Page 45 of Finding Chaos

Chapter 21

Fear slid down Destiny’s spine, and she forgot to breathe. The glossy 8x10 pictures were bright and glaring. “Where did you get these?”

“They came in the mail,” Mrs. Weller answered.

Destiny picked up one of the pictures, and her heart tightened. Someone had been in her house, since she’d been gone. The photo was taken in Destiny’s spare bedroom, where she’d been trying to figure out who locally might be in on all this mess with her father.

Two sets of pictures covered the wall. Missing people on one side and pictures of locals on the other side.

“Do those have to do with those bones?” Mercy asked.

Destiny tossed the picture with the others. “I knew about the woman in white haunting the woods because I’d seen her. I just never understood my connection to her until about six months ago, when I figured out that my parents weren’t my biological parents.”

“You’ve already told me that,” Mercy said. “You said you were looking for your family. My only question is, why in the hell do you have pictures ofMYrelatives up on your walls?”

“I believe the ghost in the woods is my mother and I believe someone in this town has to know what’s going on. Those pictures were part of my research. I always study the places I’m going to and the people I meet. That’s how I know what buttons to push and questions to ask. Your town is riddled with unanswered questions, and I’d intended to get to the bottom or everything, but listen, this was before I met the Bennetts and the people in this town. Up until that first day, all I had was just a bunch of names and faces. They didn’t mean anything except for possible accomplices.”

Both women sat in silence, staring at Destiny as if judging her.

“Were you ever going to tell Walker?”

“Yes. I’d planned to tell him everything including how I suspected everyone in town of hiding secrets including the identity of the lady in white’s killer. You don’t live here all your life without knowing or hearing something.” Destinyhadplanned to tell him. She’d told him at the ranger station there was more to the story. She just hadn’t been brave enough to throw it all out there and ruin what she’d been trying hard to fix.

“There’s no need.” Walker’s deep voice had Destiny spinning toward the door. She jumped out of her seat, almost spilling her untouched coffee.

“Walker…”

He shook his head. “You had the opportunity to tell me everything, and you didn’t.”

“I can explain. I told you there was more I needed to tell you. I tried…” Destiny took a step toward him.

He held up his palm, stopping her. Anger flashed in his eyes as his gaze dropped to the pictures on the table. “I expect you gone by morning.”

Walker spun on his boots and stomped out of the kitchen.

Destiny was about to go after him when Mrs. Weller stepped into Destiny’s path. “You should let him go. He needs time to cool off, dear.”

Destiny’s heart clenched as rocks filled her stomach. The front door slammed, and a shudder wracked her body.

Mrs. Weller gestured to the chair Destiny had vacated. “Have a seat, Destiny, and finish your coffee.”

Destiny sat as instructed, but she wasn’t tuned into the conversation. Her mind was elsewhere; on Walker and the fact he’d never forgive her.

“I’d planned to tell him, honest.” The words were a whisper. “I would never hurt anyone he cares about.”

“You’re going to have to fix this if you want to keep him,” Mercy announced.

“I don’t even know how,” Destiny answered.

“What were you trying to prove with all of this?” Mrs. Weller asked.

“I’m a journalist. This is what I do. If I can’t solve the mystery concerning my existence, then my father was right. I’ll never amount to anything,” Destiny said, picking up the picture.

Her eyes landed on the portion of the apartment wall with the Bennetts’ pictures. Their pictures had been the hardest of them all. Hell, she’d never even found one of Clara Bennett. Destiny scanned the pictures and paused. The one picture that mattered most was missing from the array. The last one she’d added wasn’t in its place.

“You say this came in the mail?” Destiny asked.

“Yes. It came this morning,” Mrs. Weller answered.

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