Page 6 of Ghosts From Christmas Past

Dr. Montgomery glanced between them. “I’ll leave you two alone so you can talk.” He patted Dylan’s arm as he prepared to leave. “Try not to tire her out too much.” With those final parting words, he left.

When it was just the two of them, Charlotte didn’t know what to say to the man she’d once been close to. He was a stranger now, yet he wasn’t.

“I still can’t believe you’re awake,” Dylan said, his smile forced. She couldn’t imagine how uncomfortable this must be for him.

“I’m sorry I don’t remember you. Dr. Montgomery told me you visited me a lot, and I appreciate that. It couldn’t have been easy for so long.” She shook her head. “He’s convinced my memories will come back. But I’m not so sure.”

Dylan pulled up a chair. “Maybe I can help. You and I have known each other since we were five years old and went to the same daycare.” His lips curled into a smile that lit up his face. Charlotte couldn’t take her eyes off him. She liked the kindness she saw in his eyes. The easy smile. The calming way he had about him. He was someone to lean on when you needed a shoulder. Had she felt that way about him when they were younger?

“Dr. Montgomery told me my parents were murdered and I almost died.” She wasn’t sure what she wanted to know. Maybe that the darkness which called out to her from some place in her head wasn’t still out there ready to pull her under in real time?

He hesitated long enough to make her sit up straighter. What wasn’t he telling her? “Please, I want to know what happened to them and to me.”

Dylan sighed and gave in. “The sheriff at the time believed they were killed early Christmas morning.”

“Was the killer caught?”

His attention dropped to the hat in his hand, and she had her answer.

Dylan cleared his throat. “No. There was very little evidence left at the scene. No DNA or fingerprints were recovered. It was believed the killer wore gloves when he entered the house, and your parents’ home is out in the country. The closest neighbor was a mile away. No one heard anything.” He recited the information as if he knew it by heart.

She went over the details he’d told her in her head. Nothing about them brought about a recollection of the attacks. “Were there any suspects?”

He captured her gaze. “A few. Sheriff Lewis believed the killer may have been a drifter passing through the area.”

She could see that he had doubts. “But you don’t.”

He eventually shook his head. “No. There were a couple of local people who were interviewed, but there wasn’t enough evidence.”

“Who were they?” she said too fast. Maybe if she heard a name, it would bring something back.

Dylan hesitated as if not sure how much to share.

“Please, it might help.” She squeezed her hands into fists. Hated this feeling of helplessness.

“There was a homeless man,” he said slowly. “He lived in the area for a while. His fingerprints were found in the barn but not inside the home. He worked for your father for a while, so that was how he explained the fingerprints.”

“Worked for my father?” Charlotte realized she had no idea what her parents did for a living.

“Your father was the pastor at one of the local churches. Barlow was always helping those in need, so it was no surprise he’d hire someone down on their luck. The homeless man said your father had him cleaning out the barn. He claimed he liked your dad. Said he treated him fairly, and he didn’t appear to hold any ill will toward Barlow or anyone else in your family so—”

“He wasn’t the one who did this.”

He stared at his hands “I don’t believe so.”

“You said there were a couple?”

She waited. He finally looked at her.

“Yes. There was another man, more like a boy. He went to school with us and had a crush on you. It began innocently enough until he started showing up wherever you went. He’d leave notes in your locker. Showed up at all the church functions. Eventually, he started coming by your house.”

Though she didn’t remember the time, a chill went through her. There was something ominous about that type of behavior. “He was questioned?”

Dylan nodded. “He was. The guy had an alibi of sorts. His family was celebrating the holiday with some out-of-town relatives who came for a visit. Most remembered seeing him around, though there were gaps in the timeline where he could have snuck out of the house.” He blew out a breath. “Still, there wasn’t enough to implicate him.”

“You think he was the one?” She could see it in his eyes.

“I had my suspicions, but without some hard proof, there was never any indictment. Eventually, his family moved from the area.”

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