by N L Hinkens
Heather nodded. “Yes.”
“How do you know Teresa Kinney?”
“I don’t—not directly.” Heather let out a heavy sigh and proceeded to give him an abbreviated version of everything that had transpired.
“What will happen to the dogs?” she asked, when she was done with her statement.
“We’ll work with animal control on rehousing them.”
Heather furrowed her brow. “I feel bad for them. They don’t understand what’s happening.”
Officer Flaherty grunted. “They’ll be better off out of this flea-ridden hovel. They weren’t being properly cared for.”
They were interrupted by the arrival of the animal control officers. One of them introduced himself with a grave nod. “Jim Richards, Scott County Animal Control. Any idea what type of snakes we’re dealing with?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Heather answered. “She called the one I shot a banded krait. All I can tell you is that they’re venomous.”
Jim exchanged a wary glance with his partner.
“I’ll accompany you,” Officer Flaherty said, reaching for his weapon as he opened the door to the basement. “The perpetrator’s still down there.”
Heather reached inside her jacket and pulled out her phone to bring Marco and Sydney up to speed on everything that had transpired.
To her relief, the animal control officers emerged from the basement a short time later clutching a reptile sack.
Officer Flaherty followed a few steps behind them, his face grim.
“She’s all yours,” he said to the waiting paramedics as they reached for their medical bags.
“Is she … going to make it?” Heather asked, her eyes zigzagging between Officer Flaherty and the animal control officers.
“It doesn’t look good,” Jim said, a deep cleft forming in his brow. “We don’t have anti-venom for exotic snakes around here. A game warden would have known that. This was suicide.”
37
Ten months later
Heather and Josh slowed to a stop and dismounted from their bikes as they neared the memorial tree and plaque that had been erected in Lindsay’s honor to replace the makeshift shrine of stuffed animals, cycling jerseys, handwritten notes, and withered flowers that had sprung up in the weeks after her death.
“It’s hard to believe she’s been gone a year already,” Heather said.
Josh rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Yeah, it’s still hard to take it in. We had a narrow escape ourselves.”
“I can’t believe I never made the connection between Bill and Damien. Some investigator I was,” Heather said with a sigh.
“How were you supposed to know? You never even saw a picture of Bill when Lindsay was dating him. And you only knew Damien as Tank back then.”
Heather tucked her hair behind her ears and knelt down to trace her fingers over the inscription on Lindsay’s plaque. “I know. I just wish I’d pushed Lindsay harder at the time to break it off.”
“Don’t go there. We’ve talked about this,” Josh said. “Today isn’t about the past and regrets; it’s about the future and the promises it holds. You know Lindsay would want you to move on and leave your guilt behind once and for all. You’re not responsible for other people’s actions. Just like Bill wasn’t responsible for what Teresa did, no matter how much she tried to blame her father for her miserable life. We all choose our reactions to our circumstances.”
A shudder crossed Heather’s shoulders. “I still think it’s weird how Teresa went to work every day for years, and not a single soul knew she was living with those dangerous reptiles, as well as an entire pack of dogs.”
“Don’t forget the feral cats,” Josh said. “Animal control found six—or maybe it was seven—fully grown cats and several litters of kittens in the barn.”
Heather shook her head. “That’s nuts. I mean, I get that she had a connection with animals, and she wanted to share her life with them. I love coming home to my little Phoebe. But it seemed more like a strange obsession with her.”
“Trauma in a person’s life can sometimes lead to animal hoarding,” Josh said. “It was pretty evident Teresa resented the fact that her father abandoned her. She felt unloved and powerless watching her family dissolve. She likely projected those emotions and feelings onto her animals. It’s sad. At the end of the day she was desperately lonely.”
“You have a good heart, Josh Halverson,” Heather replied. “Maybe it’s the compassionate health professional in you. As the skeptical Los Angeles PI, I tend to read her a little differently. I think there was an evil streak in her that craved power over something lethal. I think she enjoyed the danger of keeping venomous snakes in her home. Just like she enjoyed setting the fire in Marco’s restaurant and killing Roy. You heard her—she was devoid of all emotion when she talked about it.”
