I walked over to the laptop and opened the lid, then entered my password while I was still standing. My fingers shook so much it took me three times to get it right. Before, I hadn’t quite known what to expect; now, I knew photos of my nightmare lurked on that laptop, just waiting to be brought out into the world.

“Do you want to sit?” Colt asked softly. “Or move the laptop somewhere else?”

I wasn’t sure moving would help, and sitting would feel too confining. Maybe it was time to just rip off the Band-Aid. “No.” I clicked the folder and started the slideshow from the beginning, hating that stupid girl in the photos who’d thought she had an entire life of normalcy ahead of her.

When the photos changed to the basement, I took a step back. Colt shot me a worried look but didn’t reach for me. I would have shoved him off, and he clearly sensed that. It felt like the walls were closing in, trapping me with the laptop, but I told myself I could do this. I could see this through.

Colt held on to the back of the chair beside me, his knuckles white, and he let out a low sound like a growl when the sequence of photos showing the killer slicing my leg flashed across the screen. Roy had made sure to get plenty of photos of that, which made me think Colt might have been right about him too. Something was very wrong with my brother.

We’d reached the point where I’d stopped the slideshow earlier. The killer was standing with his back to the camera, the bloody knife in his hand. In the photo, my head was drooped forward and blood was running down my leg.

The next photos were of the killer moving toward Melanie, but his back mercifully blocked what he was doing.

I gasped aloud when I saw the next photo. The killer had turned around to face the camera dead-on, but his hood and the shadows hid his face. There were two more photos like this, with the killer getting closer and closer.

The next photo was totally black, but the next one was an image of my bloody and muddy clothes. The photo after it showed another set of clothes—hospital scrubs, bloody on the shoulder and the front.

“I bet those belonged to Melanie,” I said. “She was a nurse.”

Colt didn’t say anything.

The image changed and it showed the basement, which was now empty except for the blood-stained floor. There were multiple photos like this, then some more with the bloody clothes.

“Why would he bring those there?” I asked in a whisper.

“Because he’s twisted.”

I turned around, but Colt continued to face the computer screen. A few seconds later, he leaned over and pressed a few buttons and then closed the laptop. He headed out the back door to the deck, bracing his hands on the railing and leaning his head forward.

I watched him, wondering what he was thinking. Wondering why he’d walked away from me. I followed him and stopped in the open doorway.

“Colt,” I said tentatively.

He turned to face me, his face contorted with anger and pain. “Clint Duncan’s lucky the police have him in custody. I’d like to kill him.”

I shook my head. “No.” Maybe I should have given the memory card to Owen after all. Or Brady or Detective Martinez. I shouldn’t have let Colt see it.

“I can’t even imagine . . .” His voice broke, and he took a step toward me before stopping. “I want to hold you, but I’m scared to touch you. What do you want, Mags? What can I do to make this better?”

Tears stung my eyes. “I need you, Colt.”

He was there in seconds, tugging me into his arms and holding me close, as if he never wanted to let go. “Please let me take you somewhere else. Anywhere. We’ll give the memory card to the police, and we’ll come back if they need us for anything.” When I didn’t answer, he tilted my head back so I was looking up at him. “I’m begging you, Maggie. You need a break from all of this.”

Part of me knew I should stay, but I was exhausted and emotionally frazzled. And, truth be told, I wanted to get the hell out of Dodge. If only for a little while.

“Tilly . . .”

“Will give us her blessing. She already told me to take you away. Please, Maggie.”

“Okay.”

He kissed me hard, holding me so tight I could barely breathe. “We can’t let your father know.”

“Agreed.” But that shouldn’t be an issue. I had no plans to see him, and it was clear he and Colt weren’t on good terms. With any luck, the police would bring him in next. “Where do you want to go?”

“Vietnam seems too extreme, but let’s keep with the beach theme and go to Hawaii or the Caribbean.”

I smiled. “Sounds good. You pick.”

But if we were leaving town, there was one more loose thread I needed to tie up. I went upstairs to figure out my clothes situation and called Belinda. When she didn’t answer, I left a message.

“Belinda, it’s Magnolia. The police have caught the killer, so Colt and I are leaving town for a short break.” I paused. “Momma loved you like a second daughter, and she wants you to be happy. I want to make us right before I go. I love you. Call me back.”

