Evil Never Dies

“Several times.”

“Did she show you the picture I painted for her?”

“Nope. Didn’t mention it.”

A flash of anger crossed over his face, and yet he recovered quickly. “She’s in love with me, isn’t she?”

“Not even a little bit.”

His eyes searched her face for the truth. “You’re lying. Want to know how I know?”

“How?”

“It takes a liar to know one.”

“OK, that’s enough chatter,” Mitchell said. “Get his ugly mug out of here.”

The guards pushed Zachary’s wheelchair out of the room. Agents and security filed out after them until there were only three people left in the room: Mitchell, Jessica, and Lizzy.

“You did good,” Mitchell said. “Both of you.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jessica said.

“Jared Shayne was right about you, Jessica Pleiss.”

“How so?”

“He said from the begi

“Thank you, sir.”

“Now get out of here, both of you. Go get some rest.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Two days later, Lizzy walked out of the doctor’s office and headed straight for her car. She had an appointment with a real estate agent in Loomis. She’d seen the house on the Internet six months ago, had even shown it to Jared. He’d liked it, too. It was run-down and not very big, but it was set on ten acres. She’d only seen the pictures online, but if the house was even half as cozy and quaint as it looked to be in the pictures, she would make an offer. Jared had left her a tidy sum, including the proceeds from the sale of his house. She would sell the business, too, and would be able to live comfortably if she stayed within her means.

She couldn’t live with Kitally and Hayley forever, especially now that she knew she was going to have a baby.

After she drove up the long dirt road to the house, she stopped the car and realized the place was even better than she’d imagined. The house had been built in harmony with its natural surroundings. There were fruit trees and plenty of shade trees—a relaxed country setting. There was a pond and a rickety old barn in the foreground. It was hard to believe no one had scooped up the house months ago.

The agent greeted her at the door, took her on a leisurely tour. There were two bedrooms and a smaller room without a closet that could be made into an office if she ever felt the need. Overall it was small, just as she knew it would be, but the high ceilings and open floor plan made it feel airy and spacious. She and the agent turned on faucets and discussed water wells and the two inches of irrigation water she would get during the summer.

When they were done, Lizzy told her she wanted to make an offer. There wasn’t any furniture, so they stood at the kitchen counter and drew up the papers. The agent said she would be in touch.

Lizzy’s next stop was the cemetery. The place was beautiful and well kept. In the distance there was a funeral taking place—mourners dressed in black, heads down. Lizzy walked past rows of grand headstones. She stopped to view one weathered sandstone marker that appeared to be as old as time. “1892, Corrie Perrelman, beloved wife, mother, and sister.”

Jared’s grave marker was a good long walk from where she’d started out, but the headstone was clean and the grass around his marker had been mowed recently. She stood there, taking it all in. It was a peaceful day. Blue skies dotted with a few puffy white clouds. After a moment, she took a seat on the grass close to his marker. “I put an offer on that house I showed you,” she said. “The one with the acreage in Loomis. You liked it, and you said something about how it would make a good place for our kids to run around.” She hadn’t meant to cry, but the tears rolled freely as she talked. “We’re having a baby, Jared. You and me. Isn’t that a kick in the pants?”

She used a sleeve to wipe her face. “I want to thank you for everything. For bringing me back to life and for this child I’m carrying inside me.” She took a moment to breathe before she added, “I screwed up, Jared. I thought I could take the law into my own hands and dish out some vengeance, but I was wrong. I want you to know that I’m going to do everything I can to get the girls back on track. And this baby of ours,” she went on, her voice wavering, “is going to be brought up surrounded by love.” She brushed her fingertips over his headstone. “Everything’s going to be OK.”

Against her will, the image of Wayne Be

When Lizzy walked into the house a few hours later, there was lots of chatter. Hayley and Kitally had returned.

Betty Ackley, the woman Kitally had been working with at Shady Oaks, sat on the couch, fussing over the baby. Kitally and Hayley were there, too. Female names for Salma’s baby were still being tossed out there, everything from Alicia to Zoey, as Salma passed around another Pakistani dish. This one was called besan ladoo. The minute Salma saw Lizzy enter the room, she rushed over to greet her. “So? When is the due date?”

Lizzy frowned. “How did you know?”

“I was the one who told Hayley and Kitally that you were pregnant. It was so obvious.”

The room grew quiet until the only noise was the low rumble of a motor outside. Through the window, Lizzy saw Gus pushing a lawn mower through overgrown grass and weeds.

Hayley looked at her and said, “So, what’s the verdict?”

“It appears everyone knew I was pregnant except me. Looks like we’re having a baby.”

They all let out a cheer of some sort. Kitally rushed over to give her a congratulatory squeeze. “When are you due?”

“September 5.”

There was a lot to celebrate that day. They had all played a part in putting away the Sacramento Strangler. For now, citizens of Sacramento could breathe easier again.

And that wasn’t all. Kitally, Betty, Gus, and the others, had all gathered at the house for a reason. Shady Oaks Nursing Home was going out of business. Stacey Whitmore with Cha

Kitally hit Pause on the remote and then ran to the back door and called Gus inside.

Once everyone was present, Hayley picked up the remote, hit Play, then turned the volume up. “Stacey Whitmore here, reporting from the Shady Oaks Nursing Home in Orangevale.”

The reporting had been prerecorded.

Behind Stacey Whitmore, Shady Oaks was crawling with FBI agents.

“Look,” Kitally said, “they’re bringing Dixie out in handcuffs. She’s being arrested along with the owners and two other orderlies.”

“After the sudden death of Gus Valentine’s wife,” Stacey Whitmore was saying, “a tip from a resident of Shady Oaks prompted Gus Valentine and an investigator to do some snooping around. What they found prompted state officials to look into the matter. When investigators reviewed the medical records of Helsie Valentine, they determined she had died of ailments often related to poor care, including dehydration and an infected ulcer. Officials have since concluded that former resident Mary Branham’s demise was hastened by the inappropriate administration of antipsychotic drugs, which can have lethal side effects for seniors.

“The owners and five of their orderlies have declined to speak. The criminal case is ongoing. Health care regulators have already taken action, restricting Shady Oak’s medical license. The federal government is likely to move to fine the home’s owners upwards of half a million dollars.”