If She Fled

by Blake Pierce

  How long can I keep up with this pace? she wondered.

  Despite the soreness in her head and the memory of DeMarco taking down Insbrook as he towered above her, she was surprised to find that the answer came easily.

  She’d stick with it for as long as she could.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  Kate tried to tell herself that it was silly to be so nervous about having lunch with her daughter, but the nerves remained. She checked her watch and saw that it was 12:05, an entire five minutes past the time they were supposed to meet. Kate did her best to remind herself that Melissa was perpetually late and the five minutes meant nothing.

  She supposed she was so nervous because the talk she planned to have with Melissa was one she should have had years ago—probably before Melissa had been married. But Kate knew she had never been the most insightful parent. Hell, she’d put off the birds and the bees speech so long that Michael, her late husband, had ended up having it with her…and that had been only after they’d discovered Melissa had been having sex at the age of fifteen.

  Sometimes it was hard to even imagine Melissa as a fifteen-year-old. It felt like looking through some dark glass at a scene on the other side. The shapes were certainly there but they were murky and far away.

  It was 12:07 when Melissa finally came through the door of the little delicatessen Kate had chosen. There weren’t many tables in the place, so Melissa spotted her right away and joined her. It was the first time Melissa had seen her mother since Kate had gotten back to Richmond from the Frankfield case. Spotting the bruise on the side of her mother’s face, Melissa cringed.

  “Some warning might have been due here,” Melissa said. “Jesus, Mom, what happened?”

  “What happened is that I stopped a serial killer.”

  “Just how serial are we talking?”

  Part of her wanted to give the number—to show her daughter that the bruise on the side of her head and the shitty attitude she’d had last week had all been for a purpose. But she did not want to flaunt her success, nor did she want to make light of the twenty-three women who had lost their lives to Darby Insbrook.

  “It was pretty bad,” she said. “And while I know it’s no excuse, it was the case that made me so distant and cold when you were trying to reach out.”

  “Mom…if you just wanted to have lunch to apologize…”

  “No, it’s more than that. It’s…you know what? Let’s go order our sandwiches and revisit this, okay?”

  Melissa nodded, already seeming flustered. They ordered their food without speaking to one another, going through the deli line as if they were complete strangers. Even when they were back at their seats with their food, it took two or three minutes before either of them could summon the courage to speak again.

  “So how’d you get the bruise?” Melissa asked.

  “Because I’m fifty-five and trying to act like I’m still thirty.”

  Melissa touched her nose and smiled, a that’s on the nose signal with a bit too much sass for Kate’s liking. But she also knew Melissa was right.

  “Believe it or not, no, I did not ask you to come here so I could apologize,” Kate said. “I came here to check in on you. When I got called away on the case—”

  “—and left my baby with your boyfriend,” Melissa pointed out.

  Kate nodded and carried on as best as she could without showing her emotion. “You told me that you and Terry were having problems. And I waved it off. At the time, I was thinking: Yeah, well, welcome to marriage. We’ve all had issues. But that’s not how I should have reacted. I should have been supportive and asked questions. I should have made you a priority.”

  “I don’t need to be your number one priority,” Melissa said. “I’m not a child. But I do need to rely on you as a grandmother. You and I…we don’t exactly have any extended family. And with my marriage on the ropes, you’re the only other person Michelle and I can really rely on. You get that, right?”

  “I do. And I love being a grandmother. It’s just…I don’t know. I got the opportunity to kind of resurrect my career at the same time you were pregnant. I had these two worlds colliding and, if I’m being honest, I was selfish. Hell, I’m still being selfish.”

  “You are. And that’s okay. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love the fact that you’re still an agent. And still a badass. My daughter is going to have this super-strong woman in her life and I love that.”

  “You’re strong, too, Melissa.”

  “Oh, really? Look at me, Mom. Shitty job, sloppy husband…and I run to my mommy when things get hard.”

  Kate knew what else she wanted to say but swallowed it back for now. Something else came to her then, something that seemed much more pressing. “This case…I had to speak to husbands who had just lost their wives. And for the most part, they were very negligent. They did not pay their wives any attention. I think deep down, they did love their wives, but they were terrible at showing it. They were too obsessed with work and too busy providing for their wives to show them, on occasion, how much they loved them. It made me think of you and the issues you were trying to tell me about before I left for the case. And I just want so more for you than that. I started seeing you in place of those women and it…”

  She trailed off here, realizing that she was about to cry. Melissa moved her hand as if she might reach out, but she stopped herself.

