Our Sick Inheritance (editing)

Ch. 116 Over The Mountain and in the Clouds

"She is doing no such thing." Colin said then stared at Kyle. He could see a darker blue color clouding Colin's startling bright blue eyes. Kyle waited until what he said registered.

"Is she traveling with your son?" Colin asked, and Kyle could tell he was afraid of the answer.

"No. My son has seen Anna on his path, and they have spent time together." Kyle said quickly.

"I know she is on a path that is for the benefit of her career and I can't imagine how your son plays into it. I've been in contact with Anna since she left, and she hasn't mentioned anything to me about a boy. I know she has bought things on her trip that should be arriving here this week. So far Anna is right on schedule, so I think your facts may be mistaken." Colin said politely but his eyes weren't smiling. He wasn't being unfriendly Kyle knew but he didn't think Colin was beyond snapping.

Colin coughed again, and more blood sprinkled the cloth napkin he was using. Kyle reminded himself that this man seemed too unhealthy to be quick and precise.

"As far as Anna has told me, she is traveling with two other girlfriends that she was in a fashion competition with. They won a trip to look at different schools and meet new contacts that would benefit her future no matter where she went. She's traveled on this path a couple of times because she got her license at a young age, so she knows it."

Kyle wasn't yet ready to mention that Stacy was supposed to be on that trip because he knew she had to wait until Tuesday to leave. Anna left on Sunday, so she must have lied to her father to follow Jake. He wanted to know what Anna was up to and didn't think her father had a clue either. Kyle couldn't help but wonder that Anna was doing more than just tricking Ryan to meet her at the bar. It just all seemed like a coincidence that Jolene is murdered after Anna meets Ryan and Stacy is missing after she follows Jake. Chills ran down Kyle's arms.

"Should I be worried?" Colin asked.

"We just wanted to make sure that there isn't a danger in any direction because when we found leads to Anna, a story came up of your wife, Tessa Fairfield and Daryl Thieles."

"Yes, I know the name." Colin said not giving more. Kyle saw him tense and straighten his posture.

"We were considering for a moment that Daryl might have come after your family. To be safe we checked his whereabouts and he is still in Idaho."

"He is out of jail?" Colin asked showing true alarm. "It seems crazy to live in a state so close to him." Colin said and seemed momentarily distant. He spoke before Kyle could.

"At the time, I was running away from the pain of losing my wife with no plans to visit Idaho for a while because I had property there. Why wasn't I informed he was out?" Colin asked. "I thought he was going to be in jail forever because of killing my wife."

"Daryl was released after several years of good behavior. He only was charged with breaking and entering, theft, and the possession of narcotics. He was only suspected of murder." Kyle said glancing at a small notebook he was writing on.

"I know the details detective. I think of them every time I look in my daughter's eyes for, they are the same as my wife's." Colin said and focused beyond Kyle into the past again.

"I looked over the case. They couldn't prove he had killed your wife. There didn't seem evidence strong enough to hold him to the murder and because there were other vagrants in the area with criminal backgrounds, the case went cold." Kyle said. "I've seen records of messages left that your staff received in Colorado."

"When was that?" Colin asked stiffly.

Kyle flipped his notebook to a different page and read off a couple of dates that included trials, release, and probations.