“I’m fine. Dammit. Just didn’t look where I put my feet.” He wouldn’t let me help him up. I took the pack from him even though he grumbled. He seemed more embarrassed than bruised. But I did notice the rip in his cargos and the blood that pooled on his knee.

  “Burn yourself out yet?”

  He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked conflicted. Wow. I’d never seen him this way before.

  “Let’s go over to the lookout point. I’m tired.” I moved on ahead of him, not waiting for a reply. We didn’t talk for the ten minutes it took to reach the giant boulder nestled in the densely wooded area overlooking the lake. The roots of the trees jutted out, making steps down the cliff to the rocky beach. I unscrewed the top of a lemon-lime Gatorade and took a sip. I set one on the rock next to me for Quinn.

  I watched the waves roll in. They were frequent from the boats roaring around the lake.

  “I’m sorry about what happened the other day. Courtney is … a little much sometimes.” He unscrewed the top of the bottle and settled on the rock next to me. We sat there. Shoulder to shoulder as we’d done decades before when we were kids.

  “She’s certainly no fan of mine.” I took another sip of the bottle.

  “She’s not a fan of anyone she perceives as a threat. And she perceives lots of threats—people who I confide in about cases. Things I can’t talk to her about. Things I don’t want to talk to her about.” He rubbed the perspiration from his forehead. “To your earlier point that the job flows into our personal lives.”

  I nodded and turned my face toward the breeze, welcoming it.

  “You and Brad?”

  “We’re done. We want different things.”

  He took another sip from the bottle. “He’s a fool.”

  “Really? He wants the same thing you have. A woman who isn’t in law enforcement of any kind. A separation from the job when he goes home.” I shrugged.

  He fought a snort. “As I said, he’s a fool.”

  I appreciated Quinn’s attempt to console me. It was a kind gesture. But I didn’t like the territory we’d gone into. If Quinn was second-guessing his marriage, I didn’t want to be the one he confided in.

  “No. Brad’s okay. He’s a good guy, really. And he’ll find a woman who will revel in his protection from the big bad world. It’ll give him a sense that he can truly make the world a better place. He’ll provide safety and security to a wife and kids. Create a little bubble for them to live in and not be tainted by the evil outside. It’ll make him feel powerful, feed his need to protect and care for someone. For a family.” I tucked a hair that had escaped my bun and tickled my cheek back into the knot.

  “And he couldn’t create that world with you because of a job.” He shook his head.

  “Even if I’d agreed to leave my job, I know what’s out there. And I want to make a difference as well. To be a change agent in our town and world. And”—I sighed—“I’m one of those people who loves a good case. Sometimes it gets to me. Sure. The sheer evil that resides in some people. But I can handle it. It’s my calling. I’m right where I need to be doing exactly what I’m supposed to be.”

  “You sound healthy. Like you’re in a really good place about the breakup.”

  I turned toward him and smiled. “I am. I cared for Brad. Care for him still. I want him to be happy. To find what he’s looking for, and I am fully aware that I’m not right for him. We were good for each other. Helped each other grow. It ran its course.” I pulled my pack on my lap, unzipped the front pocket, and extracted my first aid kit.

  “Wow.”

  “Wow?” I positioned myself where I could treat his knee with antiseptic. He had debris in the wound, so it took a couple of treatments.

  “Wow, in a good way. I’m happy you’re okay.” He sucked in a breath, gritting his teeth—such a baby.

  I laughed and put a Neosporin Band-Aid over his knee.

  “I was a fool too.” Quinn placed his hand over mine, which was still on his knee. His eyes searched mine.

  “Quinn,” I warned, and tried to pull my hand away.

  He closed his eyes and sighed. “No. I’m not coming on to you. I just want you to know that I still love you. I will always love you, and you will always have me. I’ll have your back. No matter what.”

  I pulled my hand away and got down from the rock. “You’re not coming on to me? Declaring your eternal love for me?”

