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“Baby, you’re not damaged. I feel sorry for you about your mother and father, but none of this is your fault.”
“Yeah, well, try living with suspicion your entire life. I remember crying when I was little, nightmares plaguing me for years. He told me I needed to grow up, that life was meant to be harsh.”
“Fucking bastard.” At least I knew where I would be headed for my hunt. I’d squeeze the life out of the son of a bitch with my bare hands.
“I’d tried to achieve his love when I was little. I gave up when I was ten or so.” She laughed again, the sound haunting.
“Why Montana? You indicated you were compelled to come here.” While a part of me didn’t want to believe what she was telling me, there was no doubt it was the truth.
“I was sent a package on the day I turned eighteen. There was no return address, no indication of who’d sent it. but there was a postmark from Missoula. Then I remembered my mother had brought me here, taking me away from the agony and anger. It was funny that I had such few memories of her. Maybe my subconscious was protecting me, but it was so debilitating over the years. I wish I could remember more than just the mountains. I do know we were happy for a little while.”
“Did she stay with anyone?”
“No. I remember a hotel room but there are so many gray areas and shadows in my mind I can’t be certain of anything. I don’t know if she’d left him or just needed space. But I think she was trying to build a new life. So much is an ugly blur and I hate it.” Her eyes misted and she clenched the blanket, reaching for Sam who lifted his head.
“You don’t need to continue, baby.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“There were police, and no one was telling me anything. I cried and cried but no one cared. Then my father came to pick me up. That’s when he told me my mother had died in an accident.”
“But you don’t believe it.”
She fidgeted, taking another sip. “I never have. I think he killed her. It’s my belief she found something or became wise to his schemes. Years later when my memories surfaced, I searched her maiden name, finding out my grandparents were from Missoula. They died before I was born. Now, all I have are scattered memories I can’t consider accurate, the picture I showed you with Missoula printed on the back, and this locket.”
I allowed my gaze to fall to the necklace she wore, every muscle tense. I couldn’t remember when I’d felt this enraged.
“What’s special about the locket?”
“I have no idea. Other than there’s an inscription inside, a crest of some kind. I’ve tried to look it up over the years but found nothing.”
“Will you let me see it?”
Her smile was thin, but her eyes lit up as she unfastened the chain, handing it to me. The gold on both the locket and chain were worn from her handling the piece. When I opened the clasp, the crest inside immediately looked familiar. There were also two letters and four numbers. Then it dawned on me. “I need to check, but it appears the crest is from a bank and trust, an old one that still has a single branch in town. At least the sign is still there.”
Her eyes lit up. “The numbers can’t be from a bank account.”
I studied them again before rising to my feet. “No, but they might be from a safe deposit box.” When I lifted my head, she pressed her hand in front of her mouth again, only I noticed a hint of amusement instead of sadness. “You mentioned photographs. What do you have?”
Amelie unfurled her legs, moving closer to the edge. Sam whined in response. “Somehow, Giovanni managed to get a hold of financial transactions and spreadsheets belonging to the Rathbone Corporation. It would appear my father was extorting money from his own company. If I had to guess, I’d say Giovanni planned on blackmailing my father. But I’m not certain. I quickly snapped a few shots of the paperwork before he could catch me.”
She had balls, but if Giovanni knew what she’d taken from him, it was just another reason to have her eliminated.
“Why didn’t you go to the police? If you’re right about what you photographed, you had a chance to bring down your father.”
“First of all, after being sequestered in Giovanni’s house, I never went anywhere alone. When I managed to escape in the middle of the night, I had limited time before one or both men would send their soldiers to find me. And I assure you they would have. More important, my father owns half the police department, the police chief included. I couldn’t take the chance. That would have been my only one.” She glanced away, then smiled. “I need to know what happened to my mother. I don’t care about money, but I want to nail my father to the wall if he had anything to do with her death.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.” She seemed surprised by my level of conviction.
“I can’t drag you into my fight.”
I finished off my drink, placing it with a hard thud on the coffee table. “Baby, in case you haven’t figured it out already, I’m already in this fight with you. I ain’t backin’ down now. I protect my own. That’s been my motto for a long time.”
The slight smile on her face changed, fire returning to her eyes. “Then what do we do? I left my camera at the house. I don’t have a key to get into the safe deposit box if that’s what this is. They won’t just take my word for it.”
“Do you have your real identification?”
After a few seconds she nodded. “My driver’s license. I debated tossing it, but I had a feeling I’d need to prove who I was. It’s hidden with the camera at the cabin.”
