Cold feet(75)
Author: Brenda Novak

Gathering all her strength, Madison managed to find her feet again. Get away from her. Get…away from…my daughter! she shouted, but only inside her head. Then she launched herself at Holly.

Madison’s movements weren’t coordinated enough to do much damage, but she pushed Holly to the ground and their arms tangled. Holly tried to shove her off, to get up, but Madison used the weight of her body to pin her down. She could sense Holly’s interest in Brianna, her desire to return to her daughter’s bed.

Not at any cost, Madison told herself. Grabbing a fistful of Holly’s long hair, she kept hold, focusing on only one thing, even as the darkness overcame her.

Don’t let go…don’t let go…don’t ever let go….

She was just drifting off when she heard footsteps tramping down the hall and a male voice calling to her. Then Holly was wrenched away from her, screaming as she lost two fistfuls of hair, and the blackness became both silent and complete.

CALEB SAT NEXT TO Madison’s hospital bed, a rectangle of pale yellow falling through the open door the only light. He was tense with worry despite the doctors’ promises that she was going to be fine. Madison had been through so much. So much she didn’t deserve. They all had.

Because of Holly.

Shaking his head, he swore under his breath, angry with himself for not realizing his ex-wife was insane. Gibbons had called to tell him he’d found a bunch of other things in Holly’s attic–his own attic at one time–many of them belonging to women they’d long believed to be victims of Ellis Purcell.

He should have realized somehow, figured it out sooner. He’d known she had emotional problems. He’d just never imagined they were so severe, never imagined she was capable of doing what she’d done. He’d been too busy blaming himself for her problems because he couldn’t love her the way she said she needed to be loved. Even after writing that book about the female serial killer Aileen Wuornos, he’d never considered that the Sandpoint Strangler could be a woman. What had happened was a classic example of looking beyond the mark. If a woman was going to kill, she typically used poison.

Holly had sedated her victims with drugs, he mused, which made it easy to sexually assault them with whatever she chose, whatever was handy at the time, and strangle them afterward. She was cunning, far more cunning than anyone he’d written about so far. She knew exactly how to make it look like a man’s crime, how to cover her tracks.

Damn! He’d known there was some sort of link between the killer and Madison’s family. He’d just never dreamed it was him….

Light crept through the window as the sun began to rise. In the hallway, Caleb could hear movement, creaking wheels, the smooth voice of a woman over the intercom. Holding Madison’s hand, he gently rubbed her delicate fingers. The effects of Rohypnol typically lasted for several hours, but according to blood tests run by the doctor when Madison first arrived, she hadn’t ingested very much.

She’d been stirring for the past few minutes, so he wasn’t surprised when she finally opened her eyes.

"Welcome back," he whispered, feeling relief pour through him.

"Caleb."

He squeezed her hand.

"Where’s–" her eyebrows drew together "–where’s Brianna?"

"She’s with your mother." He pressed the back of her hand against his lips, enjoying the warm, reassuring feel of her skin. "They just left. Thanks to you, she’s fine."

Tears trickled from the corners of Madison’s eyes. "What happened? I–I can only remember Holly sitting at my kitchen table, drinking tea. And then…Brianna needing me."

Before he could answer, Caleb felt a presence at the door and turned to see that Johnny had returned from his trip to the cafeteria.

"She awake?" Johnny asked.

Caleb nodded.

"Johnny, you came back," Madison said.

"And it’s a good thing," Caleb told her. "He arrived at your place before I could get there. He came before the police arrived. If it wasn’t for him–" Caleb didn’t want to think about what might have happened if Johnny hadn’t shown up when he did.

"I didn’t do much," Johnny said, chafing beneath the praise. "The cops came almost right away."

It would’ve taken Holly only a few minutes to add two more victims to her tally. But Caleb wasn’t pointing out that grisly truth. He wanted to focus on the fact that everything was going to be okay. It was over. Holly was in jail. Even if she didn’t get the death penalty for reason of insanity, she’d never set foot outside prison. She’d murdered nine women before he ever met her, another two while they were divorced the first time, and a woman in Spokane, as well as Susan, since he’d moved.

He felt terrible for her parents. After all they’d done to raise her and love her…And he felt even worse for her victims and their families.

"How long will I be here?" Madison asked, her eyes circling the room.

"Not long," Caleb assured her. "Holly slipped some date rape drug in your tea. The doctor wants to make sure you come out of it okay. Then he’ll release you."

Her eyelashes fluttered to her cheeks. "Are you sure Brianna’s okay?"

"I’m positive. But I want you to know something else before you fall asleep."

He watched her fight the weariness. "What’s that?"

"You were right, Maddy. Your father never killed anyone."

Madison managed a fleeting smile, but he could tell she was struggling to remain conscious. "I’m so tired."

"Go ahead and sleep."

"Will you be here when I wake up?" With obvious effort, she raised her eyelids once again and met his gaze.

"Yes." He glanced at Johnny. "Tye and your mother are on their way. Your family will be waiting right here."

"My family," she said, and that faint smile returned as she drifted away.

THE NEXT TIME Madison woke, a nurse helped her dress, and Caleb drove her home. There were so many questions she wanted to ask about what had happened, so many nuances she didn’t understand. But she felt as though she was living inside a bubble, or swimming underwater, completely out of touch with her normal environment and those around her. She knew Brianna was safe, Johnny was back and Caleb was with her. The rest could wait.

When they reached her place, Caleb insisted on carrying her inside. Leaning against his chest, she turned her face into his neck, comforted by the scent of him and the ease with which he bore her weight. As he tucked her into bed, she knew everything was going to be fine. Everything was going to be better. A feeling of hope and excitement told her she had something special to be happy about. She couldn’t remember why–until she started to dream.

She was five and her father was pushing her on a swing in the backyard…. She was ten and finding a candy bar her father had slipped into her drawer to surprise her…. She was sixteen and getting into her car to find her father had filled it with gas, even though her mother had sworn she’d have to buy her own….