CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

"CCSD!" Sheila called out as she and Finn reached the cabin. "Dr. Reeves, show yourself!"

Backup was already here. A local patrol had shown up first, but he'd followed orders and kept back, waiting for Sheila and Finn arrived. Now he stood outside his patrol car, hands on his hips.

"Keep an eye on the road!" Finn shouted to him as he and Sheila approached the cabin. "Make sure no one leaves!"

Sheila and Finn reached the cabin and paused. "This is your last warning!" she shouted. "Come on out!"

There was no answer. The two deputies exchanged a nod, and then Finn kicked the door open. They entered, guns drawn, ready for anything.

But the cabin was empty. Signs of a struggle were evident: an overturned chair, ropes discarded on the floor.

"We're too late," Finn muttered, holstering his weapon.

Sheila was about to respond when a distant sound caught her attention. "Wait, did you hear that?"

They rushed outside, straining their ears. There it was again: a faint shout carried on the wind.

"This way," Sheila said, plunging into the forest with Finn close behind.

Sheila moved as quickly as she dared through the dark woods, guided only by her flashlight and the intermittent sounds. Branches whipped at her face, and roots threatened to trip her at every step.

Suddenly, the trees thinned, and she found herself at the edge of a road. In the distance, Sheila could make out two figures illuminated by a car's headlights.

"There!" she said.

As they sprinted toward the scene, Sheila saw a man—Dr. Reeves, she presumed—lunge at a long-haired figure, presumably Megan. Without breaking stride, Sheila raised her gun.

"Drop the weapon!" she shouted, her voice ringing out in the night. "Police! Dr. Reeves, put your hands where I can see them!"

Reeves whirled around, surprise evident on his face. But it quickly morphed into an eerily calm smile. "Ah, the police. I should have known you'd find us eventually. You're just in time to witness the cleansing."

"The only thing you'll be witnessing is the inside of a jail cell," Sheila said, her gun trained on Reeves. "Now drop the weapon and step away from Ms. Philips."

"Do it!" Finn said.

For a moment, it seemed like Reeves might comply. He lowered the candlestick slightly, his eyes darting between Sheila and his captive. Then, with startling speed, he lunged at Megan.

Sheila fired, but Reeves was faster than she'd anticipated. The bullet grazed his arm, but it didn't stop him. He grabbed Megan, pulling her close and holding the candlestick across her throat with both hands.

"Drop your weapons," he said, his voice unnervingly calm. "Or I'll crush Miss Megan's larynx."

Sheila's mouth went dry. She couldn't risk Megan's life, but if she gave up her gun...

"Okay," she said slowly, crouching to place her gun on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Finn whispered.

"We have no choice," she whispered back. Then she turned her attention to Dr. Reeves again. "Let's talk about this, Dr. Reeves. You don't want to hurt Megan. That's not who you are."

Reeves laughed, a chilling sound. "You have no idea who I am, Deputy. I am an instrument of cosmic justice. The stars themselves guide my hand!"

"The stars didn't guide your hand when you killed Laura, or Sophie, or Rachel, or Emily," Sheila said, straightening up slowly. "That was all you, Calvin. You made those choices."

A flicker of uncertainty crossed Reeves' face. "No, you don't understand. They rejected the truth. They had to be cleansed."

"Cleansed?" Sheila took a cautious step forward. "Or punished? They rejected you, didn't they? Just like your wife did." It was a shot in the dark, but perhaps it would land.

Reeves' grip on Megan tightened, causing her to whimper. "Helen didn't reject me. She was taken. The lightning...it was a sign."

"A sign of what?" Sheila pressed, taking another small step. "That you should become a killer? That you should destroy lives instead of helping people like you used to?"

"I am helping people!" Reeves shouted, his calm facade cracking. "I'm saving their souls!"

"You're not saving anyone, Calvin," Sheila said softly. "You're just a man who couldn't handle loss. Who couldn't accept that sometimes, terrible things happen for no reason."

Reeves shook his head violently. "No, no, you're wrong. The cosmic plan…the divine justice..."

While Reeves was distracted, Megan suddenly drove her elbow back into his stomach. He doubled over, loosening his grip. Megan tore free, running toward Sheila.

Reeves recovered quickly, rage contorting his features. He raised the candlestick, charging at them both.

Sheila pushed Megan behind her, dropping into a defensive stance. As Reeves swung the candlestick, she ducked under his arm, driving her fist into his solar plexus. Reeves stumbled back, gasping for air.

But he wasn't done. With a roar of fury, he attacked again. Reeves swung the candlestick in a wide arc, the metal glinting in the car's headlights. Sheila ducked, feeling the rush of air as the makeshift weapon passed inches from her head. She spun, using her momentum to drive an elbow into Reeves' ribs.

He grunted but didn't slow down. His free hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of Sheila's jacket. She twisted, breaking his grip, and countered with a quick jab to his solar plexus. Reeves stumbled back, wheezing, but his eyes blazed with manic intensity.

Sheila bounced on the balls of her feet, fists raised, ready for his next move. Reeves feinted left, then lunged right, the candlestick whistling through the air. Sheila sidestepped, but not quite fast enough. The edge of the candlestick caught her shoulder, sending a jolt of pain down her arm.

She gritted her teeth, refusing to let the pain slow her down. As Reeves pulled back for another swing, Sheila saw an opening. She stepped in close, inside his guard, and drove her knee up into his midsection. Reeves doubled over, but as Sheila tried to back away, he wrapped his arms around her waist, tackling her to the ground.

They hit the asphalt hard, the impact knocking the wind out of Sheila. Reeves was on top of her, his weight pinning her down. The candlestick lay forgotten nearby as he wrapped his hands around her throat. Sheila clawed at his fingers, gasping for air. Her vision began to darken at the edges.

With a surge of desperate strength, Sheila bucked her hips, destabilizing Reeves' position. She managed to get one leg free and hooked it around his torso. Using the leverage, she rolled them over, reversing their positions.

Now on top, Sheila rained down blows, her fists connecting with Reeves' face and chest. But he seemed to feel no pain, his hands still reaching for her, eyes wild with rage and madness. It was almost like he wanted this—he wanted to be punished.

Disgusted, Sheila pushed off him and stood. Reeves scrambled to his feet, coughing, but before he could lunge at Sheila again, a shot rang out. Sheila turned to see Finn, his gun still pointed at the sky.

"It's over, Reeves," Finn said. "On the ground, now."

Reeves looked from Finn to Sheila, then to Megan. For a moment, Sheila thought he might try to run. But then, like a puppet with its strings cut, he collapsed to his knees.

"I was so close," he mumbled. "So close to completing the cleansing..."

As Finn moved in to handcuff Reeves, Sheila went to check on Megan. The young woman was shaking, tears streaming down her face.

"It's okay," Sheila said softly, putting an arm around her. "You're safe now. It's over."

In the distance, Sheila could hear sirens approaching. Backup was on its way. As she watched Finn lead Reeves to their car, a wave of relief washed over her. They had done it. They had caught the Coldwater Confessor.

But as she looked at Megan, still trembling beside her, Sheila knew the effects of Reeves' actions would linger long after he was behind bars. The healing process for Coldwater was just beginning.

And Sheila vowed to herself that she would be there every step of the way, helping her town recover from the nightmare it had endured. Because that's what she did. That's who she was.

A protector. A seeker of justice. A guardian of Coldwater.

And as the emergency vehicles, Sheila knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, she was ready to face them. For herself, for the victims, and for the town she had sworn to protect.