Jack shared a stunned look with his aunt. Confusion lined her features, then her face relaxed. Acceptance.
Aunt Nadine nodded. “I hadn’t wanted to admit I had a problem. I was too scared. Admitting there was something wrong with me . . .” Her eyes teared up. “Well, now I don’t have to be scared. You’ve made my day, doctor, I mean, Carol.”
Carol nodded and smiled.
Aunt Nadine returned the smile, unshed tears shimmering in her eyes. “I’m feeling better already.”
Carol patted Aunt Nadine’s hand. “As you should. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other patients. We’ll keep you one more day, dear, to make sure you tolerate this new medication.”
Carol said her goodbyes and exited. Jack followed her out. “You mean to tell me that her medication has been causing her memory issues?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t discuss a patient’s private health information. HIPAA and all that.”
“She raised me, I’m family, and she’s signed the appropriate documents, so you could speak to me.”
Carol skimmed through the paperwork and appeared to make a decision.
“Well, I’m not telling you more than I said in the room. Yes, in some patients—especially older patients—we’ve seen a strong correlation between symptoms of dementia and this particular medication. It’s true of low vitamin B levels as well. We’ll do what we can and hope for a positive outcome.”
Jack swiped a hand down his face. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “This whole time . . . Doctor, I gave up my job to come be with her. I wanted to make sure she’s all right.”
Carol studied him. “You sound like a nice young gentleman who cares deeply about her. I hope you’ll consider sticking around, even if her memory improves.”
He nodded as he watched Dr. Carol Presser head down the hallway and enter a room four doors away.
Jack stood alone in the hallway, soaking in the news. Aunt Nadine was going to be all right. Part of him wanted to be angry at the medication for wreaking such havoc on their lives. Jack realized that even if he hadn’t been shot, even if he hadn’t failed Sarah, he would be back in Montana and, yes, probably working for the Grayback County Sheriff’s offices.
And he realized that if he weren’t Detective Tanner, then he wouldn’t have run into Terra again. Was Providence throwing them together? Were they meant to be? Was this their second chance? He didn’t know.
“A penny for your thoughts.” Terra spoke from behind.
He turned and tried to absorb her lovely smile and the look in her eyes that reflected her compassionate heart. Jack didn’t mind her gorgeous hair, striking eyes, and rosy cheeks either. But who was looking? He grinned to himself. He thought he might actually measure up this time, at least in his own mind, but would she feel the same way? Was he the man for her?
“How is everyone?” he asked.
“Gramps is getting released this morning. Dad is recovering. He’ll be here a couple more days. He could have died. I still can’t believe any of it. Part of me wants to be angry at him. I was so hurt that he left. I carried around with me the memory of that conversation I overheard—Gramps telling Dad not to leave. I rushed to him and begged him not to go. I understand now that he thought it was the only way to keep me safe. But as a kid, how could I have understood any of it? People, those I loved, left me. Dad chose to leave me. But I can’t waste time being hurt and angry now that I have him back.”
Jack had experienced a similar situation when he let Robert’s conversation he’d overheard get to him. Those words had changed his future, had torn him away from her when he made the decision to love Terra by leaving her. What he’d done was not too different from what her father had pulled—and both men had crushed her more with their actions than either of them could ever have known.
Jack wanted to tell her about overhearing Robert’s claim that Jack didn’t come from good stock, but he kept it to himself. Sharing that would only hurt her more. No need to open old wounds. There was enough pain to go around at the moment.
And the way she looked at him now, Jack had no doubt he had nothing to be ashamed of—even if he hadn’t learned his father was a hero and he did, in fact, come from good stock. What Terra alone thought of him meant more than anything else.
“They don’t think your dad’s a flight risk, do they?” he asked. “I mean, he fled the hospital before.”
“He’s cooperating fully. Sharing everything he knows about Tony Gray, who became Marcus Briggs.”
Poor Ruby. When would the news of her son’s activities and ultimate demise be shared with the family?