  “I know how important your work is,” she said. “I’ve always known. And it’s okay…”

  “I feel like I have to evolve or something,” Kate said. “I’ll be fifty-six soon and I still need to mature.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I…Melissa, I hate to say it, but I can’t solve all of your problems. Even if I wanted to, I can’t. Of course, I’ll always be there for you and your family. When we had the health scare two months back…it opened my eyes to how much you and Michelle mean to me. But when it comes to everyday things…I still have a hard time with it. This whole second career thing has made me realize that I won’t be around forever, even though I know I live as if I will. And if you rely too heavily on me, I fear that you might become like one of those women from the case—far too reliant on someone and not knowing what it was to be loved. Where I am in life right now, I just can’t be your go-to problem solver. Does that make sense?”

  “It does. And I get it. I just…I want Michelle to have a grandmother she loves and respects. And I have to know you’re there for her. I have to know you care for her—and for me—just as much as you care for Agent DeMarco and the people you try to save on these cases.”

  It hurt to hear those words from Melissa’s mouth, but she understood. She nodded and, carefully measuring each word, said, “I do. I love you both more than I can explain. And maybe that’s why I create that distance. The things I see with work…and after your father being killed…it’s almost like I’m afraid to really go deep. Even with you…”

  This time the tears did come and when they did, Melissa came over to her side of the booth and placed an arm around her. “I love you, Mom.”

  “I know. And I love you, too. And when we’re done here I think I’d like to go somewhere with you and Michelle.”

  “Where?”

  “I don’t care. Anywhere. Where would you like to go?”

  “A beach. Somewhere where the surf is loud and there aren’t many tourists.”

  “We can do that. I’ll start making the plans this evening.”

  Melissa smiled and looked at her mother as if she had gone crazy. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “Great. Just…can you do one thing for me before you start planning?”

  “Anything. What?”

  “Plan your trip with Alan first. He mentioned that you guys were going away to wine country or something. A weekend getaway, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Give him a call. If you’re going to evolve, as you put it, I think he’s part of it. And
between you and me, if you keep pushing him away, I don’t know how much longer he’ll keep coming back. I’ll always be here. But with him…who knows?”

  Kate sighed. She was fine with Melissa being right about most things, but this one…well, this one hurt. Not only because it was true, but because it showed that Melissa was more in tune with her life than Kate realized.

  It made Kate realize, with great embarrassment, that maybe her daughter was the more mature grown-up between the two of them.

  ***

  The reunion with Alan went just about the way she figured it would. He took one look at the bruise on the side of her head and instantly went into caretaker mode. Even when she insisted she had been medically cleared and that the bruise was actually fading, he did not relent. After asking a barrage of questions about how it had happened and what the doctors had said, he finally eased down.

  They were sitting on the couch, holding hands but with some distance between them, when Kate did her best to venture into what could be troubled waters.

  “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you did for me…keeping Michelle while I had to leave.”

  “It’s okay. I just need to know…disappointing me and letting Melissa down….was it worth it?”

  “I hate to say it, but yes. I’m going to tell you something that I did not tell Melissa, so I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell her. This stays between the two of us, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  She told him about the case in fine detail—about how the man she and DeMarco had brought down was responsible for twenty-three murders over the course of a little less than three years and how until they finally tracked him down, the killer had somehow gone undetected by law enforcement or the FBI.

  He looked awed when she was done. He wore the expression of someone who had just finished watching an extremely thought-provoking movie. “Okay, so even I would agree that wrapping a case that resulted in the capture of such a deranged man was indeed worth leaving on such short notice. But the thing that bothers me still is that you left without knowing it would come to that. You had no idea what the case would entail or what the end of it would be.”

  “You’re right. And it’s like I told Melissa…I know I need to change that. If I’m going to finally figure out how to be a good mother and a good grandmother, I need to find that balance…”

  “I can’t imagine how hard it is.”

  “I’m sorry, Alan. I really am.”

  He shrugged and slid closer to her. “While we’re apologizing, I think I owe you one, too. I more or less gave you an ultimatum that made it sound like I needed you to choose: me or the job. And that wasn’t fair. I said it in the heat of the moment, out of anger, because we had just started planning that trip.”

  “Well, maybe I deserved it. And maybe we can patch it up by planning the trip again.”

