Silent Scream (61 page)

“You don’t remember my friend’s cabin?”

“No. I read the police report. Read how you’d been kind. Read what I said.”

“Always there,” David murmured and Lincoln briefly closed his eyes.

“I lived with that guilt for so long. I’d go off my meds so I couldn’t see her face, but it never helped. She was always there.
I’ve given a full confession about that night we set the fire twelve years ago. It’s time to face what I did. I can’t make
amends, though.”

David thought about how hollowed out he’d felt after telling Olivia his own secret. There had been peace, but also the knowledge
that the clock could never be turned back. “I understand. How did you meet Mary?”

“She sent e-mails to me through the webmaster address on my site. She seemed so sincere. She was a believer, or so I thought.
Now I hear she was only using me to get back at her stepfather, and Truman says the police are reopening the case of his old
receptionist as a possible homicide. I never saw that side of her. But she killed people. On purpose.”

“If it helps, she told my mother she wouldn’t have let Crawford kill you. ‘I won’t let him kill him,’ she said. She’d planned
to kill Crawford herself.”

“That helps. Thank you. I fell for her, like a rock. I’d never told a soul about Moss, but I told her.”

“You trusted her.”

“I was a fool.”

“No, Lincoln. You weren’t a fool to trust. She deceived you.”

Lincoln shrugged. “Regardless, I told her everything. All the details. That’s how she knew to leave the ball at the fires.”

“And to scratch
VE
into the North Pole, for authenticity. Lincoln, right before she died, she told her brother that she knew where Preston Moss
was.”

Lincoln smiled. “And believe me, this nice FBI man really wants to know where he is. That’s why you’re here. I wouldn’t give
them that until I’d had a chance to meet you.” He pointed to his attorney’s notebook and pen. “May I?”

David watched as Lincoln drew a detailed map, finishing with an
X
to mark a spot.

“The day after that fire twelve years ago, I went to see Moss. He had a place where we’d meet, a place nobody knew about but
us. His most devoted followers. We’d sit there and listen to him talk, like disciples. He was… mesmerizing. Anyway, the next
day I went there, so upset. We’d all scattered after setting the timer on the device, like we always did. But I heard on the
radio that there was a fatality. I couldn’t believe it. I rushed back in time to see the body and I just fell apart.”

“I can imagine,” David said steadily. “That’s the kind of thing that haunts you.”

Lincoln nodded. “Forever. I got there, found Moss. He’d taken a bottleful of pills. He was dead.” He let out a breath. “It
was horrible. I couldn’t think. I just reacted. I took his body, put it in my car, and buried him.” He tapped the map. “Here.
I go there often. The grave is undisturbed. You should find him there.”

“And the place where you met?”

“Burned it to the ground. Fitting, I thought.”

“And then?”

Lincoln shrugged. “Time passed and reality slipped away. I knew it and was terrified. I thought I was losing my mind because
God was taking it, to punish me.”

I understand that, too.
“Thank you, Lincoln, for telling me.”

Lincoln regarded him evenly. “I don’t remember going to your place. But I remember your voice. I remember… compassion. And
I felt safe.”

“I’m glad. Good luck. I mean that.”

Lincoln’s smile was sad. “I know.”

David shook his hand and watched as they took him away. Special Agent Temple took the map Lincoln had drawn. “Thank you, Mr.
Hunter,” he said.

“I didn’t do anything. Not really. Will you release a statement when you confirm the remains are Moss’s? I know a lot of firefighters
who need the closure.”

“Of course. I know a lot of agents who need the closure, too. And now I understand you have a celebration to attend. I’m glad
it ended well for you and your mother.”

“Me too.” David found Olivia in the observation area, on her cell phone.

“I have to go,” she said. “I love you, too.” She hung up, her eyes a little too bright. “That was Mia. We’ve
been playing phone tag for days. She said she worked all night to tie up some loose ends so she could come out for the weekend.
I told her she and Reed and their kids could use my place. I assume we can still stay at the cabin?”

David smiled at her. “You bet. It’ll be good to see her again.”

Olivia’s lips twitched. “You might change your mind. She says she wants to talk to you. She didn’t realize we’d had a ‘biblical
thing.’ Where the hell did she get that?”

“From Paige to me, overheard by my mother and Glenn.”

“Ah, well, then that explains everything.”

“So she’s going to talk to me? Just talk, right?”

“Hey, you fought off Lincoln and Kirby. You’re the cat-saving fireman. Surely you can hold your own against Mia.”

“I don’t know. She’s a sister. They fight dirty.”

Olivia chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

Friday, September 24, 2:55 a.m.

Olivia heard the cabin door open, then close. Sitting on the edge of the dock, she wiped at her wet cheeks with her sleeves.
The dock rumbled as David came closer.

He lowered himself to the edge of the dock, then slid his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, burrowing closer,
feeling safer than she had in a very long time. It had been an evening full of joy and laughter with every member of David’s
considerable family. Brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. The Hunter clan had unnerved
her at Mia’s wedding with their boisterous ways.
But now
…
I belong
.

Phoebe Hunter, an arm around her shoulders, had proudly introduced her as the woman who “saved David’s life.” And somehow
Olivia had known Phoebe hadn’t meant just from Kirby.

