Chapter 51 Louise
LOUISE
Iawoke in the trees. That’s what it felt like, anyway. Like I was floating in the sky, secure in Ryder’s arms.
Beyond the glass dome above us, a thousand pinpricks of starlight faded into the early hues of dawn. The sky was a tapestry of indigo and violet, brushed with the faintest strokes of peach and gold. Wisps of clouds drifted among the color.
The trees beyond the glass were frosted in white. It was like waking in a snow globe.
I took a slow, deep breath. The scent of fresh pine from the lumber, cool winter air, and something that was purely Ryder—clean, masculine, grounding—wrapped around me like a blanket. God, I loved the way he smelled. Like woodsmoke and quiet strength.
“What time is it?” I whispered into his chest, not really wanting to know.
“I’d say six.” His hand slipped up my back, palm warm and steady as it curved protectively over my shoulder.
I wrapped my arms around his waist, tucking myself tighter against him. He kissed the top of my head, slow and deliberate, as if branding the moment into memory.
For a while, we just lay there—silent and still—watching the sky change colors above us. The soft rustle of blankets, the rhythm of his heartbeat against my ear, the quiet creak of timber around us—it was the most peace I’d felt in years.
But I knew this moment wouldn’t last.
What would this day bring? I wondered. The roads would be clear now. I could leave. I was supposed to leave.
Every part of me ached at the thought.
Does he want me to go? Will I ever see Ryder again?
The questions lodged like splinters in my chest.
“Ready for a jog?”
My worry faded into a smile. “Shockingly—yes.”
“That’s my girl.”
My girl.
After dressing, we crept downstairs, my hand in his.
As we passed a mirror in the living room, I realized I had a ridiculous lopsided grin plastered on my face.
I was still glowing from the night before.
Ryder must have caught it, because grinning too, he halted, pulled me back into his arms, and kissed me again.
Whatever I was feeling at that moment, I knew it was love. I knew it in my heart, my soul.
We tiptoed into the master bedroom where Margie was still passed out cold, her messy hair fanned out over the pillow, a puddle of drool under her mouth.
“I’m burning those sheets,” Ryder muttered, and I stifled a laugh.
We stepped into the closet and quickly changed—though not without a few lingering kisses, teasing grabs, and playful nips that had us grinning like fools. By the time we made it outside, I was already breathless—and we hadn’t even started jogging.
The cold morning air hit my cheeks, sharp and invigorating, the kind of chill that cleared your head and sparked every cell to life. The snow still clung to the trees like powdered sugar, and a pale gold light was just beginning to creep over the horizon.
We started at a brisk pace, our breath misting between us as our shoes crunched along the snowy path.
In our usual rhythm, the first stretch was quiet, a warm-up not just for our bodies but our minds.
But today, the silence between us wasn’t heavy.
It buzzed with something electric. Joy. Connection.
Something that felt dangerously close to love.
Every so often, Ryder would glance over at me, like he couldn’t help himself. And when I looked back, we’d both smile—quiet, giddy smiles that made my chest feel like it might burst.
We didn’t need words. Just the steady cadence of our feet, the occasional brush of our arms, the way our eyes kept finding each other in that soft dawn light. Like we were discovering something precious neither of us expected to find.
I caught him watching me more than once and every time, I felt that same flush of heat rise inside me. He’d quickly look away, pretending to study a bend in the trail or a cluster of frost-covered trees, but the corners of his mouth would curve up like he was just as smitten as I was.
When we passed the gravestone honoring his unborn baby, he didn’t look over. He kept his focus ahead, jaw set, hand brushing mine. It was subtle, but I felt the shift. He was choosing to be here, now—with me.
I didn’t want it to end. Honestly, I could’ve jogged through those woods beside Ryder, stealing glances and trading smiles, for the rest of my life.
But forty-five minutes later, the trail curved around, and the house came into view through the trees.
To our surprise, everyone was still sleeping.
“What should we do?” I asked.
“Let them sleep. I’ve got to go into town for a bit. I’m assuming you can entertain?” He winked.
“In town? Where are you going?”
“To find out what I can about that pendant.”
“I thought you were going to drop it.”
“I am—the boot print, my past. But I know you’re not going to drop Kara’s case, and I’m not letting you go it alone.”
“I want to go.”
He looked toward the master suite, considering, and then he shrugged. “I guess there’s nothing here they can steal. I’ve got my guns and computer locked in the safe.”
“What about your secret room and all that money?”
“I added three locks the day you found it.”
I laughed. “Of course you did.”
“Get dressed. I’ll get the coffee.”
We turned onto Main Street a few minutes before eight thirty.
The roads were still streaked with fingers of ice but would clear by midmorning.
