Hidden Secrets (The Hidden Series Book 3)

by Kristin Coley

  He nodded and revved the engine before taking off.

  “Maybe I should get a….”

  “Nope.” I cut Jake off before he could complete the sentence. Yes, motorcycles were cool, but Jake’s job as a cop was risky enough. I had no desire worrying about him on a motorcycle too.

  Wade gave me a sidelong glance and I saw his hand go to his pocket. I knew he wanted to ask questions, but I shook my head. I wasn’t ready. The night had brought too many unexpected surprises already. He gave me an understanding smile and tilted his head to Jake before disappearing to his car.

  “Home?” Jake asked, slinging an arm around my shoulders.

  “Yep.” I leaned into him, exhausted by the wedding planning and the thought of having to figure out what Wade’s sketch meant. I only wanted to take off my bra and fall into bed.

  Jake parked in front of the small house I shared with my mom and grandfather. I lived in a one bedroom dorm during the semester, but came home during breaks. Jake was trying to convince me to move in with him at the beginning of next semester, but I resisted. I enjoyed my independence and knew my relationship with Jake would one day mean moving in together, but I was in no rush.

  He leaned over and gave me a lingering kiss, and I debated just going home with him. His kisses were addictive after all and it had been a long day. A couple more dizzying kisses led to open mouth kisses along my neck, and if I didn’t put a quick stop to it I’d be in his lap. I opened the car door and the sticky night air made me uncomfortable enough to pull away.

  “I love you too. Be careful going home.” I told him, pressing a kiss against his cheek as I hopped out.

  “Love you,” was his quiet response as I slammed the door shut. He drove off and I walked inside. The light was on in the kitchen and I wandered in, surprised to see my mom sitting at the bar with a pile of papers in front of her.

  “Mom,” I said and remembered the text from earlier. “I’m sorry I’m so late. Jules decided she’s getting married in two weeks and now there’s all this planning.”

  “It’s okay.” Her words were subdued and I came around the bar to look at her. She met my eyes and I noticed hers were red rimmed and damp. On top of the papers were photos, ones I didn’t recognize.

  “Who died?” I asked, only partially joking as I tried to ease the somber mood.

  She gave me a tight smile and gestured for me to come to her. I did and she gave me a hug. I squeezed extra hard, not sure who needed the hug more. She finally eased back and told me.

  “Your father.”

  Chapter Three

  The words were meaningless to me, almost like telling me a childhood acquaintance had died. I was sad, but not for myself. It was more an instinctive sympathy for someone else’s pain.

  “I’m sorry,” I responded automatically and she gave me a soft smile.

  “I had a feeling you wouldn’t care,” she said, turning back to the photos in front of her. I shrugged, uncertain what I should say. I hadn’t seen the man since I was a baby and didn’t remember him at all. It was hard to mourn the loss of a stranger. “It’s why I didn’t push you to come home sooner. I probably wouldn’t have even told you.”

  I snorted and she shot me a glance.

  “There is no way you could have kept it to yourself and you know it,” I told her bluntly.

  “Maybe, but that’s beside the point. He actually left you something.”

  “Money?” Excitement entered me at the thought. He’d never paid child support - his absence in my life had been complete - and we’d struggled because of it. If he’d actually left me something worthwhile then maybe it would ease my mom’s burdens. I went to college on scholarship, but I knew money was still tight.

  “No, that would have been nice. Instead he left you the family cabin.”

  “A cabin? What the hell am I supposed to do with a cabin?” I asked in disbelief, suddenly angry at a man I generally felt nothing but ambivalence toward.

  “Language.” My mom chided and I forced myself not to roll my eyes. “And yes, he told me about it once but we never went.” She shook her head sadly. “He never wanted to talk about it, but I always got the feeling something happened there, something that changed him.” She shuffled through the photos in front of her. “I had some old pictures his mother had given me when we got married. I think this is the cabin. It’s on Lake Verret, I believe.”

