Josh gave the Parish Sheriff a call, filling him in on what was happening with his case, and that he was almost certain the killers they were searching for were one and the same. After watching DeChante make a run north, he wanted to see what, if anything, they might have captured on camera. So, he took Kenny McKay back with him. When they got to the broken fence, he eased his car across the ditch. Then he saw car tracks going in and coming out over the tracks of the ATVs and grinned.

But Kenny was at a momentary loss.

"What are we looking for, Chief?"

"Kenny, we are looking to catch ourselves a rat," Josh said, and drove all the way to the inlet and parked.

"Follow me," he said, as he got out and headed for the first camera he'd put up. He took it down and went back to the cruiser to see what, if anything, they had caught.

At first, it was a small assortment of animals barely visible within the grass, and then he moved past the night shots, to the latest views of the day.

"Hey, there's a car driving up," Kenny said, pointing to the left of the small screen.

Josh grinned. Not only did he recognize the car, but he knew the driver.

Kenny moved closer to the screen.

"Danged if that doesn't look like the mayor. What would he be doing all the way out here?"

Josh said nothing as he watched the small screen, showing Barton DeChante walking in a circle right where Logan told him her brother's body had fallen.

He stopped the camera and handed it to Kenny.

"Put this in the back seat of the cruiser then follow me. I need to pick up the rest of the trail cameras before we leave. And mind where you're putting your feet. You're just as likely to walk up on a gator as step on a snake."

"Oh shit," Kenny said, and shuddered as he did what he was told.

Thirty minutes later, they were on their way back to town with all of the trail cameras. He needed to view the rest of them, too, and see if they had enough evidence to get a search warrant. They had recovered the shell casing from Logan Talman's shooting. The Parish Sheriff had recovered a bullet from Danny Bales’ body, and he was running a trace to see if Barton DeChante owned a registered weapon. The only thing missing were bodies. Barton had left one lying where he fell, but Logan had buried it. Josh was hoping Barton had buried the others, instead of leaving them to the gators.

He was at his desk going through everything he had to take to a judge to get a search warrant, when Arnie came in and laid a piece of paper on his desk.

“This just came in, Chief. Info on who owned Delta Industries.”

Josh began to read as Arnie left, and when he saw the name, he grinned. One more piece to add to the puzzle. The owner was Barton DeChante.

Wade and Logan had driven to Barney's for breakfast, but rather than go back and sit in the motel, Wade wanted to see where Logan had grown up, so he drove and she blazed the trail.

They went past the park, then the high school and football field. She showed him where her brother once worked, and the big fancy house where Caitlin grew up, then they headed to the south side of town.

It was immediately evident to Wade that the lifestyles here were far different than what he'd been seeing. When she directed him down the street to the house where she and Damon had lived, she began leaning slightly forward, bracing herself against the dash as if it would take her just that little bit closer to finding her brother.

All of a sudden, Logan pointed to a few men standing beneath a shade tree a few houses down and yelled, "Stop."

Wade hit the brakes, and when he did, saw one of the men turn around and look. Then he separated himself from the others and began walking toward their car.

"That's the man who saved my life," she said, and got out.

Wade parked at the curb, then got out and followed her.

T-Boy heard the rumble of the engine before he looked to see who it was. When he recognized the vehicle, the ache in his chest was a reminder of how much he'd wanted her to love him. Still drawn to her, he headed for the car, hoping she was in it. He saw her get out, still the same tall beauty, but with her arm in a sling, and she was walking toward him.

They met in the middle of the street, like they'd done so many times before when they were young, only this time she was smiling.

"I've been told you saved my life."

T-Boy shrugged.

"I saw a friend down. What else would I do?"

"I am forever grateful," Logan said, and put her arm around his neck and hugged him.

It was a moment in time that T-Boy would never get back, and because she'd made the first gesture, he wrapped his arms around her and ever so gently, returned the hug. Finally, after all these years, he had the satisfaction of knowing what life would have been like if she had loved him as much as he loved her.

Then he looked over her shoulder and saw the big cowboy get out and start toward them. He was a damn fine-looking man, older than them, but with a look on his face that told T-Boy she was already taken.

