Spring had finally arrived, thawing the snow and frost that had covered the town since late Autumn. Creamy white blossoms were unfurling on the red-osier dogwood trees that lined the front entrance of Tri-Forks High School, imbuing the crisp morning air with the sweet smell of citrus and honey. A blackbird chirped overhead as Lilah unwrapped her blue-frosted Pop-Tart from its napkin, enjoying the last few minutes before the bell for first period sounded. Sitting beside her on the hood of her brand-new, forest-green station wagon – which Sheriff Reid had generously gifted her after its previous owner failed to pick it up from the impound lot – Jace took a bite of his own pastry, still warm from the toaster.
“Strawberry – my favorite,” he grinned. “Please send my heartfelt thanks to your father for adding these to your breakfast rotation. I know he’s always been more of a blue raspberry kind of guy.”
“You can thank him yourself – he’s making your favorite dinner tonight.”
“Spaghetti and meatballs?”
“Okay – your second favorite,” she laughed.
“No – not pineapple pizza again!” Jace moaned.
“You never should have told him you liked it. Now that he thinks you’re a fan, it’s all pineapple, all the time. I’ve been officially vetoed from all pizza-related matters.”
“Can you ever forgive me?” he asked, wrapping his arm around her waist snugly. He brushed his lips against her cheek, lingering a moment to appreciate the inviting scent of freesia and coconut from Lilah’s favorite brand of shampoo.
“I suppose I could try,” she murmured, a warm flush filling her cheeks.
“Hey you two lovebirds!” Seth called, walking hand-in-hand with Benny as they crossed the parking lot. “Did you bring any Pop-Tarts for us?”
“Nope, sorry!” Jace shouted as he shoved the entire pastry into his mouth. “Quick – so we won’t have to share,” he mumbled through a full mouth, pink crumbs tumbling onto his shirt.
Lilah was laughing too hard to follow suit.
“Aww, man!” Seth pouted as they approached the truck. “Seriously? Not even a corner?”
“Here,” Lilah said, breaking off a piece of hers. “You can have some of mine.”
“Thanks, bestie,” he grinned. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”
“Hmm… Not since yesterday. Though, you might want to tone it down before Benny gets jealous.”
Benny ribbed Seth playfully. “Uh-uh, no way – you’re more than welcome to take him off my hands!”
Seth looked slightly abashed as he ran his hand through perfectly-styled curls. “I know I’ve been laying it on thick lately. I guess I’m just trying to make up for lost time – you know, from when I was being a complete douche-baguette.”
“If it wasn’t for me asking you out again, that crusty exterior of yours would have turned you into a full-on gargoyle by now – so really, I should be the one getting Pop-Tarts,” Benny grinned.
Seth stuck his tongue out at him. “Don’t you have tryouts or fitness training or something? I thought it was just steamed broccoli and chicken until next winter?”
“Don’t remind me!”
Seth turned his attention back to Lilah. “What time are we meeting for our monthly mall date this afternoon? And don’t worry, I have plenty of cash,” he added quickly. “My days of hard crime are behind me, especially now that you’re working for the sheriff.”
Benny rolled his eyes. “Easy there, Jesse James. You stole a couple pieces of clothing and then returned them the next day with a tear-stained apology.”
“I’m off work at five today,” Lilah interjected, knowing full-well that the two of them would continue snowballing if she didn’t.
“What are you working on over there, anyway?” Seth asked. “Solving crimes? Tracking down murderers? Bringing masked villains to justice?”
“Nope – I’m just filing paperwork,” she lied. “Same old boring stuff.”
Perhaps one day she’d tell Seth what she’d really been up to – digging up clues that had previously been lost to time and helping Sheriff Reid interview witnesses who had long ago departed this earthly plane – but for now, she was content to keep that secret between her, the sheriff, and her part-time crime-solving partner, Detective McKinnon. She gave him a quick wink as she reached down to take his hand in hers.
“That is boring,” Seth crinkled his nose. “But it’s pretty cool that you got a car out of it! Even if it is a granny wagon.”
“Get out of here,” she laughed. “Hey, am I gonna see you in English this morning? Or are you two going to be underneath the bleachers snogging again?”
“He’ll be there,” Benny replied. “I’ve got a project due in third period.”
“Ugh, how am I gonna stay awake through an entire hour of Heart of Darkness?” Seth groaned. “The horror! The horror!”
Benny rolled his eyes. “The drama, the drama! Anyway, see you guys at lunch! By the way, Nikki brought brownies to share!”
“Yussss!” Jace pumped his fist in the air.
