LET ME BREATHE, page 24
Standing, Ashley walked into the middle of the aisle.
“Royce Moore!” she shouted, just to make the man aware that she knew his name. “You might as well come out. My name is Ashley Hope and I’m a special agent with the TBI. In just a few minutes, the Sparks County Sheriff’s department will have this entire place surrounded. We already have your blue sedan. There’s no way for you to escape. If you surrender now—if you’ll cooperate—I’ll make sure that you get the very best deal available.”
And Ashley hoped his best deal would be life in prison without the possibility of parole.
She paused and waited.
The humming of machinery was the only sound filling the cavernous room.
It was clear that Moore planned to do things the hard way. She’d have to hunt him down. There was only one problem. He still had the quazodine.
If Moore managed to sneak up on her, Ashley’s Glock might prove worthless as protection.
Scanning the catwalks rising around her, Ashley moved down the aisle. Where had Moore gone? Had he continued forward, farther into the original section of the plant? Or had he doubled back, fleeing through the area of new construction?
She wondered what time it was. How long had it been since she’d called Foster for help? It seemed like an eternity. And she had yet to hear a police siren.
“Moore,” she called out again. “Talk to me. I can help you.”
Still silence.
Ashley strode between two rows of tanks that resembled huge pressure cookers. She decided to take a different approach.
“I’m sorry about what happened to Judith.”
A soft gasp echoed through the network of stainless-steel piping.
Ashley froze. Trying to determine from which direction the sigh had originated. She veered to the right.
The mention of his aunt’s name had obviously struck a chord with Moore.
“Judith didn’t deserve to get sick. She should have never died. I understand the reason you felt you needed to kill Hannah, Trina, and Daphne. And the reason you attacked Gwen. You want to keep the people in Sparks County safe. You don’t want them to suffer the way Judith did.”
She heard the squeak of metal. Like weight shifting on one of the catwalks.
Ashley’s attention jerked upward. She spotted a flash of movement on the platform to her right. On the second tier. She flew to the nearest staircase and raced up the steps. She could no longer see Moore, but she knew that he was somewhere on the level above her.
Rounding a corner, she mounted a second staircase. When she reached the platform at the top, she glanced down. A rush of vertigo hit her. She hadn’t realized how high she’d climbed. At least thirty feet stood between Ashley and the ground. And there was another level on top of this one.
Her eyes swept the building. Although shadows draped the catwalks, she had a decent view of all the platforms on that level. Moore had vanished.
Ashley glanced upward, toward the third level as she edged along the narrow metal walkway.
“Tell me about Judith,” she shouted, trying to engage Moore.
The tactic wasn’t just designed to pinpoint his location. Ashley wanted to build a rapport with the man. Maybe she could talk him into surrendering.
As she neared the next staircase, Ashley heard a noise above and behind her. She craned her neck. It was Moore. And he was staring straight at her.
Goosebumps broke out on her skin. Even from this distance, she could feel a current of evil.
“Let me come up there and talk to you,” she said. “I want you to tell me what it was like growing up with Judith. Tell me about the happy times you had.”
Moore didn’t speak. He didn’t move.
Ashley eased toward the stairs. She placed her foot on the bottom step.
“Wait,” Moore called out.
“Okay. I’ll stay right here until you tell me that you’re ready.”
At least he was talking to her. Could she convince him to cooperate?
“I done what I know was right,” he said. “Judith and me, we had a pact. I made her a promise.”
“I understand.”
Ashley realized that in his warped mind, Moore thought that he was doing the people of Sparks County a service. That didn’t mean that she condoned it.
“You sure?” he asked, his voice thin like it was about to break.
“Yes. I know that you wanted to keep your promise to Judith.”
Moore stood silent for a moment as though he was thinking things over. Likely wondering what would happen to him if he surrendered. Ashley didn’t want to volunteer the information.
“Okay then,” he finally said. “I’m ready.”
Ashley climbed the stairs.
As she stepped onto the platform, she met the man’s gaze. He’d moved closer to the staircase. Only two yards separated Ashley from Moore.
The hairs on the back of her neck bristled.
He had a strange look in his eyes. Once she couldn’t quite fathom.
“Everything’s going to be okay now,” she told him, infusing a soothing tone into her voice. “Give me the quazodine. You don’t need it anymore.”
Moore nodded. He glanced back over his shoulder.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” he said.
The words seemed to be directed to someone behind him. Not to Ashley.
She leaned to her left and looked past him. No one was there.
Like a flash of lightning, Moore lunged toward Ashley, the quazodine tight in his grip.
Realizing that he planned to kill her, Ashley jumped to her right, dodging his attack. She almost lost her balance. She reached out her hand and grabbed the railing of the catwalk, breaking her fall.
But Moore wasn’t as lucky.
He cried out in fear as the momentum hurled him over the side rail of the staircase.
A wave of nausea washed over Ashley as she heard Moore’s body hit the concrete floor forty-five feet below.
