Page 99

With Luke holding her hand, Emily toddled to the door, peeking into Carrie’s room at Rose Stone Hospital.

Seeing her daughter from her bed, Carrie blossomed with joy.

“Hi, sweetie!”

Carrie opened her arms and lifted Emily into them, rocking her in a tearful hug.

“Oh, sweetie. I love you so much!”

It was now evening. Earlier, Carrie had been treated for shock, dehydration and exhaustion, among other issues. But she was doing well. Medical staff wanted to keep her overnight for observation. Luke moved a chair close to her bed.

He caressed Emily’s back as Carrie spoke, a trembling hand covering her mouth.

“He wanted to kill us. We were friends. We were in their home. How could Lacey not know?”

Luke stroked his wife’s hair.

In the time after the horror ended, Carrie had talked to Mallory and Cobb, who’d indicated Clay had trapped her in the underground confinement rooms, which had been partially insulated to muffle screams. Investigators from Harris County, DPS and the FBI had crowded into her room at various points, and she had told them everything.

Now Carrie searched Luke’s face with a new understanding, seeing him differently.

“They told me what you did.”

“I’m sorry I kept things from you, from everyone.”

“They said it was because of you that they were able to stop Clay, that you put it all together just in time.”

When a knock sounded at the door, they both turned. Vern was holding his hat in his hands.

Luke stood. “I’ll give you some time.”

“No,” Vern said. “Stay.”

“Please, take the chair.”

Groaning as he sat, his voice barely above a whisper, he said, “I thank God we didn’t lose you.”

Carrie reached for his hand.

“It’s clear that I’ve been wrong about that day.”

Carrie clasped his hand tighter.

“I mean, dammit. Clay? He lived two lives. He wasn’t even a cop when it started. But all this was going on right under our damned noses. Maybe I had blinders on, maybe because I was thinking of you. I don’t know,” Vern said. “I’m so sorry, Carrie, for all you’ve been burdened with for all these years.” Shaking his head, he swallowed at the ugliness of their hard years. “I pray you’re free from it now.”

Carrie gave him a weak smile.

“What I did was wrong,” Vern said. “I was protecting you, but I broke the law. I’ll face the consequences, set things right, before I leave this world.”

“Daddy.” Carrie pulled him to her and Emily.