by Dan Padavona
As Darcy’s gaze moves over the tanks, Ali grips her arm. The teacher’s nails dig into Darcy’s flesh. She tries to speak. The woman’s vocal chords refuse to function.
Leaning close to Ali, Darcy calms the woman.
“There’s time, Ali. How long ago did the spider bite you?”
Ali shakes her head. Mucus coats her nostrils.
“F—five minutes ago,” she groans before another wave of pain seizes her body.
“You’ll be all right. An officer is on the way with the—”
Ali tugs Darcy’s shirt.
“He…he keeps antivenom in the house,” she says through gritted teeth.
“Where does he keep it, Ali?”
She opens her mouth. Winces and shakes her head.
“McHugh has funnel-web antivenom on the premises!” Darcy shouts to the officers. “Search the house, check the cabinets.”
She overhears Ketchum in the hallway. He asks McHugh where he keeps the antivenom. McHugh can’t answer. Or he refuses to help. Darcy can see the man’s legs tense and gyrate. Unless the ambulance arrives soon, McHugh won’t survive.
Darcy turns back to the teacher. Her eyes travel over the puncture marks covering Ali’s arms. How many times was she bitten? All these bites couldn’t have come from one spider. McHugh tortured the woman. Through the house, doors swing open and shut as the officers race against time to find the antivenom.
“I got it!” someone shouts.
Darcy recognizes the voice. It’s Julian’s. Amid the chaos, she didn’t realize her husband arrived.
Julian races through the open door with a syringe and a bottle of clear liquid. The antivenom holds a golden tone under the room lights.
“Anybody better at this than I am?” Julian asks, scanning the faces.
The officers watching from the doorway shake their heads.
“The ambulance is five minutes out,” the boyish Smith Town officer says.
Julian raises a questioning eyebrow to Darcy. She shakes her head.
“We can’t wait another five minutes,” she says.
Darcy holds Ali’s hand. The teacher squeezes hard enough for Darcy to flinch as Julian rolls the sleeve up on Ali’s shirt. Julian’s tongue protrudes between his lips as though he’s working out a puzzle. Then he meets Darcy’s eyes a moment before he inserts the needle into the soft skin beneath the teacher’s shoulder.
Ali’s legs extend and go rigid. Like twin diving boards. Darcy utters a silent prayer that this is the funnel-web antivenom. The bottle isn’t labeled, and McHugh lies dying in the hallway. The teacher’s breathing speeds as a cold sweat drizzles down her face. At the top of Meeker Road, the ambulance siren wails.
When Darcy worries they’ll lose Ali, the teacher’s breathing regulates, and her grip loosens. She nods at Julian, who wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. Uncertain how to treat the spider bite victim, Darcy sends the young Smith Town officer into McHugh’s bedroom, where he grabs a comforter and brings it back to Darcy. Together, Julian and the officer spread the comforter over Ali’s lower body while Darcy supports the woman in her lap.
Raised voices in the hallway announce the paramedics. Darcy smiles at the teacher, who nods in thanks and closes her eyes.
Ali Haynes will live.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Friday, September 25th
4:35 p.m.
The bonnet drawn over her forehead, Darcy peeks at the sun and exhales. Kneeling in the garden, she weeds around the jalapeno plants and covers the earth with mulch. Where did summer go? Though the heat lingers, the days grow shorter. Soon she’ll plan this year’s Halloween display and set her mind on Thanksgiving. Julian’s sister, Amanda, is driving down from New York for the holiday and bringing Jo. Darcy hasn’t seen Amanda’s daughter since she and Julian rescued Jo from a serial killer in Upstate New York last year.
The memory of last fall’s nightmare, one of many Darcy faced after the night Michael Rivers stabbed her, strengthen her resolve. Her decision is made, and tonight she’ll tell Julian. As though Darcy’s thoughts summon him, Julian steps onto the deck with a glass of iced tea. She didn’t hear him come home, and he’s already changed into cargo shorts and a gaudy Hawaiian shirt that brings a grin to her face. Julian returned to full field duty Monday. He hasn’t looked this strong since the Phillip O’Grady attack.
