Page 52 of The Whisper Place (To Catch a Storm #3)
He surveyed me with loathing, lingering on the empty gun holster. Valerie gasped and tried to shake her head. Somewhere in the distance, a twig snapped and a bird flapped out of its nest, screeching.
“My wife puts up with a lot, but I think she’d draw the line at another woman. I’m a private investigator. My partner and I had the pleasure of meeting your first wife the other day.”
A shadow of fear passed over Ted’s face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, you didn’t see the parade of first responders in and out of the woods a few days ago?
You must’ve been pissing yourself sitting there with another woman imprisoned in your basement.
The authorities have already determined that Andrea Kramer was murdered, by the way.
Strangled to death, which seems to be your preferred method of torture.
” I nodded at his arm, still wrapped tight around Valerie’s throat.
“The police are on their way again now. They’re deploying search and rescue this time.” At least I hoped to god they were. “They’re going to find you, find Kate, and anything else you’ve tried to bury in these woods. If you don’t want to be shot on sight, I strongly suggest you come quietly now.”
Ted cocked his head, shifting a look around the stand of trees. “Funny. I don’t hear any sirens, no search parties marching through the underbrush. And I think Valerie can tell you,” he nuzzled the back of her head, making her shudder, “I have friends on the force.”
“I wouldn’t count on it.”
The voice came from behind Ted. He whirled, dragging Valerie with him, to reveal a young woman standing between two trees. She was covered in dirt, her hair plastered to her head, clothes torn and bloody. She held a small camping knife in one hand that was scraped raw and dripping red.
“Kate!”
The sight of her daughter jolted Valerie into action. She fought against Ted’s grip, struggling to free herself. He pulled a gun from behind her back and pressed it into her temple.
Diving behind the tree, I grabbed my own gun and rolled up, ready to take aim, but the Campbell women had already descended.
Whatever twisted showdown Ted Kramer had planned was drowned in a fury of yells and hacking limbs.
Valerie had his gun hand in both of hers, pointing the weapon at the sky.
Kate kicked Ted in the knee and he screamed, dropping to the ground.
They were both on him in a flash. Kate pinned him as Valerie wrenched the gun away.
He grabbed for her, but Kate sliced his arm open and his bellow of rage and pain shook the trees.
They rolled him onto his belly, shoving his face in the dirt.
“Kate.”
Her head snapped up, almost feral, but her face broke into a savage smile as I held up the pair of handcuffs. “Want to do the honors?”
She cuffed her stepfather and stood up, looking down at the writhing, cursing body in the dirt.
Valerie stood on his other side, glassy-eyed and panting.
There was a pause, a moment full of dark, malignant intent.
I thought they would resume attacking him, and I wasn’t going to do a thing to stop them, but Valerie looked at her daughter instead and reached across the space that separated them.
At her mother’s touch, Kate’s face transformed.
Hatred melted away, replaced by pure, gripping grief.
“Momma.”
They stumbled and fell to the forest floor, forgetting about the man handcuffed next to them. Valerie murmured and rocked Kate back and forth, and they held each other as though they’d never let go.