Page 43 of Final Approach (Lake City Heroes #4)

Once she had the boxes in front of her, she started going through the first one.

It held her father’s old cases. She counted.

Only thirty-five total. “There’s no way these are all of his cases,” she murmured aloud.

So what were they? She started going through them one by one and stopped when she came across some familiar names.

“Oh, Dad, what have you done?” She read through each one, her heart dropping with every word.

Then she pushed the files aside and dug more, coming up with another folder—this one a map with coordinates and blueprints of a home.

But whose home? And why did her dad have this?

She kept on, looking for the one thing she really wanted.

The letter from her mother. And came up empty.

But now she had so many suspicions that she didn’t know which one to chase first.

ANDREW WAS TIRED. After everything he’d been through, he was just plain exhausted.

But he wanted to see Kristine. Thankfully, someone had managed to retrieve his phone and watch so he was able to get her text saying she was fine but had some personal things to attend to.

He hoped she didn’t mind him barging in, but he had some personal things to attend to as well.

Like asking her if there was any way she’d consider going out with him.

He’d shared the whole sordid story of his role in an innocent man’s death and she hadn’t run away screaming. Maybe there was hope.

He made his way to her townhome and knocked.

It took her a minute, but she opened the door and he took in her ragged appearance. Dark circles under her eyes and tear-stained cheeks. He frowned, stepped inside, shut the door, and pulled her into a hug. His side and shoulder protested, but he ignored them. “Did you sleep at all?”

“Off and on in between boxes. Oh, Andrew, I just...”

“Tell me,” he said.

“I can’t,” she whispered.

“I told you my past,” he said, “terrified you’d think less of me.” Scared to death she’d walk away. But she hadn’t. “Tell me.”

She sniffed and led him to the couch. “I’ve been carrying a burden ever since my mother died.

The day before she left for her final flight, I told her I hated her, that she was a horrible mother and that I wished she’d just stay gone.

Later I learned she’d taken a flight—one she hadn’t planned to be on—and I assumed it was because of what I said to her. ”

“Oh man, Kristine, how awful for you. I’m so sorry.”

“She tried to talk to me before she headed to the airport, and I refused to come out of my room. It was a Saturday. She was supposed to be back Wednesday. We’d had our fair share of arguments before, but with this one I was particularly cruel.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to go out with a boy and my dad said no. I wanted her to convince him to say yes. And she refused. She said this time she agreed with my father.” She shot him a wry look.

“I was stunned because they never agreed on anything. Turns out my dad had arrested him the week before for drunk driving. He didn’t want to tell me that, because that boy’s daddy had managed to do some fancy talking, paid a hefty fine, and got the charges dropped.

Dad told Mom, of course, but Dad knew I was going to see this kid at school and didn’t want it known that he was the one who told me.

I found out through the high school rumor mill. ”

“That’s tough.”

“Unfortunately, I never got a chance to tell her I understood. I found out Wednesday at school and she died that day on the flight home.”

His hand rubbed her back. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“There aren’t any words, so you don’t have to try to find them.

But here’s the kicker. My mom wrote my dad a note and told him to tell me that she knew I didn’t mean what I said and she forgave me.

Turns out she took that flight to give them some space, not because of what I said.

He didn’t tell me. And she left me a letter.

One that he was supposed to give me and didn’t.

” She threw her hands in the air. “How could he not tell me? How could he keep that from me?”

“I agree, that’s awful. Why would he do that?”

She sighed. “This is going to sound terrible, but I suspect it’s because a kid who’s racked with guilt is easier to control than one who knows her mom didn’t die hating her.

I haven’t asked him yet, though. That’s on the agenda for later today.

When I can do it without screaming at him—or killing him.

” She shook her head and bit her lip. “I thought all these years that she died thinking I hated her. But she didn’t.

” She passed him the phone. “Here. Read it.”

He did, then passed the device back to her. “Wow.”

“She didn’t hate me, Andrew. She really didn’t.”

“Of course not. All parents know that they’re going to argue with their bratty teens and the teens are going to say things they don’t mean. It’s in the parenting handbook.”

She gave a low laugh and swiped a stray tear. “Yeah, I guess so.”

He waved a hand at the mess of papers spread across her kitchen table, on the floor, and over her coffee table. “What’s all this?”

“Stuff my dad had in his attic. I was hoping he had something on my mom’s hijacking case but haven’t come across anything.” She reached for a stack of papers and handed them to him. “Found these, though.”

He read the top of the first page. “Divorce papers.”

“Yeah.”

“Ouch.”

“Very much ouch.”

“They’re not signed.”

“No. She said basically that she was going to come home, give him one last chance, and if he didn’t agree to go to counseling, she must have had these ready.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry, Kristine.”

“I am too.” She pushed her phone toward him again.

“Take a look at this picture. The map is too zoomed in to get a good location visually, but I think these are coordinates.” She swiped to another picture.

“These are blueprints. It looks like it’s a house, but the longitude and latitude don’t show anything but ocean.

I may just not be able to blow it up big enough on my phone.

It’s somewhere off the coast of the Outer Banks, though.

I tried googling it and didn’t get much with that.

And Google Earth just shows something that looks like an island. ”

“Weird.”

“I thought so.” She sighed. “And there’s more.”

“What?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t want to make any accusations until I know for sure.”

“Accusations about what?”

“It ... I ... I’ll tell you soon. For now, I need to go see him and ask him about everything, because I’m just not sure.” She shook her head. “I have no idea who this man I’ve called Dad is. Like no idea.”

“Want some company?”

“No. I have one more box to go through, but I’ll take it with me. I want to visit my mother’s grave before it gets dark, then I’ll head over to see my father to confront him with everything and see what he has to say about it all.”

He hesitated. “Then at least let me go to your mother’s grave with you?”

This time it was she who paused, then gave a slow nod. “Yeah, I’d like that, but I need to have a conversation with her, so don’t think that’s weird, okay?”

“Not at all. I won’t even listen. I’ll just be there if you need me. Come on, I’ll follow you, then you can go to your dad’s.”

Thirty minutes later, she sat on her mother’s grave, fingers tracing the letters of her mother’s name. Rachel M. Duncan. Mother and Wife. Missed forever. Loved for eternity.

Andrew stood about five yards away, giving her the privacy she so obviously wanted.

He had to look away, the scene almost too much for his heart to handle.

When he looked back, she was on her knees, arms wrapped around her middle, forehead touching the headstone, tears dripping into the snow.

Her shoulders shook with silent sobs. And he couldn’t stay away another second.

He went to her and wrapped her in his arms.

And heard her whispering.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I love you. I miss you. I need you. But mostly I’m sorry, Mom. So very sorry. I’m apologizing like you wanted me to. I wish I could take it all back. I’m so sorry.”

“She knows, Kristine. She knows.”

“I’m sorry, Mom,” she said again, then turned her face into his chest and wept.

He had no idea how much time passed while he held her, but she finally stirred, kept her face turned from his, and used her mittens to wipe her face. She sniffed, and he dug a napkin from his coat pocket. “It’s clean. I think.”

She gave a strangled laugh and blew her nose, then tucked the wad into her own pocket. “Thanks.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” She looked up. “Sorry you had to witness that.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad I was here.”

She smiled. “I am too.” The smile slipped from her lips and she said, “Now I have to go see my dad.”

“I can come with you to that too.”

“No. Thanks for the offer, but this is something I have to do myself.”

He didn’t like it but could see she was serious. Resolute. She was going to face this demon by herself. Fight this battle alone. He nodded. “Okay, but I want to pray with you before you go.”

“I’d love that.”