“Explains why there was no evidence of rape on the early victims at least,” Ben says. “The boys were just too damned young to do it. So Williams did what she could, with whatever she could find.”
I think about the stick found near one of the early bodies, the crucifix, and close my eyes.
So, it wasn’t Menders at all; it wasn’t Paul either, or the Latimer twins, or either of the Jenkins brothers.
I feel bad about some of the thoughts I’ve had about those people, but I guess that some of those thoughts weren’t without reason; Paul has proven himself to be an aggressive date-rapist, and Pat Jenkins is still a very suspect personality, in my opinion. Douglas Menders, too, is clearly an extremely unpleasant man; but can you arrest a man just for watching?
Ben’s cell rings then, and he answers, has a brief conversation and hangs up, turning back to me.
“The crew just found another body,” he says, face white. “Brings the total up to eight, not including bodies from the older cases.”
He sits down next to me, head in his hands. “Hell, this one is going to be horrible,” he says. “All those missing women, all those cold cases, we’re going to have to identify them, trace them, let their families know . . .”
Along with the physical evidence from the house, the information in Adam’s mind is the key to finding out where it all ends, but even his full confessions – even if entirely truthful – might not reveal everything about the killing career of Darlene Williams and her two young boys.
But maybe, I reflect, it is better if we don’t know everything; perhaps the entire truth would simply be too horrific to contemplate.
There is a knock on the door, and a nurse puts her head through into the room.
“Oh, excuse me,” she says to Ben, before turning to me. “Your father’s waiting outside to see you. Can I send him in?”
I think about it, but not for too long; things have changed, after all. “Yes,” I say, “of course you can. It’ll be nice to see him.”
The things I’ve been through, the horrors I’ve seen, the unspeakable things that have happened to me – physical scars or not, I know I will have a hard time forgetting them, I will have a hard time moving on with my life.
But if I can rebuild some parts of that life – maybe with my father, maybe elsewhere, too – then perhaps I can still salvage something from this, after all.
“I’ll go,” Ben says, standing from my bedside. “I hope you feel better real soon.”
Ben turns to leave, and I suddenly think that maybe I shouldn’t be thinking about just overcoming the wounds of my past; maybe I should be thinking about building a new future, too.
“Hey, Ben,” I say. “When I get out, do you fancy getting a cup of coffee with me sometime?”
Ben smiles, and for the first time today, I feel something that approaches happiness. “Sure,” he says. “I’d like that.”
And then he is gone, like a ghost that never existed; and while I wait for my father to arrive, I look out of the hospital window, fully awake at last.
There is no moon out there, none at all.
Only the sun remains.
About the Author
J.T. Brannan is the author of the Amazon bestselling political thriller series featuring Mark Cole, as well as the high-concept thrillers ORIGIN (translated into eight languages in over thirty territories) and EXTINCTION (his latest all-action novel from Headline Publishing), in addition to the psychological crime thriller RED MOON RISING.
THE THOUSAND DOLLAR MAN – the first novel to feature his new hero, Colt Ryder – was nominated for the 2016 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award.
Currently serving in the British Army Reserves, J.T. Brannan is a former national Karate champion and bouncer.
He now writes full-time, and teaches martial arts in Harrogate, in the North of England, where he lives with his wife and two young children.
He is currently working on his next novel.
You can find him at www.jtbrannan.com and www.jtbrannanbooks.blogspot.com, on Twitter @JTBrannan_, and on Facebook at jtbrannanbooks.
Also by the Author
The Colt Ryder series:
THE THOUSAND DOLLAR MAN
THE THOUSAND DOLLAR HUNT
THE THOUSAND DOLLAR ESCAPE
THE THOUSAND DOLLAR CONTRACT
THE THOUSAND DOLLAR BREAKOUT
The Mark Cole series:
STOP AT NOTHING
WHATEVER THE COST
BEYOND ALL LIMITS
NEVER SAY DIE
PLEDGE OF HONOR
THE LONE PATRIOT
SEVEN DAY HERO
Other Novels:
ORIGIN
EXTINCTION
TIME QUEST
Short Story:
DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHTS
Red Moon Rising Page 33
