“At Olivia’s, waiting for her to get home. Where are you? Did you hear about Kane? Do you know where she is? I’m worried sick.”
“I’m headed up to the cabin. I think she’s gone up there. And yeah, I heard. I don’t know if she’s got anything for work tomorrow. You know, clothes. Makeup. Stuff.”
“I’ll pack her a bag,” Paige said. “You want me to bring it up there?”
“No. Her house isn’t too far out of the way. I’ll swing by to pick it up.”
David hung up. He had one more call to make. He pictured Paige waiting for Olivia to come home and pictured his own mom, waiting by the phone. He hit the speed dial for Eve and Noah’s house. Sure enough, it was answered almost before it rang.
“David?” It was his mother and her voice was shaking.
“I’m okay, Ma. Not a scratch.”
Her breath shuddered out. “Thank God. I’ve been sitting here, trying not to worry. Glenn’s been on his cellular phone, trying to find out what’s going on.”
“I’m fine. My partner, Jeff, not so good.” And Olivia’s partner is dead, he almost added, but didn’t. His mother had never met Kane, and Eve needed to hear that news from Noah. “If you would, say some prayers for him.”
“Of course I will. Where are you going now?”
“Up to the cabin.” To Olivia. “I’m going to try to get some sleep. You do the same. Love you, Ma.”
“And I love you. Thank you for calling me. I needed to hear your voice.”
Wednesday, September 22, 4:00 a.m.
This was bad. Really, really bad. The kid was gone. There had to be twenty police cars parked on the highway shoulder, on either side of the driveway that led to Austin Dent’s tiny house. He’d passed by slowly, watching the action.
State and local cops congregated in groups and as he looked in his rearview mirror, he could see the crisscrossing beams of flashlights as search parties took to the woods. That meant they didn’t have him either. Yet.
The boy was on the run, obviously not trusting the cops. Smart kid.
He kept going until he could no longer see the blue glow of flashing cop car lights, then pulled onto the shoulder, opened Kenny’s phone, and started a text to Austin.
Cops grilled me all night in Oaks’s office. He didn’t know if that was true or not, but Austin wouldn’t know it either. They know about U. Want to arrest U. B careful.
He closed the phone. That would keep the kid from trusting the cops a little longer. He could search for the kid, but who knew where he was? He did a U-turn and headed back the way he’d come. I need to bring him to me.
Wednesday, September 22, 4:05 a.m.
Olivia heard David’s truck coming up the road but didn’t get up. She sat at the end of his dock, her knees pulled to her chest. She heard his truck cut off and waited. Eventually he’d come outside. She wondered if he knew about Kane.
After leaving the school she hadn’t had the energy to listen to any of her voice mails. She’d simply sat here, listening to the sounds of the night. After a few minutes she felt the dock rumble as he approached. He ran his hand over her hair. “Hey.”
“Hey.” It came out a whisper.
He took her hands. “Your hands are like ice. Why are you sitting out here?”
“I locked your house when I left earlier. I forgot I didn’t have a key.”
“I can fix that,” he murmured. “I wish I could fix everything else.”
“You can’t. Nobody can.”
“Come inside. I’ll get you warm.” He lifted her to her feet, his arm solid around her. “I couldn’t let you be alone.” In the cabin’s living room he swung her up into his arms and settled her in his lap on the sofa, covering them with a blanket.
“I need to be in by eight,” she said. “I have to go home and get clothes first.”
“No, Paige packed you a bag. Just rest.” He pointed the remote at the TV, and the screen came to life. It was her Road Runner DVD. Surprised, her eyes shot up to his and he kissed her forehead. “I found it in your DVD player. That night we talked, you told me you watched cartoons to destress. I figured we could both use that tonight.”
She nodded once, but a sob barreled up and she had nothing left to force it back down. He pulled her closer, his cheek on top of her head, rocking her where they sat as the deluge poured out. Sobs and curses and vows of horrible revenge. Finally the storm ebbed and she was left shaken. Too hollowed out to feel anything but despair.
He threaded his hand through her hair, cradling her. “Sleep now, baby.”
“In the morning Kane will still be dead,” she whispered.
“Yes, but your mind needs to be sharp to find the man who did it.”
“I want him dead. I want him to bleed and suffer. I want to watch while he does.”
“So do I.”
There was something in his voice. Grim certainty, but also pain. She pulled back far enough to see his face. He stared straight ahead, his jaw set. “What happened?”
“Go to sleep.” He tried to urge her back against him, but she pulled free.
“What happened?” she repeated more forcefully. “Tell me.”
“The fire tonight was set.”
Her mind clicked through the events of the night. “Woodview. Noah said it was where Tomlinson’s mistress lived. Was that the target? Did you find a glass ball?”
“No glass ball, but the mistress’s house was the target. Except the wind shifted, taking houses on both sides. A gas-tank explosion leveled two more houses. Then the fire spread to an apartment building.”
“How many?” she asked quietly.
“Four dead.” Anguish flashed in his eyes. “Including a child. She was only two.”
She pressed her lips to his jaw. “I’m sorry.”
“Dozens more were hurt,” he said, his voice too even.
“Firefighters?”
“Zell,” he said roughly. “A beam fell on him. He can’t feel his legs.”
She flinched, seeing it all too clearly. “Who got him out?” she asked, although she knew the answer and it scared her senseless.
“I did.” He closed his eyes. “I dragged him out. What if I made it worse?”
“And if you hadn’t dragged him out, he’d be dead.”
Now that she’d shed a layer of grief, she could really look at him. He was exhausted and heart sore… just like me. “Let’s go to bed. You need to rest, too.”
Wearily he followed her, taking her suitcase. “Paige packed your Tweety PJs.”
On autopilot, she put them on in the bathroom, then found him in bed, their cell phones side by side on the nightstand. Drawing her close, his fingers pulled the band from her braid and started working her hair free. “I like it loose,” he murmured, then slid his hand up under the nightshirt, cupping her breast as he’d done before.
Her heart still hurt and her chest was still tight. “I needed you,” she whispered, finding it easier to say so in the darkness. “Just to be with me.”
“That I can do.” He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “I have a question.”
“What?”
“Do you really wear these PJs or was Paige just causing trouble?”
Her lips tipped up sadly, so glad he was there. “The second one. Unless it’s below zero, I usually sleep in my skin.” He, obviously, did as well.
His fingers were already freeing buttons. “I like feeling your skin against mine.” In less than a minute he had her naked and cocooned in his arms. “Now I can sleep.”
Chapter Twenty-one
Wednesday, September 22, 4:30 a.m.
David couldn’t sleep. He lay there holding her, pictures flashing behind his clenched eyes. Zell pinned, Kane dead. It could have been her. In the cacophony of his thoughts, it was the one that screamed louder than all the rest.
She wasn’t asleep either. She lay stiff in his arms, her breathing shallow. She shuddered out a breath and he touched his lips to her cheek, wet with tears. “Hey.”