“There was a bloody fingerprint at the scene of my mother’s murder,” Avery said. “Make sure that’s tested. My mother, father, sister, and I were all eliminated as matches years ago.”
“I’ll let them know,” Jeremy said solemnly. “Believe me. I want that case solved just as much as you do.” He turned to Frank. “I don’t think we’ve met.”
Frank reached out his hand. “I’m Frank Parnell.”
Jeremy shook it, a shocked expression on his face. “Right. Wow. I recognize you now.” He turned to Rachel. “How did this happen?”
Everyone in the room laughed. So much had gone on in the last twenty-four hours. It was crazy. Rachel explained that Frank was the man following her and how he’d guessed she’d be at the river trail. “Except he and Avery thought you were the one who brought me there.”
“To kill you?” Jeremy looked stunned.
“Something like that,” Avery said.
“Gee. Thanks for the trust.” He looked genuinely hurt.
“Sorry, Jeremy,” Avery said. “But after I learned about the murders in Sacramento while you were in college and how similar they were to the ones here, I jumped the gun. I thought for sure you were the murderer.”
Jeremy sat down on the bed, looking exhausted. “Yes. Those murders. I’m going to see about having those reopened too. I’m pretty sure Archie was responsible for the ones in Sacramento.”
Rachel shook her head in disgust. “He’s a terrible person. I can’t believe he’s gotten away with all of this for so long.”
Frank patted Rachel’s arm. “Do you think Keith will be released once all this new information comes out?”
“I’m sure he will, eventually,” Jeremy said. “It looks like he’s been innocent this entire time.”
“So, before we tell you our stories, tell me something, Jeremy,” Rachel said. “How did you know to come to the river to save me?”
“Remember how I had a phone call from Archie right before I dropped you off at the hotel?” Jeremy asked. “When I returned to the police station, he wasn’t there. Yet, he’d seemed so anxious for me to meet him there. No one in the office had seen him, either. That’s when I grew suspicious. Maybe my imagination was in overdrive, but I wondered if he’d called to distract me so I wouldn’t escort you up to your room. And why would he do that? Maybe to get to you. So, I let my instincts take over and rushed to the one place I thought a deranged killer would take his victim—back to the scene of the crime.”
Rachel was shocked. Did that mean Jeremy had known Archie was the murderer of the little girl all along? “Why would you think that about Archie? Did you know he killed the little girl?”
Jeremy dropped his head. “When we were teenagers, he used to hint at the fact that he knew things no one else did. He was a blowhard and a jerk. I didn’t take him seriously. But all these years later, after you showed up in town, he was freaking out. He kept saying that you had to leave. That you’d ruin everything. It made me suspect all over again that he’d been involved in the girl’s murder. I just didn’t know to what extent.”
“Did you think he’d been Keith’s accomplice?” Rachel asked.
Jeremy shrugged. “I didn’t know. I did see Keith walk into those woods after a little dark-haired girl. That’s all I saw. Was Archie in the woods already? Maybe. I never knew, and I didn’t want to know. Now, I know the truth.”
Rachel nodded. “Now, we all know the truth. And it’s even worse than we’d originally thought. But it’s finally out there, and that’s a good thing.” Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Oh and speaking of the truth.” Rachel picked up her purse, slid out the evidence envelope, and handed it to Jeremy. “Sorry. I stole this from the evidence box. It’s how I learned who the murdered girl was.”
Jeremy opened the envelope and stared at the bracelet inside. “You took it?” he asked, incredulously. “That’s a federal offense.”
Rachel looked sheepish. “Sorry. You can arrest me if you want. But I’m glad I had it to show Luna. It’s what solved the case.”
Jeremy rolled his eyes and pushed the small envelope into his pocket. “I never saw it. It’s sitting in the box right now for all I know.”
Rachel tried to hold back a smile as everyone laughed.
Chapter Nineteen
Over the next couple of weeks, the truth was revealed. The DNA tests proved that Archie was the person the little girl had scratched while fighting to escape. Other evidence tested positive that Archie was indeed the one who’d raped and murdered the three women in Casita. It seemed unbelievable that a boy of fourteen would commit such horrendous crimes, but it was true. And there was absolutely no evidence to prove that Keith had anything to do with any of the murders.
Rachel stayed on for those two weeks to learn the results and to attend the reburial service of Leticia Hernandez. Her parents were dead, but her cousin, Luna, and Luna’s mother attended the proper funeral along with multiple local citizens who’d lived there during the time of the murder.
Avery also stayed and attended the funeral at Rachel’s side. It was sad, but at least now the little girl had the correct name on her headstone and would be acknowledged for who she was.
Avery and Rachel were inseparable during those two weeks, each knowing that soon they’d be separated, going to their own parts of the country. She moved into his house for the time being so she wouldn’t be hounded by the press. They left all the press conferences to Jeremy because Rachel didn’t want the publicity, and Avery wanted to stay away from the cameras to protect his identity.
Rachel’s DNA test comparing her to her Aunt Julie confirmed that Julie was her mother. Even though Rachel already knew the truth, she