  He scratched his head and stood. “It’s not coming out the right way. I’m so good at talking to everyone else except you. What I’m trying to say is that I should have seen you. The real you. Not the fabricated version I created in my head. Not the life I imagined you living. But you. You’re right. You’re where you should be. Brad will see it too. Just like me. And he’ll have regrets. Like I do. I am in love with Courtney. I’m going to make it work with her if it kills me. She’ll adjust to what life with me looks like. And the people in it. I won’t be giving up my friends. Won’t.” He pierced me with his cool blue gaze, and I understood what he was saying and smiled. “I love you differently. More friendly, maybe even like a sister.”

  I shuddered. “I’m not your sister, Quinn.”

  He scratched his head. “No, I know. Yeah, that sounds bad, now that I consider it. I’m not making much sense, am I?”

  I smiled. “Yes, you are.” Quinn wanted me to know that he’d always be my friend. That I didn’t have to change a thing about myself. He loved me for the girl I’d once been and for the woman I was. It had come out all wrong. But I got it now.

  “I hope I can count on the same from you?” He sounded hopeful and a little nervous.

  I smiled. “Yes. I’ll always be your friend. And”—I sighed—“I’ll try with Courtney.”

  “Thank you.” He leaned against the boulder and folded his arms. “You’ll be honest with me? We’ll work together to keep our town safe. Because we both know what lurks in the dark.”

  And just like that, he became the chief of police again. Intelligent, cunning, and willing to do whatever it took to ensure the safety of his town. I respected the hell out of him at this moment.

  “And because we both do, sometimes we need to trust the other to do what is in the best interest of the case, correct?”

  He groaned. “Now that we’ve settled the personal stuff, let’s get to business.”

  “Let’s.” I folded my arms and faced him.

  “What the hell kind of stunt was that you just pulled?” His tone held a warning.

  “One that will keep my friend and town safe.” So did mine.

  “You know that if you interfere with the investigation, an obstruction charge is possible.”

  “What? Seriously, Quinn. I’m working with you, not against you. I’m helping you.”

  His eyes hardened. “Helping me? That’s a crock of shit. And anyone else would slap you with a charge.”

  We were like two strong bulls gauging each other’s weaknesses.

  “Bring it on. You know who my family attorney is and the case I’d rain down on the Sweet Mountain Police if you pull a stunt like that. It’s something that would be difficult to recover from. Don’t you agree?”

  He smirked. “Where’s the trust?”

  “That’s exactly what I want to know.”

  “You understand that I had no choice but to suspend Sergeant Landry. That it was difficult for me, since she’d become my right hand. The case against her was overwhelming. I’ve called her, and she knows she’ll be welcomed back on the force if at all possible. The lawsuit, as you know, and the threat to unleash another, has consequences.”

  Elaine would be dropping her suit. He simply didn’t know it yet.

  He cocked his head to one side, considering me.

  “No, that’s not it. You think I’m too close.”

  Quinn pushed off the rock. “You have a suspect in mind. Was there more at Magnolia Manor that you are keeping from me? Are you withholding?”

  “I haven’t any proof yet. Everything we discovered at the B and B, we disclosed. I gathered other evidence from my investigation, unrelated to what I was working on with your department. I texted you, but your wife deleted it.”

  He combed through his hair roughly with his fingers. “I’m listening.”

  “What I believe we’re dealing with here is an extremely intelligent and dangerous perp. I have a plan.”

  “Of course you do.” He blew out a breath. “Will your plan help me with my case?”

  “It may close your case. May.” I held up both hands. “Will you trust me to enact my plan?”

  “Only if I’m in on it.”

  It was my turn to study him. To decide how far my trust in Quinn went. I wondered if he’d brought me out here to tell me about his belief in me and soften me up. He hadn’t stretched the truth about Courtney. Not in my opinion. But I was betting he had laid it on a little thicker than he’d intended.

  I certainly sounded cynical.

  “Only if you can promise to remain objective. You may not like what you find out.” I tossed my head back and stared up at the swaying trees—the bright blue sky peeking through the limbs. A red-tailed hawk called and circled overhead, stalking its prey. How fitting.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Halloween crept up on us. The night felt crisp, with a clear sky. It was a perfect Halloween night. The kind where kids could run around outside without their coats—trick-or-treating in full swing. Jack-o’-lanterns lit the porches on Rosa’s dead-end street. The houses—their porch lights on, the front doors open—felt normal. Smiling faces stood behind storm doors with bowls of candy. Children ran around going door to door, dressed in costumes. Screams and giddy squeals, followed by laughter, filled the night. Parents with strollers stood at the end of each driveway, chatting with friends and sipping on hot cider, coffee, or tea.

