When Snow Falls (Whiskey Creek #2)(63)
Author: Brenda Novak

Saying a silent prayer to the God Eve and her family worshipped, asking for forgiveness in case she was about to do something He’d find terribly wrong, she drew herself up straight and closed the door.

She’d come to a decision, one she might live to regret. But, like anyone else, she could only follow the dictates of her own conscience.

* * *

By the time Dylan started back to Cheyenne’s, he was exhausted. He’d looked for Presley every place he could think of—even a few he doubted she’d ever gone. He’d visited the Indian casino where she worked, as well as another one that was farther away. He’d navigated the narrow road leading up to the old mine where they used to party in high school, even though the roads were slick and dangerous. He’d dragged Carl Inera from his bed and accused him of selling her dope, which he denied. And he’d bumped into Aaron, who was making the same rounds. They’d found no trace of her. As a last-ditch effort, they’d driven through the streets of Whiskey Creek for an hour, attacking the search from opposite ends of town and going as slowly as possible, checking every parking lot, alleyway and side road for her car.

He hated to return to Cheyenne without some idea of what had happened to her sister, but there was nothing more he could do, short of contacting the police. And he preferred to avoid that, given the situation, at least for now.

He’d called Cheyenne three times in the past half hour to see if she’d heard anything, but she hadn’t picked up. He hoped that meant she’d fallen asleep. She needed the rest. It made him feel better to think she wasn’t agonizing over every minute he was gone. Maybe Presley had returned and they were both home safe.

But when he arrived at Cheyenne’s house, he didn’t see Presley’s car. He saw the coroner’s van, a squad car and another vehicle—an Acura.

“Oh, shit,” he muttered, and parked beyond the drive so he wouldn’t block anyone in.

Aaron had been following him. He pulled up alongside Dylan’s Jeep. “You’re staying here?” he called through the passenger window.

“I’m staying here.”

Aaron shook his head. “Sometimes I wish I could be you. You always know what you want. And you know how to get it.”

That wasn’t true. Dylan had been denied as much as Aaron had, maybe more. But Aaron didn’t give him a chance to respond. He gunned his truck and shot past as if he couldn’t get away from Cheyenne’s fast enough.

“If you only knew.” Dylan shook his head.

The front door opened before he could reach it, and two guys he didn’t recognize emerged, carrying Anita’s body on a stretcher. A sheet covered her, but he glanced away. He didn’t want to see so much as a finger or a toe. As it was, the sight he’d encountered in the bedroom would stay with him for the rest of his life.

The men, startled by his unexpected approach, looked up as he stepped out of their way. “You part of the family?” one asked.

“I’m a friend of Cheyenne’s.”

“Glad someone’s here. She’s inside.”

His stomach churned at the thought of what she’d endured in his absence. Were they taking pictures to document the scene? Were the police now looking for Presley?

He knew how he’d feel if it were Aaron….

As soon as he stepped inside, out of the snow, he could hear voices coming from Anita’s room, but his steps grew heavy when he reached the hall. He didn’t want to go anywhere near where Anita had died—or been killed. Aaron wasn’t the only one who had a problem with death. Dylan, too, had seen his mother before the ambulance took her away.

“Will you be okay here alone?” the sheriff asked.

From his vantage point just outside the room, Dylan could see that Cheyenne was busy cleaning. The soiled sheets had already been stripped from the bed.

“I’ll be fine,” she replied.

“What time does your sister get home?” This came from a middle-aged brunette.

“Sometimes she stays overnight with a friend.”

Dylan found this an odd reply. He found their acceptance of it even odder.

“I wish you could’ve got in touch with her,” the woman said. “It would’ve been nice if she’d been able to say her final goodbye. It’ll be so much harder for her to come home to an empty room.”

Cheyenne rolled several hospital gowns into a ball. “She knew it could happen anytime.”

“Of course, but…still.”

“Her phone must be out of battery,” Cheyenne explained. “Or she’s so deeply asleep she can’t hear it. I’ll talk to her as soon as possible.”

The woman sighed. “I guess that’s all you can do, short of searching for her, and the roads are too slick for that tonight. You don’t want to go out in this weather.”

“No.”

“I’m sure Presley will check in tomorrow.” She moved closer to Cheyenne, forcing her to stop bustling around long enough to be embraced. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through. It was heartbreaking to watch. But I hope I was able to help you out, at least a little. That’s our goal with hospice.”

Cheyenne looked fragile, as if she might shatter beneath the slightest touch. But Dylan figured her pale face would seem normal to them. She had, after all, just lost her mother.

“Of course,” she told the nurse. “You were great. I don’t know what I—we—would’ve done without your support.”

“I’m glad.” The nurse touched her arm. “Your mother is in a better place.”

Cheyenne ducked her head. “Right. I know. I agree.” She was speaking softly, respectfully, but Dylan could tell she wanted them to leave. The Whiskey Creek Police Department contracted the sheriff’s department to cover any 9-1-1 calls they couldn’t respond to, and any that came in after one in the morning, so these were county folk, not from Whiskey Creek. They had no idea what kind of person Anita had been or the mixed emotions Cheyenne was likely to experience.

“I suggest you get some grief counseling,” the woman added, a touch of lecturing in her voice. “You and your sister. What you’ve gone through has been very traumatic, and it’ll continue to be difficult for several months, maybe longer.”

Dylan allowed himself a wry smile. That was easy advice to give, but grief counseling wasn’t free. He knew. There’d been nothing and no one to help his family.