  She handed me a photo and I took it automatically. A glance down paralyzed me. The air around me suddenly seemed thick, encasing me in my own little world as I stared at the familiar cabin.

  “Addie,” my mother’s sharp voice cut through the fog around me and I looked up. “Are you okay? You went white as a sheet. Sit down.” She tugged me to a seat as she fussed. “I shouldn’t have sprung it on you like that. He was your father after all.” I didn’t correct her assumption, still trying to process what it meant. “Come on, let’s get you to bed. We can worry with this in the morning.”

  I nodded and she shooed me out of the kitchen as she gathered the papers scattered around. When I reached my bedroom I realized the photo was still clutched in my hand and I loosened my grip, smoothing the crumbled edge. I laid it gingerly on the nightstand, as carefully as I would a bomb. I headed to the bathroom, the photo’s presence a beacon as I brushed my teeth. Back in my room, I turned off the light and climbed into bed, resisting the urge to study the picture further.

  I already knew what it meant.

  The next morning I slept later than normal and my mom had already left for work by the time I headed downstairs. When I entered the kitchen, Paw Paw was already at the table munching on a bowl of cereal.

  “There enough left for me?” I asked, headed toward the cabinet.

  “Huh? Oh yeah, your mom picked up a new box yesterday,” he answered half a second late since he was mostly deaf. It didn’t matter how loud I shouted - it always took him a beat to process it.

  I poured a bowl of cereal and sat across from him, avoiding the thick legal size envelope on the counter.

  “Your momma told you?” Paw Paw asked as he looked up from the paper he was reading.

  “Yeah, last night. I’m the proud owner of a cabin.” He could tell I wasn’t exactly happy about it, and I forced myself to smile. “You gonna go there and fish?” I asked him. “You can bait my hook for me.”

  “Ha, you can bait your own hook. You think they got fish?”

  “I’m sure they do. It’s a big lake.” I shoved cereal in my mouth and thought about it. “You ever hear anything about this cabin on the lake?”

  “Hmmm?” He glanced up again, having already been distracted by the paper. “No, can’t say I have. Not until your mom mentioned it yesterday.”

  “Okay,” I nodded and he went back to his paper while the photo I’d grabbed off the nightstand burned a hole in my pocket. “I’m going over to Jules’ house, okay? You gonna be alright?”

  He gave me a brief glance and nodded before telling me, “Be careful.”

  “I will.” I smiled and kissed the top of his gray head before dumping my bowl in the sink.

  I had every intention of going to Jules’ place, but I had one stop to make before then.

  The bell jangled as I walked in, announcing me. He stepped from around the curtain, the hopeful look on his face disappearing the second he saw it was me. He turned back around and I threw up my hands.

  “Really? Way to make me feel welcome, Wade. I love you too. Besties for life.” I shouted the last part since he was out of sight and followed him past the curtain dividing the front entrance from the back where he met with clients.

  “You don’t pay the bills, Addie. Sorry I can’t jump up and down for joy every time I see you.” His deep voice almost made me forget he was insulting me, but I was growing immune to the affect.

  “That may be true, but you don’t have to look like I just kicked your dog. It could give a girl a complex,” I muttered as he sat down on the couch.

  “A girl, not you.�
��

  “Wow, is it ‘shit on Addie’ day and no one thought to tell me?”

  My bitterness must have clued him in because he gave me a longer look as I slumped onto the couch next to him.

  “Why are you scared?”

  “I’m not scared.” I instantly rejected the notion. I had been shot and faced all sorts of scary situations. I was not scared.

  “I beg to differ. Auras don’t lie.”

  I groaned and dug the photo out of my pocket and handed it to him. He took it silently and studied it for a minute before he let out a low whistle.

  “Why do you have an old photo of the cabin I keep sketching?” He finally asked, passing it back to me.

  “Apparently, I inherited it.”

  “From who?”

  “My father.”

  This little tidbit left him speechless and I nodded.

