Page 19 of Storm Surge

“Name it.” His response came quickly.

She smiled despite her breaking heart. “I need to know everything you can find out about my father.”

Silence followed the request. “Are you sure? Because I can get you the information no one else can.”

“I am.” She blew out a breath and told him what Will had said. “Because I believe I’ve been lied to for a long time. My father lied to be about who he was. What else has he lied about? I want the truth. Once and for all, I need to know the truth.”

“Alright.” He blew out a breath.

“What is it?” She believed he knew something.

“Nothing. I’ll call you soon. You’ll let me know when you hear for certain about our mother?”

“I will, I promise. Please be careful.”

The called ended. She still clutched the phone in her hand. Holding it made her feel better. Closer to Mark. The urge to dig into the information on the computer about her father was great, but Mark would give her the honest truth without prejudice. With too much time on her hands, it wasn’t good to be alone, yet she wasn’t ready to speak to her aunt about the things she believed.

Aunt Betty was in the living room staring out the window when Jamie came in. The sweet woman had been closer than a mother. Her only family for a long time.

Jamie grabbed her jacket from the coatrack and Aunt Betty turned toward her. Her aunt had been unusually quiet ever since being told about the body in the woods.

“Where are you going?” Aunt Betty asked tentatively almost as if she believed now that Jamie knew some of the truth, she might stop loving her.

Jamie smiled and went over and kissed her cheek. “For some air. I’ll be back in a little while. Don’t worry.” But Aunt Betty would worry. Jamie had been her whole life for so long. She would worry.

Jamie stepped out into the crisp winter day and headed toward the lodge that her father claimed had been empty for years. Another lie. Will told her that her father stayed their frequently along with others.

More than anything, there was one person she needed to see. The one she’d felt connected to from the beginning. Will had told her that his team would be using the lodge as a headquarters. There were more men coming in from other locations. This wasn’t going away, and she needed to see Will.

As she neared the lodge, he stepped out almost as if he’d seen her approaching. Will hurried down the steps to her. “Is something wrong?”

She had no doubt he’d see the evidence of her tears, yet how did she begin to explain what she suspected? “I’m not sure. Can we take a walk?”

“Sure.” He fell into step beside her and kept his gaze in front of them. “Is your aunt okay?”

She smiled over at him. “Yes, she’s fine.” She couldn’t tell him about Mark for her brother’s protection.

“Something’s troubling you?”

That was the understatement of the decade. “Yes.” Somehow, she kept her voice steady. “I’ve been lied to all of my life, and I’m sick of it.” She became aware of him watching her carefully, but she kept staring in front of them.

“Why do you say that?” From his tone she could tell he believed it to be true.

Jamie stopped walking. “Because I was told I was in a car accident and that’s what was responsible for my lack of memories, but when I saw Edward Buckley—” She stopped. How could she explain the terrible memories that had gone through her head when she’d seen the man who was her grandfather. Memories that couldn’t be her own and yet. . .

“What about him?” Will pressed, his gaze holding hers. “You can tell me. I promise you can trust me.”

She knew this without a doubt. “He made me remember things that I can’t reconcile with what I’ve been told happened. I remember a dark place. I was held there. That man.” She couldn’t bring herself to say his name. “He hurt me badly.”

Will’s shock was clear. “I’m so sorry,” he said and took her hand in his. “Do you remember anything else?”

The urgency in his voice made her focus on him more clearly. She recalled the story he told her about his wife. How much she resembled his Lizzy. “That’s just it. I don’t remember anything else. I wouldn’t have remembered that if it weren’t for seeing him.” She shuddered. “And I’m not sure I want to remember, but I have to. There’s something hidden in my memories that I need to know.” Jamie stared into his eyes. “But I don’t know how to bring them out.” It all felt so helpless. She started walking again and after a second, he caught up.

“There might be a way,” he said quietly.

Her worries lifted for a second until she spotted his grave expression. “But?”

“It could bring out even more horrifying memories. You’ll be dredging up something that was so terrifying your brain shut it out.”

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