Page 25 of Ghosts

Rayne was the last to climb to her feet. Her knees felt oddly weak, but she forced herself to cross to the drawer and pull it open. She grimaced at the messy piles of papers shoved inside, but at last she managed to locate the passport. It was out of date, but it held the information she needed. Rayne flicked to the front page, scanning the stamps that marked the dates of Henri’s travel itinerary.

“He’s telling the truth,” she muttered, lifting her head to meet Niko’s gaze. “He’d already left Austria by the time Nat died.”

Henri scowled. “Why would I lie? I had the money I needed, along with a promise of a job with the Orwells. I was eager to start my new life as soon as possible. I took the first flight I could buy out of Austria.”

“So, what happened?” Rayne tossed the passport back in the drawer and closed it. “Why didn’t you stay with the Orwells?”

“When Brooke came home it was obvious that she blamed me for what happened to Natalie.”

Rayne narrowed her eyes. “How could she blame you? You have proof that you weren’t there.”

“She thought I drove her to suicide by threatening to expose her. And . . .” Henri released a harsh breath, his face flushing.

Rayne studied him. Something had changed. The brittle, smug expression was gone, and in its place was a darkness in his eyes that might have been regret.

“And what?” she prompted him to finish.

“And I couldn’t disagree,” he ground out. “Eventually Brooke found a way to drive me off and my life went into the crapper.”

Stomping across the floor to yank open the door to the fridge, Henri pulled out another can of beer and swiveled to face them with a grim expression.

“That’s it. That’s all I know.” He popped open the can and headed toward the opening that led to the front of the house. “I’m going to take a piss now. When I come back I want you gone.” He paused to glare over his shoulder. “Or I really am calling the cops.”

He disappeared from view, and with a wry glance, both Rayne and Niko made their way out the back door and down the steps. In silence, they circled the stables to climb into the van. Rayne grimaced as Niko carefully brushed away the shards of glass that were scattered over his seat before she started the engine. It was a visual reminder that this wasn’t a game, she acknowledged as she pulled onto the gravel road, headed back toward the Orwell farm. There was someone out there who didn’t want them to discover the truth.

Once they were out of sight of Henri’s house, she glanced toward Niko, who was staring straight ahead with a deep frown pulling his brows together.

“Do you believe him?” she asked.

“The dates of his passport prove he wasn’t there,” Niko said. “And if he had somehow arranged to have Nat killed, I doubt he would have confessed to blackmailing her.”

Rayne nodded. That had been her thought as well. Henri was a selfish, immoral jerk who’d used the hard knocks in his life to give him permission to abuse others. But while she didn’t doubt he would have murdered Nat if she’d been a threat to his blackmail scheme, or even if there was a way to make money from her death, he’d been out of the country before she died.

Rayne forced her mind back to the morning of graduation. She could remember sharing breakfast with Nat before they’d gone back to their room. Rayne had taken a quick shower and then headed out to meet her mom to go shopping. Nat had definitely been alive then. Which meant that Henri couldn’t be responsible.

She abruptly frowned. Erin had told her that she’d seen Nat going to the stables when she’d asked if anyone had seen her roommate. Why? Was she making sure that Henri wasn’t going to cause trouble? Or was she going to meet with her lover?

“We need to talk to Brooke,” Rayne said, pressing on the gas pedal until they were bumping over the rough road at a jarring speed.

“Agreed.”

Rayne sent her companion a worried glance. As traumatic as stirring up the past was for her, it had to be intensely more difficult for Niko. Nat had been his twin. That was a bond that went soul deep.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He slowly shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

She turned onto the road that led directly to the farm. “Does it bother you that Nat and Brooke were more than friends?”

He jerked his head toward her, as if startled by the question. “Of course not,” he insisted. “It bothers me that she didn’t trust me enough to tell me.”

Rayne heaved a sigh. “Yeah, I get that. We shared everything when we were young. I mean . . . everything. She was the sister of my heart. I don’t want to believe she couldn’t reveal something so important in her life.” She hesitated, trying to untangle her wounded emotions. “But now that I’ve had a chance to think about it, I’m not certain it was her choice.”

Niko sent her a puzzled glance. “What do you mean?”

“Brooke obviously wanted to keep their relationship a secret,” Rayne murmured, slowing as they reached the outbuildings that were spread across the Orwell property. “And knowing Nat, she would have done everything in her power to make Brooke happy. That’s just the person she was.”

Niko slowly nodded. “Yes.”

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