The Knowing (Partners In Crime Book 1)

by Hanna Noble

  “It’s the best we can do for now,” Owen said. “We can’t mention Megan Collins, the Phantom or Naomi just yet.”

  “Naomi, you have to go. Now.” Cole could hear the sounds of sirens getting closer. “Are you ok to drive?”

  He wasn’t convinced by her nod, but they didn’t have any other options.

  “Go to my place,” Owen said, tossing Naomi his keys. “Take my car. Hurry.”

  Cole took Naomi’s hand and led her to the front door. He hugged her fiercely, hating that he had to let her go, alone. The last thing he wanted to do was watch her drive off.

  “I’m fine. I’ll get Michelle to stay with me. You’ll call me when you can?”

  Cole dropped a soft kiss on her cheek. There was so much he wanted to say. “Yes. It will take a few hours. Naomi, I—”

  “I know. We’ll talk later.” She pulled open the front door and walked down the front steps toward Owen’s car. Cole watched as she pulled out and drove away, missing the oncoming patrol cars by mere minutes. He breathed a sigh of relief, and, preparing himself, went to go meet the first officers on the scene.

  A man he had once considered a friend lay dead. A murder case was now solved, and Lily’s death had been avenged. The woman he loved was safe.

  A hell of a lot of events to cram into one day. Despite the emotional chaos, there was one thing that was crystal clear: the Phantom’s reign of terror was over.

  Epilogue

  “We’ve found Lily’s killer. What do we do now?”

  Naomi’s question cut through the silence of Cole’s dining room, where the four of them had convened to discuss the events that had taken place a few short days earlier. Seated at the dining room table that had served as their headquarters, she watched as Cole, Owen, and Leah exchanged weary looks, the kind that only those who had survived a shared trauma could understand.

  There was a tension in the room that she could feel, undercurrents of hurt and doubt and guilt emanating from all of them; Naomi didn’t know how to even begin to untangle the knot of emotions. So much had happened, so much had changed.

  She wondered if they would be able to weather this latest storm. The past few days had been a flurry of official debriefings and press as the city struggled to understand how one of its most prominent businessmen could murder Lily Martin. Naomi didn’t want to think about their reaction once they discovered that Eli was also the Phantom.

  “We continue to investigate Megan’s murder,” Leah said, her eyes fixed on the table in front of her. “We know Risso crossed paths with Megan before she was killed. We know Megan was investigating the Sugar Daddy website, and got linked to a ‘Mr. G’ and that she was being financed by Greylock. The big question is why she was killed, and who tried to pass it off as the ... Phantom.” She finished after a long pause, and Naomi knew the other woman was struggling to reconcile her brother’s identity with that of the vicious predator who had terrorized the city.

  “Owen and I have recovered the trophies belonging to the other victims,” Cole said. “For now, it’s logged as evidence under Eli’s case. We can use that to prove that Randall isn’t the Phantom when we’re ready. For now, we keep it quiet. We still don’t know how far up the chain this goes, and I’d like to firm up Leah’s theory about Randall’s gambling debts and his ties to the Marcus family. Not to mention find solid proof that Risso tampered with this case.” He looked over at Naomi with a serious look on his face. “We still have a lot of work to do. Are you willing to continue helping us investigate this?”

  Naomi took her time answering; she’d given this very question a lot of thought. The one small silver lining was that her identity had remained hidden. Thankfully, no one knew she was in Boston. “We owe it to Megan Collins to bring her real killer to justice,” she said, looking around the table. “Besides, I haven’t cleared my name. There’s more work to be done.” San Diego would still be there when she was ready.

  Cole’s hand covered hers, a warm and reassuring weight reminding her that, unlike the previous eight months, she wasn’t alone this time. “We’ll figure it out.”

  “It’s going to get messy,” Owen warned, running a hand through his hair. “All the suspects involved in this are high-profile individuals. We’re talking about Brad Khan and the Marcus family. Not to mention corruption that could include someone on the force.” Owen took a deep breath. “These aren’t the kind of people who’ll sit back and do nothing while we poke our noses in their business.”

  “Risso won’t get away with this,” Naomi said, somber. “We’ve made good progress. We did what we set out to do: we found Lily’s killer and got the Phantom off the streets. The city might not know the truth about me yet, but you all know I’m not a liar. It’s start.” She straightened her shoulders. “We’ve come this far, we have to finish.”

  Cole’s hand squeezed hers, and Naomi marveled at the gift she’d been given: a man who saw her abilities and stood by her without question. She was more determined than ever to find out the truth behind Megan’s death.

  Naomi didn’t need any special gifts to sense the guilt pulsing in the room. They all carried it. Cole blamed himself for leaving her to go to the party, Leah blamed herself for not realizing her brother’s true nature, and Owen felt guilty that his friend had been put in harm’s way. Once again, they found themselves battered and bruised, their lives turned upside down. They’d caught a killer, but hadn’t come out unscathed.

  Naomi glanced at Leah, who clenched her teeth but remained silent. She didn’t know how to dispel the suddenly suffocating sadness that blanketed the room. She’d thought coping with Shauna’s death had been bad, but this, this was something far more complicated. She had no idea how to even begin fixing it.

