Bound By Truth (The Dresden Island Book 4) (The Dresden Island Series) Read online

  “What does my sister have to do with it?” Olivia scoffed.

  “She belonged to me. She didn’t get to leave just because she wanted to.”

  Olivia sucked in a breath. She hoped that Marion was able to pick up what John was saying.

  “I don’t think she ever wanted to leave you,” Olivia muttered.

  She remembered the way her sister had gushed about John. John didn’t believe her. He frowned and clenched his fists as he took another step forward.

  “She’s a liar,” he hissed. “She was going to leave me. I had to stop her.”

  Olivia was being backed up against the wall. She heard someone moving behind John, and she held out a hand to stop them from making any moves.

  “How did you stop her?” Olivia asked.

  She looked up and met John’s eyes. His sharklike smile would haunt her for a long time. Surely there was something she could use against him as a self-defense weapon. She looked around and found nothing.

  Then her eyes landed on a framed photo.

  At first glance, Olivia would have said that the woman smiling in the photo was her sister, Poppy. However, this woman had lighter hair. This wasn’t Poppy.

  “That’s my wife, Roxy,” John said. “She respects me.”

  Olivia shuddered and attempted to get away. John’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

  “Don’t you want to know how your sister died?”

  Olivia stopped struggling and glowered.

  “She was running away, so I grabbed her hand like this.”

  John held up Olivia’s wrist in his hand.

  “Then I took something heavy and smashed her head in.”

  Olivia jerked her hand away from him, but his hold was strong. She struggled even more, her rage fueling her motions.

  “She suffered because of you!” Olivia yelled, her tears rendering her unable to see clearly.

  “I had a party to get to,” John replied nonchalantly.

  He now held both of her hands, and she struggled to get free. John leaned over to whisper in her ear, and Olivia flinched away.

  “Now, I’ll have to get rid of you too,” he whispered.

  Suddenly John was being held back, and Marion’s arms were around Olivia.

  “I got it, Olivia. I got it,” Marion said into Olivia’s ear.

  Olivia wasn’t done.

  “You killed Ruth too, didn’t you?” she yelled.

  John only laughed.

  “I gave her the same opportunities as Poppy, and she disrespected me just as much. She deserved it.”

  Olivia sank to the floor and leaned against the wall.

  Finally, she had answers.

  Chapter 10

  Olivia didn’t want to get out of bed. She had found Poppy’s killer, and yet she felt… empty.

  Both Marion and Liam had tried to get her out of the room, just for a bit of sun, but Olivia wouldn’t leave. She preferred to stay in the room and sulk.

  This time, for sure, she would leave. Dresden had forced her to drag out painful memories. Memories that had plagued her for years. She was finally ready to let them go.

  During her last days, Alice had requested for them to join her for dinner. Alice was not one to accept any refusals, and, in the end, Olivia agreed to join her not only for dinner but that she'd stay the night as well.

  On the way to the mansion, Olivia couldn’t help but notice the number of moving trucks driving on the opposite side of the road. Olivia looked at Marion confused, until Marion pointed out a familiar car following the trucks.

  Eustace Barlowe drove past them and glowered.

  “I’m sure I did nothing to him,” Olivia said, offended.

  Marion laughed.

  “You did plenty, but I’m sure it wasn’t enough to get him kicked out of the house.”

  Liam met them at the entrance of the mansion, and Olivia couldn’t help but ask about Eustace.

  “Oh, my mother disowned him this morning.”

  Olivia’s mouth hung open as she processed the news.

  “Why?”

  “Well, we found out that he had an idea of what John was doing and he did nothing about it.”

  “Then I’m glad he’s been kicked out,” Olivia agreed.

  Alice met them in the kitchen and ordered Olivia to remain where she was. Alice returned with a check in hand.

  “I’ve added a little extra in there, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

  Olivia accepted the check hesitantly and softly laughed. It was impossible to argue with Alice. Alice didn’t seem to mind that two of her sons had met terrible consequences. In fact, Alice seemed relieved.

  “Who will take care of the house now?” Olivia asked out of curiosity.

  “Me,” Liam answered, stepping into the kitchen. “It’ll take some work though. There’s a lot I want to get rid of.”

  Olivia’s mind flashed to John’s room and his collection of souvenirs. She would be glad to be rid of them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar face.

  The gardener who had been framed for John’s murder was once again at the house. He had spent a month in prison for a crime he didn’t even do. John had threatened his mother, and he had no choice but to take the fall. At least now they had enough evidence against John to put him away for a long time.

  As they sat at the dinner table, Olivia felt peace. She had the answers to the questions she had been asking for years. For once, she was able to walk the streets with no fear that someone was still out to get her.

  Dresden may still hold many dark memories, but sitting at the table with Liam, Marion, and Alice, she realized that the town may not be so bad.

  Olivia may have started feeling warmer toward the town, but that didn’t change the fact that she wanted to leave.

  On her last day, Alice had insisted on accompanying them to the pier. Liam had readied the boat, and Olivia handed him her luggage.

  “I’d visit, but I don’t think I want to be seeing this place for a while,” Olivia said with a shy smile.

  “No. No, I completely understand.”

  Marion sat in the boat patiently. By her account, it was so she could give Olivia and Liam some time alone. Olivia had rolled her eyes at that, but she was glad to straighten things out with him.

  Olivia took one last look at the town and sighed. The winter was in full force now, and snow covered the rooftops of each building. It was beautiful.

  Liam reached out a hand to help her to get into the boat and Olivia accepted it. As she was about to get into the vessel, she heard her name being called out.

  “Ms. Hudson! Ms. Hudson!” yelled a voice.

  Olivia looked around and saw a woman running frantically toward them. She stepped out of the boat and climbed onto the pier.

  “May I help you?” she asked the woman.

  “My daughter! They took my daughter!”

  Olivia looked behind her. Marion no longer sat in the boat; she was climbing up onto the pier. Liam helped her unload the baggage.

  Olivia sighed and held the woman’s hands.

  “Lead me to the last place you saw her.”

  There was much wrong with Dresden, and Olivia wasn’t going to be leaving anytime soon.

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