He patted her on the back and stepped away.

"Reinforcements are coming to rescue you from the street thug," he quipped.

Logan knew it was Wade.

"He works for me," she said, and then Wade walked up beside her. "Wade. This is T-Boy. We grew up together, which is one thing, but he's also the man who kept me from bleeding out before the ambulance came. T-Boy, this is Wade Garrett."

Wade grabbed T-Boy's hand and shook it gladly.

"It is an honor and a pleasure to meet you, sir. I don't know what we'd do without this lady back home."

"Good to meet you, too," T-Boy said, and in that moment, wished with everything in him that he had made better choices.

T-Boy turned around and shouted at his friends.

"Hey, y'all. It's Conway, and she's here without that damn bat. Come say hi."

Logan looked up at Wade and grinned.

He shoved his Stetson to the back of his head, watching as people began coming out on their porches to see what was happening, then they saw who it was. They had all known she was here, now they knew why, and she was one of theirs.

People were crowding around her, everyone talking and laughing, but so careful not to bump her. It wasn't until Logan spilled the beans about T-Boy, that anyone knew the part he'd played in saving her life.

It was a moment T-Boy would never forget, being praised instead of cursed.

As for Wade, he had never seen Logan so at ease. This was who she was meant to be. A woman without secrets.

Josh Evans had his search warrant, but he did not have his man. Barton DeChante and his wife, Sugar, were not at home.

Ruthie, their cook and housekeeper, was informing the chief that they'd gone to New Orleans to shop. He didn't need them to be present when he searched the house. Ruthie could receive the warrant, but he'd counted on rattling DeChante enough to hope he said something incriminating.

"When do you expect them home?" Josh asked.

"I got a call from Mrs. DeChante asking me to make something special for dinner tonight, so probably around five or six o'clock. I always serve dinner at seven."

"That's okay," Josh said, then he had a thought. "Say Ruthie, maybe you can help me with something. Did you work for the family when the first Mrs. DeChante was still here?"

"Miss Faith? Yes, I did. She was such a lovely lady. So sweet and soft-spoken."

"Were you here when she went missing?"

"No. Mr. DeChante had sent me and my husband on a seven-day river cruise on one of those paddle-wheelers. We had the time of our lives."

"Wow, that's great. Was it for something special? Your birthday...or your anniversary?"

"No. He just up and surprised me with it."

Josh nodded. Yet another clue to the man's plan to do what he wanted without witnesses.

"I see...so I guess you were shocked when you came back and heard the news about his wife."

Ruthie shrugged.

"I heard it, but I still don't know that I believe. Miss Faith wasn't like that."

"Then what do you think happened to her?" Josh asked.

Ruthie frowned.

"I don't rightly know. It still puzzles me some. I came back to her gone, and the Mister out rearranging his rose garden. He's in that garden all the time, and he’s real fond of his roses. Why, some of them roots are nearly a hundred years old, he says."

Josh felt like sweeping Miss Ruthie up in his arms and dancing her about the foyer, but withheld the urge. Now he knew where the bodies were buried.

"Yes, ma'am. I've taken up enough of your time. Thank you again."

"You're most welcome," Ruthie said, and went back to the kitchen.

Josh left, making a call to the judge’s office for a request to amend the search warrant he already had to include the exterior of the property and then told the secretary why, along with a message that he’d be by to pick it up shortly. After that, he made a call to Parish Sheriff Elway, as well.

Logan was back in the motel and stretched out on the bed, exhausted but at peace. Wade was pacing the floor, talking in undertones so she couldn't hear exactly what was being said, but she knew he was pissed. She was thinking to herself that she would never want to see him this angry at her, and then she heard him say the name “McGuire” and knew it had something to do with her business.

She sat up in bed.

"Wade!"

He glanced at her and then he said, "Wait a second," and covered the phone. "What, honey?"

"What's wrong on the job site?"

He hesitated.

She stood up, and sling notwithstanding, held out her hand for the phone.

Wade walked straight to her.

"McGuire came to work drunk and was trying to load up one of our table saws in the back of his work truck when some of the men stopped him."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Who are you talking to now?"

