AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I look back and see Jacob lying on the dock, his face pale, his lips blue. Garrison goes back to CPR.
“Like you said, Miranda couldn’t handle everything you planned. She told me she never went to summer camp. But that’s where you met, isn’tit?”
I think of the picture faxed to me in Garrison’s office. The one showing a young Holden and Miranda at a charity summer camp the summer before they both aged out of the system.
Holden stares down into her face and runs his hand along the side of it. Her eyes are fluttering as blood loss brings her closer to unconsciousness.
“We were both in the foster system in Brecken. One of the things they do to try to make life bearable is send the foster kids to camp. That’s where I met Miranda. She went through a similar hell to me. Tortured. Used. We bonded over it. All we needed was to set the world straight again, to right the wrongs that happened, and then we could have the rest of our livestogether.”
“Why not Mike?” I ask. “You’re the one who sent that note to him, not Anthony, aren’tyou?”
“Yes. I knew Anthony wouldn’t be able to speak up for himself. And it did just what I wanted it to. It cast suspicion on someone else. But someone you would never be able to prove did anything,” Holdensays.
“But he was part of the mob coming after your father. He is Mary Ellen’s son. Why didn’t you kill him, too?” Iask.
Holden doesn’t even look at me.
“He had been throughenough.”
“I’m holding you to getting me an early copy of that book,” Isay.
Jacob Merriweather smiles at me from his hospitalbed.
“Absolutely. You’ll get the first one. And I’ll even do you one better. Any time you want, you can come out and help me do research forit.”
“Count on it,” I tell him. I look at my watch and realize how late it’s getting. “I’ve got to get going. I need to meet with Mike Kirkland. Is there anything I can get you before Igo?”
“No, I’m fine for now. I’m waiting on the nurse to bring me my thrilling afternoon Jell-o.”
I laugh. “Well, don’t have too much fun. You’re stillrecovering.”
“I’ll do mybest.”
“Alright. I’ll be back to see you. I’m going to bring you some of my famous homemade cinnamon rolls,” I say. “We’ll sneak them past thedoctors.”
Jacob grins. “I look forward to it. Bye, Emma.”
“Bye, Jacob.”
I leave thinking of how well he and Xavier would get along, but also worrying what might come of a friendship between the two of them. There might just be a limit to how much curiosity, creativity, and often unrecognized recklessness should be packed into one space at any given time.
Mike Kirkland is waiting for me at the entrance to Camp Hollow.
“Are you ready for this?” I ask as I get out of mycar.
He nods. “I’ve been waiting my whole life for it.” He takes a breath. “But I’mnervous.”
“It’s alright. I’ll be right here with you. Comeon.”
We walk into the camp together. For the first time, it doesn’t feel like evil is lurking here. It’s been almost two weeks since Holden and Miranda were arrested and Jacob was just barely rescued from the piling beneath the dock. August is gone. September is just touching the very edges of the leaves. The decision has already been made to raze the camp. All the buildings will be removed and a park and nature trails will be put in its place. A memorial to everyone who lost their lives here is being designed and will be put in place next summer. Cherry Hill is on its way tohealing.
And so is Mike.
We step out of the woods and onto the shore of the lake. His hands hold tighter to the bunch of pink and white roses he’s holding when he sees Detective Garrison standing at the edge of the water. His back is still to us and Mike hesitates justslightly.
“You’re okay,” I say. “Ipromise.”
We take a few more steps and Garrison turns to face us. He’s holding his own bouquet of roses. Tears build in his eyes when he sees Mike. With the two men standing right next to each other, the resemblance is strong.
“Mike Kirkland, this is Ellis Garrison. Ellis, this is yourson.”
The men shake hands, then Garrison gestures with the flowers and they walk together to the edge of the water. I stand back as they tear the petals from the blooms and drop them onto the water so the current brings them out over the lake. Some drift toward the dock.
“She didn’t tell me about you,” Ellis says. “I guess she was trying to protect me. I just want you to know, I didn’t know. I would have loved to have known. I loved yourmother.”
Mike nods. “So didI.”
I leave the men to themselves to take a walk around the edge of the water. It feels at peace now. My pager beeps and I find a string of numbers from Xavier. I recognize them. I type a response before continuing mywalk.
“I’ll bring your cereal. I’ll be homesoon.”
