Rosalynn threw a curveball of a question at Jacob, something that seemed out of left field.

But he took it seriously, pondering if the man had ever mentioned it. And he had.

"After we fled, about half a year later, my mom started getting better. When we went for a check-up, the doctors kept asking what kind of medicine she had been taking before. It looked like some sort of drug poisoning," that was what the man had said at the time.

He'd also added, "Good thing I got my folks out of there. Who knows, she might have killed them one day! She just thought my parents were too controlling over me. She believed she was the only one entitled to do that, so she went after them! Can you believe that? She was terrifying. Even after I heard she'd found a new boyfriend, I never dared go back. I was afraid she would show up in the middle of the night and wipe us all out!"

"She switched out the meds his mom was supposed to be taking," Rosalynn said succinctly.

Jacob, however, saw the chilling resolve in her eyes.d2

"Seems likely," Jacob had thought the same at the time. "I heard that later, in Germany, she drank herself to death. Literally." "Mhm," Rosalynn nodded.

The alcohol had so thoroughly saturated her that even her bones weren't normal after she passed.

"How can you be so calm?" Jacob felt he had seen enough, but even he had gotten goosebumps hearing about Rose's mom's story.

Why so calm? Rosalynn's eyelids drooped. Of course, because she had already been in the know about what Jacob was recounting.

She knew not just Yvette's past, but also where Rose's biological father had gone.

"There's something else that creeps me out." Jacob's voice lowered as he leaned closer to Rosalynn, his brow furrowed, "I mentioned she had a daughter, but the father is unknown, the girl might be his." Jacob shared Rose's age, an the man had immediately denied it, saying he'd ran away by then.

Then he blurted out, "The father is unknown? And you big shots can't replace him?"

Jacob had joked in response, "Forget big shots like us. Even the bigger fish from back in the day couldn't replace him."

At that, the man exclaimed, "Then she must've killed him!"

Jacob had been joking, but that comment made his skin crawl all over again.

"If the the barmaid was really offed by Yvette, who knows if that's her only victim? With her track record, who knows? She might make a habit of it, and that's how a living, breathing person vanishes without a trace!" Jacob was dead serious as he laid out his thoughts to Rosalynn.

"Mr. Strand, you rise from the ashes and suddenly grow a brain," Rosalynn chuckled.

Jacob frowned, a bit on guard, "Why do I feel like you're insulting me?"

Rosalynn shook her head, "I'm complimenting you. That new brain of yours is sharp and useful. You guys guessed right."

Jacob was stunned. Then he instantly grew serious, "Rosalynn, what exactly are you up to?"

"I'm fishing in troubled waters," Rosalynn said deliberately, looking straight at Jacob.

Jacob still didn't grasp what Rosalynn was planning, but he instinctively glanced upstairs.

Cory and Ivy lived up there.

"Don't worry, strangers can't get up there."

"She's trouble, isn't she?" Jacob asked in a hushed tone, not waiting for Rosalynn's reply, and then as the realization dawned on him, he said irritably, "You're too reckless! There are a million places to fish for trouble, and you bring it home? Besides Cory and Ivy, there's Trista and your grandma here! You're out of line!"

"Grandma knows," Rosalynn replied calmly, "To catch this particular fish, I have to let her into my life."

"What the hell is going on! You have to come clean with me today. Cory and Ivy are important to me, I'll never have kids of my own, I think of them as my children, and you owe me an explanation!" Rosalynn paused, then she burst into laughter.

"Alright, sounds like my kids would inherit lots of money when you pass."

"Rosalynn!"

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