The Darkness We Hide

by Debra Webb

  Some secrets are worth dying for.

  For months, Doctor Rowan Dupont has been staring death in the face. It followed her back to her hometown of Winchester, Tennessee, ten months ago, cloaking the walls of her family’s Victorian funeral home like a shroud. In investigating the mysterious deaths of her loved ones, Rowan has unearthed enough family secrets to bury everything she’d previously thought true. But each shocking discovery has only led to more bodies and more questions; the rabbit hole is deeper than she ever imagined.

  Despite settling in to a comfortable life with Police Chief Billy Brannigan, Rowan knows dangerous serial killer Julian Addington is still out there. She can’t let her guard down now. Not when she’s this close to ending his torment once and for all. But with a storm brewing on the horizon, she’ll get only one shot before the impending darkness takes hold, threatening to wipe away every truth she’s uncovered—and everything she holds dear.

  Praise for the novels of Debra Webb

  “The twists and turns in this dark, taut drama make it both creepy and compelling, multiplying the enjoyment. It’s hard-edged and emotional, ensnaring the reader in a world perfectly imagined. I bid a grand welcome to a new voice in the thriller world.”

  —New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry

  on The Longest Silence

  “Webb weaves incredible twists and turns and a mind-blowing conclusion with multiple villainous perpetrators.”

  —RT Book Reviews on The Longest Silence

  “This psychological thriller is rife with tension that begins on page one and doesn’t let up. It’s a race against the clock that had me whispering to the pair of flawed, desperate protagonists, ‘Hurry, hurry.’ A gripping read.”

  —#1 New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown

  on The Longest Silence

  “A dark, twisted game of cat and mouse! Debra Webb mines our innermost fears as a police detective takes on a serial killer with help from an unexpected ally—or is he the bigger threat? You will fly through the pages of this action-packed thriller!”

  —New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner

  on No Darker Place

  “A well-crafted and engrossing thriller. Debra Webb has crafted a fine, twisting thriller to be savored and enjoyed.”

  —New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham

  on Traceless

  “Interspersed with fine-tuned suspense…the cliffhanger conclusion will leave readers eagerly anticipating future installments.”

  —Publishers Weekly on Obsession

  Also by Debra Webb

  SHADES OF DEATH

  The Blackest Crimson (prequel)

  No Darker Place

  A Deeper Grave

  The Coldest Fear

  The Longest Silence

  THE UNDERTAKER’S DAUGHTER

  “The Undertaker’s Daughter” (novella)

  The Secrets We Bury

  The Lies We Tell

  Look for Debra Webb’s next novel,

  available soon from MIRA.

  For additional books by

  USA TODAY bestselling author Debra Webb,

  visit her website at www.debrawebb.com.

  DEBRA WEBB

  The Darkness We Hide

  This book is dedicated to Denise Zaza! A great editor and friend who has always believed in me.

  Contents

  RIP

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Before He Vanished by Debra Webb

  Excerpt from Conard County Justice by Rachel Lee

  RIP

  Burton Johnston

  May 5, 1940–March 9, 2020

  Burton Johnston was born in Winchester, Tennessee, on May 5, 1940. He was a loving husband and a respected public servant. His work with the healing of animals made him one of the most beloved citizens in all of Franklin County. He served as county coroner for four decades. Despite being nearly eighty years old, Burt worked every day. He loved his work and loved his hometown. He will be greatly missed. Burt was predeceased by his beloved wife, Mildred. He is survived by a sister, Sally Jernigan, of Tullahoma.

  The family will receive friends on Thursday, March 12, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the DuPont Funeral Home. The family has requested donations to the Franklin County Animal Shelter in lieu of flowers.

  One

  Winchester, Tennessee

  Monday, March 9, 7:35 a.m.

  Rowan DuPont parked on the southeast side of the downtown square. The county courthouse sat smack in the middle of Winchester with streets forming a grid around it. Shops, including a vintage movie theater, revitalized over the past few years by local artisans lined the sidewalks. Something Rowan loved most about her hometown were the beautiful old trees that still stood above all else. So often the trees were the first things to go when towns received a face-lift. Not in Winchester. The entire square had been refreshed and the majestic old trees still stood.

  This morning the promise of spring was impossible to miss. Blooms and leaves sprouted from every bare limb. This was her favorite time of year. A new beginning. Anything could happen.

  Rowan sighed. Funny how being back in Winchester had come to mean so much to her these past several months. As a teenager she couldn’t wait to get away from home. Growing up in a funeral home had made her different from the other kids. She was the daughter of the undertaker, a curiosity. At twelve tragedy had struck and she’d lost her twin sister and her mother within months of each other. The painful events had driven her to the very edge. By the time she finished high school, she was beyond ready for a change of scenery. Despite having spent more than twenty years living in the big city hiding from the memories of home and a dozen of those two decades working with Nashville’s Metro Police Department—in Homicide, no less—she had been forced to see that there was no running away. No hiding from the secrets of her past.

