He came to her and sat by the bedside. Kitty’s face was slick with sweat as she groaned in pain. Damian grabbed her hand in his and gazed down at her with a mixture of fear and determination.

Kitty’s voice was soft and hoarse from screaming as she said weakly, “Please help me.”

He nodded. “We can do this. We can do this together.”

Damian nodded his head and squeezed her hand tight, trying to give her strength. He spoke softly, assuring her that everything would be all right.

“I’m here for you.”

She screamed again and, finally, after what felt like an eternity, there was a tiny, high-pitched squeal, and then a perfect, round little head appeared in the world.

Damian’s eyes widened in amazement, and he exclaimed with tears, “Look how beautiful!”

Hands shaking, he lifted the baby from Kitty’s body and brought it up to her chest. The small slippery lump of flesh felt magical against her body. Was this a real baby? Had she really made this creature inside of her? Kitty felt overwhelmed by the beauty of this new life—with its delicate, fluttering eyelashes, tiny fingers, and rosebud lips. She started to weep softly as she looked lovingly into its eyes and whispered the words, “Welcome to the world, little baby boy. Welcome.”

FIFTY-FOURBILLIE ANN

The engine rumbled as I drove with the windows wide open. I raced in a fury through the streets, going back to Cocoa Beach, away from this place and all its bad memories.

I had been humiliated again, this time beyond repair. He had looked at me with such condescension, so sure of himself, so certain of what he could get away with. I had wanted to reach out and smash him in the face, to make him feel for just one second the heat of the fire that I was burning in.

But of course, I didn’t.

Instead, I had said nothing, swallowed my pride, and walked away. But the anger was still there. It bubbled up inside me like a pot of boiling water on the stove. I screamed loudly inside of the car. I was so angry, so furious it felt like my blood was boiling.

“That bastard,” I said, slamming my hands on the steering wheel. “That sick, sick bastard.”

I found some Joan Jett and turned the sound up, screaming along to “Bad Reputation.” I was angry at him, but also a little at myself for letting him get to me the way that he did. What had I expected? An apology? Him being remorseful or understanding? I knew better, but still had held on to some foolish hope.

The rage coursed through my body, like an electric current, making my skin hum and my heart beat faster. I was determined to take back control, to reclaim my strength and power. I would show him I was not afraid.

He had hurt me for the last time.

I had made it to the bridges when my phone rang.

“H-hello? Detective Wilde?” a small, still voice said.

“This is she, who is this?”

“My name is Darcy Mason,” she said, clearing her throat.

“What can I do for you, Darcy?” I said as I reached the top of the bridge and could spot the cruise ships at Port Canaveral in the distance, towering like the massive floating high-rises that they were.

“I’m… well, I work… worked for Dr. Henderson,” she said. “I have been debating whether or not to tell you this, but well… I think I should. The thing is that Dr. Henderson sometimes treated patients but didn’t put their files in the system, if you know what I mean.”

“I don’t, no. Please explain that to me.”

She exhaled. It was obvious she felt like she had betrayed her former boss.

“He had some patients, children, that he sort of treated for free. If they didn’t have insurance. Like children who are here with their parents illegally, or maybe hiding from an abusive ex.”

“Go on,” I said.

“And Emma Clemens was one of those who came under that category. That’s why her name wasn’t in the system. She was brought to him by a neighbor who knew Dr. Henderson. I don’t remember his name. I should have told your colleagues when they were here, but I just… I didn’t want to jeopardize—”

“It’s okay,” I said. “It’s understandable. But just so we’re clear, what you’re telling me is that Emma Clemens was Dr. Henderson’s patient?”

“Y-yes.”

Darcy’s voice quivered as she spoke.

“That’s extremely interesting to me,” I said. “I’m very glad you did tell me this, Darcy. Because what you just told me is very important to my investigation. It’s a good thing, okay? You didn’t betray him.”

The phone went deadly silent as my words hung in the air. I suddenly felt very awake and forgot about my anger. Darcy had revealed a key piece of information that could really help me, and even if I couldn’t see the big picture yet, I sensed that some of the puzzle pieces had fallen into place. This was the connection I was looking for.

She broke the silence. “He was such a good man. Why anyone would ever hurt him, I just don’t understand. They all loved him.”

I couldn’t help feeling a pang of sadness for Darcy, who clearly had been so devoted to her employer. I reached the barrier island and took the turn down A1A toward my town and the police station as I softly said, “We’ll do our best to answer that question, Darcy. That’s why I’m here.”

FIFTY-FIVEBILLIE ANN

As I entered the station the next day, my steps were light, and my heart was pounding. I had to push away my gut-wrenching meeting with my former partner in order to focus on the case.

A hush seemed to fall over the entire building as Chief Doyle rushed out of his office. There was an urgency in his stride. He signaled for me to follow him back in, and I obeyed, dread filling me as I crossed the threshold.

Now what?

The office was dark and smelled of stale coffee. Chief Doyle took a seat behind his large mahogany desk and gestured for me to do the same.

“Chief, I got some news on the way back here,” I said. “The pediatrician was Emma Clemens’s doctor. That’s our connection. Cassandra was her babysitter; this guy was her doctor. I can’t help thinking that it is almost like this killer wants to erase any trace of Emma. Does that make any sense? Like we didn’t believe she existed at first, because there were no records of her, no birth certificate, and so on, and someone is killing off anyone who could confirm she was real.”

He exhaled and rubbed his forehead. “Here we go again.”

I was taken aback. “I thought you were onboard with this. What happened?” I asked him.

He sat up straight. “I called you in here for another reason. I need you to listen, Wilde.”

I nodded, feeling like a child in the principal’s office. “Yes, sir.”

“We got a DNA test done on this,” Chief Doyle said gravely.

He opened a drawer and pulled out a small bag, placing it on the desk in front of me. His face was lined with worry, so deep that it almost seemed like he aged right before my eyes. In the bag was a lock of hair.

“It matches the hair of Pete Perez, Cassandra’s father.”

I felt my stomach clench as I realized what he was implying. On the one hand, I desperately wanted to give Pete the benefit of the doubt; after all he had just lost his only daughter. But then there was also the pain in his side that had me worried, and the fact that he was lying about it. And the fact that he let Marissa live in his house for free. Could he really be behind Dr. Henderson’s murder? Why?

With conflicting emotions coursing through me, I took the bag from Chief Doyle’s hand and studied it closely.