by Rick Mofina
And all would be forgiven.
Far above her, Maria Colson had collapsed to the road holding Dylan as Lee Colson held them both in his arms. They stayed that way for a long time amid the sirens, helicopters, traffic, and news cameras that soon crowded the bridge.
70
The next morning a massive crisp photo of Maria rescuing Dylan from Nadine’s death grip commanded the Mirror’s front page.
It ran under the headline
BABY RESCUED
AS ABDUCTOR FALLS TO DEATH
FROM BRIDGE
The paper had cleared eight inside pages for its exhaustive coverage, which included large, stunning news pictures. There was one taken by the birdwatcher showing Nadine waist-high in the river with Dylan in her arms. There were maps, graphics, a time line, and some 12,000 words of coverage. Spangler assigned fourteen reporters to the story and designated Jason as the lead writer.
He got a photo byline.
Key to the Mirror’s reporting was the fact that, other than Nadine’s chance meeting with Lee because of Beth Bannon’s car trouble that rainy night, she had no link to the Colsons.
Canadian authorities confirmed that Nadine Sienna Lasher had been convicted for killing the baby she’d had as a result of her relationship with a married man in Toronto; the court found she was in a disassociated state when it gave her a five-year prison sentence.
“Obviously, her mental instability had reemerged after her release and upon her arrival in Seattle. We are satisfied she is responsible for the murders of Beth Bannon and Axel Tackett and the abduction of Dylan Colson,” Grace Garner was quoted as saying in a release issued by the Seattle police.
It went on to state that Nadine had moved to Washington after starting a relationship with Axel Tackett, a convict she’d met through a website for inmates seeking pen pals. However, investigations by the FBI, Seattle Police, and King County medical officials failed to confirm that she had ever delivered a child in Washington State.
In the wake of Dylan Colson’s dramatic rescue, balloons, flowers, cards, and stuffed toys began arriving at the Colson home in Ballard.
Relatives, friends, neighbors, and a string of politicians visited to share the Colsons’ joy at being reunited with their son.
Elated in their relief, Maria and Lee received them all, accepting the good-natured observations of how Maria refused to let Dylan out of her sight, even in their home.
At every turn, Maria and Lee thanked every police agency, every person who searched, called, and prayed for Dylan’s safety. Maria also offered sympathy for the families of the homicide victims and for Nadine.
“No, I don’t hate her for what she did,” Maria told CNN. “She had a troubled mind and I hope she has found peace. If anything, what she did has made me love my son even more, if that’s possible.”
In answering follow-up questions from Grace, Perelli, and Dupree, Lee had accepted that given the evidence that police had at the time, they had reason to suspect he may have been involved.
“I understand. No hard feelings.” Lee shook hands with all of them.
Subsequent investigations through e-mails and phone records generated by Axel Tackett led the FBI and Royal Canadian Mounted Police to make several arrests on both sides of the border of people suspected in black market baby-buying and adoptions. Joy Montgomery’s confidential cooperation also helped. Officials saw no need to challenge the Montgomerys’ adoption of Emily.
As they stepped from the Colson house, Grace spotted a familiar red 1969 Falcon parked across the street.
Leaning against it with his arms folded, Jason Wade smiled as she approached him alone.
“You’re looking mighty pleased with yourself, Jason.”
“Could say the same about you.”
“What’re you doing here, haven’t you milked this story enough?”
“Actually, I was looking for you.”
“Why? The case is closed.”
“Not where we’re concerned, Grace.”
Her smile grew a bit as she eyed him, brushing away the silky strands of hair a breeze pushed across her face.
“I don’t date,” she said.
“Do you eat?”
“Sometimes.”
“How about one of those times, we just eat together?”
She searched his eyes and liked what was there, but she wasn’t sure.
“Grace, don’t you sometimes get a bit tired of eating alone in your apartment?”
She looked away and smiled. Jason followed her gaze down the street to her partner, Perelli, sitting behind the wheel of their unmarked Malibu, nodding big nods.
“But not a date, because I don’t date.”
“Hell no.”
“Sure, I’ll eat with you, Jason.”
He nodded.
“I’ll call you.”
“Maybe I’ll call you first.” Grace Garner gave him a bigger smile as she walked away.
That night, Jason drove to his old man’s place south of the airport. They drank Cokes while a couple of steaks sizzled on the barbecue and they watched the jets lifting off and landing.
