by Brenda Novak
“Where?”
“At the back, by the canal, but when it started getting late and nothing happened, I decided to go home. I was exhausted, couldn’t stay awake anymore. But when I tried to turn around, I got stuck. I was just coming to the house to get Dawson to pull me out with his tractor when I heard the gunshot.”
“Wait. You’re saying you got stuck in Dawson’s trap? That you would’ve been gone if not for that?”
“It was a trap?”
“For Sly, not you.”
“Well, it caught one of us. And it’s a damn good thing.”
“Why didn’t you let us know you were coming? Why did you cancel in the first place?”
“I was trying to have some faith in my officer, was trying to do everything I could to save him. I even warned him. But after I canceled with you and spoke with him, I received word on something that changed my mind.”
She lifted her eyebrows in question. “What? It didn’t come from Damian Steele, did it?”
“No. Although it might appear to you that we haven’t done much, we have been conducting our own investigation of the fire. That investigation included checking the various stores outside Silver Springs for video footage of a man purchasing a black hoodie and dark jeans.”
“That had to be like looking for a needle in a haystack!” she exclaimed.
“It was, except I remembered Sly mentioning something about going to Santa Barbara not long before the fire. I figured, if it was him, he would’ve picked up that stuff there—since it wasn’t so close to home.”
“You found the footage to prove it?”
“I did. He’s on video—clear as day—purchasing those items from Walmart. I believe it’s the same clothing he had on tonight.”
Sadie gaped at him. “That connects him to the fire.”
“Let’s just say it’s a piece of the puzzle, some fairly strong circumstantial evidence. We’d need more than that to get a conviction. But he’s going to prison regardless—for attempted murder.”
So whether her arson investigator came through with more evidence didn’t matter. She had what she needed.
She covered her mouth as she drew a deep breath. Her ex would no longer be around to intimidate, threaten or frighten her. It was almost too good to be true. “I’m free.”
“Yes.”
“Thank God,” she whispered, mostly to herself, but she sent the police chief a sideways glance. “Aren’t you going to warn me about making another mistake by getting involved with Dawson?”
He straightened his uniform. “No.”
“Because...”
“I’ve learned something about Dawson, too—something that makes me believe Dawson isn’t the man we thought he was, either.”
She tried to read his expression. “That’s good, right?”
“Yeah, that’s good. Aiyana Turner called me a few hours ago.”
At the mention of Aiyana’s name, Sadie came to her feet. “She was able to discover the name of the brother of that drifter Dawson believed killed his parents!”
“Yes. She worked on it all afternoon and evening. And that discovery led to the drifter’s name—Ronny Booker, a onetime welder and drug addict with a rap sheet a mile long.”
She curled her fingernails into her palms. “Will you be able to locate him, though?”
“Already have.”
“Where is he?”
“Jail, awaiting trial on a separate case.”
She wished Dawson could hear this. “For what?”
“Robbed a house about nine months ago—and killed three of the occupants with a butcher knife. They have his DNA as well as a witness who survived—a fourth member of the family. Booker will go to prison for sure, and he’ll never get out.”
“Oh my gosh!” she cried. “Dawson knew the man he met that night was the one, could tell he was unstable, not right.”
Chief Thomas’s voice filled with caution, but she could tell that he believed Ronny Booker was their assailant, too. “We don’t have a lot of hard evidence to pin the Reed murders on him yet, but—” he gave her a sheepish smile “—he does wear a size nine shoe.”
For a moment, Sadie wasn’t sure why that was so significant. Then she remembered the footprint found outside Dawson’s parents’ house—the one that was too small to have been left by Dawson. “Wow,” she said. “That wasn’t left by a random stranger as I heard reported in the news.”
“We don’t think so now.”
“That’s wonderful. Incredible, really. But...why didn’t Aiyana call us?”
“She planned to. She was just giving me a head start, didn’t want Dawson to get involved too soon and accidentally screw anything up—or do something he might regret.”
In other words, she’d still trusted Chief Thomas after Dawson had lost faith in him. “Thank you for following up on that lead. Ronny Booker killed the Reeds. I know he did, because it wasn’t Dawson—and no one else had any reason to hurt them. Booker was the only stranger around that night.”
“If it was Ronny, we’ll prove it.”
“Dawson hired a forensics specialist—”
“I know. If he finds anything, it will help, but I don’t think it’ll even be necessary.”
“I’m stunned,” she said as she sat back down. Dawson had tracked down his parents’ killer. He’d no longer have to live under the terrible suspicion that had plagued him since their murder. And Sly would go to prison even if they couldn’t prove he set the fire.
“Where is Sly now?” She’d paid little attention to what was happening with Sly once Chief Thomas stepped in. She’d been too worried about Dawson.
“They’re booking him at the county jail. He’ll be there until his trial. Then he’ll go to prison, like I said.”
She tried to imagine what the future might be like without him—and felt such hope and excitement. She’d be able to do whatever she wanted with her life with no thought as to how he’d react or whether he’d approve or let her. “I never want to see him again.”
