Beyond the Shadows Read Free

and you shattered that trust.” He eyed Williams, searching for any hint of remorse. The lack of any emotion but those of self-pity and righteousness infuriated him. “Judging by the photos on your website, you’ve been doing this for a long while, but then you wanted more beautiful bodies to play with. Women that hadn’t died of natural causes were infinitely more attractive than ones ravaged by illness. You have to admit you enjoyed playing with them just a little bit more.”
    “That may be so, but I didn’t kill them,” he repeated in a tired voice. “Why do you think you finally stumbled across that evidence? Why would the killer be so careless when up until then you’d found nothing? Because someone planted it to frame me. Open your eyes, O’Leary!” Williams’ voice shook with passion and his gaze bored into him. “The real killer is out there ready to strike again if he hasn’t already. But while you’re stuck like a broken record believing I’m the guilty party, there’s nothing you can do about it, and more women will die.”
    Suddenly, Williams’ form started to waver and his mouth curved up in a beatific smile. “It looks like I’m out of here. At last.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “I said what I needed to say. Now, you need to act on it.”
    “Wait,” Nate reached out a hand to stop him, but his fingers closed on air. He blinked. The man’s presence was gone as if it had never been there. He shook his head at the craziness. Had he imagined it all? Glancing around, the colors and outlines of figures that were clear just moments ago blurred and softened, merging back into shapeless blots of nothing. Confusion set in as he whirled around to find a focal point and failed. He was alone. The only thing holding back the panic he sensed waiting in the wings was his iron will.
    Was he in some mad dream of his own making? Williams was right when he’d accused him of accepting things at face value, of resting on his laurels. But why would anyone dig deeper? The man was scum. The cigarette butt found at the scene belonged to Williams. No doubt about it. The DNA result was conclusive. Without it, he would have walked.
    Nate shuddered at the thought. No family should have to live through that particular pain. It was a torturous hell with no escape. What were a few niggles eating away at him compared to the peace the conviction gave the affected families? There was no contest.
    He’d done the right thing—hadn’t he?
    God. What was with this doubt all of a sudden? Williams had been a consummate liar in life, and it seemed death had only enhanced that particular asset. A wave of exhaustion, the magnitude of which he’d never known, crashed over him. His eyes grew heavy and suddenly it became too much effort to keep them open. As he gave in to the urge to sleep, a two-word litany ran through his head, accompanying him into oblivion.
    What if?

Chapter Two
    Kelly woke suddenly and peeled her cheek from the vinyl chair. Something felt different.
    Blinking rapidly to clear her sight, she pulled herself upright and cast a glance over the still figure of her partner. No change. He lay there as he had since the day they’d stabilized him. Nothing looked out of place as she swept her gaze around Nate’s utilitarian hospital room. The machines still bleeped and blinked, recording his body’s every function, and saline dripped steadily into a line keeping his body hydrated. Nothing had changed, including her wishful thinking.
    With a groan, she dug her fingers into the back of her neck in a desperate attempt to loosen the knotted muscles before giving it up as a lost cause. She glanced at her watch and her heart thudded heavily in her chest. Day six. Time marched against him. Each passing minute was another nail in his coffin. Even the media had packed up a couple of days ago. It seemed she was the only one holding out hope. Apart from a quick shower and change of clothes at home, she’d been here,