I couldn’t bear to leave things as they stood with Belinda, and after seeing those photos, I was really worried about her. Roy was sick and becoming increasingly dangerous. I couldn’t leave her without trying to get through to her one more time.

I hung up and pulled my suitcase out of my closet. Most of my clothes were dirty, but I tossed them in anyway and then went to the bathroom to grab my toiletries. After adding the bag to my suitcase, I checked my phone, relieved to see that Belinda had sent me a text.

I need to talk to you in person, but not with Colt. After Delilah . . . I think it’s best we talk alone.

Colt would never go for that, but it was ultimately my decision—and I wanted to see Belinda. When? Where?

I still have clients back to back until six. After that? I can come to you or meet you somewhere.

She waited about ten seconds before sending: If you’re leaving town, you can meet me here at the office at six before you go. Leave Colt outside. I need to tell you my side.

I knew Colt would pitch a fit, but I was more than willing to take a chance on Belinda. Okay.

As I’d suspected, Colt was not on board with my plan. “She can cancel an appointment to see you.”

“She has clients, Colt.”

He scowled; then his expression softened. “If this is what you want, Maggie. I don’t want you leaving with any regrets.”

His wording gave me pause. “You make it sound like we’re never coming back.”

He shook his head with a frown. “I only meant that I don’t want you spending our beach time wishing you’d worked things out with Belinda. I want your undivided attention.” He leaned over and gave me a kiss. “I’ll book our flights for later tonight.”

“Thanks for being so understanding, Colt.”

He gave me a long leisurely kiss. “Belinda and I may not see eye to eye, but she’s important to you.”

“We still need to figure out how to get the memory card to the police.”

“Why don’t you call Brady and let him come get it?” Colt asked. “Maybe it’ll help him out with the department.”

“Even though he hid the whole thing about his cousin?”

He hesitated. “It’s your call, Mags, but he always seemed to have your safety in mind.”

“While trying to protect his cousin.” But in the end, I called him, if for no other reason than I didn’t want to see Martinez, and I had no desire to ever step foot in the police station again.

An hour later, Brady showed up at the front door. Colt let him in, then gave me a reassuring look before he headed upstairs to give me some privacy.

I was sitting on the sofa, and Brady stood behind the chair opposite me, looking less confident than I had ever seen him.

I gave him a hesitant smile. “I heard about your cousin.”

“Yeah . . .”

“I’m sure this didn’t work out the way you’d hoped.”

His eyes pleaded with mine. “I was trying to make it right, Maggie. I had hoped it wasn’t him.”

I couldn’t help but say, “He killed several more people while you were trying to make it right.”

“I know. You have no idea how sorry I am.”

“Is that why you were with me? Did you only like me because you worried he might be after me?”

“No,” he said, his eyes turning warm. “I wanted you for you, Maggie. You’re a beautiful, amazing, intriguing woman. I liked you before I knew who you were, and that hasn’t changed.”

I gave him a sad smile. “Believe it or not, that makes me feel better.”

“Clint hasn’t confessed yet, but the evidence is stacking up against him.”

“Have they figured out that you’re related to him?”

“Not yet. After I give them the memory card, I plan to confess my part in this . . . although they’re putting some of it together already.”

“Last week, you told me that you knew where I was because people in the police department knew I was living with you. But Martinez was surprised to hear there was any kind of personal connection between us. If your own partner didn’t know, I can’t believe that many people in the department knew to watch me.” I looked him in the eye. “So how did you know where I was?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Remember when I told you that word had gotten around downtown that I liked you? I have a lot of friends downtown, and they all wanted to help set me up with you. You’re not exactly the type to blend into the crowd.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me that?” I asked. “Why lie?”

Dropping his hand to his side, he lifted his shoulder into a small shrug. “Because I knew it would weird you out.”

“Thinking the police were watching me freaked me out more.”

“I can see that . . .”

“I’m leaving town with Colt for a few days, so I won’t be able to take you out to the house until after I get back.”

His gaze shifted out the back windows into the woods. “It can wait. There’s no urgency now.” He turned his attention back to me. “Where are you going?”

I shook my head. “We don’t even know yet. I just know I need to get away.”

“That’s probably a good idea, but I suspect you’ll need to give more statements when you get back next week.”

“Okay.” I paused, surprised my next question was so hard to get out. “Are the police looking for my dad?”

“Yeah,” he said, perking up. “We are. Have you heard from him since last night?”