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “Dad could be in trouble for the crimes he committed back then. I’m not condoning his actions, but he’s already paid a high price for his mistake. Are you going to charge him for punching Sarnes?”
“That’s out of my hands. But, Terra, in the end he was a hero. He saved the day. And I made sure to emphasize that in my statement.”
“You weren’t there.”
“Doesn’t matter. He came to save you and to negotiate.”
“He’s not perfect. He messed up, but at least he’s home.” She sniffled and wiped her nose, staring at the floor as if disturbed all over again. “I haven’t told him that someone vandalized the Rocky Mountain Courage Memorial. Oh, wait, he left before that was even built.”
Coming to grips with all that had happened would take time. In the meantime, Jack needed to redirect Terra’s focus to something else she could take joy in.
“Hey.” He lifted her chin.
“I want you to see something.” Jack took her hand and led her in to see Aunt Nadine. He shared what the doctor had said.
“Oh, that’s wonderful, Nadine.” Terra moved closer to the bed, leaned in, and hugged his aunt. She released her and stood back. “I couldn’t be happier.” Terra ran a finger under both eyes.
“Tomorrow,” Jack said to his aunt, “when I come to pick you up, I have a big surprise for you.”
The next day, Jack and Terra sat at Aunt Nadine’s kitchen table. Aunt Nadine hummed in the kitchen, insisting on making them sandwiches. She appeared to be feeling better than she had in a long time.
Jack winked at Terra.
Freckles was in the backyard with Dusty and Tux and started barking at the sliding glass door.
“Shush, Freckles,” Aunt Nadine said.
The doorbell rang. Right on time. “I’ll get it,” Jack said.
He opened the door, and Ruby stood on the porch with her grandson, Ferris. Jack couldn’t help the smile that split his face. He opened the door wide and let the two in.
Aunt Nadine glanced up at the visitors, a smile and a confused expression sharing space on her face. Freckles barked and jumped at the sliding glass door in the back.
“What on earth, Freckles?” Aunt Nadine opened the door, and the dog raced through the house and into Ferris’s arms.
Freckles wiggled and barked and licked. Ferris laughed. “I’m here, boy. That’s a good boy. It’s okay, Max. I’m here.”
“What?” Terra’s smile was beautiful. Aunt Nadine and Ruby smiled and laughed at Freckles’s reunion with his boy.
“I’m just trying to tie up all the loose ends. Solve all the mysteries, as it were. I spotted Freckles in a picture at Ruby’s home when Nathan and I questioned her.”
Aunt Nadine and Ruby followed Ferris and Freckles/Max into the backyard.
Terra smiled up at him. “You’re really amazing, you know that? Got any more loose ends to tie up?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” He pulled her close and pressed his nose against hers. “I’ve been trying to solve the mystery of you and me for as long as I’ve known you.”
She sucked in a breath. “You once told me that you loved me enough to let me go, so I think solving that will depend on your answer to my question.”
Jack’s heart beat erratically. “What’s that?”
“Do you love me enough
this time to stay, Jack?”
That was easy. “I love you, Terra. I always have, and I’m sorry I walked away before. I can’t lose you again, and I hope you feel the same way.”
Jack kissed her, just in case she was having any doubts about how she felt about him. He kissed her until she was breathless.
Her hands pressed gently against his chest, and she eased away from him. “Jack, your aunt. This isn’t the place.”
“There’s no better place. No better time. I want you with me forever. I need to know how you feel.”
Terra seemed taken aback by his words. A measure of fear spiked through him.
“I love you.” Terra’s voice shook. “And . . . even though loving can be risky, I’m willing to risk that with you.”
“And the forever part? How do you feel about that?”
“Is that a proposal?”
He tugged a small box from his pocket and popped it open. “I had a different plan in mind, but I’m done wasting time. I . . . I bought this before.”
“And you’ve kept it all this time?” Her bright blue eyes shimmered as she stared at the diamond.
