Whispers (47 page)

Reilly stumbled over to where Chloe lay on the ground. Gently, he lifted her head and looked into her face.

“
So many years,” she whispered. “But you got him.”

Reilly shook his head. “Let me get you back.”

“
Yes,” she nodded. “I got more time. I got lots more time now.”

Her eyes glazed over and for a moment he thought it was the end for her.

“
Help an old lady up, Nathan. Take me back and I’ll tell you a story.”

He gave one last look at the dark water, knowing Zach would not surface, knowing that if he did it would be bad, but hoping for the kid all the same. He couldn’t imagine a worse death than one in the black water of Diablo Springs.

Chapter Forty-Two

EVEN after Reilly told her the strange story Chloe had revealed, Gracie couldn’t quite believe it. Chloe spoke of family legends that dated back to the days of Gracie’s great-grandmother Ella. She told of Aiken Tate who had tormented a small band of women and made them slaves long after slavery was a thing of the past. The legends spoke of Ella Beck, who had betrayed them by lying about Aiken’s death. About her love for the owner of the Diablo, a man they called Captain. After driving the captain away, Ella had tried to escape Aiken and take Chloe’s grandmother, Athena, and her sister, Chick, with her. But things had gone wrong and Ella was responsible. The tragedy that followed Chloe’s family forever after had been blamed on Ella and her deceit.

But somehow during the night when her grandson plunged to his death, Chloe had learned the truth. Aiken had killed the man Ella loved, she had not driven him away, nor had she lied about killing Aiken—for she thought she had. But it was Aiken’s greed that had given him strength to survive his wounds, to free the tethers Ella had put around him, and escape Diablo Springs.

According to Reilly, Chloe had learned this from the captain’s spirit. With a bemused smile that wasn’t quite cynical nor quite accepting, Reilly relayed the story. Chloe also said there’d been a great deal of money, which Sawyer had hidden in one of the many caverns beneath the springs.

“
She said he’d been a bank robber,” Reilly said, finishing the strange tale. “So he wouldn’t take his money to the bank, but he’d wanted it hidden and Aiken had followed him. Aiken never figured out where the captain hid it, but he never gave up his search.”

“
This is so crazy, Reilly. I can’t believe it. But Jonathan kept saying,
It
was in the Dead Lights
and
He didn’t stay dead.
He must have been talking about the money and this Aiken Tate. He said Grandma Beck was glad when Ella died because she was superstitious and always afraid. She thought Ella was crazy. But maybe she wasn’t. And you know what? If Grandma Beck had heard all those crazy stories from her mother, and then Chloe showed up and confirmed them, and then when
my
mother died... I’m sure she believed we were cursed. After Matt raped me, I thought she went crazy. I thought she was crying,
aching, aching,
and I didn’t understand. But now . ..”

“
She thought it was Aiken, back from the dead.”

Gracie nodded. “She couldn’t believe the truth because Chloe had her so convinced it was a curse being fulfilled. She did the only thing she thought she could. She gave me all her money and sent me away. She was trying to protect me.”

It all seemed beyond senseless ... a century of hurt and insanity based on legends and fears.

“
What about Zach?” Gracie asked. “Why did they pretend they didn’t know each other?”

“
Zach had heard her and Bill planning the trip and he knew the legends had included a large amount of money. So he came up with his own plan. Until Chloe saw him at the bookstore, she didn’t know what he intended to do, though. And then afterward, she was afraid I’d change my mind if she revealed that he was lying about who he was. She thought telling me,
oh, by the way, Zach’s my no-good grandson,
” would blow everything. After he killed Jonathan, she kept quiet because she was scared.”

“
Why was it important to her that you come back here?”

“
She said she saw Brendan and Analise in a vision, she knew the town had called them. In her mind that meant this Tate guy had lured them in. She knew you’d come. But she needed me, she said, because she thought I could defeat Tate.”

“
How?”

“
I don’t even think she knew that. I guess it had to do with my resemblance to this captain. But she thought all along that the Dead Lights—the ghost—was Aiken. She never suspected it would be the captain who haunted Diablo Springs.”