"Enzo Behenja."

She took the phone.

"Enzo, this is Logan."

"Boss Lady. It is good to hear your voice. You are doing well?"

"I'm fine," she said."Is this true what Wade is telling me? That McGuire came to work drunk?"

"Si, Señora, and he wants to take a saw."

"What was he going to do with it?" she asked.

"Sell it. He told one of the bricklayers that you didn't pay him, and so he's going to take that in pay."

"Well, that's a lie," Logan snapped. "Call the police. Have him arrested for attempted robbery. And tell them he came to work drunk, and I'll be pressing charges."

"Si, Señora, I will do that."

"Thank you, Enzo. We'll be in touch. Here's Wade."

She handed the phone back to Wade and went to find her purse.

Wade told Enzo to call as soon as McGuire was arrested and removed from the property and ended the call.

Logan was already on the phone talking to her accountant to verify that paychecks had gone out on time, and that no one's pay has been withheld. When the call ended, she was madder than ever as she told Wade what she’d learned.

"McGuire tried to get her to cut him a check for expenses he claimed he incurred while standing in for you. She said he sounded drunk when he called, and when she refused, he started cursing her and disconnected."

Wade was still shaking his head. "I have never seen this kind of behavior from McGuire, have you?"

"No, and he stepped in for you a couple of times after Andrew was gone. With you gone, too, and me somewhere between here and dead, I think he thought it would be an easy snatch," she said.

"I'm sorry," Wade said. "I put him in charge."

"And I put him in charge once before that. Neither one of us saw this in him. It is what it is," she said. "But now who can we trust to keep things moving until we get home? Maybe you should just catch a flight home and—"

"Oh, hell no," Wade said. "I'm not leaving you own your own down here again. When I leave, you're coming with me."

Logan was secretly relieved.

"Hey, what about Sarge? I know he's retired, but Andrew used to say he was the best at running a crew he'd ever seen."

Wade nodded.

"Yes, good call. I have his number. I'll see if he's free and able."

"He doesn't have to be too able. Make sure he knows it's nothing but directing traffic, so to speak."

"I'll give him a call," Wade said.

Logan was hurting. She glanced at the time. The last pain pills she'd taken were before breakfast, so she took a couple more and lay back down, waiting for them to take effect and wondering if those trail cameras would work. She wanted justice for her brother, but now it was obvious she also needed to go home.

Sugar bubbled with elation, talking about her new clothes, her new shoes, even giggling about the psychic they'd seen while they were there.

"Can you imagine? She said something momentous was waiting for us. I wonder what it might be," she said.

"I don't believe in that stuff," Big Boy said.

Sugar pouted.

"I don't care. I do, and you'll see."

He chuckled.

"Don't get yourself all in a snit. You have new stuff to wear to your next girls’ night out. You'll be the prettiest one there. You always are."

Sugar giggled.

"Ooh honey, sweet talk like that will get you everywhere with me."

"Yeah...I know," he said, and then they both laughed out loud.

He was still in good spirits and wondering what Ruthie was making for dinner when he pulled into their drive.

"Oh my. It's good to be home," Sugar said, and unlatched her seat belt.

Big Boy's hand was on the door handle when he looked up in his rearview mirror and frowned.

"What the fuck?" he muttered, and got out.

Chief Evans rolled up into DeChante's driveway with lights flashing and his siren screaming, as did four of his officers in their patrol cars.

The chief got out with his warrants, saw the look on DeChante's face, and grabbed him before he could run.

"Barton DeChante, I have a search warrant to search your house and one to search the exterior of your property as well." He stuffed the warrants into DeChante's pocket.

"No!" Barton screamed. "Why? What are you doing? You're crazy. Let me go you fuckers! I didn't do anything wrong."

Josh calmly handed him over to one of his deputies.

"Please see that he doesn't run off. I'll have questions for him after the search."

Sugar was in shock up to the point they handcuffed her husband, and then she came to and ran forward, screaming as she went.

"What are you doing? Stop! Let him go, let him go!" she cried, and rushed up to the chief. "Whatever you’re doing, this is all a horrible mistake.”