“How was work?” Darcy calls over the wind.
“Full of surprises,” he says, sipping from the glass. “Come on up. I have interesting news for you.”
Darcy picks the last of the jalapenos and places it in a wicker basket. The basket overflows with Swiss chard, Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers, their greatest harvest since Darcy purchased the quaint house near the cove. Hefting the basket, she crosses the lawn and climbs the deck where Julian sits beneath the umbrella. As she slides into the chair opposite his, he passes her a second glass of iced tea. Droplets bead along the glass, and Darcy’s mouth waters as she lifts the cold drink to her lips. She drinks half the glass before she sets it on the table.
“What’s this exciting news?”
Julian sets his feet on an empty chair.
“Guess who the Smith Town PD arrested today?”
Darcy watches Julian over the glass.
“Kealan Hart?”
“Not Kealan Hart. An older friend.” When she sends him a blank stare, Julian leans back. “Pinder.”
Darcy chokes on her drink and coughs into her hand.
“Why would they arrest Detective Pinder?”
“Remember Detective Moshen’s theory about Pinder and his new boat?”
“That Mayor Hart bought him off to protect Kealan.”
Julian takes another sip and winks before swallowing.
“Pinder had a big payday, but it didn’t come from the Hart family.”
“Then who?”
“I don’t want to dredge up the past, but think back to the rumors surrounding Bronson Severson during the Darkwater Cove case.”
Just remembering the ex-cop turns Darcy’s stomach. Severson trained Darcy and a few dozen Genoa Cove housewives in self-defense at his gym after Darcy moved to the coast. Severson won her trust and offered to protect Darcy and her family during the Darkwater Cove murders. But he’d worked for Michael Rivers all along. The ex-Genoa Cove officer retired amid controversy as accusations of spousal abuse, police brutality, and mob ties circulated around Genoa Cove.
“As I recall, Severson broke a man’s arm during an arrest downtown. The message board posters claimed he snapped that guy’s arm on purpose.”
“And Severson had no reason to arrest the man. Severson claimed he broke up a fight.”
“Right. The guy owed money, and Severson was the hired muscle tasked with getting it back. What does this have to do with Smith Town PD arresting Pinder?”
Julian’s grin expands.
“Back in the day, it was a poorly kept secret that Pinder partnered with Severson on these shakedowns. Moshen traced a large sum of money deposited into Pinder’s account and linked it to the same men Severson allegedly worked for. Pinder was dirty, and the police caught up to him. Whatever Pinder got himself into this time, it’s big.”
Darcy sits forward.
“You’re kidding. How long did Smith Town PD investigate Pinder?”
“According to Moshen, and this stays between the two of us, almost a year.”
Darcy’s legs drum with unspent energy beneath the table. She’d wanted the police to nail Pinder since the Bronson Severson ordeal.
“So Moshen knew Pinder was dirty, and that’s why he helped us. Why did Pinder protect Kealan Hart? Tod McHugh murdered those women, not Hart.”
“True,” Julian says, narrowing his eyes in thought. “But Mayor Hart didn’t know his son was innocent. The evidence pointed to Kealan. Apparently the mayor doesn’t trust his son more than we do.”
“Yet he protected Kealan. Probably to prevent the media from dragging the Hart name through the mud.�
�
“Blood is thicker than water. Even though Mayor Hart realized Kealan was bad news, he protected his son the way any father would.”
“Can Moshen prove Hart paid off Pinder?”
“He’s working on it. Mayor Hart is a shrewd businessman and covers his tracks. If Moshen finds the smoking gun, he’ll take the Harts down with Pinder.”
A door closes inside the house, and Darcy glances across the table at Julian.
“Sounds like Jennifer came home from her therapy session.”
