Seconds to Live (Scarlet Falls #3)(102)

Mac reached for the bag.

Ellie shook her head and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ve got it. But if you don’t mind, you could round up Carson and hose him off for dinner.”

“We’re on it.” Mac said.

Ellie walked up the steps and disappeared inside.

Mac lowered his head and pressed his lips to Stella’s. The kiss was sweet and as warm as the sun on her hair. His hand settled on the small of her back. Gentle pressure urged her hips closer to his.

“Ew.” Carson’s disgusted voice broke the spell.

Mac lifted his mouth from hers, and the smile that spread across his face was full of promise. “To be continued.” He glanced at his nephew. “Without an audience.”

“Come on, Uncle Mac. Nan made blueberry pie, but we hafta eat dinner first.” Carson grabbed Mac’s hand and pulled, leaning into the gesture with impatience. “We’re going to see the fireworks later.”

As Ellie predicted, the boy required a thorough hosing before they went inside.

“I’ll take care of this.” Mac led the boy to the side of the yard, where the hose lay on the grass.

Stella went up onto the deck.

Brody lay on a chaise, his bandaged leg elevated on a pillow but otherwise looking good. “The case is all tied up?”

Stella sat down facing him. “Pretty much. Forensics found more than enough physical evidence in Josh Randolph’s house. Photos of Missy and Dena. Detailed records of his so-called experiments with them. He designed each girl’s torture specifically to hone in on her personal weaknesses. He had counseled both of them. He used everything they’d told him against them. He turned Missy’s cutting against her, and broke Dena’s fingers like Adam broke her bones.”

“Too bad New York doesn’t have the death penalty.” Wincing, Brody pressed a hand to the bandage under his arm and shifted his weight.

“I read his notes. I expect he’ll spend the rest of his life in a padded room while doctors stare at him through a tiny window.” Stella shivered. “When we originally interviewed him, he said his brother had fought mental illness all his life. That wasn’t reality. Lucas was a star athlete and a top student. He had everything going for him. His death was an accidental overdose. Josh, on the other hand, struggled through his teen years. Clearly he was the one with the mental illness.”

Josh’s interviews had been disturbing.

“We found pictures of his brother and his girlfriend in Josh’s office. The girlfriend was wearing a pale blue scarf in many of the photos.” Stella tilted her head back. The heat of the sun warmed her face.

“Do they know what sparked his killing spree?” Brody asked. “Why did he kill Missy?”

“It was the Simmons case. That newscaster Gary Simmons had been a patient at New Hope. When he got behind the wheel of his Escapade under the influence and rammed it into that minivan full of children, Josh lost it. He felt guilty for not curing him and angry at Simmons for being weak.”

“But he only killed Missy and Dena?” Brody asked. “What happened to Janelle Hall?”

“She came home after a few days. The idea of running away had been more attractive than the reality.” Stella watched Mac spray Carson’s feet with a hose. “We didn’t find any other bodies at Josh’s house.”

“He didn’t hide Missy or Dena.” Brody stretched.

“No, he wanted us to know what he had done. Maybe deep down he wanted us to stop him.” Stella sighed. “He claims he did it all for the overall good. To find a way to really beat addiction. To stop those he deemed unable to be fully recovered and prevent them from harming others.”

Brody snorted. “Or he just lost his shit.”

“Or that.”

Brody scratched the edge of his bandage. “So Spivak was helping his buddy manufacture explosives. Did he ever say why he was at the church that night?”

“Spivak is not cooperative, but one of the members came forward and said he’d been stalking her. They’d dated a few times and he’d gotten rough. She called it off, but he wouldn’t leave her alone.”

“What about Adam Miller?” Brody asked.

“He might not have killed his wife, but he wasn’t innocent. In the trunk of Missy’s car, forensics found a gym bag with several changes of clothes, a disposable cell phone, and a wig. There was also a fake Florida driver’s license with Dena’s picture on it. She was planning her escape, and Missy was helping her.”

“What a shame she didn’t leave the week before.” Hannah said, rubbing Brody’s shoulder.

He took her hand and squeezed it. “What a shame we can’t prove anything.”

“We’ll be watching him. If he sneezes in the wrong place . . .” Stella promised. There was no such thing as a happy ending in a murder case, but she hated having a loose end.

“Did you pass your pistol qualification?” Brody asked.

“Yesterday.” Stella was glad to have that behind her. It hadn’t been her best performance, but she’d gotten through it.

The hose shut off with a squeak. Dripping, Carson raced across the deck and into the back door. Mac dried his hands on his thighs and sat next to Stella.

Hannah greeted Mac with a kiss on the cheek and hugged Stella. She waggled her eyebrows at her brother.