  “My mom told me last night he died and left me a cabin. She went and found some old photos. This was one of them.” I tilted the picture up giving it more than a cursory glance this time. It was from the seventies I guessed, the colors muted with an amber like haze. Two boys stood on the porch grinning. I assumed one of them was my father but I had no clue who the other one was.

  “Who are the boys?” Wade asked, his ability to discern my thoughts borderline creepy.

  “My father and his brother,” I answered slowly, not realizing until just then I had an uncle. “David and Duke.”

  “I guess this answers the question of why I started drawing the scene again.” Wade gave me a sympathetic glance. “It looks like its connected to you.”

  I leaned forward, my elbows on my knees as I looked closer at the picture trying to figure out which one was which.

  “Which one is your dad?”

  I snorted softly at his question, but pointed to the younger boy on the left. “David.”

  “What happened to the other boy?”

  “Nothing. Why?” I glanced at Wade curiously and he shrugged.

  “Why did you inherit the place if there was another son?”

  “Because he disappeared twenty-five years ago,” I answered, the information suddenly there. “They assumed he was dead.”

  “He’s not?”

  “No.”

  “Wher…” He shook his head. “Never mind.”

  I rubbed my thumb over the carefree smiles in the picture wondering what had happened to them. It must have something to do with the woman in the lake, but I couldn’t see either of these boys harming her. What tragedy had befallen them?

  “Should we talk to Jake?” Wade asked and I shook my head.

  “Not yet.” He raised an eyebrow and I explained. “Jules’ wedding. It’s in two weeks and I refuse to ruin it with this. I just wanted to show you the picture.” I shrugged. “You were right after all. I’ve been avoiding my ability.” I held up the photo. “It looks like that’s not an option anymore.”

  “But Jake,” Wade started and I interrupted.

  “He can help. But not now. He’s wrapping up some cases because Connor had to schedule time off for his honeymoon and Jake decided to take his vacation with him so he doesn’t have to work with a new partner while he’s gone. After the wedding is soon enough.” I glanced over at him. “You agree?”

  “Do I have any choice?”

  “You always have a choice. But besides, she’s been dead awhile. What’s a couple more weeks?”

  “I guess so, but you will talk to Jake?”

  “I promise. When the time is right.”

  “Addie,” his voice held a warning, pulling my gaze to his. “I can see how much this is affecting you. Don’t bottle it up. Let Jake in.” I averted my eyes and felt him shift. “Listen to me, Addie, I can see how much this has freaked you out and I don’t think it’s your father’s death but the fact that I dreamed of a place and you happened to inherit it. Our abilities are growing stronger not weaker. We have to deal with it.”

  “I know that,” I burst out, standing up and pacing. “Trust me, I know. But at the same time, I don’t rely on my abilities to survive either. I’m going to college so I can get a normal job.” I paused and muttered under my breath, “Not be a fortune teller.”

  “Yeah, but your major is criminal justice and you’re a police consultant. Not because you have a keen eye or a specialty, but because you’re a fortune teller.” He bit off the last part and I winced. “As much as it pains you to admit it, you rely on your gift more than you know, and denying it is denying who you are.” He paused and swallowed hard. “Granny always told me, “You only see the truth when you’re being true to yourself.” His eyes burned into mine as he said, “If you want to thank her for saving you, then respect the gift you were given and quit using it as an excuse.” He stood up and gestured to the door. “I’m sure you have somewhere to be and I have clients.” I was clearly being dismissed and the thought hurt more than I could have believed. My expression forced him to relent slightly and he said, “Come back when you’re ready to deal with it.” He motioned to the photo still resting on the table where I’d placed it and I reached over to grab it.

  I wanted to complain that he didn’t understand, but the truth was he understood just fine. I was the one having trouble accepting the life ahead of me.

  The next two weeks were a whirlwind of wedding planning with the end result having me swear to elope should I ever get married.

  “Should you ever get married? Is that a joke?” Carly stared at me in disbelief and even Jules gave me one of her looks. The one that said, “I’m trying really hard not to call you dumb, but you’re dumb.”

