THE MAZE by Catherine Counlter

She smiled up at him. “No more questions. No more mysteries. He killed Belinda. He told me so and he told me why.” All this time-seven long years-she’d driven herself, felt consumed with guilt. All this time she hadn’t remembered that Belinda had forced her into Marlin’s maze.

She couldn’t dredge up a single memory of that night, even after being told what had happened. She wondered if she’d ever remember, even under hypnosis. Well, it didn’t matter. Belinda had been dead for seven years. Her murderer was dead. Lacey’s life was her own again. And she had Dillon. She had a future.

“Yes,” Dillon said. “We all heard him confess. It’s over, Sherlock.”

“Who shot Marlin?”

A grizzled old cop raised his hand. “I’m sorry I had to wait so long but I couldn’t get a clean shot.”

“You did perfectly.” She looked at Hannah. “Are you all right?”

“I’m just fine now.” She was standing beside Dillon, leaning against him.

Lacey looked at her. “Thanks for tripping Marlin. That was really well done. I wasn’t quite sure how to get him low enough to loop him. I knew you’d be ready. You’d best stand up straight now, Hannah. I don’t want you leaning against Dillon ever again. You got me?”

Hannah laughed, a raw ugly sound that was quite beautiful. “I hear you, Sherlock. I hear you really well. I thought you might be mean once it occurred to you. Good going.”

Lacey slowly stood up. Marlin’s blood was all over her. She looked around at the circle of faces.

She was alive.

She gave them all a huge smile. “Thank you all for saving our lives. Mr. Maitland, sir, we finally got him.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Jimmy Maitland said, then punched Lewis Jacobs and laughed. Soon everyone was laughing, even as they held their weapons in their hands, their relief, their triumph, made them shout with laughter.

Jimmy Maitland said, ‘ T wanted to say that since I first saw your name among the new trainees. I love it. Does anyone know where that line’s from?”

37

DR LAUREN BOWERS SAID very quietly, “Lacey, do you remember getting into the trunk of Marlin’s car?”

Lacey moaned, her head turning from side to side.

“It’s all right. I’m here. Dillon is here. You’re safe. This was a long time ago. Marlin’s dead. He can’t hurt you. You’re remembering this for you, Lacey. Now, open your mind. Relax. Did you get into the trunk?”

“Yes. I wanted to be sure that Belinda was betraying Douglas. I’d overheard her talking to him just an hour before. I heard them make a date. I followed her and this guy. I didn’t know she knew I was there. I heard her talking to Marlin but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. When we got to the warehouse and they dragged me out of the trunk, I’d never been so terrified in my life. Then Marlin made me walk to the center of the maze with Belinda.

“I believed she was as terrified as I was, but she wasn’t, at least she wasn’t that night. But I believed she was. I walked every step beside her. Once she even handed me the string. Every few feet Marlin would call out to us, tell Belinda how he’d have to punish her if she didn’t get to the center of the maze. Oh God, I remember being so afraid, feeling so helpless.”

“Yes, that’s all right, Lacey. You were just nineteen. What happened next?”

“When we finally got to the center of the maze, Marlin was there and he was smiling. He smiled even when I thought he knifed Belinda. I thought he’d kill me next. I can remember screaming, running to where Belinda was lying. The horror of it just shut me down. That’s all I remember.”

“And you just refused to remember it later,” Dr. Lauren Bowers said to Savich. “Anything else?”

“Did Marlin tell Belinda he had to punish her because she cursed too much? Because she bad-mouthed her husband?”

“I think so. Wait, yes, he did.”

“I think we know everything she needs to let go of the past.” Dillon was silent a moment, then he said quietly, “Before you bring her back, ask her what she wanted to do with her life before Belinda’s murder. Oh yes, tell her not to recall it.”

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