It wasn’t the way she wanted the investigation to end.
Handling a death was never easy for her. Even when it was the death of a murderer. But Ashley took solace in the fact that Gwen and Driscoll were safe.
And that Sparks County’s toxic waste serial killer would never strike again.
CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT
Ashley smiled as she spotted Daniel’s white Toyota parked in the driveway of her garage apartment in Briarwood. He’d been working a lot of overtime on the weekends, undercover. So, she was glad that he’d been able to break free long enough to welcome her home from Sparks County. After the grueling investigation that she’d just finished, she was looking forward to spending a lazy Sunday with him.
She parked Wyatt’s SUV next to Daniel’s sedan and slid out of the passenger seat.
Her boyfriend greeted her with a kiss.
“I’ve missed you,” he said. “Terribly.”
Ashley felt the same. Being in his arms again was all that she’d thought about on the drive home.
“Thank you for coming over.”
“Thanks for inviting me. How’s Wyatt?”
The look in Daniel’s eyes told her that he really wanted to know. That his concern for her partner’s wellbeing was genuine.
“The doctor plans to release him from the hospital the middle of next week.”
“That’s good.”
And with any luck, Wyatt would be back at work the week after. Although it might prove to be a desk job. Brenda had mentioned that Ashley might get a temporary partner for her next assignment.
Daniel lifted the cargo door of the SUV and fetched Ashley’s suitcase.
He followed her up the stairs to her apartment.
“Do you want to go get lunch?” he asked her.
Ashley collapsed on the sofa. She sighed.
“I want to spend the rest of the day—and night—with you,” she said. “But I’m so tired. I’d really rather stay home and order in.”
He smiled at her, his dimples tugging at her heart. She hoped that he didn’t mind that she wasn’t interested in going to a restaurant.
She added, “I’ve got a ton of laundry to wash and dry. I’m almost out of underwear.”
“Let me do it for you.”
“Are you serious?”
She’d never had a man offer to do her laundry before. Was he too good to be true?
“Just sit back and relax,” he said, his voice sultry. “And let me take care of you tonight.”
Daniel popped her suitcase open and pulled out her dirty laundry bag. He dumped the contents onto the coffee table.
When Ashley caught sight of the blue TBI t-shirt, her stomach sank. She’d forgotten that she’d stuffed it in her bag.
Obviously recognizing the logo on the front, Daniel picked up the shirt.
“You should have asked Brenda for a smaller size,” he began.
His face morphed into a mask of confusion and pain when he saw the back of the shirt.
Wyatt’s last name, Clark, stenciled in white capital letters.
“It’s not at all what it looks like,” Ashley said, hoping that he would believe her.
She hadn’t yet explained the sleeping arrangements that she and Wyatt had been forced to make at the motel.
“Looks like you’ve been wearing Wyatt’s clothes,” he said, his voice thin. “Is that what it is?”
“He loaned me the shirt to sleep in, that’s all.”
Daniel stared at her.
He must have seen something in her eyes because he said, “What are you not telling me?”
Ashley’s face grew hot. She wasn’t sure how to begin.
“There was only one motel in the whole town of Tomlinson,” she said. “And it flooded. They’ve got a lot of locals who live there that they can’t kick out—”
Daniel interrupted, “Did you and Wyatt stay in the same room?”
She nodded. “We didn’t have a choice.”
He paced across the living room, as though he was weighing his thoughts.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he finally asked.
She was asking herself the same question. She should have told him the first night.
“I wanted to wait until I saw you in person so that I could explain everything.”
Daniel chewed his bottom lip.
“I trust you, Ashley,” he said. “But I wish you had told me. Instead of letting me find out like this.”
Ashley realized that when Daniel had seen the name on the back of the shirt, it must have felt like a slap in the face.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Can you forgive me?”
He searched her eyes.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice flat.
He might be willing to forgive her for not telling him sooner, but she could tell that he was still hurt.
Daniel sighed. “Two beds, right?”
Ashley’s stomach twisted. She felt as though she might throw up. She couldn’t speak.
Her silence must have told Daniel everything he needed to know.
His mouth dropped open. “You slept in the same bed?”
“Nothing happened,” she said, fighting back tears.
Daniel acted as though he hadn’t heard her.
“And why did you need Wyatt’s shirt to sleep in?” he asked. “Don’t you have your own clothes?”
She knew what was going through his mind. Realized how common it was for a woman to slip on a man’s shirt after they’d had sex.
“Daniel, please listen to me. I only wore his shirt because I didn’t feel comfortable sleeping close to Wyatt in my nightgown.”
His face fell again. It was like she’d stabbed him in the heart.
She should have phrased her explanation differently as she now realized what images the words “sleeping close to Wyatt” had conjured up—that they’d cuddled or something.
“I need to get out of here,” Daniel said.
Ashley jumped up from the sofa. “Please don’t go,” she said. “Not until we talk this through.”
