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Five days later His neighbor across the street was putting up Christmas lights, fake deer, and an inflatable Santa. Mason watched through his front window and felt a subtle tug to keep up with the Joneses. Lights could wait. h.e.l.l, maybe he'd hire someone to do it this year. The thought of climbing a ladder with a broken bone in his foot held no appeal. He'd gotten by with a splint and a pair of crutches that he'd refused to use after the first two hours-they pushed on his broken ribs. His nose and throat had turned all sorts of vibrant colors, with impressive levels of swelling the first few days. Now his tissues were primarily yellow and brown, the swelling almost gone.

He wondered if his voice would ever sound the same. It was rough and raspy. The doctor had told him it could take months to return to normal. Or never return to normal at all.

Ava joked that their matching voices were a sign that they were meant to be together, but Mason didn't agree. Her low voice was s.e.xy and bluesy; his was horror movie villain material.

A car pulled into his driveway and Zander Wells stepped out. Ava's footsteps sounded on the wooden staircase behind him and Bingo's nails announced he was right beside her.

Good homey sounds.

Last Christmas Ava had been in a hospital room, her shoulder permanently damaged by a gunshot. This Christmas would be drama-free-he hoped. Jayne appeared to be settled in her new rehab facility in Costa Rica. Ava was cautiously optimistic. He saw it on her face and heard it in her tone. He hoped three thousand miles was enough distance to keep Jayne's drama at a minimum. New drama had appeared in the form of someone claiming to be Ava's father. For now Ava was content to keep him at a distance. David had pressed for a DNA test; Ava wasn't in a hurry. She still hadn't accepted that she might have two half siblings.

Mason wasn't going to push her.

Knowing the truth wouldn't change who she was.

Bingo pressed against his leg and Ava's hand slipped into his as she watched Zander come up the walk. "He said he had more news about Scott Heuser."

Mason didn't care to ever hear the director's name again. "I can't believe I admired that guy."

Ava said nothing. They'd talked the subject of Scott into the ground. Murderer. Psychopath. Son of a crazy mother. Good program director. It added up to a profile that'd made Special Agent Euzent stay in town for two extra days to dissect the killer's background.

Halloween night haunted Mason's dreams. The sensation of falling. The rope around his neck. His hands useless behind him. Ava's scream. Scott's eyes.

Sometimes it was fourteen-year-old Scott who pushed him off the platform.

Sometimes his feet never hit the ground.

Sometimes Ava found him hanging hours later.

He squeezed her hand, feeling his palms start to sweat, and hobbled to the front door before Zander could ring the bell.

A wave of brisk outdoor air entered with the FBI agent, and he looked run-down from a grueling week of investigation and cleanup. Ava had taken the week off as her shooting was reviewed, but ASAC Duncan had privately a.s.sured her of a positive result. The victim who'd been stabbed in the minutes before she shot Scott had provided clear testimony about the threat Scott posed.

Ava got Zander a cup of coffee and they took seats next to the woodstove. Bingo laid his head on Zander's knee, staring at the agent until he received a head rub.

"We found Heidi Nickle," Zander said with a grim look. "I didn't tell you about the initial discovery two days ago because I wanted confirmation from the medical examiner."

"He killed her," Ava said flatly.

"We found remains buried in a shed near the home. One of the investigators had questioned some odd pavers that'd been laid in a rectangle in the corner of the shed. They seemed to serve no purpose, and we brought in a cadaver dog to see if there was a point in digging beneath them. Euzent had theorized that Scott had killed her and buried her body somewhere close to the property, because we couldn't find any recent records of her. It was like she'd vanished."

"Did the shed have two narrow high windows? And the rest of the floor was dirt?" asked Mason.

"Yes. We also found a couple of baseball bats with blood on them in there. We're having them a.n.a.lyzed."

I shared a room with a corpse?

"She was in a shallow grave under the pavers. We covered the rest of the property with the dog, but didn't find anything else."

I could have ended up under the pavers, too.

"What did the ME say?" asked Ava.

"Based on dental records, it's her. She had one huge fracture from a bash to her skull and her hyoid was broken. Dr. Rutledge suspects the blow to the head came first and then Scott strangled her."

"And continued to live in her home as if nothing had happened," added Mason.

Sick.

"One of the bedroom closets was full of her clothing. And the attached bathroom still had a woman's hygiene products."

"I wonder when he killed her." Ava gave a deep sigh. "He seemed so normal. I genuinely liked him when I interviewed him."

"That's the general consensus. He was a master at hiding his other side."

"What pushed him to target the cops?" asked Ava. "Why now?"

"Euzent theorizes that Regina Zuch might have triggered some anger in him."

"Micah's mother?"

"Yes, Scott mentored Micah for an entire year, and Regina admits she pursued him pretty hard. I guess his position as the director appealed to her as much as a uniform."

"She's at least ten or fifteen years older than him," stuttered Ava.

Mason elbowed her.

"We're different," she argued.

Mason straightened. "Scott didn't believe that his mother pursued me. He said I crushed her with my lies and behavior. Maybe he didn't want to believe his mother had been like Regina."

"What's Micah doing now?" asked Ava.

"We released him to his mother. He confessed he'd been stalking Scott Heuser for a long time, even following him to the coast when Scott targeted Denny Schefte. He was a bit obsessed with the director. Regina says he's supposed to take medication for OCD, but she suspects he throws it away. I think this shook her up enough to reevaluate how much help her son needs."