  “I’d like that,” Alan said. “But only if you’re sure. I don’t want to force it.”

  “No, I want to. And for now, the bureau has essentially told me not to expect any calls for a few months.”

  Alan made a show of checking over the bruise on her head and said: “You don’t say. And speaking of which, I think I do have the right to ask a simple question.”

  “What’s that?”

  “How long do you plan to stick with it?”

  Kate considered it for a moment, thinking of the train of thought that had gone through her head after speaking with Duran and Hilton. She did not think she was ready to hang it up just yet, but she also knew that Father Time had a way of having his say whenever he felt like it.

  “For as long as I’m able to help,” she answered.

  “I figured you’d say that,” Alan said. He then leaned in and gave her a sweet and brief kiss on the corner of her mouth. “Now let’s see what we can do about still taking that trip.”

  “You’re sure?” she asked. “I mean to echo your question…how much longer do you think you can tolerate me?”

  He smiled and kissed her again before giving her previous answer right back to her.

  “For as long as I’m able to help.”

  NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

  IF SHE FEARED

  (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 6)

  “A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”

  --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

  IF SHE FEARED (A Kate Wise Mystery) is book #6 in a new psychological thriller series by bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews.

  When another woman is found dead in a vacant, suburban house, the FBI must call in brilliant FBI special agent Kate Wise, 55, and ask her to come out of retirement from her suburban life to find the psychotic killer.

  But why is the killer staging the bodies in empty houses in suburbia?

  What do the victims have in common?

  And can Kate, despite her age, stop him in time to save another woman’s life?

  An action-packed thriller with heart-pounding suspense, IF SHE FEARED is book #6 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

  Book #7 in the KATE WISE MYSTERY SERIES will be available soon.

  IF SHE FEARED

  (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 6)

  Did you know that I've written multiple novels in the mystery genre? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!

  Blake Pierce

  Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes fourteen books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising eleven books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising five books (and counting); of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising four books (and counting); and of the JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising four books (and counting).

  ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1), and WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Kobo!

  An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

  BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

  A JESSIE HUNT PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES

  THE PERFECT WIFE (Book #1)

  THE PERFECT BLOCK (Book #2)

  THE PERFECT HOUSE (Book #3)

  THE PERFECT SMILE (Book #4)

  THE PERFECT LIE (Book #5)

  CHLOE FINE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES

  NEXT DOOR (Book #1)

  A NEIGHBOR’S LIE (Book #2)

  CUL DE SAC (Book #3)

  SILENT NEIGHBOR (Book #4)

  HOMECOMING (Book #5)

  TINTED WINDOWS (Book #6)

  KATE WISE MYSTERY SERIES

  IF SHE KNEW (Book #1)

  IF SHE SAW (Book #2)

  IF SHE RAN (Book #3)

  IF SHE HID (Book #4)

  IF SHE FLED (Book #5)

  IF SHE FEARED (Book #6)

  THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES

  WATCHING (Book #1)

  WAITING (Book #2)

  LURING (Book #3)

  TAKING (Book #4)

  STALKING (Book #5)

  RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES

  ONCE GONE (Book #1)

  ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)

  ONCE CRAVED
(Book #3)

  ONCE LURED (Book #4)

  ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)

  ONCE PINED (Book #6)

  ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)

  ONCE COLD (Book #8)

  ONCE STALKED (Book #9)

  ONCE LOST (Book #10)

  ONCE BURIED (Book #11)

  ONCE BOUND (Book #12)

  ONCE TRAPPED (Book #13)

  ONCE DORMANT (Book #14)

  ONCE SHUNNED (Book #15)

  ONCE MISSED (Book #16)

  MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES

  BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)

  BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)

  BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)

  BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)

  BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5)

  BEFORE HE FEELS (Book #6)

  BEFORE HE SINS (Book #7)

  BEFORE HE HUNTS (Book #8)

  BEFORE HE PREYS (Book #9)

  BEFORE HE LONGS (Book #10)

  BEFORE HE LAPSES (Book #11)

  BEFORE HE ENVIES (Book #12)

  BEFORE HE STALKS (Book #13)

  AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES

  CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)

  CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)

  CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)

  CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)

  CAUSE TO SAVE (Book #5)

  CAUSE TO DREAD (Book #6)

  KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES

  A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)

  A TRACE OF MUDER (Book #2)

  A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)

  A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)

  A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)