“I could never let go of hope, even though it seemed like a distant dream for so long.”
She let him slip the ring on her finger.
“Mystery solved,” he whispered against her lips.
ONE
PUGET SOUND
For a few hours every Saturday morning, Erin Larson could forget that evil existed.
And usually, only on the water.
She dipped the double-bladed paddle into the sea, then again on the other side—left, right, left, right, left, right—alternating strokes in a fluid motion to propel her kayak across the blue depths of Possession Sound. Her friend Carissa Edwards paddled close behind.
Left, right. Left, right. Left, right.
On the water she was close to nature and far from the chaos and noise of the city even though she and Carissa paddled along the shoreline and could see the cityscape in the distance. The quiet calmed her mind and heart. The rhythmic paddling mesmerized her. The exertion exhilarated her. Cleansed her of the stress and anxiety acquired after a week of forced labor.
Okay, that wasn’t fair. Her suffering certainly wasn’t physical in nature.
Water. Mountains. Sky. She took in the sights and once again . . . forgot.
Beautiful snowcapped Mount Baker—the Great White Watcher—loomed large in the distance to the east.
Left, right. Left, right. Left, right.
The slosh of paddles along with the small waves lapping against her boat soothed her and were the only sounds except for seagulls laughing above her—ha, ha, ha.
To the west, the impressive Olympic Mountains begged for attention. Erin couldn’t wait for Mom to join her out here, when she finally convinced her mother to move.
A salty ocean breeze wafted over her as peace and beauty surrounded her.
She couldn’t ask for more.
She shouldn’t ask for more.
But God . . . I need answers.
Carissa caught up with Erin and paddled next to her kayak. “Thanks for coming with me today. I needed this.”
“The exercise or the scenery?” Erin had just broken a sweat despite the early morning cool.
“How about a little of both. And the company makes all the difference, I’m not going to lie.”
“Yeah,” Erin answered with reluctance. She and Carissa had an understanding between them. On their kayaking excursions, peace and quiet would reign.
“By the way, I listened to your podcast last night,” Carissa said.
Maybe she’d forgotten their unspoken pact.
“Oh?”
Erin wanted to know Carissa’s thoughts, but at the same time, she didn’t want to hear the criticism. Nor would she trust any praise.
“Why keep it anonymous?”
“It could get complicated.”
Carissa’s laugh echoed across the water. “In my case, I’d probably want the dean of the college and my students to know, but then again, I wouldn’t be talking about crime or missing people. I’d be talking about history. So, what took you so long to tell me?”
Erin lifted a shoulder, opting for silence. Maybe it would be contagious.
Now she wished she hadn’t told Carissa, but letting her friend in on her secret was a step toward opening up. She kept too much hidden inside. Erin had never been good at letting others in, though as a psychologist her job was all about learning what made people tick on the inside.
Erin breathed in fresh air, listened to the mesmerizing ripple of water, felt the warm sun against her cheeks, and chased away thoughts of crime and work.
“Cold cases . . . do they ever get solved?” Carissa asked.
Left, right. Left, right. Left, right. “Some do.” Few.
“Why do you do it?”
“I need a hobby, I guess.” Erin couldn’t begin to explain the complex events that drove her to talk about missing person cold cases in hopes that answers could still be found.
“I’ve been thinking.” Carissa’s kayak inched ahead.
Erin remained silent.
“We do this every Saturday,” Carissa continued.
Left, right. Left, right. Left, right.
“It’s been a lifesaver,” Erin said. “Thanks for inviting me along.” After a week of working for the State of Washington, the endless hours spent researching and writing reports for forensic evaluations, she needed the break. The job wasn’t what she had dreamed about when she’d become a criminal psychologist. Still, she hoped it was a means to an end. In the meantime, she’d started the cold case crime podcast.
“How about we switch it up? Go hiking. Mountain trails and lush forests all around us.”
