There was nothing else I could think of and said so. Ranger said he couldn’t think of anything, either.
When the doctor left, my husband lay down next to me and put his arm around my waist. “We need to talk about where you want to go after they say you can leave.”
We did? Wouldn’t we just go back to his camp? “What are my options?”
“Wherever you want, including leaving the Adirondacks.”
“Is that what you think I should do?”
“It’s entirely up to you. My main objective is for you to feel safe.”
“I don’t think leaving my home is a good idea.”
“Then, we won’t.”
“I know you said Maxim is in custody, but didn’t you also tell me Blanca and Jimmy said there were two men?”
“The other is no longer a threat.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’s dead.” I shuddered, and he studied me. “I want to answer your questions honestly, but I don’t want to go too far. That may have been.”
“No. It wasn’t. I’m glad he’s dead. I only wish Maxim was too.” Ranger didn’t respond. “What will happen to him?”
“Right now, he’s still being interrogated. Once we determine what he’ll be charged with, he’ll go into custody, probably with the FBI.” He put his thumb and finger on my chin. “The other thing I learned yesterday is that the man responsible for the securities fraud charges disappearing was also apprehended. Given the number of counts against him and his flight risk, he will likely not be granted bail when he appears before a judge.”
“Will that be true for Maxim too?”
“Even more true.”
“I have more questions.”
I felt Ranger’s head nod, and he stroked my hair. “I’ll answer as many as I can.”
“I don’t want you to keep things from me. I want to know what’s going on.”
“I understand. You need to take this at your own pace, and I’ll do my best to be right there with you. That includes giving you answers.”
Whatever questions I thought I had, I couldn’t remember. What I did recall was someone—maybe the doctor who just left—telling me I would have short-term memory issues, but they would get better as the drugs Maxim gave me left my system.
“I think I’ll close my eyes for a bit.”
Ranger kissed my forehead. “Me too.”
27
RANGER
I was anxious to find out what else Onyx was able to get out of Edwards overnight. Sleep deprivation was a common technique used during interrogations—among other less innocuous things.
Despite everything Diesel said about Maxim’s abduction of Maisie being a copycat kidnapping, I still held out hope the man was responsible for the other serial killings. If the outcome was different, Maisie might not feel safe going home.
Canada Lake meant so much to her that she’d worked tirelessly to revitalize its economy. I wanted to witness her careful planning coming to fruition, including the redevelopment of the amusement park, the hotel, and the boardwalk. They were all things that would bring her great pride and joy throughout her life.
Selfishly, I wanted to raise a family and for our children to be able to experience the lake in the way Maisie’s grandparents and mine had.
It occurred to me that Doc hadn’t said anything about Maisie’s ability to get pregnant. As thorough as he usually was, I expected he would have if he or the doctors believed it would be an issue. I prayed not. Maisie would be an amazing mother to any child we were blessed with.
One other thing I was uncertain about was whether Maisie would still feel safe once we got back to my camp. Would it trigger memories?
Before we got there, I wanted our team to beef up the security system. Both there and to install a complete setup at Al and Mary’s.
I pulled out my cell and sent a text to Diesel, asking him to talk it over with Onyx and see how quickly we could make that happen.
Until we were able to catch the serial killer—and we would—I wanted to keep as many of our team in Canada Lake as Onyx would allow. That number would vary depending on what other assignments we were given. At times, all available team members would be required to engage, like they had when looking for Maisie. What would I do if I was required to leave?
If I had to answer today, I would refuse. Refusing would also mean I might have to resign my position with K19 Shadow Ops. If it came to that, I would. Maisie was my priority above all else. I couldn’t envision a time I would be comfortable leaving her alone even for a few hours, let alone days. As Diesel said, we were protectors. It was in our blood, our DNA, and nothing would change something so innate.
Jesus—DNA. Maisie had told me she was on birth control, which wasn’t one hundred percent effective, regardless of the type. Couple that with the possibility the drugs Edwards gave her had a negative interaction with the contraceptives, and the worst possible outcome was that we would find out she was pregnant. I said a silent prayer to God not to let that happen.
When the door opened a little after eight, I expected to see a nurse rather than Ms. Fasano. When she spoke, Maisie woke.
“I understand you’ll be going home this morning,” she said, handing Maisie a card and shooting me a look. “I’d like to schedule a follow-up appointment in the next couple of days.”
I was sure there were other psychologists who specialized in post-assault therapy. Maybe one closer in distance to the camp.
“By the way, I have a place on the channel, so if you’d prefer to meet at my home office, we can do that too.”
The channel? Shit. That had to mean the one right off Canada Lake, which was minutes from my place. Our place, I silently corrected myself.
“That would be better,” I heard Maisie say. “Would it be possible to schedule something tomorrow?”
Fasano pulled out her phone. “I’m free in the morning. How does ten sound?”
When I failed to keep myself from sighing, both women looked at me.
“What?” Maisie asked.
“I’m just afraid you won’t be up for it.”
“If she’s not, I’ll come to her.”
While I had an increasing dislike of the woman, Maisie didn’t seem to. I needed to set my feelings aside and do what was best for my wife.
“Can you stick around for a minute?” I asked her.
“Of course.”
I gave Maisie a kiss and went into the hallway to call Diesel. When I did, I saw I’d missed a call from Onyx from a few minutes ago.
“Morning,” I said when he picked up.
“Ranger. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.”
“Of course. Sorry I didn’t see your call earlier. What’s going on?”
“We’re getting ready to turn Edwards over to FBI custody. Before we do that, I want to be sure we didn’t miss any questions you wanted answered.”
“I’m sure you covered it, boss. What’s your take on whether or not he abducted and killed the other women?”
“I don’t think it was him, as much as we all wish it were. The only definitive answer will be if the murders stop happening. Even then it isn’t a sure thing. Whoever the killer is may stop for a while, knowing the investigation is getting more intense, or stop altogether.”