Cedar Hollow (12 page)

Is this why she’d be given up for adoption? Had her parents feared for her safety? This one letter had answered a few questions and raised so many more. She needed to get back to the library to search for the name Elaine Greene. She also needed to find the missing articles about her parents.
She looked at the remaining letters bundled together.

All of this went back to her
grandparents, that was where she should start. She reached for one of the stacks of letters, but then heard heavy footsteps approaching down the hall. She concealed the letters under some clothes and closed the drawer.

“Cassidy?”
Ben’s voice was followed by three soft knocks on her door. Immediately her heart started fluttering around her chest like a caged butterfly. Not since high school had a boy had this much effect on her.

She opened the door and looked up into his sparkling green eyes. He smiled at her and she suddenly felt the overwhelming sadness that had punctuated the air around her dissolve into mist. She hadn’t even realized how much she’d missed him until he’d returned. Looking up into his handsome face she could only smile foolishly and momentarily she forgot about everything else.

“How was your day?” Ben asked, still smiling and casually leaning against the door frame.

“
A little boring.” Cassidy admitted smiling up at him adoringly, feeling completely foolish yet unable to stop herself.

“
I guess that’s probably my fault. I’m sorry I left you here today, I was overreacting.” Ben smiled apologetically. “Let me make it up to you?” He asked and Cassidy nodded, her heart was beating so hard she was sure he could hear it.

“I need to do some car shopping. I was thinking about heading into Montgomery tonight and I know you wanted to do some shopping there.
Plus I’m going to need someone to drive me anyway, so I was thinking if you wanted to get out of the house…” Ben shrugged nervously as he trailed off.

“I’d love to!” She immediately as
sured him. He smiled in relief. “Just give me a few minutes.” Cassidy was practically bouncing she was so excited. Not only was she getting out of the house, she was spending the evening with Ben. This day had just improved dramatically.

Less than twenty minutes later they were on the road, heading out of town. Cassidy felt light and excited. There were so many things she wanted to discuss with Ben, but she wasn’t ready to darken the mood.

“So where did you grow up?” Cassidy asked as they cruised down the highway in her Miata. She had insisted on driving. It was her car after all.

“Maine.” That surprised her. She had assumed Ben had always lived in New Hampshire.

“What broug
ht you to Cedar Hollow?” She probed when Ben didn’t elaborate.

“My dad was a fisherman. He owned
a small boat, but he’d come from a long line of fisherman and he knew the places to go. He brought in some of the largest catches of any of the independent fisherman at the fish market. He used to take me down to the harbor when I was little and show me all the big fishing boats. ‘Someday’ he would say ‘someday we’ll have a whole fleet of boats like those, and you’ll be the captain’. Dad always said that there wasn’t much a man did in life that really mattered, except the legacy he left behind.” Ben trailed off sadly. Cassidy was reminded of an argument they’d had when Ben had accused her of stealing people’s legacies.

“What happened?” She encouraged softly.

“My mother died. Dad never recovered. He began drinking.
A lot. Ran his business into the ground after about a year, was facing bankruptcy and losing everything. Then one of the big time fishing boat captains approached him. Offered to buy his rig, but promised to keep him on as the captain, split the profits. Dad thought it was the answer to all his problems and signed over his title without a second thought. He was laid off after a month.”

“That’s awful.” Cassidy said.

“You think everyone who works for these hotels you buy up get to move to a cushy office in Chicago?” Ben challenged.

“No.” Cassidy answered calmly. “Most of the
hotel employees are kept on, some are let go.” She admitted. “Very few move up in the company the way I did. But I worked my ass off to get to Chicago. I didn’t become VP of acquisitions over night. It took hard work and sacrifice, a lot of sacrifice! And I’m not going to apologize for that.”

“You shouldn’t have to.” Ben admitted after a few moments of silence.
“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.” Cassidy whisper
ed.

“So he came to Cedar Hollow
for work?” She probed again after a few moments of silence.

“
We bounced around the coastal cities for a summer as he did whatever odd jobs he could find. We ended up in New Hampshire eventually.” Ben confirmed. “Lucy had been running Miller’s on her own for a while. Mr. Miller was already a recluse, staying locked away in his room. I honestly only saw the man a handful of times in the years that I’ve lived there. Harold, Lucy’s husband, had been the groundskeeper but he was developing Alzheimer’s. Strange that it came on so young, he was only in his forties.