  “How are you doing?” Naomi asked Leah, hoping the woman would meet her eyes. She did, for a brief moment, long enough for Naomi to see the regret and self-recrimination in their depths.

  “I’m fine,” Leah responded, but her voice was flat, toneless. “The Internal Affairs inquiry wrapped up today, so I need to complete the mandatory counseling sessions before I return to active duty.”

  “You’ll be back in no time,” Cole said, his voice encouraging. “It’s not the same without you.”

  Leah was definitely not fine, Naomi thought, watching the way the other woman clutched the mug of coffee in front of her. She was hurting so badly, and Naomi hurt for her.

  Leah was a cop, as much a protector as Owen and Cole. The knowledge that she had failed to spot the predator in their midst and had been an unwitting accomplice, must have been a devastating blow.

  “Leah.” Owen’s voice was quiet, but strained. “Why aren’t you looking at me?”

  “What are you talking about?” Leah glanced over for a brief second before dropping her gaze.

  “You’re avoiding me,” Owen replied. “You don’t return my calls or texts. You won’t look at me.” He leaned over the table. “Look at me, dammit.”

  “I can’t!” Leah’s cry startled Naomi, and once again the room went quiet. “I pushed to set up your sister with my brother,” she said, voice breaking. “He would have ...” She stood up. “I have to go, I have an appointment.” She looked down at Cole. “Let’s figure out the next steps in Megan’s case later.” She hurried out of the dining room.

  “Leah, wait.” Owen stood and went after her. Naomi heard the front door open and close. She looked at Cole, seeing the same worry she felt reflected in his eyes.

  “Will they be ok?”

  Cole sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know,” he said. “Leah blames herself, and Owen’s been keeping everything that happened bottled up.” He shrugged. “We still don’t know what’s going on with Megan Collins, and it’s going to take a while to fully process what happened with Eli. For all of us.”

  To have such a monster lurking behind the mask of a friend was horrifying and unthinkable. Naomi knew Cole was struggling with that knowledge as much as Leah and Owen were.


  “You couldn’t have known,” she said, her voice soft. “He hid his trail so well.”

  “He was right there all along.” Cole rubbed the back of his neck. “And he used his relationship with us to compromise the case last time ...” he trailed off. “I still can’t believe it.”

  “She’s going to need us,” Naomi murmured as the Knowing whispered through her. “Leah is headed down a path and if we don’t help her ...” She tilted her head trying to identify what she was feeling.

  Darkness, she realized.

  She was feeling a wealth of darkness that was pulling at the other woman, crushing her under a tide of regret, anger, loss, guilt, and a deep, heart-severing grief.

  “We won’t lose her,” Cole said, clenching his jaw. “She’s got us now, and Owen, though I hope she’ll see that.”

  “There was so much potential between them,” Naomi murmured, stricken at the thought of her friends missing a chance at happiness, too lost in past mistakes to take advantage of what was right in front of them.

  “What?” she asked when Cole looked at her in surprise.

  “You noticed that? The thing between them?”

  “Not a thing.” She struggled to put what she had sensed into words. “More like the potential for a thing. A pre-thing.”

  “A pre-thing.” Cole’s face lit up. “I like it.”

  She smiled, happy to hear his laugh; it seemed like the first one in days. “I guess only time will tell.”

  He leaned over and gave her a kiss. “Thanks.”

  “For what?” She leaned back, surprised.

  “For being here.” His expression was tender. “For being you.”

  This was a man who she could trust. A man she could count on to keep her secrets. She smiled.

  “I love you, Cole.”

  “Finally.”

  Her heart swelled at his delighted grin, his lips capturing hers for a kiss. She had been so frightened about letting down her guard, about opening her heart again, but the truth was the love she felt anchored her, gave her something steady to hold on to when it seemed like everything else was spinning out of control.

  “I love you too, Naomi.”

  She didn’t know what the future would bring, didn’t know what they would learn about Megan’s death or how working with Cole would affect their relationship. But she did know that she wasn’t alone anymore.

  She had weathered the cost of the Knowing and had come out the other side stronger than before. She wasn’t afraid of what she would see, wasn’t afraid to open herself and explore her abilities.

  She smiled as he nuzzled her neck, tangling her fingers through his hair. She’d found what she was looking for. It made her smile: she’d spent the last eight months struggling to find her place, and it was here all along.

  She was home.

  When Cole leaned back, Naomi reached a hand and picked up one of Megan’s case files off the table. “Time to identify Mr. G.,” she announced, her eyes bright with determination. “Let’s get to work.”

  <<<<>>>>

  Follow Naomi, Cole, Owen, and Leah as they work to uncover the city’s corruption in the next installment of the Knowing Series.

  About the Author

  Hanna Noble is a paranormal and romantic suspense author who lives in France with her husband and dog, Pixel. If a book doesn’t include romance, murder, and super-powers, she’s generally not into it.

  Follow Hanna at www.hannanoble.com for sneak peeks and updates.