CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

 

Word somehow mysteriously leaked out from the authorities that Quinn Herrera was a suspect in The Woods Strangler murders. The news spread like wildfire in the community and suddenly Selene and Quinn found themselves on the defensive with friends, neighbors, and even strangers. Even at S.A.W. House, some wondered if Selene could possibly be married to a murderer.

“This is exactly why I didn’t want to mention the caller to you, Quinn—and especially not to the police,” Selene said ruefully. They were sitting in the living room with the blinds drawn, practically prisoners in their own home.

“It’s not your fault,” Quinn said. “You couldn’t keep it to yourself—and shouldn’t have. If anyone’s to blame, it’s probably Investigator Rawlings. Wouldn’t put it past him to have made sure the media had a juicy story. He treated me like a suspect the second he arrived in Dennis Cramer’s office.”

“So what do we do now?” Selene asked. “Sit back with all eyes on us to see when and if they capture the real killer to let you off the hook?”

“That’s about all we can do right now. I’m not willing to risk your safety just to take the X off my back. This will all blow over soon enough. Meanwhile, we have to be strong so it doesn’t ruin our lives.”

Selene rested her head on his chest. “Oh, Quinn, I wish I were as calm about it as you are. But I’m scared. People in this town are desperate to find a killer and they seem perfectly willing to go with the flow, even when it makes no sense. First they went after Todd. And now you. Who will be next while the real killer plots his next murder?”

Quinn put his arm around her. “We’ll get through this, I promise. We’ve both been through some tough times and survived. We won’t succumb to the caller’s lies and scare tactics. People are just scared. But common sense will prevail over paranoia and a rush to judgment. I’m not a criminal and I’m certainly not a killer. We just have to be patient and let the police do their job.”

Selene took solace in Quinn’s words. She thought about the tragedy of his first wife’s death. He had developed an inner strength under adversity that he could fall back on. Selene supposed that her trials and tribulations with Michel had toughened her more than she realized. But she questioned whether any of that could prepare them for what they were dealing with now.

She met Quinn’s eyes. “Do you think he’ll call again?”

“I’m almost sure of it. He wants to terrorize you for his own twisted reasons. The fact that the police are calling his bluff will probably only make him more determined to play this game. He’ll want to keep messing with your head and feeding off your fear like a cocaine addict. Hopefully he’ll make one call too many and the police will catch him and clear me from suspicion—”

“But what happens if they never get him?”

“Then they’ll get someone else. If the caller’s not the killer, another man is—and he’ll likely kill again...”

That was a tradeoff Quinn wanted no part of, but he couldn’t control the outcome of this nightmare. He had tried not to let it show, but he was afraid of what this could mean to them, his writing career, and their life in The Woods.

In the meantime, there was something he had to do. He could only hope it was the right move.