Unlocking Shadows (Keys to Love, Book Four) Read online

  From the updates she’d been receiving from their father, it had clearly come as quite a shock to everyone to find out that the identity of the victim had been a young girl by the name of Sophia Morton from another county altogether. Coincidentally, she had been Reese’s cousin who’d been thought to have run away from home over a decade ago, or so most folks had thought.

  Gwen couldn’t imagine unintentionally finding a long-lost relative dead and hidden inside a wall of a random house. She would want answers, too.

  “No, there’s nothing new to report,” Mitch replied solemnly. He grimaced in distaste when his coffee no longer tasted the same. Neither did hers. “We’re still waiting for identification on three of the bodies we recovered from the lake. The remains of Emma Irwin, Sophia Morton, and ten others have been returned to their families. Other than that, law enforcement agencies at the county, state, and federal level are working around the clock to find the son of a bitch responsible for killing all those young girls.”

  “Don’t forget Whitney Bell,” Noah added on, having taken a seat in the grass no more than five feet from where Gwen sat on the tire swing. “At least her father can now have some peace knowing that she’s buried next to her mother and not lost like all those other girls were for so long.”

  Fifteen bodies had been found in the lake where they’d all swam in the summer as children. Mitch had referred to the site as a killing ground. It was hard to imagine that laughter and enjoyment had taken place near the surface, all the while underneath their feet had been a gravesite of so many young women who’d gone missing over the years.

  “Leave it to all of you to be tangled up in some murder investigation,” Gwen said, tossing Mitch an apologetic glance as she joined in on the discussion. She couldn’t help it. “I mean, Noah and Reese found Sophia’s body after taking a sledgehammer to a wall. Lance discovered pictures of the missing girls in the basement of his new home, and Jace—”

  “Hey, don’t jinx me,” Jace warned as he held up a hand. It was as if he were warding off some evil that she was directing his way. “Nothing happened on my property, and I intend to keep it that way, come hell or high water.”

  Every one of the Kendall siblings stared at Jace as if he’d grown his hair long. That was how ludicrous his claim sounded, given that the woman who’d returned to town to find out what happened to her sister had been in the direct crosshairs of the killer.

  Evidently, Jace and Shae had begun a relationship that had turned serious over the course of the last few months. Maybe love did have blinders.

  Gwen didn’t begrudge Jace any happiness, or any of them for that matter, but he was way off base if he didn’t believe that the Kendall name wasn’t permanently linked to this investigation.

  “I think Shae’s horrific experience was more than enough to qualify you being part of the case there, stud.” Gwen hated to point out the obvious, but Shae was lucky to be alive. The two of them had been friends since they were kids, only being a year apart in age. Even though Gwen had been a bit surprised that Jace had fallen for Shae, there was no better woman suited for him. “How is she doing, anyway? She seemed happy at dinner.”

  “Physically, Shae’s fine. She had the stitches in her scalp removed a while ago. Unfortunately, she’s still having nightmares a couple of times a week, but we’re making it through alright.” Jace picked up one of the numerous leaves that had fallen from the maple tree overhead, feigning interest in its pattern. It was clear that he still struggled with almost losing the woman he loved to an evil son of a bitch whom no one had known existed until this past summer. “I want this fucker dead, Mitch.”

  “And we’re doing all we can to bring him in,” Mitch reassured his brother, not missing a beat. “Detective Kendrick handed everything over to the feds, for the most part. A fresh set of eyes are now combing through the mountains of evidence. Truthfully, I think we’ve scared the perp underground for the time being. We’ve discovered his playground, and he’s off sulking somewhere. He’s probably not so sure of himself as he has been.”

  Gwen didn’t want to ask what would happen when the sick individual who murdered fifteen young girls decided he was done standing in the corner. She also wasn’t going to have her homecoming overshadowed by something she couldn’t control. Not for the time being, anyway. She would have added on that she wasn’t a part of the investigation, but that wasn’t technically true—what happened to one Kendall affected them all.