I shook my head. “No. And I’d like to keep it that way. He has some crazy idea that I’m going with him when he leaves.”

“All the more reason to leave town until things die down,” Brady said, and sadness filled his eyes. “I’m still here if you need me. That hasn’t changed either.”

“I plan on living a nice, quiet life from here on out.”

He chuckled. “You seem incapable of that, Magnolia Steele.”

I grinned. “Maybe so, but I’d like to give it a try.”

---

Several hours later, Colt and I left the house and headed downtown. Our flight to Cancun was in the morning, so we’d decided to drive to Atlanta that night.

But first I had to try to make things right with my sister-in-law.

Colt parked on a side street, and we walked to Belinda’s office together. She’d texted that she’d gotten held up in a late meeting and couldn’t see me until after seven. To his credit, Colt hadn’t said a word of protest. Since it was later than we’d planned, the sun had begun to set, and he was nervous.

“They caught the serial killer, Colt,” I said, thankful that it was true.

“But they haven’t caught your father. I’ve done his dirty work for three years. I know how devious he is. He’ll do everything and anything he can to get what he wants, Mags, and he wants you to leave with him. I’ll feel a helluva lot safer when we’re far away from him.”

Me too. “Then I’ll make this as quick as possible so we can leave.”

Colt opened the door to Belinda’s office and gestured for me to walk in.

She was waiting for me in her front reception area, her hands clasped in front of her. She and Colt exchanged a long look; then Colt kissed my forehead. “I’ll be sitting on the bench outside.”

Then it was just me and Belinda, and I suddenly felt nervous. It didn’t help that my nerves hadn’t recovered from seeing the photos Roy had taken that night.

But Belinda looked nervous too.

“They caught the serial killer,” I said. “It was Clint Duncan.”

She pressed her fingertips to the base of her throat. “Thank goodness! You must feel so relieved.”

“You have no idea. But that’s not why I’m here.”

She motioned toward two chairs. “Do you want to have a seat?”

“Sure.” I sat while she pulled down the shades on the display windows.

“If I don’t do this, we’ll have people trying to come in,” she said as she locked the front door and flipped the sign to say Closed.

But it also meant I couldn’t see Colt, which made me anxious. Part of me wished I’d had him stay inside. Then I chided myself for acting like a helpless female. I had my gun in my purse and my pepper spray. And Colt was about thirty feet away.

After Belinda sat down, she watched me quietly, waiting.

I was the one who’d called this meeting, but I wasn’t sure where to start. I decided to jump in with the thing that bothered me the most. “Why did you tell me you were an only child?”

Her face contorted with embarrassment. “Delilah disowned me. It’s humiliating to tell people that I have a sister who refuses to speak to me.” She pushed out a frustrated sigh. “It’s all about appearances in the South. You know that.”

Unfortunately, she was right. “But I’m not most people, Belinda. I’m your sister-in-law. I wasn’t going to judge you. Look at the relationship I have with Roy, and I still claim him.” I shook my head, overcome with profound sadness. “Hell, I forgave you after you held me at gunpoint. I would hope that you’d think better of me.”

She glanced down at her lap and picked at the cuticle on her thumb. I noticed it was raw. I couldn’t forget that Belinda was facing her own demons just like I was facing mine. I’d run away for ten years. Expecting her to jump ship from my brother at the snap of my fingers was unfair and unrealistic.

“Even though I’m disappointed, I forgive you. I love you, Belinda. I need you, and I only want what’s best for you. I just don’t want any more secrets between us.”

She still kept her gaze on her hands in her lap. “Thank you, Magnolia. That’s so much more than I deserve.”

I leaned forward, and my stomach tightened. I wasn’t sure how she’d react to this next part. “There’s something you need to know about Roy,” I said. “He had the camera I lost the night of my graduation party.”

She shook her head, and her gaze lifted to meet mine. “No. How would Roy have that?”

I held her eyes for a moment to make sure I had her full attention. “He followed me out to the house that night. He found my camera and took photos of me and Melanie Seaborn in that basement. Then he bricked it up in Momma’s basement fireplace.”

She shook her head, her eyes wide with horror. “No. That would mean he was there. That he saw it.”

I understood her reaction. I’d gone through the same emotions hours before. “He’s sick, Belinda,” I said softly. I got out of my chair and knelt in front of her, taking her hands in mine. “I’m scared for you, and the camera backs up my concerns. You need to leave him. Come live with me. We’ll figure it out together.”

