Face of Murder

Unless he was expecting her to run past and carry on, bypassing him completely. If he wanted to use the time to get away, he would have run back the way they came, leaving her scrambling to catch up again. He wasn’t on the path or in the distance. He must have thought he would have an advantage of some kind.

There was a rectangular structure not far from the path, coming up on the side. Long but low, an approximation of a coffin in stone. A carving of an angel sat on top of it at the head.

If she was him, if she was determined to fight and end the chase, she would hide there. She would crouch behind the tallest part, the angel, and wait. She could see it playing out in her head. Zoe would run by, somewhat startled, her momentum cut, looking for him. He would wait for her to pass and spring up, perhaps hit her over the head. Knock her out against the stone. Perhaps not stop until she wasn’t going to be chasing anyone, ever again.

He meant to kill her.

Zoe’s breath caught in her chest, but this was no time to hesitate. No one else was coming—not in enough time that she could rely on their help. If she waited, he might decide to run and get away from her again. She wouldn’t be fast enough. They were both still, not yet moving. He would have the advantage from a dead start.

There was only one thing she could do. One path that gave her the potential for a successful outcome.

Zoe didn’t think anymore. She crossed the path at a run, rounded the grave marker from the opposite side to where he was expecting her.

He was there! She had no time to think—no time to do anything but react. He was coming for her, a snarl on his face as soon as he saw her. His hands were fists. He meant to do her harm. If she let him, he would knock her down. Only one thing to do—one way to use his momentum against him. Too close to duck or dive—she would have to move—

They connected as she threw herself headlong at him, tackling him to the ground in a mess of limbs and spent breath and hard ground.

Matthias tried to struggle, but Zoe had the advantage of being on top. He managed to get a knee up and aim for her stomach, but she shifted her weight and it slammed into her hip instead. Painful, yes. Not as winding as the stomach would have been.

His leg was between them, enough to give him leverage. If he used it, he could push her, fling her against the stone grave marker. Follow up with a smash to her head. His eyes flicked to the side and she knew he was going to do it.

She rolled.

He yelped in surprise as her momentum drew him over too, first on top and then over again, Zoe’s legs grappling for purchase, pushing his down. She flung him to the side with all of her weight so that he was lying on his stomach. She had only a split second before he might get his legs under him. She threw her body forward, covering his, knocking him flat to the ground.

She pulled the handcuffs out from her belt and groped for one of his wrists, fitting them on as he kicked and swore. The second one was even easier.

Just like that, he was done.

He knew it, too. He stopped fighting and lay still. The wind was knocked out of him, and he pressed his face down against the cold floor.

“Matthias Kranz,” Zoe panted, feeling the pain as acid flooded her muscles. “I am… arresting you… for the murder of… Ralph Henderson, Cole Davidson… and Dr. Edwin North.”

The rest of the Miranda warning could wait until they had him in for questioning. For now, Zoe needed every last drop of oxygen in her lungs to call her partner and request backup.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Zoe hung back awkwardly. She was not sure what she should do, now that the moment was here. Inside, she was ecstatic, but that happiness was tempered by the still-guilty knowledge that she had caused all of this in the first place.

Dr. Applewhite stepped out into the reception area, where family members and friends would wait to pick up their loved ones upon their release from custody. Zoe wasn’t sure exactly which category she fit into at that moment, but relief flooded her heart when Dr. Applewhite saw her and broke into a smile.

“Zoe! You did it!”

Zoe wasn’t often one to give in to physical shows of affection, but for this once, she couldn’t help herself. She stepped forward and allowed herself to be embraced by Dr. Applewhite, craving the forgiveness and warmth that came from her arms. As she rested her head over Dr. Applewhite’s shoulder, if there were tears that sprang to her eyes, she told herself that it was a result of extreme fatigue and nothing else.

“They told me you caught the actual killer. That’s why I’m being released,” Dr. Applewhite said, pulling back altogether too early for Zoe’s tastes and looking into her face.

Zoe hastily wiped a hand over her eyes. “Early this morning. I came straight to see you as soon as we had him booked. Shelley is preparing to interview hm now.”