Uncertain Truths

Ch 24 - Confrontations

The next morning she was nervous. Her plan was to see what she could get Aiden for breakfast, all the while acting like nothing happened last night. That should forestall any awkwardness and give them the freedom to return to normal, if that's what he wanted. But he was gone. Just a note.

"Hey Kae, how's my girl? I'll be back later this afternoon. P.S. Don't do anything risky before I get back."

She stared at it a moment. My girl. She felt a thrill as she let the meaning of his note sink in. She still had questions, but that was normal. One kept circling around and making her think about it again - what had Dean meant when he said Aiden disappeared from the club for a while each night he was there? Where was he going, and what was he doing? She thought she'd learned all there was to know about him, but he continued to elude her. Maybe that's how he held her interest.

She prayed they wouldn't regret their relationship change. It wasn't like she was about to change her status on social media. The silly 'friends with benefits' thing wouldn't work for her, but she wasn't going to push him away either. She was committed, now that she thought about it. She'd been his since the day they met. No matter who approached her she'd had eyes for no other guy.

He couldn't keep sleeping in the barn. It would be too cold out soon. To her dismay, the cabin was pretty chilly too. Why hadn't he ever mentioned that?

There was a nice looking house on the other side of the highway, about five minutes closer to town. It had a for-sale sign last week. She should go look. If it had a barn and the house was in reasonable shape, it could be home. It would be cheaper than digging out the remnants of her old house and rebuilding.

That snapped her back to reality. She had to focus on the immediate, not some daydream. She had a murder to solve and a host of things to fix, including her own life.

His girl? Yes, always, but now was not the time to go public. If Gerald's murderer had indeed caught on to her, he or he might try to find out what mattered in her life, meaning Aiden could get hurt. And she wouldn't let that happen. If she was honest, she knew the fire was intentional, and that her exit had been blocked. She was just faster at getting out than the person expected.

She stared at Aiden's note. There was a second option, wasn't there? She could do what everyone wanted - say it wasn't murder, walk away, and do something else. She crumpled down onto a seat and sighed. She should be happy right now, like she was before her brain kicked in and started this debate.

Too late. She had to prove the truth she knew, then take it to the police and let them do the rest. She knew she was right, and truth always came first.

Would Aiden understand? He'd been patient so far. He'd traveled the length of the globe and defied his parents to be with her. She put a finger to her lips, remembering the sensations caused by his mouth on hers. Being held by him didn't feel carnal. It felt eternal. It felt destined. Felt. That normally confused her, but there was no confusion in her about him.

She jumped to her feet. She'd get this mystery wrapped up fast. Her motivation was strong now. No more meandering. She tucked the note into her pocket. There was no way she was going to lose Aiden over a mystery. She was done losing people. She had to get this solved, today. Latest tomorrow.

She set up her portable murder board and grabbed three darts out of an ottoman. It was time to think creatively. She closed her eyes and threw each, one at a time.

When she opened her eyes, she had to laugh. They had all landed on the column about the church. Modern churches did bother her, but this was just too funny. She shook her head. Surface thoughts were useless. What was she really seeing? Focus. She started saying the every word that came to mind when she thought about this church, specifically.