  There were too many secrets, too many lies, to be ignored.

  Yet, despite all that had happened the first eighteen years of her life, she was immensely glad to be back home.

  If only the most painful part of her time in Nashville—serial killer Julian Addington—hadn’t followed her home and wreaked havoc those first months after her return.

  Rowan took a breath and emerged from her SUV. The morning air was brisk and fresh. More glimpses of spring’s impending arrival showed in pots overflowing with tulips, daffodils and crocuses. Those same early bloomers dotted the landscape beds all around the square. It was a new year and she was very grateful to have the previous year behind her.

  She might not be able to change the past, but she could forge a different future and she intended to do exactly that.

  Closing the door, she smiled as she thought of the way Billy had winked at her as he’d left this morning. He’d settled that cowboy hat onto his handsome head, flashed that sexy smile and winked, leaving her heart flutt
ering. Four months ago he’d moved into the funeral home with her. The one-hundred-fifty-year-old three-story house didn’t feel nearly so lonely now. She and Billy had been friends most of their lives and, in truth, she had been attracted to him since she was thirteen or fourteen. But she’d never expected a romantic relationship to evolve. Billy Brannigan was a hometown hero. The chief of police and probably the most eligible bachelor in all of Franklin County. He could have his pick of any of the single women around town. Rowan hadn’t expected to be his choice.

  She had always been too work-oriented to bother with long-term relationships. Too busy for dating on a regular basis.

  Billy had made her want long-term. He made her believe anything was possible, even moving beyond her tragic past.

  The whole town was speculating on when the wedding invitations would go out. Rowan hadn’t even considered the possibility. This place where she and Billy were was comfortable. It felt good. Particularly since fate had given them a break the past four months. No trouble beyond the regular, everyday sort. No calls or notes from Julian. No unexplained bodies turning up. And no serial killers had appeared looking for Rowan.

  Life was strangely calm and oddly normal.

  She would never say as much to Billy, but it was just a little terrifying. The worry that any day, any moment, the next bad thing would happen stalked her every waking moment. Somehow she managed to keep that worry on the back burner. But it was there, waiting for an opportunity to seep into her present.

  “Not today,” she said aloud.

  Today was important. She and Burt Johnston, the county coroner, had breakfast on Monday mornings. She locked her vehicle and started for the sidewalk. The Corner Diner was a lunch staple in Winchester. Had been since the end of the Great Depression. Attorneys and judges who had court often frequented the place for lunch. Most anyone who was someone in the area could be found at the diner. More deals and gossip happened here than in the mayor’s office.

  But breakfast with the coroner wasn’t the only event that made this day so important.

  Today she intended to offer her assistant, Charlotte Kinsley, a promotion and a part-ownership in the funeral home. Since there were no more DuPonts—Rowan had no children and couldn’t say if that would ever happen—she needed to bring someone into the family business. Someone younger who could carry on the DuPont legacy.

  Rowan paused outside the diner. The iron bench that sat beneath the plate glass window was empty. Surprise furrowed her brow. Burt usually waited there for her. She surveyed the cars lining the sidewalks as far as the eye could see. No sign of Burt’s. He was never late but there was always a first time. After all, he wasn’t exactly a young man anymore.

  She sank down onto the bench, dug her cell phone from her bag and sent him a text. She was the one who generally kept him waiting and he never once complained. She certainly wasn’t going to do so. His car was a little on the vintage side as well. Maybe he had car trouble this morning. Worry gnawed at her. A dead battery or a flat tire. Surely he would have called her.

  “Morning, Rowan.”

  She glanced up, smiling automatically. Lance Kirby, one of the attorneys who was not fortunate enough to have an office on the square. The ones who had been around a lifetime held on to that highly sought-after real estate. The others, like Kirby, waited patiently for someone to retire or to die. Meanwhile they showed up for coffee in this highly visible location bright and early every morning.

  “Good morning, Lance.”

  Kirby was a couple of years older than her. He’d lived in Winchester his entire life other than the years he spent at college and law school. He was divorced and had three kids. He’d asked Rowan out to dinner on several occasions. She hoped he didn’t ask again this morning. Coming up with an excuse to turn him down was becoming tedious. Surely he was aware that she and Billy were a couple now.

  The idea startled her a little. This was the first time in her life that she was half of a couple in the truest sense of the word.

  “If you’re waiting for Burt, he’s parked around back. Every spot around the square was taken before seven this morning.” Kirby reached for the door. “People have come early hoping for a chance to get into the Winters trial. Everyone wants to hear the story on that family.”

