Heart of Ice (34 page)

“It wasn’t a dream. She was here. She was real. She held my hand.” Nic remembered the warmth of her grasp, the rasp of the woman’s dry skin.

“I’ll call security.” The nurse reached for the phone.

“No.” Nic put her hand over the receiver. “It’s fine.”

And she realized it was.

CHAPTER 57

Firehouse

A
week after her surgery, Nic sat with Cassidy and Allison at a wooden table in the Firehouse. The weather was warm enough that the garage door—left over from when the restaurant had really been a firehouse—was rolled up over their heads.

“I feel like a fool for having liked Elizabeth,” Cassidy said, not meeting their eyes. She picked up a cherry pepper stuffed with fresh mozzarella and anchovies from the plate of appetizers.

Nic knew how upset Cassidy was when, instead of eating it, she began to toy with it.

“Can you guys forgive me for dragging her into our lives?”

“How were you supposed to know she was a sociopath?” Allison patted the back of Cassidy’s free hand. “Elizabeth had years and years to perfect her lying.”

“She was like the plastic fruit my grandmother used to keep in a basket on her dining room table,” Nic said. She popped a fried olive into her mouth. “More perfect than the real thing.”

Sure, Cassidy had introduced them to Elizabeth, but Nic was the one who had chosen to hand her daughter over to a child-killer. Obviously, her antennae hadn’t been up either.

“Even Lindsay feels guilty that she didn’t recognize Elizabeth from her photo at the gym,” Allison said.

“Hey, the only people I can recognize anymore that
I
went to school with are you guys,” Nic said. Allison’s comment about Lindsay made her curious. “How is your sister doing, anyway?”

“Lindsay? I guess she’s holding her own. She’s staying sober. She’s not seeing Chris. At least I’m pretty sure she’s not.” Allison puffed air out of her lips. “She’s not actually doing much more than baking cookies and trying to help around the house. But I’m slowly realizing I can’t make her live the life I think she should. And just staying away from her old life is a pretty big achievement.”

Allison sounded like she was trying to convince herself, Nic thought. She had high standards, which was what happened when your dad died when you were young, your mom started drinking, and it turned out to be up to you to hold the family together.

The waitress set down their drinks.

“To the Triple Threat Club!” Cassidy said, raising her glass of red wine. Nic tapped her water glass against it and then against Allison’s glass of white.

“I didn’t used to belong to any clubs,” Nic said. “Now I guess I’m in two. But people pay their dues to get
out
of the Cancer Club, not in.”

“How are you doing?” Cassidy asked.

Nic picked up another olive. “I’ve gotten almost all my tests back. Stage 1 cancer, the tumor was under two centimeters with clear margins, and the lymph node they took out was negative, so that means it hadn’t spread.”

“That’s all good, isn’t it?” Cassidy asked, a little anxiously.

“It’s about as good as it can be.” Nic hoped that what she said was true. The only way to know for sure that you’d survived breast cancer was to die from something else. “Good news, that is, if you set aside the fact that I had something growing inside me that didn’t want to stop and didn’t care if it killed me in the process.”

The thought still shook Nic. She had been close to death before, but her opponent had always been a person she could see, touch, hurt back. It was hard to grasp that this killer had arisen from deep within herself. That she had
grown
it. Birthed her own monster. As if she were her own worst enemy.

Nic still didn’t know what to think about the Korean woman who had been in the room after she woke up from surgery. Had there even been a woman? Had she dreamed her up? All she knew was that the woman’s prayer had brought her an unexpected peace. She had only told the night nurse about the woman and her visit. And no one but Nic knew about the older woman’s pronouncement that she would be okay.

“I still need to do radiation,” she continued, “but I guess the side effects from that are usually pretty mild. But before I start that, there’s one more test we need the results from. It tells you whether or not it would help to have chemo to make sure the cancer never, ever comes back.” She attempted a smile. “If I do have to do chemo, will you guys go wig shopping with me before I lose all my hair?”

“You could be a redhead,” Cassidy joked.

Then her expression faltered, and Nic knew she was remembering Elizabeth’s red hair.