"Move aside, ma’am. We have search warrants for your house and the outside of the property, as well."

“This can’t be happening!” Sugar cried, as Officer Kenny McKay pulled her out of the way, while two others came up to assist the chief.

DeChante looked over the backend of the cruiser as a yellow backhoe appeared at the end of the block. When he realized it was coming toward his property, for the first time in his life, he was afraid.

"What are you going to do with that backhoe?" he cried.

Josh was in his face. "We're searching the premises, both inside and out, and have reason to believe you buried the bodies of your wife, Faith, and Justin Baptiste here."

Barton gasped, then began to shout.

"No. You can't dig in my garden. The roses alone are priceless. Some of the roots are a hundred years old. You can't destroy history!"

And just like that, without realizing he'd said it, Barton DeChante had just verified his guilt by admitting where the bodies were buried.

The backhoe came closer, and so did Sugar, still pleading for mercy.

"Please, please, Chief!" Sugar begged. "What can I do to make you see what a mistake you are making?"

"Tell me where your husband keeps his gun."

"In the library," Sugar said. "I'll even show you. It will prove you're wrong."

Big Boy was in shock. How did the bitch even know he had a gun, let alone where he kept it? Then he threw back his head and let out a scream of pure rage. The woman he'd killed for had just turned into his betrayer.

"You bitch, you bitch! What have you done? If you hadn't been so good at fucking, I would have already buried you, too."

Sugar gasped, staring at her husband as if she was seeing him for the first time, and at the same moment, Big Boy realized what he'd said. He dropped his head and closed his eyes as Josh read him his rights, while the backhoe came closer and closer.

Josh had the back door open, ready to load him up into his cruiser, when the backhoe reached the house. The driver bypassed the cop-filled driveway, and started up through the perfectly manicured lawn, leaving a ragged set of tracks.

Barton stopped just shy of stepping inside the car, watching in horror at the backhoe bouncing past the magnolia tree. Then it rounded the corner and was heading into the back gardens as it went out of sight.

Big Boy wailed, and then lowered his head and shook it like a dog shedding water.

"Stop him," he said.

Josh leaned down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. What did you say?"

"I said, stop him! Don't let him tear up the roses."

"Sorry, but we have bodies that are missing and families in grief. It is my job to find them and their killer."

"I did it," he said.

"Did what?" Josh asked.

"I killed them."

"I didn't hear you," Josh said.

Big Boy turned on him, screaming.

"I killed them. I killed Faith because I wanted Sugar, and I killed Justin because I needed a reason for Faith to disappear. Please, tell him to stop now. Don't let him dig up the roses."

Josh pressed him for more answers. "I suppose you killed Damon Conway because he turned you down when you asked him to kill your wife, and you killed Danny Bales because he would remember loaning you his truck the night of Damon Conway's murder."

Barton was in a panic. He could hear the backhoe's gears grinding and pictured his beautiful rose bushes being ripped to shreds. He groaned. There was no way out of this now. "Yes, yes, I did it...I killed both of them. Now please stop them from digging up my roses."

Josh nodded at one of his deputies.

"Go tell Henry to take the backhoe back to the City Utility Barn. We'll use it again when we exhume the bodies.

"Yes, sir," he said, and took off running.

"Just for the record, where did you bury the bodies?" Josh asked.

Barton's head dropped.

"Under the bench at the end of the brick path through the garden."

Josh grabbed him by the arm.

"Know that if you're lying, I will make it my personal business to not only dig up everything in that garden, but I will also set it on fire." Then he pushed Barton into the backseat. "Watch your head," he said, then slammed the door in his face.

An hour later, they were back at the station, logging DeChante's gun and silencer into evidence, and booking him into jail. Later, locking him into a cell was the culmination of a week of hell, and he had the monster who’d caused it off the streets.

Wearing jailhouse orange, and still smarting from the humiliation of mug shots and fingerprinting, DeChante dropped onto the cot, shuddering to think of the vast number of degenerates who'd been here before him.

Josh walked out, locking the cell door behind him, then he went to his office and called Johnny Baptiste.

