Page 59 of So Wicked

“Noooo!” Meredith wailed. “I’m sorry, God!”

Turk whined mournfully, and Faith reached over and stroked his fur. “I know, boy. I know.”

***

Faith accepted the cup of coffee Slade handed her and looked at the EMS wagon. Meredith was strapped down firmly, a good precaution but a pointless one. Meredith hadn't shown any signs of violence since Faith took the syringe from her.

“So we won,” Slade said. “Yay.”

Faith chuckled softly. “Yeah. That was a rough one.”

“You know, I didn’t feel sorry for her until I saw her. I bought your whole theory about the killer trying to help people. I knew that she was doing what she thought was right, but I didn’t care. I wanted to stop her, and I wanted to enjoy watching her realize that she failed. But… after I saw that…”

His voice trailed off, and they watched in silence as the EMS moved away. The Cumberland PD officers gave the two of them a thumbs up. They’d already talked and agreed to meet in the morning to wrap up the paperwork necessary to give Cumberland PD authority in the case. Slade figured it would be better to keep Carmel out of it since they were still embarrassed over the issue with Faith.

As for Faith? Well, this would probably mean the end of her career. Soon, she would feel a whole slew of emotions about that, but right now, she was all right with it. She’d caught another bad guy. She’d saved another innocent. That’s what really mattered.

Still, she felt the same as Slade did. Meredith Sawyer wasn’t really bad. She was just a disturbed woman who had lost her dog and then her mind and tried in the only way she knew how to make sure others didn’t have to suffer the same fate she was sure she would.

Slade chuckled. “You know, my old partner, he was a long-term veteran. Fifty-one years.”

Faith’s eyes widened. “Really?”

"Yeah. He was seventy-three when he retired. He told me something when he left that I didn't really understand until now. He said, 'The ones that hurt are the ones that think you're the criminal.' I kind of put that to the whole All Cops Are Bastards thing. Like it hurts to hear people call you names because they hate the badge. Now I'm thinking he was talking about people like Meredith, people who think that they're doing the right thing and you're wrong to stop them."

Faith nodded. She was pretty sure that Slade’s partner couldn’t have predicted a killer like Meredith and probablywasreferring to that small but very loud minority of citizens that thought wearing a badge meant that you were an evil person. But who knows? In fifty-one years, you saw a lot. Even in quiet towns like Carmel that had never seen a killer like Meredith before.

It made sense in another way, too. Faith was right to help Slade. She was right to try to stop Meredith. More people would have died if she hadn’t, including Dr. Carpenter, who was now on her way to a different hospital from Meredith to be checked out despite her assurances that she was fine.

She was right to fight Tabitha and Smythe and everyone when they tried to stop her. She was right to do the right thing regardless of the risk.

She was right, but Tabitha still thought she was a criminal. The news still highlighted her mistakes and decided that her mistakes were all that mattered. People still commented online that she was a fascist who was worse than West.

And it did hurt. It hurt very much. But it wouldn’t stop her.

She reached for Turk, who sat loyally by her side. “Good dog. You’re a damned good dog.”

Turk looked at her and barked with a touch of confusion.Of course I am. Are you all right?

She laughed. “I’m good, boy. As long as I have you, I’m good.”

Slade smiled at the two of them. “Maybe I should get myself a dog.”

“You should,” Faith agreed. “They’re worth every second of pain you’ll feel when it’s time to let them go.”

Slade’s smile softened but didn’t disappear. “Yes. I think you’re right.” He stood. “Come on. I’ll take you back home. I hate to end our liaison by kicking you out of my fine neighborhood, but this place is going to become a media madhouse pretty soon here. It’s probably in your best interests to get out of Dodge before Dodge becomes Hell on Wheels.”

“A double Old West reference. Nice.”

The three of them headed to the car. Slade drove them much more cautiously and slowly back to Carmel. Faith watched the lights of the Restful River Animal Hospice Facility fade into the background and felt a touch of melancholy.

One day, Turk would find his restful river. She doubted he'd ever go into hospice. He was the kind of dog who would need to feel the wind in his face when he passed on. And it would hurt like hell when he kept running, and Faith needed to stay behind.

But he was here now. And the love she felt for him was worth all of the pain she would feel when it was time to let him go.

She ruffled his fur and said, “I love you, buddy.”

Turk might not be able to speak English, but there was no mistaking his meaning when he laid his head against her chest.

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