“Or a blonde.” She ruffled her fingers through her own hair. “We blondes have more fun, after all.”

“I would love to see the guys at work if I showed up in a blonde wig.” Nic grinned as she imagined it. “Half of them would fall all over themselves pretending not to notice. The other half would either love it or mock it. And a tiny percentage might want to wear it themselves.”

“Have you told anyone at work yet?” Allison said as the waitress set down their entrees.

She looked innocent, but Nic knew she really meant
Have you told Leif
?

Nic answered by not answering. “Right now, I don’t want everyone up in my business. I’m keeping it on a strictly need-to-know basis.” She took a bite of her hanger steak. “My incisions are healing, and I finally have clearance to shave my left underarm. But my breast is never going to look the same.” She pretended to pout. “I guess my secret dream of becoming a topless dancer is over.”

The other two women laughed, and Nic joined them. It felt good to laugh. Good to feel that there was more in the world than fear.

“We got you this,” Allison said. She handed over an ivory-colored envelope.

Inside was a card with a photograph of wildflowers on the front. Nic was touched. She had told Allison once that wildflowers were more beautiful than your standard roses and daisies. She admired them for their beauty and strength, for the way they grew even though they hadn’t been planted.

Nic opened the card. Inside was a quote from Maya Angelou: “I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.”

Blinking back tears, Nic unfolded the coupon that had been tucked inside the card. It was a gift certificate for spa services.

“You can get a massage, a pedicure, a facial—anything you want,” Cassidy said. She took a bite of her gnocchi. “We figured you could use a little bit of relaxation.”

Nic looked from Cassidy to Allison. “Thanks, you guys.”

“After all you’ve been through, you deserve it.” Cassidy’s voice roughened with emotion.

Nic’s eyes suddenly felt wet. She had cried more in the past two weeks than she had in the previous ten years. She raised a cautioning hand. “Stop that! We’re here to celebrate. We’re all alive. And Cass, you saved my daughter. You have no idea what that means to me. Makayla is more important to me than my own life. But thanks to you—to all of us, really—we solved the crimes and caught the bad gal. And I hope she rots in prison.”

Even without being able to bring up Elizabeth’s two earlier murders in court, they still had more than enough to make sure she got sent to prison for the rest of her life. They had the video of her shooting Jenna Banks, as well as of her ordering the murder of Sara McCloud and her son. A half dozen people had witnessed her attack on Makayla.

Joey Decicco was the one death it would be difficult, if not impossible, to pin on her. Even though everyone was sure she was responsible, at the time of the shooting Elizabeth had been leading two-dozen women—Cassidy among them—in a boot camp class.

But Allison had told Nic that she intended to try to prosecute Elizabeth for Clark Smith’s death. The FBI’s Evidence Recovery Team had managed to find a single print of Elizabeth’s on the bed rail. And in the same sketchbook in which Clark had written out what was meant to look like a suicide note, they had found a pencil drawing of a nude woman. A woman, everyone who saw it agreed, who looked a lot like Elizabeth.

Taking a bite of her salmon, Allison said, “For someone like Elizabeth, I think prison might be worse than the death penalty. She’s not a very patient person. And she likes to control everything.”

“I hope she hates it,” Nic said, so forcefully that a woman at the next table looked over her shoulder. She lowered her voice a tad. “I hope she loathes it. I want her to think every day about how if she hadn’t made the choices she did, she could be enjoying the sunshine and”—Nic lifted her fork—“hanger steak, and instead she’s got fluorescent lights and mystery meat.”

“Her and Foley,” Allison said. “They’ll both hate prison.”

“Do you think he’ll be convicted?” Cassidy asked.

“Nic and I will make sure of it,” Allison said. “Because if we don’t, he’ll just do it again. Someone like that, they’ll never stop.”

When they finished their meal, they made a show of looking at the dessert menu. But there was really only one choice that met the informal rule of the Triple Threat Club: the Bittersweet Deep Chocolate Torte with Cocoa Nib Chantilly.

“What’s chantilly?” Cassidy stage-whispered.

