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Charlie made the thirty-minute drive back to the condo, thankful that Hemlock hadn’t called her yet. That told her he hadn’t woken up to find her gone. Pulling into the driveway, everything was just as she left it. Hemlock’s bike was parked next to the work truck. Turning off the car, she glanced around making sure no one was lurking on the street before getting out.

Keeping the keys in her hand, Charlie got out, locked the car, and rushed to the door. It took her no time to unlock it and get inside. Closing the door, she had barely dropped the keys into the wooden bowl when she noticed the lamp in the living room was on.Shit, busted.Setting her purse down, she promised herself she wouldn’t lie about where she had gone.

Squaring her shoulders, she made the short walk into the living room and stopped short. She hadn’t expected the scene in front of her. There, sitting on a kitchen chair, was Ashley holding a large kitchen knife. Glancing around, Charlie looked for Crispen but didn’t see him. Then her eyes landed on the stairway, praying Hemlock was okay. “What are you doing here, Ashley? Where’s Crispen?” Again, her eyes went to the stairs.

“I wanted your life. The perfect family. The perfect school. The money,” Ashley mumbled.

In hopes Hemlock was somehow still asleep and unaware of Ashley being in the house, Charlie kept Ashley focused on her and not on the stairs. “Why did you screw me over with Crispen?”

“Because you had him. Don’t you get it, Charlie. Everything all the way back to your parents’ accident, it’s been me. Me holding your hand at the funeral. Me helping you pack up the apartment. Me making sure you got back to school. As long as you were living your best life, so was I. Because I was the one in the background making it so.”

Charlie tried to remain calm, but Ashley had snapped somewhere along the way. She had gone off the deep end. “My parents had piles of debt because of my so-called perfect life.”

“But you had parents that cared!” Ashley shouted at Charlie. “I didn’t and I wanted yours.”

Charlie watched Ashley slide the butcher knife across her leg. It had cut through the denim fabric already. Now, red welts seeped blood. “My parents loved you.”

“Not enough to give me what they gave you,” Ashley said, glaring at Charlie. Her hand glided the knife across her leg over and over again. There was no pain, there was nothing but destroying the one person who stood in her way of having the life she’d dreamed about. She’d taken away Charlie’s parents, taken away her fancy school, taken away every boyfriend she ever had. Hell, she was living in an apartment the bitch was paying for. And in about five minutes, Charlie would be begging for her miserable life. “You’re still not understanding me.”

Done with the whole situation, Charlie lashed out. This time hoping she did wake Hemlock. At least that way he could help her. “Then maybe you should spell it out for me, Ashley!”

“I rigged the boat so it would explode. I killed your parents.”

Charlie couldn’t breathe. It was an accident. The police said as much. Ashley was lying, goading her to make a move. StillCharlie wondered if what the bitch was saying had any truth to it. “I don’t believe you.”

She watched Ashley raking the knife over the bloody gash and physically shivered at the sight. It was the maniacal laughter that put fear into her.

“I asked them to love me and not you. They said no.”

Could Ashley be serious? Her parents’ deaths had been ruled an accident. A horrible, horrible accident. This was crazy. How had this happened? Staring at Ashley, all Charlie could think was the girl she knew, the girl she once believed was her friend, didn’t exist anymore. In her place was an evil, hateful person. A waste of space in her world.

If it were true and Ashley had killed her parents, what was the likely hood of Ashley killing her? She needed her to put down the knife. Then maybe they could talk things out. That would buy her some time.

The look on Ashley’s face told Charlie she needed to figure out an exit strategy like yesterday. Where was Crispen when you needed him. Figures he wouldn’t be around for his girlfriend’s mental breakdown. “Where’s Crispen, Ashley?”

“He’s tied up for the moment.”

Well, that didn’t sound good. “Is he tied up in the apartment? Or somewhere else?”

“Would you like to join him? I mean, I wouldn’t mind going upstairs and spending time with yourcurrentboyfriend.”

Charlie took a step to her left, trying to keep the movement nonchalant. When the knife in Ashley’s hand stopped, Charlie stopped. Keeping an eye on Ashley, she took another step butstopped when Ashley’s head snapped up and her eyes locked onto Charlie’s. “Ashley, put down the knife. You’re hurting yourself.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“I just don’t like seeing you hurt.”

Charlie listened as Ashley mimicked her in a childish voice. “I just don’t like seeing you hurt. Ashley, put down the knife. You’re a stupid bitch, Ashley.”

Turning her attention towards a noise coming from upstairs, Charlie worried about Hemlock. With her phone in her purse, Charlie tried calculating how fast she could get to it, open the front door and get out before Ashley stabbed her in the back. Making up her mind, Charlie was about to bolt for the door when the sounds of a door being beaten down could be heard coming from upstairs.

When Ashley’s attention went towards the sound, Charlie took the opportunity to flee and ran for the door. She only made it halfway when the floor lamp came sailing at her. The cord tripped her, causing Charlie to fall to the floor. Scrambling to her feet, she struggled with the cord trying to get her foot dislodged.

Grabbing the doorknob, Charlie had the door partially opened when she felt a stinging pain in her arm. Glancing over, she saw Ashley dragging the blade down her arm as Hemlock tackled her to the ground. Yanking the door open the rest of the way, Charlie slammed into Truck.

“Charlie, where’s Hemlock?”

“Call the cops. Ashley’s got a knife.” Just then, Ashley appeared in the doorway. Blood covered her face and chest. “Oh God she’skilled Hemlock.” Both Charlie and Truck watched as the girl fell face first onto the ground.