He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not

the Northwoods still lived here. This is Tom.” She pointed to a tall, freckle-faced teenager standing off by himself. “And this is Kate.” She ran her finger across the photo, following the direction where Tom was looking, toward the right side of the picture. She tapped the young girl who was standing in a white cotton dress with a group of other girls her age.
    She had blue eyes.
    And hip-length brown hair.
    Anna Kate Northwood could have been Amanda’s twin.
    He leaned down and kissed Sadie’s cheek. “Thank you, Sadie. You may have saved several lives today.”
    “Well.” She looked nonplussed and a rosy blush spread across her weathered cheeks. “Then you’re very welcome. I do hope you’ll come back and see me when you have more time to visit.”
    “Count on it.” He started to turn away when another picture captured his attention. It was a picture of Kate standing in front of a white house, holding hands with a boy who looked vaguely familiar. Logan picked the picture up and held it out for Sadie. “Who is this boy standing next to Kate?”
    “That was her boyfriend. It’s such a shame, what happened that day in the woods. David was crazy about her. I always thought they’d end up married. But even if she could have gotten over what happened, he couldn’t. I think he hated her for what she’d done to his brother, scarred him for life. He didn’t see Tom try to kiss Kate, and he never believed her that she’d hit Tom in self-defense.”
    “What do you mean he didn’t believe her? He was there.”
    “After Kate got mad at him, he took off, left her and Tom behind.”
    Pierce leaned in around the screen door. “Logan, we have to leave. Now.”
    “Just a minute.” Logan studied the boy in the picture. The face was so familiar. “Sadie, what did you say the boyfriend’s name was?”
    “David, his name was David Riley Bennett.”
    David Riley . Logan’s gut clenched and he looked up at Pierce. Alarm coursed through him when he saw how pale he was. “What is it?” Logan asked. “What’s happened?”
    Pierce glanced pointedly at Sadie. “Outside. I’ll tell you in the car.”
    Logan quickly thanked Sadie again and rushed outside.
    Standing in the opening of the driver’s door, his face tight and drawn, Pierce said, “Toss me the keys. I’m driving.”
    Logan didn’t waste time arguing. Whatever Pierce had found out had completely rattled him. Logan had never seen Pierce rattled before. He dug the keys out of his pocket and tossed them over the roof of his car. As soon as the doors closed, Pierce gunned the engine and punched the gas, throwing Logan back against the seat.
    “Damn it, Pierce, what’s going on?”
    Pierce’s knuckles whitened against the steering wheel. “When I gave Bennett’s name to one of my men, he repeated it out loud as he wrote it down. One of your officers overheard him and mentioned that he knew someone named Tom Bennett. He’s a mechanic at your police garage.”
    A mechanic? Riley had argued with a mechanic outside the police garage. Cold fear settled in Logan’s gut as the pieces of the puzzle snapped into place. “Have they found Bennett yet?”
    “No, but they will. I’ve put out a BOLO. Every cop in the state will be on the lookout for him. We’ll get him.”
    “I want Riley picked up immediately and put in a holding cell until we get back to the station.”
    “Riley?” Pierce’s voice held a note of shock. “Why?”
    “He’s Bennett’s brother.”
    Pierce’s face went white. “Oh, shit.”
    Dread coiled in Logan’s stomach. “Riley’s missing, isn’t he? That’s what you wanted to tell me, that Bennett and Riley are in on this together.”
    Pierce shook his head. “No, that’s not what I wanted to tell you, but you’re right. No one knows where Riley is right now. He said he had a hunch and he took off. But he’s not the killer. He doesn’t fit the description the witnesses gave.”
    “What witnesses? What happened? Damn it, Pierce. Spit it out.”
    “Man, I’m so sorry,” Pierce said. “Karen was transferring Amanda to the safe house. Tom Bennett attacked them before they could get inside.”
    L ogan paused in the doorway of the hospital waiting room. He spotted Madison sitting near a bank of windows, cradling a paper cup between her hands. Her eyes looked bleak as she watched him approach.
    “Hey, trouble,” he said, trying not to let his despair show in his voice. He kissed her on the cheek and gave her a