“I don’t blame you. You won’t have to. He’s a cop. Any judge he gets is going to give him the longest sentence possible.”
The memory of Sly coming after her with that hatchet chilled Sadie to the bone. He’d shot Dawson and would’ve killed her if Chief Thomas hadn’t come charging in when he did. She and Dawson would both be dead. “He’s a monster,” she said.
“That’s another thing. Just before I left for the farm, as if what I’d already heard wasn’t enough, the bartender from The Blue Suede Shoe called to tell me how intimidating he’d behaved at the bar. I’m afraid he’s not the man I hired over a decade ago.”
Sadie didn’t get the chance to respond. The doctor had walked in. “Is there a Sadie Harris here?”
She stood up again. “Yes. I’m Sadie Harris.”
“Dawson is asking for you,” he said.
She swallowed against a suddenly dry throat. “Is he going to be okay?”
“I had quite a time removing that bullet from his shoulder, but I managed, and because I managed, he should make a full recovery. He just needs to rest up.”
Sadie smiled in relief as she turned to Chief Thomas. “He’s going to be fine.”
Thomas returned her smile as he got to his feet. “I think he’s going to be even better than fine once you tell him the good news.”
“You’re not going to tell him?” she asked in surprise.
“No. I’ll leave that to you. I’m going home.”
She tried to return his coat, but he refused to take it.
“Bring it by the station tomorrow or the next day. There’s no rush.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am that...that you were there tonight. We thought you...”
&n
bsp; “I know what you thought.” His voice carried a trace of disappointment as he continued, “I didn’t want to show any doubt in my men, in case I was wrong. Something like this is...well, it’s so unfortunate, especially now, with the way people are feeling toward law enforcement.”
“You’re not all like Sly,” she said.
“I’m glad you realize that—and I’m happy it worked out as well as it did for you and Dawson.”
She put out her hand to shake with him. “It only worked out because you did your job. Thanks again.”
Epilogue
Angela was standing in front of Stanley DeWitt with her luggage and Megan by her side when Sadie and Dawson pulled into the parking lot. Dawson’s sister recognized his truck the second it came into view and started to wave wildly.
“Look how excited she is.” Sadie chuckled as she slowed to avoid another car that was coming down the row from the opposite direction. She was driving, since Dawson was barely out of the hospital. He should’ve been resting in bed, but he said he wouldn’t disappoint Angela by not showing up to get her.
“She won’t be happy when she realizes we don’t have Jayden with us,” he said as he used his left hand, since he couldn’t use his right, to wave back at her.
They’d had to leave Jayden with Petra. Four people couldn’t fit in Dawson’s truck or Sadie’s El Camino. Dawson was already talking about buying a sedan capable of fitting the entire “family,” though, so Sadie knew that wouldn’t continue to be a problem.
She came to a stop at the curb and put the gearshift in Park. “I’ll go grab him as soon as we get back, so she’ll get to see him soon.”
“Dawson!” Angela cried and would’ve thrown herself at him as soon as he got out if Sadie hadn’t intervened.
“Whoa! Be gentle, okay? Dawson’s hurt right now,” she explained.
His sister frowned at the evidence—she couldn’t see the big bandage under his shirt, but she could see that his arm was in a sling. “You told me you were okay, Dawson. You were in the hospital, but you said it wasn’t a big owie.” Her tone came off accusatory, as if his getting hurt had been intentional.
“It’s nothing, honey. I’ll heal, with time. I just have to be careful not to pull out my stitches, or I’ll start to bleed again.”
“I don’t like blood,” she said.
“Neither do I,” he responded.
She eyed him speculatively, as if she was deciding how much to believe. “What are stitches?”
He pulled the neck of his T-shirt over to show her the bandage. “I’ve got some threads holding my skin together under here.”
“Can you take off your shirt so I can see it all?”
“Not right now. It’s covered by bandages, anyway.” He gave her the best one-armed hug he could, but she seemed upset in spite of the excitement she’d exhibited only moments before.
“What is it?” he asked.
“You’re not going to die like Mom and Dad, are you? You’re not going away again...”
“No, I’m not going away again. Ever. I’m just fine.”
“Are they coming back?”
He shot Sadie a sad look before answering his sister. “No. But I’ll show you where you can visit them whenever you miss them.”
“I miss them now,” she said.
He nodded. “So do I.”
Sadie and Megan had to insist that Dawson not try to load the luggage himself. They took care of that while he went in to handle the paperwork.
“It’s all done,” he said when he came out. “We’re free to go.”
“I bet there were moments when you thought this day would never happen,” Megan said to him.
“There were a lot of them,” he admitted.
They thanked her before loading up and starting off for Silver Springs.
“Can I have an ice cream cone?” Angela asked almost as soon as they pulled out of the parking lot.
She knew her brother was a soft touch, and she was taking immediate advantage of that, but Sadie would’ve indulged her, too, so she couldn’t point any fingers at Dawson. They stopped at a shop and enjoyed the Los Angeles sunshine a little before starting the drive home. After that, Angela tolerated the drive for about an hour before she started asking, “How much longer?” and “When are we going to be there?”
