The Silent Killer Prologue

PROLOGUE

Rain Bertrand made her way through the woods near her family cabin at Piper Point and tried to let the beauty of the area distract her from the heartbreaking reality of the loss of her mother.

“I’ve always loved this trail,” she told Brad, who had been her rock over the past few weeks.

“It’s really breathtaking out here,” Brad said. “I can see why this place has always meant so much to you and your mother.”

“It’s like a second home,” she said, thinking of all the time spent out there. “Thanks again for suggesting we come here. It really has helped a lot. Being here makes me feel close to her somehow. I can’t explain it.”

“Well, you always said it was your favorite place in the whole world. I just hoped it could help you heal a little. Give you a little peace. I know how much it means to you and how much you miss your mom.”

Rain stopped in a clearing and looked up at the sky, where the sun was starting to dip into the treetops. “I still can’t believe she’s gone.”

“She’s looking over you,” he said, easing back against a tree. He smiled at her in the twilight. “And you’ll see her again someday. We’ll all see the ones we’ve loved and lost. At least we have that to look forward to.”

Rain had never really thought much about death or where people went, but she knew her mother was a woman of faith, and that was supposed to secure her mom’s place in heaven. “I hope so. I really wanted her to see our wedding. I know we already said our vows and all, but you know it’s not really the same as walking down the aisle.”

“I told you,” he said. “You can have whatever you want when the time is right. There’s no rush. We’ll have the rest of our lives together.”

The thought comforted her, but she also knew she couldn’t have whatever she wanted. She couldn’t have her mother back, no matter what prayers she tried. And without her mother, there wasn’t really any sense of moving forward with a big wedding. She just didn’t have the heart for it, unless she walked down the aisle in all black. The best thing they could do was file their marriage certificate and move on to a life together.

Her mother had left her plenty in the will, and she knew that with her money and Brad’s, they would never really want for anything.

Rain wrapped her arms around her middle. Her heavy coat was enough to keep her warm, but the loss of her mother made her feel cold inside. Everything safe and warm was gone from the world. Despite his best efforts, not even Brad could make it better.

“I want to live here,” she said. It wasn’t the most practical idea, but she knew how hard it would be to go back to her mother’s house, knowing that she would never walk those halls again.

“I think we could make it work out here,” he said. “But it might be too hard a commute. I mean, Lakewood is still a way out, even if you could find a job. And I’m pretty sure you’ll miss your closet space back home.”

“I know,” she said. “It doesn’t hurt to dream.” She let out a heavy sigh and continued down the path.

Brad pulled her to a stop. “No, it doesn’t. That’s the one thing we get for free in this world.” He looked at her and smiled. He had been quiet, handling her with care, knowing her loss, and giving her the space she needed.

He moved in closer and kissed her, smiling bigger. “I love you,” he said.

“I love you too,” she said. Brad meant everything to her now. He was all she had left in the whole world, her only harbor in a stormy sea.

As she started down the trail again, she held his hand. “You have really been good to me. Thanks so much for everything.”

“Well, it’s the least I can do for my gorgeous wife.”

“You spoil me.” She had never met anyone who had made her feel as happy. The man was truly devoted to her.

“Let’s go this way,” he said, gesturing to another trail.

She stopped walking and shook her head. “No, that’s not a good idea. It’s just the old pond out there. It’s a dead end.”

“Oh,” he said, his brows raising with curiosity. “So it just stops at the pond?”

She nodded. “Yeah. It won’t lead back around to the house.”

“Is the pond frozen?”

“Maybe,” she said, not liking where his mind was going. He was always adventurous, and it was hard to change his mind once he got an idea. “But it’s definitely not frozen enough to walk back across. It’s not safe. Mom always said to stay clear of it.”

“Oh, well, you’re not a kid anymore,” he said with a chuckle. “Come on. Let’s at least check it out. It will be fun.” He gave her that daring look and grinned. “I just want to see it.”

It was really hard for her to tell him no when he had been so good to her. Why not let him explore a little?

“Fine,” she said. “We’ll go, but only for a minute, and I’m not getting too close. This side of the pond is worse than the side near the cabin.”

“Okay, fine. We don’t have to get close.”

She thought about everything that could happen in a place like that and how long it would take for any medical help to arrive. That had always been something her mother had warned her about. Being out in the country was great, but you had to be responsible for your own safety.