  “Who’s volunteering to work on my renovations with me?” Gwen asked, finally giving Mitch the reprieve he wanted. “Dad explained that the old Graber homestead needed a bit of tender loving care to make it habitable. I’m not going to be able to do all of the renovations myself with my new firm opening its doors on Monday. Anyone got any ideas?”

  Gwen had done her best to make the transition to Ohio as smooth as possible for her clients. She’d rented the perfect space on Main Street, right next to the bank that had welcomed her presence with open arms. The town of Blyth Lake tried its best to keep the doors of small businesses open, and so far, they’d succeeded beyond most folks’ dreams.

  She was much more than a financial adviser, having developed an uncanny ability to read the market. She could also do a lot for the younger residents in setting them up for the future, as well as instruct the older townsfolk in safer investments for their retirement.

  Unfortunately, there was little time to renovate a home when a thriving business needed all her attention.

  “We’ve got you covered.” Noah was the only one who had remained standing, though he was using the thick trunk of the maple tree to lean against. “Chad Schaeffer will be handling most of the renovations, seeing as Miles and I have been cleared to return to the lake to work on those cottages. We’re meeting him out at Lance’s house tomorrow morning before driving over to your new place to access the most immediate needs. Dad had Chad out to the property a couple of days ago, so he already has an idea of what needs to be done.”

  “Why Lance’s house?”

  Gwen was honestly surprised that they were meeting Chad Schaeffer on a Saturday morning in the first place. Didn’t contractors like that operate Monday through Friday? Maybe because Noah was now part of the company, they were making an exception of sorts.

  Schaeffer’s Contracting & Flooring was a family business comprised of a father and three sons. Two of them—Clayton and Wesley—had branched off and tried to take their trade to the city, leaving only Miles Schaeffer behind with his youngest son at one point.

  All that went to hell when Clayton believed that the police thought he was the one responsible for the murders. He’d acted impulsively and totally irresponsibly when he attempted to burn down Lance’s house to destroy evidence that he’d been the one to do the renovations, thus giving the real killer the opportunity to leave behind damning photographs taken of the victims.

  “I want to show you and Chad what Lance has done with his flooring. It will give you an idea of what we could do in your living room.” Noah flipped Lance the bird when their younger brother held up his arms in victory. “Shut it. Everyone has to have a good idea once in a lifetime. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.”

  Lance mouthed some not so very flattering words their brother’s way.

  “What was the outcome of Clayton’s case?” Gwen asked, not recalling if she’d heard the final conclusion to that chapter of the story. “I still can’t believe that you didn’t press charges, Lance. I mean, come on. He tried to burn your house down. You were inside when he tried to set it on fire.”

  “The man made a stupid, drunken mistake. He acted without thinking.” Lance grimaced, but he managed to choke out the words anyway. “I’m trying to take the higher road.”

  “What he’s trying to say is that Brynn is taking the high road for the both of them,” Mitch said, his tone telling everyone exactly what he thought of Clayton Schaeffer.

  “I heard that,” Brynn called out from behind them, though she
didn’t seem to take offense at Mitch’s observation. “Apple pie and my spin on your mom’s lemonade are next up on the menu. I’ve been sent down to collect all of you wayward siblings.”

  Gwen was older than Brynn by three years, so they hadn’t been friends back in high school. That technically meant nothing, though, especially given the size of the town they’d grown up in. Gwen recalled the pint-sized blonde losing her parents when she’d been a teenager and being taken in by Rose and Tiny Phifer. The couple had raised Brynn as their own, giving her the love and stability the lost girl needed to become the fine young woman she was today.

  Brynn laughed when Lance tugged her arm, knocking her off balance so that she joined him on the ground.

  “Mom’s lemonade?”

  “Yes,” Brynn replied softly, as if understanding how important it was to keep traditions alive. “Although your dad has come up with the perfect name for the new drink I’m going to introduce to the patrons—Mary’s Medicinal Ade.”

