"You sure you don’t want me to come with you?”
Susan looked up at John’s compassionate face and felt the urge to kiss him. Following that urge, she left a soft kiss on his lips and smiled up at him. “I’m sure. I won’t be long.”
“Take your time.” John let her hair fall from his fingers and leaned back onto the hood of the car, watching as she walked into the cemetery.
Susan made her way around the grounds, stopping at a relatively new grave. Stoically, she knelt down and placed the rose at the foot of the gravestone. Standing, she looked around the cemetery. It was barely after midday, so the sun was casting an almost heavenly light down onto the hallowed ground. Walking again, she listened to the sound of grass crunching under her feet. One by one, she stopped at each of the gravesites of Gary’s victims, leaving a rose at each one. She didn’t need a list to remember the names. They were burned into her memory. As one of his intended victims, she felt a strange kinship to these women who weren’t so lucky.
And then there was one rose left and one more grave to visit, Karen Michaels, the last victim of the Smithsdale Strangler. Susan made her way to the grave site but held back, noticing someone else already there. A young boy, probably in his early twenties, stood looking down at the cold stone and dirt. Sensing he was no longer alone, he looked back to where Susan was standing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“That’s okay.” The boy narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at her closely. “Hey, you’re Ms. Anderson, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “Yes, I’m Susan.” She smiled slightly, recognizing his voice. “And you must be Peter.”
“Yeah, but you can call me Pete.” He took a couple of steps to the side, motioning for Susan to join him in front of the grave. Susan hesitantly stepped forward, kneeling to place her rose and then standing up again. “I read how you caught the real killer.”
She looked at the letters carved into the stone, and as with the other stones before, she felt a heavy sense of sadness and relief. “He won’t be hurting anyone else.”
“They said he tried to kill you, too. How did you escape?”
“I was blessed with some really good friends who found me. I wouldn’t have made it without them. I almost didn’t. You know,” she turned and looked at Pete’s contemplative and guarded expression, “I don’t know that we would have connected Karen’s death to Gary Robertson if you hadn’t called me with your suspicions. The police officer you spoke to was working with Robertson to cover up his crimes. Right now, they still have people going over his old case logs to make sure we haven’t missed anyone else. How did you know Karen?”
“We were friends,” he said simply, looking off into the distance at nothing in particular.
She reached forward and placed a hand on his arm, making sure she had his attention before speaking. “Well, she was lucky to have such a good friend.” He smiled slightly at her words and squeezed her hand gently in return before turning back to the grave. Dropping her hand from his arm, Susan turned and walked away, leaving Pete to mourn in peace. At least now, Karen could rest in peace, too.
* * *
Mara held the “for lease” sign in her hands and contemplated whether or not to hang it up. She needed to leave. She knew that, but a part of her always hated to go. She found herself drawn back to Nicole’s family, ever since she first met Nicole’s grandfather. For some reason, she couldn’t seem to push them from her mind. She wanted to help them, to be near them, above any others of their kind. She cared what happened to them, and she couldn’t explain why. There was always a strange connection there.
Maybe it was the pendant. It once belonged to her, a long time ago. Maybe that was what tied her to them so strongly. She couldn’t think of any other reason for her strange feelings toward them. It didn’t matter. She needed to leave. Moving on was a way of life for their kind. You couldn’t stay in one place for long. To do so was selfish. It endangered everyone. It was time for her to go.
Resolved, Mara walked up to the window and looked for the best place to put the sign. A man walking on the street caught her attention. As she watched, he turned and noticed her standing there. He flashed a friendly grin and walked toward the store. Mara felt her heart skip, a strange lump forming in her chest. She recognized him from Nicole’s wedding. He was Nicole’s adoptive brother, Billy. Mara did not talk with him much that day, but he made an impression on her. She could still picture the way he looked in his suit and tie. He looked even better in casual clothes. His jeans fit him well, and his cream colored sweater showed a slight hint of the muscles underneath. She was obliged to give him credit. The man knew how to wear a sweater.
She took a deep breath as he pushed the door in, the soft ringing of the bells on the door helping to focus her thoughts.
“Hi,” he greeted her wholeheartedly. “You probably don’t remember me, but . . .”
“You’re Billy,” she interrupted
“Yeah,” he looked very pleased that she remembered his name. “And you’re Mara, right?”
She nodded, feeling unusually shy. She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear nervously before she could stop herself. “I didn’t think you lived here.”
“Well, I didn’t, but it looks like I do now. I’m going through a . . . career change of sorts. So, long story short, I’m moving back.”
“I’m sure Nicole is pleased to hear that.” She felt a sudden thrill of excitement she barely managed to keep from her voice.
“I’m sure she will be,” he chuckled. “Actually, I haven’t told her, yet. You’re the first person I’ve seen since I got back. I remembered seeing you at the wedding, but we didn’t get the chance to talk much then, so I thought I’d say ‘hello’ and tell you what I wanted to tell you then.”
“And that was?” she asked, mildly curious as to what he wanted to tell her after so much time passed.
He looked at her with complete honesty in his eyes and took a deep breath. “That you are beautiful.”
She smiled at the compliment but felt the need to correct him. “Don’t you mean, ‘were’? I’m not dressed up, now.”
“No, I mean ‘are.’”
She felt the scrutiny of his appreciative gaze and was at a loss for words. She searched for something to say or do, but her mind was a complete blank.
“Are you getting ready to sell this place?” Billy motioned to the sign in her hands and stepped closer, causing her breathing to become more labored.
“I,” she stammered, “I’ve been considering a career change, as well.”