  Rowan had been reading about the trial for weeks in the Winchester Gazette. “That explains why I had to circle around for a while before I found a spot.” She’d forgotten about the small parking area in the back alley behind the diner. “Thanks for telling me. I was worried he’d stood me up.”

  Kirby laughed. “I don’t think any man still breathing would stand you up, Rowan.”

  She glanced at her cell phone as if it had vibrated. “Oops. I have to take this.”

  The instant she set the phone to her ear, Kirby went on inside the diner, the bell over the door jingling to announce his entrance.

  Thank goodness.

  For appearances’ sake she kept the phone to her ear a half a minute, then put it away. To pass the time she counted the yellow daffodils brimming in the rock planter built around the tree at the edge of the sidewalk. Those lovely yellow flowers were coming up all around the funeral home, too. Her mother had loved gardening. Early-spring blooms were already bursting all over the yard. Maybe her mother had hoped to chase away some of the gloom associated with living in a funeral home.

  Since her father’s death, Rowan had hired a gardener. Somehow her father had managed to keep her mother’s extensive gardens alive and thriving for all those years. Rowan did not have a green thumb at all. She had killed every plant she’d ever tried to nurture. She was not going to be the one who dropped the ball on the family garden.

  She glanced up then down the sidewalk. Still no sign of Burt. With a sigh, she pushed to her feet. Maybe he was on the phone, which would explain why he hadn’t answered her text. Rather than keep waiting, she cut through the narrow side alley to the small rear parking lot. With his taillights facing the back of the diner, Burt’s white sedan was nosed up to the bank that faced North Jefferson Street.

  Rowan quickened her pace and walked up to the driver’s side of his car. Burt sat behind the steering wheel, staring out the windshield.

  For a moment Rowan waited for him to glance over and see her but he didn’t move. Whether it was the lax expression on his face or some deep-rooted instinct, she abruptly understood that he was dead.

  She tugged at the door handle. Thankfully it opened. Her heart pounding, she bent down. No matter that her brain was telling her he was already gone, she asked, “Burt, you okay?”

  Her fingers went instantly to his carotid artery.

  Nothing.

  Rowan snatched her cell from her bag and called 911. She requested an ambulance and the chief of police, then she laid the phone on the ground and reached into the car and pulled Burt from his seat. She grunted with the effort of stretching him out on the pavement. On her knees next to him, she pressed her ear to his chest. No heartbeat. She held her cheek close to his lips. No breath.

  Rowan started CPR.

  The voice from the speaker of her cell phone confirmed that the ambulance was en route. She informed the dispatcher that she’d started CPR.

  Rowan continued the compressions, her eyes burning with emotion. Burt was her friend. She had been gone from Winchester for a very long time and he had made her feel as if she’d never left. She did not want him to die. Other than Billy, he was the person she felt closest to.

  The voice of logic reminded her that Burt was just two months shy of his eightieth birthday.

  She ignored the voice and focused on the chest compressions. “Come on, Burt. Don’t you die on me.”

  Facial color was still good. Skin was still warm. He couldn’t have been in this condition for long. Hope attempted to make an appearance. But it was short-lived. Even a few minutes could be too many.

  Da
mn it!

  The approaching sirens drove home the realization that this was all too real.

  The paramedics hurried across the parking lot and took over her frantic efforts. Rowan pushed to her feet and backed away, her muscles feeling suddenly weak.

  “Hey.”

  She looked up and Billy’s arms were suddenly around her. She leaned against his shoulder and fought the urge to weep.

  Burt didn’t respond to the efforts of the paramedics. Dr. Harold Schneider, a local physician who had attended the university with Burt, came to the scene and pronounced his old friend dead.

  By the time the ambulance and Schneider were gone, Rowan felt drained. This was not the way she had expected this day to go. This was supposed to be a good day.

  “I’ll have one of my officers take Burt’s car home,” Billy said. He reached into the driver’s side floorboard and retrieved Burt’s cell phone. As he did, the screen lit. “Looks like he was typing a text for you.” Billy glanced at Rowan.

  She moved in next to him and looked at the screen. At the top was the text she had sent to him. He hadn’t opened it. Behind that was the text box into which he had been typing. She read the words.

  I found something you need to see.

  Rowan frowned. “Why didn’t he just call or...?”

  Her words trailed off. Because he had died before he had the chance to finish.

  “Maybe he planned on talking to you over breakfast,” Billy offered. “He may have recognized that he was having a heart attack and tried to send you a message.”

  Rowan shook her head. “If you think you’re having a heart attack, why not call 911? Why waste precious seconds sending a text about something unrelated to your potentially impending demise?”

  It didn’t make sense. Burt dealt with death all the time. He was too smart to do something so foolish.

  “Can I keep his phone for a while?” She looked to Billy. “I’d like to go through his calls and messages just to be sure there isn’t something else in there I need to know about. I’ll be sure to get it to his sister when I’m finished.”