“Is there more that you haven’t told me?”
The memory of sitting next to Wyatt after he’d been shot—when he’d had his shirt off—flashed through her mind. But she hadn’t done anything. She didn’t want to do anything with Wyatt.
“Nothing happened between me and Wyatt,” she said for the second time.
Daniel remained silent. He walked across the living room.
“You told me that you trust me,” Ashley said.
Opening the door, he turned and looked at her.
“I just need time to process this.”
Tears streamed down Ashley’s cheeks as he closed the door behind him.
Daniel was the most kind, thoughtful, and loving man that she’d ever met. And she’d promised herself that she wouldn’t hide things from him. Why had she broken that vow? How could she expect him to trust her with his heart now?
Lying by omission was still a lie.
Ashley trudged into her bedroom. All she wanted to do was curl up under the covers and hibernate. And maybe cry over Daniel.
As she glanced at her pillow, Ashley stopped short.
Fear ripped through her heart.
It was another note. Just like the first. Printed in capital, block-style letters.
YOUR TIME IS ALMOST UP.
The stalker had been inside her apartment.
CHAPTER FORTY NINE
Huddled in the darkness, the man focused the lenses of his binoculars as he peered through the front window of Ashley’s garage apartment. The living room was empty—no lights burning—but he knew that she was at home. Knew that she’d arrived from Sparks County just before noon.
It had surprised him that Ashley was now alone. He’d guessed that Daniel Lansing would be here, acting as her protector. The cop had been spending a lot of time with her. Too much time.
But it wasn’t as though the man hadn’t expected it. He’d seen it coming. He’d realized long ago that the two of them would end up together. The problem was: she didn’t deserve to be in the relationship. Ashley didn’t deserve happiness. Not after what she’d done.
Anger flooded the man’s soul.
Stowing his binoculars in the carrying case, the man slid out of the front seat of his car. He zipped up his leather jacket as he walked across the street, his breath morphing into fog. Glancing toward the main house, he sidled down the privacy fence that hedged Ashley’s lawn. When he reached her bedroom window, he stopped. He wondered whether she was asleep.
Maybe she was hiding.
He hoped that she’d enjoyed his latest note. The message that he’d left on her pillow that morning.
He’d been counting down the days, and her time was almost up. Ashley would soon meet the same fate as Cherie—the true love of his life.
It was Ashley’s fault that Cherie was dead.
And Brett Holbrook planned to even the score.
NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!
LET ME FORGET
(An Ashley Hope Suspense Thriller—Book 5)
Ashley Hope is an average Southern woman, happily engaged—until dark secrets from her past tear her life apart. Now a member of Tennessee’s State Police’s Violent Crimes Division, Ashley is summoned when a serial killer’s trail leads them through farm country. Amidst the abandoned barns and silos, where is this killer lurking? And who will be next?
“Phenomenal debut with a huge creep factor… So many twists and turns, you’ll have no idea who the next victim will be. If you love a thriller that will keep you awake well into the night, this book is for you.”
—Reader review for Let Me Go
LET ME FORGET is book #5 in a new series from #1 bestselling mystery and suspense author Kate Bold, which begins with LET ME GO (Book #1).
A dark crime thriller full of mystery and suspense, the ASHLEY HOPE mystery series is rife with twists and jaw-dropping secrets as it unfolds into a riveting psychological thriller. Join this brilliant new female protagonist as she hunts down a serial killer, keeping you spellbound and turning pages late into the night. Fans of Rachel Caine, Teresa Driscoll and Robert Dugoni are sure to fall in love.
Book #6 in the series—LET ME ESCAPE—is now also available.
“I really enjoyed this book… It draws you in right away and keeps you turning the pages right up to the end. I am really anticipating the next book.”
—Reader review for Let Me Go
“A really good read. The story went quickly and the characters were interesting. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series!”
—Reader review for Let Me Go
“Good read with good plot, plenty of action, and great character development. A thriller that will keep you awake into the night.”
—Reader review for Let Me Go
“Excellent start to a new series… Get this book and read it, you will love it!”
—Reader review for Let Me Go
LET ME FORGET
(An Ashley Hope Suspense Thriller—Book 5)
Kate Bold
Bestselling author Kate Bold is author of the ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the CAMILLE GRACE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising eight books (and counting); of the HARLEY COLE SUSPENSE THRILLER, comprising five books (and counting); and of the KAYLIE BROOKS SUSPENSE THRILLER, comprising five books (and counting).
THE KILLING GAME (an Alexa Chase Suspense Thriller—Book #1), LET ME GO (an Ashley Hope Suspense Thriller—Book #1), and NOT ME (a Camille Grace FBI Suspense Thriller—Book #1) are available as free downloads on Kobo!
An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Kate loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.kateboldauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.
BOOKS BY KATE BOLD
KAYLIE BROOKS PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE
LAST BREATH (Book #1)
