Chapter 9

Noelle's pulse hadn't stopped racing. Until now, she'd assumed the man who'd abducted her had disappeared, and she'd let her mind believe it. The idea her serial killer might still be out there torturing and murdering innocent young women scared the daylights out of her. What if he found her and finished what he'd started fifteen years ago? She swallowed the bile rising in her throat and took three deep breaths. She refused to fall apart.

Determination high to finish what she'd started and find the man who'd destroyed so many lives, she strode to the kitchen and stuffed her fears down tight. "Found one." She stopped in her tracks.

Jonah stared at his computer, his eyes wide.

"Jonah?"

He shook his head as if attempting to dislodge horrible memories. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"Nothing really. Just that I found another flash drive." She held it out to him. "Here."

"I'll make a copy." He transferred copies to the new drive, then ejected it and handed it to her. "They're saved on my laptop as well, so you can keep that."

"Thanks." The man had changed since she left the room. "Is everything all right?"

"Of course." He grinned at her, but it was forced at best. "I've sat in this hard chair too long. I'm going to head to the couch, if you want to join me."

"I'll get us a couple of drinks and grab my laptop. Meet you in there in a minute."

Jonah nodded and proceeded to the living room.

She joined him and opened her computer.

The doorbell chimed.

"Must be Decia and Matt." Noelle checked the peephole, then disarmed her alarm and opened the door. "Come on in."

She ushered the duo into the living room, where Jonah sat on the couch.

Matt leaned against the wall next to the fireplace while she took a seat beside Jonah.

Decia lowered onto the easy chair that faced the coffee table. "I'm assuming you found something."

The silence in the room set Noelle's nerves on edge, but she waited Jonah out. It was his story to tell, not hers. Except for the serial killer.

Jonah blew out a long breath. "We found our proof." He wiped his hands on his thighs. Noelle clasped Jonah's hand to still his movement and add her support.

Decia's brow furrowed. "You have evidence already?"

"Yes," Jonah confirmed.

"Now we're getting somewhere. How many reports are false?" Matt asked.

Noelle's gaze met Jonah's. His silent plea tore at her heart. She could do this for him. "Eighteen over the last three years."

Decia's eyes widened. "Whoa."

"I second that." Matt strode to the kitchen, grabbed a chair, and brought it to the living room. He spun it around backward and straddled it. "So, what did you find?"

Noelle closed her eyes. How much did she tell Decia and Matt?

"Go ahead. You can do it," Jonah whispered.

Her gaze shifted from Matt to Decia. She prayed Jonah was right and no one treated her differently once they knew about her abduction. "I've been looking into multiple cold cases that date back to fifteen years ago. They all have one thing in common: a serial killer."

"How do those relate to Ken?" Matt asked.

"He's not the serial killer, if that's what you're thinking. But…the autopsies that he falsified are victims of the same killer?—or a copycat."

Decia edged forward on the chair. "I know you, Noelle, and for you to make that statement you must have solid proof."

"We do." Jonah jumped in, giving her time to gather herself. "Ken left a file for each young woman with selected photos, for lack of better words, and preliminary observations. However, he made notes at the bottom to help me unravel his mess. In addition to that, he had a couple of folders on the drive. One is of the cuts on the bodies, which weren't shown in the report images. The same cuts the cold-case serial killer made on his victims."

"They match the documents I have in my office for all the cases," Noelle said.

Matt scratched his jaw. "This is definitely unusual. I'd like the flash drive Ken gave you and copies of the reports you have on the serial killer."

"Not a problem. We planned on giving the drive to you." She held the USB stick out to Matt, and he took it. "And I can email you the reports on the cold cases." She'd give them the evidence, but could she include her story?

Decia pursed her lips. "Is there anything else we should know?"

Now was the time to come clean about the past. Jonah had said it wouldn't matter, but what if it did?

"Go ahead. They're your friends." Jonah kept his voice low.

She knew Matt and Decia had heard him. How could they not in the small room? Noelle tugged on her sleeves. "There's…um…more to the story about the serial killer."

The two detectives—her friends—waited for her to continue.

God, I could really use a bit of Your courage right now.

"Fifteen years ago, this particular serial killer abducted his first victim. At least, that's what the police concluded." She clenched her shaking hands and took a deep breath. "The killer snatched young women and tortured them until he finally decided to kill them."

Matt leaned forward. "Did the detectives figure out his motive?"

"Not exactly. But the man seemed obsessed with women who had blonde hair, blue eyes, and were around my height. He didn't like these women for whatever reason. Most likely a surrogate for whoever he was really angry with."

Matt's gaze never wavered as he digested her words. "Why work on these cases? And how do you have so much information about the killer?"

Jonah slipped his fingers into hers and held tight.

"Because…" She swallowed the bile creeping up her throat. "I was his first victim and have the scars to prove it."

When neither detective responded, Jonah jumped in. "Obviously, she escaped, but not before she paid a high price."

"How long have you known?" Matt asked Jonah.

"Noelle just told me about her connection. But ever since last summer, I've helped her toss around ideas and talk through the cases—never knowing that one of them was hers until yesterday."

Decia tilted her head and focused on Noelle. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I felt like an idiot, and the scars aren't pretty. In fact, they're disgusting." She shrugged. "No one around here knows. Lizzie, my parents, and my therapist know the basics. Only the detectives investigating the crime know all the details. Jonah's the first person I've ever told."

Matt blinked and shook his head. "How you kept it a secret this long, I'll never know. But it explains a lot. Your apparent unease at night. The long-sleeve shirts. The intense security system."

