Portrait of Vengeance by Carrie Stuart Parks

Author:Carrie Stuart Parks
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2017-06-24T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

WE WERE ALL SILENT ON THE WAY BACK TO BIG EDDY Marina, each lost in our own thoughts. I was relieved to see Thomas Wolf and his truck gone when we returned. As we climbed the steps from the dock, a radio somewhere played Kenny G’s haunting “Going Home.” I paused and listened.

Before getting into the back seat, I opened the back end of the SUV and pulled a sketchpad from my forensic art kit. Beth got behind the wheel and Dan took the passenger seat. As Beth drove, I sketched the farmhouse from my past. The roof had been red metal, the house painted white with a wraparound porch.

My phone rang. I reached into my purse and pulled it out. “Gwen Marcey.”

“Yeah. This is Jay Pender.”

My brain went blank for a moment. “Um.”

“Lucinda Greene’s physical therapist.”

“Oh. You mean Holly.”

“Yeah, whatever. After you left, Lucinda started talking about books. Then she said your name. You wanted to know if anything changed with her . . .”

“Thank you! I’m just outside Orofino, coming from the dam. We’ll swing by.” I disconnected. “Dan, would you mind a slight detour? Holly—that’s my sitter I told you about—is talking. Well, sort of.”

“Not at all. Another clue on your quest?”

“Hopefully.”

Dan gave Beth directions and we soon reached the state mental hospital. Both Beth and Dan chose to wander across the grounds rather than go in and meet Holly. I hurried across the parking lot to the building. Jay Pender was waiting for me behind the reception desk. He nodded toward the large multipurpose room where I’d seen Holly before. Amy, the woman who’d pretended to be a nurse during my last visit, was sprawled on a sofa. She waved at me, then went back to using a highlighter pen as a cigarette and reading a magazine.

Holly was seated in the same place as before, facing the window.

My breath quickened. I started walking faster, but Pender grabbed my arm. “After I called you, I asked one of the older staff members about Holly’s books. She said we should check the storage area to see if Holly has anything stowed there. We can check that out after you talk to her.”

Approaching my former sitter, I bit back the thousands of questions I wanted to pepper her with. I reached her side and saw her blank face. “Holly?”

Holly blinked but continued to stare.

I pulled up a chair and sat beside her. “Holly, it’s me. Gwen. You remember me?”

This time not even a blink.

I took a deep breath, turned, and stared out the same window. My vision blurred. I’d come so close to unraveling the threads of my past, only to have that door slammed shut with Holly’s mind. God, this isn’t fair.

I caught Pender’s attention and shook my head. If Holly had been talking earlier, she wasn’t now. He motioned me over. I stood and looked at the old woman. “Holly, try. Try to remember. Please? What were my parents’ names? Who were they?”

Not even a flicker of change.

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