Page 105 of Sharp Force

“She didn’t want them on. Neither of us did, and she felt spied on enough,” he tells Benton.

“She told you she felt spied on?”

“She worried someone was watching her. She told me to keep an eye out for suspicious people or cars.” Zain looks at his uncle.

“How long had this been going on?” Benton asks.

“The past few weeks. She said she started hearing weird noises outside her house in Yorktown. Like someone was on her property.”

“How come I didn’t know about this, son?” the senator asks him.

“If I told you, I knew what would happen,” Zain says boldly. “You would have freaked out.”

“Damn right I would have,” Calvin Willard retorts. “If I knew someone was stalking her, I sure as hell wouldn’t have wanted you staying with her, for God’s sake!”

“Did she notify the police that she felt someone was stalking her?” Benton asks Zain.

“I don’t think so. She’s not a fan of the police,” he says, and that sounds like Georgine.

“She moved into her house on Mercy Island two weeks ago,” Benton goes on. “Did she continue feeling spied on?”

“She was paranoid,” Zain answers. “It was stressing her out really bad. Causing her eczema to flare up.”

“Did she have any theories about who might be watching her?” the senator asks him.

“No.”

“The Slasher’s murders are all over the news,” Benton says. “Obviously, she was aware of them.”

“Of course she was aware of what’s on the news,” Zain replies with an air of impatience.

“Seems odd she was worried about someone watching her and yet she didn’t bother with the cameras,” Benton adds. “I noticed two while I was there.”

“You were at the house?” Zain asks.

“Doctor Scarpetta and I just came from there,” Benton says. “One camera is on the front porch. And the other on top of the bookcase in the living room would catch anybody entering through the front door.”

“That’s crazy,” the senator says to Zain. “Why the hell were they off?”

“It’s not crazy and you know exactly why.” Zain stares at him.

His uncle doesn’t say anything.

“People watch you. People spy,” Zain goes on. “Georgine figured it had to do with that. She figured she was being spied on because of you and your presidential ambitions, Uncle Calvin.”

“That’s ridiculous,” the senator says with a stiff smile.

“It’s not,” Zain retorts. “You never wanted the cameras on when you came over.”

“Well, you can’t blame me for that.” Calvin Willard smiles again, and he’s anything but happy. “I wasn’t spying on Georgine. It wasn’t me, Zain. Obviously, it was the serial killer.”

“You have a serious injury to your left arm.” I step closer to the bed. “What do you remember about being cut?”

“I didn’t really feel it at first.”

“Your throat was cut and then your left arm?” I ask. “Or the other way around.”

“I felt something hit my throat and must have raised my arm to protect myself, and he cut it. Then I lost my balance, falling. After that I was too afraid to move. I played dead.”