Chapter 19 – Liam
To: Liam Carson
Subject: DNA Analysis Report
Dear Mr. Carson,
If you have any further questions or would like additional testing, please contact our office directly.
Sincerely,
Great Falls Forensics Laboratory
Dammit.
That blood sample was the only thing I’d found at Molly’s that gave me a clue about the guy who’d tried breaking into her bakery.
I’d thought about that break-in for weeks.
The fact that his DNA wasn’t in the system confused me even more.
If Molly was right and the guy had been carrying a gun, I’d assume he was more of an experienced criminal—meaning he’d likely be in the system.
The fact that he wasn’t suggested he’d only committed petty crimes and misdemeanors.
Maybe he wasn’t an experienced criminal at all. Maybe he’d been hired to target Molly. But who would have it out for her that badly? Molly wasn’t walking the streets making enemies every day, so that theory didn’t make any sense.
Maybe this guy was just some petty thief who’d hurt himself too badly before he could finish the job this time.
But also… What the hell would he want to steal at Molly’s?
Flour? Sugar sacks? I was sure she’d had cash in her register, but it couldn’t have been more than a few hundred dollars.
He would have found more cash breaking into almost any other business in Silver Creek.
None of this shit made sense.
I glanced around the parking lot of the Great Falls Art Gallery. My mom had called last week wanting to meet up and talk. The art gallery was a neutral place we knew my dad wouldn’t be, so we could talk without chaos ensuing this time.
I hopped out of my Jeep, repositioning my ball cap on my head.
The Great Falls Art Gallery was a massive three-story Victorian-style building with rounded glass windows and a rotunda at its center. A project my mom had helped build from the ground up. The designs, the construction, curating the collection—she’d overseen every piece of it from start to finish.
I always made sure to tell her how proud I was of her. It was something she’d never once heard from my dad during their entire marriage.
I pulled open the heavy glass door that led to the main gallery floor. Mom stood behind the reception desk with a phone pressed to her ear, eyes lifting as I walked in.
“I’ve gotta go, Lisa. I’ll call you back,” she said, placing the phone neatly on its dock. “Hi, sweetheart.” She rounded the desk and pulled me into a hug. “How have you been?”
“You know. Taking it day by day.”
“And Molly? The baby?” she asked, smiling.
“They’re great. Both healthy. That’s all I can ask for.”
She nodded. “I’ve been keeping myself busy here since everything happened between you and your dad. He’s still upset, but he’ll get over it eventually. It’s your life, not his. He’ll figure that out sooner or later.”
Wishful thinking, Mom.
“Follow me,” she said, heading toward a small office off the main gallery floor with a sign on the door marked Employees Only. She flipped on the light, revealing several pieces of artwork resting on easels—some finished, others still waiting to be completed.
“I’ve been working on something for the baby’s nursery,” she said. “You can give it to Molly if you think she’d like it.”
She pulled the cloth off one of the easels.
It was a painting of a goose from the neck up, wearing a brown cowboy hat. The background was a smear of blues and greens.
I smiled. “This is cute, Mom. Where’d you get the idea for the goose?”
“When you and your brother were little and did something funny, I used to call you my silly gooses,” she said, smiling.
“I’ve actually been working on a project of my own lately,” I said. “I bought a house.”
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. “You did? That’s amazing, honey. Where at?”
“Silver Creek. It’s an older, run-down place I’ve been fixing up. When it’s finished, I’m signing it over to Molly so she and the baby will always have a place to call home.”
Her eyes immediately filled with tears. “I’m so glad you grew up to be such an amazing man,” she said softly, “despite having the crappiest example of a father.”
“I had one hell of a mom. It evened things out,” I said, trying to cheer her up.
She laughed as she wiped at her eyes. “So what I’m hearing is, you need a few more pieces to fill the place up with.”
“That would be great,” I said. “Because beyond fixing it up, I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to decorating. I spent an hour just trying to pick paint colors.”
She laughed softly. “Why don’t you just ask Molly to help you with things like that? It’s going to be her house anyway.”
