Page 70 of Dangerous Secrets
Walker leaned back against his pillow,pressing his hands to his eyes and taking a shuddering breath asthe news sank in.She was okay.She was going to makeit.
He felt Sawyer’s hand on his goodshoulder.“We’re going to get through this, Walker.”
“Yeah, we are.”
And he’d need fuel to do that.He tooka Double Double with cheese and a tray of fries from the bag whileSawyer pulled water bottles from a cargo pocket and set them on thetray.Around a mouthful of burger, Walker said, “Tell me Fetterly’ssuffering.”
Sawyer bit into his own burger, chewedand swallowed before responding.“The guy’s a fucking mess.You goafter him with that pickax?”
“That was Laney.”Walkerdunked fries in ketchup.“She’s a rock star.Said she was aimingfor his head, but got him in the throat, then ran.Fucker wascoming after her when I found her.He caught up with us in thetunnel and started shooting.”
“You got him twice,neither shot likely to kill him.”Sawyer paused.“Glad you’re notdead, brother.”
“Yeah.Me too.”He washeddown the fries with a swig of water.“You got the evidence tocharge him for the other attacks?”
“Detectives are working onit, but they’re convinced he’s our guy.That said, they don’t likethat your knife was found at a crime scene.Once Fetterly’smedically stable they’ll talk to him.Same with Laney.”Sawyergestured with his burger.“Get this, Neil Grafton was arrested thismorning.BOLO went out for him and an alert Highway Patrol officerpulled him over a couple miles west of the Nevada border.He hadseveral loaded weapons in his vehicle as well as camping equipment.Could’ve gone sideways, but he went peaceably.”Sawyer finished hisburger, tossing the trash in a waste bin.“Detectives are keepingme updated.”He paused.“Neil’s talking, Walker.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.His lawyer’s goingnuts, but he’s apparently got a lot to get off his chest.Headmitted to changing the label on the DNA evidence from MelanieBrennan’s rape kit, putting your name on it.Thing is, he’s notsaying how the DNA was identified, so we don’t know if it wasFetterly’s.”
“Shit.Who else would itbelong to?”
“That’s the question.Regardless, we’ve got enough that both Grafton and Fetterly willend up in prison for the rest of their lives.”
Walker waited for the sense of reliefor the anger to wash over him.He didn’t feel either.
What he’d wanted had been done.Hisname was clear and justice had caught up with theperpetrators.
But the person who’d once again becomethe center of his life was in a hospital room having beenkidnapped, battered, and shot.
Nothing else mattered but that shehealed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Lying in bed in the quiet of herhospital room, Delaney released a shaky breath, unsure why she hadan overwhelming urge to cry.It was over.She’d gotten out of thatawful mine, Jerod Fetterly was in custody, and she and Walker hadsurvived.A tap sounded at her door and Keeley walked in, Clarawith her.
Emotion flooded through her andDelaney gave a hiccoughing sob, and whoosh, her best friend and hergrandmother were at her side, arms around her, stroking her hairwhile she cried out the misery of the last twenty-fourhours.
When sobs reduced to sniffles, Keeleyheld her at arm’s length to give her a thorough once-over whileClara kept a tight grip on her hand.
Keeley brushed her hair back from thebandage at Delaney’s temple.“You look like you’ve been through awar, friend.”
“I feel like I’ve beenthrough a war.Do you know what happened to Walker?”
“He’s at this hospital.According to Sawyer, he took a bullet that lodged under the skin onhis shoulder.Word is he hasn’t been exactly cooperative.Herefused to be put under general anesthesia when they took out thebullet.”
He was here and he was alive.That wasa start.
“Did they get the bulletout?”
“They did and he’s fine.”Keeley’s expression lightened.“You want to know his reason forrefusing to be knocked out?”
Delaney nodded.
“He didn’t want to beunconscious if you needed him.”
“He told the doctorsthat?”
