Page 103 of The Hanging Dolls
“But I am!” His voice bubbled with lodged tears in his throat. “I’m still that little boy and I always will be. We don’t shed our childhood when we grow up. We grow around it. It’s our core. And I knew what Lily’s future was—dark and guilt-ridden. She was going to grow up to be like me. Dysfunctional and messed up. Maybe she would have been better at hiding it but there would always be something rotten living inside her. She was born to be ill-fated. They both were.”
“Why didn’t you kill Lucy? You held her captive for longer than Lily.”
“When Scott told me that he wasn’t the father… I suspected I might be. Carly and I got involved around then. But I’ll never know.” Travis stood up and cleared his throat. “I’m turningmyself in. I won’t need a lawyer. I’ll sign my confession.” There was an air of serenity around him.
“Do you feel guilty?” Zoe asked.
“No.” And then his voice cracked. “I feel nothing.”
EPILOGUE
THE
“Well, I’m happy to report that you get a clean chit from me to resume your duty at the FBI.” Aiden signed a form with a flourish.
“Lucky me.” She threw her head back. The last couple hours had been painful to wade through.
“I hope we get to work again soon,” he said seriously.
Zoe’s eyes narrowed into slits as she mentally imagined how it would feel to peelhisbrain. “I hope not.”
He blinked, almost hurt. “Sorry?”
He’d snaked his way into getting her to like him, but it was only so he could psychoanalyze her, a trick to get her guard down, while she, like an idiot, thought they could be friends.
“Because I don’t trust you, Dr. Wesley.”
“Good morning, Harborwood!” Regina stood at the podium, looking and feeling radiant. This was the moment she had been preparing for, the moment she was afraid of losing. The moment she wished her father saw. “I want to begin by expressing howincredibly honored and grateful I am to serve as your new mayor. This town has been my home for many years, and I am committed to working tirelessly to ensure a brighter future for all of us.”
A round of applause, and cameras flashed. Regina basked in the glory of the compliments and the praise, shaking many hands and posing for several pictures.
“However, I know that recent events have cast a shadow over this victory. It has come to light that my former campaign manager was involved in criminal activities. This revelation has been deeply shocking and disappointing, not just to me, but to everyone who believed in our campaign.”
The room fell silent, the tension palpable as Regina addressed the scandal head-on. “I want to make it clear that I had no knowledge of these actions. The trust you placed in me is something I take very seriously, and I understand that that trust has been shaken. But when I became aware of the situation, I did what was necessary. I cooperated fully with the police, providing them with the information they needed to bring this individual to justice. While this has been a difficult chapter, I believe it’s also an opportunity for us to come together as a community. We must hold each other accountable, and I promise to lead with integrity and transparency. Together, we can move forward and build a better future for our town.”
Zoe’s stint at Harborwood PD was officially over. She sat on a wooden bench at the docks, gazing into the endless blue ocean. Boats of all sizes were moored along the piers, their masts swaying gently with the movement of the tide. The sunlight danced on the water’s surface, creating a shimmering path.
She was going to miss this. That perpetual salty tang in the air, the scent of brine, and the sound of waves lapping against the shore.
Her hands were curled around a cup of strawberry milkshake. The last time she’d had one was the day Scott died. Now that she was leaving Harborwood behind her, it felt it was time for her to get reacquainted with her favorite drink. She took a sip, relishing the sugary, fruity taste coating her tongue and that rich texture sliding down her food pipe.
A smile spread on her lips. Everything was going to be fine. Zoe didn’t have many things, but her superpower was her endless positivity. A renewable source that resided inside her.
Her phone rang. It was Simon.
“Hey,” she answered.
“Just wanted to check on you now that the case is over. When are you coming back?”
Zoe felt the key Keith had given her in her pocket. “I’m thinking of taking a few days off.”
“Zoe Storm is taking time off?” He chuckled. “Did the case impact that you much?”
“Yes.” A moment of honesty. “But it isn’t that. I just want to visit a few friends in Chicago.”
“Fair enough. We’ll survive without you.”
“You can try,” she sang-song.