“
Regardless, Lucy had finally decided to hire on some help and Dad answered the ad. I don’t think she would’ve hired him if it weren’t for me. He brought me to that first interview, suitcase in hand. She took one look at me and the job was his. Well I should say the job was mine. He still drank heavily, and most of the time I was picking up his slack when I wasn’t at school. When he finally drank himself to death the job officially became mine.” Ben shrugged dismissively, but Cassidy could hear the pain in his voice. She wanted to reach out to him, to comfort him somehow, to comfort the sad teenage boy he had been.

“That must have been hard for you.” Cassidy offered weakly.

“Honestly, I was glad when he was gone. He changed when my mother died, and with each passing year I hated who he’d become a little bit more. After he died it was easier to remember the father he had once been.” Ben’s words were laced with sadness and Cassidy ached for him.

They sat in silence and
Cassidy processed the story he’d told. She finally felt like she understood a little more about him, understood his hostility toward her and her line of work, understood his relationship with Mrs. Owens who had practically become a surrogate mother to him. She was surprised to learn that he’d barely interacted with her great-uncle. He’d said he was a recluse who stayed locked in his room. She thought of the room in the attic.

“So what brought you to Cedar Hollow?” Ben asked with a more upbeat tone, breaking the heavy silence.

“You know what brought me.” Cassidy replied, chuckling a little at his forced cheerfulness.

“But there’s more to the story that I don’t know.” Ben pressed. “You said when you were fifteen you tried to search for your birth family and failed,
then your parents died. I imagine you abandoned the search after that?” Ben left the question hanging in the air. Cassidy nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. “So what made you start looking again?” Ben finally pressed after a beat of silence.

“I turned thirty in April
. The only celebration was a cake at the office and drinks after work with my best friend and co-worker, Becca. I guess that’s when I realized how empty my life is. My entire life is work. I work seventy hour weeks. I practically live at the office. My only friends are work friends because I don’t have time for anything else. My dating life is non-existent. I’ve devoted my life to my career, and suddenly that wasn’t enough anymore. The night of my birthday, I came home and looked around my apartment, really seeing it for the first time. It’s barely furnished.” Cassidy laughed sardonically at herself. “The walls are bare, there’s no food in the kitchen, I always eat take-out. I don’t even own a TV because the only thing I come home for is sleep. The mailbox was empty, no birthday cards from loved ones. That’s when I realized I didn’t have any loved ones. No one. It had never really bothered me before that. But I guess it finally got to me.

“
I began a more aggressive search for my birth family. I’m not really sure what I thought it would accomplish but it gave me something to focus on other than work and that made me feel better. But then all I ended up uncovering was the fact that both of my parents were dead. Imagine how depressing that was.” Cassidy laughed without humor.

“And that led to your uncle?” Ben guessed.

“Actually, he found me.” Cassidy corrected. “Well, Mr. Woodard did. He said my uncle had asked him to search for any remaining family and since I’d recently been researching our family’s records I’d left a trail that led him to me.” Cassidy shrugged. “Like I said, I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting when I started this whole thing a few months ago. But it definitely wasn’t this.” Cassidy laughed, smiling over at Ben. He smiled back sympathetically.

“Why did you stay?” Ben asked earnestly. “You could have easily told Mr. Woodard that you had no interest in the property and left us to our fate.”

“I could have.” Cassidy agreed, thinking over her answer carefully. “But I didn’t want to.” She admitted. “At first I told myself that I was staying for Mrs. Owens, and that was mostly true. But honestly, I didn’t want to go back to my empty apartment. I wanted my life to be about something else, even if just for a little while. And now the more I learn about my family, the more I feel a part of something. I know how strange that must sound.” Cassidy shook her head.

“It’s not strange.” Ben assured her. “I just wish what you were a part of, wasn’t so… troubling.” Ben added and Cassidy was reminded of the multiple attempts on her life and her r
ecent discoveries in the attic. They both fell into a heavy silence as his last words hung in the air between them.