  “I don’t want to assume,” I protested half-heartedly. There was no doubt in my mind I’d spend my life with Jake, but I tried really hard to not push the things I knew on to situations. At least not when it involved relationships. There was already enough pressure and adding in my ability kept Jake at a distinct disadvantage. He assured me he was fine with it and I believed him, but part of me was always waiting on the day when it would be too much. When something I knew, or a question I should have never overheard, would be the final straw.

  “I don’t think it’s assuming when the writing is clearly on the wall,” Jules uttered, pointing to the wall. We were at Jake’s apartment going over last minute details and the wall she indicated was full of pictures. Pictures of me and Jake over the last two years with a few showcasing our friends. “I don’t even have that kind of photo evidence at my house and I’ve lived with Connor for a year.”

  I smiled, my cheeks turning pink at her words. He made sure I knew how important I was to him and I hated the doubts I felt, the worry over the future. A future that may never happen, I reminded myself, before I noticed the time and jumped up.

  “I have to go.”

  “What?”

  “Go? Where?”

  Surprise and curiosity slammed into me with their questions and I knew I’d caught them off guard. I scrambled for a believable excuse when my phone rang and I saw it was my mom. I held it up and told them, “I forgot I was supposed to meet her. I won’t be gone long.”

  “Ok.” Questions swam under the surface of their acceptance as I headed for the door. Luckily, those questions weren’t my problem at the moment.

  It was a ten minute drive to the lawyer’s office, and as I jogged toward the office, fifteen minutes late, my mom was tapping her foot in the man’s reception area.

  “I’m sorry,” I gasped, but she ignored my apology and dragged me toward a door. The man behind the desk was a pleasant older gentleman who stood up as we entered.

  “Addie? It’s nice to meet you.” We shook hands and then I perched awkwardly on the edge of the chair. I wasn’t sure what was expected of me. I’d never had to meet with a lawyer or deal with inheriting something, and didn’t have a clue what the process involved. He sensed my nervousness and gave me a reassuring smile as he pulled several sheets of paper from a folder.

  “It’s all very simple and straightforward. You are your fathe
r’s only heir and as such he left everything to you.” He proceeded to explain my inheritance and what it entailed. “Finally, you are the new owner of a cabin on Lake Verret. You’ll sign these papers to legally change the title of the property. After this you can sell the property or use it as you see fit.” I nodded, clutching the heavy ink pen he handed me as I signed the documents. I took my time so my normally hasty signature was actually legible.

  “Why didn’t the cabin go to his brother?” I asked as I signed the million papers involved. The lawyer looked as surprised as my mom when I mentioned the brother, but his face cleared almost instantly.

  “Your uncle disappeared many years ago and it was presumed he died. When your grandparents died they chose to leave everything to their remaining son, your father.”

  “How did you know about your uncle?” My mom’s question came from my left and I glanced at her confused face.

  “I’m sure you mentioned it. The pictures you showed me had two boys.” I was totally lying to her, but had no desire to admit the truth of how I knew. But I was also positive the brother wasn’t dead so why did they assume he was? “Why did he disappear?”

  My digging was clearly making the lawyer uncomfortable and I had to wonder about that as well. He’d told us he handled the family’s legal needs for the past thirty years. He was bound to know what happened to my uncle and why he was left out of the wills.

  “There was an incident some years ago. The death of a young girl. Duke, your uncle, left shortly after that and no one has heard from him since. We can only assume he’s deceased.” His tone indicated this was the end of the information he would give, and meant I’d need to do further snooping elsewhere.

  I was distracted when the lawyer dug an envelope out from a manila folder. It had my name written on the front in a familiar scrawl. One that looked suspiciously like my own.

  “Your father left a letter for you,” he mentioned, holding it out toward me. I stared at it, hesitant to reach for it, and he eventually set it down. “It’s not unusual for people to leave letters for their loved ones to be read after death.” I nodded but still didn’t reach for the letter. What could my father possibly want to say to me in death when he’d never bothered to speak to me when he was alive?