"Hello," Johnny said.

"Johnny, this is Chief Evans. How long will it take you to gather your family at your house?"

"I don't know for sure, Chief. At least an hour, maybe more."

"Then please start notifying them. I have something to tell the family, and I need to say it to all of you at the same time."

Johnny was nervous, but didn't hesitate.

"Yes, sir. They'll be here."

"See you later," Josh said, and next called Wade Garrett.

"This is Wade."

"This is Chief Evans. Are you both at the motel?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'll be there shortly. I have information," Josh said.

He disconnected, then made one more call to Stella Bales.

Unlike Wade Garrett, Stella was slow to answer, and when she did, he could hear a lot of noise in the background and guessed more family had arrived.

"Hello. Stella speaking."

"Stella, this is Chief Evans. Sounds like you have a lot of company."

"Yes, sir. We do."

"I am going to add myself to the mix, if you don't mind. I have some new information to give you."

"Yes, okay. We'll be here," she said.

Josh disconnected, then called home, listening to it ring and waiting for the sound of his Reenie's voice. And then she picked up.

"Hello."

"Reenie, it's me."

"Hi, sweetheart! Are you on your way home?"

"Not quite yet. I have to talk to a few families first, and then I'll be there."

"I heard all the sirens," she said. "Y'all did good, didn't you?"

He heard a smile in her voice.

"Yes, baby. We did good."

Wade and Logan were sitting on the bed, talked out and anxious, while waiting for that knock on the door.

"What do you think he's going to tell us?" Logan asked.

"You heard the same sirens I heard. I think it's going to be good news."

Logan leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I hope so. I just want to find Damon and go home."

"I know, and I want that for you... for both of us."

They were so intent on listening, that when the knock finally came, it made both of them jump.

But it was Logan who went to the door.

"Come in," she said, and then sat back down on the bed, leaving the chairs for the men to choose from, but Wade stayed beside her. When the chief began talking, Wade slipped his arm around her waist.

Josh had come here first out of respect for the fact that her brother was Barton's first victim. He pulled a chair up to the bed where they were sitting, and went straight to the reason he was here.

"Barton DeChante has been arrested for the murder of your brother, Damon, of his wife, Faith, of Justin Baptiste, and of Danny Bales."

"Oh my God, how did you know who it was?" Logan asked.

"Danny Bales’ first wife arrived from California with a story about a man renting Danny's pickup the same night that Jody Bales was murdered on the south side"

Logan shuddered, and then looked at Wade.

"I never did know who that was, but I saw the body in the street. That all happened before Damon came home."

Josh heard her and nodded. "That same night, it was Connie's brother who had rented Danny's truck. He turned out to be the one wanting his wife killed so he could marry another woman, and we do have the right man. He confessed."

"Barton DeChante lived in that big house with the rose gardens, didn't he?" Logan asked.

The chief nodded.

"Yes, which happens to be where he buried his wife and Johnny Baptiste's cousin, Justin. He spread a lie that they were having an affair and told everyone they ran away together. Then he killed Danny so he wouldn't put two and two together and remember he was the one who’d had the truck the night your brother was killed."

"You couldn't make this stuff up," Wade said.

"Truth. And Logan, just so you know, the Parish sheriff is notifying all the proper agencies, and if you're up to it, with your assistance, they will begin the recovery of your brother's body tomorrow."

"Yes, oh yes," she whispered. "Finally ... Yes, I'm up to it and yes, we'll be there. Just tell us what time."

"You two can follow me out in the morning. It'll probably be close to nine before all the agencies can gather in the same place. This is unusual to get this much cooperation from different agencies so quickly, but they’re all sympathetic to your situation. I'll call you in the morning when I leave," he said, and then stood.

Logan stood up and shook his hand.

"I will never be able to thank you enough."

"I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot, or this might have ended sooner," Josh said.

"It's over, and that's the main thing," she said.

Josh nodded, then shifted his gaze to Wade. "See you both in the morning," he said, and left.

Wade locked the door after the chief left and then turned and took Logan into his arms.

"You did it, Boss Lady. You found your brother's killer."

