Chapter 55 Daisy Ann

Daisy Ann stood in front of the large tombstone that bore the image of her father. She ran a hand over the cool stone and took in the words. Beloved husband and father. Loving grandfather. She inhaled deeply and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"We got her, Daddy. Justice is being served. You'd get a kick out of this. It was a poacher's camera that sunk her." She shook her head. "It doesn't bring you back, though. I like to think you're with Mama. The two of you dancing together in heaven." Daisy Ann placed the two sets of flowers on the graves next to each other. White orchids for her mother, and yellow roses for her father—the flowers he always gave Daisy Ann on birthdays. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I should have been there. I would've stopped her."

It wasn't your job,she heard him say in her mind, and she realized it wasn't. Her father had been a brilliant man, but easily ruled by his heart. Because he was a man of his word, genuine to his core, he always believed the best in others. Amber was a master manipulator, expert at homing in on others' vulnerabilities and using them to her advantage. If Daisy Ann had tried to intervene, no doubt Amber would have found a way to damage her relationship with her father. She realized now that she'd been carrying around a burden of guilt that didn't belong to her. Her father would have made his own choice whether or not Daisy Ann had been around to try to talk him out of it. How many times had he reminded her that the world would turn without her help? It was a hard lesson to learn, but it was time she stopped trying to shoulder everyone else's load. She supposed it wasn't the worst trait—trying to control things, to make things safe and good for those you loved. But it rarely worked, and she had to accept once and for all that she wasn't all-powerful.

What she could now rest in was the fact that she'd left no stone unturned in proving Amber's guilt. No matter what the outcome of the trial, Daisy Ann now knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she'd been right and that all the energy and time she'd put into her pursuit had been worthwhile. The toll it had taken on her and her family was not for nothing. That was a comfort in and of itself.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Mason behind her. He opened his arms and she fell into them, weeping, letting all her sorrow and regret flow until there were no more tears.

"How'd you know I'd be here?" she asked her husband.

"After all these years, I know you pretty well, babe. And I know your daddy is proud of you. He can rest in peace now. We can all have some peace now."

She took his hand and they walked together to his truck and got in. As they drove away, she looked up at the sky, imagining her parents smiling down at her. No matter what happened now, she would look ahead. She was finished letting Amber contaminate her happiness. She wouldn't attend the trial—she'd leave it to the prosecutors to do their job. Daisy Ann had done all she could do. She'd found the truth. Her part was over. And one way or the other, she knew in her heart that justice would prevail. She wouldn't waste one more precious moment of her life thinking about Amber.

She heaved another sigh and smiled at Mason. "I hope Birdie's making a big roast for Sunday dinner. I'm starving."