They didn’t speak much, sitting there listening to the planes, enjoying the sun setting over the Pacific.
“Thanks for everything, Dad.”
His old man shrugged.
Jason stared at the ice in his glass, waiting for the right moment, then decided it might never come. After watching a 767 climb out over the ocean, he said, “So what happened all those years ago when you were a Seattle cop?”
His old man squinted toward the horizon from under his ball cap.
“I mean, Boulder was getting into it with you. I know you were on the job for a few years, then quit. Dad, what the hell happened?”
His old man removed his hat, looked into it as if the answer were there, replaced it, and continued staring at the jet that was disappearing in the horizon. Probably headed to Tokyo, Hong Kong, or Hawaii—someplace far away.
“I’m going to tell you about it.”
That surprised Jason.
“Over the past years, a day hasn’t gone by that I haven’t thought about telling you.”
“Shoot.”
“Just not today. I’m just not ready, son.”
He turned to face him and the unease Jason saw in his old man’s eyes was enough to convince him that he had to let his father tell him when he was ready.
“Sure. Steaks look about done.”
One of Beth Bannon’s church groups claimed Nadine’s body in what one Seattle columnist called an irony worthy of Shakespeare.
The columnist had learned that the group maintained a small cemetery in a remote reach of Washington State where it saw to the burials of miscarriages, orphaned runaways, street people, and paupers.
It had arranged for a small headstone that would read:
NADINE SIENNA LASHER
“Heaven’s door opened and washed away every fear”
A NOTE TO THE READER
I hope you enjoyed Every Fear, which features Jason Wade, a rookie crime reporter with The Seattle Mirror, who appears in only three books. Along with Every Fear, you can find Jason in A Perfect Grave and The Dying Hour, which the International Thriller Writers selected as a Finalist for a Thriller Award for Best Paperback Original. If you liked Every Fear, I hope you will consider following Jason in the other stories.
Thank you very much for your time, for without you, a book remains an untold tale. Thank you for setting your life on pause and taking the journey. I deeply appreciate my audience around the world and those who’ve been with me since the beginning who keep in touch. Thank you all for your very kind words. I hope you enjoyed the ride and will check out my earlier books while watching for my next one. I welcome your feedback. Drop by at (www.rickmofina.com) subscribe to my newsletter and send me a note.
Rick Mofina
CONTACT THE AUTHOR
Rmofina @ gmail.com
Please visit my official FaceBook page.
You can also follow me on Twitter @RickMofina
or at my Website http://www.rickmofina.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rick Mofina is a former crime reporter and the award-winning author of several acclaimed thrillers. He's interviewed murderers face-to-face on death row; patrolled with the LAPD and the RCMP. His true crime articles have appeared in The New York Times, Marie Claire, Reader’s Digest and Penthouse. He's reported from the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Africa, Qatar and Kuwait's border with Iraq.
His short stories have been selected for anthologies by Michael Connelly, Peter Robinson, Ed Gorman, the Mystery Writers of America and the United Kingdom's, Crime Writers Association. The International Thriller Writers, The Private Eye Writers of America and The Crime Writers of Canada have listed Rick Mofina's titles as being among the best in the world.
His books have been published in nearly 30 countries and have been praised by James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, Jeffery Deaver, Sandra Brown, James Rollins, Brad Thor, Nick Stone, David Morrell, Allison Brennan, Heather Graham, Linwood Barclay, Peter Robinson, Håkan Nesser and Kay Hooper.
Also by Rick Mofina
FULL TILT
WHIRLWIND
INTO THE DARK
THEY DISAPPEARED
THE BURNING EDGE
IN DESPERATION
THE PANIC ZONE
VENGEANCE ROAD
SIX SECONDS
A PERFECT GRAVE (Jason Wade #3)
EVERY FEAR (Jason Wade #2)
THE DYING HOUR (Jason Wade #1)
BE MINE
NO WAY BACK
BLOOD OF OTHERS
COLD FEAR
IF ANGELS FALL
THE ONLY HUMAN (Young Adult Fantasy Thriller)
THREE TO THE HEART (Anthology)
DANGEROUS WOMEN & DESPERATE MEN (Anthology)
Chapter Index
DAY ONE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
DAY TWO
18
19
20
21
DAY THREE
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
DAY FOUR
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
DAY FIVE
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
DAY SIX
70
