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Annie embraced her again. “That’s wonderful news!” Her pulse blipped at the trust on Anu’s face. She slipped back into her seat and moved over to make room for Anu. “Have you talked to Mason?” She was sure of the answer before she asked.
Anu shook her head. “Just a brief text. He said there was much to tell me about what has been going on in the forests, but that you were safe. That was my main concern. I prayed constantly for all of you.”
“Those prayers were so needed. We barely survived all of it.” Annie wet her lips and swiveled on the bench seat to hold Anu’s gaze. “There has been a hunting group operating in our area, Anu. They targeted people they thought could disappear up here without too much media attention. My investigation got too close to the ringleaders, and they decided they had to take me out. They planned to use Sarah to lure me in and eliminate the threat. But they have all been taken down. Mason has them in custody.”
“There is something you are not telling me, my dear Annie. Who was involved?”
There was no gentle way to drop this bomb. “Max Reardon was the head of the group, Anu.”
Anu reeled back as though she’d been slapped. The color washed from her cheeks, and her blue eyes went wide. “I-I cannot quite believe it, but I can see from your expression this is true. You are quite sure?”
“He hunted me and Sarah across miles of forest for two days, Anu. He and his friends were relentless. They called it a sport.They have killed others, but Max refused to tell me where to find the bodies. I think he might have had genuine regret that you would be hurt by this.”
Anu shook her head. “Do not try to spare my feelings. A man who would do something so horrendous has no tender feelings in his heart for anyone.” Her eyes filled, and she looked down at her hands in her lap.
Annie had never seen Anu cry. She’d always been so strong through adversity, so reliant on her faith. This had rocked her world, and Annie wished she could have spared her. “You might be able to help, Anu. Maybe Max would tell you where we could find the bodies. I’d like to provide closure for the families who have no idea what happened to their loved ones.”
“I do not wish to speak to him. I do not wish to ever see his face again,” Anu said.
“I know, and I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t of such great importance. I don’t know that Max will tell you, but it’s our only hope to bring those young men and women home to their families. No threat of punishment will break him.”
Anu buried her face in her hands. “I had thought I might come to love him at one point. How well he hid his true nature.”
“I trusted him. He’d always been so kind to me, and I never dreamed he could hide such darkness.”
Anu lifted her head to reveal wet cheeks. “I will try. That is all I can promise. A man like Max is unlikely to respond to any plea. Is he at the jail yet?”
“I think he’s at the hospital. He suffered injuries from a grenade during the final battle.”
Anu gasped. “A-a grenade?”
“He had a virtual armory out there, Anu. Assault rifles,grenades, timers, all kinds of ammunition. We don’t yet know how long this has been going on either. At least as long as he’s rented our island, but it could have started before that. He used to come for hunting trips before he decided to make Tremolo Island his home. This liaison with the other hunters could have been going on a long time. He confirmed Sean Johnson was part of it, and those women he killed were part of a hunt. We may never know the truth of that unless one of the hunters talks.”
Anu’s mouth flattened. “I shall do what I can to find out.”
Annie wouldn’t want to be Max when Anu faced him.
Forty-One
The vise around Sarah’s head had lessened, but that had allowed the pain in the rest of her body to complain. She moved like an old woman as she got into clean clothes. She’d been told Annie had brought them, but she didn’t dare hope things would remain good between them. Life would likely go back to normal, and she’d be on the periphery of Annie’s life. She told herself that would be okay and was what she deserved.
It felt great to be free of theIV and other monitors, and Sarah wanted nothing more than to step outside and feel the sun on her face. To feel the breeze off the water and to hear the birds sing would be heaven after what she’d been through. She was alive, and so was Annie. That meant everything.
She turned at a knock on her hospital room door. Annie poked her head through the opening. “I hear you’re ready to get out of here. Scout is waiting for you too.”
“I get to keep him?”
“I talked to Ella’s family, and they agreed to let you keep him. He’s waiting at the house.”
That was all Sarah needed to hear. “I’m ready.” She slid her feet into flip-flops. “I can’t wait to get out of here and away from machines and antiseptic.”
Annie smiled and nodded. “I get it. Let’s go outside. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
Here it comes.Sarah swallowed down her fear and hurt and followed Annie down to the first floor and out into the sunshine. She drank in the view of Lake Superior from the park area at the side of the building. “This view never gets old.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Annie held out her left hand, palm down. “Did you notice my engagement ring or were there too many bullets flying around to notice?”
“I noticed. I’m happy for you and Jon. You deserve to be happy, and I know Jon loves you.”
