Read Online Gathering Shadows by Nancy Mehl - Free Book Online

I was thirteen years old, my seven-year-old brother disappeared. At first, my parents thought he’d been kidnapped and was being held for ransom. We were rather wealthy back then. My father owned a large mortgage banking company. So they waited for a phone call. It never came. Then the bodies of young boys stared popping up about fifty miles away from where we lived in Chicago. The police were convinced the same serial killer took Ryan, even though his body was never recovered. My father believes he’s dead. That was almost ten years ago. For years after he went missing, I woke up with nightmares. Terrible dreams where he was calling to me, and I was trying to find him.”
    â€œNo one ever mentioned this at work,” Zac said, his voice heavy with skepticism. “Seems something like that would be common knowledge at a news station.”
    â€œEd knows. I told him when I first came to work at KDSM. He’s never revealed the truth to anyone. When I got out of college, I changed my name from Emily Erwin to Wynter Evans. I got a new name because . . . well, I needed a fresh start. A new identity. I didn’t want to be known as the girl whose brother was kidnapped. Can you understand that?”
    â€œI guess. But what does that have to do with Sanctuary?”
    â€œI . . . I saw a picture, Zac. Of a young man who looks a lot like Ryan. He’s here. In Sanctuary.” I held my hands up as a sign of surrender. “It’s very possible I’m deluding myself. Everyone else gave up on Ryan years ago. But I . . . I just can’t. I still have those dreams. I still hear him calling me. How can I ignore that?”
    â€œWow.” Zac’s normally insolent expression softened. “You said your father gave up on your brother. What about your mother?”
    â€œWe don’t talk to her about Ryan. She had a breakdown afterhe went missing. My father couldn’t deal with it, and they split up. Losing Ryan destroyed my family. My father and I rarely speak, and my mother . . . well, we’re close, but it’s not the same. She’s better now, but when we’re together, it feels like someone’s missing. We remind each other of Ryan, I guess.”
    â€œI-I’m sorry, Wynter. I had no idea.”
    â€œI appreciate that. But now I need the truth from you. Why did you take those pictures and send them to the station?”
    He sighed. “Because I’m a selfish idiot.” He stood up and walked over to the window behind us. “Missy Spencer told me that if I ruined this story for you, she’d make sure I got all the plush assignments at the station. I took those pictures yesterday, sent them to the station and then called and asked them to copy the library so we’d know they received them.”
    â€œI can’t believe you’d actually do something like that.”
    He turned back toward me. “Well, believe it. Missy knows you’re being considered for the anchor chair. She wanted to knock you out of the running. She figured if you blew this story, she’d become Ed’s first choice.”
    â€œI knew she hated me, but I had no idea she’d go to these lengths.”
    Zac came over and sat down again. “I should have told her to take a hike, but it seemed like a smart career move. Somehow, I lost sight of the fact that you’re a human being with feelings and . . . problems.” He shook his head. “You may not believe this, but I was raised to care about people. My mother . . .” He cleared his throat and looked away for a moment. After a deep sigh he said, “My mother is a Christian. She tried to teach me to put other people first. Guess I didn’t listen.”
    â€œBut you said you hated being around religious people.”
    â€œIt’s a long story, and this isn’t the time for it. The important thing is that we’re finally being