The sound of the gunshot echoed through the swamp, and for a moment, everything was silent except for the ringing in my ears and birds taking off from treetops. Doyle stumbled backward, blood staining his shirt. He fell to the ground, gasping for air. I stood frozen, staring at him in shock. It was an intense feeling, a mixture of relief and horror. But I had no idea if he would manage to get up.

I turned around and stumbled to the abandoned cabin. It was very small, more like a shed and, as I entered it, I fell to the wooden floor, tired and weary, unable to still stand on my feet. I felt like the earth was spinning, and I closed my eyes for just a few seconds.

When I opened them again, the cabin was shrouded in complete darkness. The adrenaline had left my body, and the exhaustion had finally caught up with me. I was lying on the dirty floor of the cabin, my breathing ragged and uneven. My shoulder throbbed with pain, and I could feel the sticky blood seeping through my shirt. But most of all, I worried for Emma and for Kitty.

The darkness was all-encompassing. Not a lamp or light in sight, and I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t know if Doyle was still out there or not. Would he soon be coming for me? I had one bullet left in the magazine. One chance to save myself from him.

SEVENTY-EIGHTBILLIE ANN

My eyes shot open, and I gasped for air. A bright light hit me and blinded me for a few seconds. It was moving. No that wasn’t it. I was moving.

Where am I?

I realized I was on a stretcher, my body still and quiet, as if my spirit had escaped my flesh. I felt an overwhelming sensation of relief, as if I were returning home after a long journey. My vision was blurry at first, until I could make out a face. It was Big Tom, his expression a mix of worry and determination. He held my arm lightly, as if to ensure that I remained still.

“You’re safe now,” he said gently, his voice barely audible over the commotion of the hospital. “We’re here to help you. Just stay with me, okay?”

Startled, I tried to remember how I had gotten there, but I couldn’t. It was all a blur. But Tom was there, and that made me happy. And at that moment, I knew that I was safe. I knew that no matter what happened, Big Tom would be there, and that no matter how scared I was, I could hold on and make it through. He was my friend and right now my rock.

I thought about Emma and felt my heart start to race again. I felt myself drifting off. In the distance I could hear voices as they were yelling.

“We’re losing her. Get a move on!”

And then I didn’t hear anything else. I just felt myself getting weightless and drifting off into a black vast space. I felt nothing but happiness, and relief, and didn’t have a care in the world.

As I drifted off into the black void, I felt a sudden jolt that woke me up. My eyes fluttered open, and I was back in the hospital room, surrounded by beeping monitors and the smell of antiseptic. My head was pounding, and my throat was dry. I searched for Big Tom, but he was nowhere to be found. Panic set in, and I tried to get up, but my body was too weak. It succumbed once again, and I lost consciousness.

The third time I woke up, Big Tom was the first person I saw. He was sitting in a chair next to my bed. As I opened my eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“There you are. Dang it, I thought we lost you.”

I shook my head. My mouth felt dry, my voice hoarse as I spoke.

“Nah, you ain’t getting rid of me that easily.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and sank back into the pillows. The memories of what happened started to flood back and my heart rate picked up. I remembered the attack, the fear, and the pain. My body shuddered at the thought. “What happened?”

He cleared his throat. “Marissa Clemens, or Kitty, came to the station late at night. The sergeant couldn’t get a hold of the Chief, so they called me in, knowing I was still on the case. I spoke to her, and she told me her entire story. She told me the man who took her was from the police, and as she saw Doyle’s picture in the hallway, she began to shiver. I knew then how it was all connected. I asked her if that was the guy and she said yes. He had tried to take her to the swamp and dump her dead body. She knew he was in there when she escaped. She didn’t know about you. But I drove her to his house, and we got Emma. Kitty showed me the shed she had lived in for fourteen years before she escaped. It was nasty, I tell you. He had the thing soundproofed. Think of all the times people went to his house. She was there, in that shed at the end of his property, and nobody could hear her.”

