You Will Never Leave: A psychological suspense thriller
Page 22
"I was so terrified I’d lost you. It was just like when you were deployed all over again—that crippling fear that you were dead, and I’d never get to hold you in my arms again."
Matt smoothed a hand over her hair and pressed her to his chest. "It’s over now, honey. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. Bird Creek is a closed chapter in our lives. At least it will be once we get through Hazel’s funeral. I’m not excited about reuniting with the other campers, but I’m gearing up for it."
Blair straightened up and blew her nose. "At least we won’t have to see Logan again. He’s been arrested and charged with second-degree rape, pending a court date. Whitney’s pressing charges after all."
"Good riddance to him," Matt muttered. "I hope they lock him up for a long time. I’m proud of Whitney for developing a backbone."
"I think her parents were instrumental in getting her to see sense," Blair replied. "They stopped by earlier. They wanted to thank us personally for intervening—you were having your MRI scan. They were equal parts devastated by Logan’s betrayal, and relieved that their daughter was alive after fearing the worst. They want justice."
Two weeks later, Matt and Blair met up with Sam and Whitney, and their respective families, at Hazel's funeral. It was a bittersweet reunion, one Matt had initially been reluctant to participate in, but that Blair had insisted was the least they could do for Hazel's family. After all, Hazel had spent her last days on earth with them. At least her family had a body to bury, which was some small comfort. Search and rescue had gone in with cadaver dogs as soon as the weather cleared and located her body in a shallow grave not far from the campground. They’d also retrieved Sandy’s and Rob’s bodies from Logan's truck. A crew had been dispatched to begin the daunting task of locating the hunters’ bodies, but it could be weeks before they finished combing through the path the mudslide had taken, with no guarantee they would ever find their remains.
"I’m so sorry for your loss," Blair said, shaking hands with Hazel's three adult sons and their wives at the reception after the funeral service. "I only knew your mother for a short time, but I really liked her. She was a strong woman, tiny but with a big personality. I think she tried to warn us about Deroy with the note she left. She must have been musing over it when he struck, and she had the foresight to stuff it down between the nightstand and the mattress, hoping someone would find it."
Hazel's eldest son, Michael, gave a knowing nod. "It sounds like something she would do. She lived fearlessly. When she retired from nursing, she wanted to take on a new challenge. She loved being a private investigator. We all worried about her doing it alone, but she assured us she only took on jobs she felt were safe. Surveilling cheating spouses isn’t inherently dangerous. She couldn’t have known she would stumble upon a fugitive in the process." He smiled sadly. "I guess her investigative instincts kicked in. She sensed something was wrong and she wanted to help that poor woman in the RV. She paid the ultimate price."
Blair shot a concerned look Matt’s way, hoping the words wouldn’t trigger him. Funerals were particularly hard. They’d agreed to pay their respects and make as early an exit as possible without appearing rude—using his concussion as their excuse. Matt’s doctor had advised him to rest as much as he could and avoid too much stimulation in the coming weeks. The irony of it wasn’t lost on them. It was the same advice that had set them out on the road and landed them at Bird Creek with a murderous fugitive to begin with.
"Thank you again for looking out for my daughter," Whitney’s mom said, walking up to Blair and squeezing her hand. "She said you were very kind—like a mother to her."
Blair smiled back at her, the words warming her heart with a special kind of meaning. The drugstore test she’d taken yesterday confirmed what she’d suspected. She was going to be a mother. She’d wanted to wait until the circumstances were right, but she realized now that kind of thinking was futile. Life was unpredictable, and fragile, and if you didn’t embrace the moment, you risked missing out on your dreams entirely. The past couldn’t be undone, and Matt might always struggle with the repercussions of war, but the future she’d been trying so hard to control couldn’t be predicted either—all they had was now.
After saying their good-byes, Matt and Blair made an unobtrusive exit and climbed into their car for the return trip home. With Hazel’s funeral behind them, it was time to make some decisions on moving forward. The transportation authorities had told them it would be several months before the road into Bird Creek was rebuilt and they could retrieve their vehicles, which left them in a bit of a quandary. They’d toyed with the idea of foregoing the rest of their vacation and pulling the launch date for their landscaping business forward. But in the end, on the advice of family, friends, and doctors, they’d opted to take a little more time to rest and recuperate instead.
"So where do you want to go to get away this time?" Blair asked, as they pulled out of the parking lot next to the church where the funeral reception had taken place. "Preferably somewhere that doesn’t involve fire pits and outhouses. If you still want to go to Alaska, I say we rent a cabin this time."
"How about Hawaii?" Matt suggested. "We could do Airbnb. Kick back for a couple of weeks and catch our breath."
"Hawaii?" Blair laughed. "I can’t picture you with a lei around your neck. I thought you preferred the mountains and the adventure of staying in a new place every night."
Matt threw her a rueful grin. "Too many messed up people with the same idea. All things considered, I'd rather wrestle with sharks in paradise than fugitives in forests next time around."
"Messed up people hang out on beaches too, just for the record," Blair said.
Matt reached across and laid a hand on her belly. "Yeah, but at least they’re willing to let the sun heal their scars. You keep reminding me I’m not at war anymore. It’s time to stop running from the best that life has to offer—beginning with the three of us."
* * *
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Biography
NYT and USA Today bestselling author Norma Hinkens writes psychological suspense thrillers, as well as fast-paced science fiction and fantasy about spunky heroines and epic adventures in dangerous worlds. She’s also a travel junkie, legend lover, and idea wrangler, in no particular order. She grew up in Ireland, land of make-believe and the original little green man.
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Also by N. L. Hinkens
Head to my website to find out more about my other psychological suspense thrillers.
www.normahinkens.com/books
The Silent Surrogate
I Know What You Did
The Lies She Told
Her Last Steps
The Other Woman
You Will Never Leave
Books by Norma Hinkens
I also write young adult science fiction and fantasy thrillers under Norma Hinkens.
www.normahinkens.com/books
The Undergrounders Series - Post-apocalyptic
Immurement
Embattlement
Judgement
The Expulsion Project - Science Fiction
Girl of Fire
Girl of Stone
Girl of Blood
The Keepers Chronicles - Epic Fantasy
Opal of Light
Onyx of Darkness
Opus of Doom
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. For more information about the author, please visit www.normahinkens.com
Text copyright @ 2020 Norma Hinkens
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No part of the book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Dunecadia Publishing, California
ISBN: 978-1-947890-20-6
Cover by: www.derangeddoctordesign.com
Editing by: www.jeanette-morris.com/first-impressions-writing
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