Page 110 of Glimmer in the Darkness

Cassidy held James’s hand as they stepped onto the front steps of City Hall. Beyond the microphones and reporters, a crowd of townspeople had gathered.

With her were Detective Cote and two men she recognized from recent news coverage as the mayor and the chief of police. They introduced themselves, but she forgot their names immediately, too focused on the other man nearby and the little girl in his arms.

Reid and Ella.

Somehow, though she’d been staying at Reid’s folks’ house for two nights, this was the first time she’d seen her old friend. She hadn’t seen Ella since the girl had been taken from her arms Friday and loaded onto the helicopter.

As soon as the introductions were over, Reid pulled Cassidy into an embrace. “I can’t thank you enough.”

She backed away, tried to speak through the tears. She wanted to tell him he didn’t owe her thanks. That she should have told the truth years before. That if she had, Vince Pollack might’ve been caught, Addison wouldn’t have died, Ella wouldn’t have been taken.

Or Vince might’ve killed her back then. Maybe nothing would have changed. It seemed just as likely that it could all have been worse. She didn’t know. She only knew she’d done the best she could.

Before she could figure out how to respond, little Ella leaned herself into Cassidy’s arms and hugged her tight.

Cassidy couldn’t help the tears that filled her eyes. Over the little girl’s shoulder, she saw the crowd. Every eye on her. The noise had faded, though she hadn’t realized it until just that moment. Cell phone cameras—and TV cameras—were aimed her way.

She buried her face in the little girl’s hair. It was too much.

After James and Reid exchanged a hug, Ella went back into her father’s arms, and Cassidy wondered if the child’s feet had touched the ground since her father had gotten her back. If he’d ever let her out of his sight again.

The mayor stepped away from the mic, and Detective Cote approached and related the facts of the case. Cassidy hardly heard him as her gaze scanned the crowd. Some familiar people from high school smiled and waved as if they’d been friends back then. She hadn’t had many friends, but it seemed, like James had said, everybody had grown up. Those old rivalries had passed away.

She recognized the old vice principal and the man who ran James’s family’s restaurant.

She saw Wilson Cage, who waved, looking uncomfortable. Eugene had followed them, stolen their food, and inadvertently, told the killer they were on the mountain. But he hadn’t hurt them. He’d only done his best to do the right thing. She smiled at him, and his face lit up as if she’d given him a spectacular gift.

Lots of other faces were familiar, though the names were lost to her. They could be found again. She could move back here. She could try it. As James slipped his hand over hers, she realized the thought of staying in Coventry didn’t bring anxiety. It brought peace.

When the prepared statements were over, reporters called out questions, most of which were directed to her. She’d been told she didn’t have to speak, and she was thankful for that. Detective Cote spoke. Reid spoke, mostly thanking her and James.

Now, every question yelled was prefaced with her name.

Cassidy, where’ve you been?

Cassidy, are you going to sue?

Cassidy, how does it feel to be exonerated?

Cassidy, are you angry?

That last one felt so odd, so foreign.

It needed to be addressed.

All the questions needed to be addressed.

She dropped James’s hand, tapped the mayor on the shoulder, and whispered, “I’d like to say something.”

He nodded once and stepped out of the way.

She stepped to the podium, breathed a prayer for help, and spoke.

“I don’t have much to say right now. I’m a bit overwhelmed by”—she gestured to the microphones—“but I wanted to say that I’ve had a lot of years to process this. I wouldn’t wish what happened to me on anybody. But then, I wouldn’t wish what happened to Hallie or Addison or Ella on anybody. Or what happened to their families. This was a terrible tragedy, and I was just one of the victims. At least I got to walk away.”

She glanced at James to find his gaze on her. Filled with love.

“There’s only one person to blame for what happened to all of us, and he’s been arrested. He’ll have to answer for his crimes. The rest of us”—she looked at the chief of police, the detective, the uniformed officers—“we all just did our best. We did what we could with what we knew. I’m not going to sue anybody.” She smiled at the reporter who’d lobbed that question. “I’m not angry. I’m just…” She reached for James’s hand and tugged him close. “I’m glad to be home.”