Mia had arrived an hour after the party started and had immediately taken David aside with a stern expression. But she must
have approved of what he said because he still lived. Her sister was a tigress with a marshmallow center and Olivia was so
glad to have her. Mia promised to stay through Kane’s funeral.
I’ll need her.
Because despite the laughter and love around her, Olivia was continually, painfully conscious of who was absent.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she murmured, and David kissed the top of her head.

“You didn’t,” he said. “Painkillers wore off and I woke up. But you weren’t there.”

“I had a bad dream,” she confessed. “Kirby killed you and you were lying on the ground. And then you were Kane. So I’ve been
sitting here, thinking of him. Missing him. Trying to think of what I could have done differently. If only I’d been a little
faster.”

“Olivia, missing Kane is natural. Trying to think of what you might have done differently will eat you up inside.”

One side of her mouth lifted. “Pot calling the kettle?”

“Yes, but you’d say the same thing to me and you know it. You did everything you could have done. Everything you should have
done. You’re a good cop.”

He made her believe it was so. “Thank you.”

“You’re too hard on yourself, you know.”

She considered. “Yeah, I am. So are you.”

“Well, we both need to stop. We do only what we can and that has to be enough.”

“Because it can never be enough,” she whispered, then drew a breath. “I talked to the shrink. Dr. Donahue. I’ve been having
panic attacks at crime scenes. Since the pit.”

“I’d be shocked if you didn’t,” he said in a matter-of-fact way that made her shame seem silly. “What did she say?”

“That the hard part’s just starting.”

“She’s right. Still, I’m proud of you. It’s not easy to open up.”

She hesitated. “I think it was harder to tell you just now.”

“Why?” he asked softly.

“Because your opinion means more. I didn’t want you to think I was”—she hesitated, then shrugged, looking away. “Less.”

“Less than what? Less than who? You are not less than anyone.” He frowned when she said nothing. “Come with me. I have something
to show you.”

He rose and pulled her to her feet, up into the house, and back to the bedroom where he quickly searched his duffel bag. “Look
at this.”

It was a letter from the Minneapolis Fire Department. “‘Dear Mr. Hunter, We’ve received your application for employment. We
will inform you should any openings become available.’” She looked up at him, confused. “Why did you give me this?”

He didn’t answer and her eyes dropped back to the page. And then she saw the date. Her eyes shot back to his. “You applied
a month after Mia’s wedding.”

“Actually the week after. They didn’t get back to me for a few weeks.”

Her mind was racing. “You were willing to leave your job for me? Way back then?”

“Yes. I’d been looking for you for a long time, but I didn’t know it until I saw you. I thought if I ever had the courage
to approach you after that night, I should be prepared for whatever followed. I always hoped it would be this. You and me,
together after a long day. Just like this. Except I hope that our future days aren’t quite so long.”

“David…” Her words failed her.

“You asked if I’d go back to Dana if she were free. I thought about telling you this then, but after what I’d said that night,
I didn’t think you’d believe me. I still don’t have the right to expect you to believe me, but once I’d met you, I knew what
I wanted. Who I wanted. If I’d known how you felt I never would have let so much time slip away. I’m sorry, Olivia. If I could
get the time back, I would.”

She stared up into the face she’d never been able to forget. His face was bruised and battered from his battle with Jonathan
Crawford, but he was still the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. Inside and out. “Then let’s not waste another minute looking
back.” Sliding her arms around his neck, she kissed him, intending to keep it gentle, but he pulled her closer and the kiss
became deeper. Just… more.

He walked her backward to the bed and followed her down. “What do you want?” he asked huskily.

Everything. I want everything
. “You. I want you.”

The earlier times they’d loved, it had been urgent. Explosive. This time it was slow and deliberate. Their eyes stayed open
as they moved together, watching every flicker, every nuance. Her climax came as a huge swell, lifting her up, enveloping
her so that there was nothing
in the world but him. When he came, it was her name he groaned, his head thrown back, body bowed.

In the moments after, they held each other in the quiet. This was comfort, solace. Refuge. This they could give each other,
again and again.

K
AREN
R
OSE
is an award-winning author who fell in love with books from the time she learned to read. She started writing stories of
her own when the characters in her head started talking and just wouldn’t be silenced. A former chemical engineer and high
school chemistry and physics teacher, Karen lives in Florida with her husband of twenty years, their two children, and the
family cat, Bella. When she’s not writing, Karen is practicing for her next karate belt test! Karen would be thrilled to receive
your e-mail at
[email protected]
. Visit her website at
www.karenrosebooks.com
.

Dear Reader
,

I hope you enjoyed David and Olivia’s story! Thank you all so much for inviting my characters to spend time with you in your
home, on the train, or wherever you read. To show my appreciation, I’ve written an epilogue to SILENT SCREAM, which will be
posted on my author page on my publisher’s website by clicking on this url,
www.karenrosesilentscream
and on my website,
www.karenrosebooks.com
. It’s totally free and I hope you’ll love it! In this scene you’ll be able to visit with many characters from past books,
catch up on their lives, loves, kids—all the good stuff that makes a “happily ever after.”

Again, many thanks. Until we meet again between the covers of a book,