Page 111 of Mountain Void

Wife.

Heat crept to her face. The word was going to take some getting used to.

“The only place we’re going, once we leave here, is to take a nap.”

She was only half-joking. The truth was, he looked like someone who’d gotten shot a few days earlier. She was pretty sure Val would have kept him at the hospital longer, if it hadn’t been for … this.

Lorenz smiled, showing off his dimples. “There will be time for napping … after.”

“Lorenz. We have the rest of our lives to—“

Vincent came up to them.

“Congratulations, again. I’m sorry I have to leave early.”

“Thank you for coming, Vincent,” Lorenz said, shaking Vincent’s hand.

“And thank you for—“ Charlie began.

Vincent shook his head. “You don’t have to thank me. And you don’t have to worry, either. Pelletier confessed to the vandalism. He wanted to scare you.”

“He succeeded,” Charlie said.

“How did he get her address?” Lorenz asked.

“He followed her home from school one day,” Vincent said.

So easy.

“Is he … how’s he doing?”

Vincent shook his head. “Still in jail, but his lawyer’s pushing for a full psych and medical evaluation.”

Charlie nodded. That made sense. She and Théo’s mother had spoken the day before, and the woman had expressed her shock and surprise at how quickly everything had happened—how quickly he’d gone from a loving husband and father, to … to the man they’d seen up in the hut. Madame Pelletier was sure there was something physically wrong with her husband.

“He might never see any prison time,” Vincent continued. “But he won’t come near his son, or you, again.”

“I hope he gets the care he needs,” Charlie said. “Whatever happened, nobody wakes up one morning wanting to hurt their son.”

Lorenz’s hand tightened around her shoulder, but he didn’t say anything, and she loved him for that. Life was too short to hold onto hatred.

Vincent studied her for a long instant.

“You’re more forgiving than most people would be.”

Her gaze drifted to the windows, and the mountains beyond. “Just because I hope he gets help doesn’t mean I don’t think he should be held accountable.” She paused. “Théo will have to live with what happened for the rest of his life.”

“The boy’s okay?” Vincent asked.

“His mother says he’s doing much better. He’s spending the week in Bern with his grandparents.”

“Good,” Vincent nodded. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Charlie smiled. She would normally not encourage a child to miss school, but after everything that had happened, healing was the most important thing for Théo.

Her fingers found the braided cotton bracelet around her left wrist. Théo had pressed it into her hand before leaving, proudly explaining he’d chosen the blue and white threads because they reminded him of her and Lorenz. It was uneven, the knots a little tight in some places and loose in others, but Charlie would treasure it always.

“Listen, I have to get back,” Vincent said, inclining his head. “Congratulations again.”