Epilogue

Finding out that Emmett’s snitch, Huey Stuart, had been coerced by Cedric Blood into setting him up had led them to Blood’s real motivation for coming after Jack. Blood had been feared while on the streets but hadn’t enjoyed the same reputation in prison, especially when the man whose territory he’d usurped already had a fearsome reputation inside and had retaliated harshly and often.

The beatings might have made Blood meaner but the humiliation had pushed him over the edge and he’d blamed Jack for convincing Delia Carson to testify against him and sending him to prison. He had planned to kill anyone who cared about Jack. To ensure Huey’s help, Blood had been holding his girlfriend, Arlene, hostage and would have killed her if he hadn’t followed instructions.

Which they would have known a whole lot earlier if Huey could have screwed up his courage and admitted what he’d been forced to do when Arlene had been released after Blood’s death. It was no surprise that Blood had been the one who’d trashed Val’s house. He’d forced Huey to wait with a getaway car two blocks away.

Evie Masterson divorced her husband while he was being held for her attempted murder. His connection to someone in the department had been a bluff because no one came forward to intercede on his behalf. It appeared that the budget cuts had indeed been the only reason McCoy had been told to back off.

If Elliott Masterson had destroyed the shower curtain with his wife’s blood on it, he might have gotten away with his wild claims of assault and battery, but like all weak men, he’d been unwilling to give up any measure of control.

During the month after Jack and Val had announced their engagement, both their families had gotten so caught up in the wedding plans they’d driven them both crazy. They’d ended up eloping. McCoy had offered them the use of his cabin in the Ozarks for a week and promised not to tell anyone where they were. He’d said it was the least he could do. Val had agreed.

They returned just in time to participate in the benefit fashion show for Wylde House that featured a stunning cast of police officers, firemen and EMTs, one of whom was used to wearing a kilt and had no problem baring his knees in a pleated black leather man-skirt.

There was some speculation that he had eyes for a certain Goth pixie who had been scurrying around seeing to last-minute details while he was being fitted. It seemed that Evie Masterson’s former experience with committee work had come in handy and she’d taken to being in charge with a vengeance.

There was also some speculation that the sidelong glances Evie sent Archer McCoy during the benefit were nothing more than hero worship and not at all out of the norm. Emmett was taking side bets to the contrary.

And Jack and Val decided that as beautiful as the view was, his apartment was just too small. He moved back into her house where they welcomed friends and family and Moocher, who continued to divide her time between their house and Mrs. H’s.

When spring arrived they hired a very surprised and extremely hard-working Ronnie Cook to help paint and do yard work and made sure he realized that sometimes you do get points for trying.