“What shocks me the most is that Reagan was involved. I can’t believe she manipulated Teresa into murdering a stranger,” Josh mused. “Teresa had no personal beef with Roy. Or Sydney either.”
“I can totally see Reagan manipulating Teresa into doing her bidding,” Heather said drily. “She hoodwinked me—lured me out here with the whole reunion tribute to Lindsay. Invented that incident on the freeway to make us think she was being targeted. She even told me Dave was going to hire a PI if I didn’t investigate the threats. I found out later he never said any such thing. She’s always been controlling and good at coercing people into doing what she wants. She pretty much always got her way in high school, or have you forgotten?”
Josh raised his brows. “I remember her twisting our arms only too well. It’s her daughter I feel bad for. It’s got to be traumatizing knowing your mother’s locked up for murder. How do you explain that to the kids on the playground?”
“Thankfully, Lucy still has Dave,” Heather said. “He legally adopted her when he and Reagan got married. He’s a good guy. Lucy’s doing well, all things considered. I check in with them every so often.”
“So you do have a heart, after all,” Josh said with a wink. “Speaking of kids, how’s your niece doing?”
“Vera? She’s the most adorable baby you’ve ever set eyes on,” Heather said, unable to stop a grin spreading across her face. Even the thought of her niece was enough to make all her troubles pale into insignificance. Spending time with her was the highlight of her recent trips back to Iowa. “The best part about it is that I think she actually likes me. She smiles when I pick her up. I’ve never evoked that kind of reaction in a kid before.”
“Why wouldn’t she like you?” Josh said, a grin playing on his face as he pulled her close and kissed her softly on the lips. “I like you. In fact, I like you enough to move my practice all the way out to the West Coast if that’s what it takes to be with you.”
Heather gave an adamant shake of her head. “No. You would hate it out there. You’re too genuine for a place like LA. Believe me, it’s a synthetic world, in every sense of the word. Besides, it won’t be necessary. I’m coming home.”
Josh’s eyes widened. He held her at arm’s length, studying her expression. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. I’ve already listed my condo. It should fetch enough to open a PI firm here and buy a comfortable home. I won’t be able to earn anything close to the kind of money I’m making in LA, but I have a feeling I’ll be enriching my life on a whole deeper level.”
Josh wrapped her in his arms and squeezed her tightly. “You’ve no idea how happy it makes me to hear that.”
“And I might never if you don’t let me breathe,” Heather said with a laugh.
“What made you come to this decision?” Josh asked, releasing her.
Heather shrugged, her gaze landing on Lindsay’s plaque. “I’ve been thinking about what you said the last time I came out here—that people who wander the halls of the past only ever exist. Living is all about stepping into the future and taking risks.”
Josh gave her a sheepish grin. “I have to confess I don’t remember
saying it quite that elegantly. But it sounds good. And I’m glad I said it if it convinced you to take a risk on me.”
“The funny thing is, I’m not afraid of taking physical risks,” Heather mused. “I do it every day in my job. But I’ve shied away from taking a risk with my emotions, until now.”
“That sounds like a proposal.” Josh grabbed her hand and pressed it to his lips, before dropping to one knee. “Trust me, I’m a low risk investment with a guaranteed return. If you’ll settle for a lowly psychiatrist who makes good coffee, I’m yours.”
Heather laughed and pulled him to his feet. “Let’s see if my condo sells first.”
Josh clutched his chest in an expression of heartbreak. “I’ll keep trying.” He picked up his bike and adjusted the baseball cap on his head. “Ready to get out of here?”
“Almost,” Heather replied. “Let’s go down by the river. There’s one last thing I need to do.”
They sat on the banks of the Mississippi, heads huddled together, watching the sun go down—a glimmer of sunlight lingering over the swathe of inky water. Heather reached for her backpack and pulled out the hook she had found in the brush near to where Lindsay was murdered.
Josh threw her a tender glance. “Are you sure you’re ready to do this now?”
