by Earl Merkel
She waited, willing herself calm again. After a moment, she looked once more at the vastness of the Choctawatchee.
A fresh swirl of breeze skipped across the waters of her bay, and the reflected disk of the morning sun exploded into a kaleidoscope of glittering jewels.
Carol Mayer leaned back again, and let the warmth of life wash over her.
Epilogue
Arlington, Virginia
July 30
Beck sat in his car, watching for the figure that occasionally moved behind the sheer draperies that covered the picture window.
He had been there when Deborah pulled her car into the driveway. She had taken the turn too quickly, the way she always did, and the wheels bottomed out on the steep incline with a scraping thud. When they were married, living in this house, the sound had been an ongoing source of irritation to Beck. He hadn’t known how much he would miss it, would miss knowing each time Deborah came home.
Beck did not know how long he sat in his car. He did know that he almost drove away several times, once even touching the key that hung from the ignition. Finally, he found himself standing on the porch, his finger pressed against the bell.
The door opened, and she stood there as if she had expected him. Beck hesitated on the doorstep, for a moment unable to find words for what he wanted to say.
Then he spoke.
“I made the first move, this time.”
She must have read something in his face, because she smiled briefly before she responded.
“You better come in,” she said. “Katie’s still down at the mall, with J. L.” She looked at him closely, as if looking for something deep inside him that she alone could see. Her eyes were serious, almost solemn; but they were not without welcome. “We don’t have much time before dinner.”
Beck Casey stepped through the door she held wide, home at last.
Contents
Prologue
Day One: July 21
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Day Two: July 22
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Day Three: July 23
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Endgame: July 24
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Aftermath
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Epilogue
