Chapters (57)
- Books by Gregg Olsen
- Dedication
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Hear More from Gregg
- Books by Gregg Olsen
- A Letter from Gregg
- Acknowledgements
Amy,
Goddamn you. I’m sorry that you made me lose my temper. You hurt me to the core. Just tossing me aside like I never mattered. You are my wife and you will always be for eternity. Our vows are sacred. What was this to you? Our life? Just test driving something that you didn’t want in the first place? Seriously. You confound me. You do. It’s as if we didn’t really know each other if you could keep silent for so long. I wish you would have killed me. Really. Look at me. Look at you. I don’t have an eye anymore. You did this to me. You shoved that kitchen knife into my face. I was only trying to stop you. I wanted to talk to you. Tell you that I would never love another like I’ve loved you. Look what you made me do. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I know you didn’t mean it either. I just wanted you to turn around and tell me that you would come back someday. And now… Now when I hold you it will be like it was supposed to be.
Forever.
Yes, I’m angry. But I forgive you. I’ll take care of you. I’ll make you happy and glad you stayed.
Love,
Regina
I press my palm on the porch step and lift myself up. My stomach is queasy. Somehow, I’ve managed to shake off what I saw inside the Torrance house. I’ve pulled myself together. Tabled the horror just enough to do my job. Still processing, but clinically so. I pull a roll of crime scene tape from the trunk of the Taurus and wrap it around the posts of the front porch. Amy wanted to get away. Maybe she felt trapped. They had no phone. There was no way she could break away. So they fought. Fought hard. Regina lost an eye. Amy lost her life. Regina preserved her body, so they’d never be apart.
I’ll make you happy and glad that you stayed.
I can’t even imagine what went into preserving the body. The last time anyone really saw Amy was two years ago.
I drive until I get a couple of bars of reception and call Sheriff.
“Holy crap,” he says, taking in every word. “Pulleys? Wires?”
“Yes. Like a marionette or something.”
“What happened there?”
“Murder–suicide. Of the ilk we’d never could have imagined.”
Thoughts of what I’d seen start to tighten my throat.
“You okay?” he asks.
“I don’t know. I really don’t. I go there to find Ida’s killer, so hopeful about that. So wanted to for her children and sister. Then… then this.”
“We’ll get Merritt Wheaton.”
I glance at the rearview mirror.
I am crying.
“You need to come back here,” he orders.
“I can do this.”