Free Beyond the Shadows by LaVerne Clark Page A

far away from. But she’d been haunted by the show of vulnerability and curious. Then that curiosity morphed into a wild attraction she had no hope of controlling.
    The shower shut off and, moments later, she heard faint sounds of him brushing his teeth. She picked up the remote and surfed the channels, pretending interest in case he popped out before bed. He was exhausted and she figured if he thought she was going to bed soon, he would be more likely to also. The man’s pride knew no bounds. Anyone could see how precariously balanced he was towards collapse. But his energy, drive, and determination kept him going. Even while she cursed his stubbornness, she admired him for it. Those traits were a large part of what drew her to him.
    An image on the screen dragged her attention back and she was glad she didn’t have to pretend interest. Acting had never been her strong suit.
    “Typical cop,” she snorted, noting she’d come across a news channel. “Why do I not get distracted by some silly sitcom instead? I’m sure it’s much healthier.” She shook her head at her fascination with the macabre. The grin faded from her face as she realized there was something disturbingly familiar about the image that had caught her eye.
    She frowned, squinting and then gasped. The anchor, a beautifully made-up woman fronted the desk. Her face was arranged in a serious expression, but that wasn’t what had caught her attention. It was the square of frozen footage above the woman’s shoulder. The scene struck her as all too familiar. When it unfroze and increased to full screen, it became all too obvious why. She increased the volume and sat transfixed, her stomach churning as the story unfolded.
    And in breaking news. Another body was discovered today with mutilation marks similar to those on the victims of Scott Williams, the man dubbed the Mortician Murderer. Do we have a copycat killer out there, or was Scott Williams, in fact, innocent of murder as he’d vehemently pleaded in court? Did the police make a terrible mistake in their quest for justice?
    Kelly’s blood ran cold, her body frozen in denial. She pressed her hand hard over her mouth. This particular case still haunted her. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she held it in for a count of ten seconds before letting it out. Her mind cleared, allowing her to examine the situation with logic.
    She checked the channel. It was one of the smaller news stations. No doubt, they exaggerated some of the facts in order to win more viewers. And there had been nothing bigger than the capture of the serial killer who had gripped a nation with terror. What better way to increase their nightly ratings?
    Unable to watch anymore, she pressed record on the remote. Once her mind stopped racing, she wanted to be able to watch it again, to take in the significance of things she may have missed during the first viewing. And to look at the case with fresh eyes, a voice in the back of her mind whispered.
    As far as on the job training went, Kelly’s first taste of being a front-line officer couldn’t have been tougher or more exciting. From day one, she’d been thrust into one of the country’s biggest murder cases, and an active one to boot. Instead of being stuck behind a desk typing up her partner’s reports, she’d been in the thick of it, lending a hand where she could, and trying to help stop a madman’s reign of terror from escalating.
    The whole city had been wrapped in a web of fear while the vicious and bizarre murders occurred, seemingly at random. No pattern emerged, meaning the team hadn’t been able to preempt the killer no matter how many man-hours they put into the case. And he liked to bide his time making it more difficult to track his movements. His intelligent actions made him all the more terrifying.
    When the damning photos of Scott Williams outside the victim’s house appeared in the station’s inbox, suddenly they had a breakthrough and a suspect. His