Dying to Tell (46 page)

One week later

J
ake and Nick took seats at the diner and ordered the lunch special and coffee. Jake glanced at the newspaper, frowning at the article Brenda Banks had written about his father’s arrest. The entire town, even the world, now knew about the ugly experiments conducted in Slaughter Creek.

Nick had been just as shocked as Jake was to discover that their father was alive. But his brother didn’t seem as surprised that he’d been part of something so evil.

They had spent the last week interrogating his father and Ms. Lettie, but both had refused to admit who had been in charge of the experiment.

“I spoke to my superior,” Nick said. “There’s still a question whether the CIA sanctioned the project.”

“Of course they’re not going to admit it, if they did.”

Nick made a sarcastic sound. “That’s true. But my boss thinks that Dad was following orders in the cleanup. That someone in the political arena might be involved, and that his rising political status was another motivation for the cover-up.”

“Where has Dad been all this time?”

“Working undercover. Apparently the CIA thought it would be better to keep him dead. Dad had a place in DC, but they had a plant here to watch Amelia.”

“Ms. Nettie,” Jake said. “And whoever contacted Brenda, maybe. She still refuses to give up her informant’s name.” He assumed it was someone on staff at the sanitarium who’d caught on to what was happening. But it could have been someone connected to the project who’d finally decided to blow the whistle.

Either way, the informant feared for his or her safety, and he could see why.

“We still don’t know who was behind the project, or how many subjects there were,” Nick said. “But we’re definitely investigating.”

“You haven’t located Herbert Foley either?” Jake asked.

Nick shook his head. “We’re on that, too. He could work for the project, or he could have been a victim like Giogardi, trained to kill.”

Jake took it all in, wearily. The fact that his father had escaped the grave still astounded him. Apparently he’d had some kind of tracer on him, and had sent a message to his accomplice before he’d succumbed to unconsciousness.

“What are you going to do?” Nick asked.

Jake shrugged. “I thought about resigning. But the people of Slaughter Creek have been so supportive, I think I’ll stay in office.”

“That article Brenda wrote painted you as a hero.”

He made a sarcastic sound. Brenda had kept her word. “A hero who shot his own father.”

Nick cleared his throat. “Dammit, Jake, cut yourself a break. He deserved worse than a gunshot wound.”

Jake conceded with a nod.

Sadie’s face flashed in his mind. She had been the protective, loving sister. And when she’d left Slaughter Creek, she had
devoted her life to being an advocate for other hurting children. Brenda had pointed all those things out too.

Sadie would make a wonderful mother.

To another man’s children.

At the thought, jealousy ate at him, but he had to accept that she was gone again.

Oblivious to his turmoil, Nick kept speaking. “We’re setting up a task force to continue the investigation. We also think that some of the other subjects may be violent, like Giogardi.”

Jake frowned. No telling what else the subjects had been brainwashed into doing, or what effect the experiment had had on them. In the government’s earlier project, some subjects had become violent criminals.

“Does that mean you’ll be in Slaughter Creek more now?” Jake asked.

Nick shrugged. “And if it does? Is that all right with you?”

Jake nodded. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

Then he extended his hand to his brother. “It’s good to have you back, Nick.”

Nick smiled, then they shook on it.

Leaving Amelia again was the hardest thing Sadie had to do. But her sister was making progress, and Sadie had hired a specialist in Nashville to treat her.

Dr. Tynsdale had been cleared of involvement, but Amelia needed a fresh start. And Tynsdale was taking time off to recover after the ordeal with Ms. Lettie.

Amelia’s alters were still surfacing, but with the correct medication and a new therapist, her prognosis for a full recovery and unification was actually good. Amelia was stronger now that the truth had been revealed; she was fighting through
the memories and fending off the alters, determined to become whole again.

Sadie hugged Amelia. “I promise I’ll be back, Sis,” she said. “I just need to tie up some things in San Francisco.” Then she planned to move closer to her sister. This time she would monitor Amelia’s progress herself.

Amelia wiped tears from her eyes. “You saved me, Sadie. Just like you did back then.”

Sadie tucked a strand of hair behind Amelia’s ear. “You saved me too.” She cradled Amelia’s hands in hers.

This hospital was nothing like the depressing sanitarium where Amelia’d been tortured.

