Page 167 of Whispers and Wildfire

I could feel the tension leave Melanie’s body.

“Thank freaking goodness,” she said. “My imagination was going a little wild, thinking he might show up here, all black and burned, like something out of a horror movie.”

“No chance of that,” Garrett said. “We were also able to search the cabin where he took you.”

“The fire didn’t get it?” I asked.

He shook his head. “The winds shifted last night so we were able to get out there early this morning. Between what we found there and the contents of the vehicle, we’ve been able to piece things together. He had photos of you frombefore the first abduction. And one from…” He hesitated. “During.”

She shuddered. “That’s so gross.”

“We also figured out where he’s been for the past eleven years. Or at least for ten of them. From what we can tell, after you escaped his first attempt, he fled to his mother’s residence in Tennessee. While he was living there, he was caught and convicted of credit card fraud. It was pretty substantial, so he went to prison. Served a ten-year sentence.”

“Holy shit,” I muttered. “That must be why he didn’t go after her before.”

“Exactly,” he said. “Based on when he was released, he left almost immediately. Came here.”

“How did he find her?” I asked.

“We don’t know. There are a number of ways he could have tracked her down.”

“It’s not like I’ve been in hiding or something,” she said.

“The good news is, it’s over,” Garrett said. “He’s out of the picture and won’t be coming back to haunt you.”

“We should celebrate,” she said. “With cookies.”

Garrett gestured to the box. “Those are fresh.”

“Tell Harper thank you so much.” Melanie opened the box and gasped. “Oh my god, they’re pickles!”

Sure enough, Harper had made pickle-shaped sugar cookies, complete with green icing.

“They’re not pickle flavored, are they?” I asked.

“Don’t think so,” Garrett said.

Melanie picked one up and took a bite. Moaning, she closed her eyes as she chewed. “These are so good. Whoever said cookies can’t solve your problems has never tried Harper’s baking.”

“She’ll be glad to know you like them.” Garrett stood and put on his aviators. “I should get back.”

“Thanks for stopping by,” I said.

“I’m just glad I had good news to deliver. And that you two are okay.”

Melanie picked up a second cookie. “I’m sure I have enough unresolved trauma to keep my therapist employed for the next decade. But that’s okay, because therapy exists! And so do cookies, and pickles.” She glanced at me. “And other things.”

Garrett said goodbye, and as he closed the door behind him, Melanie handed me a cookie. Thankfully, they were not pickle flavored.

A short time later, her mom called to announce they were bringing us lunch. Then her sister-in-law called to see if we needed anything, and my mom called to ask if she could bring over dinner later. Theo texted to see if we wanted anything from the store, as did Annika a few minutes later. Then Audrey and Marigold both texted the same thing.

“I feel like we should host an I’m-okay-and-all-is-well reception,” Melanie said as she set down her phone. “Probably a weird reason for a big family get-together. So, what are you doing tonight? Oh, you know, a family member was abducted and could have been killed, but her boyfriend saved her and now we’re all going to eat pizza and breadsticks.”

“You know, if we play this right, we could get free food for a week.” I leaned over and brushed her lips with a kiss. “And I don’t know that I did a lot of saving. You were well on your way to saving yourself.”

She smiled and kissed me. “I think it was a team effort. Just the way it should be.”

I kissed her again, savoring the feel of her lips on mine. “How much time until your parents show up?”

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