The first stop once they reached Montgomery was a used car dealership. Ben had called ahead and they had several work trucks pulled up front for him to look at. He looked under their hoods and talked mechanics with the salesman while Cassidy roamed the lot admiring the prettier cars. It wasn’t too long before they were driving off the lot, Ben in his new truck and Cassidy following behind in her car.

The next stop was the mall. This time it was Ben’s turn to wander around out of his element while Cassidy
shopped. She felt lighter than she’d felt in days. Maybe it was shopping, maybe it was just getting out of that gloomy house. Maybe it was the way Ben was looking at her.

“I never knew one little person could need so much stuff.” Ben teased as they finally left the mall, loaded down with shopping bags.

“I might have gone a little overboard.” Cassidy admitted sheepishly. “I’ve always loved shopping, it’s been my vice ever since I started getting a paycheck.” She laughed at herself.

Ben shook his head. “Just when I think I’ve got you figured out.”

“You think you have me figured out, Mr. Riley?” Cassidy asked playfully.

“Not at all, Miss. St. Claire.”

“Do you know about the secret room in the attic?” Cassidy blurted out over dinner. Ben dropped his
fork, it clanked loudly against his plate.

“What do you mean?” He asked evasively.

“There’s a room in the attic, behind a secret door. I found it this afternoon. Have you ever been up there?” Cassidy decided since she’d already blurted the question out she might as well get the answers she was after.

“No. I’ve never
been up there.” Ben admitted warily.

“But you do know about it?” Cassidy pressed.

“The last few years that your uncle was alive he was very ill. I knew that Lucy moved him up to a room in the attic, but she wouldn’t let me up there. Not that I really wanted to go up there. Your uncle had always kind of creeped me out.” He smiled apologetically. “When he became bedridden she told me she’d moved him up there. She said it was a ‘sick room’, something that was popular when the house was built in the 1800’s. She said he’d become very sensitive to sound and liked it up there better.”

“I think she’s keeping Mr. Owens up there now.” Cassidy told him. Again he looked startled by her bluntness.

“Why do you say that?” He asked, looking concerned.

“I’ve seen the curtains moving in the window up there a few times. That’s how I knew it was there. I got kind of bored today and did a little exploring.” This time it was Cassidy’s turn to smile apologetically. “Anyway I found the room and it was totally spotless, someone’s definitely been cleaning it
at least.” She left off the part about Mr. Owens wandering downstairs a short while later. She’d promised Mrs. Owens she wouldn’t tell.

“That’s odd.” Ben didn’t elaborate, but the expression of concern remained etched on his face. Cassidy wondered if she should continue.

“I found some letters in an old trunk up there. Letters between my grandparents, and also between my grandfather and my great-uncle.” Cassidy revealed.

“Really?”
Ben’s interest was piqued. “Did you read any of them?”

“Not yet. Well I did read one
that was addressed to my mother, it came from my aunt. Apparently she went by her middle name Elaine rather than Janet. She also changed her last name to Greene, I’m assuming after their parent’s died. So I was thinking maybe that’s the reason we couldn’t find any articles related to Janet Miller. I’d like to see what I could find for Elaine Greene.”

“That’s a good idea.
” Ben agreed. “We could go by the library here in Montgomery after dinner. It’s much larger than the one in Cedar Hollow and we could probably find the missing articles on your parents too.”

A few hours later Ben and Cassidy were settled down in front of a computer screen in the well-lit research room of the Montgomery library, it was a nice change from the dusty basement of the small library in Cedar Hollow. Luckily all of the old newspaper files had been scanned into the computer system so the search was much easier this time. Cassidy decided to try the name Janet Miller one more time. It bothered her that no records had turned up for that name last time. There should have been a birth announcement at least.

Cassidy typed in the name Janet Miller, three results were found. They were the articles Cassidy had already seen; a birth announcement and the articles regarding the deaths of both her parents. The name Janet Miller had been
mentioned in all of those newspaper listings and was therefore cross-referenced to the articles. Cassidy found it very odd that the same wasn’t true for the records at the Cedar Hollow library. It was as if someone had intentionally altered the old computer’s reference catalog.

Next Cassidy typed in the name Elaine Greene, only one result linked to a newspaper in Boston.

