Free Dark Truth by Mariah Stewart

sort of thing through his lawyer.” Nina sighed and looked out the window. “At the time, it was what I wanted. I can’t even begin to tell you how I felt during all that. I was shocked . . . horrified . . . humiliated . . . I can’t put all of my feelings into words. My father was always somewhat distant from me. We were never really close, you understand, but I never, never would have thought for one minute that he’d be capable of . . . all those horrible things he’d been accused of doing. He may have been remote from me, but I’d never seen him act mean or violent, ever. I just couldn’t believe it.”
    “You felt betrayed by him.”
    “Oh, yes. Totally.” Nina shook her head from side to side. “It’s one thing to understand that you and a parent aren’t particularly close, it’s something else entirely to find out that they have committed unspeakable crimes. You just want to run away and hide and never see them again.”
    “And that’s what you did.”
    “What would you have done?”
    “I don’t know,” Regan answered honestly. “I’ve always had such a close relationship with my father, I can’t imagine how things could have been different. I’ve never been in the situation you were in. But I hope you don’t think I’m judging you, or your actions. I’m not. You did what was right for you at the time. No one has the right to second-guess that, all these years later.”
    “And if he was innocent?”
    “Then you’ll make your peace with him any way you can, in this life or in the next. But there’s a good chance he’d be more understanding of you than you’re giving him credit for.”
    “I didn’t know him well enough to know how he’d react.”
    “Then I would guess the blame lies with both of you on that score.” Regan leaned across the table and squeezed Nina’s arm. “Don’t beat yourself up, Nina.”
    “What would you do? I mean, now. If you were me, what would you do?”
    “I’d find out if he was telling the truth. I’d get my hands on every report, I’d talk to everyone I could find who was connected with the investigation. I’d look at the evidence upside down and sideways, and then I’d see if there was any chance that someone else had committed the murders.” Regan leaned back in her chair.
    “Then that’s what I’ll do. I’ll go to the Stone River Police Department and I’ll ask for copies of all the reports. That’s step one, right?”
    “Right. See what the evidence was against your father, let’s start with that. Then we’ll see if there’s any way that your stepmother could have been involved. He must have had a reason for writing that letter, Nina. Let’s see if we can find out what it was.”
    “We?”
    “Well, yeah. You don’t think I’d turn an amateur loose on a case like this, do you?” Regan smiled. “Now, there’s no time like the present. Let’s get dressed, and drive over to Stone River. I’d like to take a look at those reports myself . . .”
             
    The Stone River Police Department was housed in an 1892 carriage house that had once belonged to the family that had settled the town and incorporated it. Recently renovated by the local historic society with a combination of public and private funds, the building also housed the small town library and a community room where various groups, from the civic association to the budding arts alliance, could meet. The building was white clapboard and had enough gingerbread to decorate a dozen homes on North Main Street.
    “Way to intimidate the criminal element,” Regan commented as they walked under a heavily carved arch to get to the front door.
    “I’m surprised no one’s planted climbing roses over the doorway.” Nina grinned. “But frankly, being brought into any police department in handcuffs—fancy arches or not—would intimidate me.”
    Regan held the door and the two women entered the reception area.
    “May I help you, ladies?” a uniformed officer