Our Sick Inheritance (editing)

Chapter 47 - Losing Your Wits My Man?

Another snowstorm was set to come in and cover their state like paint. It always snowed hard during the beginning calendar months, but these were some of the worst storms Colin had seen in a long time. He was starting to second guess letting Anna go on her trip. If it weren't for his own selfish intentions, he probably wouldn't have given permission.

Christine was busy packing with her family so Colin tried to stay out of her way all day. During the morning she had been surprised that Anna left, but didn't question Colin's motives. Colin knew Christine figured if he trusted Anna then she should also. It didn't stop her from saying goodbye to Anna with tears and worry in her eyes. She even gave Anna a vocal warning to expect to see her at Diamond Island in a week. Colin cherished the love that Christine had for Anna and felt blessed that his daughter was schooled by her parenting. It was stable and undeniable. As soon as Anna left the driveway, Christine's mind took over her duties and set Colin on a final checklist to go over and finish.

The first thing Colin did was look online to see if Anna was being honest and was indeed going to a fashion show in California. Everything she printed out was listed. He checked a few other links and saw it was legitimate. He smiled still not convinced but was interested to see if she was going to show up for the shows or not.

It was surprising to Colin that Anna left after what happened Friday night. Was she getting away to forget about getting slapped? He wondered what happened at the party she went to the next night that nudged her into the direction of an exciting trip before a major move. He just hoped this wasn't actually her acting out.

The biggest reason why Colin let her go was that he wasn't sure what the cops had on her yet since he knew Anna was who they were looking for. From the picture in the news story, he knew the dead girl Jolene was the one that slapped Anna at the bar. It was only a matter of time before the cops came around to find out that his naughty little girl was the cause of the drama in Jolene's life. The fact that Anna had met the boyfriend on her wedding website bothered Colin most. She still hadn't confessed to him about the breaking of his rule of going to the bars. Colin didn't need the police around his house or his life again. He had to see where the direction was going to go before he needed to do anything more with the situation. Having her out of town was stalling for time until he had more information or could at least find out what information the cops had.

He had called and talked to Torrent about Friday night. Colin used to compete in competitions on Ashland's mountains with Torrent and they had become good friends. Torrent was an avid skier that Colin gave free cabin rentals to as payment for keeping an eye out for Anna and Harmony when they visited bars, they weren't supposed to be in. He was sure that if the cops talked to Torrent, he wouldn't give Anna's name up. Colin knew Anna was innocent but would anyone else?

Anna let him know she had made it to Mt. Ashland safely for a night of skiing with her friends, good food, and sleep for the drive on Monday. He laughed at her reassurance when her texts came in. He was almost surprised, but most definitely happy. Colin loved his daughter but knew she was a good liar. He had just always thought he was the only person she didn't lie to. He had hoped anyway but knew better. Sometimes when you loved someone so much, you go blind. Colin laughed, as all this time they thought it was masturbation that caused blindness. At least she was honest about skiing, he thought.

The sun peeked out of the clouds for a moment to give a promised flash of warmth. A snowstorm was expected to rip through once the sun tucked safely behind the mountains. Colin was glad that Anna wouldn't be traveling in it. Mt. Ashland was more than halfway to Nate. Nate could intercept Anna if Colin needed him to rush her to the island where she would be safe. He had always kept a good eye on his sister, so Colin wasn't worried about tracking her down. Colin felt protective over both of his children, but he blushed to know Friday night's incident wasn't worse than the secret he was hiding. This was the time Colin needed to clean up and get rid of his sweet girl upstairs.