Page 94 of Vicious Hearts

"Evidence will be archived, except for the," she spits the words, "biologicalmaterials, which will receive a proper burial. Because of your notoriety, the Attorney General has permitted me to impose an embargo on the publication of your letters, memoirs, and diaries. Furthermore, no criminologists and psychologists will be allowed to engage with you directly or via correspondence." She narrows her eyes at Oliver. "You will not be an object of fascination toanyone, Mr. Buckley. Not now, not ever."

I slump against the seat, tears of relief rolling down my cheeks.

Oliver will live under the tightest control possible. Confined to a cell for twenty-three hours a day. No visitors, no letters, no fascinated psych students itching for the kudos of interviewing a serial killer. All he'll have are his demons, necrotizing his ego until he buckles under the weight of his inadequacies.

Nowthat'sloneliness.

People burst into spontaneous applause, whooping and cheering.

"I'll appeal!" Oliver cries. "You can't do this to me. People will want to understand!"

"Nobody cares." The judge raps her gavel. "Take him down."

* * *

When we leave the courthouse, the world feels like a different place. The sun is breaking through the clouds, and as it warms my face, I feel renewed.

The press swarms around the prosecutor and his team, looking for the perfect soundbite. They don't notice us passing by. Ali and Leo dash off to collect Luna, promising to call on us soon.

Hillard is waiting for us on the corner, finishing a cigarette. "This is my twelfth one today," he says as we approach, flicking the butt to the ground. "I normally smoke about ten a week."

"Tough times?" I ask.

He grins. "Not so much. How's the new counseling service coming along? I heard Always Home had to be dissolved. Too much scandal."

"Too much theft, more like," I say. "Oliver had been skimming cash for a long time, Moira too. That's how he could afford to pay people to do his dirty work. But there's still some cash left, and the IRS should release it to Ali and me so we can start again. Just a matter of paperwork."

"Bane of my life. Good luck." He nods at Ben. "By the way, I got a call from a buddy of yours. He thinks I'd be a valuable asset to his team."

Ben laughs. "Freddie's always on the lookout for people with special skills. You gonna take him up on it?"

"You never know." Hillard extends a hand to Ben. "I'll be seeing you around, Voratov. Play nice now, you kids."

We watch him walk away.

And just like that, it's over.

Epilogue

Five months later…

Roxy

"But where are we going, Ben?" I ask. "You're driving me mad! What kind of sadist are you?"

I didn't want to leave my fledgling charity for a surprise holiday, but Ali shooed me away, saying she had matters in hand. Managing a children's counseling service is different from just working for one, but in the three months since we started taking cases, we've gone from strength to strength. Ali still can't make coffee worth a damn, though.

The airport is busy. Ben told me to pack light, but beyond that, he wouldn't tell me a thing. My small suitcase is bursting at the seams with stuff I may or may not need, and he's still keeping me hanging.

"Youknowwhat kind of sadist I am," Ben says, grinning. "Ask your bruised ass. Can you sit down for eight hours without being in agony?"

"A-ha!" I snap my fingers. "We'renotgoing to Hawaii. The flight time is longer than that. So where else might we—" I pause and clap my hand over my mouth. "No way."

"You got it." He points at a check-in desk. "That's us over there. JFK to Milan, then a short jaunt to Lake Como. Where we will be staying in a private villa."

I throw my arms around his neck. "How did you keep this a secret?" I ask through happy tears.

"I didn't," he laughs. "I told Ali and swore her to secrecy, so I had someone to help me plan it. I needed her to help me pick," he pauses and shoots me a glance, "a place to stay."

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