Torched: A Thriller by Daniel Powell Read Free Book Online Page B

talked about starting over—about trying to start
another family—but Vivian couldn’t deal with Katie’s loss.
    “Katie had been a
once-in-a-lifetime kid, you see? Every parent says that, but for Vivian it was
true. She loved her little girl so much that, when she lost her, she
lost everything. Everything , Mike.
    “The career went, then
the marriage, then the house. Then…”
    The silence hung in the
air, sharp as the blade of a guillotine. This was it—the place in the narrative
of Vivian’s past that would cleave her from the grief and deliver her into a
new identity. She had to confess it.
    Miguel squeezed her
hand.
    “Then Vivian did a
terrible thing. She had some money, and she used it to find the person that had
killed her daughter. Instead of going to the police, she…well, Vivian took
matters into her own hands. She did things that made her sick to her stomach,
Mike. She…she hurt a lot of people. She…” Vivian looked away.
    “It’s okay, Vivian. What
happened, honey? It’s okay to tell me. I won’t judge you.”
    Vivian turned in her
chair, her wide eyes locked on his. “I murdered the man that killed my
daughter.”
    Miguel nodded, a pained
smile on his face. He never released her hand, even as he tried to process her
words. This woman that now shared his house was a killer. “What happened,
Vivian?”
    She explained all that
had transpired in Colorado. By the time she was finished, Miguel’s expression
was one of sincere awe. He had a little smile on his face. Wow , it said, you are some kind of woman .
    “You didn’t murder him, Vi. You just…Jesus, you just didn’t , okay? You need to understand
that. You gave that man a chance. Much more of a chance than he gave your
daughter. Look, I am so sorry about losing Katie. I wish that I could do
something to bring her back to you, Vivian. But you need to let it go if you
feel bad about this Sheldon James character. I think…I think you did a
remarkable thing, honey, and I don’t think you should feel guilty about it.”
    Vivian studied him
through a veil of tears. “I wanted to tell you, Mike, but I couldn’t. I feel so
bad about what I put those kids through—what I put Terri through! I…I don’t
think I deserve forgiveness for what I did, but that’s what those documents
feel like to me. Can you see that? They feel like forgiveness, and I’m scared
to accept them because that means things might actually be different. And I
don’t think I deserve different. Certainly not now, now that I think back on
everything I did, and maybe not ever.”
    Miguel stood. He pulled
her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her, then sat back down with her on
his lap. She sobbed against his chest, such a petite figure, and he held her
tight and stroked her hair.
    “I’m sorry,” he whispered,
repeating it over and over again. “I’m so sorry for everything, Vivian, but you
don’t deserve all of this unhappiness.”
    He put the envelope in
his pocket and placed her hand on it.
    “I’ll hold onto these,
Vi. When you’re ready, I’ll have them for you.”
    She nodded, her cheeks
streaked with tears, and they stayed that way, folded into each other, until
fatigue took them inside and pushed them down into sleep.

TWELVE
    Chaco knew his
way around Cerritos. He and Terri climbed out of the truck in the center of
town, on the outskirts of a little park, and he pointed down a well-lighted
street. “Come on. Let’s see if there’s any room at the inn.”
    She practically
clung to him. They passed a few bars and cantinas, the sound of billiards
clacking and muted Mexican pop music coming from a couple of open doors. She
couldn’t resist the urge to search for El Principe, already wondering what
would happen if she somehow ran into Vivian on the streets before she had a
chance to put things in motion.
    But she didn’t
see Vivian, or Miguel, and everyone was a stranger to her. Mexico was so unlike
anyplace she’d ever visited before and, while