A fatal car accident on the Longfel
low Bridge claims the life of 19 year old Elaine Greene. Onlookers stated that a grey sedan swerved into the victim’s lane sideswiping her car and forcing it off the bridge. The suspect’s vehicle then fled the scene of the accident. Police are still searching for the driver of the grey sedan. A reward is being offered for any information leading to the arrest of the persons involved.

Cassidy looked at the date on the article, February 23, 1982. Cassidy had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she realized that was only one month after Elaine had sent the letter that Cassidy found. She wrote her sister a letter warning her to leave Cedar Hollow, begging her to destroy the letter, stating that she didn’t want to be found. The letter had not been destroyed and one month later she was dead. Cassidy stared at the computer screen in stunned silence. She thought of the fear she’d felt yesterday when their truck had been run off the road. Tears welled in her eyes as she imagined that her aunt had experienced that same level of fear just before she’d died. She had only been nineteen.

“That could have been us.” Ben’s whispered words brought her back to the present.

“They found her.” Cassidy whispered hoarsely.

“Who?”

“Whoever found me. Whoever found my parents. They found her too.” Cassidy wiped the tears from her eyes. “She changed her name.” She explained to Ben. “She stayed away, she tried to hide, but they came for her.”

“Why?” Ben asked the question that was hanging in the air all around them.

“I don’t know, but we have to figure it out. We have to.” Cassidy said emphatically. “Or else I’ll never be safe. They’ve found me now. I’ll never be safe. They came for her in Boston. They’ll come for me wherever I go.” Cassidy was becoming hysterical, she began sobbing uncontrollably feeling completely vulnerable and for the first time truly scared for her life.

Ben wrapped his arms around her pulling her to his chest. “We’
ll figure this out. I’ll keep you safe.” He promised, slowly rubbing his hand in soothing circles on her back. She clung to the front of his shirt, allowing the fear to wash over her, allowing her tears to flow, allowing him to comfort her. She turned her face up toward his neck breathing in his scent. It calmed her. Whatever else was out there, in this one moment she did feel safe in Ben’s protective embrace.

He felt her lips graze the skin of his neck, he felt the heat of her breath
, and despite his better judgment he leaned down and met her lips with his own. Cassidy responded instantly as passion sparked between them. Ben griped the sides of her face as his tongue delved into her mouth dueling with her own. Cassidy gripped his broad shoulders, arching her back and pressing her breasts against his muscular chest. Time stood still, until Ben broke the kiss.

“Cassidy
, we can’t.” He panted as he pulled away. She was left flushed with passion and embarrassment, her heart pounding, gasping to catch her breath as he held her at arm’s length.

“Why?” She asked timidly as her breathing slowed. Ben released the grip he had on her arms sitting back and running his hands over
his face and through his hair.

“Cassidy, I don’t have the best track record with women.” Ben admitted still holding his head in his hands. “They always end up getting hurt. They always end up wanting more than I’m capable of giving. I… I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Maybe you won’t.” Cassidy whispered gently. Ben still hadn’t looked at her.

“We should look for the missing articles about my parents.” Cassidy said, clearing her throat and turning back to the computer. In her peripheral vision she could see Ben’s shoulder’s visibly relax. She typed in the name Kimberly Miller, the first result was the birth announcement and wedding announcement that she’d expected. Next she typed in her mother’s married name, Kimberly Patterson. Nothing could have prepared her for the next article.

The search for Kimberly Patterson came to an end last night when the local coast guard discovered the missing woman’s vehicle at the bottom of Bartlett Bay. Although the young woman’s body was not discovered within the vehicle, authorities state that evidence suggests that she was in the car when it struck the water and was most likely thrown from the vehicle upon impact. Although the search for the missing woman has been concluded a full investigation is underway pertaining to the circumstances surrounding the accident.

“That’s impossible.” Cassidy whispered.

“I thought you said she died in a fire?” Ben asked.

“She did. That’s what I was told. Besides this article is dated the year I was born, I was told she died years later. This just isn’t adding up.” Cassidy said frustrated. Next she typed the name Billy Patterson into the search engine. Again his name linked to the wedding announcement that she’d found under her mother’s name. The next article was his obituary.

Billy Patterson, age 25, perished last night in a house fire on Glen Oaks Road. The remains of an unidentified woman were also found. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

“An unidentified woman? Mr. Woodard said it was my mother.”

“Mr. Woodard?”