It was designed like an assisted living facility, with apartment-style housing, social activities, and group and individual therapy sessions. The room was cozy, decorated in blues and greens that Sadie and Amelia had picked out. Amelia had her own studio, just like at home. Family and friends were not only welcomed, but encouraged to visit.

As a bonus, they had a gourmet coffee shop.

“I’m so proud of you,” Sadie said. “You’re a fighter, Amelia, so don’t give up. You are stronger than the others. Remember that.”

Amelia hugged her. “Will you be okay, Sadie?”

Sadie’s heart melted. “Yes, I have you back now. That’s all I need.”

“What about Jake?” Amelia asked.

Sadie sighed. The pain was so deep and raw, she could barely breathe. But she didn’t want to worry her sister. Amelia had enough to deal with. “Jake and I...just weren’t meant to be.”

“I don’t believe that,” Amelia said. “You always loved him, but you gave him up for me.”

“No,” Sadie said. “I gave him up because I was too afraid to tell him the truth.”

One month later

Jake studied the paperwork on his desk, his mind straying, as it had constantly for the last few weeks. Sadie’s image haunted him. He’d done everything he could to forget her. But how could he, when his heart was full of her?

Dammit, what was he going to do about it?

The door opened, and his brother walked in. They were both getting used to the fact that their father had been a monster.

Maybe there had been signs there all along that he’d missed. His father had been really hard on Nick...

Was there something Nick hadn’t told him?

“We found out the name of the experiment. It was called the CHIMES.”

“Chimes?” Jake asked.

“Yeah, it was an acronym for Children in Mind Experiments.”

“Jesus,” Jake muttered.

“There’s more. The CIA tried to get Dad out of jail,” Nick said.

“Were they successful?”

Nick shook his head. “No. thanks to the forensics work you did and the fact that you caught him trying to kill Sadie, we have him on murder and attempted murder charges.”

Jake raked a hand through his hair. “Good. I hope he never sees the light of day.”

A second passed, Nick’s agreement palpable. “Anyway, I’m going to make it my mission to end what our father started.”

“I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“How’s Sadie?” Nick asked.

“Sadie’s gone,” Jake said. “It...she has her own life. I have my daughter.”

“You can’t have both?”

“Our father ruined the lives of Sadie and her sister,” Jake said vehemently. “He was responsible for their parents’ deaths, then
he killed their grandfather and tried to kill Sadie. Why in hell would she want anything to do with me?”

Nick arched a brow. “But you still love her?”

Jake glanced away. He couldn’t lie to his brother. “It doesn’t matter.”

“The hell it doesn’t,” Nick said. “What happened ten years ago was messed up, but it wasn’t your fault. And it wasn’t Sadie’s.”

That was true.

Nick met his gaze. “So if you love her, go after her.”

Amelia knew it was time to kill him.

It was the only way she would survive.

For so long she had thought it was the Commander who owned her. Arthur Blackwood, who’d whispered in her ear and terrified her.

That Skid and Bessie and Viola had come to help her.

But now she knew different. Bessie was she, the scared little girl. And Viola was the woman inside her who craved a man. Who wanted love and, one day, marriage and babies.

But Skid—Skid was the evil inside her. The personality the Commander had planted in her head to make her do what he wanted.

And he wanted the real Amelia to be weak.

He wanted her dead.

Then he could make Skid into his soldier.

She looked out the window at the sun shining, at the day blooming ahead.

Amelia wanted to be part of that. But if she was going to live and have her dreams, she had to silence Skid.

She closed her eyes, willed herself to be strong, then mentally took the knife and plunged it into Skid.

He screamed and cursed, but she dug the knife in deeper.

“How can you do this to me after I protected you?” he cried as blood spurted across his abdomen.

She didn’t relent, though.

She had to kill him.

It was the only way she could survive.

S
adie stared across the water at Alcatraz. For so long, she’d felt drawn to that prison. Had connected with the fact that it stood alone, surrounded by frigid waters, that the worst of the worst had been incarcerated behind those walls.

That no one had ever escaped.

Now she understood the reason she’d felt that connection.

It had been her own guilt. She had been trapped by the lies and secrets.

But she was free of them now.

Except that she was still alone.

Tears pricked her eyes, but she blinked them back. She wasn’t totally alone. Amelia was doing better, and Sadie was researching other practices so she could move closer to her, and they could see each other more often.

The wind picked up, the chilly mist off the water spraying her, making her shiver. Tugging her jacket around her, she headed back to her apartment.