  “That’s absolutely horrible.” Mitch wasn’t one to mince words. He stood with his now empty coffee cup, most likely with every intention of coming up with a new designation for such a special drink. “I’ll give him a couple of ideas.”

  “You better let Shae do it,” Jace recommended, very proud of the new woman in his life. Shae was currently traveling back and forth to the hospital where she worked in Michigan, slowly transitioning her patients to other psychiatrists in her practice. Her goal was to be working at one of the hospitals in Cleveland before too long. The larger city was a bit of a commute, but living in such a quaint little town made it worth the hassle. “You’ll only piss Dad off if you tell him that his idea sucks worse than limeade.”

  Gwen carefully stepped out of the tire with the help of Noah, who was now holding onto the thick rope so that it didn’t sway too much as she gained her footing.

  “Is Reese still here?”

  “Yes, she was the one cutting the apple pie and making sure I get the biggest slice,” Noah replied with a happy smile. “She also talked Dad into giving her Mom’s recipe. There’s a fundraiser coming up for her classroom at the school. Listen, about Clayton…his court appearance was postponed, but it doesn’t look like he’s going to serve any jail time.”

  “Is he going to be working on my house?” Gwen wasn’t too sure she was comfortable with such an arrangement. The man had attempted to burn down their baby brother’s home, and she didn’t much care for the man’s lack of character. Lance could have been killed, and she didn’t give a damn if that hadn’t been Clayton’s intention. “I’ll be honest with you, Noah. I don’t feel comfortable with him working on my place.”

  “Clayton went back to the city, so he won’t have anything to do with your renovations. He and Wes also lost the contract up at the lake. Miles has been in talks for Wes to come back home, but you can imagine how hard that decision is for Wes. He feels like he’s abandoning his brother in Cleveland to fend for himself.”

  “I’m surprised Miles would want to take Wes back into the fold after everything that’s happened.” Gwen had heard how the Schaeffers were all but torn apart when Clayton and Wes left the family business. Disloyalty to one’s family was a mortal sin in these parts. “Honestly, I’m having trouble with the fact that you would want to work with any of them.”

  “The Schaeffers are good people, Gwen. One bad apple…”

  Now this was the Noah she loved—the loyal compatriot and friend.

  “You’re my brother. I trust you. If that means your new business venture is going to be handling my home renovations, then so be it. I expect top notch work, though.”

  The only Schaeffer that Gwen knew on a personal level was Wes, because they’d been in the same class. Clayton was older, and Chad was at least two or three years younger than she was. Both had different sets of friends and ran in different circles. She made a mental note to speak with Miles Schaeffer about the company’s finances. It would be nice for her brother to have a 401k or some type of savings account where the business kicked in a percentage from their profits.

  “Chad is going to be the project manager onsite. I’ll be up at the lake now that Rose has transferred the contract for those new cottages to Miles.”

  Gwen had to smile, because her last memory of Chad Schaeffer was a skinny boy with freckles, dull brown hair that curled at the ends, and braces. She’d heard that he had gained weight and joined the varsity football team in his junior and senior year, but she’d been long gone by then.

  The few number of times she’d visited back home had been spent with family. It was astonishing that she’d never run into any of the Schaeffer brothers, though she had seen Miles quite a bit either at the diner or the tavern when she’d been in town.

  There were a lot of neighbors and old friends that she’d love to get reacquainted with, and she now had all the time in the world. The pace had definitely slowed when she’d crossed the county line.

  Today was about family.

  She wrapped an arm around Noah’s waist, resting her head against his shoulder as they walked together toward the house. Their mother might not be here in person, but her spirit surrounded them in every bloom of her flowers, every leaf on the trees, and every bird singing their beautiful songs.

  “Welcome home, Gwen.”

  “You, too, Noah. You, too.”

