Page 14 of For Blood

As they drove, Morgan couldn't shake the feeling that this case was going to be more than just another investigation.It felt personal, somehow.Maybe it was the way it echoed her own story—a truth hidden for years, waiting to be uncovered.Or maybe it was the nagging suspicion that this killer, whoever he was, had been allowed to operate unchecked for far too long.

"You okay?"Derik asked, his voice soft with concern.

Morgan took a deep breath, realizing she'd been gripping the wheel so tightly her hands had started to ache."Yeah," she said, forcing herself to relax slightly."Just...thinking about how many lives this bastard might have destroyed while everyone looked the other way."

She didn't need to say more.Derik understood all too well the cost of justice delayed, of truths buried.As they pulled up to her apartment, Morgan steeled herself for the long night ahead.Whatever secrets lay hidden in Whitaker's files, she was determined to drag them into the light.

CHAPTER SIX

The crisp autumn air nipped at Kevin's face as he walked along the quiet Dallas sidewalk, his breath forming small clouds in the night.His golden retriever, Max, trotted happily beside him, unleashed and free to explore the familiar neighborhood as they wound their way through the streets.Kevin breathed deeply, savoring the stillness as the city wound down for the night.

"Easy boy," Kevin murmured as Max darted ahead to investigate a particularly interesting patch of grass.These late-night walks had become a ritual for Kevin over the past few years - a chance to clear his head and shake off the stresses of the day.Tonight, he'd decided to let Max off-leash as they were sticking to their usual quiet route, and the dog had been particularly restless at home.

Kevin tried to focus on the soothing rhythm of his footsteps and Max's excited panting as the dog bounded back to check on him every few minutes.Work had been particularly stressful lately, with budget cuts looming and whispers of layoffs.At fifty, the thought of having to job hunt again filled him with dread.He'd been at the accounting firm for over two decades now - what would he do if...

He shook his head, forcing the anxious thoughts away.That's why he took these walks after all - to escape the worries that plagued him during the day.Kevin took another deep breath of the cool night air, willing himself to relax.

"C'mon, Max, let's head back soon," he called as the dog circled back to him.Max wagged his tail, then suddenly froze, his ears perking up.Kevin frowned."What is it, boy?"

Max's head tilted to one side, his entire body alert and tense.Kevin strained his ears but heard nothing unusual - just the distant hum of traffic and the rustle of leaves in the breeze.Then, just at the edge of his hearing, he thought he caught something - a high-pitched sound that seemed to hover at the very threshold of his perception.

Before Kevin could react, Max bolted, darting down the street with alarming speed.

"Max!"Kevin shouted, breaking into a run."Max, come back!"

But the golden retriever was already turning the corner, disappearing from sight with a flash of his golden tail.Kevin cursed under his breath as he sprinted after him, already reaching for his phone.This had never happened before - Max was always well-behaved during their walks, even off-leash.

Panting heavily, Kevin slowed to a jog and pulled up the tracking app on his phone.Thank God he'd had the foresight to get Max microchipped with a collar that had GPS tracking.The blue dot on his screen showed Max moving rapidly away, taking unfamiliar turns through the neighborhood.

"Damn it, Max," Kevin muttered, following the signal.His mind raced with worries - what if Max got hit by a car?What if someone took him?The thought of losing another dog made his chest tighten painfully.

The memory of Jake, his old husky, flashed in his mind.Jake had been Kevin's loyal companion for over a decade before old age finally caught up with him.Kevin still missed him sometimes, even though it had been years...

Kevin's reminiscing came to an abrupt halt as he realized where Max's trail was leading.The blue dot on his phone was moving toward an area Kevin hadn't visited in twenty years.His pace slowed, the blood draining from his face as realization hit him like a punch to the gut.

"No," he whispered, "not Reverchon Park."

Kevin swallowed hard, his grip tightening on his phone until his knuckles turned white.A chill that had nothing to do with the autumn air ran down his spine as memories he'd long tried to forget came rushing back.He stared at the screen, watching as Max's signal came to a stop within the boundaries of the park.

Kevin's heart raced as he approached the shadowy expanse of Reverchon Park before him.The dark pathways stretched into the distance, barely illuminated by scattered, flickering streetlights.A knot formed in his stomach, tightening with each passing second.

"I have to get Max," he muttered, his voice trembling."Just in and out.Quick."

Twenty years.It had been twenty years since he'd set foot in this park.Not since that night.The night that changed everything.

"This place...it's not safe," Kevin said, his voice barely above a whisper, as he reluctantly entered the park, following the blue dot on his phone.

As if in response, a gust of wind rustled through the trees, sending a shiver down Kevin's spine.He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to steady his breathing, but the action only made the memories flood back with brutal clarity.

The last time he'd walked these paths, it had been with Jake, his old husky twenty years ago, when he was a much younger man.The night had started just like this one - quiet, uneventful, with only the distant hum of the city to break the silence.But it hadn't stayed that way.

Kevin's eyes snapped open, his breath catching in his throat."No," he gasped, shaking his head as if to dislodge the image that had haunted him for two decades.But it was too late.In his mind's eye, he saw it again - the body crumpled unnaturally on the damp grass, blood pooling dark and wide beneath it.

Thomas Burke.The name rose in Kevin's mind unbidden, a ghostly whisper he couldn't shake.His throat tightened as the full weight of the memory crashed over him.

"God, why now?"Kevin muttered, running a hand through his graying hair as he followed the path deeper into the park, guided by his phone's screen.

Kevin's eyes darted around the shadowy surroundings, half-expecting to see Burke's ghost materializing from the mist.He shuddered, remembering the victim's lifeless eyes staring up at the night sky.

---