“It’s nice that it isn’t so hot anymore,” she said, relieved to be sitting. She’d felt unsteady on her feet, even a little dizzy. This was better. Now she only had to think about what to say. She kept her hands on her lap. She was hoping not to have to touch him again. “I saw you with Jessica at the memorial service. Does that mean you’re back together?”
“You must know by now that it’s all an act.”
“I want to believe you.”
“Macy, you’re the one person I can be honest with. I think that’s why I’ve missed you so much.”
She smoothed her palms against her jeans. “It’s very important that you’re honest with me now.”
He put his hand to his chest. “I’ll get down to my knees and swear on the Bible if that’s what it takes. My wife and I are getting divorced.”
“Ray,” she said, her voice rising slightly. “This isn’t about you and your wife.”
He started to speak but she put a hand up. If she didn’t say it now she never would. She picked a point in the middle distance and focused on it.
“This is about you and Lindsay Moore. I know you were having an affair.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
She took his hand. It was warm and familiar. She remembered how she used to trace her fingers across the grooves in his palm. Did you know that you have a long lifeline?
“Ray, please. There’s still a chance for us to get past this, but I need you to be honest.” She couldn’t meet his eye. “I’m worried how this will look if it gets out.”
He cleared his throat several times. “I’ve been under a lot of stress. Leaving my marriage is more difficult than I thought it would be.”
“Sometimes I think I put too much pressure on you.”
“It’s not your fault. I swear I never meant to drag it out like this.”
“I know you didn’t.”
“Lindsay was there when everything else got too complicated. It seemed to be such a simple choice at the time.”
“So it’s true?”
He nodded.
“How long were you seeing her for?”
“It wasn’t like that,” he said, squeezing her hand. “We’d agreed it was just supposed to be the one night, but she became more and more convinced that there was more to it than just sex. I tried everything. Even physically distancing myself.” He paused. “It’s why I sent her to Wilmington Creek.”
There were real tears in Macy’s eyes. “Ray, I know you’re a good man, but I’m scared other people won’t understand you the way I do. You realize how it’s going to look if this gets out. Lindsay was three months pregnant when she died. People will think you’re the father.”
Ray started to say something then stopped.
She looked at him but he looked away. “Ray?”
“Believe me. I know how it looks.”
“I need you to deny it.”
“I can’t.”
“Jesus, Ray, how could you be so irresponsible?”
“She told me she was on the pill.”
Macy took a second to calm her nerves. He’d admitted to the affair. He’d admitted to being the father. She was almost done. She slowed down.
“Then you must have slept with her again after she moved up to Wilmington Creek.”
“It was only to buy time.” He dragged his fingers through his hair. “It was the biggest mistake of my life.”
“But we tested a DNA sample from the fetus. Your name didn’t come up as a match.”
“I removed my profile from the database.”
“So you’re safe. No one has to know.”
He smoothed his fingertips along her wrist. “If the authorities find out about the affair they’ll check again. How did you know about me and Lindsay?”
“Someone who saw you together has come forward. I think I put them off making a formal statement, but they could change their mind.”
“Who?”
Macy hesitated. He wouldn’t trust her if she didn’t give him a name.
“Jessie Dalton.”
“She’s an ex–drug addict. She’s not a credible witness.”
“There are plenty of people who want your job, Ray. You know they’d press for a full investigation.” She put her head on his shoulder. “If I’m going to help you, you need to tell me everything. You have to trust me now.”
He held his lips to her forehead. “Lindsay threatened to go public.”
“You would have lost everything.”
“She’d call the house in the middle of the night and hang up. It was only a matter of time before she spoke to my wife. I drove up to Wilmington Creek because I was hoping to make her understand, but she wasn’t like you. There was no reasoning with her.”
Macy flinched. Her body stiffened as he wrapped his arms around her. She couldn’t think straight. She pictured words in her head. She read them aloud one by one and prayed she was making sense.
“What happened, Ray?”
“The same thing that happened every time I tried to reason with her. She became hysterical. Claimed she was carrying my baby.” He turned to look at Macy. “It’s important that you understand. I really thought she was lying.”
“There were ligature marks on her wrists.”
“I had to restrain her until she calmed down.”
“How did she end up in Waldo Canyon?”
“When she left the house I followed her. She’d threatened to drive all the way to Helena to speak to my wife in person. I think she was trying to lose me on the back roads south of town. There was smoke everywhere. At a certain point she got out of the car and started running.”
Macy’s voice cracked. “Is that when you shot her?”
“I had to stop her.”
“Where’s the gun?”