I shivered.

“Imagine that. It’s a big property and you couldn’t see the shed from the house. It was hidden by the tall trees. I then had DCF come take the three other children, and they’re in their custody so far till we figure out what will happen to them. Then I realized your car was in the driveway, and I became suspicious. I had Kitty take me back to where she escaped from. I called in a search-and-rescue team and had them out there all night till we finally found you inside of the small cabin. You had passed out, with the gun on top of you. You were in a pool of blood and at first, I feared that you were dead.”

He exhaled to steady himself, tears welling up in his eyes.

I squeezed his hand, then whispered, “You saved my life. Thank you.”

He sniffled and wiped his cheeks.

“You saved that little girl. Doyle focused on you, and it gave Kitty the chance to run—to get help and save her daughter.”

I began to well up.

He continued. “We found Doyle’s body on the ground outside. It had been half-eaten by animals, and he looked awful. I figured you shot him in self-defense.”

He shook his head again and hid his face in his hands. “What he did… I can’t believe it. It’s… so awful. I have been talking to Kitty, interviewing her for these past two days and I can’t… I can’t even imagine. How will she be able to move on after this?”

I smiled, even though it took all of my last strength. “At least now she has a chance of getting a normal life again.”

“That’s true.” He smiled faintly. “She told me she didn’t dare to go to the police when she escaped, because the man who held her prisoner was a police officer, and she didn’t trust us. Also, because she had killed Doyle’s wife. She was afraid of going to jail for it. She took the name Marissa Clemens from a tombstone she passed at the cemetery on her way to the Perezes’ house. She thought she could live under the radar and not be found, while still staying close to her other children. She didn’t want to leave them. But when Emma disappeared, she panicked. She got so desperate to find her, she didn’t know what else to do, and finally went to the police, but later regretted it because she found out that Doyle was the Chief, and she got scared away. Oh, and there’s another thing. I don’t want to overwhelm you, but I think you need to know.”

“What’s that?”

“Travis Walker is gone. He left.”

My eyes grew wide. “He’s gone?”

“Yes. He was friends with Doyle. I guess maybe he knew too much and got scared once he heard what happened.”

“Huh. I wonder if he knew it was Doyle who took Kitty all along.”

“You think he covered for him?”

I exhaled. “I don’t know. And now I guess we will never know. What happened to Betty? She might know.”

“His wife has disappeared too. Vanished from their house. Took clothes, personal items, passports, and stuff.”

I exhaled. I didn’t like the fact that Travis had gotten away. I had a feeling he knew a lot more than what he had said.

“We will search for him, of course,” Tom said. “Oh, and Doyle was wearing a belt like the one we assume is the murder weapon when we found him, and we have secured it as evidence and sent it to the lab, where they are checking if that is the murder weapon.”

“That sick bastard,” I said. “I can’t believe he was right here under our noses this entire time.”

“I know. And as soon as you got too close for comfort, he made sure you got suspended. But good news is that Joe will be released later today, because Travis never pressed charges and, now that he is gone, the DA has decided to let Joe go. There’re no longer any grounds to keep him.”

I nodded, thinking about my husband. I wondered where he would go after this. Would he come back to the house? I would have to tell him to find his own place. We needed to separate. It was time.

“That is good news, thanks.”

I heard voices in the hallway, and seconds later my kids stormed inside of the room. Big Tom snuck out to give us privacy, while they jumped on my bed, and I winced in pain, but it was worth it. Even Charlene was there, but she stayed a few steps behind, her eyes avoiding mine. I hugged Zack and William as tight as I could without screaming in pain, then looked at her. I reached out my hand toward her.

“You’re not gonna say hello?” I asked, my voice strained and hoarse. “Your momma almost died and you’re not gonna hug her?”

She gave me a reluctant look. I could tell she had been crying.

“Come here, you,” I said.

She came closer, and I grabbed her hand, then pulled her the last bit of the way.