It was a beautiful time of day. The live oaks dripped moss that stirred and moved in the breeze.
Abby was grateful to be alive.
On the one hand, she could still shudder, remembering the fear she’d felt when she realized she’d been taken. But fear wasn’t entirely a bad thing. Jackson wanted them to feel fear—not debilitating fear, but the kind that made them careful and smart. They had managed well, especially since they’d never clearly identified a suspect. They’d had to use what they knew about both the living and the dead to see the situation through to its conclusion. They’d successfully played into the fantasy of a man who’d become a homicidal psychopath. Abby was glad the rest of the Krewe seemed proud of her and Malachi. The Krewe had come to Savannah because Jackson Crow had recognized something in her plea to him. He’d found Malachi and, together, they’d found her. She knew the right future stretched before her now.
“There they are,” Malachi whispered as they entered the cemetery. Josiah’s parents were sitting on their customary bench, as if they mourned someone only recently gone. Perhaps, to them, the sorrow was as deep as if it had occurred yesterday.
Abby walked over to them, her printed email in hand. “Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Beckwith,” she greeted them.
Edgar Beckwith immediately stood, bowing to her. Elizabeth rose by her husband’s side, clutching his arm and looking expectantly at Abby.
“Anything?” Edgar asked.
“Abby will read it to you. This message is from someone with the power to help,” Malachi said.
Abby smiled and read the email out loud. She saw that Edgar and Elizabeth Beckwith smiled, too, as they heard the news. Elizabeth stepped forward to touch Abby’s face with a gentle hand. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
“There will be a little ceremony when the work is completed,” Abby told them. “We’ll be here for it.”
They bade Edgar and Elizabeth Beckwith goodbye, leaving the couple to stand by the grave, expressions of happiness and relief on their faces.
“That felt wonderful,” Abby told Malachi.
“Yes,” he agreed. And it had. But one thing still troubled her, and Malachi seemed to sense that.
“What?” he asked her softly.
She drew in a deep breath. “We’ve pulled a few good endings out of this, but...how did Bootsie kill Gus? The autopsy showed that Gus died of a heart attack.”
“I wish I could give you a definitive answer. I can’t. But here’s what my instinct tells me. Gus was a fine man, the kind of man who cared about others. I believe he was searching the tunnel, that he suspected something,” Malachi said. “When he stumbled on Bootsie, his heart probably gave out when Bootsie attacked him. Gus died trying to save others, Abby.”
Abby nodded. She knew it would be years before everything Bootsie had done was uncovered. And it was shattering to think that he’d been killing people and coming to the Dragonslayer, becoming more and more convinced that he was the living embodiment of various pirates—including Blue Anderson. Maybe he’d tried out different roles at different times. Blackbeard, Christopher Condent. Henry Morgan. But above all, he’d wanted to be Blue.
And she’d kissed his cheek, cared about him, thought of him as Gus’s dear old curmudgeonly friend...
He had come to Gus’s funeral. Made himself at home in the bar afterward, just waiting to seize another woman.
She shuddered. It was still too hard to believe.
“One more question,” she said. “Everyone was certain we should be searching for Bianca on a boat or a ship. How did you figure out that he was hiding her in the boathouse?”
Malachi turned to her. He smiled and told her, “Blue. The real Blue Anderson.”
Epilogue
They’d needed a change of scenery. And Jackson had given them two weeks. Actually, he’d given Abby two weeks; she was already official. When the two weeks were up, Malachi would have to go through classes at the academy. That was just the way it was. Unless he preferred to stay a consultant, which had its up and downs. But Abby wanted him to be a full part of the Krewe, and he knew Jackson thought that was best, too. So what the hell? He’d go through the academy.
But before that, they had two weeks.
So Malachi and Abby had packed up and come to his home southwest of Richmond and, as he’d hoped, she loved the house and its surroundings. The area was remote, but she didn’t mind. She appreciated the country around them, the richness of the trees and the beauty of the crystal rivers and streams. They spent their time hiking, playing in the lake down the hill from his property and exploring Virginia. They went to a Civil War reenactment and to Richmond to visit some of the sights, and they traveled down to Colonial Williamsburg and took a day to do something that was sheer fun—Busch Gardens.
Abby was a glutton for roller coasters.
Mostly, they slept in mornings. They watched DVDs and listened to music. They indulged in each other and wondered if they’d always feel the need to be so close and so intimate. He talked about his marriage, and she told him about her few relationships, and they’d sympathized over their past experiences.
Their time was drawing to a close late one night—or early one morning—when he woke to find that she wasn’t at his side. Rising, he slipped into a robe and walked out to the hall. “Abby?”
She didn’t answer, so he went down the stairs. And then he saw her. She was seated by the fire and she was deep in conversation. That was why she hadn’t heard him.
Zachary was there, looking extremely pleased. Malachi hadn’t seen him since he’d come to the house with Abby. Knowing Zachary, he’d been making his own judgments before presenting himself.
Abby glanced up and saw him. She smiled. “Zachary and I have met. We’ve been talking.”
Zachary stood. “She’s delightful!” he said, gesturing at Abby.
Malachi walked over to Abby, who rose. He slid an arm around her. “Delightful? Well, she’s a crack shot, no-nonsense, a brilliant agent—and she can play a great wench. I think I’ll keep her.”
“You will, of course, be a perfect gentleman,” Zachary said in a stern voice.
“I can try, of course. And will,” Malachi added hastily. “But she’s stubborn, and she has her own mind.”
“I like that in a woman. My dear Genevieve was always ready to share her opinion. We lived in difficult times and she was ready to rise to any occasion. In fact...”
“In fact?”
“If you can make this work, I could perhaps move on,” Zachary said. “And join my dear Genevieve.”
“Abby, he wants me to ask if you’ll marry me.” Smiling, Malachi looked at her.
Abby laughed. “We have, indeed, discussed that possibility, Zachary. We think marriage might be right for us in the near future. I’m not a big fan of diamonds, but we have talked about a lovely ring with an emerald—one that belonged to Malachi’s mother. It happens to be my birthstone. So, for the moment, we’ll move forward, learning about our future, using what talents we have to help others. And when the time is right, there will be a lovely wedding. We’ll have it in Savannah. I think Blue needs to give me away. It’ll be interesting to see that with a crowd observing, but I’ll know he’s by my side and that’s the important thing. So, Zachary, you’ll have to come to Savannah.”
“Savannah! A beautiful city. I— Yes, I will manage to do that, and then, perhaps...” His voice trailed off. “I believe I’ve waited these many years, trusting that someone like Malachi would come along, and now...knowing that what we’ve had as a family will go on.”
Malachi wasn’t sure how Abby did it; she stood on tiptoe at just the right height and moved just the right amount of distance. It appeared she placed a perfect kiss on Zachary’s cheek.
“The children are going to be beautiful!” Zachary said happily.
“But no rushing us now!” Abby insisted.
“I promise,” Zachary assured her. He turned to Malachi. “I must go tell Genevieve!” he said, and headed