“I dumped it in the Flathead River.”
Macy closed her eyes for a few seconds. All she saw was Lindsay floating alone in that black pool. “I suppose you were hoping her body was never found.”
“That was the idea.”
“You got lucky. If she hadn’t fallen from that cliff she might have made it out of those woods alive.”
Macy risked a quick glance over to where the surveillance van was parked. Two police cars had pulled up behind it. Several officers were moving toward them. Ray squeezed her hand. He hadn’t seen them.
“Macy, I swear I’d take it all back if I could.”
“I know you would.” Macy removed her hands from his grasp and stood with difficulty. “I have to go.”
“What’s going on?”
She kept her voice steady. “You need to do the right thing. This is going to be hell for everyone, especially your children. Dragging our private lives through the courts will just make it worse.”
He finally noticed the advancing officers. One of them held an arrest warrant.
“Are you wearing a wire?”
“Try to think about what I just said.”
“I trusted you.”
She started up the path she’d followed earlier, nodding to the arresting officers as they passed her going the opposite direction. Seconds later she heard them order Ray to put his hands where they could be seen. She didn’t turn around to see what happened next, but that didn’t stop her from imagining every little detail. Howard was waiting for her at the van. He handed her a handkerchief. Aside from his embroidered initials it was pure white. She handed it back.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Did we get everything we needed?”
“And then some.” He glanced over her shoulder. “I didn’t really believe it until I heard him say it with his own mouth. All these years and it turns out I didn’t know him at all.”
“I know what you mean. Do you need me to stick around?”
“No, you’ve done your bit. It’s up to the lawyers now. Do you think he’ll take your advice?”
“I don’t know. I hope so.”
“So I’ll see you on Monday?”
She puffed out her cheeks. �
�I think it would be a good idea if I took some time off.”
“Going someplace special?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t planned anything yet.”
“There’s no hurry,” he said, patting her on the back. “Your job will still be here when you get back.”
* * *
It was after midnight and everyone in the house was asleep. Macy crept downstairs and opened the front door as quietly as she could. Aiden looked beat from the long drive. He held her close and kissed the top of her head.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’m better now.”
“It’s been a long few weeks.”
“It has. Are you tired or hungry?”
“Tired.”
She took his hand and led him up the stairs. “When do you have to go back?”
“Not sure. I have to ask my boss.”
“He’s a friend of mine. If you like I’ll put in a good word for you.”
“That’s very kind. I’ll let him know.”
She closed the bedroom door and they kissed for a long time.
“Come here,” he said, pulling her down onto the bed and holding her tight in his arms. “You have no idea how worried I was about you today.”
She managed to smile. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”
He lifted her chin so he could look her in the eye. “There’s no way you’re fine, so stop pretending. You probably just had one of the hardest days of your life.”
She buried her head in his shoulder. “If I start crying I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” he said, reaching over to shut off the bedside lamp. “We all stop eventually. It just takes some of us longer than others.”
Macy shut her eyes and listened to the dull drumbeat of Aiden’s heart. Against her better judgment she’d turned to have one last look at Ray before driving away. Flanked by officers, he’d been in handcuffs. She’d expected him to look diminished, but he hadn’t magically shrunk down to a manageable size. If anything, he seemed to have grown in stature. There was so much unfinished business between them. She just knew he was going to haunt her for years to come.
Aiden wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Try to sleep,” he said, pressing his lips into her hair.
“You’ll be here in the morning?”
“You must have said something really nice to my boss. He says I can stay until the middle of the week.”
“I told you he was a good friend.”
“Try to sleep now.”
Macy closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She counted in her head. Her eyes fluttered open then shut again. Her whole body shuddered. She finally let go. She finally slept.
About the Author
KARIN SALVALAGGIO received and MA in creative writing from Birkbeck at the University of London. Born in West Virginia and raised in an Air Force family, she grew up on a number of military bases around the United States. She now lives in London with her two children. Burnt River is her second novel. You can sign up for email updates here.
ALSO BY KARIN SALVALAGGIO
Bone Dust White
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Epigraph
The woman fell …
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
About the Author
Also by Karin Salvalaggio
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
BURNT RIVER. Copyright © 2015 by Karin Salvalaggio Ltd. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover design and photographic illustration by David Baldeosingh Rotstein
Cover photographs: burning trees, river, sky, and smoke © Shutterstock; woman © Eric Schwortz / Glasshouse
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to [email protected].
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-04619-2 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-4633-3 (e-book)
eISBN 9781466846333
First Edition: May 2015
Burnt River Page 31