"Michelle?"
Startled, she looked up.
"You haven't spoken in a while. How are you doing?"
"Oh." She pushed her hair behind her ears. "I'm alright."
"Would you like to share more with the group? We have some newcomers today. Perhaps they could benefit from your story."
She really didn't want to share with the group, but one quick glance around was enough to see the curiosity in their eyes.
"Alright," she said. "I'm a detective here in the city. Um. I'm here because... Because about a year ago I was dating this guy, well, engaged to this guy, and working on a serial assassin case and I didn't connect the dots quick enough."
A man across the circle from her, another detective, nodded knowingly.
"The man I thought I was in love with turned out to be the killer. He killed my partner before I..." She stumbled to a stop.
The therapist offered her a smile. "And what about now?"
"Now?" She twisted her fingers together. "Now I'm... still at the precinct. Still trying to catch bad guys. Making sure it doesn't happen again."
"Go on. What about your partner? Where are you on that front?"
"Doing better, I guess. Some days are still..." She stared hard at her hands. "Some days I look up and I'm still confused when I don't see him at the other desk with his feet up. Sometimes when I screw up I still expect him to make some joking comment about it. I still see him at the bar. Parking lots. Crowds."
"But it's getting easier?"
"A little."
"How about you tell the others what you're doing for your partner, and then we'll move on to Kenny's story."
Michelle sighed. She didn't like sharing any of her story, but especially not this part.
"My... fiancé... left me a lot of money. I didn't want it. So I... I started a scholarship in my partner's name. The Daniel Barnes scholarship. It's for teens from rough households who want to go into policework."
"Thank you for sharing, Michelle."
The others echoed the therapist's words, and she ducked her head.
One day the story would be easier to tell.
*** *** ***
YOU ARE READING
HUNT
Mystery / Thriller***Sequel to HUSH*** Three years after murdering his wife and two children, Bennett Rhodes is still on the loose. The case goes cold, with no sightings and no new murders. However, Detective Mick Lancaster knows that Rhodes is still out there, bidin...
