Page 66 of So Twisted

His eyes narrowed. “And I don’t buy that atonement bullshit for a second. If he cared about the animals, why did he try to frame them for his crimes? Why didn’t he release all of them? Maybe he couldn’t get the zoo cages open, but he could have let Chen’s animals out. He could have opened the aviary gate and let Dr. Clement’s birds escape. But he didn’t. The only time he did anything for the animals was when he climbed that fence at Dr. Lawson’s place and fed himself to the cougars, and he only did that when he knew there was no way out.”

He shook his head. “No, Jason was just violent. He was a killer. He didn’t want to kill animals anymore, so he made up a reason to kill humans so he wouldn’t have to feel guilty about it. He’s no different from anyone else we’ve caught who claims to have a good reason for murdering people. Don’t feel bad for him. He got what he deserved. And what he wanted, I guess.”

Faith bit her lip softly. “I don’t feel bad for him. I just… I guess I saw a different side of people. Or just realized a different side. I just wish there wasn’t so much evil in the world.”

“For every evil in the world, there’s an annoying FBI agent and his irritable, straightlaced partner. For the biggest evils, they also have a dog with superpowers.”

Faith chuckled and stroked Turk’s fur again. The K9 stirred in his sleep and sighed in satisfaction when Faith found his favorite spot behind his ear. “When you put it that way, it’s not so bad.”

“Nope,” Michael agreed. “Not bad at all.”

EPILOGUE

Faith closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was going to be hard.

In the living room of her one-bedroom apartment in Allentown, David was watching tv with Turk. It was a cartoon about a dog who delivered a shipment of medicine to kids dying of a bad fever in Alaska. One of Turk’s favorites.

David had surprised her when she arrived home. After the stress of the case, his presence was more than welcome, and she had spent the first night wrapped in his arms.

But not every night would be like this, and Faith didn’t always want to come home to another person she had to think about when her job involved the kind of risks and stresses it did. And she had to break that news to him tonight. She should have broken it to him months ago.

She was afraid. She didn’t want to lose him. In an ideal world, their relationship would never change from what it was right now. They would see each other frequently, enjoy the passion they shared and the companionship they needed, but Faith would have her space when she needed it too. She would be able to take a breath every now and then and recharge her emotional batteries so she could be the girlfriend she needed to be and not resent him for being around her constantly.

But the world was rarely ideal. David wanted a wife, not a girlfriend. That’s really what this all boiled down to. She wanted a boyfriend, not a husband. If David could be okay with a lifelong girlfriend, then everything would be fine and dandy. If he wanted a wife, then he would need to look elsewhere. Faith couldn’t give him that.

She really, really hoped he would be okay with a lifelong girlfriend. She loved him, she just—

The bathroom door opened, and she jumped in surprise. David stood in the doorway, but his face was wrong. His skin was ashen, and his eyes were as big as saucers. Faith felt a pit in her stomach. “What’s wrong? Did something happen to Turk?”

David shook his head. “Not Turk. He’s eating dinner. I, uh, I answered your phone. Sorry, you had it on silent, and I didn’t know how long you were going to be in here, but it was Michael, and he called back-to-back when you didn’t answer, so I figured it was important.”

“What is it?” Faith asked again. “What did he say?”

Instead of answering, David handed her the phone. Faith’s heart pounded as she put it to her ear.

“What is it, Michael? What happened?”

Michael’s voice sounded thick and strained, almost as though he had been crying. “Faith, you need to get to Philadelphia as soon as possible.”

“What happened, Michael? Is Ellie okay?”

“Ellie’s fine. But someone murdered the Boss.”

Faith’s heart fell like a stone. As shocking as this news was, she had a feeling that wasn’t the worst of it.

“Someone?”

Michael’s pause told her all she needed to know before his response confirmed it. “No. Not just someone. The Messenger.”