Page 179 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

Becca dropped to her knees by the chair and fell into her grandmother’s arms. It was like coming home. She smelled the sweet vanilla scent of Gram’s body spray, felt the softness of her arms and body. In her mind, she was a little girl again listening to tales of Brer Rabbit.

She sobbed against her grandmother’s chest while Gram cried in her hair. Finally her grandmother pulled away and put her palms on either side of Becca’s face. “Little Becky, all grown up.” She smoothed the curls back from Becca’s face. “I’ve missed so much of your growing up years. They can never come again.” Tears welled again, but she made an obvious effort to control them.

“I’m sorry, Gram,” Becca whispered.

“You’re here now.” Her grandmother kept possession of Becca’s hand but leaned back in her chair. “Now tell me what’s going on.”

“I think Mom and Dad were murdered,” Becca said.

Her grandmother’s face went white, and her fingers tightened on Becca’s. “I don’t want to believe that,” she said slowly.

Becca squeezed her eyes shut. “I know,” she choked out. She opened her eyes and stared into her grandmother’s face. “I just know it, Gram. I came to find out who might have wanted to killthem. And why they left here when I was ten and never came to see you again.”

Grams bit her lip, her gaze straying to the window. “It’s hard to talk about.”

“You reconciled when they were here, right?”

“Of course. As soon as I saw your father, we hugged and cried much like you and I are doing now. It was as if the years fell away in a moment.”

“What was the argument about?” Becca persisted.

“Foolishness.” Gram sighed and relinquished Becca’s hand. She stood and went to the window, looking down at the water below. “Your father—Mason—accused your Uncle Charles of making a pass at your mother.”

“Uncle Will?” Becca whispered. “He never married, did he?”

Gram shook her head. “He was difficult, even as a child. Always set on his own rights, and he didn’t care who he had to hurt to get what he wanted.” Gram stopped and turned to look at Becca. “That’s a terrible thing for a mother to have to admit.”

Becca nodded. “What did Uncle Will say?”

Gram sighed and seemed to shrink even more. “It’s not pleasant, Becca.”

“Tell me. I can handle it.”

“Can you?” Gram shook her head. “Very well. He told your father that you were his child.”

His child.Something squeezed in her heart. She’d always noticed how different she looked from Jake and Wynne. Jake used to joke that she’d been left under a rock.

“I don’t believe it,” she whispered, but a part of her did.

Gram nodded. “I believed it at the time. Your parents had been arguing daily, and I’d caught Will and your mother in a rather compromising position in the garden. He was holding Suzanne. I couldn’t tell if it was willing on her part or not.”

“My mother would never be unfaithful!” Becca blurted. She felt horror at the thought she might not be who she thought she was.

Gram nodded. “I wish I didn’t have to tell you this. I knew it would be upsetting.” She tipped her head to one side and looked at Becca. “I have to say you look very much like Will, Becca. And if it’s true, you would the Will’s only heir. He was my oldest and it would be right and proper for you to inherit the house and grounds.”

Becca flinched. “I don’t want anything from you. Is there more?” She had to hear it all, though she wanted to bolt from the room.

“Things had been tense between Will and Mason. Your Uncle Charles was very close to Mason so there was tension between Will and Charles as well. Will goaded Mason and Charles tackled him. They fought ferociously from the top of the cliff. They both went over the edge. Charles—,” Gram stopped and drew in a shaky breath. “Charles was killed and Will’s body was never found.”

“I would have thought you would have clung to my father even more,” Becca whispered. She hated to sound like she was accusing Gram, but she didn’t understand.

Gram sighed then straightened her shoulders. “I blamed your mother. I told her I never wanted to see her again. Mason said that I’d never see him or you children either then.”

Tears hung on her lashes when she stared in Becca’s face. “I was foolish, so foolish. I forgot about you children, about my love for Mason, everything.” She leaned heavily on the back of the chair.

“Surely Dad knew that. He wouldn’t have accepted that.” Becca’s lips felt numb. Her perfect family wasn’t so perfect after all.

“He tried to call me a few months later, but I was still grieving. I refused to take his call. He never tried again until two months ago when he called and said he was coming whether I wanted to see him or not. Of course I wanted him.”

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