Lora gave him a questioning look but didn't argue. Nate put an arm around her shoulders and led her to his car.
Trent walked towards the crowd. He focused his gaze on the same red haired reporter who'd followed him to Nate's house what seemed like a lifetime ago. He kept walking until he was standing directly in front of her.
“Two minutes,” he said.
The reporter’s face registered surprise for about a second, then she recovered her camera-ready composure, ready to fire her questions at him.
“Did you kill Simon Hewett?” she asked, shoving the microphone in his face.
“No. I did not,” Trent answered, as her cameraman moved in for a close up.
“Is Caroline Newberry dead?”
“I cannot comment on that. The police will release their official statements soon.”
“Did Simon or Caroline hurt your niece?”
“She's fine and on her way home with her family.”
“And what about you and Detective Tatum?” the reporter asked.
Trent raised an eyebrow and grinned. “What about us?”
“Are you together?”
“Sorry, your two minutes are up.” He turned with a wink and walked towards Nate’s car, a smile on his face.
Lora leaned against Trent's shoulder in the backseat of Nate's car. After dropping his wife and girls off at home, Nate pulled into Caroline's driveway and parked next to Trent's truck. Lora and Trent slowly got out of the backseat as Nate exited the front. Nate gave them both a big bear hug, then got back in his car. He leaned his head out the window. “So, we'll see you guys on Sunday, then.”
Lora and Trent nodded and watched him drive off.
Once in the truck, Trent remained quiet, his fingers gripping the steering wheel as he put the truck in drive. Exhaustion combined with the heat from the car's vents made Lora's eyes heavy. She leaned her head back and watched the trees rush by outside her window. It was soon clear they were heading further outside the city.
She sat up straighter and turned to Trent. He looked exhausted but determined.
“I want you to come somewhere with me,” he said, glancing at her, then focusing back on the road ahead of them. “There's one more thing I need to do.”
“Okay.” She could tell be the intense look in his eyes and the set of his jaw that it was somewhere important but he didn't want to explain just yet.
She reached over and took his hand as they drove in silence. She didn’t move as he parked the truck and they both sat staring straight ahead through the windshield.
She could see the river winding through the trees a few hundred feet in the distance and she shivered.
“I never came back here. I couldn't. The guilt was too much.”
Lora gripped his hand tighter.
Minutes passed in silence as they both looked ahead at the water.
Finally, Trent looked down and took a deep breath. He gave her a tight smile, then opened the door, pausing for a moment before taking that first step.
She opened her own door and stood, one hand braced on the side of the truck. She ached to be there with him, but he needed to face this by himself, so she hung back and let him go on alone. Towards the water.
Trent forced himself to walk forwards, to where it all began. He knelt down at the edge of the water and placed one hand half in the cold water, half buried in the dark mud. He clenched his jaw. “I'm sorry I couldn't save you Eddie. I'm sorry I couldn't save your mom. But I’m going to try and save myself.” He paused and looked out over the slow moving water that looked so calm on the surface. “I hope you're happy, wherever you are,” he whispered.
It took a huge effort for him to stand up. He exhaled and pushed his left hand down hard into the ground as he jerked himself to his feet. He felt lightheaded and exhaustion threatened to drop him back to the ground. But when he turned and saw Lora waiting for him, leaning against the side of his truck, her beautiful face so full of compassion and love, he felt the last weight of the water that was crushing him lift.
For the first time in a very long while, his legs and heart were steady as they carried him towards her.
Trent woke up the next morning and groaned as he turned his head to look at the alarm clock. It was after ten a.m. His left shoulder throbbed. The majority of his body ached from the fight with Simon. He was sure he'd find plenty of bumps and bruises when he finally managed to get his ass out of bed.
Then Lora sighed softly beside him and turning back towards her warm body, the aches and pains didn't disappear, but they did lessen considerably.
“I love you,” he whispered, as he gently caressed her face, smoothing her hair back.
“Love you,” she said sleepily and snuggled closer.
Lora handed him the front page of the paper later that morning as soon as he sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. He raised his eyebrows then read the headline.
Drowning Man Finally Gives Interview
“You know, they’ll probably leave you alone now that you’ve given them what they wanted,” she said.
“I didn’t give them everything they wanted.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I think they already have that part figure out.”
“Oh? What part is that?” He wanted to hear her say the words.
She cocked her head and tried to glare at him.
He stared right back at her.
She sighed in surrender. “That we’re together.”
“Say it again.”
She smiled. “We’re together.”
“Damn right we are,” he said, claiming her lips.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
The Drowning Man Page 23