Logan laid her head on his shoulder as she settled into his embrace.

"Yes, and now all I need is to find my brother."

Josh drove to the Bales home next and had to park in the street because of the number of vehicles in their yard. He was walking toward the house when Stella and Connie came out to meet him.

"Whatever it is you have to say, would you come inside and tell all of us at once," Stella asked.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, and followed them inside.

Stella introduced him and offered him a seat, which he declined.

"I won't stay. I just need to give all of you an update. You'll get details later, but thanks to Logan Talman and Connie Bales, we found the killer."

Everyone in the room looked at Connie, who was in tears.

"Oh my God, was I right?" she asked.

He nodded.

She collapsed into a chair and started sobbing.

"What's going on? What are you saying?" Stella cried.

Josh couldn't imagine how this was going to play out, since the killer was related to Connie.

"We just arrested Barton DeChante on four counts of murder."

Stella gasped. "Barton? Four? He murdered four?"

"Yes, ma'am. Damon Conway, Faith DeChante, Justin Baptiste, and your husband, Danny."

Stella shook her head, unable to follow what he was saying.

"But Faith and that Baptiste man ran away together."

"No, ma'am. That's the story he put out to cover what he'd done. Unfortunately, Justin Baptiste's only crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. DeChante just used him as the excuse to explain away his wife's sudden absence. He buried them both in the rose garden. We'll be recovering their remains within a few days."

When the people in the room erupted in questions and tears, and all talking at once, he knew it was time to leave.

"My condolences to all of you. I have one more family to talk to before I can close my eyes tonight."

Stella grabbed his hand.

"Thank you. Thank you for giving our Danny justice."

"Yes, ma'am. Just sorry it happened at all," and then he was out the door.

Josh got in the car and then sat for a few moments, gathering his emotions. This was a hard way to end a day, but it was the best outcome any of them could have hoped for.

Two down and one to go.

He next drove to Caitlin and Johnny's house. There, the family cars were all parked along curbs up and down the streets. There were so many people in the house that some of them had spilled over onto the front porch, and others were in lawn chairs out in the yard.

Johnny came out of the house before Josh was up the steps and welcomed him inside.

"Here we are, Chief, at your request."

Josh stood at the door so that everyone could see and hear him. As soon as they quieted, he began.

"We just arrested Barton DeChante for the murder of Damon Conway and for the murder of Danny Bales."

There were gasps of shock and disbelief.

"The reason I'm telling all of you this is because the entire tragedy began because DeChante wanted his first wife killed so he could marry another woman. When Damon Conway refused, Barton killed him, which then meant he had to kill his wife on his own."

He heard gasps and whispers beginning and knew they were starting to understand why he was there.

"What you need to know is that Justin Baptiste was an innocent. He just happened to be in the wrong place when DeChante needed a reason to support his wife's absence. He killed and buried them both in his rose garden. Your Justin did not cheat on his wife. He was a victim, like the others. Details will be forthcoming, and we will be recovering all of the bodies in the coming days. Is Justin's wife here?"

A small brown-haired woman stood.

"I'm Lila Baptiste. I'm Justin's wife."

"Ma'am, my sympathies for your loss. The authorities will be notifying you when your husband's remains are recovered so you can properly lay him to rest."

"I thank you," she said. "I knew he had to be dead. I just didn't know what happened. I told them all he wouldn't leave me. I told them, and they still chose to believe the worst."

The family was gathering around the grieving widow as he walked out. He headed for home, needing the time he would spend with his sweet woman before the recoveries began.

He would be glad when this summer was over.

It was a somber night in Bluejacket.

Logan was in bed, trying to relax enough to sleep, and Wade was lying behind her, aware of her discontent.

Logan was mentally psyching herself up to face what ten years in the swamp would have done to Damon.

Wade knew she was bothered, and didn't know what to say to make it better.

"Boss Lady, I would do anything to take this burden from your shoulders, but I can't, and I accept that. This is your grief. I just want you to know that I'm here. Lean on me tomorrow. Don't hurt your recovery by overdoing it, okay?"

Logan heard the promise and felt the love.

