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Dying to Tell(108)

By:Rita Herron


But he could not condone what his father had done.

Or let him continue killing to cover it up.

He yanked his phone from his belt and punched in Nick’s number.

“I’m in the parking lot now,” Nick said.

Jake told him where to come, and within minutes, Nick descended the stairs. When he saw his father lying on the floor, Nick stared at him with shock and disgust.

“It looks like you were right about our father,” Jake said, his voice low, calm, nothing like he felt inside. “He’s a cold-hearted bastard.”

His father glared at him. “You’ll regret this, Jake.”

Jake shook his head. “No, you will.”

Nick walked over and yanked him up.

“I’m bleeding,” his father said. “Come on, Nick, Jake. You’re my sons.”

“You died a long time ago,” Nick said.

Jake glanced at Sadie, and emotions bombarded him. She looked small, pale, trapped. At the thought that his father had tied her down and was going to kill her so ruthlessly, fury rose inside him.

He strode to her and began unfastening her bindings, but he couldn’t look at her face. Hurt at her secrecy still welled inside him, yet shame filled him at what his father had done to her family. He’d watched her sister being tortured, destroying her life, killing her grandfather.

How could she ever forgive him—how could she get past that?

Sirens wailed outside as he helped her to sit up. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, although she swayed slightly, and her eyes looked weak.

“Sadie?”

“I’m fine,” Sadie said. “I just want out of this place.” She leaned on him for support. “How did you find me?”

“Your sister,” Jake said, still unable to believe the turn of events. “She came to the studio. It was almost as if she knew you were in trouble.”

“Where is she now?”

“With Ms. Lettie.”

Sadie’s nails dug into his arms, her voice panicked. “I think Dr. Tynsdale may have been drugging her all this time to keep her from talking.”

Jake walked over and jerked his father’s arm. “Was Tynsdale working with you?”

His father stared at him with cold eyes. “I want a lawyer.”

Dammit.

“Jake, what if he tries to kill Amelia?”

“We’ll stop him,” Jake said.

“Go on,” Nick said in a lethally calm tone. “I’ll take care of him.”

Jake nodded, then took Sadie’s arm and headed toward the stairs.



Sadie held on to Jake as they hurried up the stairs, then down the hall to the outside door. Her legs felt rubbery as they walked to his car, but she had to make them work. She had to get to her sister.

She sank into the seat, her vision blurring. What if Dr. Tynsdale had found Amelia? Ms. Lettie was there, too. Would he hurt her?

Jake’s cell phone buzzed, and he clicked to connect. “Waterstone?”

Sadie clutched at the door handle as he pressed the accelerator, sped away from the sanitarium, and careened around the mountain.

“Amelia, yes, I know where she is, I’m on my way. Meet me there.”

“What’s going on?” Sadie asked as he hung up.

“Waterstone got a call about a break-in at the high school earlier. Your sister was hiding out there, and she cold-cocked him. That’s when she came to the studio and told me where you might be.”

Nervous laughter bubbled in Sadie’s throat. “Amelia told you where to find me?”

Jake nodded. “She sounded amazingly lucid, for what she’s been through.”

“The time she’s been out of the hospital without her medication must be good for her.”

Jake punched the doctor’s number. It rang several times, then Jake shook his head. “No answer.”

“Give me the phone, and I’ll try the studio. Maybe Ms. Lettie will answer.”

Jake handed it to her and she called her home number. It rang five times, then rolled to voice mail.

“Amelia, Ms. Lettie, we’re on our way,” Sadie said. “Be careful. Don’t trust Dr. Tynsdale.”

As she ended the call, her nerves screamed that Amelia was in danger.

Sleet pelted them as Jake wound down the mountain, and he swung onto the road to her old home. The fact that it was gone along with her grandfather sent another wave of sorrow and loss through her.

But it intensified her need to save the only family she had left.

The car bumped over the potholes and ridges, skidding twice on the black ice, but finally they made it to the guesthouse. The ashes of the farmhouse looked wet and sad as Jake parked. Dr. Tynsdale’s car was parked to the side, Ms. Lettie’s station wagon by the house.

Sadie flung open the door and staggered up to the front, but Jake caught her arm before she entered. “Wait—if Tynsdale was helping my father, we have to be careful.”