That was the reason she wasn’t as familiar with the trail. In her head, that trail screamed danger.

“By the way, what did that man want last night?” she asked Brad. One of the men from a neighboring campsite showed up at their cabin the evening before, wanting to talk to him while she was on her way to the shower.

“Can you believe he wanted to take photos of the cabin? And he wanted to know if we were expecting anyone else.” Brad rolled his eyes.

“That’s creepy, isn’t it?” She frowned. “Taking pictures? And why does he care if we’re having guests or not? He’s not some weirdo stalker, is he?”

She had known the family who owned the other cabin as a child, but since then, it had gone through so many hands that she had lost track. Now, it was a rental, and she really didn’t know who stayed there or what kinky shit they were into.

All she knew was there was a woman and a man. She had waved at the woman when they passed by on the way to their own cabin just down the road. The woman hadn’t waved back.

Brad shrugged. “I’m sure they’re harmless. All he really cared about was tire tracks mucking up the scenery. As if I could help that.”

Rain narrowed her eyes. “Tire tracks? Why?”

“He’s some kind of photographer and wanted to get the unblemished snow. His words, not mine.”

“Wow. That really takes some balls,” she said. “Like we’re just supposed to stay inside so he can get a great photograph of our cabin? He can get a picture of me flipping him the bird.”

Brad chuckled. “Well, I wouldn’t let it bother you. I’m sure that man and his woman are both so self-absorbed that there could be an avalanche and they wouldn’t notice.”

“Don’t even say that,” she said, looking to the mountaintops in the distance.

They made their way through the trail, which grew narrower ahead. Wild brambles crowded the path, threatening to claw at their clothes and scratch their skin.

“See, I knew this was a bad idea,” she said. “It’s all grown up.”

“No, it’s just through here,” he said, leading the way. “I can see a clearing up ahead. Just watch the branches.”

“That’s not a clearing, that’s just the water, and we’re on the wrong side of it. We should have kept heading home. It’s going to be dark soon.”

“Patience, my sweet,” he said, giving her a sly grin. “You know how much I love looking out over the water.”

“But it’s not water. It’s going to be ice at this point.”

“Even better. We’ll make love on the ice.” He chuckled.

“I’d prefer doing it in front of a warm fire.” She pulled him to a stop and kissed him. “I do feel better being out here with you. It almost feels like a normal day before I lost Mom.”

They moved to the edge of what would usually be water and looked over the ice toward the cabin.

“Wow,” he said. “It looks amazing from this side. This is where that weirdo photographer should come to get a picture.”

“Nah,” she said. “This view is all ours. I don’t want to share with anyone.”

Brad pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. When he pulled away, he looked down at the ice just feet away. “It doesn’t look that thick,” he said.

“Oh, it’s probably just a thin sheet at this point. Probably not even an inch.”

“Let’s see how thin,” he said, walking over to pick up a branch.

“What are you doing?” she asked. “You really should be careful. The cabin might not look far from here, but it’s a long way back around. Too long if you fall in or get wet.”

“Please,” he said. “I’m not going to get too close.” He walked over and hit the ice with the branch. “Wow, much tougher than I expected.” He hit it again.

“Brad, be careful,” she said. “I don’t want to lose you too.” Her nerves were really too far gone to handle much more.

“You won’t lose me,” he said. “I’ll be by your side forever.” He moved closer, kicked his boot against the ice, and laughed. “I think a few good whacks, and I’ll be through it.”

“Use the stick,” she said. “Not your foot. Please, Brad. You’re scaring me.”

Brad slapped the branch down on the ice, and it began to crack.

“Well, it was a nice view,” she said as he proceeded to destroy the ice.

“This is fun. You should give it a try.” He slapped the stick against it again, this time hearing the water splash.

“I’m not doing that,” she said.

“Come on,” he said. “What do you think will happen? I’m right here, babe. You need to loosen up and have some fun. Come on. I’ll hold on to you if it makes you feel better.”

He reached for her, and when she pulled back, he took a step in her direction. “Come on, Rain. Don’t you trust me?” He gave her a look that made her feel like she was hurting his feelings.

“I do, but this is risky. It’s not healthy.”

“Sure it is,” he said, taking her by the arm. He began to pull her to him, closer to the water’s edge where he had smashed the ice. “Stop being a baby.”

