MARY CLARK: Piece of My Heart

“Move!” he yelled. “Go outside. Right now.”

Both Marcy and the boy froze in confusion. “I’m talking to Johnny,” he said calmly, forcing himself to use the name given to his son by the Buckleys. “Stand up and go outside and wait. I promise you that your mother will be fine.”

Marcy rose to her feet and pulled Johnny to his feet, giving him a tight hug. “Do what he says, Johnny. For me. You’re so brave. I love you so much.”

“Listen to your mom,” Daniel said. “And remember one thing, Johnny. No matter what you hear, or what you learn, I wasn’t always like this. Something happened that changed me, which means you’ll never be like me, okay?”

Daniel could tell that the words only confused the boy, but he hoped that one day, he would understand. At least he wouldn’t be scarred by the sight of what was about to happen here.

“You’re going outside first, Johnny,” Charlie said. “And your mom and Auntie Laurie are going to join you real soon. I promise.”

His eyes full of worry, Johnny finally let go of his mother and began to walk backward slowly. Daniel felt his heart break once again as he watched his son walk out the door to begin the rest of his life.

Leo had not heard anything since Charlie had followed Laurie inside. And then just as he heard the unmistakable sound of Laurie’s voice yelling “Drop it!” he finally managed to spring the trap open, freeing his leg.

He reached for the knob of Daniel Turner’s back door but then stopped himself, wincing from the pain shooting through his ankle. He tried to place weight on his injured leg, but couldn’t do it. He didn’t have a gun, and he could barely walk. He suspected a broken bone. As desperately as he wanted to run to Laurie, he was terrified that his sudden appearance would make matters worse. He’d never forgive himself if he got Laurie killed by acting too rashly.

He was about to open the door when he heard another voice. “Help! Somebody… help!! Is anyone here?”

It was Johnny, and he was outside. Limping, Leo made his way to the side of the house, following the sound of Johnny’s voice. Spotting Johnny in the driveway, running toward the street, he let out a loud whistle. Johnny jumped in response to the sound. When his head turned in Leo’s direction, Leo waved for him to move toward the wood line.

When their paths finally met, Leo felt his eyes moisten as the boy grabbed him in the tightest hug imaginable.

“My mom.” His words were frantic, his breath warm against Leo’s face. “She’s in there with the bad man. And Aunt Laurie, too. And another policeman.”

“Shhh. We’re not going to let anything happen to your mom, okay? And your daddy got here, too. Let’s go find him.” Laurie had shared their exact location with Andrew via her cell phone when they parked the car, and Andrew was convinced his years as a Boy Scout would help him navigate his way through the woods from there. “He’s going to be so happy to see you.”

Leo took Johnny’s hand to lead him away from the house. Just as he spotted Andrew heading toward them, they heard the sound of a single gunshot boom across the treetops.

The last nine days had felt like years, but the nightmare ended quickly. There would be no Day Ten of their terror.

Marcy ran out the front door within seconds of the gunshot. Charlie Turner yelled at Laurie to follow her. “Go!” he ordered.

Marcy’s voice sounded almost primal as she called out for her son.

“Johnny!! Where are you? Johnny! Mama’s here now. It’s safe to come out—I promise!”

“We’re here!” Johnny’s voice echoed across the treetops.

Laurie watched as Johnny and his father emerged from the woods moments later. Marcy fell to her knees on the dirt path, pulling her son tightly against her. Andrew stroked Johnny’s hair, reassuring him that they were all going to be okay. Laurie felt a knot in her throat as she watched tears of joy stream down their faces. She was about to head for the back of the house to check on her father when he, too, stepped into the clearing. He was limping, but his face was overcome with relief when he made eye contact with Laurie. She nodded in his direction, reassuring him that the family was finally out of danger.

The Turner family’s nightmare had a very different ending. Once he had ordered Johnny to leave the house, Daniel Turner had raised his gun toward Marcy and announced he was going to pull the trigger, giving the chief of police no choice. When the FBI arrived, they found Charlie cradling his younger brother’s body, praying that he would finally have peace.

Chapter 71

Five Weeks Later

Laurie heard a knock at the door. “Come on in!”

Even though today’s gathering was a small one, she’d had what felt like a constant parade of visitors. She smiled at the sight of her father behind her in the mirror.

“You look happy,” she said. The limp he’d had for weeks was unnoticeable today. His injuries from Daniel Turner’s bear trap had led to swelling and bruising, but no broken bones.

“Of course I do. Today’s the happiest day of all.”

“Yes, but I suspect it has something to do with that phone call you had to take.”

“Work talk can wait,” he said.

“Come on. Tell me.”

“Fine, you dragged it out of me. The plan worked. Gunther admitted everything.” As planned, Mason Rollins’s cooperation had been enough to persuade Toby Carver to do the same. He had made a surprise visit to Gunther’s prison that morning and gotten him to implicate himself in the murders of both Lou Finney and Clarissa DeSanto. “They captured the entire conversation on tape at the prison.”

“I’m so happy your name got cleared, Dad.”

“More important, Gunther will be in prison for the rest of his life. The DA is going to reduce the charges against Summer because of the help she provided in the investigation.”

The door opened again, and Grace and Charlotte tumbled in, champagne glasses in hand.

“Leo, what are you doing in here?” Charlotte asked.

“No boys allowed!” Grace teased.

“That only applies to the groom, not the father of the bride. My daughter and I were discussing my very important job of walking her down the aisle.”

“Speaking of which, it’s officially time, Laurie,” Charlotte said. “You ready?”

“I’ve never been more ready for anything.”

They had rescheduled the wedding only after Marcy and Andrew assured them that their entire family was ready. Johnny now had a basic understanding of the lives of his biological parents and how they had ended. Roseanne Robinson and Sandra Carpenter had even volunteered to meet with him when he was older so he could learn more about Michelle and Daniel before things had gone wrong for them.

Marcy and Andrew knew he’d have other questions and concerns as he grew and matured, but for the time being, he was their happy boy again.

Today, Johnny was also the ring bearer, leading his sisters, the flower girls, down the aisle to where Alex waited, with Andrew by his side. On the other side of the priest stood Timmy, ready to serve as Laurie’s untraditional best man.

Also bucking tradition, the string quartet played “At Last” by Etta James for their small procession. Ramon, Grace, Jerry, and Charlotte were the only guests besides family. Grace fanned her eyes with perfectly manicured hands, trying not to cry.

As Laurie took her place at the altar, she gazed up and smiled at Alex. He looked perfect. Everything was perfect.

“You okay?” he whispered. She had never seen him so content.

She nodded. Perfect, except she knew she would never make it through the vows without shedding some tears of her own.

As she turned to make sure her father had taken his seat, she had an image of Greg sitting next to him. He was smiling. He was happy for her.