With painstaking care, Noah cleans Ryan’s blood from me.
“I really killed him,” I say with something close to wonder. Though guilt or horror might be more appropriate emotional responses. “I stabbed him so many times.”
“Good. He needed killing. You probably saved a lot of lives today.”
“Mm.” I pause. “You don’t have to be here…you don’t have to be a part of this if you don’t want to be.”
“I was wondering when that was coming,” he says with a small smile. “I’m not going anywhere. Now give me your other hand.”
“Do you think we should be saving this as evidence?”
“He escaped prison and came here intending to kill you. His death was clearly self-defense,” he says. “You’re not sitting there with his blood on your skin a moment longer than necessary. But they’re probably going to want what you’re wearing. You want to come inside and find some other clothes?”
“I am not sure I can go back in there just yet.”
“How about I go inside and find you something for you to put on?”
“Do you feel differently about me?” I blurt out. “It would be understandable. What you saw me do to him. You probably need time to think about it. I need time to think about it.”
He rises to his feet, his expression serious. “No, I don’t need time to think about it, and I don’t feel differently. You did what you had to do. I am happy you defended yourself. I’m ecstatic that asshole can’t hurt anyone else. Just wait here, okay?”
“He said I was like him. That I was angry at everything. He thought killing him would give me a taste for it.”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t want to hurt anyone else. But I really wanted to hurt him. And I don’t even feel bad about it.”
Noah just nods.
“When the chance came, I didn’t hesitate, and I didn’t stop until he was dead. I am not even sure I stopped then. Guess he might have been right about my anger levels. When it came to him, at least.”
The sound of sirens draws ever nearer. Detective Hahn beats the patrol car by a couple of seconds with an ambulance close behind. No idea why the paramedics are rushing. There’s no one alive inside who needs their aid. Just me and my broken nose. It won’t be long before the media are here. But in the meantime, an assortment of curious neighbors come outside to watch the show.
Detective Hahn’s gaze moves over me. “Are you injured, Miss Walsh?”
“My nose is broken. There are two bodies inside. Maggie Young is in the living room and Ryan is in the kitchen.”
“And they’re both dead,” she confirms.
“Yes.” I get to my feet. Too many emotions are running rampant through me to stay seated. “He’d already strangled Maggie by the time I came inside from the backyard. Then we fought and…”
“Okay.”
“He showed me where the missing women are. Where they’re buried. The pins in my map in the back room…he marked out the locations. Said he was going to burn the house down so it didn’t matter because no one would ever know. But we have them. We can bring them home.”
Detective Hahn’s eyes widen slightly.
Noah’s hand presses against my lower back. Just letting me know he’s there and thank fuck for that.
“He can’t hurt anyone else, and the women can be reunited with their families,” I say. “It’s finally over.”
Detective Hahn raises her brows. “Sounds like you have quite the story to tell me.”
I almost smile. But mostly I think I am just tired. So worn out I could sleep for a year. “Yeah.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Three months later…
