The Truth About Rachel

rude over at City Hall. It’s just that the Parnell murder case is personal for me. I know for a fact that Keith followed his sister into those woods, and she was found dead after that. You couldn’t possibly be Rachel Parnell.”
“And how would you know for a fact that it was me? Unless you were with him.”
Jeremy stiffened. “I wasn’t with him. But I saw them.” He paused a moment. “I testified against Keith because I saw him follow Rachel into the woods.”
Rachel stared at him, astonished. She didn’t remember anything in the trial reports about him being a witness. But he was always with Keith in those days. “Listen. I know who you are. You and my brother used to hang out together in the park. You both terrorized anyone who got within a foot of you. Now you’re telling me that you actually testified against my brother—your best friend?”
He nodded. “I wasn’t proud of it, but it’s the truth. Because I saw him follow the girl into the woods. Three hours later, she was found dead, and he was at home. I had to tell the truth. Everyone in town had seen him terrorize Rachel at one time or another. It wasn’t so far-fetched to think he’d murder her in a state of rage.”
Rachel sat back in her chair, processing this new information. “Why didn’t the trial reports state you testified?”
Jeremy ran his hand through his dark blond hair. “Because I was a minor at the time. They didn’t release my name, but they took my testimony. Other people stated they saw him follow a dark-haired girl into the woods, too. I was the only one who knew it was Rachel.”
Rachel moved forward in her chair. “And what made you think it was her?”
“Because I knew her,” he said, growing irritated. “I knew how she looked and what type of clothes she wore.”
“Did you see her face?”
“What?”
“Did you see her face? Did you look her in the eye before she headed into the woods?”
His face grew red, and his eyes narrowed. “I didn’t have to see her face to know it was Rachel.”
She shook her head. “So, it could have been any girl with long dark hair. You just assumed it was me.”
“No. It was Rachel. Her own father identified her. So, if he knew it was her, then there was no questioning it.”
Rachel was stunned. Her father identified her? How could he make such a big mistake?
“Did they run a DNA test on the body? Fingerprints?” she asked. “Anything that could identify her for sure.”
“DNA was new then. Many police stations weren’t using it yet. Plus, there was no need to. Her father identified her. So, between what I saw and what her father said, there is no way you could be Rachel.”
Rachel stood. “Then we have nothing else to talk about until I can prove to you who I am. You might want to talk to my mother about her sister. She’ll tell you Julie and Gordon left town that same day I was supposedly murdered.”
Jeremy stood also. “I can’t go anywhere near Mrs. Parnell, and neither should you. If she thinks someone is impersonating her deceased daughter, she’ll flip out.”
Rachel frowned. “Why can’t you talk to her?”
“She hates me, that’s why. My testimony put her son in prison.”
“Oh.” Rachel hadn’t thought of that. She turned and headed to the door.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone who you claim to be. At least, not until we’ve dug up some proof one way or the other. The last thing this town needs is the press swooping down on it asking about you so you can get your fifteen minutes of fame.”
Rachel spun around and glared at him. “I didn’t come here for attention. I came to clear up the fact that I’m not dead. So, if I’m not the body in that coffin, who is? It seems to me you’d want to know the truth. Isn’t that your job?”
Jeremy deflated. “Yes. It’s my job to get to the truth. But please give me a day or two to figure this out. After that, you can tell anyone you want."
Rachel nodded curtly. She was tired of sparing with Jeremy. As her hand reached for the doorknob, he spoke again.
“Where are you staying?”
“At a motel,” she said, not wanting to tell him exactly where. With that, she headed out the door.
***
It was four in the afternoon by the time Rachel checked into her motel room. The room wasn’t the nicest place she’d ever stayed in, but it was clean. Well, relatively clean. Rachel would have preferred one of the hotels on the outskirts of town with better security, but she couldn’t afford it. Her door being outside on the ground floor made her nervous, especially after her conversation with Jeremy. She didn’t trust him. Something about him was off. Or maybe it was because she’d never trusted him when she was a child. Feelings of distrust run deep and are difficult to brush away, no matter how many years have gone by.
Once Rachel was in her room, her phone rang. She glanced at it and saw it was from City Hall. Quickly, she answered. “Hello.”
“Hello. Ms. Parnell? This is Gladys at City Hall.”
“Yes, Gladys. Did you find something already?”
“Yes, dear. I did. In this electronic age, the information is a lot easier to send between buildings.”
Rachel smiled. She liked Gladys. “What did you find?”
“Well, Rachel Parnell’s original birth certificate was easy to locate. Which is odd if your adoption birth certificate is authentic. Normally, the original is sealed.”
“So, what are you saying?” Rachel asked, confused.
“The truth is, there were never any adoption papers registered in our county changing your name to Rachel Scott. If you are Rachel Parnell, and you were adopted by your aunt and uncle, there’s no record of it. As far as the state of California is concerned, Rachel Parnell continued to be the daughter of Frank and Judith Parnell