Julian sets his elbows on the table and leans forward, lowering his voice so Jennifer can’t hear him through the open windows.
“Only three appointments this week, and she already looks better.”
A tear pushes at the back of Darcy’s eye. She noticed the change after Jennifer’s first session, but didn’t want to celebrate prematurely. It’s a long road back for her daughter. But if anyone is strong enough to put the abductions behind her, it’s Jennifer.
“This will sound crazy, but I feel the Sean Braden situation helped Jennifer. Catching him in the act and releasing her aggression seemed therapeutic.”
Looking down, Julian traces a line on the table through the beaded water.
“As I predicted, the lawyer is claiming Jennifer and Mary attacked Sean without provocation.”
“Will the Bradens press charges against the girls?”
Julian considers the question before shaking his head.
“Doubtful. There are multiple witnesses, though the court might block me from testifying on Jennifer’s behalf. Nothing will come of it. The lawyer wants to scare Mary’s parents into dropping the attempted rape charge.”
Good. The last thing Jennifer needs is a high-priced lawyer focusing on her. As Darcy peers at the garden, a horn honks in the driveway. Julian glances at Darcy in question.
“Is that Cynthia?” she asks.
“That doesn’t sound like her car.”
“Wait, you memorized the sound of Cynthia’s horn? How much time are the two of you spending together?” When Julian’s mouth drops open, Darcy falls back in her chair and laughs. “I’m kidding. But the look on your face is priceless.”
“You’re a regular comedian.”
“Hey, she’s a supermodel with the brains of a detective. Not to mention a heart of gold. What’s not to like?”
“Maybe we should check who’s at the door.”
A beat later, the front door opens. Does Jennifer have company? Jennifer’s happy squeal brings Darcy’s head up. In unison, Julian and Darcy push their chairs back and hurry inside. When they arrive in the living room, Hunter hugs his sister.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Friday, September 25th
5:50 p.m.
An orange, sunny glow highlights Hunter’s face as he passes the bread basket around the table. Harpy’s, their favorite restaurant on the pier, bustles with the Friday afternoon crowd as servers hustle between tables with trays of food. A mammoth plate of snow crab legs lies in front of Hunter. Grins and laughter move around the table.
“I still can’t believe you came back from South Carolina without telling us,” Darcy says, pointing her fork at Hunter.
“That’s the point of a surprise.”
“When did Bethany get a car, anyhow?”
“The beginning of the semester,” Hunter says between bites. “I guess her parents are making up for the Aaron incident. It’s pretty transparent, but Bethany doesn’t mind. What college kid is gonna say no to a used car?”
“You should have brought Bethany to dinner,” Jennifer says, twirling fettuccine around her fork.
So much for being a vegan, Darcy laughs to herself. This week, Jennifer is a pescatarian—a vegetarian who incorporates seafood into her diet. Next week, she’ll embrace Atkins or eat nothing but bagels. And that’s another trait Darcy loves about her daughter. Jennifer keeps them guessing.
“Bethany wants to spend time with her mother,” Hunter says as he cracks a shell open, his hands raw from battling the crab legs. “Otherwise, she would have been here.”
“Is she still not speaking to her father?” Darcy asks.
Hunter shrugs.
“She won’t forgive him for defending Aaron. The divorce went through, and Mrs. Torres kept the house.”
“I heard the courts gave her everything,” Julian says as he crumbles crackers into a bowl of clam chowder.
“Finally,” Darcy says. “He showed his true colors when he sided with Aaron. What kind of a monster turns his back on his wife and daughter? Like father, like son.”
Julian nods at Hunter.
“How long are the two of you in Genoa Cove?”
Hunter stabs a cauliflower chunk with his fork.
“I don’t have school until Monday evening, and Bethany’s afternoon class got canceled, so we’re sticking around until after breakfast Monday.”
“Couldn’t stay away from home,” Darcy says, smiling.