Sadie smiled to herself as Dawson told Angela they had another hour, forty-five minutes, half hour, etc. He possessed a gentle strength. Sadie had never been more proud of him. He always treated Angela with such kindness and patience.
“When will I get to see Jayden?” Angela asked.
This was another frequent question. “I’ll pick him up as soon as I drop you and Dawson off at the farm,” Sadie told her, but going to get Jayden proved unnecessary. When they pulled into the farm, it looked as though half the town was there to meet them. Petra and Jayden stood right out front, holding a Welcome Back sign. There were other signs as well, even a big one that read, We’re sorry, Dawson, mixed in with all the balloons and other greetings.
Once she got out, Sadie learned the church the Reeds had attended had organized the party. Not only did they have tables filled with food, they’d brought workers who were there to help Dawson finish weeding and planting before the weather could turn too warm to be good for his crops. A few were even fixing various things Dawson hadn’t been able to get around to on the house. Besides the church members, Aiyana and her sons were there. So were Maude and Vern and Lolita, as well as several of the waitresses from the restaurant. Chief Thomas had come, too, with Pete and George, Sly’s friends. They looked the most sheepish.
Dawson was clearly astounded by the crowd, especially when everyone began to greet him and Angela. A line quickly formed as folks came up to offer him an apology. I was wrong about you... I’m so sorry... We should’ve listened to Aiyana. She’s always right... I’m here to help...
Dawson would’ve been justified in rejecting their apologies. They’d been so judgmental. But he didn’t. He shook hands with anyone who approached him, even allowed some to give him half a hug on his uninjured side.
Sadie stood nearby, enjoying the spectacle while talking to Maude, who’d winked at her and said, “You followed your heart, and it was your heart and no one else’s that was right.”
When Maude drifted off to talk to other friends and Angela called out, trying to get Dawson to come over and help her with something, Sadie let them both go. Chief Thomas was approaching her. “Thanks for coming today,” she told him.
“No problem. Glad to be here.” He jerked his head to where Dawson was tying a balloon for his sister. “He deserves a party—and a lot more after what he’s been through. But you’ve had a rough time, too.”
“I’m just glad it’s over.” She’d noticed that Sly’s mother wasn’t in the crowd. She doubted his mother would ever have a kind word for her again, despite what he’d done.
“So am I. I’m also happy to give you a bit of good news.”
She expected him to tell her about some evidence they’d acquired that would help put Sly or Ronny Booker away. “You’ve heard from the fire investigator?”
“Yes. He’s confirmed our findings that an accelerant was used—probably gasoline. But that’s it so far. This is something else.”
“What?”
“We’ve found your pictures.”
“My pictures?” she echoed.
“Of your parents—and Jayden when he was a baby.”
She felt her jaw drop. “Where?”
“Under Sly’s bed. They were there when we went through his place yesterday—in the plastic container you told us they’d be in, which is a little melted on one side, from what I hear, but otherwise unharmed. One of my officers will bring them over tonight. I didn’t want to miss the moment you arrived here to s
ee the surprise, or I would’ve picked them up for you myself.”
“Tomorrow’s fine, thank you. But...how did Sly get them?”
“He was there the night of the fire. Once it was out, I’m guessing he went in and poked around—or in the days immediately after. I still believed in him then, wasn’t watching him as closely as I should have.”
“I don’t understand why he’d ever take them in the first place. I mean, I can see him wanting Jayden’s baby pictures, but I’d already offered him the opportunity to make copies, and he never acted on it. I would’ve done it myself if I’d had the money.”
Thomas scratched his neck. “Maybe this was another attempt to hurt you.”
“I’m sure of it,” she muttered. No doubt Sly loved knowing he had what she wanted and could decide if or when he’d ever give it to her.
She chatted with the police chief for a few more minutes about what the fire inspector might find or the forensics specialist Dawson had hired to search for further evidence on his parents’ murder, and marveled that whatever they found would help but wouldn’t change the ultimate outcome for Sly or Ronny Booker.
Dawson returned to her side only a moment after Thomas walked over to get a cupcake. “What is it?”
Because she didn’t want to turn the focus away from him and what he was experiencing, she figured she’d tell him about the pictures later. “This.” She smiled up at him. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
“It is wonderful.” He leaned in for a kiss. “But having you and Jayden in my life, and Angela back home, is by far the best part.”
* * * * *
If you enjoyed NO ONE BUT YOU, don’t miss the next story in Brenda Novak’s SILVER SPRINGS series:
UNTIL YOU LOVED ME
Coming soon from MIRA Books!
Keep reading for an excerpt from UNTIL YOU LOVED ME by Brenda Novak.
“Brenda Novak doesn’t just write fabulous stories, she writes keepers.”
—Susan Mallery, #1 New York Times bestselling author
If you loved No One but You by New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak, return to Silver Springs, where sometimes starting over means finding everything you’ve been missing...
