Page 379 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“Thanks. Took a lot of work, but I wanted to take something…” Lyric paused. “To make beauty out of ashes.”

Addie nodded. “It’s lovely. You did the right thing.”

“Thanks. It’s great to hear you say that.” Lyric flushed pink. “All the cabins back onto the land, so you can sit on the porches and watch the deer roam in the morning. I’ve even seen a couple of badgers late at night. We have wolves, and a guest saw a brown bear once, but I’ve never seen it.”

Addie smiled. “How long have you lived here?”

Lyric shrugged. “Almost seven years. This place has been up and running about five.”

“Thanks for letting me intrude. I won’t take up any more of your time.” Addie started to head for her car. “If you’re downtown and you want to grab a cup of coffee, I’m in the police station. Go in the main doors but hang a right instead of left. The sign says, FBI.”

Lyric gave her a blinding smile. “I’d like that.”

Addie shook the woman’s hand, looked once more at the cabin, and headed for her car.

She pulled out. Found the freeway. Headed back toward Benson and the office, and the pile of work. The death. The evidence. Suspects. Theories. Profiles.

Things she buried in the same place she’d buried memories of that time. The last few days she’d spent with Jake before they’d decided in the aftermath, they couldn’t be around each other anymore. She didn’t want to think about the role her mom had played in that.

The man who’d asked her to dinner had forgotten that they’d both screamed. Scarred and bandaged. In pain, physical andemotional. Psychological. They’d taken that pain out on each other.

Not the right time to decide something so life changing as never seeing each other again. But the fact remained that in the heat of the moment they’d agreed they would never see each other again. Because her mom thought that was for the best.

Now it seemed like he thought she might be his only ally.

Or he still had feelings for her.

She had to admit what she’d had with him was a once in a lifetime thing. Just the way he’d said it. She felt it as well, and there was no point denying that. Then, and now, he’d been everything to her.

Could they make beauty out of those ashes the way Lyric had?

Life had taken them in two different directions so that now they were so far apart there was no way to bridge the gap.

But if they could?

There was no way to know unless they put their hearts on the line and tried.

As she drove, she studied the scenery. Jagged mountainsides. She spotted four deer wading the river beside the freeway. Life moved on. She didn’t have to dwell on the aftermath of when it abruptly ended. Not every day of her life. She could consider the living instead. The wonder of creation. The way things seemed to keep moving. Even in the stillness she could find signs of life.

Until reality intruded and she realized the white pickup behind her was far too close.

Addie kept both hands on the wheel and followed her lane around the curve. She dug her phone from her purse but quickly saw she had no signal.

Probably the mountains on either side. It would be spotty until she reached city limits, which would happen in about fifteen minutes.

The truck did nothing as each second ticked past with the rhythm of the trees.

Addie got to town limits. Since nothing happened, she didn’t call for a patrol car to escort her back to the office. She had planned to call Sarah and get some dinner. A milkshake sounded good after visiting the cabins, and that middle of the night meal hadn’t happened yet. Their schedules hadn’t aligned, but it hadn’t been more than two days since their phone conversation.

The half her attention she had on the rearview noticed he moved. Addie held the wheel and watched the rearview.

He was getting closer.

She was still two exits from the one that would take her downtown. She reached for her phone. The pickup slammed into the back of her car.

Addie squealed. The car swerved and she dropped the phone on the floor of the passenger side. Out of reach. Far enough it might as well be in another galaxy for all it was useful to her.

Her car shuddered. Addie gripped the wheel with both hands again and held on. He came around her left side. She spotted him in the side mirror and drifted right. He kept coming closer.

---