Written by David Bell that she read Ron McLarty and all the tests in to Tom and Patty Macy at the fourth and have fun you've earned chapter 1 Amos Decker would forever remember all three of their violent deaths in the most paralyzing shade of blue and cut into him at unpredictable moments like a got a knife made of colored light he would never be free from the stakeout have been long and ultimately unproductive driving home he had been looking forward to catching a few hours of sleep before hitting the streets once more he pulls into the driveway of the modest two-story vinyl cider that was 25 years old and would take at least that long to pay off the rain and slick the pavement and as a size 14 boots made contact he slipped a bit before traction was getting close the car door quietly certain that all inside would be asleep at this late hour he trudged to the screen door leading into the kitchen and let himself in the quiet was to be expected with the two quiet nature of the setting was not the nonsense that then and later wondered why not it was one of many failures on his part that night and paused in the kitchen to pour a glass of water from the tap he chugged and set the glass in the sink white Christian dry and headed to the next room he slipped on the floor this time his big body tumble it was slick herringbone pattern parquet and he had fallen before it is that would be far different because of what he was about to observe the movement it shafted into the front window enough that he could see clearly when he held up his hand it was a different color red blood come from somewhere and he picked himself up to find out where he discovered the source in the next room Johnny sex his brother-in-law a big burly fellow like Jim laid low event closer get on his knees his face an inch or so from Johnny's his throat had been slit from year to year there was no need to check for a pulse that could be not most of his blood was on the floor he should've pulled his phone and hid 911 at that very moment he knew better. Not to stampede around the crime scene for that was what his home and become by virtue of the dead man killed by violent means it was now a museum in touch anything is professional side scream the Senate but this was only one body his gaze jerked to the stairs in his mind suddenly disengaged his total panic seized every bit of the gut feeling that life or just robbed Decker of everything he would ever have so he ran his boots pushing coagulating pools of blood out would like an incoming tide he was destroying vital evidence royally screwing up with should've been kept pristine right now he didn't give a damn track Johnny's blood right up the stairs taking the treads three the time his breasts were gasps in his heart was pumping so fast and feeling so bloated it was a wonder his chest wall can contain it is mind seemed paralyzed but his limbs were somehow still moving of their own accord. The hallway bounced off one wall minutes twin as he rocketed down to the first door on the left P never took out his gun that even bothering to think that the killer could still be there waiting for him to come home he smashed open the door with his shoulder and looked wildly around nothing no doctor he froze in the doorway is the light on the nightstand dimly illuminated the barefoot that protruded above the mattress on the far side that foot details and massaged his and kissed it on occasion over many years it was long narrow but somehow still dainty the toe next to the big one slightly longer than it should veins on solid calluses underneath the nails painted red it was all as it should be accepted should not be poking above the mattress at this time of night that meant the rest of her was down on the floor and why would that be unless he edged that side of the bed and looked down Cassandra Decker Casita all including and most importantly him stared up at him from her position on the floor while staring was beyond her know he stumbled forward stopped next to her and then slowly melt his bluejeans knees coming to rest in the patch of blood collected next to her necklace clean no one there that was not the source of the blood are for it was a single entry gunshot he knew he shouldn't but he is designed to scoop her head off the floor cradle it next to his heaving chest her long dark hair splayed out over his arm like frozen spray from a heartbreaker with Don on her forehead was blackened and blistered from the heat of the bullet contact preceded by a muscles kiss lasting only a second before the projectile into their life at you been asleep as you walk in which even door the terror of seeing her killer standing over the wondered all this as he held his wife for what would be the last time you put it back where you found her Decker stared down at the face that was white and lifeless black and died in the middle of her for it to be his final memory of her grammatical. At the very end of everything he rose his legs feeling numbness he staggered out of the room and down the halls of the appear he did not force the store open he was in no hurry now he knew what he was going to find it just didn't know what the killers method first knife second and she wasn't in the bed which left the adjoining bath the overhead light was on in their burning brightly the killer it obviously wanted to see the last one clearly there she sat on the toilet held there with a sash from her road wrapped around the water tank for otherwise she would've fallen over he drew close his feet didn't slip it was no