Chapter 25

Forrest – Sunday afternoon

The slashon Forrest's arm was deep enough for stitches. Lani paced around the exam room, alternating between muttering about her idiot brother during one round and stopping to wrap her arms around him and squeeze all the oxygen out of his lungs on the next.

"I'm fine," Forrest repeated himself for the fourth or fifth time. "It's just a few stitches. I wasn't shot." He raised his eyebrows meaningfully. "Now you know how I feel when you're out doing your job."

"I know, I know. I do. I just?—"

She stopped her rant to pull her phone out of her pocket and glance at the screen. "Chief's back. Dina's here. Shall we?"

"Are you sure I can come along?" He didn't really want to. Never seeing Dina Paulson again was fine with him, but he'd never make Lani go on her own. She might act tough, but he was still her protector.

"Yeah. Forrest, Dear says she's very ill. If we want to talk to her, best to do it now. Either they are going to give her something for the pain soon or they already did. Either way, we only have a small window of time."

Forrest took a deep breath. "Lead the way, Pine Cone."

* * *

Forrest stareddown at the wizened form that was left of Dina Paulson. Whereas Dale Lockwood seemed to have become bigger and stronger living in The Deep, Dina had withered away to almost nothing. She barely resembled the pictures he'd seen of her when she'd been a young woman. Now he knew what it was like to face one's own nightmare. It was freeing in a way, but also not.

He wished Nero could be in the room with them, which, considering his opinion of Nero at the beginning of the week, was beyond ironic. Nero would've had an interesting take on what Dina had to say. Unfortunately, doctors were only allowing Forrest and Lani because they were family and Chief Dear was there in a professional capacity.

"Ten minutes," the nurse informed them.

Ten minutes was about nine minutes too long, Forrest thought grimly. But he nodded his agreement. He could always leave the room, he didn't have to stay.

While they'd waited for the ambulance to arrive and carry Forrest off to the hospital in Aberdeen, Lani had called the county coroner to come and collect Lockwood's body. She'd also connected with the county sheriff's office. "We cover for each other on occasion," she'd explained to Nero. They were going to put up crime scene tape, take Burgess's weapon into evidence, and take down his statement.

In the meantime, Chief Dear and Mags had carried Dina down the mountain in a litter. She was tiny and too ill to walk on her own but apparently, she'd had enough energy to rant and rave until they'd reached a place from where they could call for assistance. Rufus was now leading Critter to the original encampment site, but the two men planned to be back before nightfall. Magnus and Wanda were impatiently waiting back at the pub.

Now, Forrest stood next to Lani and stared into a pair of faded blue eyes filled with a depth of malevolence he could not begin to fathom. Dina was partially propped up in the bed, her body almost buried under the sheets and blankets. Regardless of her age and the illness ravaging her body, Forrest barely managed to stop himself from grabbing Lani and taking a step back from the hospital bed. Ill or not, their mother still exuded pure evil.

"So, my children are alive," Dina whispered, glancing back and forth between them.

Forrest shuddered at the words. When he got home later, he was wrapping his arm in a plastic bag and taking as hot a shower as he could stand.

"I thought the forest took you long ago. It kept asking for you. It should have had you like it wanted. Witt"—she sneered speaking his name—"kept getting in the way, saving you. You made me sick, you made me like this." Dina slowly moved her skeletal hand to point at Lani and then Forrest.

"I knew you were behind this when the grass bracelet showed up at… at the home of someone special to me," Forrest said. "You had Lockwood leave it at the cabin as a warning, didn't you?"

Nero had been in grave danger and hadn't even known it. Forrest clenched his fists and winced when the slice in his arm protested.

"Dale followed him. He was worried that whoever had found the man's body might have seen him. It was a curse of sorts. Didn't work." The last two words were spoken with venomous fury.

There was no response to a madness like Dina's. Forrest could only shake his head. This person may have given birth to them, but she had never been a parent. And now, undiagnosed mental illness and decades in The Deep had robbed her of any sort of humanity she may have once had.

"I feel sorry for you," Forrest said. And started slightly when he realized that he meant what he'd said. "Lani and I, we've done pretty well for ourselves, we've succeeded in spite of you. Grandpa Cooper took care of us, gave us a home. Lani's a kickass police officer and I have a farm. You allowed yourself to marinate in loathing and hate." He paused a moment before asking his next question. "Why did you kill those girls?"

Forrest knew Dina had killed the girls, even if she hadn't done it with her own hands. They all knew.

"I didn't kill them. They were meant to die. The forest wanted it that way. Dale brought them to the forest and me, and their sacrifice gave us many happy years."

Forrest stomach turned and he looked over at Dear. Dear nodded, holding up a handheld voice recorder. He also showed Forrest a handwritten note.

Ask about Blair Cruz.

"And recent… sacrifices? Were there any of those?" Forrest asked. "A girl went missing a few months ago."

"I am ill. There's only one way to cure an illness such as this. But I needed more. She wasn't enough."

Forrest's stomach sank. Investigators would likely find Blair's remains somewhere around the newer campsite. Levi was going to be devastated. And even though it had been Lockwood who'd killed her, Forrest felt he was somehow responsible too.

"What about Witt? Why?"

"Witt didn't believe," she said, sneering at them. "He couldn't do what had to be done—not like Dale did. Witt didn't understand the need. He had to go."

The door to the room opened. "Your ten minutes are up," the nurse informed them.

"That's fine. She has nothing to say that we want to hear." He stepped away from the bed, what do you say to a murderer he wondered? Forrest turned back. "Hell is too good a place for you."

A raspy, mocking laughter followed the three of them out of the hospital room. Forrest shivered.

"We should let the fire department burn the house down." Forrest said. "It needs to go."

"Yes," Lani replied.

* * *

Nero was waitingin the small sitting area at the end of the hall. He stood up as they approached. It was too soon, but Forrest knew he didn't want Nero to leave town. If he did leave, he wanted Nero to come back.

"I'm ready to go home," Forrest said. "Can I grab a ride?"

A small smiled played across Nero's lips. "I'd be happy to take you home. Do you mind if I stop and pick up some fresh clothes?"

"If you insist," Forrest replied, grabbing Nero's hand and practically dragging him down the hall.

"See you later!" Lani's voice floated after them.

"Shouldn't we make sure she gets home okay?" Nero asked as they headed toward the exit.

Forrest smirked. "Nah, she's got a ride waiting. Toby Prosser's hanging around, the EMT who responded to the truck accident."

"Toby the Tool?" Nero said slowly.

"The one and only. He's turned out to be good guy. Unfortunately, he pissed her off in high school and she still hasn't forgotten. I think she's about ready to. She wasn't nearly as mean to him as usual."

"That sounds suspiciously familiar."

"Trust me. Compared to Lani, I'm the easygoing one."