Page 105 of 5 Golden Flings

CHAPTER 16

Knox and Grayshuffled through the photo stacks on the coffee table, taking care with the ones still stuck together.

“I managed to get a lot of them apart, but will work on the others.” She laid the photo of the “sleeping woman”—as she’d come to call her—aside, not wanting to be reminded of Knox’s words.

Gray started laying a line of the old-fashioned square photos in a row like playing cards from a deck. “Here’s Cassandra at the event at the home for unwed mothers. I wonder if this was the opening celebration?”

“Who’s Cassandra?” Brynn asked.

“Cassandra Rosewood, she’s a high-profile woman who lived not far from the school. She was murdered about twenty years ago—a completely unsolved murder.”

“Murder and a dangerous secret society. Lovely little town this is...”

Colby smiled at her sarcasm. “It has its moments.”

The next photo had a group of middle-aged white men in it, mingling in front of a semicircle of empty chairs. “This is probably the county administrators or council at the time.”

“What’s that?”

“Childress County isn’t like all of the others in Tennessee. Three counties have what’s called consolidated governments. Because Childress is so small, they were able to create a county government that doesn’t just rule the county, but Thornbury Woods itself at once. There is no city government here.”

“I’ve never heard of that.” Brynn couldn’t imagine the power that must give this group of men.

“They run this county how they want,” Knox said. “Keep in who they want. Keep out who they want.” He touched the photo of Cassandra with a deliberate point. “Eliminate who they want.”

Brynn felt her stomach sink.

“There’s a reason why we’re bringing this up, Brynn,” Gray said, his voice softer than his friend’s. “Colby said you wanted revenge against these men. But right now, I don’t know of a safe way for you to do that...especially if one of them is already watching you.”

She thought of all her dad had lost, of the fear he’d lived through. She met his solemn gaze. “I can’t give that up. I made a promise.”

“Then help us,” Gray said. “In the end, if there’s someone to get revenge against, we can do it together.”

Could she trust them? Could she really?

Knox, she wasn’t as sure about. He seemed friendly enough, but he’d had a few moments that his expression had given her pause. Gray appeared the more compassionate of the two, and made her feel more at ease.

Colby trusted him. Maybe she should too. She gave a slow nod. “I’ll do my best.” Those women deserved it. Her father deserved it.

“I’d like to take these with us,” Knox said. “I think I know someone who can help us with them. Honestly, I’d feel better if you moved to the school. There’s more safety in numbers.”

That sounded like a good plan. But something made her hesitate. As unnerving as the basement was, she really wanted to be in this place where she’d lived with her dad, where she’d met Colby, where they’d spent Christmas together.

“I’m not sure it’s safe for you to stay here alone, once people in town start to realize who you are,” Gray said. “Or should I say,certain peoplein town.”

“She won’t be alone. I guarantee it.”

Colby’s words caused something inside her to go still, but she couldn’t help teasing him. “You will?” she asked, raising a brow in question.

In usual Colby fashion, he simply grinned at her but turned a more serious expression to his friends. “I think moving her from here to the school would signal to anyone watching that shedidfind something. That she’s running.”

Knox nodded slowly.

“With me here, it will just look like she moved in. But I’ll be here too,” Colby said.

Gray chimed in, “Maybe I can put up some security cameras? It would be helpful to know if anyone is lurking around, getting too close.”

“The woods too,” Knox said.

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