The Truth About Rachel by Deanna Sletten (recommended reading .TXT) 📕

“I’m sorry,” Rachel said, sympathetically. “Was he abusive?”

She shook her head. “No, no. Nothing like that. I mean, he and I had some bad fights, but his kind of abuse was mental. Emotional. The guy needs to learn to leave his work at the office, but he carried it with him all the time. It makes him crazy, and then he acts crazy. But he pays the mortgage on my house, and he makes sure the kids have everything they need. He’s good that way. We just don’t get along. Anyway, you’re not here to listen to my problems.”

Rachel leaned in closer to Luna. She looked so young and pretty. She wore leggings, sneakers, and a long, black sweatshirt and looked no more than twenty-five. It was hard to believe they were the same age. “I don’t mind listening. I’m sorry things ended up that way for you.”

“Well. That’s the way things go.” She shrugged. “I’m so happy to have a chance to see you. I’ve never forgotten that day. When I heard later that you’d been killed, I cried and cried. I’d been in the park that day—the day the little girl was killed. It gave me chills for years just knowing that I’d been there.”

“You were there?” Rachel perked up. “Did you see Keith there, too?”

She shook her head. “No. I was there for a short time, then went home. My aunt and uncle were visiting, so I went home to see my cousin.” Luna stopped talking, dropping her eyes.

Rachel sensed there was more. “And?”

Luna’s eyes flew up to Rachel. “And? Oh, nothing. That’s all I knew of that day. I never saw you in the park.” Her leg started to jiggle nervously.

“Oh.” Rachel was relieved that Luna was alive, but now she was confused again about who the dead girl was. “Luna? I’m here because I thought the little girl who’d been killed was you.”

“Me?” Luna looked shocked. “Why?”

Rachel pulled the small envelope out of her purse and opened it. She slid the bracelet out into her palm. “Do you remember making these bracelets with me that day at the park?”

Luna’s brown eyes went wide. “Where did you get that?”

“It belonged to the girl who died,” Rachel said gently. “I had one, and I knew you had one with the same colors. I think this bracelet is the reason my father identified the girl as me. He’d noticed it the night before the murder.”

Tears welled up in the other woman’s eyes. “Oh, my God,” she said in a hoarse whisper. “I wasn’t wearing the bracelet that day.”

“But I tied it on your wrist,” Rachel said. “What happened to it?”

Luna looked straight into Rachel’s eyes as tears fell down her cheeks. “You called it a friendship bracelet. So I gave it to my favorite person in the world. My cousin, Leticia.”

Rachel’s heart clenched. “And where is Leticia now?”

Luna shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. She disappeared the day you were found dead.”

Chapter Seventeen

Rachel gasped as Luna’s words hit her. “Leticia disappeared from where?”

“Here. This town. That very day.” Luna’s tears were falling faster, and she dropped her head in her hands, sobbing.

Rachel looked around, found a box of tissues, and brought them to her. She sat beside Luna and rubbed her back, her heart breaking for her. This was a twist that Rachel hadn’t expected. Once Luna had calmed down a little, Rachel asked, “Why wasn’t she ever reported as missing?”

Luna blew her nose and wiped her eyes. “Her parents, my father’s brother and his wife, were migrant workers. They were working illegally in this country. They couldn’t bring attention to themselves or the many other family members working here.”

This broke Rachel’s heart. How horrible it must have been to have their daughter missing and feel they couldn’t say anything. “What did they do?”

“When they heard about the little girl who’d been murdered, they fell to pieces. But then the girl was identified as you, so my aunt and uncle thought they might still find Leticia. The word went out through the migrant community, and they all searched for her, with no luck.”

“Was she the same age as we were?” Rachel asked. She hated having to ask Luna so many questions, but it was necessary. If Leticia was the girl who’d been killed, they needed to know.

Luna nodded. “She and I were the same age. That day I went to the park looking for you, and apparently, Leticia went there looking for me. I’m the reason she was in the park alone that day.” Her tears flowed again.

Rachel wrapped her arm around Luna and let her cry. It was such a heart-wrenching situation. “Are your uncle or aunt still around the area?” Rachel finally asked.

“No,” Luna said. “They left long ago. They never found any trace of Leticia, and now I know why. They moved back to Mexico, and my uncle died years ago. My aunt died last year. Leticia had a younger brother, but we didn’t stay in touch. I don’t know where he is.”

“Oh, Luna. I’m so, so sorry. Are your parents still here?”

“My mother is. She still lives in the small house we rented all those years ago. My parents bought it. My father died two years ago.”

Rachel sighed. It was all so sad. “Would you be willing to submit your DNA to see if there’s a family match?”

Luna nodded. “Of course.”

“I’ll have Jeremy set it up. We’ll make sure he isn’t there when you do it, though.”

“Thank you,” Luna said.

Rachel placed the bracelet back into the envelope and slipped it in her purse. She stayed a while longer with Luna until she’d calmed down.

Luna walked her to the door, and the two women hugged. “Hey?” Luna said, nodding toward Jeremy still standing by the car. “Watch out for him. He’s got a temper like nothing you’ve ever seen before.”

“I will,” Rachel said. “It seems like everyone is warning me about Jeremy. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Luna nodded,