by Regan Black
“What do you think of the accommodations?”
She whirled around and raised her flashlight to Zion’s face, ashamed she’d allowed him to sneak up on her. “You kept her here.”
He held up a hand to cut the glare of the light, but he advanced on her with a confident stride. “I’ve kept them all here. And you’ll be next.”
She let him come closer. Her best option to escape was his certainty of success. A man of his stature frequently underestimated those he didn’t find worthy. She swung the flashlight at his head, but he’d anticipated the move and dodged it.
He rushed her, clutching her throat and pinning her to the rough wall of the shed.
“Your father will be so happy I’ve found you. It’s long since time you took your rightful place in our operation.”
She couldn’t speak with his hand crushing her windpipe. Gripping his arm, she scratched, hoping to leave some trace of the encounter on him, or her. He shook her, hard, and she managed to land a kick to his weak knee. It was enough to loosen his hold and she clawed his hand as dropped to her knees and scooted around the corner of the shed.
“You bitch!” he shouted after her. “Come now, Sofia.” He said the three syllables of her name a taunting sing-song and she sobbed.
“Yes, yes, I know your secrets. There’s nowhere you can go that we won’t find you. No one can stop us. Not even the illustrious FBI.”
She scrambled to the front of the shed and pulled out her phone. She couldn’t hope to make it back to her car, but maybe she could lead someone here. She called the clinic and left the line open.
“Sofia,” he said again. “You can’t escape. Rojas put a bounty on your head when I told him you were alive, where you lived.”
She bolted for the trees. Losing him in the dark was her only hope. A heavy mass landed on her legs, slammed her down to the ground. She scooped up a handful of dirt and debris and threw it as his face before he could get his hands around her neck.
He swore and she twisted away. He caught her ankle, dragged her back. Her hand found a branch and she swung hard at his head. With the size and reach advantage, he blocked this blow too, snatching the branch from her grasp and driving it into her chest.
She couldn’t breathe, could only listen as he lectured her.
“You had a place laid out for you and you resisted,” Zion said. “You were never meant to be in service for long. Only enough time to understand what was required. Rojas wanted to leave his legacy to you.”
The sickening truth of it had her wishing death would come quickly. Her vision was fading, but his voice persisted, tormenting her.
“Imagine my delight to find you, to give my long-time partner a gift like no other. Resolution at last.” With one hand still on her neck, he shoved his thumb into the wound on her hand. “You could say it was like removing a splinter.”
She jerked under his vicious grip, tried to spit in his face.
He only squeezed her sides with his knees as he continued to strangle her. “Sylvia fought me. Agent Adler fought me. But I always win.”
“Let her go, Cole.”
Ana was sure the oxygen deprivation was causing hallucinations. That sounded like Griff’s voice and a light illuminated Zion’s twisted features. She tried to flail and kick, but her body didn’t cooperate.
“Let her go, or I shoot,” Griff said.
A gunshot echoed a moment later and Zion was screaming, clutching his shoulder. Ana was able to buck him off and the beam of light showed blood blooming across his shirt.
“Shut up,” Laney said. “It’s a shoulder wound. They heal. Eventually.”
Zion screamed again, protesting violently as Griff slapped cuffs on him.
“This is where you held Josie?” he asked. “Adler too?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Zion replied. “This is private property, I was subduing a trespasser.”
“You’re scum,” Laney said, lunging for him. She searched his pockets and found the key to the padlock on the door.
When she opened it and walked in, she swore. “This is the place all right. There’s a camera in the corner and a blanket.” She held out something shiny. “Even this.”
Seeing the silver poodle pin Sylvia had given to Josie, Ana started to cry and swear and call Zion all sorts of names in Spanish.
Laney held her back when she would have attacked the man and she sobbed on her friend’s shoulder while Griff read Zion his rights.
The four of them trudged back up the trail to the turnoff where Griff’s Bronco and Laney’s car were parked behind Ana’s car. It pleased her more than it should to see Zion limping and bleeding.
“It’s over,” Laney said, picking leaves from Ana’s hair. “We heard everything. Lawyers can’t get him out of this. I imagine his associates will soon be in custody as well.”
Ana walked toward her car, her entire body throbbing and sore as Griff shoved Zion roughly into the back seat of his old Bronco and backed down the rutted track to the road.
“Officer Trask said a call came in from an associate of yours. I didn’t have time to chat with her, but she told him she’s coming into town for interviews and to help us piece together the data Sylvia gathered. It’ll be a day or two.”