“He’s the one who told me that my parents died in a fire.” Cassidy explained.

“You said he found you?” Ben questioned
, sitting back in his chair and looking at Cassidy intently. “How exactly did that happen?”

“He called me.” Cassidy shrugged.

“At home or work?”

“Work.”

“Did you ask him how he found you?”

“Well when I
decided to look for my birth parents again I hired a private investigator. He’s the one who told me they were both deceased. I was pretty much resigned at that point and wasn’t going to look into it any further, then a few weeks later I got a call from Mr. Woodard. He said my uncle had commissioned him to locate any surviving family members and apparently I was the last one.”

“Yes
, but how did he find you?” Ben asked again.

“I assumed through the same PI.”
Cassidy shrugged. Ben frowned. “Do you think Mr. Woodard has something to do with all this?” Cassidy asked.

“I don’t know. Didn’t you find it odd that he was at the house yesterday after someone tried to run us off the road?”

“He was acting strange, but surely you don’t think it was him?”

“I don’t know what I think, but I don’t think it’s safe to rule anyone out at this point.”

Cassidy’s stomach was in knots again. Mr. Woodard had been the one who’d brought her back to Cedar Hollow, he was old enough to have been there when her parents died as well. Could he be behind everything?

“Did you want to look for anything else while we’re here?” Ben asked.

“No, I guess that’s everything.” Cassidy admitted feeling deflated. She’d hoped the library would lead to some huge revelations, but she didn’t feel like she knew very much more than she had before. She was beginning to fear that she’d never get to the bottom of any of this, at least not before it was too late. That last thought sent a chill through her and she inched a little closer to Ben as they walked out of the library into the dark night. Instinctively he wrapped his arm protectively around her.

Cassidy followed behind Ben’s truck on the long drive back to Cedar Hollow. It was late and the sky bloomed with stars as they left the city. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, as far as Cassidy was concerned, Ben began to slow. Cassidy slowed down behind him until finally they’d both come to a stop on the side of the road. Cassidy sat in her car confused. She watched as Ben got out of the truck and kicked the back tire. He walked over to her car opened the passenger door and climbed inside.

“It’s flat!” He said exasperated. “Just bought the damn thing and it’s got a flat tire!”

“What should we do?” Cassidy asked.

“Hangman’s Ridge is just a few more miles down the road. We’ll stay there tonight and I’ll get a tow in the morning.”

Cassidy nodded and pulled back onto the road. “Is there a motel in Hangman’s Ridge?” Cassidy asked, wondering where they were going to go in that small town in the middle of the night.

“Sarah has a room above the restaur
ant. I have a key. We can stay there for the night.”

Cassidy swallowed back the butterflies that suddenly erupted inside her, and carefully gripped the wheel as she drove to Hangman’s Ridge.

When they reached the restaurant Ben led Cassidy around back to a staircase that ran up the side of the building.

“Are you sure she won’t mind?” Cassidy asked as Ben unlocked the door.

“It’s fine. I stay here sometimes.” Ben assured her as they entered the room. Cassidy had a sinking feeling as she wondered if this was where he brought women. Surely he didn’t bring them home to Mrs. Owens, but obviously he had a few exes around town, the man wasn’t celibate.

“Do you come here often?” Cassidy asked casually as she
looked around the room. It was a studio apartment, just one large living space with couch, bed and kitchen area. Cassidy tried not to stare at the bed.

“It’s been awhile.” Ben answered walking to the fridge to check inside.

“How did you know it would be vacant?” Cassidy fished.

“It’s kind of my place
.” Ben admitted. “When we first came to Cedar Hollow my dad and I rented this room from Sarah. After he died I started officially working at Miller’s and moved up to the house, but Sarah always kept this room for me in case I needed to get away for a while. As a teenager it was an oasis. Spent quite a bit of my early twenties in and out of this apartment too, of course by then it was more of a bachelor pad.” Ben smiled sheepishly and Cassidy’s worst fear was confirmed. He’d brought other girls here. “But it’s been five years since I’ve even been here.” Ben added. “I’ve tried to give Sarah back the key a dozen times and she always insists I keep it. She says she doesn’t need the hassle of being a landlord anymore and sometimes during the peak tourist season she stays up here to be closer to the restaurant.”