He and Lilah watched, chuckling, as their friends trotted towards the front doors, bickering like an old married couple. After a moment, Jace turned to Lilah, his expression suddenly serious.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Worried there won’t be enough brownies to go around?”
“I’ve been wanting to ask you. How are you doing – with everything?”
Lilah’s smile faltered a bit. “You mean the trial?”
He nodded.
“I’m okay, actually. Better than I thought I’d be.”
She leaned back against the windshield, watching a fluffy white cloud pass overhead. Because of Willow’s detailed description of the suspect, as well as DNA evidence discovered at the scene, Sheriff Reid was able to make an arrest last month: fifty-eight-year-old Maxwell Hyde, a retired construction worker who had been laying paint the day Willow and Celeste disappeared. He’d been booked in North Dakota for an unarmed robbery more than a decade earlier, where local law enforcement took fingerprints and a DNA sample for police records before they released him six months later. Reid’s team spent weeks tracking him down, eventually finding him holed up in a dilapidated shack near the border of Wyoming with a freezer full of deer meat, a medicine cabinet stocked with beer, and dozens of newspaper clippings pinned to the peeling wallpaper of his bedroom. The articles all referenced various unsolved disappearances – including the Mayweather story.
Upon his arrest, the police department confirmed that his DNA was also a match for at least eight other slayings that had happened across Idaho and Montana over the course of twelve years, including seventeen-year-old Maria Vasquez – the young hitchhiker in the red rain jacket. He had been using her to lure unsuspecting women out of their cars, with the promise that he would release her back home safely when he was through with her. Sadly, that never happened. Like Willow, Maria would join the long list of Hyde’s victims – young women whose cases had long ago run cold, their names nearly forgotten over the years.
Nearly.
Hyde was taking the stand that morning, and even though they still hadn’t been able to track down Celeste’s whereabouts – or produce a confession from the man – Sheriff Reid assured Lilah that they had gathered more than sufficient evidence to put him away for the rest of his life – with or without her account of what had happened. Lilah’s decision not to speak at the trial had been a difficult one, but even if they had figured out a way to word her statement without giving away her secret, she had no interest in witnessing the hearing or even taking credit for the man’s capture. The important thing was that Maxwell Hyde would never hurt another person again, and the families of all of those victims would finally be granted closure, knowing justice had been served.
The bell for first period rang. Lilah looked up to see Jace watching her, a sympathetic expression on his face.
“You know,” he said softly, “even if no one else knows the whole story, you’re a hero, Lilah. Not just to Willow, but to all the others, and their families too.” He held out a hand to Lilah, which she took gratefully as she slid off the hood.
“I just wish we could have found Celeste,” Lilah said, frowning.
“We’ll keep looking. Or, rather, you’ll keep looking, and I’ll be right behind you for note-taking and moral support… Which reminds me,” he smiled. “I got you something.”
“You did?”
Jace reached into his pocket, where he retrieved the Indian Head penny he had given her all those years ago. A tiny hole had been punched through the top of the coin – now shining and new – and a rose gold chain dangled from it.
Lilah let out a small gasp. “You turned it into a necklace?”
Jace nodded. As Lilah gathered her hair in her hands, he reached forward to gently clasp the necklace around her neck. The copper penny settled in the hollow of her collarbone, gleaming in the spring sun. “Do you like it?” he asked softly.
Tears gathered in the corners of Lilah’s eyes. “Thank you,” she said, kissing him softly. “For everything.”
Jace returned the kiss and then some, then looped an arm around her waist as they walked across the front lawn. “I know you just started working cases, but I want you to know that I think you’re going to make an excellent Time Detective.”
“Time Detective? That’s so corny!” Lilah laughed. “What am I, Nancy Drew?”
“No way! You’re much cooler than Nancy Drew. You’re like, a cross between Nancy Drew and Doctor Who – you’re Nancy Who! Or maybe Doctor Drew?”
“Isn’t Dr. Drew a sex therapist?”
Jace rolled his eyes as he opened the front door for Lilah. “Just work with me here!”
Lilah was still laughing as she walked into the school. “Lilah Quinn: Time Bender and Sex Counselor Extraordinaire!”
Standing in the empty hallway, Jace turned to brush a strand of auburn hair from Lilah’s eyes. “How about ‘Lilah Quinn: The Most Incredible Girl I’ve Ever Known’?”
A wide smile broke across her face as she balanced on her tip-toes to kiss him.
Just then, Mrs. Cameron poked her head outside of the classroom. “Quinn! McKinnon! What are you still doing out here? The bell rang five minutes ago! Let’s go – time waits for no one!”
Lilah shot him a mischievous grin before sprinting down the hallway.
Jace chuckled quietly to himself. “No one… except Lilah Quinn.”
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