The Edens, #1
Indigo Ridge
by Devney Perry
Contents
Chapter 24
Overview
Winn and Griffin visit Melina Green to share the aftermath: reopened cases, Frank’s affairs, and Rain’s murders. Frank faces charges as an accessory. Pops decides to move, and family support surrounds Winn. At home, Winn confronts Griffin’s bottled fear, they reaffirm their love, and choose to move forward together.
Summary
Winn and Griffin visit Melina Green, where Winn—still recovering—accepts Melina’s gratitude for pursuing Lily’s case. They review evidence flooding in since Rain’s death: Frank’s affairs coordinated through notes and hotel receipts, Lily’s hidden messages, and links tying multiple staged suicides to Rain’s killings. Frank has been arrested as an accessory.
They reflect on the community’s shock and Pops’s deep sense of betrayal, which prompts him to move into Winn’s former house to avoid living beside the Nigels’ place. Melina wrestles with her hatred for Frank and relief at the truth, while Griffin’s quiet fury simmers.
Driving home, Winn and Griffin acknowledge Briggs’s role in saving Winn and discuss plans for increased support as Briggs’s dementia progresses. At the house, Pops, Briggs, and Harrison visit, bringing flowers and food, offering warmth and normalcy as Winn tires.
After the family leaves, Griffin tries to escape to ride, but Winn insists he rest with her. In bed, she urges him to stop pulling away physically and emotionally. Griffin admits the ordeal has left him fearful of her return to work and unsteady.
Winn reassures Griffin that they must lean on each other without letting fear rule their lives. They exchange I love yous, share a real kiss, and decide to reclaim normalcy—starting with the first date Griffin still owes her.
Who Appears
- Winslow (Winn) CovingtonRecovering police chief; visits Melina, reviews evidence, comforts family, and draws Griffin close to confront fear and affirm their future.
- Griffin EdenSupports Winn, battles anger and fear after the attack, cares for her, hosts family, and commits to moving forward together.
- Melina GreenLily’s mother; receives updates on the case, expresses grief and anger toward Frank, and finds some relief in the truth.
- Frank NigelArrested as an accessory; his affairs and deception are exposed through notes and receipts, implicating him in Rain’s crimes.
- Rain NigelDeceased murderer; killed multiple women tied to Frank’s affairs, her death ending the spree but leaving community shock.
- PopsWinn’s grandfather; devastated by the Nigels’ betrayal, decides to move, visits to support Winn.
- Briggs EdenSaved Winn at Indigo Ridge; continues daily support, with family planning increased care as his memory declines.
- Harrison EdenVisits with food and helps bolster Winn and Griffin during recovery.
- Lily GreenVictim whose hidden notes help confirm Frank’s affairs and Rain’s pattern of staged suicides.