Clearly, her mother was far stronger than Ellie had ever given her credit for.
That, and Helen Kline really was as hardheaded as Ellie suspected, a fact for which she’d never been more thankful.
Making sure to stay out of the path of the criminologists, Ellie ventured farther into the living room. In order to expedite evidence retrieval, Chief Johnson had assigned a pair of crime techs to each room, plus an additional two were assigned to the car and one more pair to the shed in the backyard. That poor team had already experienced quite a shock when they’d opened the door and discovered a dead body.
They were still waiting on next of kin to officially confirm the ID, but Ellie was already certain who the woman with the platinum blonde hair and broken neck was. She should be. She’d only just met with Letitia Wiggins a couple of days ago.
With her gloved hand, Ellie picked up a photo of Kingsley as a boy. He was no more than seven in the picture, with a gap-toothed smile, close-cropped brown hair with uneven bangs, tucked under the arm of a pretty woman. His nose was bright blue from a splotch of sunscreen, and sand coated a stomach still soft with baby fat that poked above a pair of green and yellow striped swim trunks.
They looked so normal, standing in the sand and squinting into the sun with water in the background. Just your typical mom and kid spending the day at the beach.
The idea that maybe they were even at Folly Beach wrenched Ellie’s heart. How did this little boy, with his happy smile, cheap haircut, and pretty mom, go from weekends playing at the beach like every other kid to notorious serial killer? What psychic injury tipped him over the edge?
A strange mix of relief and sorrow gripped Ellie as she set the photo down. Now they’d never know because the man was dead. The little boy had died long ago. Likely back within the historic, privileged brick walls of Far Ridge Boy’s Academy.
Clay entered the bedroom and placed his hand on her shoulder. His wordless way of asking if she was okay.
Habit had Ellie start to slip away, but she caught herself in time and hesitated. Ever since they’d first met, there’d been something special between them. Ellie had continually shrugged Clay’s interest in a relationship off, though, because of Kingsley. The monster who’d kidnapped her had consumed too much of her energy, her life, for Ellie to even consider dating again after Nick. Instead, she’d thrown up an impenetrable wall to protect herself and anyone else from being hurt.
But now Kingsley was gone. No longer a threat, to anyone. If there was ever a time for a fresh start, this was it.
Finally, time to stop looking over her shoulder and move forward with her life.
Ellie drew in a deep breath, covered his hand with hers, and squeezed. She didn’t run. Didn’t clear her throat or make a joke. Such a tiny gesture and yet one that conveyed a world of meaning.
No, more than that. A gesture that contained a promise for a fresh new future.
A future where a real relationship might finally stand a chance to flourish and thrive.
The best part? Clay understood all of this. The deliberate brush of his thumb on her shoulder told her as much. No verbal explanation necessary.
Ellie savored the warm pressure of his hand until it dropped away.
“The living room is finished. Kitchen too.” Clay’s gaze roamed over the techs as they itemized the photos hanging from the wall. “The bedrooms are going to take a while still, a few more hours at least. I’m good supervising if you need to leave and get some rest.”
Rest. That concept had never sounded so good.
Ellie sighed and massaged her neck. “Tempting, but I think I’ve got another few hours left in me. Appreciate the offer, though.”
He studied her in that quiet, steady way of his, the one that made Ellie wonder if he was peering through her eyes and straight into her soul. “Any word on Bethany?”
Her stomach twisted again. Sharper this time. Kidnapped and held hostage by an evil man who’d turned out to be her great-grandfather. Starved. Witnessing multiple murders, including her own mother’s.
As long as she lived, Ellie would never forget the image of the little girl clinging to Katarina’s dead body as she sobbed, or her brave, wobbly little voice when she whispered that her mama was her superhero. Her heart ached for the poor baby, who would require a lifetime of therapy to address the trauma.
“She’s asleep in the back of my Explorer. We’re waiting on the social worker to show up.”
Clay shook his head. “Poor kid. She’s experienced more pain and horror in a week than most people do in their entire lives.”
Ellie’s mind flashed to those final, terrible moments in the back bedroom. With her life draining from her carotid artery and her fingers smeared with the blood, Katarina had used her final breaths to connect Bethany’s hand to Ellie’s. Like a blood promise.
Maybe Ellie’s imagination had conjured up details, but she was sure that Katarina’s last tiny sigh had been one of relief before her chest stopped rising.
“I’m going to do my best to make sure that Bethany doesn’t experience any more upheaval or turmoil while she’s still a kid.”
“You know that won’t be easy.”
Ellie squared her weary shoulders. “Not for most people, but money opens a lot of doors. I’ve spent most of my life refusing offers of family connections or sway to help me out because I wanted to achieve my goals based on my own merits. Not those of my wealthy ancestors. But for Bethany, I’ll call in every offer and favor available. Giving her a chance at a stable life with a loving family from here on out is a million times more important than my pride.”
“No one who knows you would
