They walked around the new gymnastics center and faced the old mill. The machines, limestone powder, and chunks of discarded stone were all gone. Recent construction had filled in the broken windows, added walls to the main building, and paved a sidewalk. Still, Caitlin found the old walkway where Woods had showed off his Sprite trick. The row of remaining eight-foot blocks divided a strip of grass and a hedge.

“Here,” she said.

Mary stood beside her, said nothing.

Caitlin looked at the new strips of sod, the pressure-washed rocks, the blossoming shrubs, and saw nothing of Troy Woods.

“Hey, Mary?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s your second-favorite pizza place?”

Chapter 88

CHAPTER

88

Seven Days Later

ROMAN’S EYES HID behind sunglasses. His rental at the curb was still running. “So you’re staying?”

Caitlin stood in the open doorway of Mary’s cottage. “Come in, if you want.”

“I gotta hit the airport. Just wanted you to know I got the check. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Are you kidding? You flew to the Bahamas while I got kidnapped. Totally worth the money.”

Roman smiled. “Not sure your timing’s accurate. Your head wound might have been worse than we thought.”

“Oh, it’s definitely worse,” Caitlin said. She started to reach toward him, stopped herself.

He raised an eyebrow. “What, do we hug now?”

“You wish. So you came by just to say thanks for the check?”

He looked past her, into the house. “How long are you staying?”

“Why? Need the work?”

“I was thinking of going south.”

Caitlin knew what he meant. “Mexico?”

“It’s time, but I need to know you’re safe.”

“Mike, you don’t have to worry about me.”

“You’re right. I don’t have to. So you’ll be here for a while?”

“Maybe the whole summer.”

“Writing your story?”

“No,” she said. “Just living. Mary’s trying to get me to teach a fall-semester guest intensive. We’ll see. I’m pretty messed up.”

Roman looked her up and down. “You look nice enough. You and Greenwood got a date?”

“Are you kidding? It’s only been a week since I left the hospital.”

“Doesn’t sound like something that’d stop you.”

“The man used me, Mike.”

Roman smirked, repeated himself. “Doesn’t sound like something that’d stop you.”

Caitlin shook her head. “When Chapman disappeared, Greenwood blew up on the Bro-duce boys, basically had to let them go. So when I showed up, he pushed me toward their drug empire, knowing damn well Chief Renton would be afraid of the big-city journalist with an axe to grind against the BPD. Haven’t heard much in the way of an apology from that bitch, by the way.”

“Don’t think you will. She’s taken a medical leave. The interim chief is alright, though. Really has her shit together.”