Shadow Dancer (The Shadow Series Book 1)
Page 27
DiNolfo was frequently reminded of the first time she heard the name Ernest Finkle. A particularly brutal case from her days in Pittsburgh. A triple homicide at an apartment in downtown Pittsburgh that was leased to an Allison Finkle, a med student from Dayton, Ohio, who was studying at the University of Pittsburgh. She recalled going out to the residence after a report of a disturbance came in and she found three bodies all strangled. They were identified as Allison Finkle, age twenty-two, her father Ernest Finkle, age fifty-nine, and his girl friend, Patrice Daly, fifty-six. They were never able to find the killer, but DiNolfo now had a pretty good hunch as to who did it. Ernest Finkle’s stepson, Bernard.
As for Kendricks, his obsession for Catherine was rekindled when he saw Tristan in his class day after day. The search of his apartment hadn’t produced much; Catherine had only sent him two pieces of correspondence. One asking him to leave her alone, and another, a sympathy card for when his grandmother passed away. He mistook her kindness for something else, and when she rejected him, it was more than he could bear. Then when Tristan showed up in his classroom, his guilt was overwhelming, causing his delusions to run rampant. Tristan is lucky she survived his reign of madness.
With all that she had accomplished in her professional life, she couldn’t help but beam. She felt that she had finally restored some sense of decency to the police image in Elkhart. It wasn’t easy, but she decided that it was worth it. The town was safe, and other than the random teenage punks drinking in Healer Park, she didn’t have too much to worry about. Besides, she had a couple of new cadets that would be coming in in the next few days, and she had to whip them into shape. Liam and Adam didn’t know what they had coming. Meanwhile on the personal front, Joe had asked DiNolfo out on another date, and she agreed, but only if it was someplace nicer than the Rusty Nail.
In the Morrow household, things had started to go back to normal. While Adam and Liam had their time tied into the police academy over in Danville, Tommy, Blake and Shane were being kept busy at the farm. Between school work, tending to the horses, and keeping the livestock fed, they barely had enough time to get in trouble, which was exactly how Jack and Frank had wanted it. Tristan on most days could either be found in the stables with the horses, or on the third floor, enjoying the new space. Jack had come to peace with Tristan’s relationship with Cole, for the most part. He even agreed to let Cole take her to the winter formal. Tommy, Shane, and Blake are still trying to find dates.
The third floor no longer felt strange, haunted. Tristan could breathe easy up there. She didn’t feel the need to look over her shoulder. She felt safe. For the first time in a long time she could close her eyes and not see him.
Jack watched from his porch chair as his daughter rode off into landscape on top of her horse, her brothers riding beside her. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief. The threat had been removed, his family was alive and well, and they were stronger as a whole for having gone through the terrible experience together. At long last he could close his eyes at night.
Epilogue
She had never really left at all. She lived on in memories, in my father’s heart, and in Bernard Kendricks’ delusions. She lingered, trapped by an untold truth, stumbling somewhere between this world and the next. As the red dusk sky emerged over the dense treescape of Cavegat Forest, the Shadows of Morrow dispersed into the brisk autumn air, whispering into the heavens and o’er the trees. The raven, worn and withered with age, took flight, leaving Fox Hollow behind. Spreading its wings, it soared to the heavens, allowing the wind to flow down its back and through its wings, carrying it off into the distance. The raven didn’t have to carry her secrets anymore. The shadow that had been cast over the Morrows and their land had been lifted. Like a breeze flowing o’er the earth, a weight rising off the shoulders of the people who lived there. The memory of her had permeated the wood, and everything else that resided at Morrow Manor. But no more. While the memory of her remained, it no longer weighed down their heads, or poisoned their minds, or fractured their hearts. She was now nothing more than a gentle breeze, floating within and casting into oblivion.
Acknowledgments
The making of Shadow Dancer spans over ten years. It was re-written and edited countless times. There are many people whom I need to thank.
My husband, Edwin- For your unrelenting support, I cannot thank you enough. For being Jack Morrow and Frank Kilpatrick’s biggest fan… And for tolerating my long hours at the computer. Thank you!
My sons- You remind me that everyday is an adventure. Thank you for awakening my inner adventurer.
My mother- Thank you for being one of my first readers and for teaching me what being a strong woman truly means.
Mamo- Thank you for cultivating my love of the written word and for being my first and oldest friend.
My father, Robert- For giving me my Germanic work ethic and showing me that anything worth having is worth working for and earning yourself.
My sister, Leigh- Thank you for your brilliant Raven artwork, countless hours of beta reading and being one of Tristan’s first fans.
My brother Austin- For all the laughs.
My PA Tessa- Words cannot express what your help and dedication mean to me. I could not ask for a better assistant.
Lauren Holmes- You know my characters almost as well as me, and you love them even more. No words… Thank you for being you.
My Street Team- All of you. Thank you for believing in me.
My Beta Team- Your feedback has been instrumental. I cannot thank you enough.
The Bloggers- I cannot get the word out without you. Your help has been pivotal. Thank you so much for believing in my novel!
The Readers- I do this for you. Your support is overwhelming and I’m blessed to have such an amazing base of readers.