“You always take us to Harpy’s when I come back. I couldn’t resist.”
The comment draws nods, but Darcy knows the reason Hunter returned. He’s worried about Jennifer and wants to support her, something he can’t do from another state. A part of Darcy’s heart splits. Time moves too fast. One day they’re learning to ride bikes, and the next they’re at college, and you only see them on the holidays.
“Oh. My. God.” They all look at Jennifer as she stares at her phone in disbelief. “You have to see this.”
Jennifer sets the phone on the table. A news story displays on the screen. Darcy draws a breath when she reads the headline.
“They fired Gail Shipley,” Julian says as he leans over the table.
“Let me see that,” Darcy says, picking up the phone. She scrolls through the article and reads a paragraph aloud. “Shipley wrote multiple scathing opinion pieces about the FBI, criticizing Agents Adan Ketchum and Darcy Haines for claiming a serial killer murdered Britney Ryan and Nadia Ames. Shipley accused the FBI of panicking residents of Smith Town, North Carolina. The latest article from Shipley hit the Associated Press hours before the FBI, cooperating with the Smith Town Police Department, shot and killed serial murderer Tod McHugh.”
Darcy scans the story and hands the phone back to Jennifer.
“I never liked Shipley,” says Darcy, sipping from her wine glass. “But I didn’t want to see her fired.”
“Shipley asked for it, Darcy,” Julian says. “Because of her articles, Smith Town and Genoa Cove residents didn’t take the danger seriously. She put lives at risk just to wage a petty war against you and Ketchum.”
“She totally deserved to lose her job,” says Jennifer.
When Jennifer glances at Darcy, an unspoken agreement passes between them. Hunter can never learn Shipley intended to blame him for the Darkwater Cove murders.
Ten minutes later, their waiter removes the dinner plates and takes dessert orders. After he heads to the kitchen, Darcy sets her hands on the table.
“There’s something I want to tell everyone. I’ve done a lot of soul searching the last month, and I’ve decided to retire from the FBI. This time forever.”
Julian swallows wine down the wrong pipe and coughs.
“Why the change of heart?”
“Between the Doll Face Killer and Tod McHugh, I haven’t slept right since I accepted Agent Ketchum’s offer. I’m afraid I’ll regress.” Julian lays his hand on hers. “One thing I can count on is my family. You’ll be there to support me, no matter what. But this isn’t the life I want. Not for me, not for any of us.”
“So what will you do?” Hunter asks, sitting forward.
“I still have my clients. It won’t take long to spin up the private investigation business again. And this time, I’ll be selective about the cases I take. No cold case murders. Between my P.I. work and Julian’s job, we’ll have more than enough to get by.”
Julian rests an elbow on the table.
“Did you speak to Ketchum about this?”
/> “He knew during the Doll Face investigation I wasn’t long for the position. I filled out my paperwork, and I’m handing it in Monday morning.”
“It’s a good decision, Mom,” Jennifer says.
“Are you happy to have me around more often?”
Jennifer rolls her eyes.
“Let’s not get carried away.”
More laughter. The waiter returns with four slices of key lime pie.
In this moment, Darcy realizes returning to the FBI is a thinly-veiled coping mechanism. She pursues monsters because she fears they’ll catch her first, and she’s run for as long as she can remember. It takes more courage to live than to fight, and she’s ready to move forward.
Darcy grins at her family through a haze of tears, blessed to have everyone together again.
Just like old times.
***
Thank you for reading the Darkwater Cove series. What an amazing journey this has been for me, and I’m blessed by the overwhelming support I received from readers like you. I hope you’ll follow me to my next thriller series, Wolf Lake.
Rebuilding his life, Thomas returns to his hometown after he’s shot in the line of duty. When a murder tears apart the rural town, he throws himself into the case. But with time running out to catch a killer, will his past save Thomas or tear him apart?
Click to start reading now:
Her Last Breath
(Wolf Lake Book One)
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