  We’d set a trap. We’d taken every precaution. Made every adjustment to ensure Rosa’s safety. We’d all struggled with using our friend as bait. It was the only way, and we all knew it. Rosa had insisted she was up for the task, and her “press conference” had hit YouTube and made its way around the internet and onto the message board that we were aware the killer utilized.

  We admired our friend. After I’d shown her my findings, she’d become energized by the same indignation I felt ten times over. Answers had invigorated her, making her determined to put an end to her torment. To remove the veil the killer had taken to hide behind. She’d been infuriated with herself for not seeing it. And even more so for wallowing. Like the rest of us, Rosa forgot she was human sometimes, that she was allowed to make mistakes and brood when needed.

  I slipped inside the sliding glass door on Rosa’s back deck. Melanie closed the door of the shed in Rosa’s backyard, leaving a crack. She flashed her phone at me, signaling she was ready and in position, while Rosa gave out the last of her candy and shut off the porch light.

  The other Jane Does were spread out inconspicuously around the street, dressed in Halloween costumes and on alert. Now that we knew who we were looking for, they wouldn’t get by undetected.

  I crept to the back of the house down the hall and out of sight. Rosa went through the motions of her bedtime routine. She took her time washing her face and dressing in her pajamas before fluffing her pillows and rearranging them just right. Then she shut off the lights and settled in to wait.

  The sound of gunfire caused us to bolt from our hiding places. A text came through from our group message seconds before I made it to the front of the house.

  Stand down. Just kids setting off firecrackers in metal garbage cans.

  We moved back to our posts, thankful we hadn’t given ourselves away.

  The seconds ticked by gruelingly slow. Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes grew into more than an hour. And nothing. Not a peep. I sent a message in our group chat.

  A visual? Anything?

  Little dots lit up my screen.

  Nothing came from Melanie.

  All quiet, and the trick-or-treaters are winding down. Joel and I will have to get going or we’ll draw attention came from Tammy.

  Okay. Thanks, Tammy, and Joel. Keep your eyes peeled on the way to your cars.

  Will do came from Tammy.

  10-4 came from Joel.

  An hour later, when still nothing had transpired, I sent a text to Melanie.

  How are you holding up?

  She had to be getting cold out there.

  “Lyla, anything?” Rosa whispered. She hadn’t taken her phone with her. She didn’t want the light to give her away.

  “No. All clear.”

  Five minutes past and nothing came from Melanie. I pushed the door open a sliver more and slid through the crack. “I’m going down to check on Mel. She’s not responding to my texts.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  I heard rustling.

  “No. Stay put, just in case. Maybe Mel’s cell battery died. I’ll be right back.” I didn’t believe that. I’d checked and double-checked everyone’s battery life before we arrived. I slowly walked down the little narrow hallway, cringing at all the creeks the floorboards made. Old houses were impossible to sneak around in undetected.

  I slid around the wall and into the kitchen. I took a chance to sneak a peek out the little window over the sink. I froze. Someone had placed a rake between the handles of the old shed. Either Melanie was stuck inside, or …

  My breath came in pants, and I’d started to bolt out the back door when the doorknob rattled. The pounding in my chest ratcheted up. I slunk into the dark corner of the kitchen and stayed absolutely still. The door shook once, twice, and I thought someone would burst their way inside. Suddenly, it creaked slowly open.

  Blood thrummed in my ears. My hand slid to my gun holster as two figures crept into the kitchen. The plan had been to allow the intruder to come inside. To go for Rosa, and she’d be ready with me as backup. But we’d expected only one intruder. Not two.

  One was in a glow-in-the-dark skeleton Halloween costume. I recognized the gait.

  “Her bedroom is in the back of the house.”

  I recognized that voice. Slowly I crouched below eye level.

  The shorter one in a ski mask nodded and grabbed a butcher knife from the block on the counter, not five feet from where I crouched, and started down the hallway.

