Evil Never Dies

There. Her thumb made contact with the tiny switch that would cause a sharp spear to jut outward. She smiled.

“You do realize you’re bleeding out, don’t you?” Be

“I’m not the one who is going to die tonight,” she said between ragged breaths.

“You never give up, do you?”

“Never.”

“Well, Gardner, I’m a busy man.” He started for her, his ugly and crooked smile twisting into a mask of rage right before he lunged for her.

She lifted the broom handle, pushed hard on the lever, and braced for impact.

The next few seconds were a crazy blur. Be

His face paled.

Gripping the broom handle as tightly as she could, she yanked back and pulled the spear out of his chest, then slid slowly to the floor, her back against the wall.

Blood bloomed up through his shirt as he staggered backward, out of reach. A look of surprise touched his eyes before he toppled over, unmoving.

Within a minute, his chest no longer rose and fell with each breath. It was over. He would never hurt anyone else.

She closed her eyes, every breath a struggle. White light exploded around her. And then she saw Jared. He was smiling at her, and her spirit lifted at the sight of him. She reached for him. He leaned close to her ear and whispered three words.

Detective Chase was watching a football game and enjoying deep-fried tortellini when he got a call.

Officer Gary Johnson was on the line. “You called it, Detective. They found Miriam Walters’s body less than a mile from Wayne Be

Stu

“There’s a trail that leads from Be

All the air left him. Chase knew Be

“Are you still there?”

“I’m here,” Chase said, trying to collect his thoughts.

“So it looks like Gardner was right. Be

“Where did you hear that?”

“It’s on the tape that Gardner sent to the station, along with other evidence against Wayne Be

“Where is Be

“We’re trying to find him. He wasn’t home, so I went to his work.”

“He couldn’t be back at work already. He can hardly walk.”

“According to his secretary, he returned a few days ago. The last time he called in, he told her he had a di

Detective Chase hung up on Johnson, grabbed his keys, and ran out of the house. He knew Lizzy was living in Loomis, but he had no idea what her new address was, so he called Jimmy Martin.

First time for everything.

After he explained what was going on, Jimmy’s voice went tight. He gave Chase her address and told him to call him once he reached the house.

Detective Chase white-knuckled the steering wheel all the way to Loomis. Forty-five minutes never felt so long. By the time he arrived, it was dark, which didn’t help matters, considering she lived in the middle of nowhere. There was a BMW parked in front of the house. He called in the license plate and didn’t like the information he got back. The car belonged to Wayne Be

He called for backup and then headed for the front door, listened, and quickly decided he didn’t like what he heard.

The sound of nothing was seldom a good thing.

With his gun in one hand, he turned the doorknob with the other. The door was unlocked. There was blood everywhere. He could practically taste it.

Working his way to the right, he called out Lizzy’s name as he went.

Paint. He could smell paint. He flipped on a light. The baby’s room had just been painted. The lamp on the floor, broken. His pulse raced, adrenaline soaring as he exited the room and made his way through the living area and into the kitchen, where he found Be

He knelt down. There was no pulse.

And then he saw Lizzy.

Her head was propped up against the wall at the far corner of the room. She wasn’t moving.

His heart sank. Blood—so much blood.

Kneeling at her side, his fingers on her neck, he felt for a pulse.

He tried her wrist. Nothing.

“Lizzy Gardner. Don’t you die on me.”

And that’s when he saw it.

A twitch of her finger.

He called Dispatch. “Where the hell is the ambulance? There’s a live one here. Get someone here pronto, or I’m taking names!”

EPILOGUE

One Year Later

Nicholas Gardner Shayne had taken his first step at nine months, when he still looked way too young to walk. According to the pediatrician, he was average in height and weight. He had dark hair and dark eyes just like his father, Jared Shayne. He liked to do everything fast. He loved animals, although Ha

Today Nicholas turned one, and at the moment, he was chasing after the new puppy Detective Chase had brought him—an Entlebucher Mountain Dog.

Chase had assured Lizzy the animal was smart, personable, and agile and would be devoted to Nicholas. He said they needed protection up here in the middle of nowhere. And Lizzy knew firsthand that he was right.

At the moment, Jessica and Magnus were sitting by the willow tree near the pond—Jessica on a bench and Magnus in his wheelchair, some off-road number he powered through the grass without much effort.

Jessica still worked for the FBI and was on the fast track to becoming one of the best criminal profilers in the world, spending most of her time working cold cases.

Magnus had quit working for the DEA. He and Jessica were talking marriage, but those two liked to take things slow. They were waiting to see if Jessica could get transferred to the Sacramento area. Although Magnus would never walk again, he had mastered the use of his wheelchair and he was getting on with life. From where Lizzy stood, she saw Magnus laughing as he watched Nicholas chase after the puppy.

Kitally hadn’t changed a bit. She was energetic, always teetering on the wild side. She had followed through on her plans to buy Lizzy Gardner Investigations and had no plans to change the name, since she hoped Lizzy might decide to join her later down the road.

Not a chance.

In twelve months, Kitally had become one of the best damn insurance fraud investigators in Sacramento, and business was good. She had also started a new line for security weapons: bra with hidden dagger, broomstick with push-button spear, brass knuckles that delivered an electric shock, and her newest weapon—a wraparound leather-and-chain belt that doubled as a lethal whip.

Jimmy Martin had retired, just as he said he would, and a postcard had arrived yesterday wishing Nicholas a happy birthday. He and his wife had sold their house in California and were now traveling the world, spending months at a time in France, Mexico, Italy, and England.