“I am sorry,” Zoe said, after amoment of reflection.
Dr. Applewhite was bent over thepan with a spatula, scraping the edges of the pancake as it cooked. “What for?”
Zoe half-smiled. “You know whatfor,” she said. “I shut you out. I was spiraling and I did not ask for help. Iturned your help away. That was wrong. I know that now.”
Dr. Applewhite flipped thepancake, then turned a sunny smile on her from across the room. “At least you’reasking for it now,” she said. “I’m glad you called. I wouldn’t want you to bealone with your concussion.”
“Thank you for not ignoring me,”Zoe said. “I was not always pleasant to you on the phone lately.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” Dr.Applewhite said. She maneuvered the pancake onto a plate and poured a freshserving of batter into the pan. “This is just what you do for people you careabout.”
Zoe felt a sense of contentmentwashing over her, something she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Long enoughthat she wasn’t sure she ever had. It was like everything that had beendisturbed had finally fallen back into place, and even though Shelley was nolonger here, things could still be right in the world.
Her cell phone caught herattention, sitting on the coffee table beside her bottle of pills. The painwasn’t too bad, and Zoe liked having her head clear; she ignored them andreached for the phone, opening up the screen and scrolling through a few pages.
It wasn’t an idle gesture; she waslooking for something in particular. Down below messages from Flynn, SheriffPetrovski, and SAIC Maitland, Zoe found it.
I’ll be here if/when you wantto talk.
John’s words, from weeks ago. Shewondered if they still applied. She had to hope that they did.
She stared at it for a long timeas Dr. Applewhite continued working on her stack, cooking one pancake afteranother. Zoe filtered her out, looking at those words. She tapped the screen toopen up the keyboard for a reply, then hesitated.
What could she say?
There had been so much time, andJohn had been patient for so long. She had pushed him away, just like she’dpushed everyone else. Things had changed now, even if she wasn’t entirely backto herself, and even if she never would be. She was recovering. Getting better.In more ways than one.
But what did you say to explainall of that time, all of that absence? How did you apologize for treatingsomeone like they were unnecessary, when the truth was that they were theopposite, and that was why you were so afraid?
Zoe breathed deeply, counting itin. One. Two. Three. Everything else fell away: the sounds of Dr. Applewhitecooking, the purr of Euler as he stalked across the kitchen counter toinvestigate, the hum of life outside her windows. The dimensions of the coffeetable and every button on the keyboard. Her mind quieted down, and Zoe searchedfor the answer that she needed.
In the end, it was simple. Shewrote just one word, two letters, and sent it, putting her phone down on herlap as Dr. Applewhite brought over a plate of pancakes dripping in syrup.
“Thank you,” she said, and meantit for so much more than just the pancakes. Settling down to eat, she glancedat her screen, at the message that was still lit up there, giving her hope forthe future.
Hi.
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FACE OF DARKNESS
(A ZoePrime Mystery—Book 6)
“A MASTERPIECE OF THRILLER AND MYSTERY. Blake Pierce did amagnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so welldescribed that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer fortheir success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn ofthe last page.”
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FACE OF DARKNESS is book #6 in a new FBI thriller seriesby USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone(Book #1) (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews. Theseries begins with FACE OF DEATH (Book #1), a free download.
FBI Special Agent Zoe Prime suffers from a rare conditionwhich also gives her a unique talent—she views the world through a lens of numbers.The numbers torment her, make her unable to relate to people, and give her afailed romantic life—yet they also allow her to see patterns that no other FBIagent can see. Zoe keeps her condition a secret, ashamed, in fear hercolleagues may find out.
In FACE OF DARKNESS (Book #6), victims are being foundmurdered in Salem, in ways and on dates which correlate to the infamous witchtrials. Is a serial killer trying to recreate the past? What can the numbersmean?
Zoe, meanwhile, has hit her own internal wall, as herpersonal life begins to unravel under the weight of her condition.
Will this be the case that sets her over the edge?
An action-packed psychological suspense thriller withheart-pounding suspense, FACE OF DARKNESS is book #6 in a riveting new seriesthat will leave you turning pages late into the night.
FACE OF DARKNESS
(A ZoePrime Mystery—Book 6)
Did you know that I've written multiple novels in themystery genre? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to downloada series starter!
BlakePierce
Blake Pierce is the USA Todaybestselling author of the RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seventeenbooks. Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series,comprising fourteen books; of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising sixbooks; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKINGOF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising six books; of the KATE WISE mysteryseries, comprising seven books; of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspensemystery, comprising six books; of the JESSE HUNT psychological suspensethriller series, comprising fourteen books (and counting); of the AU PAIRpsychological suspense thriller series, comprising three books; of the ZOEPRIME mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); of the new ADELESHARP mystery series, comprising four six books (and counting); and of the newEUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series.
ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book#1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie WhiteMystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL(An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), A TRACE OF DEATH
