Page 28 of Ghosts From Christmas Past

Someone knocked on the door and they both turned toward it. Deputy Crenshaw came into the room. “Lineup’s ready.”

Dylan nodded and rose, reaching for her hand. “Are you ready?” he asked.

Was she? What if this were the man who’d taken her family away? What would she do once she finally faced him? With her hand in Dylan’s, they followed the deputy into a small room with a window covered by blinds, and her uneasiness grew.

Dylan squeezed her hand. “We’ll open the blinds and you’ll see several men standing there. If you recognize the man from the attack, let me know, okay?” He waited for her to say something, but it was hard. “Charlie?”

She squared her shoulders and nodded. “I’m ready.”

Dylan motioned to Deputy Crenshaw who raised the blinds. Five men, similar in appearance, stood there holding numbers. “Take your time,” Dylan whispered.

She pulled in a couple of breaths and started with the first man on the left. The third man grabbed her attention. She knew him. As she continued to scan his features, the truth became clear. This man wasn’t the one who hurt her family. He was the gentle man who’d worked for her father.

“Do you recognize him?” Dylan asked while following her gaze.

She glanced at him. “I do. He worked for my father. He’s not the killer.”

He slowly nodded and turned to Sam. “Tell him he’s free to go and give him a ride back to the ranch.”

“Will do.” Sam nodded to her and left the room.

“What do we do now?” she asked, a sinking feeling growing inside.

“We keep looking. We’re still trying to locate Ronald Dennis. Until then, now that you’ve begun remembering more details about the past, I’d like to take you back to your family home, if it’s okay with you.”

Her heart instantly turned to jelly. Did she have the courage to go back to the house? See in person the place where so much horror had taken place?

He cupped her shoulders, bringing her attention to him. “You can do it, Charlie. I promise you can.”

For him, she wanted to be strong. “All right,” she agreed.

Dylan smiled. “We’ll head over there now. Jesse should still be at the house.” He called his deputy and let him know they’d be heading his way.

Once he’d finished, she grabbed hold of his hand and didn’t let go as they walked down the hall.

Dylan explained to his dispatcher what he had planned while Charlie waited at his side.

Sam came out of one of the closed doors with the man she’d seen in the lineup.

Holler Reilly spotted her and came over. Immediately, Dylan moved in front of her. But she had no fear of this man. He was just someone who had needed her father’s help.

“It’s okay,” she told Dylan and he slowly stepped aside.

“I’m so sorry about what happened to your parents,” Holler said. She believed he meant it. “They were good folks.” He looked to Dylan. “I hope you find out who is responsible soon.” With those simple words, he and Sam headed outside.

???

“Hey, Dylan, come in,” Stella’s voice came over the radio in the cruiser. Right away, Dylan could tell something was up.

“I’m here, Stella.”

“Chief Denning just called. One of his men spotted Ronald Dennis’s SUV near his family’s old place.”

Dylan sat up straighter. “Call Jesse and Sam. I want them to be part of this.”

“You got it.” Stella ended the transmission.

All he could think about was how close they were to capturing Dennis, but would he prove to be the one who had done this to Charlie?

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