"Yes, I hear you. And while tomorrow will be a sad and trying day, it's nothing compared to the night I rolled him in that grave. Okay?"

"Definitely okay."

Then she closed her eyes and finally slept, safely cradled in Wade Garrett's arms.

Morning arrived with a clear, cloudless sky, and air so thick and heavy from the humidity that you could almost taste the salt from the Gulf.

Wade and Logan followed Chief Adams out to the dig site without talking. Logan was mentally bracing herself for the day and grateful for Wade's presence.

The crime scene team from the Louisiana State Bureau of Investigation was already there and waiting. They would be heading up the recovery.

Officers from the Parish Sheriff's Department were there to provide protection for the recovery team and were standing guard with weapons drawn, ready to dispatch any gators or snakes if the need arose.

Chief Evans from the Township of Bluejacket was on scene, partly on Logan's behalf, and partly because he was the one who'd solved the cases.

As soon as Logan arrived, she was asked to spray-paint an X on the ground where Damon had died, and then spray-paint the area where she’d dug the grave. She handed a crime scene investigator a paper on which she’d drawn a diagram of the levels of layers within the grave, and what they would find before they reached the depth where the body would be, and she had been specific enough that she'd impressed the entire team by what she'd done.

She had written that they would first find the two small boulders she’d rolled onto the deadfall.

Then the layers of decayed deadfall, and then below all that, the tarp-wrapped body of her brother.

Once they settled her into a folding chair within some shade, had stomped down all the swamp grass to make sure the area was clear of snakes, they began to dig, going one slow shovelful of dirt at a time.

The day was like all others, already hotter than hell and turning blood to a languid liquid, making hearts compensate by beating faster just to finish a task.

And all the while that the sun moved higher toward its daily zenith, the temperature rose. Not even shade could provide any kind of relief from the thick, airless swamp.

Initially, Logan sat motionless and as the first layer was removed, she glanced up to see where Wade had gone, and instead caught a glimpse of movement in the trees beyond the clearing. Goosebumps rose on the backs of her arms as she stood up to look closer, but it was gone. She sat back down.

While the dig site was surrounded with the turmoil of too many people and ongoing racket, the swamp had become silent. The air grew heavier. Sweat rolled in rivulets.

When they found the boulders, the men who were digging were shocked at their size, and once again, she was eyed with new respect.

Logan didn't notice. She was on her feet again, staring into the trees beyond them. Something—no, someone was there. A glimpse of shoulder, a brief flash of long legs. The quickening of her heart took her aback.

Recognition!

Wade walked up behind her and handed her a cold bottle of water. She drank thirstily and gave it back without speaking.

Another hour passed, and then another, and they were down through two more feet of dirt and hitting rotted wood when Logan's gut began to knot.

She stood up again, watching him weaving his way toward her through the trees. She knew him now. She felt the love. He was here to witness and to thank.

Suddenly one of the men down in the pit stood up.

"We've got him," he said.

Logan pushed out of Wade's arms and moved forward until she was standing at the edge of the pit.

"Ma'am, you need to get back," an officer said.

"I put him there. I told him I’d be back, now I need to watch you bringing him out."

Wade wrapped his arms around her waist, then whispered against her ear and pulled her back to a safer location.

"Lean on me."

So she did.

The digging crew abandoned their small shovels for even smaller trowels and brushes, until finally, the rotting tarp was clear of debris.

Four men slipped down into the pit and carefully lifted the tarp and its contents to the surface, while another group carried it away from the grave and gently lowered it to the ground.

When Logan finally saw the tarp come up from the hole, if it hadn't been for Wade, she would have collapsed. She was shaking now, and suddenly so cold.

Someone went to get a body bag, and while everyone else was focused on the tarp and its contents, Logan was looking into the trees.

She could see him clearly now, standing in a patch of shadow. He hadn't moved, but she heard the words.

Thank you. Love you. Look forward, not back.

Tears blurred her vision, and as they did, he faded away.

She felt the loss again, just as she had the night he took his last breath. She lifted her arm to wave, but he was gone.

"I love you. I miss you. Rest in peace."