by Robin Mahle
The first thing Kate always did once she was home was head to her bedroom and stow her weapon. A change of attire immediately followed and tonight it would be cut-off sweat pants and one of her FBI training t-shirts. The time was approaching midnight, but she didn’t feel tired. The rush of adrenaline must have still been coursing through her veins. Although, she’d hoped the beer might have taken the edge off—it hadn’t.
Kate curled up on her couch and turned on the late night talk show she enjoyed watching if she was home on time, which wasn’t often. She turned to the picture on her side table. The one of Marshall and her at her parents’ home. The one she still kissed before going to bed. Kate held it in her hands, studying it closely. She already knew every inch of the photo. Every wrinkle in Marshall’s smile. The moment sprang to life in her mind again. The memory bringing warmth to her heart.
He had been with her in that moment yesterday. She knew he had. She wasn’t ready to join him and he wasn’t going to let her. But perhaps the time had come to let go. A year had passed. A painful, difficult year, but she made it through. He’d helped her understand what her past meant. The challenges, the losses. Marshall would always be with her, but Kate believed she was ready to move on. It had been a long time coming—years, actually. She’d already decided to bury the memory of her abductor. Marshall helped her to bury the memory of her dearest friend and now she would have to put his memory in the same place where Sam lived.
Kate placed the picture back on the table. “I know you’ll always watch over me.” She looked at her phone on the couch and, with firm resolve, pressed the contact button and waited. It was late, but he would answer. “Hey, Mike. It’s not too late to call, is it?”
“Not at all. I was just thinking about you.”
» » »
Nick placed his suit jacket over the dining room chair and walked straight into the kitchen. A cabinet above the refrigerator was where he kept the booze. With an old-fashioned in his hand, he poured himself a double over the two ice cubes he’d dropped inside. Carrying the bottle in one hand and his glass in the other, Nick headed to his living room and dropped to the couch. The bottle of Maker’s Mark, an expensive whiskey that Georgia bought for him a few weeks ago after learning he was going back to work, was placed on his coffee table. Nick tossed the drink back without hesitation.
A single lamp on the table next to him glowed softly. Nick hunched over and grabbed the bottle, pouring himself another. This time, he rose to his feet and carried the drink to the sliding glass door that led to the balcony outside. He watched the boat he’d purchased bob gently in the water as the waves rolled into the bay. “God damn boat.” He threw back his second drink.
Nick began to think about his last conversation—argument—with Georgia at the sheriff’s office. He hadn’t wanted her to leave. Not then and not now. Her request for a transfer stung almost as badly as her betrayal. But it was the words she said in that final argument.
All this time and he’d had no idea she felt those things. It didn’t make any sense. He thought they were doing all right—getting along well. The job took its toll, sure, but they both knew that going in. Nick pushed his hand through his hair, trying to get around the idea that she was gone. And for that asshole, Lyons. They weren’t exactly friends, but they’d worked together. It was a pretty shitty thing for her to do. Then the guy tries to point the finger to who screwed up and let Durham go on to kill three more people. Would have been four if it hadn’t been for Kate. Nick was her supervisor and Lyons wanted the blame to fall on his shoulders, just to dig the knife in a little deeper.
He pulled open the glass door and stepped outside. The air was crisp and helped to cool his rising temper. He inhaled a deep, calming breath and looked out again over the water. He began to recall how Georgia loved to sit with him out here and just watch the water for hours—when they had the time, of course. Nick closed his eyes to revel in the thought.
But it was her words that he couldn’t shake now. He had done things to help Kate, but everyone knew that. Dwight knew it and understood. Nick had convinced her to move across the country for a job that was difficult for the most stable of people, let alone one who was in a state of grief.
And he’d helped to oversee her training. Even going so far as to get her involved in an investigation she probably shouldn’t have been involved in. But it worked, hadn’t it? It helped her gain the support she needed and she graduated. That part, he would not take credit for. Kate was a smart woman—she graduated for that reason.
Had he crossed a line by going around his supervisor to the director? Yes. He could admit at least that much. But it was only because he wanted to continue to offer his guidance and support. Kate had no one else.
“Dammit, Georgia.” Nick hit the railing of the balcony with the palm of his hand. He stared out over the horizon again, trying to clear his head, but the two double-whiskeys were starting to hit him. “You’re wrong, Georgia. You’re wrong about Kate.”
He turned his back and looked into the empty space that he called home. All he could see was Georgia smiling at him. Her beautiful red hair that cascaded over her shoulders. Her pale skin that was porcelain-smooth. He had loved her, there was no denying that.
Nick walked back inside and returned to the couch again. He grabbed the bottle, knowing he would regret drinking any more, but right now, it just didn’t matter. Because what bothered him the most—what hurt him the most—was that Georgia, in the end, didn’t believe he had loved her. She chose to be with another in the face of Nick’s darkest days because she didn’t feel loved by him.
Georgia believed that it was Kate. That it had been Kate all along. Nick drained the glass of its contents yet again and rolled it between his palms.
What bothered Nick the most was that he was afraid she was right.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robin Mahle lives with her husband and two children in Arizona. She found her passion for writing, which later became her second career, after spending 20 years in the construction industry.
Having always been a lover of books, Robin attributes her creativity to the wonderful overseas adventures she has shared with her husband of 16 years. Traveling throughout Europe and having lived in England opened her mind and with that came a steady stream of story ideas inspired by her author-idols in the mystery/suspense genre.
If you enjoyed Ms. Mahle’s work, please share your experience by leaving a review on Amazon
OTHER WORKS
All the Shiny Things—A Kate Reid Novel (Book 1)
Law of Five – A Kate Reid Novel (Book 2)
Gone Unnoticed – A Kate Reid Novel (Book 3)
The Kate Reid Series Box Set (Books 1-3)
Inherent Clarity
Landslide
Beyond the Clearing
For more information about Robin Mahle, sign up for her newsletter and stay informed of her upcoming releases, or visit her at: http://Robinmahle.com. You may also want to check out her Amazon author page!