“
So, if this captain was Ella’s love, I would guess he was Grandma Beck’s father... and since you look like him ... Does that make us related?”

“
Nah, it’s like everything else—a fluke. The only way you and I are going to be related is by choice.”

For a moment he stared at her, and in that look Gracie saw many choices waiting in their future and something in her heart swelled with dreams she’d thought long dead and opportunities that waited in the future. He smiled and Gracie smiled back.

After a moment, she asked, “Reilly, what about Matt?”

Reilly let out a breath, shaking his head as if he didn’t know where to begin. “I know what he did to you—what we both did—it’s not something you’ll ever be able to forgive or forget. But, Gracie, I’ve never been so sorry about something in my life. And I know Matt felt the same.”

She nodded. “I know. I heard him too.”

“
I don’t know why he did it. I don’t know how he could hurt a woman after what our dad did to our mom, but—”

She stopped him with a touch. “I guess sometimes we can’t make sense of the people we love, but we love them anyway.”

His shoulders sagged as if with relief. He’d needed her to understand.

“
I took his ashes out to our old house this morning and I buried them in the backyard, next to the dog.” Reilly’s mouth tilted at that. “I think he’ll like it there. He always loved that dog.”

Gracie wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

“
God, I’m glad it’s over,” he murmured into her hair.

She looked up at him, wondering if it was true. Wondering if it would truly ever be over. “What about the money Zach was after?”

“
I guess we’ll never know. Maybe he found it.”

Maybe he had. His body was not among the others found floating in the springs. It would be weeks before the water dried up and the full extent of the damage could be accounted for, but more than one body had washed up from the caverns during the storm. The Dead Lights had vanished, though, so maybe Diablo Springs had finally taken its last toll.

Reilly said, “After Bill is released from the hospital, Chloe’s going to take him back to Omaha.”

“
Who is Bill to her?”

“
Who knows?” he answered. “Maybe just another lost soul looking for answers.”

Gracie thought about that, thought about her own life and where she would go now. Would Reilly be a part of it? Did he want to be? Life with her wouldn’t be a picnic. Aside from her own issues and quirks, there was Analise and yet another baby coming into the world. She wouldn’t have wished it for her daughter, any more than it had been wished for herself, but Analise was a blessing that she wouldn’t have missed for anything. Perhaps the same would be true for this baby. And Brendan had proved to have more grit than she’s given him credit for. Maybe they would be happy together. Maybe not. But that’s what life was, wasn’t it? Taking chances and celebrating when they paid off, changing course when they didn’t.

As if reading her mind, Reilly moved closer and took Gracie in his arms, holding her against his warmth and heat. He looked deeply into her eyes and asked, “What about us, Gracie?”

In that question, she sensed so many others, questions neither of them could answer. But Gracie knew one thing for certain.

She smiled at him. “I think you and I have enough history between us,” she said softly. “I’m ready to turn that into a future if you are.”

His smile started a fire deep within her. “I love you, Gracie Beck,” he said and Gracie saw that his eyes glimmered with his feelings.

“
And I love you,” she said, feeling joyous as she spoke the word.

In answer, Reilly did what she’d been hoping for. He kissed her.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erin Quinn is an award winning author. Her books have been called “riveting,” “brilliantly plotted” and “beautifully written” and have won, placed or showed in the Booksellers Best, WILLA Award for Historical fiction, the Orange Rose, Golden Quill, Best Books, and Award of Excellence.

She lives in Arizona with her husband, two daughters and three dogs (all of whom have made debuts in her stories—the dogs, that is, not the husband and kids.)

Sign up for Erin Quinn’s newsletter or enter Erin’s monthly contest to be automatically added and eligible for free books at www.erinquinnbooks.com .

Erin Quinn loves to talk to readers. If you have a book club or reading group and would like to discuss one of her books, let her know! Please contact Erin for more information at www.erinquinnbooks.com .

Erin Quinn books published by Books We Love

Echoes

A Shiver of Twilight

Kissing Kris Kringle

Whispers

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