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When Paradise had lived in Alabama, this Sanctuary property had been a respite from the turmoil after her parents died. Since

she’d worked for Hank Anderson, the vet in Nova Cambridge, the former owners sometimes let her help feed the handful of roadside

zoo animals they’d collected and clean up the excrement. But this place had been her happy place, even more so than the vet’s

office. She’d felt needed by the wild animals. Now she would be responsible for caring for the wildlife she glimpsed as she

followed in her car behind Blake’s truck. There were a lot more of them now than back in her day.

She got out, he grabbed her large roller bag, and they walked toward a row of shotgun cottages. She shot a side-eyed glance

Blake’s way. Seeing him again had been a punch to her gut. She’d always heard you never got over your first love, but she’d

minimized that notion in her head until the moment her heart stuttered in her chest at the sight of his face—until she remembered

his betrayal.

Blake had been her world for the six years she’d spent as his next-door neighbor. Maybe it had been a mistake to come here, but she wasn’t sure of her path forward or how to get over her fear of big cats. Jenna’s offer had been a lifeline she’d clutched with both hands. The possibility of getting to the bottom of her nightmares made the offer irresistible.

Blake stopped in front of a cute cottage barely bigger than a garage and set down her suitcase to unlock the door. “It’s not

big, but Mom had it renovated last year. It’s got all new furnishings and a fresh coat of paint.” He handed her the key, then

folded his arms across his chest and stared at her. “Why’d you come back, Paradise? I thought once you’d shaken the dust of

Nova Cambridge off your feet, you’d never step foot in Baldwin County again.”

She searched his face for some reaction at seeing her again, but Blake had always been good at masking his feelings when he

wanted to. She wasn’t sure she was ready to reveal her nightmares and what had driven her back to face them.

His attention moved from her face to the scars on her left arm, and his eyes widened. “You get that in an attack?”

She instinctively covered them with her right hand. “A black panther mauling. Jaguar. Someone accidentally left a door open

while I was working in his habitat.” Reiterating the incident always stole her breath and left her shaking. She didn’t want

Blake to realize how traumatized she’d been. “I was on leave and afraid I could never work with the big cats I loved so much

again. Your mom’s offer felt like it was meant to be.” She dropped her hand away from her scars.

Blake stared at her arm. “Ouch. It’s still painful?”

“It is. And I don’t have full strength back in it yet. I’m working on getting that back with exercises the physical therapist

gave me.”

He gave a quick nod. “Think you can do the job here?”

“I wouldn’t have accepted it if I wasn’t sure of that. I can take care of myself.”

“You don’t have to take on the whole world, Paradise. I’d hoped you would have learned that in the past fifteen years.” His gaze dropped to her hand. “Not married?”

“Never could trust a man.”

He flinched when her barb struck him. His betrayal had cost her everything—her home, her peace of mind, her ability to trust.

When he opened his mouth, she knew she couldn’t listen to one more platitude or excuse. Not today when the past was hitting

her so hard. “I’d like to unpack. I’ll report for work at seven. Piggly Wiggly still in the same place?”

“Yeah, not much has changed in Nova Cambridge since you left. A few new stores opened when old ones closed. A few more paved

roads, another gas station.” He pushed open the door to the cottage and stepped out of the way. “For what it’s worth, Paradise,

if I had the chance to do things all over again, I would have talked to you first.”

Small comfort now. His remark didn’t deserve a response. Nothing could change what had happened to her life. She was the one

who had to live with the consequences. Were any girls in her meager circle of friends still around? She wasn’t about to ask

Blake, so she picked up her suitcase and stepped inside the cottage. He’d already turned to walk away when she closed the

door, which helped ease the tension from her shoulders.

The interior was surprisingly airy and felt spacious. The open studio layout held a full-size bed on one side and a minuscule

kitchen with a love seat and armchair on the opposite side. The cottage smelled like new furniture. Paradise found a walk-in

closet near the bed with plenty of space to hold the meager belongings she’d brought. It took fifteen minutes to stow everything,

and then she decided to run to the Piggly Wiggly to stock the kitchen with food.

As she drove away, she spotted Jenna still talking with Creed. The deputy stared at her car as it passed before saying something to Jenna, who stiffened. Paradise could only imagine his comment. Her thoughts sank deeper into the past as she drove the familiar back road across the bridge to Nova Cambridge, four miles from the preserve. It had been her home for her first fifteen years.

Before she could stop herself, she turned onto Oak Street to drive past the house she’d called home for the happiest years

of her life. She parked across the street and stared. The last time Paradise had been here, it had a forlorn, abandoned appearance.

Someone had brought the plantation style into the present decade and spruced it up. The shutters and trim were painted black

instead of the brown they had been when her family lived there, and the roof was metal now. They’d painted the tan vertical

siding white, and it contrasted with the black trim in an appealing way.

Did the people who owned the home now know what had happened inside? The murders had been all over the news twenty years ago,

and the place had sat empty for several years.

As she watched, the door flew open and two children spilled into the yard. The little girl appeared to be around ten, and

she ran to the tree swing with her long blonde braids flying. Paradise watched her with a growing lump in her throat. If only

she could turn back the clock to before she’d awakened that night. Maybe she could have saved her parents.

