From the Shadows (Buckhorn, Montana #2) - B.J. Daniels Page 0,22

him. “Why are you so determined to solve the murder of a girl you hardly knew that you would buy a hotel you don’t want? You’d risk not only your money but also your life to find her killer because you’re at loose ends with nothing better to do?” Casey saw that she’d struck a nerve. “You didn’t just know Megan, did you?”

He was quiet for a moment as he looked down at the note in his long fingers. “I had a relationship with Megan.” His gaze came back to hers. “I was in love with her. Whoever sent the invitation knew about us even though we were keeping it a secret from our parents. It’s the only explanation for why I was invited. Which means Megan told someone here about me.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

CASEY FELT A CHILL. She finally understood why Finn had spent the winter in the Crenshaw looking for a killer. “You’re still in love with her. You’re in love with a...ghost.”

His laugh seemed to chase away the shadows in the room as he shook his head and locked eyes with her. “I was the same age as Megan, seventeen, when I fell in love with her. I’m not a teenager anymore.” He shook his head. “I knew in my heart she and I wouldn’t last. The only reason it happened at all was because Megan’s parents had grounded her, so we saw a lot of each other for a couple of months before she was sent away.” He looked shy. “She was my first love. I’m sure you had one and know how that is.”

She had, and she knew that the memory had only gotten sweeter over the years. First love was like that: a fantasy that ended with him moving away before it could bloom. And die. But she had no intention of sharing that with Finn.

“If Megan was grounded,” she said instead, “how did she end up working the summer at the Crenshaw? Wait. You said she was sent away?”

“Her father thought it was best if she had a job far away for the summer. He knew your grandmother and asked for her help. He sent Megan out here hoping she would grow up and start taking responsibility for her actions. He’d hoped your grandmother would have a positive influence on her.”

“My grandmother never mentioned that,” Casey said, feeling a jolt of surprise and anger. That explained a lot. No wonder her grandmother refused to take sides between her and Megan. Megan wouldn’t have been the first young person Anna had taken under her wing. It could also explain why Anna felt guilty about Megan’s death, Casey thought, her heart aching. Why Anna was positive that she’d seen her ghost.

“A few nights before Megan died, she called me,” Finn said. “She was crying. She wanted to come home, but her parents wouldn’t allow it. She hadn’t been in Montana all that long and was demanding they let her come home. They weren’t having it. She said she was scared. That she didn’t feel safe. I was trying to reassure Megan when she said she had to go. Someone was at the door. I heard her say, ‘Oh, it’s you,’ and then the phone was disconnected. I tried to call her back numerous times over the next two days, but each time it went straight to voice mail. I never spoke to her again.”

Casey met his gaze. “You shouldn’t feel guilty.”

“She’d wanted me to go to her parents and plead her case. Like I said, her parents didn’t know about the two of us.” He shrugged. “I guess I knew they would disapprove of her dating the gardener’s son, especially behind their backs. I regret not having the courage.”

“You really don’t believe that they would have listened, do you?”

“Probably not. Megan had a tendency to overdramatize everything, so I didn’t really think she was in danger, either. But I still should have tried. I think I knew that once they found out about the two of us, it would be over. Not that Megan and I could have lasted over the long haul anyway, but they wouldn’t have liked that we’d been together while she was supposed to be grounded. I thought it would make things worse for her in the long run.”

He felt guilty for not believing Megan was really in trouble. Casey understood the weight of guilt he’d been carrying around. She’d been carrying around her share from that summer for years, too.

The reminder that