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Maybe all the tears were gone forever.
Jacob came to her, took her hands. He almost kissed her. Then he glanced up at the hill, where the Wells house stood dark and brooding, as if remembering some memory tucked in a far, dusty closet. The first flickers teased the windows, and smoke drifted on the air. Davidson and her crew would be on the way soon, late as always, left to sift through the ashes of the Wells family secrets.
He reached into the car, grabbed the wrinkled pack of cigarettes, and stuffed one in his mouth. He lit it, then reached under the seat and pulled out a beer. Warm, it sprayed foam all over his pants when he pulled the tab. He reached up and tapped the twin rubber heads, sending them swinging.
Just like Joshua. He looks just like his brother.
And on the heels of that thought came another, rising bright and strong from the murk of her confusion.
What if we killed the wrong one?
But maybe there was no right one.
Renee looked over the rail. In the gloom, she could barely make out the broken form on the rocks below.
“Oh, God, Jake, he’s moving. He’s still alive!”
Jacob ran to the railing, cigarette smoke pluming from his mouth along with his whispered “Shit.”
He leaned over, straining against the darkness. “I don’t see nothing.”
“I do,” she said. “I see it all now.”
The wrench was heavy. But she managed. Oh, yes, she managed.
The crunch was subdued, like hitting a bag of ice wrapped in a towel. Jacob gave a small bleat of surprise and collapsed onto the rail, head and arms trailing over the far side.
She didn’t check his pulse. She didn’t want to touch him. If he took a long time to die, he deserved it.
She patted her belly.
She’d never mentioned it to Jacob. Three months along.
Whether it was Jacob’s or Joshua’s, she would never know.
But it didn’t matter. One Wells was as good as another.
And a Wells never fails.
As she headed up the dirt road to free Carlita, she glanced at the house, the orange flames now rising to heaven in a wavering thread.
I love you, Mattie. I love you, Christine.
She was relieved to see the burning house blur in her vision.
She was still human, if only barely.
As long as she could cry, there was hope for her yet.
Renee staggered across a land long polluted and ruined, tears streaming down her cheeks. The tears wouldn’t wash away the past, but they might clear her vision for the future.
She had a child to raise.
One last chance.
THE END
About Scott Nicholson
Table of Contents
ABOUT J.A. KONRATH
J.A. Konrath is the author of seven novels in the Jack Daniels series, along with dozens of short stories. The eighth, STIRRED, will be available in 2011.
Under the name Jack Kilborn, he wrote the horror novels AFRAID, ENDURANCE, TRAPPED, SERIAL UNCUT (written with Blake Crouch) and DRACULAS (written with Blake Crouch, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson.)
Under the name Joe Kimball, he wrote two novels in the TIMECASTER sci-fi series which feature Jack Daniels's grandson as the hero, and Harry McGlade III. Visit Joe at http://www.JAKonrath.com.
Jack Daniels thrillers
Whiskey Sour
Bloody Mary
Rusty Nail
Dirty Martini
Fuzzy Navel
Cherry Bomb
Shaken
Stirred
Killers Uncut with Blake Crouch
Serial Killers Uncut with Blake Crouch
Birds of Prey with Blake Crouch
Shot of Tequila
Banana Hammock
Jack Daniels Stories (collected stories)
Serial Uncut with Blake Crouch
Killers with Blake Crouch
Suckers with Jeff Strand
Planter's Punch with Tom Schreck
Floaters with Henry Perez
Burners with Henry Perez
Truck Stop
Symbios (writing as Joe Kimball)
Flee (with A
Exposed (with A
Babe on Board (with A
Wild Night is Calling (with A
Shapeshifters Anonymous
The Screaming
With a Twist
Street Music
Other works
Afraid
Endurance
Trapped
Draculas with J.A. Konrath, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson
Origin
The List
Disturb
65 Proof (short story omnibus)
Crime Stories (collected stories)
Horror Stories (collected stories)
Dumb Jokes & Vulgar Poems
A Newbie's Guide to Publishing
Table of Contents
ABOUT BLAKE CROUCH
Blake Crouch was born near the piedmont town of Statesville, North Carolina in 1978. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated in 2000 with degrees in English and Creative Writing. Blake lives with his family in southwest Colorado, where he is at work on a new book. His website is http://www.blakecrouch.com.
Blake Crouch’s Works Available on Kindle
Andrew Z. Thomas thrillers
Desert Places
Locked Doors
Break You
Stirred
Thicker Than Blood
Other works
Run
Draculas with J.A. Konrath, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson
Abandon
Snowbound
Famous
Perfect Little Town (horror novella)
Bad Girl (short story)
Serial with Jack Kilborn
Serial Uncut with J.A. Konrath and Jack Kilborn
Killers with Jack Kilborn
Killers Uncut with Jack Kilborn and J.A. Konrath
Serial Killers Uncut with Jack Kilborn and J.A. Konrath
Birds of Prey with Jack Kilborn and J.A. Konrath
Shining Rock (short story)
*69 (short story)
On the Good, Red Road (short story)
Remaking (short story)
The Meteorologist (short story)
The Pain of Others (novella)
Unconditional (short story)
Four Live Rounds (collected stories)
Six in the Cylinder (collected stories)
Fully Loaded (complete collected stories)
Table of Contents
ABOUT J. CARSON BLACK
J. Carson Black is the bestselling and critically-acclaimed author of eight books, including the Laura Cardinal crime fiction series. Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Black has found inspiration for her writing in everything from real life horrors to the headlines screaming today’s news. Her thrillers THE SHOP and ICON will be published by Thomas & Mercer in 2012.
Novels and Short Stories
The Shop
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Dark Side of the Moon
The Devil's Hour
The Laura Cardinal Novels
Darkscope
Dark Horse
The Desert Waits
The BlueLight Special (two short stories)
Pony Rides (short story)
Table of Contents
ABOUT LEE GOLDBERG
Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar Award nominee and one-time Shamus Award nominee whose many TV writing and/or producing credits include “Martial Law,” “Diagnosis Murder,” “The Cosby Mysteries,” “Hunter,” “Spenser: For Hire,” “Nero Wolfe,” “Missing,” and “Monk.” He’s also the author of My Gun Has Bullets, Beyond the Beyond, Successful Television Writing, The Walk, and the Diagnosis Murder and Monk series of original mysteries.
Also by Lee Goldberg
The Walk
My Gun Has Bullets
Dead Space
Three Ways to Die
The Jury Series
Judgment
Adjourned
Payback
Guilty
Non-fiction
Television Fast Forward
Unsold TV Pilots: The Greatest Shows You Never Saw
Tied In: The Business, History and Craft of Media Tie-in Writing
Table of Contents