Bound by Shadows

Chapter 11

The mid-morning sun was bright in the sky as Jocelyn drove toward the cemetery. The sky was cloudless and blue. A mild scent of damp earth from all the watered lawns and flowers hung in the air. If she paid attention, she could hear the birds happily chirping in the trees. Nothing of the beautiful morning reflected the hellish night she had or the dark mood that numbed her.

She had just checked on her mother at the hospital. Priscilla was fine, her blood pressure was well within the acceptable ranges and she was giving the doctors and nurses a piece of her mind about being treated like an old fragile woman just because she almost had a stroke.

Regardless of how strong Priscilla seemed, Jocelyn had omitted to mention the fire last night. Nothing would have kept her mother in the hospital if she found out that they had lost the wheat in a fire. No. Jocelyn didn’t want to cause her any stress. At least for a few more days.

Another blessing came with her mother being stuck in the hospital. The woman wasn’t consumed by grief and crying. So Jocelyn considered that a win as well. She couldn’t say the same about herself. Her heart was heavy with worry, grief, and a little guilt.

Guilt because she hadn’t visited the cemetery yesterday on the second-year anniversary and thought it would be easier today. Damn, she had been so wrong. It was obvious it didn’t matter when she visited, the pain and loss would still be the same raw, agonizing pressure in her chest that made every draw of air not enough.

As she turned the truck around the last corner, she realized she couldn’t bear to approach the graves of her husband and brother today. The emotions were too raw, too overwhelming.

So, Jocelyn brought the vehicle to a gentle stop, and then just sat in her Ford truck and stared at the small local cemetery tucked behind the quaint church.

The sun was almost at its peak, casting a soft golden glow over the rows of tombstones that adorned the sacred ground. The cemetery was a peaceful haven, surrounded by ancient oak trees whose branches swayed gently in the morning breeze.

She looked around, taking in the assortment of tombstones, each telling a unique story of the lives they represented. Some were adorned with fresh bouquets of flowers, vibrant and full of life, while others had wilting blooms, a poignant reminder of the passage of time. The grass was a lush green, meticulously cared for, contrasting with the weathered headstones that bore the weight of history.

Not able to avoid it anymore, her eyes were drawn to the two graves side by side, each marked by tombstones that resembled open books cradled in a pair of hands. They were the resting places of her husband, Rolf Meskill, and her brother, Terence Wheatly.

Ironic, how people called it a resting place. Was there really rest for someone murdered? Jocelyn shook her head. Neither Rolf nor Terence could rest until they had justice for a life cut too short.

The tombstones were too far away to read the words engraved in the stones. Yet Jocelyn didn’t need to read them to know what they said. She knew the words by heart, each one etched into her soul.

‘Rolf Meskill. Those we love don’t go away. They walk beside us every day.’ And ‘Terence Wheatly. You will forever remain in our hearts. Cherished forever.’

A tear slipped from her eye, and she quickly brushed it away with the back of her hand. Even after all this time, the pain of their loss was still fresh, the void they left in her life never truly filled. The memories of their laughter, their smiles, and their love were etched into her heart, forever cherished.

As the morning sun continued to shine, bathing the cemetery in warmth, Jocelyn sat there for a while, lost in her thoughts and memories. Then, with a heavy sigh, she finally sat up, taking one last look at the graves of her beloved husband and brother.

The engine purred softly, never disturbing the tranquility of the dead. Jocelyn sighed, turned, and drove away from the cemetery.

Barely ten minutes later, Jocelyn stopped the truck on the side of the road. Her fingers brushed against a small notebook hidden under the driver’s seat. It was a compilation of all the leads she and her sisters had followed in their tireless pursuit of justice. Just like the wall in her closet. This was her mobile version of the investigation board. Each page was filled with notes, addresses, and names - fragments of a puzzle that seemed impossible to solve.

Fueled by anger and grief, Jocelyn pulled the book out and flipped through the pages until she found the address she had shared with Detective Fleming, the one that led to a dead-end.

A determination sparked within her, mixed in with a healthy dose of anger. Something had to give and although she didn’t completely mistrust the detective, she also didn’t entirely trust him. In the end, if she wanted answers, then she needed to take matters into her own hands.

She made a swift decision and veered off her usual path back to the farm. Jocelyn knew where this address was located. She had driven by once when she got it. It was a warehouse on the outskirts of town, rumored to be a hub of illicit activity. Local junkies and drunks painted it as a base of operations for notorious criminals.

Jocelyn drove for several minutes with nothing but her determination for company. Finally, the faded walls of the warehouse materialized in front of her. The surroundings gave off an abandoned vibe, with overgrown, parched grass all over. However, she was aware of the truth. It wasn’t.

Parking her car at a safe distance from the warehouse. It didn’t take long for her hunch to pay off. Barely ten minutes later, large rusty doors opened. She watched from behind the wheel as a suspicious-looking van with no company emblem emerged from the shadows of the building.

“Well, hello. Who are you and where are you going?”

Jocelyn’s truck was well hidden behind a thick brush and shrouded by the shadows of the trees. This far out of town, no one really expected company. But that didn’t stop her nerves from jumping as the van drove her way and passed her, seemingly headed for the highway.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she decided to tail it. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, her heart pounding in her chest as she drove out of her cover, following the van at a safe distance.

“Oh, this looks like a very bad idea, Jo,” she muttered as she picked up speed when the van reached the highway and the distance between them quickly grew.

The urge to call her sisters and let them know what she was up to surfaced in her mind. But she resisted, knowing they would try to stop her. This was something she had to do alone. If something went wrong, she didn’t want anyone else caught up in it.