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Cassie had requested she remain unnamed, but it still felt good to hear Detective Harris say those words. Two of the victims’ families also went before the cameras to thank the police department for giving justice to their loved ones. They could rest easy now that all four women had been avenged.
Plenty of people were disappointed that William Baker had been killed. He deserved all that the legal system could throw at him for the rest of his tortured life. Some said he got off easy. So, they turned their attention to Dr. Richard Langford. His lawyer tried to get ahead of any bad press by painting his client as a victim. However, the facts spread unimpeded, and despite being coerced into murdering, very few people were sympathetic to Langford’s plight.
David was certain they had a strong case against Langford, saying that even if he was the puppet and not the puppeteer, he killed those women. Not many juries were going to take it easy on him, and given Langford’s obvious lack of remorse, he wouldn’t be helping his case when he got on the stand himself.
After the events at the Victorian, everyone had returned to the precinct together. Harris had delivered the news to Bradley Baker. The man took it well, all things considered. Cassie thought Bradley would have a lot of emotions to process over the next several years, but any pain that his father’s death might’ve caused would be offset by the fact that he had orchestrated much more pain on many other people.
Cassie wasn’t sure how these events would impact Bradley on a personal or professional level, but given his kind heart and compassion, she knew he would make it through. There was no part of his father in him.
Cassie was shaken up after the confrontation with Baker, but she felt calm now that she had done her part to help the four women move on to the next life. After Novak, she had forgotten what it felt like to be the hero instead of the victim, and she had let her fear consume her.
Nevermore, she swore.
The trick was to embrace the terror. To work through it. To be willing to confront it again and again. Cassie had decided that she wouldn’t run away from her fear. She wanted to accept that it would always be a part of her life. It would propel her forward in whatever way necessary.
Most people hadn’t experienced horror like she had. Over the last ten years, she had come to experience that deepest kind of fear a person could have—the fear of death. Confronting serial killers and seeing ghosts didn’t rid her of that anxiety. After all, she had proof that there was something after this life. But that didn’t allow her to ignore the feeling.
And she decided to embrace that.
It wasn’t a decision she came to in a single moment. She had been contemplating it since the moment Elizabeth showed up next to Cassie’s bed, silently begging her for her help. For the duration of this case, Cassie worked through what it would mean to give her time and energy to the spirits that came to her for help.
She didn’t choose this life. It came to her and demanded her attention. She did it because she could and, on some lev
el, she needed to.
But now?
Now, Cassie wanted to. Elizabeth reminded Cassie of how it could feel to offer another person your hand. She had reminded Cassie what it felt like to help another person, despite her trepidation.
Cassie woke up one morning in the middle of the week with her decision made. She would do whatever she could to help whoever came to her, even if it meant facing her fears. Unlike most people, she had the resources and tools and abilities to do it.
Returning to work after everything happened was a strange affair. No one knew that she was so involved in the case, except perhaps George. He gave Cassie a gentle pat on the arm and wished her well. There was something about the sparkle in his eye that led Cassie to believe he was aware she had done her part to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Magdalena, on the other hand, was oblivious. She rushed into work the next day and asked if Cassie had seen the news. When she said she had, Magdalena went on and on about how horrific the world was and asked how some people could be so hateful.
Cassie let her talk, not wanting to give away that she knew all this had happened because one man had been afraid. Sure, he hadn’t been a good person or a doting father, but it didn’t happen because he was hateful. It happened because he didn’t want to die.
The irony that his life had been cut short because of his own actions was not lost on Cassie.
Jason was privy to these conversations since they happened over lunch. He was quiet during them and Cassie wondered what went through his mind. He had seen his own fair share of death and dealt with his own anxieties daily, something Cassie took comfort in.
Cassie was brought back to the present by the chiming of her phone. She was in her bedroom, half dressed, and trying to decide what she was going to wear on her date in an hour with Jason. She had taken the initiative and told him she was able to help her friend and was free for dinner whenever he wanted to grab a bite to eat. A knowing look on his face, Cassie half wondered if he had speculated her friend was involved in the case. But Jason didn’t say anything, so Cassie didn’t clarify.
They agreed to get seafood and wine that evening at The Pirate’s House. A bit touristy, but good seafood, nonetheless. And every once in a while, a random ghost would join her for dinner there.
Despite a long day of work trying to restructure the 19th and 20th Century Photography exhibit, Cassie pulsed with energy. She was excited to go on her date with Jason. Despite being terrified of what it might mean for their interactions at the museum, she couldn’t let her dread get the best of her.
Never again.
She skipped over to her phone and saw she had a text from her sister. It was a picture of her sitting on her couch by herself, eating popcorn straight out of the bag and drinking a glass of red wine.
I love date nights, don’t you?
Cassie laughed. Laura had been complaining for days about how long it had been since someone had taken her out, so she was finally pampering herself.
At least you don’t have to spend the entire night being anxious over whether your date is going to kiss you by the end of it.
Laura sent another picture. This time it was one of her dogs, Chewie, licking the side of her face. My date didn’t even wait till the end.
