Authors: Carolyn Arnold
Silent Graves (31 page)
Chapter 59
Paige didn’t know if this were a good idea, but she had no choice. She didn’t know what she would find once she got there, but she convinced herself she could handle anything.
It was the wee hours of the morning, and she couldn’t sleep. While she stood outside Brandon’s house, she tried to talk herself out of it but couldn’t bring herself to turn around.
She softly rapped her knuckles on the door, subconsciously giving herself a way out. If he heard the knock, he was awake, and they were meant to talk. Ringing the doorbell would leave nothing to chance.
Her hand was braced to knock again when the door opened.
There was no hint of a smile, but his eyes said it all,
what are you doing here?
“Can we talk?”
“Now’s not a good time.” He glanced over his shoulder toward the stairs.
Paige’s stomach sank. The female officer was with him. He was moving on, and it was without her. She had to say the words she came to say before she was unable to form them. “I’m leaving the team.”
His eyes went through her. He gave her no reaction. “You don’t have to do that for me.”
“I’m not doing it for you.”
Brandon nodded.
He was dismissing her. He didn’t buy her line and didn’t care. She swallowed back the emotion that threatened tears.
She woke up in a seated position, her heart beating rapidly. It had been a dream, a horrible nightmare. Surely Brandon would care if she left the team, wouldn’t he? She had to believe he would.
She let her head fall to her pillow but couldn’t fall back asleep. Her stomach was tight with the tension that cinched it into a compact ball.
Maybe the dream was telling her something. Was it possible her future no longer included the BAU?
“I’m leaving the BAU?”
Epilogue
A couple weeks later...
“You son of a bitch. You had us all scared.” Hanes stood to the side of Trent’s hospital bed. “What were you thinking anyway?”
The shot to his shoulder had been a through and through. The bullet that had gotten him in the chest entered a mere fraction away from his heart. The doctors said he was extremely lucky.
“Here we go. Another lecture by Lenny.” Trent tried to smile, but, with the pain medication, it didn’t fully form. “Guess I can make detective now that I risked my life.”
“Let’s not get carried away. You were reckless.” Hanes smiled at his friend. “I will put in a word for you though. I almost forgot, but the lead agent had a few words about you too.”
“Oh? What was that?”
“Stupid kid could have gotten himself killed.”
“Maybe I don’t need PWPD. I could be FBI.”
“Now you’re really getting carried away. I don’t think he liked you all that much.”
Both men laughed.
It had been a long day but all the answers had finally come back. The revolver registered to Campbell was a match to the bullets that killed Gray, and the epithelial pulled from Chase also tied back to him. The soil collected from the burial sites, as well as the presence of the emerald ash borer in nearby trees, had confirmed that Nina Harris had been buried on Campbell’s property.
Holmes had found his victims, Leslie surrogates, through teaching spin class and being an in-home trainer. Nadia had dug up that he had also attended a few charity events, a couple of which Sydney and Amy hosted.
The drug Holmes had used on the women was herbal based and wouldn’t affect Monica’s baby.
Paige knew she should have gone straight home, it was after midnight, but she was drawn to a bar within walking distance of Brandon’s house. She had a couple of drinks and did her best to talk herself out of what she was thinking.
An hour later, when she rung his doorbell it felt like a bad case of déjà vu. She was no longer hindered by the dream she had. She didn’t care if she woke him up. She didn’t care if he was dating that female officer from Dumfries and was lying naked in bed with her. She had to talk to him, and it couldn’t wait until the light of a new day. She had already waited long enough.
The porch light came on, followed by the one inside. The door opened, and Brandon stood there, his eyes barely open. “Paige?”
Just like her dream, his eyes said the rest,
what are you doing here?
“I’m sorry if it’s not a good time, but I need to talk to you.”
“Don’t be crazy. Talk. You already woke me up.” He smiled lazily.
She couldn’t allow fear to hold her back. Her stomach churned as she thought of the words to say.
“I’m leaving the BAU.”
Brandon opened the door wider and gestured for her to come inside.
“It’s just that I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this lately. It would be best for everyone if I—”
Brandon took her mouth with a hunger she craved to elicit in him.
A few seconds later, he pulled back and peered in her eyes. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
She blinked away the tears that formed and swallowed hard. She studied the eyes of the man she loved but wasn’t sure she could ever possess. She nodded, wondering how long it would be before she woke up from this dream. In this moment, in his arms, she wasn’t sure she even cared. She pulled herself into him and rested her head on his chest.
But as she breathed him in, uncertainty loomed. How long could she continue to put herself through this? She quieted her thoughts as he led her to his room.
Acknowledgements
Every successful book is such through the collaborative efforts of many people. I would like to thank my unnamed source who helped me get my facts straight about the hierarchy and procedures for the Dumfries Police Department and Prince William County Police Department. Without your help, Silent Graves wouldn’t be as authentic.
I also thank my “sista”, Jennifer Chase, for sharing her forensic knowledge. We may not be related by blood, but we are bonded by genre and our interest in finding justice for the victims. While she puts her understanding to use in the real world, I continue to weave reality into my crime novels.
To my wonderful editor, Lisa Dawn Martinez, who worked tirelessly to ensure that I made the manuscript a shining gem. You have a knack for pointing out everything—and I love you for it. Also, thank you to my proofreader, Bonnie Stowe, who is The Guru of Grammar.
Last, but certainly not least, I also thank those who have continued to stand by me and support me with my writing. I sincerely cannot imagine my life without my characters, their stories, or my readers.
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ASSASSINATION OF A DIGNITARY
Raymond Hunter's dark past has returned and demands one final favor. Now fifteen years later, settled as an accountant and family man, he assumed life would be calm. He thought wrong. The Italian Mafia wants him back.
The directions were simple: Kill Governor Behler and be out for good.
In order to protect his family and guard them from the truth, he has no choice but to accept the job. He picks the date and location—Niagara Falls, New York—two hundred and forty miles away. But by the time he returns home, he finds out the assassination attempt failed, his family has been kidnapped, and he has twenty-four hours to set things right if he wants to see them again.
With time running out, Raymond discovers the real reason they wanted Behler dead and finds out he’s placed himself and his family right in the middle of a mafia power struggle. What he doesn’t realize is that law enforcement is also closing in.
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