***

The boys’ bedroom had all the toys put away, and Blake sat on the edge of the bottom bunk. “One more story,” Isaac begged.

His big brown eyes were impossible for Blake to resist, and he pulled out Green Eggs and Ham for the umpteenth time. Seven-year-old Levi hung over the top bunk to see the pictures while Blake read the familiar story.

He was barely two pages in when Isaac’s eyes fluttered shut and his breathing grew even. Levi exhaled and moved away from

the edge, then closed his eyes one page from the end. Blake put the book away and tiptoed to the door, where he shut off the

light before he slipped out.

His mother had gotten a visit from the sergeant in charge of the Bon Secour substation, and Blake strained to hear Roderick

McShea’s rumbling voice in the living room. He was still there, so Blake picked up the pace to join them. The murder had the

potential to further harm the refuge, and they were already teetering on the edge of solvency.

His mom’s blue eyes were anxious above the tremulous smile of relief she directed his way. “There you are, Blake. Sergeant

McShea was asking about the altercations we’ve had with Danielle Mason.”

McShea was in his fifties and had managed to maintain the athletic build left over from his star quarterback days in high

school. He was a hometown boy who’d gone to school with Blake’s mother. He hadn’t married until he was in his thirties, and

his three kids were just now going off to various colleges.

He swiped his light brown hair off his forehead and stood to shake Blake’s hand. “Sorry to bother you both so late, but it’s

been a hectic day. I wanted to hear the story directly from you both.”

Blake settled beside his mother on the sofa while the sergeant dropped back into the armchair. “You have cause of death?”

“That will take a day or two for the medical examiner to determine. I will say she appears to have been stabbed. It wasn’t

an accident.”

“I saw knife wounds on her arm.”

“Ah yes. Detective Greene was upset you’d disturbed the body.”

“I wasn’t sure she was dead and was assessing whether I could help.” Blake had known Rod all his life and didn’t have to remind

him of his past medical career.

“Of course.” Rod’s hazel eyes narrowed. “Your mom has told me what she remembers of the demonstrations outside the entrance

to the preserve. Did you have any conversations with Ms. Mason?”

Blake controlled his dismay. Someone must have mentioned the two altercations. “Ms. Mason organized a group to blockade the

entrance. About thirty protesters all held signs reading Free the Animals or Death to the Keepers . They banged on cars as they tried to enter, and screamed obscenities. I arrived at the scene and asked her to move back

and allow entry to the park visitors. She refused and charged toward me. She barreled into me with her shoulder, then yelled

that I’d hit her. She called your office, but luckily we had cameras at the entrance that showed I was telling the truth.

She was very angry about it, and the next day her behavior was even worse.”

“I reviewed that video this afternoon. Tell me about the next day too.”

Unease moved through Blake’s stomach. If the sergeant was reviewing the video, he must be worried one of them had killed the

woman. “She set fire to the fence line. That night’s video showed her pouring gasoline along the fence line and then lighting

it. I confronted her about it the next morning, and she slapped me in the face.”

“What did you do?”

Blake’s face heated. “I took a step toward her, but I didn’t hit her.”

“You wanted to?”

“For a second. It was a hard slap that surprised me. I think she wanted me to strike her, and when I didn’t, she got even angrier. I’d been carrying a bucket of raw meat for the bears, and I’d set it down to handle the situation at the gate. She grabbed it and threw the blood and meat in my face.”

He couldn’t remember ever being as mad as he had been that day. By God’s grace he’d managed to hold on to his temper. The

woman had been nearly apoplectic with rage, and all he’d done was turn around and go back through the gate. “I locked the

gate behind me and wouldn’t let her in until I called your office to report her assault.”

“She wasn’t arrested.”

“No. I should have pressed charges, but I didn’t want the negative publicity. Her group had caused enough problems without

adding to them.”

“I see. Did she have a vendetta against you personally?”

“It might have developed after the two altercations. I haven’t been able to figure out why she targeted The Sanctuary. We

rescue animals and give them acres and acres to roam. We love them and care for them. I tried to talk to her when she first

showed up, but she’d made up her mind about us before she ever came with her followers. Her blog followers sent nasty messages

too, and I had to shut down our social media accounts.”

Rod’s gaze fell away, and Blake read the heightening suspicion on his face. “I would never hurt her or anyone else.” Hollow

words. Every criminal probably protested his innocence.

McShea rose and adjusted his belt. “Thanks for the information. I’ll be in touch if I think of anything else.”

Blake ushered him out and locked the door behind him before he rejoined his mother. She sat with her face in her hands. She lifted her head and stared at him with tear-filled eyes. “He thinks we killed her.”

“I know.” Blake sank back onto the sofa. “We’ll weather the gossip though, just like we always do.”

She bit her lip and nodded. “And I’m sorry I blindsided you with Paradise. I tried to tell you several times but couldn’t

find the right words.”

“Why would you hire her, Mom? She hates me now. It’s going to be a source of conflict, and we don’t need more stress.”

“She’s had a rough time, Blake. I heard about it through a woman who worked at her zoo. I was desperate for help here, cheap

help, and she needed a place to heal. At least we could provide that.”

Blake wasn’t sure anything could heal Paradise Alden but God, and she thought God hated her. It was going to be a long year.