, it wasn’t. It was recorded as a suicide, but I always had unanswered questions, but back then, people simply thought I was crazy and wouldn’t let me look into the case further. It was ruled a suicide, and that was that.”

Suicide?

It feels as though someone has slammed a fist into my chest. My mother took her own life? She chose to leave me? All these years I thought she recklessly got herself killed drunk driving, but that wasn’t true. I was made to see her as a monster, as someone who chose herself over me, and all that time I was wrong. All the pain and anger I have carried over the years is for nothing.

An unfamiliar sensation has my throat feeling like someone has their hands around it. My eyes burn and my nose stings, but no tears come out. It’s as though I’m stuck in a moment I can’tescape from. A horrifying, broken moment that is ripping the life from my chest.

“Mera?” Harry says gently, his face concerned.

“How?” I croak. “How did she do it?”

“She was found just out of town on a dirt road in her car, one gunshot wound to the head. I’m sorry, Mera. For what it’s worth, I never did believe it, and I feel like it was covered up, especially knowing what I know now.”

I look at him, my eyes burning. “Can we reopen the case, is there something I can do?”

“Because of the circumstances surrounding it, and that fact that your father turned out to be a killer, there is a chance they will allow us to reopen her case. Is that something you are wanting to do? It might bring answers you aren’t prepared for.”

I straighten my back. “My father lied to me, quite possibly for my entire life, I deserve the truth, no matter how hard it might be.”

Harry nods. “I will do what I can.”

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