“I haven’t told her yet,” I admitted. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Her smile softened. “Are you two getting along okay?”
“We are now. Not at first—but that was on me.” I swallowed. “When she told me she was pregnant, I froze. Told her I couldn’t be a father.”
Her expression shifted instantly. “Please tell me you apologized for that.”
“I did. I have. Now I’m just trying to show her—prove to her—that I’ll be there for her and our son, no matter what.”
She reached for my hand, squeezing it gently. “I love you so much, honey. But girls like Molly don’t need grand gestures.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but she kept going.
“I’m sure she’ll love the house—truly. But actions speak louder than words, Liam. Be present. Be someone she can count on. That’s what builds trust.”
Her eyes held mine. “And if your father taught you anything, I hope it’s that money can’t buy any of that.”
“I’m trying hard, Mom. I promise.”
“Since we’re already talking about relationships,” she said, “I’ve been thinking a lot about your dad and me. I’ve got the paperwork filled out to file for divorce. I just… haven’t filed yet. The second I do, he’ll find out and feel blindsided. I need to be gone before that happens.”
“Where are you going to go?”
“I’ve saved more than enough from this place to leave and get by on my own.
I’m thinking about taking a break from work and traveling for a while.
Seeing all the places I wanted to take you boys, but your dad was always too busy to go.
” She smiled softly. “The Grand Canyon. Maybe New York. I’ve always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty. ”
“I think that’s an amazing step in the right direction, Mom.
” I was proud of her. Even if she didn’t end up filing, getting the paperwork and filling it out was a huge step.
It at least made her think about what her life could be without my dad holding her back.
Maybe she would think about it enough that eventually she’d go file.
“I better get going. I’m on shift tonight. Maybe next time we can grab dinner together and spend more time talking,” I offered.
“I’d love that, honey,” she said, walking me back to the front door. “I’ve already got a couple more ideas for the other pieces I want to paint for the nursery. I’ll bring them by when they’re ready, and you can show me around this new project of yours.”
“Call me if you file and need help moving your stuff. I’d love a good excuse to land another punch on that man’s face.”
She smiled. “You’ll be my first call.”
I made my way back to my Jeep, pulling my phone out of my pocket as notifications continued to ding.
Audio detected in Molly’s Home — Location Unknown
Audio detected in Molly’s Home — Location Unknown
I wanted to respect Molly’s privacy, but I’d never gotten this kind of notification from her alarm system before. Why was it detecting audio but no movement? And why didn’t it list a location? Curiosity got the better of me, and I tapped the notification open.
I lifted the phone to my ear, listening to the audio it had detected. It was Molly. The camera feed showed her empty kitchen, but her voice carried through the recording, distant, coming from somewhere else in the house. Somewhere without cameras, I assumed.
The longer I listened, the more my brain caught up with what I was hearing.
Molly was moaning.
Heat rushed to my cheeks as memory slammed into me—her moan, the same sound I’d heard months ago. Then my face went from hot to scorching when it clicked that she wasn’t just moaning.
She was moaning my name.
“Liam…” Her voice was breathy.
I thought I was imagining it, until she said it again, clearer this time.
Fuck me.
I imagined how she looked right now. Sitting on her knees on her bed, her purple vibrator tucked between her legs as she pleasured herself. I’d sell my soul if it meant I got to take its place.
As hard as it was for me to do, I closed the app, not wanting to invade Molly’s privacy any further. It was my job to protect her, not be some creepy weirdo listening to her pleasure herself through a camera feed.
Even with the audio gone, I could still hear it, over and over again in my head. Was it getting hot in this Jeep with the AC blasting, or was it just me?
I adjusted my now painfully tight pants.
Beyond wanting to pretend I’d never heard Molly at all, I was hyperfixated on one thing in particular—she’d been moaning my name.
I wanted to know why it was my name she’d been calling out, but there was no way I could ask without explaining how I even knew. This was the worst possible position—stuck somewhere between a million questions and no way to get a single answer.
That’s why, later that night, while I was gripping myself in the shower, I called out her name—just like she’d called out mine.