“Your timing sucks,” I conveyed to Ryan. “And I know you did that on purpose.”
Ryan jumped up on the couch by my feet and bounced up and down. “Look, I’m in love. Let me jump on a couch like an idiot.”
“Ha. Ha.” He was just so hilarious. But I was in a great mood, so he wasn’t going to drag me down. “Did you need something or are you just here to be jealous?”
That made him snort. “Nope. I came to say goodbye.”
“What do you mean?” I struggled to sit up, feeling alarmed.
“I’m out. This is your last time hanging out with me. I’m going next level.” He pointed upward.
“Is this my fault? I didn’t smudge, I swear. I was going to skip that step.” I wasn’t sure I was ready for Ryan to go. I had gotten used to seeing him, intermittent though it was.
“What the hell are you talking about? No, I mean I got my papers. Heaven, baby. First class ticket.” He mimicked swinging a bat. “Score.”
For a second, I was flabbergasted. But then I realized this was a good thing. The best thing. “I’m happy for you, Ryan. That’s awesome. Why now, did they say?”
He sat back down onto the couch and gave me a grin. “Let’s just say that maybe my mission was never to find my killer. Maybe my mission was you.”
That made me frown. “What do you mean? There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“There was though. You weren’t looking so good when I came back around.”
There was truth to that, but I would have been fine, given time. Grief is a tricky little bitch. “I’m glad I had more time with you.”
“Ditto. And even though it makes me want to puke in my mouth, I’m glad you and Marner are, you know. Together.” He made a gesture that was not exactly warm and fuzzy.
I rolled my eyes. “Mature until the very end.” But I wasn’t annoyed, not really. I was sad. But a good sad. It was truly the end of our time together. Me, Ryan, and Marner. Now it would just be me and Marner. Life moving on. “But thanks, Ryan. It’s a good thing, me and Jake.”
He nodded, the grin sliding off his face. He cleared his throat. “Yeah.” He gave me a mock salute. “See you on the other side.”
I was about to reach out, say something, I don’t know what, but he was gone.
Jake came back and I was right—he had a glass of whiskey in his hand. “Everything okay?”
There was a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes, but I nodded. “Yeah. It’s okay.”
“Can I get you anything?” He came over and sat on the coffee table, watching me carefully.
I shook my head. “No. We’re good. Though I wouldn’t object to going to the pumpkin patch tomorrow. It’s almost Halloween.”
Life is short.
Take the trip.
Buy the shoes.
Eat the cake.
He smiled, the corner of his mouth turning up.
Love the cop.
Author’s Note
Author’s Note
I discovered a bizarre connection to the Torso Murders while researching and writing this book. I mentioned the plot to my aunt who said, “Well, you know Uncle Nick’s brother found one of the bodies.” No, I did not know that. My whole family seemed to know this except for me. So it turns out even while reading the name of the teenage boy who had discovered one of the victims, I did not make the connection, especially considering his last name was spelled incorrectly in the newspapers.
My uncle, Nick Lawer, was the youngest child in his family and was only about two years old at the time, but he had four older brothers. They lived in the working-class neighborhood of Tremont, on the near west side, forty blocks from where the majority of the victims were discovered. My uncle’s brother, Russell Lawer, was 14 years old in 1937 and cutting through a field that was used as a trash dump under the Lorain-Carnegie bridge on his way home from the movies. He spotted a strange object sticking out of the dirt and, upon investigating it, found a human skull next to a burlap sack, which contained the skeleton. He had found the severed head of victim #8. This victim was a woman and showed the same technique of decapitation as the other victims. She was tentatively identified as Rose Wallace, though it wasn’t a conclusive ID. Russell later enrolled in the army at 17 and was killed soon after in action during World War II. My Aunt Patricia said Russell was her husband Nick’s favorite brother and he felt his death deeply.
Sometimes when we read or discuss crimes that are as notorious as the Torso Murders, and so far in the past, we can lose sight of the human element. Learning this bit of family history reminded me how frightened the people of Cleveland and particularly in the Kingsbury Run neighborhood must have been when the Butcher was on his killing spree. With the loss of so many original evidence and notes from this case, it’s doubtful it will ever be solved to anyone’s satisfaction. The majority of the victims shall also remain unidentified, but hopefully not forgotten.
USA Today and New York Times Bestselling author Erin McCarthy first published in 2002 and has since written almost seventy novels and novellas in teen fiction, romance, and mystery. In the first grade, Erin won a Young Novelist contest with a paranormal romance story about a witch who used a spell to enchant her classmate, and she had been hooked on writing ever since.
Erin is a RITA finalist and an ALA Reluctant Young Reader award recipient, with books translated into over 20 languages.
When not at the keyboard, Erin is usually somewhere on a beach, sipping a cocktail and whipping up home renovation schemes with her husband.
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Also by Erin McCarthy
Murder By Design Series
Gone With The Ghost
Silence Of The Ghost
Once Upon A Ghost
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Blurred Lines Series:
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Let Me In
Meant For Me
Breathe Me In
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Nashville Nights Series:
Heart Breaker
Dream Maker
Love Taker
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True Series:
True
Sweet
Believe
Shatter
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Dark Paranormal Deadly Sins Series:
My Immortal
Fallen
The Taking
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Fast Track Series:
Flat-Out Sexy
Hard and Fast
Hot Finish
The Chase
Slow Ride
Jacked Up
Full Throttle
Final Lap
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Never Fear Series:
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Never Fear-Phobias
Never Fear-Christmas Terrors
Murder By Design Page 15
