“Wanted tohelp.”
“Because I screwed up my life? I’m on the run—just like you. Are you proud of me?Happy?”
“You finally stopped pretending to be a Colson.” Minx chuckled and thencoughed.
“What’s that supposed tomean?”
“The Colsons are goody-two-shoes. The whole lot of them. The kind of people who won the West. Brave, courageous, honest, hard-working, and do-gooders. I always knew you couldn’t keep it up. What did you do now? Killsomeone?”
“I, uh, no, of course not.” Linx’s voice trailed off. What had she expected from her mother? Apologies? Compassion? Maybe even a little motherlyconcern?
“Then what? Broken heart? You still chasing after thatsmokejumper?”
“How do you know?” Linx’s body tensed, causing Cedar tojump.
“I know a lot of things, and I’ve been waiting for you tocall.”
“You have? Sincewhen?”
“Since you refused to wish me a Merry Christmas. Now why would that be? Are you afraid of looking in the mirror? Afraid to see your uglyself?”
“I can’t be as ugly as you.” Linx spat, her voice deep andtight.
“Don’t be so sure. I know what you’re capable of, and you’re no better than me. You’reworse.”
“At least I don’t hate my owndaughter.”
“Who says I hate you? Has your dad been lying to you?” Minx’s raspy voice scratched like fingernails on achalkboard.
“I don’t know why I called you,” Linx choked on the lump in her throat, “but I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of turning out just likeyou.”
“Oh, but it’s too late. You already have. No one will ever trust you. No one will ever believe in you. You’re nuts, and your heart is black just like mine. I know you stole that man’s dog, and I know you stole hiskid.”
Linx ended the call and turned off her cellphone.
She wanted to smash it, but all the pictures she took of Jessie were on the device. Instead, she turned her SUV due north. She would pay her dues and seek redemption on the fire lines—burn her sins and herself into whiteash.
Maybe that was what Salem had done to atone for herwrongdoings.
Hellfire raged all through the northwest, Canada, and Alaska, burning millions of acres and scorching the entire earth. If she could do nothing right or bring happiness to nobody, she could at least consume herself in the fiery inferno, purify her soul and redeem her pitifulself.
* * *
“You’re wastingyour time with me,” Grady said to Todd in the interrogation room. He was flanked by the deputy who took notes, and his temporary attorney, Becca Colson. “I’ve given you a timeline of my whereabouts, and I did not go near thechurch.”
“The pastor said there were a lot of tourists and visitors at the barbecue they held, and you could have easily gotten mixed up with them and lured Jessie away with promises of the puppy,” Toddsaid.
“Objection,” Becca said. “My client has told you everything he knows. You have no evidence he had anything to do with the child’sdisappearance.”
“Other than your words, Counselor.” Todd glared at his sister. “Your first words were something to the effect that he should have waited for the paternitytest.”
“I misspoke.” Becca rolled hereyes.
“Look, I don’t know what game you two are playing,” Grady said. “But there’s a little girl missing, and you’re wasting time playing cop and lawyer. If I’m not being charged, I demand you let mego.”
“He has a point,” Becca said. “Linx is alsomissing.”
“Right, I have an APB out for her and her vehicle,” Todd said. “But Linx wasn’t the one cleaning up the scene of thecrime.”