The ghost town was crawling with activity, the citizens of Berry Springs eager to shovel their way out of the snow and back into civilization. Donny’s Diner had a line out the door.
Still, not a word was said about the fact that I had planned to leave his house that day.
I’d left a note for the crew on the kitchen island, next to the coffee condiments and a bottle of ibuprofen, telling them to help themselves before setting out, and to give me a call when they arrived back in Ponco safely.
We pulled up to a long gray windowless brick building. A small weathered wooden sign read carroll county medical examiner. A rundown black Tahoe with a Rosie the Riveter sticker on the back was parked to the right of the sign.
Ryder pulled the keys from the ignition. “Ready?”
“To hang out with a bunch of dead people at eight in the morning? You bet.”
“You can go kick the cook’s ass at Donny’s, if you’d rather.”
I thoughtfully tilted my head. “Tempting, but no. I’m coming with you, Detective Magoo.”
After Ryder opened my door—a new habit that I could easily get used to—we crossed the asphalt. The front door was locked, so we rang the doorbell, but there was no answer.
“Just a frickin’ minute!” a gruff, husky female voice called out from the speaker when we rang again.
Yikes.
Two minutes later, the door flung open. I recognized her from the night I found Kara’s body. Jessica Heathrow was a short, stocky woman with flaming red curls and tattoos peeking out from beneath her lab coat.
She looked at me, then at Ryder. Recognition flickered, and those green eyes rounded. “No. Way. Ryder Jagger. Holy shit.”
“Good to see you too, Jess.”
By the use of a nickname, I assumed the two were friendly.
Jessica opened the door wide, giving Ryder the once-over. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, prison did you well.”
I smirked.
“Jess, this is Louise Sloane. Lou, this is Jessica Heathrow, the county medical examiner, and the only woman this side of the Mississippi to beat me at arm wrestling.”
Jessica laughed. “To be fair, he’d had a pint of moonshine and had two women on his lap.”
Ryder grinned.
“Dammit, man, it’s good to see you.” She slapped him on the back. “Welcome back to civilization. How does it feel?”
“Quiet.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “Good. You deserve quiet.” Her gaze flickered to me. “What can I help y’all with?”
“Chief McCord was supposed to drop off a pendant from a necklace yesterday to be scanned for prints or DNA. Did he?”
She thought for a moment. “Ah, yes. Yep, sure did.”
“Have you found anything yet?”
“I’m busy with a heroin overdose at the moment, which may or may not have been a homicide. And besides, you know I’m not at liberty to share what I find with you, regardless.”
Ryder pulled a stack of cash from his pocket.
She raised a brow. “Are you bribing me, Mr. Jagger?”
“Consider it a friend helping another friend with that new house payment you’ve got.”
Her other brow lifted. A moment passed as they stared at each other.
Ryder rolled his eyes and pulled another stack from his other pocket.
Jessica smiled and dipped her chin. “Knew you had it in ya.” She grabbed the stacks and stuffed them in her lab coat.
“Now that that’s out of the way,” Ryder said, “I’d like you to look at the pendant as soon as possible.”
“Well, McCord told me no rush, so… I hadn’t planned on rushing.” Not one to miss much, Jessica tilted her head to the side. “What’s going on? What didn’t he tell me? Does this have to do with Kara Meyers?”
“It has to do with more than that. I think the pendant might link to the String Strangler.”
“What?”
Ryder nodded.
A darkness clouded Jessica’s face. “You know, I’ve done the autopsies of three of his victims. The first three before the FBI got involved.
It’s every woman’s worst nightmare. The women were alive during the rapes and beatings.
Noses broken, cheekbones shattered. He’d focus on their faces.
He has a disdain for women, no doubt about it.
Probably wronged in the past, or a messy divorce under his belt.
Maybe a few. After he’s had his fun, he strangles them to death.
” She shook her head. “Honest? I’ve lost a few nights’ sleep over the Strangler. ”
“We think Maci might have been the first one.”
Jessica’s mouth dropped open. She blinked, connecting the dots. “Your fiancé? How? Why do you think this?”
“Maci was raped and strangled to death with a thin ligature—”
“I know. I did her autopsy.”
Ryder nodded. “The pendant you have back there is the one that I gave to her. She wore it everyday and it wasn’t on her body when she was found. Somehow, it ended up at Hollow Hill, where it’s presumed Kara visited before she was murdered. Both women were killed in the same manner.”
“That can’t be a coincidence. No, McCord definitely didn’t tell me this.” Pity washed over Jessica’s face as she looked at Ryder. “Over a decade, and it’s all getting resurfaced again. I’m so sorry, Ryder.”
“Me too. Can you get to it today?”
Jessica blew out a breath. “I’m going to be honest with you. I haven’t even looked at it yet.” She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. Then, “come on back.”