Page 6 of Between Now & Heartbreak

“They scouted the globe for talent that they lured back to Winsome as settlers. All of the other founding families moved here because Wolfe handpicked them. You couldn’t buy a plot of land or get a permit without one of them approving it.”

“Okay. But it’s not like that anymore,” I ask annoyed that she knows so much more of my family history than I do. Though to be fair, I’ve never taken the time to learn it. This town, this family, none of it has ever really felt likemine.

“Ofcourseit is. They handpick their residents, lure them with amazing salaries and perks, and then handcuff them non-competes that made finding another job impossible.”

“Didn’t you know that?” She frowns at the surprise registering on my face.

“No, I didn’t.”

My ignorance about the true nature of the people and things I’ve spent my whole life right next is equal parts embarrassing and annoying. No wonder my father didn’t even consider me for a more important role until this arrangement with Duke.

“Well, I only know because my dad worked there. From the outside looking in, this looks like a small town that’s booming because it’s got such a strong heart.”

“That’s exactly what it is.” I say with a certainty I don’t feel.

She nods, her expression grave now, all hints of levity are gone. We stop for a red light and she glances at me for a second before she looks back at the road. I didn’t imagine the conflict I saw there.

“What?” I demand when she bites her lip in agitation and tightens her grip on the steering wheel so that her knuckles turn white.

The light turns green, but she doesn’t pulls away. “Your father, along with the Tremaine’s, they treat it like it’s their personal fiefdom.”

I bristle at that.

“I know people treat my dad like a king, but they vote for their leadership in elections just like everyone else. I mean, if someone besides the Tremaines actually ran for anything, then maybe we could accuse them of rigging it. But they haven’t been opposed in years.”

“Nope, and that’s not because no one else wants to run.”

“What do you mean, Dina?” Her cryptic answers and insinuations are getting under my skin. And I don’t know why.

“Imean,they’ve gained and used power in ways that are, at best, appalling. And at worst, some of their behavior might be illegal,” she says.

“Are you talking aboutmyfather?He’s just a businessman.”

She shrugs, but her expression remains just as grave. “These are all just theories, Liz. And he’s not the mastermind of anything that’s happening here, but he’s certainly been the beneficiary. I’ve got a few things I want to check out while I’m here. Including a really strange case a PI friend of mine had me do some research on. At least one kid that was born is unaccounted for.”

It’s my turn to squint in disbelief. “You watch too much tv,” I laugh, dismissing her.

“And you don’t watch enough if you think a kid being born here and then disappearing from the public record is something that only happens in fiction,” she shoots back.

“What in the world are you talking about?” I ask, shocked by the implications of what she’s saying.

“I found a birth is record. But when the woman who is listed on the birth certificate remarried several years later, she declared on her marriage license application that she didn’t have any children.”

“Maybe he died. Or she gave him up.”

“If that child died, no one else knows about. There’s no death certificate. No documents terminating her parental rights. Nothing. But it turns out, it wasn’t an isolated incident. She had another baby that is unaccounted for. Ten years later. After she murdered her husband, burned their house down and disappeared for months.”

“What?” I shout.

“I’m right next to you, Liz, you don’t need to scream.” Dina shoots me a sideways glance and rubs her ear for effect.

I grimace in apology and lower my voice “What do you mean? Here, in Winsome?”

“Yes. Here.”

“Did they find her?”

“Nope, She turned herself in. Seven months after the murder.”

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