Chapter 26: Willa

We made it to the cabin as the sun was beginning to rise. I could tell why Ferrin thought it would be a safe place for us to stay. It was well off of any main roads, tucked back into the woods with a small lake out the back and no evidence of any other structures nearby.

It was also gorgeous.

This wasn’t just some cabin like I had pictured. I was thinking of a small, seldom-used cabin that hunters or hikers would take shelter in. Not really belonging to anyone but was kept up by those who passed through on occasion to keep it usable.

This was not that.

This was clearly well-maintained. It was a stunning two-story, three-bedroom log cabin with all the amenities, including a hot tub on the back porch that led down to a firepit near the shoreline. I had a feeling it also belonged to his family. Or, at the very least, he knew the owner very well.

I stood on the balcony off the upstairs master bedroom, wondering if I would ever get used to this. I was content with the minimalistic lifestyle I grew up with. Sure, we had some hard times when food was an issue and some winters when we were sleeping on the floor in front of our little wood-burning stove. But overall, those were things that never really bothered me. Things always worked out, and we had each other to get us through.

It also gave me a sense of purpose and kept me busy. I started gardening and hunting so we could always provide our own food. I learned how to fix a generator so that we could keep the heat on. I even learned about alternative medicines that can be gathered in nature. I found ways to either make the money we needed or figure out another way to get what we needed. If I couldn’t make it happen, then it wasn’t important. I didn’t know what it would mean to not have to spend my time providing basic necessities.

Ferrin came up behind me, sliding his arms around my waist. “What are you thinking about?”

I took a deep breath, soaking in his scent as it enveloped me. “Just how I’m ever going to get used to all of this. What I’m going to do with myself from day to day to keep from going crazy.”

“There will be plenty for you to do, Willa. You can be involved in anything that you’re interested in — politics, education, charities, you name it, I’ll make it happen. And I have a few of my own ideas on ways to pass the time we can explore,” he said seductively as he began trailing kisses down my neck.

I chuckled as I leaned into him. “Oh, yeah? And what would these ideas entail?”

Before he could speak, his cell phone started to ring in his pocket. He huffed as I laughed.

“What’s up, Damen?”

I turned to face him as he listened to Damen’s response. He lowered the phone and tapped the button to put it on speaker.

“Okay, Damen, patch him in.” He held a finger to his lips for me to stay quiet.

I was confused and intrigued. I had no idea what was going on.

“Hey, Dante, you’re on with the king,” Damen’s voice echoed through the phone. They were apparently on a three-way call.

“Rhodes here,” a voice I didn’t recognize came through next. “I got a copy of the autopsy report we needed and the police report to go with it. It took longer than expected. I had to take some extra precautions to throw off some attention. I already sent you copies, but I don’t think they’ll do us a whole lot of good. The reports have been doctored.”

“Are you sure?” Ferrin asked, his brow furrowing with concern.

“Yeah, they didn’t try very hard to cover it up. The files have definitely been tampered with. I looked into that some too. My guess — it was someone here in the pack. I can follow that lead for now. But without knowing what information was changed, we’ll likely hit a dead end.”

“Okay,” Ferrin said. “Keep following that for now. We’ll keep trying to get more information you can use as well. Was there anything else you came across?”

“Maybe. One of the smaller articles mentioned a daughter that may have been present at the crash. However, I can’t find any record of Melanie having a kid.”

I looked up at Ferrin at the mention of my mother’s name. This must be the detective he told me about. I was about to say something, but Ferrin shook his head.

“But what’s interesting is I found a redaction for the article. Which would have indicated that it was a mistake, except it didn’t say she didn’t have a child, only that her daughter wasn’t with her. Add that to Melanie’s mate falling off the radar, and we definitely have the signs of a cover-up. I’ll see if I can track down the family. If the girl was there, maybe she’ll remember something.”

“Okay. Thanks, Dante. Keep us posted,” Ferrin said as he brushed a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Will do.”

We heard a click and a silence.

“Damen, you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m already pulling up those reports. You should be able to access them from your phone, too,” Damen said.

“Willa was listening in. We’ll check those out when we have a chance to sit down together.”

“Oh, and Arlo got back about twenty minutes ago.”

“Good. Tell him to take the next couple days off. I’ll fill him in when we get back.”

“You going to dump everything on him at once, or should I tell him who you’re coming back with?” Damen said with humor in his voice.

Ferrin grinned. “You can tell what mood he’s in. I’ll leave that decision up to you.”

“Oh, I’m gonna have some fun with this,” Damen laughed. “Let me know how everything goes out there.”

“Will do.”

Ferrin hung up the phone and returned it to his pocket.

“So that was the detective you hired to look into my mom’s case?” I asked, about to come out of my skin to know what was in those reports.

“Yeah,” Ferrin said as he took my hand and started to lead me back inside. “He doesn’t know about you yet. I want to keep it that way a little bit longer. If he’s as good as I hope he is, he’ll likely figure it out on his own.”

He continued back down the stairs and moved to the kitchen, moving me to sit down at the dining table.

“Wait here.”

I was thoroughly confused as he walked away. And a little mad that he wasn’t letting me talk about what just happened. In fairness, I had so many questions running through my head I was having trouble organizing my thoughts.

After a few minutes, Ferrin came back in and sat a tablet on the table, taking a seat next to me. He clicked open an email and clicked a file open. Before I could get a look at it, he grabbed my face and kissed me.

“I have to go.” He rubbed a hand up and down my back. “Austin and I have to make an appearance at the guard station and set up our cover. Shawn and Adam should be here in a few minutes to sit with you until we figure out what we’re doing next. I knew it would drive you crazy not being able to look over these.”

“Then why do you seem so worried?”

“Babe, this is your mother’s autopsy report. Doctored or not, there will be pictures and details that may be hard to see. I don’t want you more tormented than you already are.”

I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Ferrin, I saw my mother ripped apart. I held her when she took her last breath. I laid next to her dead body for five hours before someone found us. Some technical incisions aren’t going to scratch the surface.”

He pulled me into a tight embrace. When he finally pulled away, he held my face in both hands.

“You have your phone on you, right?”

“Yep,” I said with a nod.

“You’ll call me if you need me?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Shawn and Adam just pulled up. I’ll call you with any updates.”

He kissed me one more time before leaving me at the table with the tablet that held the official documents describing my mother’s last day alive. I took a deep breath and picked up the device. I scrolled down to the start of the report.

I didn’t get far before Shawn and Adam came into the cabin. Adam came to join me at the table as Shawn headed straight to the kitchen.

“The king said you were looking over some reports from your mom’s case,” Adam said with a sympathetic look.

“Yeah,” I confirmed with a small smile. “Apparently, they’ve been messed with, but I still want to see what they are trying to pass off as the truth.”

“Do you want some help?”

“I’d like that. Thank you.”