“This is close. We don’t have to drive far. Plus, I really love the water.” And have an aversion to dense forests. Carissa didn’t need to know that as a psychologist, Erin was a walking oxymoron.
“I thought you might enjoy a change.”
“No, I’m good with this.” Erin’s shoulders and biceps started burning. She was relieved they would soon turn around and head back.
“I hope you’ll think about it. I’d love for you to join me next weekend. I’m hiking in Mount Baker National Forest, and I’m inviting you to join the group.”
“What? You’re ditching me to go hiking?”
“Um . . . Is it just me, or is that boat heading directly for us?” Panic edged Carissa’s voice.
Erin glanced over her shoulder in the direction of Carissa’s wide-eyed stare. A thirty-foot cruiser sped toward them. She and Carissa had strayed a bit from the shoreline. Regardless, that boat shouldn’t be approaching them in this area or at that speed.
“Hurry.” Erin quickened her pace. “We can get out of its path.”
“We won’t make it.” Carissa stopped and raised her paddle, waving to get the boater’s attention. “Hey, watch where you’re going! Kayakers on the water!”
Arms straining, Erin paddled faster and propelled the kayak forward. Her friend hadn’t kept up. “Carissa, let’s go! Just angle out of the path.”
Carissa renewed her efforts and joined Erin. Together they paddled toward the shoreline that had seemed so much closer moments before.
Carissa screamed. Heart pounding, Erin glanced over her shoulder. The boat had changed course and was once again headed straight for them.
Fear stole her breath. “Jump! Get out of the boat and dive!”
It was all she could think to do.
“Now, now, now!” She sucked in a breath and leaned forward to flip the kayak until she was upside down in the water for a wet exit. Holding her breath, she found the grab loop and peeled off the skirt. Then she gripped the sides and pushed the kayak away from her body as she slid out. Instead of heading for the surface, she kicked and dove deeper. She was grateful she wore a manually inflatable life vest or it would drag her back to the surface, which was normally a good thing.
But
today that could get her killed.
She pushed deeper, deeper, deeper . . . away from the surface.
We’re going to make it.
Erin twisted around to glance upward. The water was murky and visibility was only about ten feet, but she could still see that her friend struggled to get free of her kayak. Terror stabbed through her. Erin swam back to Carissa to help her, even as the boat raced toward the kayaks and was almost on them.
Her eyes wide, Carissa pushed forward, freeing herself.
The hull of the boat sped right over the top of the kayaks, breaking Carissa’s in half—the stern of her broken kayak propelled toward Carissa. Her head jerked forward.
All the bubbles of air burst from her lungs, then her form floated—unmoving. Unconscious? Or was she lifeless?
Her pulse thundering in her ears, Erin swam toward Carissa, grabbed her, and inflated their life vests. Erin gasped for breath as she held Carissa. The water remained disturbed from the speeding boat’s wake and crashed over them.
Erin confirmed what she already feared. Carissa wasn’t breathing. Adrenaline surged through her. She had to keep moving. Holding on to Carissa, Erin started swimming them back to shore.
She spotted the errant boat making a big circle.
Coming back? Had someone lost control? She had to make it to shore to give Carissa CPR. And maybe even to save them both.
Stay calm. Panic wouldn’t help either of them. The water was cold, but not so cold she needed to worry about hypothermia. At least not yet. The whir of a boat from her left drew her attention around, kicking up her already rapid heartbeat. Taking in the slowly approaching trawler—a far different boat than the speeding cruiser—relief eased the tension in her shoulders. Three men and a couple of women waved.
The silver-haired man in a Seahawks cap shouted. “Do you need help?”
“Yes! Hurry!”
The boat edged slowly toward her, and she swam to meet it. The men reached down and pulled Carissa up into the boat.
Erin used the ladder on the side. “She needs CPR. She’s not breathing!”
When she hopped onto the deck, one of the men had started administering CPR.
A redheaded woman wrapped a blanket around Erin. “Oh, honey, are you okay?”
Present Danger Page 31
