Page 113 of Is Anyone Listening?
"Of course." My grandmother moved closer and put her arm around Jessica.
I let go of Jessica's hand and moved next to Finn, needing to take a closer look at the man on the ground. Tyler was on his stomach, a bullet hole in the back of his head, with blood pooling all around him. I couldn't see his face, which was buried in the dirt, and maybe that was a good thing.
"He was going to kill us," I murmured. "Jessica was his target, but he couldn't afford a witness. I can't believe I was friends with him. I am a terrible judge of character."
"Don't be so hard on yourself. You only knew him a few days. And I'm sure he played into what you needed to hear."
"He backed up all my suspicions about Natalie, and for a while, it seemed like he was the only one who believed there was something going on. But he didn’t care about Natalie or Anna or any of the others. He was only interested because it gave him a reason to talk to me, to find out if I was getting closer to Jessica, if I could help him find her. And I was trying to do just that. I was bringing Jessica's killer right to her."
"You had no idea about any of this. And Jessica is alive because of you," Finn pointed out. "You got her away from the cabin. You helped her hide when she got hurt. And you stood next to her when she was facing a killer. You are one hell of a strong person, Cassidy. After everything you went through earlier, you faced death for a woman you don't even know."
"I don't know her, but she shares my blood. And that means a lot to me." I paused as I heard voices and saw the police following Tom down the path. As they got close, we backed away from Tyler to give them room to examine the body and secure the scene.
"Let's go back to the house," Ellen suggested. "They don't need us out here. Finn, Jessica could use your help."
"No problem," Finn said, putting his weapon away. "I'll carry you back."
"I'm kind of heavy," Jessica said.
"I don't think it will be a problem," he told her with a smile as he picked her up and carried her down the path.
I fell into step with my grandmother. "Thank you for coming," I said. "You and Tom saved our lives."
"I'm glad it worked out that way." She paused, looking me in the eye. "I didn't want to lose you, Cassidy, not like this, not because of anything I'd done."
"Why would you care if you lost me or not?"
"Because I do," she said with a shrug. "Believe it or not."
"I'd like to believe it." I gave her a long, thoughtful look, realizing what a complicated person she was, and someone I still didn't understand. But maybe over time, I could change that.
"Do you still have questions?" Ellen asked.
"Many," I said. "But one I would like answered now. Anna Franklin."
"She's fine," Ellen said. "I checked after I heard about Jeff. Anna made it to her next check-in, and she's safe. Jeff didn't hurt her."
"I'm very glad about that. And the blood on her carpet…"
"Just what I told you before. She was having a panic attack, and she knocked the desk lamp into the window, breaking not only the lamp, but also the window, and cutting herself in the process. Ray really did take the carpet to the cleaners."
I finally believed her. "Ray has been helping you with the network?"
"Yes. He's a good man. He made mistakes. He paid for them. And he changed his life. I believe in second chances."
"Then why didn't you give my dad one?"
She gave a helpless, sad shrug. "Why didn’t he give me one?"
"Because he has too much pride, and so do you. One last thing… My grandfather's death was just an accident, right?"
"A tragic accident," Ellen said. "And it had nothing to do with your father leaving. That was about Lily, and to some extent, himself. David had ambitions. You might think that my actions forced him to take a path he didn't want to take, but he always wanted to go to college, to make something of himself."
"I believe that," I murmured.
We gave each other another long look and then started walking again. We didn't speak further until we got back to the cabin. Jessica was sitting on the couch in her living room while Finn put a bag of ice on her swelling ankle.
I sat down next to Jessica. "Is it bad?" I asked.
