Page 444 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

She sniffed. “He wanted you in there. He said you were both going to die.”

Stella’s brows rose. “Murder-suicide?”

“Or he wants to kill us and go to prison for life. Not that anyone is likely to choose that end.” Addie was leaning more toward suicide. “But my guess is he hates what he’s done, as much as he needed to do it on some level. To prove something or satisfy a part of himself. Or he’s just plain evil.” And she had considered him her friend.

“The mask came off.” Stella turned and lifted her chin to the approaching cops.

“It always does.” Addie tugged Mona’s elbow. “Stay with Stella, okay?”

“What’s going on?”

Addie ignored the question.

Stella said, “I don’t like that look on your face.”

McCauley strode up, a swarm of cops all ready to take down a dangerous fugitive. One of their own.

She wanted to keep them from doing that more than she wanted them to go first. Addie felt like this had started with her, even if it hadn’t.

She set off toward the cabin.

McCauley followed at a fast clip, right behind her according to the crunch of his footsteps on the gravel. “You think we’re going to let you go in there all by yourself?”

She should probably have Kyle go in, since he was completely neutral in this.

“Hank is my detective.”

“And he was my friend.” She’d believed him. Trusted him. He’d been part of this all along, deceiving everyone. Orchestrating it so she was assigned to Benson just so he didn’t have to live with what he’d done all these years. So she could tear away the mask and show everyone the truth. So he could be exposed. Revealed.

For fifteen years, all Addie had thought about was her trauma.

She’d never considered anyone else.

McCauley snagged her elbow in a loose grip. Her arm was free in one tug, but his point was made. “You’re not going alone. Or first.”

“I can talk Hank down.” She slammed a hand high on her chest to make her point. “I can. No one else here. I was part of this when it started, just like Jacob. Currently injured, and maybe dead in there becauseyoufingered him for a murder that had nothing to do with him.”

She saw the guilt on McCauley’s face even in the dim light. It didn’t restrain her.

“Jacob had nothing to do with this until you dragged him in.”Oh, Lord. He could die.She was sure she wouldn’t survive it if she went in there and he had no life in him. If Hank had killed him, and he’d bled out alone right back where their darkest days started.

“Addie.” McCauley reached for her.

She stumbled back and realized tears streamed down her face. “Don’t touch me!”

Mona stared. The cops stared. Her partners geared up from the stuff in their trunk.

Addie could have kissed both of them. She strode over.

Kyle said, “Do you want the shotgun?”

“I need to talk to him, not just kill him.”

Stella shook her head. “Time for talking is over.”

“Youcannotkill Detective Maxwell.” McCauley barreled over. “This department needs answers.”

Kyle shut the trunk. “This is a federal case.”

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