Something in his tone changed, and Rain stepped back away from him. “Stop it,” she said. “I’m not being a baby. I just don’t want to fall into the freezing water. You may not know anything about camping up here, but I do.”

“Stop being dramatic, babe.” He took a step away from the water and held out his hand. “Come here. It’s okay. I’m not trying to fight.”

She put her arms around him, and he held her head in the crook of his neck.

“You know I would never let anything happen to you,” he said.

“I know,” she said.

His grip tightened and his body shifted. Before she knew it, she was falling backward toward the icy water.

As she hit the ice, what was left of it broke away, and she went plummeting into the icy water. Her heavy coat and boots filled with water and dragged her down quickly.

As the coldness cut right through her, she could not believe he thought this was funny.

“Brad!” she screamed at him. “What are you doing?”

She reached up for him, only to find that he wasn’t reaching for her. In fact, he wasn’t doing anything. He stood over her on the edge, watching as she struggled in the frozen water that was already a mess with branches and tangles below.

She kicked off the heavy boots first, struggling against the weight, but finally, they broke free, sinking to the bottom.

The branches below reached up for her feet like ghostly hands that scraped against her socks as if they wanted to pull her down, and she was going down fast.

“Help me!” she said, crying for him to move. But he wasn’t frozen with fear. There was a sinister gleam in his eye, as if the devil were pulling his puppet strings.

Rain realized she had to fight for her life as her body succumbed to the cold. She was losing her strength and running out of time. She had to do all she could or face going under and never coming back. She shrugged out of the heavy coat, breaking away from it before it could drag her down.

She could hear her mother’s voice calling out to her. “Fight,” she shouted. “Fight!”

Rain found purchase on a slick branch below her feet and pushed herself up toward the bank where the weeds and grass would give her some traction.

One foot dug down into the muck as the other moved to push her up. As soon as she could, she crawled away from the water, soaked to the bone.

Brad stood there, silently watching her struggle, like a perverse version of himself. He stepped back as she tried to get to her feet, offering no help.

“What are you doing?” she asked him.

“Watching,” he said calmly.

“Why?” she asked, seeing her breath grow thicker with fog as her vision began to fade in and out. “Help me!”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t think I will.”

“I’ll die in this cold,” she said, growing desperate. But he wasn’t the man she knew. He wasn’t himself. He was a lie. “Do something!”

Seeing he wasn’t kidding, she crawled over to prop up against a tree and reached for nearby leaves, hoping to pluck them free and cover with them, only she didn’t have any strength, and her fingers, which were blue, didn’t have any feeling left in them.

Brad leaned against the tree to watch, and she wondered how long he had been planning this. It was all a nightmare. Maybe she died from the moment she hit the water.

“I knew he was no good,” said her mother’s voice as if she was speaking right into Rain’s ear. She knew it had to be a hallucination, but she didn’t mind one bit.

As much as Rain loved her, she didn’t want to see her mother anytime soon. She had to get up and get back to the cabin before hypothermia set in.

She got up the best she could, using the tree to help her. While her feet were so painful they felt as if they had been cut off, she walked on those numb stubs a few more steps and grabbed hold of another tree.

She would have to make slow progress to survive. But she knew her chances were slim. Tree to tree, she walked, but she had barely made it away from the first tree when she collapsed again, this time lying there face down in the snow.

“Please,” she said, making one last plea.

Brad didn’t budge. Instead, he looked back across the water. “You’re right, you know. It’s really beautiful here. I’m really going to love it.”

She realized what it had been about all along. And that she would never make it back. Whatever Brad was doing, he’d make sure of that just like he had made sure that she signed that insurance policy. Why had she ever trusted him?

And worse, she had trusted him with her mother. Why didn’t he go out with her to get the cough syrup that day?

“You killed my mother,” she said, not sure the words were really coming from her frozen lips.

“Yeah, I did,” he said as the corners of his lips turned upward.

She knew that his confession sealed her fate. He would never let her get far.

Knowing the cold would take her anyway, she propped up against the nearest tree and looked toward the cabin as her vision continued to fade. Instead of thinking of Brad’s betrayal, she thought of a time when she was a little girl. She and her mother were throwing water balloons outside the cabin in the summer when the ground was warm and the glow of the sun kissed her face.

Her mother’s warmth filled her cold and lonely shell as she closed her eyes and threw another balloon.

The memory was one she had never shared with Brad. It was something that he would never take from her.