Maybe all the tears were gone forever.

Jacob came to her, took her hands. He almost kissed her. Then he glanced up at the hill, where the Wells house stood dark and brooding, as if remembering some memory tucked in a far, dusty closet. The first flickers teased the windows, and smoke drifted on the air. Davidson and her crew would be on the way soon, late as always, left to sift through the ashes of the Wells family secrets.

He reached into the car, grabbed the wrinkled pack of cigarettes, and stuffed one in his mouth. He lit it, then reached under the seat and pulled out a beer. Warm, it sprayed foam all over his pants when he pulled the tab. He reached up and tapped the twin rubber heads, sending them swinging.

Just like Joshua. He looks just like his brother.

And on the heels of that thought came another, rising bright and strong from the murk of her confusion.

What if we killed the wrong one?

But maybe there was no right one.

Renee looked over the rail. In the gloom, she could barely make out the broken form on the rocks below.

“Oh, God, Jake, he’s moving. He’s still alive!”

Jacob ran to the railing, cigarette smoke pluming from his mouth along with his whispered “Shit.”

He leaned over, straining against the darkness. “I don’t see nothing.”

“I do,” she said. “I see it all now.”

The wrench was heavy. But she managed. Oh, yes, she managed.

The crunch was subdued, like hitting a bag of ice wrapped in a towel. Jacob gave a small bleat of surprise and collapsed onto the rail, head and arms trailing over the far side.

She didn’t check his pulse. She didn’t want to touch him. If he took a long time to die, he deserved it.

She patted her belly.

She’d never mentioned it to Jacob. Three months along.

Whether it was Jacob’s or Joshua’s, she would never know.

But it didn’t matter. One Wells was as good as another.

And a Wells never fails.

As she headed up the dirt road to free Carlita, she glanced at the house, the orange flames now rising to heaven in a wavering thread.

I love you, Mattie. I love you, Christine.

She was relieved to see the burning house blur in her vision.

She was still human, if only barely.

As long as she could cry, there was hope for her yet.

Renee staggered across a land long polluted and ruined, tears streaming down her cheeks. The tears wouldn’t wash away the past, but they might clear her vision for the future.

She had a child to raise.

One last chance.

THE END

About Scott Nicholson

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ABOUT J.A. KONRATH

 

J.A. Konrath is the author of seven novels in the Jack Daniels series, along with dozens of short stories. The eighth, STIRRED, will be available in 2011.

Under the name Jack Kilborn, he wrote the horror novels AFRAID, ENDURANCE, TRAPPED, SERIAL UNCUT (written with Blake Crouch) and DRACULAS (written with Blake Crouch, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson.)

Under the name Joe Kimball, he wrote two novels in the TIMECASTER sci-fi series which feature Jack Daniels's grandson as the hero, and Harry McGlade III. Visit Joe at http://www.JAKonrath.com.

Jack Daniels thrillers

Whiskey Sour

Bloody Mary

Rusty Nail

Dirty Martini

Fuzzy Navel

Cherry Bomb

Shaken

Stirred

Killers Uncut with Blake Crouch

Serial Killers Uncut with Blake Crouch

Birds of Prey with Blake Crouch

Shot of Tequila

Banana Hammock

Jack Daniels Stories (collected stories)

Serial Uncut with Blake Crouch

Killers with Blake Crouch

Suckers with Jeff Strand

Planter's Punch with Tom Schreck

Floaters with Henry Perez

Burners with Henry Perez

Truck Stop

Symbios (writing as Joe Kimball)

Flee (with Ann Voss Peterson)

Exposed (with Ann Voss Peterson)

Babe on Board (with Ann Voss Peterson)

Wild Night is Calling (with Ann Voss Peterson)

Shapeshifters Anonymous

The Screaming

With a Twist

Street Music

Other works

Afraid

Endurance

Trapped

Draculas with J.A. Konrath, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson

Origin

The List

Disturb

65 Proof (short story omnibus)

Crime Stories (collected stories)

Horror Stories (collected stories)

Dumb Jokes & Vulgar Poems

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing

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ABOUT BLAKE CROUCH

Blake Crouch was born near the piedmont town of Statesville, North Carolina in 1978. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated in 2000 with degrees in English and Creative Writing. Blake lives with his family in southwest Colorado, where he is at work on a new book. His website is http://www.blakecrouch.com.

Blake Crouch’s Works Available on Kindle

Andrew Z. Thomas thrillers

Desert Places

Locked Doors

Break You

Stirred

Thicker Than Blood

Other works

Run

Draculas with J.A. Konrath, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson

Abandon

Snowbound

Famous

Perfect Little Town (horror novella)

Bad Girl (short story)

Serial with Jack Kilborn

Serial Uncut with J.A. Konrath and Jack Kilborn

Killers with Jack Kilborn

Killers Uncut with Jack Kilborn and J.A. Konrath

Serial Killers Uncut with Jack Kilborn and J.A. Konrath

Birds of Prey with Jack Kilborn and J.A. Konrath

Shining Rock (short story)

*69 (short story)

On the Good, Red Road (short story)

Remaking (short story)

The Meteorologist (short story)

The Pain of Others (novella)

Unconditional (short story)

Four Live Rounds (collected stories)

Six in the Cylinder (collected stories)

Fully Loaded (complete collected stories)

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ABOUT J. CARSON BLACK

J. Carson Black is the bestselling and critically-acclaimed author of eight books, including the Laura Cardinal crime fiction series. Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Black has found inspiration for her writing in everything from real life horrors to the headlines screaming today’s news. Her thrillers THE SHOP and ICON will be published by Thomas & Mercer in 2012.

Novels and Short Stories

The Shop

Darkness on the Edge of Town

Dark Side of the Moon

The Devil's Hour

The Laura Cardinal Novels

Darkscope

Dark Horse

The Desert Waits

The BlueLight Special (two short stories)

Pony Rides (short story)

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ABOUT LEE GOLDBERG

Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar Award nominee and one-time Shamus Award nominee whose many TV writing and/or producing credits include “Martial Law,” “Diagnosis Murder,” “The Cosby Mysteries,” “Hunter,” “Spenser: For Hire,” “Nero Wolfe,” “Missing,” and “Monk.” He’s also the author of My Gun Has Bullets, Beyond the Beyond, Successful Television Writing, The Walk, and the Diagnosis Murder and Monk series of original mysteries.

Also by Lee Goldberg

The Walk

My Gun Has Bullets

Dead Space

Three Ways to Die

The Jury Series

Judgment

Adjourned

Payback

Guilty

Non-fiction

Television Fast Forward

Unsold TV Pilots: The Greatest Shows You Never Saw

Tied In: The Business, History and Craft of Media Tie-in Writing

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