Page 123 of A Cry in the Dark

“I reached out, and you were right. His hand was already there.”

Fiona’s eyes sheened with moisture. “I have to help arrest a killer, and it’s not nearly as bad to the bone when one is crying.” She kissed Violet’s cheek. “But I’m glad.” Then she motioned for Owen to join her.

Violet caressed John’s cheek. “Give me one second.” She called Tiberius’s name. He continued to lean against a tree, his eyes swirling with turmoil.

“You okay?”

“Not really.”

“You want to talk about her? It?”

“Not really. But you need to have that program vetted thoroughly before you send Ruby and her kid into it.”

Fair enough. “Okay, I will. Let’s talk about something else.” She looked up into his eyes. “God is real,” she breathed. “He was always there, but I didn’t see until I was blind. And then I saw. I could see. He’s real, Tiberius. He’s real.”

Ty studied her a moment then kissed her forehead. “You have a concussion. But whatever got you through that, I won’t deny. Okay?”

He’d have to hit his darkest moment to see the light too. He’d have to recognize he too needed to reach, and she would pray that he would. He nodded once and ventured farther off into the woods.

John met her at the edge of the tree line. “Did you want to kill Jimmy Russell?”

Oh yeah. And she could easily have done it and been justified. “There was this fleeting thought, but I chose not to drown him, so to speak.”

John’s grin sent her belly whirling. “I think we have a lot to talk about. For now, let’s get you warm.”

“Cecil?”

John shook his head. “He was found dead at his leather shop. Two to the head and one to the chest.”

“Whiskey? That’s execution style.”

“Greg said they entered the leather shop, and Cecil was clearing out money from a safe to flee town. He denied having Ruby, and before Greg could blink, Whiskey popped him. He got what he wanted. To arrest Whiskey for murder.”

“But not Callie’s. Whiskey didn’t kill Callie, John. Jimmy did.”

“I figured.” John put his arm around her. “I got what I wanted. Justice. Jimmy Russell is going away for a long time.”

She shivered, and John steered her toward the Suburban.

“You believe Greg?” she asked and climbed into the passenger seat, the hot air warming her. “You think that’s how it went down?”

John rubbed his hands together. “I don’t know. Maybe Greg let Whiskey kill Cecil to get him on a murder charge since he couldn’t get him long enough for the drug charges he could pin on him. Or maybe it did go down that way. We’ll never know, I suppose.”

Ruby joined Violet in the vehicle, sitting behind her.

An ambulance arrived, which she refused to enter, but they brought out Jimmy Russell and loaded him inside.

Tuesday, October 24

9:48 a.m.

Violet grabbed the fresh towels laid out for her in the bathroom. Without Cecil being around, she wasn’t concerned about peeping toms. She showered away the grime and stench of death then changed and took over-the-counter pain meds. No more loopiness.

The rest of the team had returned to the SO to finish up the paperwork on the investigation. The local deputies had identified the dead body as Jimmy Russell’s mother. Jimmy Russell had been treated at the hospital in Whitesburg and would be charged later today. The Blind Eye Killer was done tormenting and murdering.

Ruby had been admitted and given fluids, and then she was going to pack up Lula and follow them back to Memphis in a couple of hours. She planned to visit Ruth’s Refuge but stay with Violet until she could get on her feet with no one expecting anything in return. Violet had a spare room, and it was time to tear down the murder board and all the dead ends she’d been tracking to find Adam. Lula could have her own space.

Sheriff Modine had called and asked her to meet him at the church where they’d attended Sunday service. Said he had a few things he wanted to share with her. She wasn’t going anywhere alone.

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