  Thrown by the discovery, I unclicked my holster, and the snap caused them both to go on alert.

  “What was that?” A woman’s voice. Judy’s voice.

  “I don’t know.” Joel pulled the mask from his head. “I can’t see in this stupid thing.”

  His head moved around, and I could imagine that his eyes were attempting to adjust.

  “Anyone there? That girl didn’t get out of the shed, did she?”

  I let out a little sigh. If Judy was worried about Melanie breaking free, then she was alive.

  Joel glanced out the door and then closed it softly behind him. “No,” he said in a stage whisper. “The rake is still in place. Get this done. We’re running short on time.”

  What is Joel doing?

  “Whose fault is that?” Judy snapped back.

  When I heard the bedroom door creak open, I moved from my hiding spot. Joel stood outside the bedroom door. Loud maniacal screams shouting, “Die, whore. Die!” erupted from Rosa’s bedroom.

  “Oh my God! Lyla!” Joel screamed, both hands going to his mouth.

  “Get the light.” I charged past Joel, who obeyed my command as I pulled my gun. “Freeze!”

  Stuffing from the mattress floated through the air as Judy’s mouth fell agape, her eyes blazing. She raised her knife and started for Joel and me.

  “Sweet Jesus! Shoot her!” Joel yelled.

  The lunatic actually thought she could beat out a bullet. Suddenly, Judy screamed like a banshee, and the knife fell from her hand. Blood welled from her leg. Rosa acted quickly, rushing from beneath the bed, and in seconds had Judy on the floor and her hands cuffed behind her. A box cutter I’d not expected lay beside Judy. The box cutter Rosa had used on her ankle.

  “Thank God!” Joel said from the floor.

  I went to check on him, having no idea how he’d ended up there. “What were you thinking?”

  He shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. “At the hotel, she started to wonder if Rosa’s press conference was a trap. I had to do some quick thinking to get her to buy it. She thought I hated Rosa as much as she did, and when I suggested someone should take care of her, she sort of invited me along. I didn’t want to say anything and ruin the plan.”

  “You stupid piece of s—”

  Rosa silenced Judy with an accidental thump of her face against the floor while she read Judy her rights and jerked her to her feet.

  Joel staggered to his feet, his eyes as round as saucers. “Melanie. She’s in the shed.”

  “Go let her out, please, and y’all head out. We’ll take it from here.”

  He nodded and hurried down the hallway.

  “I need a doctor! I’m bleeding to death!” Judy wailed.

  There was no way that the nick on her ankle would end her life.

  Rosa propped Judy up against the wall and knelt in front of her. “Yeah, you might. How about I give you a chance to come clean, here and now? There was no harm done except to my mattress and a nick to your ankle. Prison wouldn’t be a good place for a woman like you.”

  Judy shouted a couple of expletives and turned her head away from Rosa. “I’m not going anywhere. I have friends in high places. People in law enforcement that will pin this on you.”

  Rosa raised her brows. “Right. And pigs will fly tomorrow.”

  I let out an exaggerated sigh. “Judy, you’ve been taken advantage of, manipulated by a man who has made a habit of manipulating people and situations to get what he wants in life. Just like he used Betty. He met her on the same dating app he met you on.”

  “That’s a lie! You’re trying to get me to roll on the man I love. Rosa is jealous and wants him.” She squinted at me. “Or maybe you want him. But he chose me! Me!”

  “Wow. He really did a number on her.” I turned to Rosa and made a sad face. “Promised her the same ole bull. That he’ll love her forever and they’ll always be together if she gets rid of one Rosa Landry. See those cameras?” I pointed to the tiny newly installed wireless cameras in the corner of the room and turned back to Judy. “They’re all over the property. When this house was cased weeks ago, she didn’t have the cameras. Surprise! Everything you’ve done. A B&E charge—breaking and entering. Attempted murder. One of our little wireless friends there captured everything. And now the footage is in the cloud waiting for us to access it and use it against you. The cops are the next street over, waiting for our call. You’ll get at least twenty years, and that’s with good behavior. You’ll be what—in your late fifties in two decades?”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27