The Burying Place

'If you need a day, take a day,' Maggie said.

'Yeah, well, here's the thing. I'm going to quit.'

'You mean quit the force?'

Kasey nodded. 'After what happened last night, Bruce and I think that would be best. You know, get away, start over. Go someplace where this guy won't find me.'

'I don't want to lose you, Kasey,' Maggie replied, 'but I wouldn't blame you if you decided to go.'

'It would be different if it was just me, but I have to think about my family.'

'Of course.'

'Anyway, I'll call you tomorrow.'

'Sure.'

Kasey stood up. Serena watched her red curls bounce as she left the restaurant using quick, determined steps. The young cop pushed through the door, turned right on First Street, and disappeared.

'What would you do in her shoes?' Serena asked.

'I'd probably run like hell, too.'

Maggie still didn't look at Serena.

'What's going on with you?' Serena asked. 'Is something wrong?'

'Nah, just the usual,' Maggie replied.

'Did Jonny tell you anything today?'

'Like what?'

'Like what's bothering him.'

'No, he clammed up,' she said.

Serena studied Maggie's face and realized to her dismay that she didn't believe her. 'He said nothing?' she asked.

'No, sorry.'

Serena leaned across the table. 'I could really use your help. I need to know what the hell is going on with him.'

'I shouldn't get in the middle of this,' Maggie told her.

'I think you already are.'

'What do you want from me, Serena?'

'The truth.'

'You can't handle the truth,' she said in a Jack Nicholson voice.

'Don't joke,' Serena said.

'I'm sure he'll tell you when he's ready.'

'Tell me what?'

'Whatever's bothering him.'

'You sound like you already know what that is,' Serena said.

'Oh, fuck, can't you leave me out of this?' Maggie snapped, startling her. 'He's your lover. I'm just the third wheel since you two shacked up. Talk to him, not me, will you?'

Serena stood up. She found herself blinking back tears. 'Fine.'

'I'm sorry,' Maggie said.

Serena said nothing.

'Panic attacks, OK?' Maggie said.

Serena looked down at her. 'What?'

'Ever since the fall, Stride's been having panic attacks. Flashbacks.'

'He told you that?' she asked.

Maggie nodded. 'I think it's PTSD. He needs help.'

Serena wondered why she hadn't recognized it herself. It made sense to her now, hearing Maggie describe it.

'I didn't say anything to you about this,' Maggie said. 'All right?'

She nodded. 'Yeah.'

Serena thought about Jonny watching his life come apart at the seams, and she felt guilty that she'd been unable to help him through it. Because he hadn't said a word to her about his pain. Instead, he had bared his soul to Maggie.

She'd thought that knowing the truth would make her feel better, but it didn't. Maggie and Jack Nicholson were both right. She couldn't handle it.

'Denise,' Stride said into the phone outside the restaurant.

'Are you watching the news?' she asked.

'Yeah.'

'Blair fucking Rowe,' Denise said.

'It looks like she has her sights set on Valerie now.'

'Yeah, my angel of a sister.'

'Do you know what this big secret is?' Stride asked.

Denise's voice was flat. Her emotions had drained out of her like oil from her car. 'Yeah. I know.'

'So what is it? Does it affect the case?'

'I have no idea. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care what happens to my sister anymore.'

'What's going on, Denise? What did Blair find out about Valerie?'

'Keep watching, and you'll see. Enjoy the show like everybody else. Blair's going to tell the whole world that Valerie was having an affair.'

Stride had a bad feeling. 'An affair? With whom?'

'With Tom,' Denise replied. 'Apparently it's not enough for Valerie to have the looks and the money in the family. She had to have my husband, too.'

Chapter Thirty

Regan Conrad climbed down from her Hummer in the driveway outside her house and thumped the door shut. Behind her; the porch light threw her shadow down across the dormant fields like a giant. She walked a few steps into the open land where the fields began. There, she cocked her head and listened. In the trees, the wind sounded like the roar of a river. Miles away, a train rattled and rumbled south from the Iron Range. She heard a truck's air horn bellowing on the highway. That was all. Nothing else moved or stared back at her. Instead, the wind blew stronger, and the fat, drooping arms of the spruces shook with laughter.

Under her scrub top, however, bumps of gooseflesh rose on her arms. It wasn't just the cold night. She also had a sensation of eyes in the darkness.

You're paranoid, she told herself.

Regan let herself inside her house and turned on the lights. She lingered in the foyer, noticing the closed doors on both levels. Most nights, she didn't give it a thought. It was odd how you could let your mind carry you away, and when you did, every door and dark space felt like a threat. You didn't have to be a child to worry about monsters in the closet.

She wandered into the kitchen and poured herself a shot glass of Scotch. Before she sat down, she saw the flashing light on her answering machine. Two messages. She punched the play button and downed the shot as she listened.

The first message was from Marcus Glenn. Poor Marcus. He was upset.

'Regan, damn it, what are you trying to do to me? What did you tell Valerie? My nurse told me she found you in my office over the weekend. I want to know what you were doing there. We need to talk right now, you crazy