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The second police officer held Spence’s gaze, as if trying to gauge his truthfulness. “Can you show us?” he finally said.
“Yeah.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “This is all I have. You must have stronger flashlights.”
“Sure do.” The first officer patted a large flashlight in a sling on his belt. “This should do the trick.”
Spence turned to Zoe. “You should stay here,” he told her.
Zoe lifted her chin. “Not going to do that, Spence. I have to see for myself what happened to Ethan.”
He studied her for a long moment. “You sure?” he finally said. “It doesn’t change a thing.”
“Yes, I’m sure. If I don’t see for myself that he’s gone, he’ll haunt me forever.”
Spence nodded and took her hand in his. “Then let’s go.”
He led Zoe and the two officers to the spot where Davies has run off the cliff, now brightly illuminated in the glow of the officers’ powerful flashlights. Once at the edge, he pointed down. “He’s on that first pile of rocks. Hasn’t moved at all since the last time I looked.”
The officers pointed their flashlights at Ethan’s body. Zoe glanced at him, then looked away. Spence pulled her close and held her face against his chest.
Looking at the two officers, he asked, “Is it possible for him to survive a fall like that?”
“His chest isn’t moving at all. He’s not breathing. And with his head and neck in that position? His neck is broken for sure. He’s dead.”
“You’re sure?” Spence asked, although he was certain Davies had died in the fall.
“Positive,” the other officer said. He sighed. “I’ve seen too many accidents in these mountains to know the rocks are unforgiving.”
Spence wasn’t sure it was an accident. He’d yelled at Davies to stop, many times, but he’d headed straight for the cliff. Hadn’t slowed at all. Had never looked back.
“We can’t retrieve his body tonight,” one of the officers said. “We have a special team that does that, and if the victim is dead, they wait until morning.”
“We’ll need statements from both of you,” the other officer said. “Do you mind doing it in the cabin?”
Spence looked at Zoe. “I’m okay with that,” she said.
“I am, too,” Spence added.
Zoe sat beside Spence at the table, and the two officers sat on the other side. It took a long time for Zoe to describe what had happened after Davies snatched her at the convention center. When she’d finished, Spence filled in the details about Zoe’s father’s death and Davies’ stay in the Middleton mental health facility. About how he’d begun sending the charms from Zoe’s bracelet almost a week ago. About how Davies had confronted them in the parking garage of Zoe’s building.
After Spence stopped talking, he looked from one of the officers to the other. The first man shook his head. “Sounds like this guy was completely fixated on you, Ms. Melbourne.”
Zoe nodded. “He was. But I didn’t want him to die. I wanted him to get help.” She glanced at Spence. “Mr. Flynn did, too.”
“Shame he wouldn’t stop running,” the other officer said. “We could have gotten him committed to a facility in Seattle.”
Zoe shook her head, and Spence tightened his grip on her hand. “He didn’t want that,” she whispered. “He said he wasn’t going back to any place like Middleton Hospital.” She swallowed, and Spence watched the ripple of muscle in her throat. “They apparently didn’t treat him well. They bound his hands together.”
She glanced down at the faint bruising on her wrists. Touched it. “He said the same thing happened to him at Middleton.”
“Mel and I will deal with Middleton,” Spence told her. “We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen to any other patient, ever again.”
She swallowed again. Turned to look at him. “Thank you, Spence.”
The officers looked at one another. Nodded, then the first one said, “You’re free to go, Ms. Melbourne. Mr. Flynn. Where do you want us to send Mr. Davies’ body?”
Spence pulled a business card from his wallet and handed it to the officer. “Call me tomorrow. Ms. Melbourne and I will figure out the arrangements.”
“Got it,” the officer said. “We’ll be here a while. We have to process this cabin and Mr. Davies’ car, since they’re both crime scenes.”