“I think it’s like whipped cream,” Allison whispered back. “And even if it’s not, I’ll bet whatever it is, is good.”

And when the waitress set it down, along with three forks, and Nic took a bite, she decided it was very good.

And so was life.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

M
om and Dad, your lives continue to inspire. Bill O’Reilly, my mentor and friend (though don’t expect me to admit that on air), Roger Ailes (to whom I owe so much), and Dianne Brandi (whose judgment is infallible). And David Winstrom, Kevin Magee, Neil Cavuto (all inspirational as well as successful and, more important, good folk).

Our book agents, Todd Shuster and Lane Zachary of the Zachary, Shuster, and Harmsworth Literary Agency, and Wendy Schmalz of the Wendy Schmalz Agency—you made the Triple Threat happen. And the wonderful folks at Thomas Nelson: Allen Arnold, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Fiction (a true visionary); Ami McConnell, Senior Acquisitions Editor (who defines the word
superwoman
); and Editor L.B. Norton. Thank you Natalie Hanemann, Belinda Bass, Kristen Vasgaard, Daisy Hutton, Corinne Kalasky, and Becky Monds . . . your enthusiasm is infectious. And the Thomas Nelson sales team continues to inspire: Doug Miller, Rick Spruill, Heather McCulloch, Kathy Carabajal, and Kathleen Dietz, just to name a few. And the fantastic marketing team of Jennifer Deshler, Eric Mullet, Katie Bond, Ashley Schneider, and Heather Cadenhead.

Thank you Don and Deirdre Imus; Mickey; Scribbles; Joe Collins, paramedic/firefighter; D.P. Lyle, MD, who is a mystery author in his own right; Alida Rol, MD, gynecologist; Bob Stewart, retired FBI agent; and other FBI agents and security professionals who wished to remain anonymous. And THANK YOU to all the women who shared their personal experiences with breast cancer. We will win the fight!

All of the mistakes are ours. All the credit is theirs. Thank you!

READING GROUP GUIDE

  1. The prosecutor in Elizabeth’s first trial (when she is a teenager) says that harsh sentences deter teens from committing similar crimes. Considering the teens you know or have met, do you think that is true for most teens?

  2. What should the primary purpose of the justice system be: punishment, deterrence, rehabilitation, or the protection of future victims? How important are the other aspects? Is our current justice system accomplishing that?

  3. In Matthew 25, Jesus says, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me,” and then adds “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Have you ever visited anyone in prison? Would you ever consider it?

  4. Do you think difficult experiences—like Allison’s miscarriage —happen for a reason? Do you believe that such events can teach us?

  5. Have you ever crossed paths with someone you believe is a sociopath—someone manipulative, impulsive, who frequently lies and lacks empathy for others?

  6. Some scans have shown sociopaths’ brains operate differently than normal brains. Do you believe that some people are born without a moral center? If so, should they be subject to the same kinds of sentences as people with normal brains?

  7. What should the system do with sociopaths? In current studies, mental health treatment has proven ineffective and sociopaths who are forced into it frequently prey on others receiving treatment. Sociopaths are often imprisoned, but is it fair to expose the other prisoners to them?

  8. Cassidy and Nicole argue over Cassidy’s pursuit of ratings. Is it difficult to be moral and be ambitious in your business?

  9. Nicole discovers she has breast cancer. Has breast cancer touched your life? Have you ever considered joining a group who helps those dealing with a life challenge?

  10. Cassidy struggles with feeling lonely and empty. Do you know people like Cassidy? What would be the best thing Cassidy could do to help herself?

  11. Lindsay is another person who may or may not be to blame for her actions. Have you ever dealt with someone with an addiction? How many times should you forgive an addict? Does tough love work? Was Donna wrong for turning her daughter away? Should Allison have taken Lindsay in? Would your answers be different if Allison and Marshall had a child?

Introducing the new supernatural series from
Lis Wiehl
with Pete Nelson

Waking Hours

BOOK ONE
in the
EAST SALEM TRILOGY

Starting Fall 2011, Lis Wiehl unveils an entirely new fiction series that will alternate between future Triple Threat novels.