  Chapter Three

  “Would you stop looking as if you’re being forced to walk to your own grave, son?”

  Chad Schaeffer ignored his father’s attempt at making this upcoming job anything other than what it was—pure hell. It was probably a good thing that he was going to be left to his own devices while his dad and Noah were up at the lake with a crew of eight men to help out on the lakeside jobsite.

  Noah promised to be a great addition to the company, but Chad didn’t want anything to do with the Kendall family. It wasn’t anything personal, but it also didn’t take a genius to figure out pretty quick that the family was somehow connected to the evil schemes of a serial killer who had targeted Blyth Lake.

  It was best to leave such people to the proper authorities to deal with. It was a cancer he didn’t want to touch his family any more than it already had.

  Chad’s older brother had gone and gotten himself caught up in the horrifying mess, tying the Schaeffers to the Kendalls’ mess in the first place. Clayton was not known for making the best choices, but he’d gone way too far this time. He almost cost Lance Kendall his life in his drunken stupidity.

  It was a wonder the FBI hadn’t come knocking on Chad’s door after that fiasco, considering he’d been tied to the original missing person case of Emma Irwin. He’d been one of the last people to see her alive twelve years ago. Now that the feds were in charge of most of the investigation, he expected that his family would get drawn in further.

  Memories and guilt rose like the dust he’d stirred up entering this old abandoned house.

  Damn it.

  This was exactly the reason he didn’t want to be involved with the Kendalls any more than necessary—which lately seemed to be every damned day. He’d pack his shit and move if he didn’t love his hometown. He didn’t remember much about his mother, but he did remember her always saying to his father that things had a way of working themselves out if only he’d have the patience.

  Well, Chad had endurance in abundance.

  “Listen, I might need to borrow Jake now and then. There are things that will go much easier with another pair of hands.” Chad purposefully steered the conversation in another direction. He sure as hell wasn’t going to be drawn into a discussion with his dad about Clayton and Wes rejoining the family business after what they’d done. It was better to concentrate on the job at hand, giving time for things to settle. He surveyed the damaged hardwood floor worn from years of abuse, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix. As a matter of fact, he was looking forward to having a bit of time to himself. “I’m figuring two weeks of honest hard work here, max.”

>   “Chad, you can’t keep—”

  Thankfully, the ringing of his cell phone stopped Miles from venturing into dangerous territory where he didn’t want to tread. Yes, he damn well would keep avoiding the conversation as long as he liked. Technically, he wasn’t avoiding anything. He was being patient. Biding his time. Right? In the end, it didn’t matter what his thoughts were on the matter. His father had the final say on whether or not Clayton and Wes came back to work for Schaeffer’s Contracting & Flooring.

  Chad’s preference didn’t mean a goddamn thing.

  He truly believed neither one of his brothers deserved a damned thing.

  A quick look at the display confirmed his guess as to who was calling.

  “Noah, I got your message about Gwen running late. Lance let me take a look at the unique trim he’d made for the perimeter of his floor. I can do something similar for her, and I’m already at her place. Dad just dropped off some power tools at the house and is now headed to the diner for breakfast.”

  Miles shook his head in disappointment, but Chad steeled himself against any recourse. He dealt with his own bag of bricks on a daily basis, and he sure as hell didn’t need any more. His dad rubbed the back of his neck before accepting that now wasn’t the time to push the issue. He slowly made his way to the front door in defeat.

  Noah’s voice drew Chad back to the phone conversation.

  “I’m sorry about the delay. Gwen received a business call right as she and Dad were leaving the house. We’re on our way to her property now.”

  “Take your time. I have to complete my detailed survey, anyway,” Chad said, reassuring Noah that there was no hurry. There were things that needed to be done before he met with Gwen and confirmed some of the things he, Gus, and Noah had talked about last week. “I’m going to go through the place to see if we missed something on our initial list—anything that might require immediate attention. We already have power and the place didn’t burn down, so that’s a start.”