“Good.” Ana wouldn’t be here, but Laney could handle it. “You’ll like her.”
Laney smoothed back her mussed ponytail, watching Griff turn onto the paved road. “That egotistical deviant asked me once if I’d recognize a monster when I saw one. I sure wish I had.”
Ana opened her car door, grateful for the interior light to hold back the encroaching darkness. “Hard to recognize a monster wearing such a perfect mask,” she said. She hated having that in common with him, but the mask she wore, the persona that kept everyone at arms’ length, had been the only way to remake her life and make a difference in the world.
“True,” Laney allowed. She used her key fob to turn on her headlights. “At least he’s done now.”
“It is.” Ana’s chest ached, less from the brutal fight and more from the soul-deep turmoil. “This end of the operation is closed.” She sighed, wishing she could be there to help Yolanda through the tough weeks ahead. “Yolanda is safe and I’m sure the authorities will be able to raid and rescue other victims.”
Laney pulled her into a hug. “I’m glad you’re safe too.”
“How did you find me out here?” Ana wondered when she slipped out of the embrace.
“I put a GPS tracker on your car Tuesday.” She circled her finger in the air. “I’ve seen the ‘about to run’ face before. I just expected you to bolt before you came to the station.”
A deep sadness pressed in on Ana from all sides. It would hurt to leave Laney and her other friends, but she couldn’t possibly stay. “Tell Dana and Julia I’m sorry,” she said.
“Tell them yourself,” Laney countered. “We’ll have a girls night at my place tonight. After Keller checks you out.”
“I-I can’t do that. You know I have to leave.”
“No, I don’t know any such thing,” Laney folded her arms over her chest, waiting. “Explain it to me.”
“It’s just better if I go.” Misery was a heavy weight on her shoulders. Anything else would be an excuse.
“Better how, Dr. Perez?” Laney stalked toward her. “Shutter Lake needs you. Everyone in town needs to see the hero who led the police to Josie and Sylvia’s killer. They need to be able to thank you.”
“Laney, I’m not—”
Her friend held up a hand, palm out to stop her. “You’re Dr. Luciana Camille Perez. I’ve done the digging and verified the records. Your work is vital to this town and you’re a good friend to those you let close.” She gave Ana another hug. “No one gets this far without a past, Ana. Don’t throw away every good thing you’ve done in some misplaced effort to pay for your father’s crimes. Martyrdom is overrated.”
That stung. “I’m not a martyr.”
“Prove it. Stay. Stand
tall. Your friends will support you.”
“You heard.” Tears clogged her throat, blurred her vision. “You heard what Zion said. You and Griff.”
“Griff and I heard the ravings of a murderer and delusional, power-hungry bastard.”
“You can just overlook… everything before I came here?”
“You became a citizen and a good one,” Laney said. “That’s what counts.”
Ana wiped her face on her sleeve. She wasn’t used to trusting this much.
“Besides you’re a doctor and you’re rich,” Laney continued, grinning. “Almost as rich as the Shutter Lake founders.”
“What does that mean?”
“The reward will go to you. What amount did Zion finally settle on?”
“I’m not sure,” Ana replied.
“Well you can bet Yolanda will know.” Laney’s laughter carried out over the mountains. “That’s justice. And Quentin added a million to it. The smart money says they’ll both happily pay you for leading us to the killer.”
“You’re serious.”
Laney slung her arm around Ana’s shoulders. “I am. Your secret is safe with me, Ana. But I believe your secret would be safe with Julia and Dana too. If nothing else, you should know we’ll stick by you. We always have.”
“You mean it.”
“Come home,” Laney spread her hands wide. “We both know you could run the rest of your life and not find a place as beautiful as Shutter Lake or a community as devoted to your weekly yoga classes.”
Ana laughed, amazed by the sudden lightness in her heart. Laney was right. Now that the monster had been cleared out, the community would need faces they knew to rebuild trust and connection.
Home. It was a wonderful concept. Almost as wonderful as having a friend who knew her secrets and accepted her anyway.
Epilogue
Saturday, October 27
“Trick or Treat!”
Goblins, clowns, fairy queens and everything in between were running amok through the town square for the school’s annual Fall Carnival. A young boy dressed up in a fuzzy moose costume dashed by Ana, the wide antlers tilting at an odd angle and the bright orange bucket in his hand nearly full of candy.
The moose’s father chased after him. “Happy Halloween, Dr. Perez!”
She returned the sentiment with a laugh, enjoying the freedom of such a happy sound.
