When Owen cut the call, May admitted, in a croaky voice, "I was stupid. I let him trap me. He was waiting behind a tree. I should have been smarter and known he'd try and do that.”
"If you ask me, he was the stupid one to try getting close to you," Owen said admiringly. "He should have known you'd fight back, and that he would end up on the losing side."
May felt warmed by his words of praise.
"At least we managed to rescue the person that Molly truly cared about," she said. "I wish we'd been able to save all of them. Nobody deserved to die like that. Nobody."
"At least we've given her the chance for a new start. And I know how grateful Sheriff Jack will be for that," Owen agreed.
Owen took her hand, gently. And he squeezed it just once.
May knew they shouldn't show affection while on cases, but she felt that after this situation, they deserved it. She took his hand, and she squeezed right back, feeling the warmth of his fingers, feeling a sense of calm that this psychopath was finally going to be brought to justice.
And then, the sirens on the road signaled backup was arriving, and she let go, blinking hard, getting her thoughts back into gear and preparing to manage the arrest scene as best as she could without being able to see a thing.
EPILOGUE
It was the following afternoon, a rainy, cold Saturday in late fall. May felt grateful for the coolness of the drizzle. It was soothing the inflamed skin around her eyes, which were still swollen and tender.
Shaking the frigid drops away, she focused on what was far more important: the house in front of her.
"I'm glad I could get back," Kerry said.
"I'm amazed you could," May admitted.
Called to an FBI case, Kerry had flown out of Tamarack County yesterday evening, just as May had arrested the killer. With her team, Kerry had spent most of the night working on this case, locating a criminal, raiding a derelict warehouse, and by the next morning, an arrest had been made.
And then, at lunch time, her gutsy and seemingly tireless sister had flown straight back again to Fairshore, so that they could search the house together.
Now, also looking slightly red eyed, she was standing next to May and staring determinedly at the building in front of them.
"Of course I'd come back. You needed help. We always help each other. That's what sisters are for. I've got your back, always."
"And likewise," May said. Her phone beeped, and she quickly checked it. "Owen said he wishes us both luck, and he's just a phone call away if we need him, and he'll see us for dinner at the folks."
It was encouraging to think of happier times ahead, she thought, especially in this grim setting.
They walked toward the house where Harriet had been arrested, rain lashing down, spattering off the broken paving and pounding on the buckled tin roof.
"This time, we find what he was trying to hide," Kerry promised, and May didn't miss the note of threat in her voice. "We are going to find what he didn't want us to. And what Harriet tried to keep from us."
She pushed open the front door, and they went inside. With the dampness in the air, the musty smell in the house was even stronger, and it made May shiver, giving her a sick feeling inside.
"Based on the comparison with the plans, we can look in the second bedroom, or else in the kitchen," Kerry said. "Let's start with the bedroom?"
They walked through, the house feeling silent and creepy, as if it was holding its secrets close.
They stepped inside the second bedroom, May feeling resolute that she was going to find what was hidden there. They searched every inch of the room. May paid particular attention to the old, wooden closet. Was there a false wall behind it? Was there anything embedded in the floor?
Twenty minutes later, after scouring every inch of the room, they had to admit defeat. May's jeans were filthy, and her shoes were scuffed. She'd worn gloves that were now plastered with dust and dirty. But they'd found nothing. This silent house wasn't yielding its secrets.
"So, we try the kitchen," Kerry said, sounding not at all demoralized.
As they walked through the house, May felt her mood drop. It felt as if there were ghosts everywhere, secrets hidden deeply, and what if this terrible man had hidden them too well for anything, ever, to be found?
As if sensing her dismay, Kerry squeezed May's arm. "You okay?"
"I'm okay. I don't mind looking. I hate it, but I'm okay."