"I became good at hiding my damaged skin. And you're right. I hate walking outside alone after dark. I might have overcome the paranoia, but the fear lingers." She looked at Decia. Her friend. Her confidant on so many things. "Dish, are we good?"

The hurt in her friend's eyes made her want to cry. "I wish you would've told me."

"I know. And I'm so sorry." Noelle lowered her chin.

"Noelle."

She lifted her gaze.

Her friend stood, stepped in front of her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No need to apologize. I'm just happy you confided in us."

Noelle nodded.

"You look like you could use some time to process telling us. Matt and I will leave you two alone. We'll be in touch once we've examined the files. Let us know if you discover anything else."

Jonah stood and escorted the pair to the door. "That's a promise. We haven't opened the last folder yet, but once we do, you'll be our first call with any information."

Noelle couldn't move as Jonah said goodbye to their friends. Her secret was out, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. Decia and Matt hadn't looked down on her or made fun of her in any way. So that gave her hope.

"Are you doing okay?" Jonah slipped beside her onto the couch and laced his fingers with hers.

"I think so. It's just weird that people know." She stared at their joined hands. "I'll admit, though, a weight has lifted."

"Good. I'm glad. What would you like to do now? Dig into that last file or take a break?"

She considered his question. The sad expression on his face from earlier nagged at her. "I want to continue with Ken's documents, but before that, I'd like to know what you saw that caused such a heart-wrenching reaction."

Jonah's face lost all color.

"Jonah? Talk to me."

He closed his eyes, and his Adam's apple bobbed. "I'm responsible for my wife's death."

* * *

The sun seeped through the side windows that framed the front door. Jonah's heart rate increased and his knee jiggled. After encouraging Noelle to share the past she'd hidden from her friends, he knew he'd have to fess up about the role he'd played in Cara's death. But man, he didn't want to admit his failure as a husband and a doctor, along with the guilt that continued to eat at him.

Noelle rested her other hand on top of their joined ones. "Jonah, it's okay if you don't want to tell me. Forget I asked."

"No. It's fine." Not really, but fair was fair. "One night, when I was running late at the hospital, Cara came to drag me away. Her words, not mine. We'd planned a date night, and I completely forgot about it. She showed up at the hospital in a dress and heels. The second I saw her, I knew what I'd done."

"Was she mad?" Noelle shifted without losing contact and settled deeper into the cushions.

"Believe it or not, no. Sad. Maybe even a little hurt. But no, she never got mad when it came to my work. Being married to a doctor is hard. An ER doctor is even worse. The hours we work and the things we see…" His mind drifted to the horrors that he'd witnessed over the years. Gunshot wounds, domestic violence, household accidents, car accidents.

"I can't imagine what it was like for either of you."

He blinked away the images. "Cara deserves all the praise. She stuck by my side through it all and never truly complained." He ran a hand through his hair. "But that night, instead of calling, she came to see me. My shift had ended a couple hours before she arrived, so as soon as I reassigned the patients, I left work."

"Did she wait for you?"

He nodded. "We talked and decided to go home and have dinner delivered. I apologized for missing our date and promised her a quiet evening together." He remembered the night like it'd happened yesterday. "I followed her home in my car. On the way, a truck crossed the yellow line and slammed into Cara."

"Oh, Jonah." Noelle's eyes widened. "You witnessed the whole thing?"

"Yes. The sickening crunch of the collision will be with me for a lifetime." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I rushed to her vehicle and pried the door open. The front end of the car had crumpled in on her legs, and a jagged piece of metal had sliced into her upper thigh, severing her femoral artery."

Noelle whimpered. With her law enforcement experience, Jonah presumed she knew the outcome of that particular injury.

"There I was, one of the best trauma doctors in the region, and I could do little to help my own wife. I put my phone on speaker and called 911. Blood poured from Cara. My training kicked in, and I fought to pinch off the artery to stop the flow. It took me too long to get my fingers inside the puncture. Her life literally drained from her before my eyes."

"I'm so sorry, Jonah." Tears trailed down Noelle's cheeks. "But you have to know it's not your fault."

A sad smile tugged at his lips. "My head, yes. My heart, not so much. The worst thing about that night… Right before Cara died, she regained consciousness for a moment. Long enough to whisper I love you. Then she was gone. I failed her. More than anything, I feel guilty for not being the man she needed. Both as a husband and as the doctor she desperately needed in that moment. I wish I could go back and spend time with her. Go on dates. Take her to see the Northern Lights like she dreamed of. Love her like she deserved to be loved."

Noelle wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. "You miss her, don't you?"

"I do. But I said my goodbye a few years ago. It's the guilt that hurts. That stays with me." He closed his eyes and let the warmth of her embrace chase away the lingering memories.

A little while later, she eased back, her own tears drying on her face. "Thank you for telling me."

He shrugged. "You're easy to talk to."

A genuine smile curved on her lips. "Back at ya."

He drew in a breath. "Would you be opposed to putting aside our investigation into Ken's wrongdoings and relaxing?" Jonah had hit his limit. The need to mentally regroup hung on him like a weighted blanket.

"Gladly. Dinner and a movie?"

"Perfect."

Her phone dinged with an incoming text. She tapped in a response. "That was Alana. She's on protection duty tonight and will be outside if we need her."

And just like that, the events of the past two days came tumbling back. Someone had painted a target on him.

Would he survive long enough to get to the bottom of the serial killer case and help Noelle break free from her past? Or would he fail another woman in his life?