This was just the prelude. In a few days these same children would dress up again and descend on their neighborhood streets for the real haul of sugar and treats. This year, even her staff was getting in on the action with a not-so-scary maze built by the school drama club connecting candy stops at the Chamber of Commerce and the clinic.
On her way to the Wine and Cheese House to meet Laney, Dana, and Julia for a girls’ night, she paused to watch Griff at the dunk tank. After a bit of taunting and trash talk, the star pitcher on the baseball team threw a strike and Griff splashed into the water to a chorus of good-natured cheers.
In ten short days, it seemed Shutter Lake had righted itself.
It made sense. Zion Cole, the local wolf in sheep’s clothing, was in custody and being held without bail for the murders of both Sylvia and Josie. Ana’s throat had healed and she could almost make it through a day without recalling the pressure of his hands around her neck.
“Come on, doc.” Laney caught up with her, slipped her arm through Ana’s. “You can drop off new cold medicine for him tomorrow. Tonight’s for friends. Dana’s probably wondering what’s taking us so long.”
It was hard to imagine Dana slipping away to their gathering before the carnival wound down and the last tiny ghost escorted home. Then again, she’d been working overtime this past week fine-tuning the details so everything went perfectly. “She’s probably already ordered the stuffed mushrooms,” Ana said.
Laney grinned. “Let’s find out.”
Walking down the block to the restaurant, Ana was tempted to thank Laney once more for rescuing her from Zion’s murderous intentions. She’d done her job out in the woods, but more, she’d convinced Ana that though they’d been on a rocky patch, they were still friends.
It was a remarkable feeling.
“Don’t.” Laney cut her off, opening the front door as they reached the restaurant.
“Don’t what?” Ana asked.
“Thank me.” Laney rolled her eyes. “You get a look on your face,” she explained. “Plus, it’s my job to read people. How long until you accept that I’m a fixture in your life? Do we need to pinky swear?”
“Funny.” Still, Ana felt a smile curving her lips. “Do you still have a GPS tracker on my car?”
“That’s for me to know,” Laney joked.
At the table, Julia shifted to make room for Ana and Dana did the same for Laney
“Mushrooms are on the way,” Dana said. “Mozzarella sticks too. I don’t know what the rest of you are having. This principal needs a carb booster shot,” she said to Ana.
“Smart treatment approach,” Ana said. “Better if you share.”
“I ordered a bottle of red,” Julia said. “And an extra sampler platter for the rest of us to start with. Dana isn’t the only one who needs fortification.” She aimed a severe look at Dana. “You conned me when you said the ring toss would be an easy station.”
Overtired, Dana started to giggle.
“Hold off on that red.” Laney caught their server’s eye. “I have something better.”
The server brought over a chilled bottle of champagne and four narrow flutes. Ana’s heart gave a happy kick when the cork popped and the bubbly, golden liquid foamed into each of the glasses.
“You have news.” Ana sat forward.
Laney waited until the server was out of earshot. “First, to Sylvia. for standing up to her father and fighting for Josie and all the other victims of Zion Cole.”
They each touched glasses, the crystal ringing brightly, and sipped in the soft silence that followed.
“Tell them,” Julia said.
Ana glanced at Dana, but she only shrugged. Laney’s smile was pure satisfaction.
“Yolanda did it,” Laney began. She waited out the small swell of triumph around the table. “We all knew Zion wouldn’t talk, but Yolanda knows their land as well as, if not better than, him. She found Agent Adler’s grave.”
Ana sucked in a breath as relief washed over her.
“I’ve already told Rick,” Julia said, clearly as pleased as Laney. “He’ll be here tomorrow to escort Adler’s remains back to his family.”
“Cole never expected us to find the body, so I’m confident we’ll find something on the remains to tie him to the crime.”
Ana raised her glass. “To Yolanda. I’m not sure I’ve met a stronger woman. She finished what her daughter started.” Once more they touched glasses and sipped.
“I don’t know.” Dana held up her glass and caught the gaze of each of them in turn. “There are four remarkably resilient women right here at this table. To us! May we never forget the priceless gift of friendship that celebrates and endures through all of life’s seasons.”
Ana’s heart was full to bursting. Leave it to Dana to know just what they all needed to hear. The food arrived and as the server refilled their champagne she realized this was the first girls’ night out that she felt complete and whole and wholly accepted for the woman she’d become.
True friends and the hope they offered were the perfect antidote to tragedy of any kind.
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