She nodded, squeezing back the stinging tears that threatened.
“Remember what I told you,” Josh prompted. “When you let it go, everything goes with it, the guilt, the regret, the walls—everything that’s keeping you stuck.”
Heather swallowed the knot in her throat as she got to her feet. She inhaled a deep breath and pulled back her right arm. “This one’s for you, Lindsay,” she choked out. “Free at last!” With a determined grunt, she flung the hook as far as she could out over the rippling darkness. It made a plopping sound, instantly swallowed into the murky depths.
Heather smiled through the tears silently streaking down her face. The crippling burden of guilt she had been staggering through life with had sunk with the hook to the bottom of the Mississippi River. Her days of dwelling in the past were over. It was time to start dreaming again.
She was at peace at last.
Ready for another thrilling read with shocking twists and a mind-blowing murder plot? Check out my psychological thriller Never Tell Them on Amazon! Releasing May 2021.
How well do you know the stranger next door?
When mysterious, single dad Ray Jenkins moves in to the neighborhood, Sonia is suspicious from the outset that something is amiss. Ray’s young son, Henry—traumatized from the recent loss of his mother—acts like he barely knows his father.
Weeks later, Ray is involved in a multi-vehicle wreck, and suffers a brain injury and subsequent memory loss. Moved to help, Sonia steps in to care for Henry, but soon becomes alarmed at the disturbing things he tells her. Determined to get to the bottom of who her neighbor really is, she snoops around in his house. The shocking clues she uncovers from his past shake her to the core. Her own life is in danger from the deadly lie he is living.
The more she digs, the more she finds that some lies are best left buried.
- A gripping tale of explosive secrets with a jaw-dropping twist! -
Do you enjoy reading across genres? I also write young adult science fiction and fantasy thrillers. You can find out more about those titles at www.normahinkens.com.
A QUICK FAVOR …
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed reading The Class Reunion as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for taking the time to check out my books and I would appreciate it from the bottom of my heart if you would leave a review, long or short, here on Amazon as it makes a HUGE difference in helping new readers find the series. Thank you!
To be the first to hear about my upcoming book releases, sales, and fun giveaways, sign up for my Newsletter here. You can find me on the web at www.normahinkens.com and follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Feel free to email me at [email protected] with any feedback or comments. I LOVE hearing from readers. YOU are the reason I keep going through the tough times.
All my best,
Norma
Biography
NYT and USA Today bestselling author Norma Hinkens writes twisty psychological suspense thrillers, as well as fast-paced science fiction and fantasy about spunky heroines and epic adventures in dangerous worlds. She’s also a travel junkie, legend lover, and idea wrangler, in no particular order. She grew up in Ireland, land of make-believe and the original little green man.
Find out more about her books on her website.
www.normahinkens.com
CLICK HERE to follow her on Facebook for funnies, giveaways, cool stuff & more!
Also by N. L. Hinkens
Head to my website to find out more about my other psychological suspense thrillers.
www.normahinkens.com/books
The Silent Surrogate
I Know What You Did
The Lies She Told
Her Last Steps
The Other Woman
You Will Never Leave
The Cabin Below
The Class Reunion
Never Tell Them
Books by Norma Hinkens
I also write young adult science fiction and fantasy thrillers under Norma Hinkens.
www.normahinkens.com/books
The Undergrounders Series - Post-apocalyptic
Immurement
Embattlement
Judgement
The Expulsion Project - Science Fiction
Girl of Fire
Girl of Stone
Girl of Blood
The Keepers Chronicles - Epic Fantasy
Opal of Light
Onyx of Darkness
Opus of Doom
Follow Norma:
Sign up for her Newsletter
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. For more information about the author, please visit www.normahinkens.com
Text copyright @ 2020 Norma Hinkens
All rights reserved.
No part of the book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Dunecadia Publishing, California
ISBN: 978-1-947890-24-4
Cover by: www.derangeddoctordesign.com
Editing by: www.jeanette-morris.com/first-impressions-writing
