EPILOGUE
An hour later, May sat in the back office, ready for her meeting with Sheriff Jack.
Kerry had left straight after the press conference and was flying back to the East Coast at lunch time. May felt a mixture of regret and relief that she was gone. But the regret surprised her.
Perhaps one day, she could overcome her issues with Kerry, and they could be friends.
Owen breezed through, munching on a piece of cake from the enormous supply in the kitchenette.
"I'll see you later, May. I'm heading out to the campsite now. We had some complaints about noise from the neighbors so I'm going to sort it out."
"I'll join you as soon as I'm done," May said.
But she didn’t know if she would be able to join him. She might not even be working in the same role for much longer. In fact, she felt more and more nervous as she thought about this meeting.
May had been insubordinate and knew that she would need to face the consequences, and that Jack wouldn't be content to leave it be. Not her boss. His sense of fairness would never allow him to.
At that moment, Jack walked in.
“Let’s talk,” he said, and closed the door, which May didn’t interpret as a good sign.
With a clench of her stomach, May knew that this could be the end of her very brief tenure as the county deputy. After how she'd behaved, her recklessness, and the rules she had broken, Jack would be more than justified in telling her to step down from the role.
The only question was whether she got to keep her old job.
"I have been thinking about what happened over the past couple of days," he said.
May nodded. "I know it’s no use apologizing, but I’m so sorry for what I did."
"No," Jack said firmly. "It was the right thing to do. You acted with integrity and out of a genuine desire to save the victims. Thinking back, I feel that I was wrong. I allowed the FBI to take too much control. As the sheriff, I should have insisted that they worked with our local officers, and that you had a voice, and were authorized to assist in the investigation."
May couldn't believe it. Where was the disciplinary hearing that she'd thought she would face? Where was the disappointment she knew she'd caused? This wasn't happening the way she'd thought it would at all.
"I have been thinking about the choices you made, about what happened, and I am very impressed," Jack went on. "May, you risked your life to save a young woman. Not just your job, but your life. I am very proud of you."
"Thank you, sir," May whispered.
"You acted according to your conscience. Your intentions were good, and your judgment was sound. You saved lives. And I believe, from Agent Kerry Moore, that you did personally inform her you would be pursuing the case further. She explained to me that you stated this clearly. She had the opportunity to stop you and order you to stand down, and she did not take that opportunity. So she apologized to me, too, for any confusion."
"I don't know what to say," May said, feeling overwhelmed.
"You do not have to say anything," Jack said. “Be proud of what you did. Be proud of who you are. There is nothing wrong with being a hero."
Hearing these words, May felt as if a fire was burning brightly inside of her, a fire that had been smoldering for a long time.
And that gave her the courage to say something that previously, she would never have dared to do.
"May I ask you a favor, Jack?" she requested, hoping with every fiber of her being that he might say yes.
"Sure. What is it?"
"It's to do with my sister. Not Kerry. My younger sister, Lauren, who disappeared ten years ago."
She saw the lines in Jack's face soften with compassion as he understood what she meant.
May had been thinking about it, and she decided that this recent case proved to her that even in a peaceful small town, killers could move and hide, not just for a few days, but for years.
"Would you give me permission to reopen Lauren's case?" she asked. “I feel like there might be more to discover. That there might just be some details that were missed. I’d like the chance to look at it.”
Her hands felt cold as she waited for his answer, because this meant everything.
Jack steepled his fingers thoughtfully as he considered her question.
May waited, wondering what his answer would be. She knew a firm no would be no. There would be no second chances, no negotiation. Not on a matter like this.
But a yes would allow new doors to open.
Jack reached a decision. He cleared his throat and gave a small nod before he began to speak.
Holding her breath for the answer, May hoped it would allow her to take the first step of the journey in finding the truth.