Tears swam in her eyes, and her cheeks turned bright pink. “But you’re leaving town.”

Seeing her like this made me reconsider the trip to Cancun, but Colt was right. I needed to get away, if only to try to soothe my wounded soul. Besides, while I could be Belinda’s support, she needed to make this decision on her own. “Only until the end of next week, and you can stay in the house until I get back. Or you can stay with Tilly. She’s the one who encouraged us to go. She’d love to have you stay with her until we get back.”

I didn’t tell her that Tilly and I had discussed this very thing when I’d called to tell her we were leaving tonight. Though neither Tilly nor I had felt confident I’d get through to Belinda, Tilly was on standby, just in case.

She didn’t say anything, so I said, “Please just think about it.”

“Why are you still being so nice to me?” she asked, her voice breaking. “After all the lies and deceptions.”

“Because I think you’re a good person deep down and that you genuinely care about me and Momma. I’ll never forget how loving and accepting you were when I came back home. And the way you stood up for me at that Bunco meeting . . .”

A grin tugged at the corners of her lips in spite of the tears now streaming down her cheeks. “I may have made a few enemies that night.”

“I doubt it. You’re too sweet. Everyone loves you. Including me.” I squeezed her hands tighter. “I’ve done some terrible things too, Belinda, and you haven’t turned away from me.”

She leaned forward and pulled me into a hug. When she released me, she sat back and said nothing. Disappointment coursed through me. I was happy we’d made up, but nothing had really changed. She still hadn’t said she was leaving Roy.

I stood and moved to the window in the front door, peering out so I could see Colt. He was sitting on the bench, tapping his foot anxiously. I waved and he gave me an expectant look, pointing his thumb toward where he’d parked his truck. I shook my head.

“So Colt, huh?” she asked, but there was no judgment in her voice. “Are you sure? I’m still worried you’ll get hurt.”

I shrugged and turned back to face her, understanding why she felt that way. “Colt and I get each other. He’s different with me.” I paused. “Is it hard for you since he was with your sister?”

“No,” she said wistfully. “That seems like a lifetime ago.”

My phone vibrated, and I wasn’t surprised to see a text from Colt. Everything okay in there?

I smiled as I texted, I’m almost done.

“He’s still worried about you?” she asked in surprise.

“We looked at the photos together, and they were pretty graphic. It shook him up pretty badly.”

Her face paled.

“He’ll hardly let me out of his sight,” I said. “They may have caught the serial killer, but my father’s still on the loose.”

She nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“Say,” I said, “Colt and I are driving to Atlanta after I leave you. Do you mind if I use your restroom?”

“No. Of course not.” She stood. “I’ll walk back there with you. I need to see if my new assistant put the ring bearer pillows for the wedding I’m working on next weekend in the storage area. I can’t find them anywhere, and the bride will throw a justifiable fit if we’ve lost them.”

I left my purse by my chair, and we walked down the hall together. The restroom was past Belinda’s office and a changing room. I opened the door and Belinda continued down the hall to the large storage room in the back of the store.

After I came out, I headed into the back room to find her and say goodbye, but she didn’t answer when I called her name.

“Belinda?” I called out again, then saw the back door had been left ajar. I peered out the crack and saw her splayed on the ground outside. “Belinda!”

I hurried out and bent over her, relieved when I felt the pulse in her neck. She had a trickle of blood on her head. Someone had knocked her out. I reached for my phone in my jeans pocket to call Colt as I swung around to look for the perpetrator, but I found myself face to face with someone in a gray hoodie, the hood tugged down over his face. He lunged for me with a cloth in his hand.

Screaming, I scrambled to get away, but I was squatting next to Belinda. The man dove on top of me before I could rise to standing.

“Magnolia!” Colt shouted, but he sounded far away. He was on the other side of the building, and he’d never get to us in time. Belinda had locked the front door.

“Colt!” I screamed, elbowing the man behind me. He grabbed my chin, trying to put the cloth over my face, but I knew I was as good as dead if he did.

I rolled onto my back, reaching for his face with my hands, and sunk my nails into flesh. He shouted and used one arm to push my hands away, but the other clamped the cloth over my mouth and nose.

“Magnolia!” Colt shouted, sounding closer, but then his voice faded as my vision turned to darkness.