Page 73 of Christmas Homecoming Secrets
“But why?”
Lisa shook her head and swiped a stray tear. “I haven’t gotten to that part—if he even put it in there.” She sniffed and handed him the book. “Maybe you can figure it out. I can’t read anymore. I wish I hadn’t read that. I’m sorry I’m such a wimp.”
Bryce sighed and pulled her into a hug for a moment. “It’s okay, Lisa. Really. I’ll take it from here.”
She nodded and scrubbed her palms under her eyes. “I need to visit my friend, then get back home. I left the kids with a neighbor who’ll probably be ready to give them back by the time I’m finished.”
“They’re great kids.”
She smiled. “And you’re a great friend. Thank you. For everything.”
“Of course.” He hesitated. “Do you want me to tell you anything I find out in here?”
“Only if you think it will help for me to know it.”
“Okay. Sounds fair.”
Once he’d seen Lisa back into her car and on the road toward home, Bryce climbed back into his driver’s seat and buckled up. He dialed Jade’s number and let it ring while he opened the little black journal that held his friend’s last thoughts.
SIXTEEN
Jade had stepped inside Heather’s home and immediately been hit by the fumes—and the color of the room. A deep red covered the walls and Jade closed her eyes for a moment.Lord, please be with Heather. She’s hurting so terribly bad.“Heather? You here?”
Where else would she be? The bathroom? The back bedroom? She knew Heather had used her spare bedroom as a studio when she had been painting before. Maybe she’d started using it again.
The couch had been pushed away from the wall and was covered with a black tarp. The floors that had once been a pretty taupe colored carpet were now just plywood.
What was Heather doing? “Heather!”
Jade’s phone rang and she realized it had been ringing for several seconds. She snatched it. “Bryce.”
“Hey, how are you doing?”
“I’m at Heather’s. Let me call you back in a bit.”
“Okay, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve got the journal. Listen, I’m real concerned about Heather’s mental state. Frank was worried, too. It was one reason he wanted to postpone the wedding.”
Jade shot a glance toward the hallway. Still no sign of her friend. She lowered her voice. “Postpone, not call off?”
“Calling it off apparently came later. But she knew and she was extremely upset.”
“She knew.” And she hadn’t said a thing to Jade—or anyone else.
“Listen, watch your back with her.”
Jade huffed a short laugh. “You’re kidding, right? This is Heather.”
“I know. And she’s been through a lot. She may not be thinking clearly.”
Well, that was true enough. “What exactly does his journal say?”
“I haven’t read it yet. I’m paraphrasing what Lisa told me. I’m heading back to town and should be there in about twenty minutes. I’ll read some more and try to get the full picture.”
“Okay. I’ll call you and let you know how it goes here.”
He hung up, and Jade walked toward the back of the house. “Heather?” Worry churned within her. Heather had known Frank wanted to call off the wedding. Had she kept quiet because she had hopes he would change his mind? Or…what?
Footsteps in the hallway reached her, and Heather rounded the corner to enter the den, paintbrush in hand, towel over her shoulder. “Ah! Jade?” She pressed a hand to her heart then pulled an AirPod from her ear. “You scared me to death. What are you doing here?”
