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Violet stopped, and her uncle did too The music, however, would never stop "He’s dead," she stated quietly Flatly "I killed him"

Chapter 26

VIOLET’S PARENTS SHOVED THROUGH THE DOOR of the small sheriff’s office as the patrol car parked in front Violet doubted that the deputy driving could have stopped herthe car door if he’d triednot even the threat of gunpoint would’ve slowed her down Once she was surrounded by the as first herto thenore the wordless tune that cleaved to her as she concentrated on the fact that she’d survived

"We’re so sorry, Vi We never would’ve left you alone if we’d known" Her h Violet’s hair, then rested her palhter’s cheek

"Uncle Stephen called before you got here He told us what happened I’h that," her dad explained sadly "I’m so sorry you had to do that"

Violet closed her eyes She didn’t want to feel bad about what she’d done She didn’t feel bad, she told herself "It’s okay," she said, andher other hand to cradle Violet’s face "It doesn’t mean you’re okay, baby"

Violet squeezed her eyes shut, wishing the tinkling noise would just vanish Disappear "I know, Mom Believe me," she snapped And then, because it wasn’t their fault, "It’ll just take soaze was thoughtful "Is it? Do you?"

Violet nodded She knehat he was asking

"Is it terrible?" her mom asked "What is it?"

Violet opened her mouth to complain, to tell her parents about the continuous noise she’d have to live with forever And then she realized where she was That she was standing outsidewith her parentsalive

"It’s fine," she said at last "It’s like one of those windup jewelry boxes with the little ballerina inside It’s like listening to aher in that way of hers that Violet had worried she’d never feel again Violet glanced up in tiet ho Violet had been taken to a clinic in the isolated lakeside coiven fluids and checked out That’s where Caine had been holding her, in a lake house his family had used as vacation property years earlier The place hadn’t been used in over a decade, not since Caine’s father had died when Caine was just a boy

According to the local sheriff, Caine’s father had fallen in a ravine one day while he and Caine had been hiking, and he’d sent his young son in search of help Caine had wandered in the woods for two days--and two long nights--all by himself before he finally found someone By the time the rescuers found the ravine Caine described, his father was already deadand, according to the sheriff, his h For not saving her husband