Page 61 of Shattered Sanctuary

Erin rolled her eyes. “Now that would really be a miracle.”

Kaely laughed as she carried their cups back into the living room. “So, what would you like to do today?”

“Could we just kick back some?” Erin asked. “Watch movies and eat food that’s really bad for us? I brought lots of Mallomars.”

Kaely grinned. “I think that sounds great. Let’s do it. We still have several days to talk. Last night was pretty... heavy.”

“Yeah, it was. But...” She smiled at Kaely. “It helped.”

“Good.” Kaely hesitated a moment. “One thing I want you to know.” She cleared her throat. “We haven’t talked about it a lot, but what I went through with my father... well, it helps me to understand the trauma you experienced. We’ve been through different situations, but I think childhood trauma creates so many of the same results. I blamed myself when it came to my father’s actions. I felt as if I should have known. Should have realized what he was. Someone who was once a friend certainly blamed me. Like you, I had to learn to not feel responsible for his choices.”

“You haven’t mentioned your mother. How did she deal with it?”

“Of course, my father’s proclivities reflected badly on her. Again, people decided she knew and even approved of what he did. She didn’t. One thing I’ve learned is that some serial killers are great actors. Think about BTK—Dennis Rader. His wife and daughter had no idea what he was up to.” She sighed. “My mother had a tough time. She passed her anger and sense of betrayal to my brother and me. It took her a long time to change, but she did. She married again and is very happy.”

“What caused her to change?”

Kaely’s eyebrows shot up. “Do you really want to know?”

Erin nodded. She was pretty sure she knew what Kaely was going to say, but she actually wanted to know the answer.

“She found God. He helped her to view her life—and herself—differently. She and her husband are very active in their church. They’ve been very loving to my brother and me.”

“God again, huh?”

“Yes.” Kaely smiled “But we’ll save that for another time if you want. I promised you I wouldn’t try to... how did you say it after we first started working together? Force God on you? We talked quite a bit about Him last night, so I’ll back off today.”

Erin picked up her mug and took a sip. She’d made Kaely promise not to talk about God when they had first started working together. But now... well, shewasinterested. She realized that being against God for no good reason didn’t make sense. As a police officer, she’d tried to make facts her god. But now she was learning why someone like Kaely, sosmart, educated, and talented, believed in a God that ruled the universe. Frankly, she’d begun to believe that Satan was real as well. It would explain some of the horrific things she’d seen.

“Okay, but for now, let’s find some good movies and veg out. Maybe we can talk again tonight.” Erin frowned. “I didn’t have any nightmares last night. In fact, I got a pretty good night’s sleep. Didn’t wake up at 3:33, which was nice. I’m not saying it’s because of being here—and talking to you—but I’m not denying it either. I feel so relaxed here. Well, except for the serial killer and the ghost.”

Kaely burst out laughing. “Yeah, except for that. There is one other thing I’d like to do today. I’d like to work on the profile again. We have a new murder. And I want you to do it with me.”

“You mean... talk to the murderer?”

Kaely nodded. “You have such great instincts. I’ve never worked a profile like that with someone else. How about it?”

Erin nodded. The idea was exciting.

And a little frightening.

FORTY-ONE

The day passed by quickly. As promised, the second wave of the storm moved in. The wind picked up, and the snow came down in sheets of white, mixed with pellets of ice that gleamed like diamonds. The world outside was silent and peaceful. Erin loved the feeling of being safe inside the cabin, evil held at bay. Not even a serial killer would venture out in this. His murderous spree was at a standstill, and Erin could breathe.

She, Kaely, and Chester watched three movies,All About Eve,Notorious, andGaslight. Erin loved old movies and was glad to find out that Kaely did as well. Some of the newer suspense movies were too violent for her liking. When she was on the job, classic movies became an escape. Enough mystery and intrigue to keep her interested, but not so much that it reminded her of what she had to face every day on the streets.

She and Kaely could watch the snow falling through the floor-to-ceiling windows on each side of the fireplace. The porch light illuminated the white flakes as they twirledthrough the air, the wind pushing them into a frenzy of motion.

As they prepared dinner, Kaely found some brownie mix in the pantry and soon had them baking in the oven, the aroma of chocolate permeating the cabin.

“I’m not trying to replace your Mallomars,” Kaely said. “Just give us another choice.”

“You don’t like my Mallomars, do you?” Erin asked with a grin.

“I actually do like them but probably not as much as you. Of course, I’ve never met anyone who loves them the way you do.”

After they ate and as the brownies cooled, she and Kaely sat down at the table once again. They took their places at each end with an empty chair between them. Kaely had her notebook with her.

---