“Oh, well I hope you’re not going far. I’d hate to think I waited so long to come home only to miss the chance to get to know you.”
She looked into his eyes and sensed sincerity there. He meant what he was saying. “I might stay around. I haven’t decided, yet.”
His smile broadened again. “Oh, well in that case, I’ll let you get back to what you were doing. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you decide.” He turned to leave, but before going, he turned back and winked at her. Then he was gone, leaving Mara alone with her thoughts once more.
“Ah, hell,” she muttered to herself, and she threw the sign in the trash.
* * *
Mark flipped through his paperwork and sighed. At least most of the loose ends with the Strangler case were resolved, but he couldn’t concentrate. A killer was behind bars, the women of the town were breathing easier again, a corrupt cop was out of commission, but a week passed since he saw or spoke to Meghan. She was spending the time with Nicole, learning to better control her new abilities. He worried at first, afraid the incident at the station affected her more than she let on. Then the music returned. Slowly at first, it was now an almost constant reminder of her. It updated him on Meg’s state of mind at any given time. From heavy metal to various musicals, she progressed to parody and other comedic songs. He woke up in the middle of the night to it a couple of times. If only she were waking him up a different way. He smiled at the thought but quickly pushed it from his mind. He would give her time. She knew how he felt about her. She would come to him when she was ready. He needed to be patient.
“How’s it going?” Meg leaned over his shoulder, her lips inches from his ear. She smiled at his surprise and came around to the front of his desk, pushing a stack of papers aside to sit on the edge.
“It looks like your training with Nicole went well.” He did not get the slightest sense of her approach. Though, to be fair, his distracted thoughts probably played a part. Still, he couldn’t deny she was maintaining a quiet, confident and powerful aura about her.
“Yeah, Nicole says I’m a natural. She said she was jealous because it was a lot harder for her to catch on, but I reminded her I was going crazy at the time I picked up most of it, and we called it a draw. Catch.”
With a twinkle in her eye, Meg tossed an apple from her pocket at Mark. He caught it easily and shared a glance with her. “What’s this for?”
“It’s to eat, silly.” Meg laughed and nibbled her lower lip. “Consider it payback, you know, for the apple you gave me.”
Mark narrowed his eyes teasingly. “I seem to remember there being some grapes and pears involved, as well.”
Meg rolled her eyes. “Well, of course I’m going to get you the rest of it. I figured an apple would be a good down payment, jeesh.
Mark laughed. “I’m glad to see you’re doing better. Hey, would you like to go for a walk?” The station was relatively quiet today, so he wasn’t worried about anyone listening to or butting in on their conversation, but he would still like to spend some uninterrupted time alone with Meg. It was a long time since they were around each other like this, relaxing casually.
“Sure.” Meg hopped down from the desk and tucked an arm under his, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Lead the way.”
Mark felt his heart skip a beat. Slipping his arm free of her grasp, he wrapped it around her back, pulling her subtly closer to him. She reciprocated by slipping her own arm around his waist. Her hair tickled his neck where it rested, flattened against his chest and skin, and she sighed, fitting her body snugly against his side. He smiled down at her upturned face, and she smiled back. “Hey, Tony,” He called over to the young office. “I’m taking a break. I’ll be back later.”
“O . . . okay,” Tony replied after a stunned moment. Once he thought they were out of earshot he leaned over to an officer beside him. “I didn’t think he ever took breaks.”
The man shrugged. “He doesn’t, but did you catch a look at that woman he was with? I guess Mark’s human after all.”
Mark grimaced as the door closed behind them, cutting off whatever else the two men might be saying. Meg laughed. “That’s quite a reputation you’ve got going on there.”
Mark didn’t bother defending himself. The playfulness he heard in Meg’s tone was enough to wash away the minor embarrassment he felt. “How have you been?”
“A lot better,” She led him to the jogging path leading into the park and leaned against the railing overlooking the water. Last year, Nicole risked her life to save this area from pollution. Now, it was beginning to look healthy again after its years of neglect. It was the perfect place for them to talk. “Thank you for everything you did for me. I know I wasn’t the easiest person to help, but you never gave up on me, and that means a lot. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this past week. I have no money, no long term place to live, and no discernable skills that can rectify either of those situations. Except one.” She pulled out a letter from her coat and handed it to Mark, waiting for him to read it.
“You’re joining the police academy?” He looked from the letter to her in shock.
Meg smiled and shrugged. “Yep. The way I figure it, the one thing I’ve got going for me is my desire to keep other people from going through what I’ve been through. I want to help people. Even when I went skitzo, it was the main thing motivating me. And now that I’ve faced my fears, I think I could do some good. What do you think?”
Mark looked at her searching gaze and smiled. “I think it’s a great idea.”
She smiled broadly and threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad you think so. That means a lot.” Leaning back, she left her hands clasped behind his neck and looked deeply into his eyes. She opened her lips to speak but changed her mind, kissing him instead. Mark held her close, relishing in the feel of her body against his. The kiss ended, and they stood in silence, eyes closed as they basked in the sensations of being near one another.
“I’ve missed this,” Meghan spoke to his mind, opening herself up to him mentally.
Mark nodded. “Me, too.”
She opened her eyes and studied every line of his face, finding beauty in every part of him. “Mark, Marcus,” she recalled the name he went by in the past, smiling. He opened his eyes and met her gaze. “I do love you, and I want to be with you always and forever.”
Mark smiled and let out a laugh. Grabbing her up and spinning around in a circle. She laughed back as he leaned her over, kissing her again, hard. And she knew, no matter what else might happen in her life, she would be okay from now on.