“He’s never going to hurt you again. He’s never getting out again. I need to tell Lee what’s happened, and have him call for an ambulance. We want him to live, Darby, believe me, we do,” he said when he took out his phone, turned it back on. “For a long time, in a cell. Lee, he’s down. I’ve got Darby. We need an ambulance. Yes, I’ve got her.”

He slid the phone back in his pocket. “He was coming in quiet, but they’re only seconds away. You don’t have to talk to him now. I’ll take you home.”

Those gorgeous eyes of hers were huge, a little glazed, but she kept them on his. “You hit him with a baseball. You hit him in the face with a baseball. I want the ball.”

“Sure, we’ll get that in a bit. It’s gonna have to go with Lee for now. Look, there he is now, and pretty much the whole Lakeview police force.”

Lee ran toward them, gave Trent a long look. “Ambulance is coming. I’ll have another sent along.”

“I don’t need one.” Darby cuddled the ecstatic dog. “That’s Trent Willoughby, my ex-husband. I stopped because I saw the car, looking like it was broken down, at the shoulder of the road. I don’t know a damn Prius from a damn Toyota,” she said to Zane.

“Darlin’, a Prius is a Toyota.”

“See? He knocked me out, and I came to tied to the chair. He came to kill me, but he had a lot to say first. He told me he killed my mother, and how he did it. He told me he killed Clint Draper. I’d rather say all the rest later. I’m a little shaky.”

“That’s fine. How about Zane takes you on to our place? It’s close, and Emily’s there. I’ll be along directly.”

She started to get up, swayed. Zane plucked both her and the dog into his arms.

“Just a little shaky.”

“I’ve got you,” Zane said, then looked at Lee. “I’ve got her.”

“I see that. You take her to Emily.” He looked down at Trent as Zane carried Darby away. “I’ve got this.”

* * *

It took hours. While Emily soothed and fussed, Zane took a walk to settle himself. It didn’t work, but he had enough left to pretend it did, for Darby’s sake.

She gave her long, detailed statement to Lee, let Dave treat professionally the lacerations on her wrists and ankles, which Emily had bandaged.

Because she asked, Dave gave Darby an update on Trent’s condition.

Concussion, detached retina, broken nose, chipped cheekbone. “Nice play, slugger,” he said to Zane.

“But he’ll live?” Darby pressed.

“He’s in serious condition. Not critical. Oh, and he lost a couple of teeth, some major contusions on the backs of his legs.”

“She hit him with the chair he’d tied her to.”

“Another nice play. It wouldn’t hurt you to see your doctor.”

“It’s not my first punch in the face. I hope it’s my last.” Steadier, she rose. “Emily, I can’t tell you what it means that you were here when I needed you.”

“Honey, I promise you I always will be.”

“He took my mother from me.” Her eyes welled again. “She’d have been glad to know I found someone to stand in for her.” Breaking, she pressed her face to Emily’s shoulder when Emily pulled her in.

When Darby steadied, drew back, Emily draped an arm around Brody’s shoulders.

“I’ll never doubt your instincts again, about anyone. Ever.”

“I’m real sorry about your mom, Darby. I’m real sorry.”

“Me, too. You’re my hero, Brody.” Darby leaned over, kissed him lightly on the lips. “I have a lot of those today.”

She found more when Zane finally got her home. Her entire crew waited on the porch along with vases of flowers, casseroles, pies. A pound cake.

“We just wanted to see you for ourselves,” Roy began. “We know you gotta rest, but we just wanted to see you for ourselves first.”

He lowered his head when his voice broke.

“We got two of the sites cleaned up good.” Ralph cleared his throat. “We figured that’s the way you’d want it. We’ll take care of the rest tomorrow, ’cause we don’t want to see you on the job tomorrow, and that’s that.”

“Who’s the boss?” she demanded.

“Don’t care about that. I ever see who put those bruises on your face out in the open, he’s gonna wish I didn’t. That’s that, too.”

“How about I take you inside, get you settled down.” Hallie moved down the steps. “And these men here can take all this inside. There’s likely to be more coming,” she continued as she put an arm around Darby. “Zane, you left the door unlocked,” she added, steering Darby inside. “We didn’t feel like we should just go in. More’ll be coming,” she continued, “as word’s out about what happened. People want to help out as they can. You matter here in Lakeview, Darby.”

“Hallie, I need to go upstairs so I can have a good cry.”

“I’m gonna take you right up there. Gabe, give me one of those vases to take up.”

“This one’s from Miss Cherylee. It’s nice and showy.” He gave Darby a light rub on the back. “How about I give Zod a you-know-what, Darby. Seems he earned it.”

“Thanks, Gabe. Thanks, all of you.”

Hallie held her while she cried, then sat with her until she slept.

When she woke, she looked out the tall window at the view of the lake, the boats sailing on it, the kids jumping off the raft.

She looked at the showy flowers sent by a woman she’d only just met. Thought of the tableau that had greeted her when Zane brought her home.

Rising, she studied her face in the mirror, the bruised cheekbone, the black eye—a fairly mild one, all things considered.

“You’ve never been stupid,” she told her reflection. “Except the times you thought you were.”

She walked downstairs, found Zane pacing the living room, his phone at his ear. “She’s up,” he said with his eyes fixed on her face. “I’ll call you back. Everybody’s checking in to see how you’re doing. I just looked in on you a bit ago. You got some sleep.”

“Yeah. I feel better for it. Zane—”

“Please,” he said, then rushed to her, drew her in—so, so gently—held on. “I just need this. Just a minute of it.”

“Take all the time you need.”

“When I found your truck, life stopped for a minute. Everything stopped. I should’ve gone to Lee with what Brody told me.”

“No. No, and no. That would’ve been a betrayal, and Lee couldn’t have done more than you were doing. If you blame yourself for even the tiniest bit of this, it takes it away from where it belongs. Don’t do that.”

She drew back. “Don’t do that when your brilliant cousin, our incredible dog, and your excellent baseball saved my life. Can we…”

“Anything.”

“Careful or it might be a trip to Aruba. Can we sit out on the veranda, and drink some wine?”

“Absolutely.”

When he got the wine, settled in beside her, she laid a hand over his. “I want to get this all over and out. How did you know where to find me?”