blood this little girl had no obvious wounds he could see with any drew closer as a ligature marks on her neck ugly and blotchy like someone it burned her there may be the rope session used maybe the guys hands deck and didn't know didn't care death by strangulation was not painless it was excruciating and terrifying and she would've been staring right up at him while he slowly compressed a life away Marley would've been 10 three days a party had been plant guests invited presents boy and a sheet cake with chocolate inside ordered you getting time off to help Jesse to work full-time and also did pretty much everything here because his job was not a 9 to 5 are not even close then joked about it what he know about real life grocery shopping paying the bills taking Molly to the doctor nothing as it turned out not a damn thing clueless descent on the floor in front of his dead child crossing his long legs like his little girl like to do to the bottom of each foot was wedged against the inner thigh of the opposite leg he was flexible for a big man the lotus position or something like that didn't even know why he was thinking this he realized he must be in shock her eyes were wide open staring back at him but not see like mom she would never see them again Decker just sat there rocking back and forth looking at her but not really seeing her in his baby girl sure is heaven not seeing her daddy either this is it nothing left a note stating by myself can do it he slipped the compact nine mill from his belt holster and make sure around was chambered by racking the slide he kept in his hands this little piece was accurate enough stopping power he never shot anyone with but he wanted to be stared down at the muzzle with ER insights how many rounds fired the police range thousand 10,000 will he couldn't miss tonight he opened his mouth and swallowed the most angling it upward so the bullet would hit the brain make the end quick his finger came to rest on the trigger guard he looked up at Molly suddenly embarrassed he slipped the gun out and put it against his right temple and closed his eyes so he couldn't see her again his index finger slipped to the trigger guard once passed it to the trigger then the slow steady pull to the point of no return he never feel anything is brain dead before he could tell the rest of his body that he checked himself he just had to pull just pull things you got nothing to lose because you got nothing left their hair he held the gun there wondering what he would say to his family once they were all reunited I'm sorry forgive me I wish I'd been here to protect you from whoever did this I should have been here to protect you heal the gun tighter digging the metal against Temple so hard he felt the smooth barrel cut into his skin a drop of blood appeared and was worked into his gray hair which she was fairly certain they become even grayer the last few minutes he wasn't seeking the courage to do it he was desperately searching for the right balance yet could there ever be balance and taking one's own life still holding the gun in place he slid out his phone dial 911 identify themselves by name and badge number and into concise sentences describe the slaughter of a trio of people he dropped the phone on the floor down below is Johnny, Cassie here on the toilet was Molly and suddenly without warning he was seeing all this outlined in the most terrifying shade of the bodies the house might this bubble of blue was everywhere and he tilted his gaze to the ceiling and scream that occurs fueling it with all the rage and loss he was right now feeling the damn colors intruding even on this likely not be normal for just this one time in his complete misery he lowered his head and sat there on the floor with a gun to his head and absolutely nothing left in the rest of the was ready to die ready to join the for some reason unknown even to him Amos Decker didn't pull the trigger and so that was exactly all the cops found them when they showed up four minutes later chapter 2 a park bench painted red the unsettling knife like chill of fall training to winter Amos Decker sat on the bench waiting the sparrow zipped across in front of them narrowly dodged a passing car before soaring upward catching a breeze drifting away he noted the make model plate number and physical descriptions of all in the car before it left husband-and-wife in the front and a kid in the back and a booster seat another one next to it over about 10 the rear bumper had a sticker that read my kit is an honor roll student at Thorne crest Elementary congrats you just told a psycho exactly where to snatch your very smart kid then a bus rolled to a near stop he ran his gaze over it making the same observations 14 passengers most looking depressed and tired though it was still only midday one was energetic child EB Bob next to his exhausted mother and sat slumped over a fat bag perched in the lab the driver was a newbie to face a sheet of nervousness even with the power steering she fought the wheel and took the next turn so slowly it look like the buses engine had died a plain sort overhead low enough for him the idea is United 737 a later model because of the winglets with the number 737 for him the color silver popped out the number 737 was in his mind a beautiful concoction sleek silver fast bullet like anything beginning with a seven gave him that reaction he appreciated that Boeing numbered all its aircraft beginning with 72 young men walked past observed recorded one was older and bigger the Alpha