"It's over now," said Zander. "We'll probably never know what went on in his brain, but Euzent will do his best to figure it out."

Mason didn't doubt it.

"We also found more horror masks and a silicone finger with the happy face fingerprint at Scott's place. All he had to do was touch his nose with it to pick up some oils and press it where he wanted to leave the fingerprint."

"Did he plan for more victims?" Ava asked.

"Good question. No other mentors had worked with him, but he killed Vance Weldon for some reason. I suspect his mother hooked up with Weldon through a different element of Cops 4 Kidz and Weldon's wife didn't know about it." Zander met Mason's gaze. "You were lucky that rope was an inch too long."

"Tell me about it."

"It was a brand-new rope. Somewhere I read that the experienced hangmen would use an old, well-conditioned rope because it doesn't stretch. New ropes stretch."

Mason shuddered. He hadn't meant for Zander to literally tell him about it.

"Can you come for Thanksgiving dinner?" Ava changed the subject. "I'm excited to cook in my new kitchen and we'd love to have you."

A small smile crossed the agent's face. "I'd be honored."

"Good. My neighbor Cheryl is coming, too." She paused. "I'm not trying to set you up. You both happen to be two of our favorite people. No pressure."

The smile faded a bit. "None taken. I'm looking forward to meeting her." Zander stood. "I need to be going."

Ava watched Zander's car back out of their driveway and wondered if she'd pushed too hard. "Did I scare him?" she asked.

"He needs a little shaking up," said Mason. "He's too set in his ways."

She gave him a side eye.

"I'm proof," Mason stated. "Shaking up is good. You just don't appreciate it until it's over."

"I'm glad you appreciate it now," she stated.

"I do. I'm stunned at how dense I was. I'd sat back in my easy chair and was content to let life stream past me. You came along and yanked me into the rushing water." He took her hands and made her face him. "Now. When are we holding this wedding?"

She swallowed hard, blinking under the intensity of his brown gaze. "I don't know."

"Why don't you know?"

"You choose," she countered, unable to answer his question.

He was silent a moment, his gaze searching hers. "There's something between us that's stopping you. Is it the age difference?"

"No! I've told you a dozen times that I don't care about our ages." Truth.

"Then what is it?"

"Do you want kids?" she blurted. Her lips pressed into a tight line. She'd said it. The one little anomalous piece that couldn't find its proper position in the puzzle of their lives was now out in the open. It hung between them, heavy and dense. A turning point.

Mason took a half step back. "Do you?" His brows furrowed.

She felt raw and exposed under his scrutiny.

"I don't know," she whispered as her brain shot into fifth gear and her fears tumbled from her tongue. "You've said you're done with kids, and I'm scared that Jayne's weaknesses will be pa.s.sed to my child, and I don't know if I'm cut out to be a mother, and what if one of us dies on the job and-"

He yanked her close, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his face into her hair. "I want whatever you want. Forget what I've said in the past. All that matters is that we move forward together. We've got a lifetime to figure it out."

I almost lost you.

She burrowed into his chest. "But I don't know what I want and it's not fair to you-"

"I know what's fair," he said. "I'd love to share a child that's a blend of me and you, but I also believe we can be happy if it's just the two of us. We don't have to decide right this minute. It's something for us to explore together."

She pulled back, studying his brown eyes for honesty.

Pure truth stared back at her.

"After we're married." He raised a brow at her.

She owed him a wedding decision.

Decisions on children could wait; they'd find the answer together.

The silent burden lifted from her shoulders, and her doubts vanished. Her vision filled with a crystal-clear picture of the two of them exchanging vows. "I want a summer wedding at the winery." She couldn't speak fast enough. "I know it's farther away, but I want to see blue sky and smell fresh flowers . . . and for the sun to shine on us as we say our vows."

His face lit up. "Done. It sounds perfect."

Contentment filled her heart.

She couldn't wait.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

It felt good to return to Mason and Ava. I'd taken a break to write a new Bone Secrets book, and during that time readers contacted me, hoping Spiraled wasn't the last book for this couple. Readers also begged me to take it easier on Ava. One asked me to get her pregnant and simply let her enjoy her new kitchen. I love to hear how readers have connected to the characters. I'd never planned for Spiraled to be the final book, and I don't plan for Targeted to be, either, but there will be another break while I write a few books in a new series, starting with A Merciful Death. You'll find a few familiar faces in the new series, and a new couple in the spotlight.

Thank you to my Montlake team, which gives me amazing support to write my books: Anh, Jessica, Marlene, Kimberly, and Hai-Yen. A high five to my agent Meg Ruley; I smile when I see that New York area code pop up on my phone. A gigantic thank-you to Charlotte Herscher, the only person I allow to see my work in its unedited state. I don't use beta readers or critique partners before my publisher sees my books; I only have room for one other voice in my head when I'm writing, and it is Charlotte's.

My girls are my cheerleaders and always want to know what's going on with my books. This week my youngest pointed out that she hadn't seen me writing lately. I explained that I was between books, which in turn made it clear why there'd been fewer frozen pizzas for dinner. My husband is fantastic about clearing my path so I can focus on writing. Everyone knows he's zombie- and horror-obsessed, so this book is for him.

READ ON FOR A SNEAK PEEK OF KENDRA ELLIOT'S NEXT BOOK, A MERCIFUL DEATH.

This is an uncorrected excerpt and may not reflect the finished book..

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