AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bear nodded, reaching for Winnie’s hand. None of this sounded good and he had a feeling he’d only get through this holding onto his sunbeam.
“About five years after Gnat left here, she ended up being picked up for prostitution by none other than Chief Scott. Charges were dropped. We think at this time is when they came up with the idea of building something together. They lived together and Gnat became pregnant, delivering a little girl she named Cassidy.”
Bear jerked. “What? She was my half-sister?”
Winnie held his hand, turning toward him to rub his chest. He looked in her eyes. How could she still have the love shining out of her eyes when he’d let his sister down?
“Yes. Although from what we can tell, she didn’t know she had a brother. Ten years later, Gnat had another daughter, given name Kennedy. It’s our assumption Chief Scott is the father to both, although the father’s name was left blank on both certificates, but it’s what Cassidy believed.”
Sarah paused until Bear nodded. He wasn’t okay by any means but they needed to get through this. Scoop took over, throwing a picture up on the screen.
“Cassidy and Kennedy both attended school through their sophomore years. At this point, Cassidy indicated they were expected to join the family business. Cassidy joined when she was seventeen under duress. She was put into what she called the spa’s stable.”
“Hold up, so her parents made her become a prostitute?” Winnie’s voice held the disbelief he’d expect from someone who’d had loving parents. With his experiences with Gnat, he was surprised she’d hadn’t forced Cassidy earlier.
Scoop nodded, continuing. “What we can’t figure out and Cassidy didn’t understand was anyone else in the stable who became pregnant was required to get an abortion. Cassidy wasn’t. Kennedy joined when she was seventeen under the same conditions as Cassidy. For a while, they lived together. In fact, Kennedy babysat a lot when Cassidy had Phoebe. For some reason, everything changed when David was around six months.”
Scoop nodded at Sarah to take over. “Kennedy was moved into the spa full-time. Cassidy’s journal speculates Gnat was worried they’d run. She was allowed to watch Cassidy’s kids but only at the spa. Cassidy was sent to work the streets instead of the spa. There is a huge gap in the journals. We’re not sure if she just quit writing or if we’re missing one. It picks up when you leave town and bring her the money. She’s thankful and believes you’re the nicest man she’d ever met, only wanting to help her and not expecting anything in return.”
Bear realized his face was wet when Winnie used a tissue to wipe the tears off his cheeks. He didn’t want to ask the question but he had to know. “Did she know we were siblings?”
Sarah shook her head. “No. You were just a really nice man. She wanted to take you up on the offer to come to Bluff Creek but she couldn’t figure out how to get Kennedy free, too.”
Beth took over. “Two weeks before Cassidy died, she went to the courthouse and asked how to update a birth certificate. We think this is what triggered her attack. When she was told it would require she and the father to both complete forms and appear before a judge, she left. She wrote she then checked with a social worker in DCS. She indicated she was concerned what would happen to her kids. The DCS worker showed her how to complete an online will. Cassidy wrote she added your name as father for the kids in handwriting on the form. She was planning on getting in her car and just driving her and the kids here.”
Rascal walked over behind Bear, placing his hand on his shoulder. Beth had paused but continued at Rascal’s nod. Her eyes filled with tears then she swallowed. “Sorry, this is hard to tell you. The timeline was upped when Kennedy overhead Gnat talking with the chief about how much money they could make if they sold Joey. Infants were in high demand and that infuse of cash could help them expand.”
Bear let go of Winnie’s hand and pounded his fists on the table to release enough anger he could focus. Winnie’s voice in his ear brought him back.
“We will never let them have him. We’ll keep him safe. We’ve got this. Now channel that anger, my wonderful analytical man. We need your expertise to help plan for how we’re going to do this.”
His listened to her calm voice, though he could hear the anger underlying every word she said. He leaned back and nodded for them to continue. Beth wiped her nose and shook her head, motioning for Scoop to continue.
“Her last entry is that she’d put the kids to bed and was going to go to bed, wake at three a.m. and leave for here. She had complete faith that once she got here, Bear and his friends would keep her kids safe while she went back for Kennedy. The date coincides with the night she died. We’re guessing the kids would have just disappeared, never to be seen again, but the next-door neighbors you’d asked about watching over her called it in and waited with the kids until the social worker came. The older woman who lived to the west said the chief had tried to get her to go home before someone from the department of children’s services showed up. I’m positive she saved those kids.”
Bear turned to his sunbeam. Her face was a little fuzzy because he couldn’t seem to stop crying. If only he’d known he had sisters, he would have never allowed them to go through this. His kids would know someday what a brave mother they’d had but right now, he had to get himself under control and help figure out how to rescue his other sister. He didn’t care whether they were half-siblings. Once they rescued her, they’d get her help and let her become the person she was meant to be.
Winnie nodded, leaning her forehead against his, tears falling down her face.
“I want her to live with us. I want her to have family around her and I want the kids to get to enjoy their aunt.”
“Anything you want. She deserves a family that loves her and we’ll be that.”
