Page 69 of The Next Mrs. Parrish

“This is Sheriff Frank Campbell, from Gunnison County. Mrs. Briscoe, we’re in possession of some new evidence that might shed more light on the death of your father.”

Daisy Ann gasped. “What evidence?”

“Would it be possible for you to come to Gunnison so we can discuss this in person?”

“Of course. I’ll come as soon as I can.” She stood there trembling, unable to move.

“What is it?” Mason was instantly standing next to her, looking at her with concern.

She blinked a few times, still staring at the phone in her hand. “That was the sheriff from Gunnison. They have new evidence about Daddy’s death.” She looked up and saw that they were all watching her. “I have to go to Gunnison right away.”

“What kind of evidence?” Mason asked.

She shook her head. “I don’t know. He wants to talk to me in person.”

“Of course, you must go right away,” Birdie said.

“I’ll call and see if we can get a flight plan filed. We could be there in a few hours or at the very latest tomorrow morning,” Mason said.

“Yes. Good. I need to go home and pack.” Daisy Ann felt dazed. “I’m sorry to leave so abruptly.” She scanned the faces at the table.

“You go. We understand,” Chandler said, getting up from the table. “You leave the boys with us while you and Mason make arrangements.”

“Yes, thank you,” she said. As Mason took her hand and led her away, she heard Rose say, “I guess she’ll use this as an excuse for not coming to Jackson Hole.”

In other circumstances Daisy Ann would have turned around and told Rose off, but the only thing on her mind was that her father’s murderer would finally be brought to justice and that evil bitch would pay for what she’d done.

– 43 –

DAPHNE

“Let’s have a baby.” The words had seemed to leap from my mouth as we stood on the deck last night, the words I now believe had saved my life. The shock on Jackson’s face mirrored my own surprise at what I’d uttered, but I pushed on. “It’s my fault you left me for Amber. You wanted a son, but I was too selfish. I was worried about gaining weight. That’s why I hid the fact that I was using an IUD. But when she got pregnant, it about killed me.”

His hand slid from my back and both hands reached for my shoulders, turning me toward him.

“If this is a trick…”

I shook my head. “It’s not. Look, I’m sorry about that text. I promise, we haven’t been intimate. The truth is I haven’t been attracted to anyone since we’ve split.” That much was mostly true, but not for the reasons Jackson would believe. “I’m ready to take my share of the blame for the disintegration of our marriage. I want to rebuild the trust.”

I could tell he was still wary, could see it in his eyes. “Do you swear you haven’t had sex with him?”

“Yes,” I answered immediately. My mind raced, trying to figure out how to make him believe I wanted a child with him and keep him out of my bed at the same time. What the hell had I done?

“A baby. A new start for us.” He nodded. “We can start tonight. Here, on the boat.”

“But the meds. That could be bad for a baby and I have to take them or else when Hannah tests me, I’ll get in trouble. We have to wait until I’m able to stop the meds. Maybe you can talk to Hannah, get her to wean me off? Say I’m doing better.”

I’d been taking Seroquel for two weeks. It’s wreaked havoc on my stomach and shrouded my mind and senses in a fog. By early afternoons, I’m so tired that I have to take a nap. We see Hannah on Thursdays and that’s when she checks my medication levels. Otherwise, I’d do whatever I could to not take it. At first, Jackson insisted I take the pills in front of him, but now that he sees the accuracy of the tests, he trusts me to take it on my own. As for DCF, the OTC hearing appeal was postponed due to some clerical error.

He put his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. “There’s no reason we can’t enjoy each other in the meantime. We can use protection.”

I prayed he’d heed my next words. “I want it to be perfect. I haven’t showered or, you know, prepared. Let’s go home. We’ll plan our reunion for this coming weekend.”

“When?”

“Saturday night. Let me spend the day thinking about you. Let’s have a romantic dinner. Send the kids to spend the night with Meredith. I want to be able to be free with you.”

“Meredith? You’re not friends with her anymore, right?”

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