Page 4

THREE

Once she’d returned downstairs, Erin checked the front door again. Of course she hadn’t actually heard a woman sobbing. There were all kinds of animals in the woods. It was probably a bird of some kind. For a split second, she thought about calling the police—or even Steve—but she didn’t want to sound like some kind of silly city person who jumped at every noise. Besides, it could easily be her imagination. The nightmares and a lack of sleep had caused hallucinations before. She’d seen things in her room—or thought she had. Heard voices threatening her. Blaming her for Scott’s death. She’d never told anyone about them. Not even the shrinks she’d talked to after the shooting. She struggled with herself for a few minutes, but in the end, she sat down on the couch in the living room and called Kaely.

“Just what did you get us into?” she said when Kaely answered her phone.

“What are you talking about?”

Erin recounted her meeting with Steve and the strange sound she’d heard outside. “Your friend Steve spooked me a little. It was obvious something was bothering him. He kept warning me to lock the doors. Is he always so paranoid?”

Kaely was quiet for a moment. “That’s odd,” she said finally. “To be honest, I don’t know him very well, but I got the impression from Noah that he was pretty stable.”

Erin sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s my imagination. You know how messed up I’ve been.”

“Yeah, I know,” Kaely said, “but I trust your instincts. When I get there, maybe I should have a talk with him.”

“Yeah, and he’ll think you have a bonkers friend who shouldn’t be allowed out by herself.”

“Well, there’s that, but just in case...”

Erin laughed. “Thanks a lot. Seriously, this place really doesn’t look like anyone’s idea of a cabin. Maybe from the outside, but inside it’s incredible.”

“Sounds great. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. My plane should be in around two.”

“I wish you’d let me pick you up at the airport. Sunday traffic shouldn’t be bad. As long as I don’t have to get out of the car, I’ll be fine.”

“No,” Kaely said. “The area can be pretty confusing. I can’t have you getting lost out there.”

“Where did you stay when you were here before?”

“We rented a place about ten miles from where you are now. Steve only bought the cabin a couple of years ago, so this will be the first chance I’ve had to see it.”

“I wish you were getting here tonight,” Erin said.

“I wish I were too, but like I told you, we promised to babysit for church friends while they’re away on a second honeymoon. They get back in the morning, and Noah’s taking me straight to the airport.”

Erin sighed. “I know. It’s nice of you to do something like that. Not sure I could handle it. Kids drive me up the wall.”

Kaely was quiet, and Erin immediately felt awful. She wanted to take back her careless words. Noah and Kaely had been trying for a family for several years now, without success. Why had she said that?

“They’re not too bad,” Kaely said, filling the awkward silence herself. “But if their teenager rolls her eyes at me one more time, I may show her photos from one of Noah’s cases. That should scare her straight.”

Erin laughed again in spite of herself. Kaely was like that. Never getting offended. Always kind. Erin assumed it was because she was a Christian. Although Kaely had told her more than once that she prayed for her, she’d never tried to force her beliefs on Erin. If she had, they might not be friends—and they were. Erin had no place for a God that let good men like Scott die—or who could stand by as an innocent girl was cut down because violent gang members couldn’t stop shooting at each other. She’d never accept a God like that. Never.

“I’d better go,” Kaely said. “I just heard a weird noise from the living room. Hopefully, everything is still standing.” She paused for a moment. “Are you going to be okay? I think you’re right about the sound you heard, but if you have any doubt, call the police. I’m pretty sure there’s a local department even though the closest town is pretty small.”

“That’s all I need, Barney Fife showing up at my door.”

Kaely snorted. “Look at it this way. You might get Luther.”

“I’d be surprised and happy to find Idris Elba standing on the porch. However, I have a feeling in a town as small as Sanctuary, the police chief is probably Barney’s less sophisticated brother.”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” Kaely said. “Hopefully, we won’t have to interact with the police while we’re there. I think we both need a break from law enforcement, profiling, and anything associated with dead bodies.”

“Well, dead bodies in my book made me a lot of money, but you’re right. Time for bunnies, puppies, and kittens,”

“Not sure we’ll find any puppies or kittens running around, but we might be able to find a bunny or two for you.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Erin said.

“Well, dear friend, let’s say good-night. I’ll see you tomorrow around three o’clock. Our first time together in person.”

“We’ve Zoomed several times,” Erin said. “I don’t think it will be too shocking.”

“I did tell you that I’m only four feet tall, right? You can’t tell that on your laptop.”

Erin grinned. “So, you’re a foot taller than I am? I think we’ll get along just fine.”

Kaely laughed, said good-bye, and hung up. Erin looked around the cabin, wondering what it would be like to spend a week in a different place. She hadn’t slept away from home even once since the night of the shooting. She’d written Dark Matters in three months. Her agent couldn’t believe it, but it’s pretty easy to write a ninety-thousand-word book when you have nothing else to do. Nowhere to go. You can’t sleep, and you’re trying to drown out the grim voices in your head. The editors moved quickly, and a year later her book was released. Her publisher put some bucks behind it, and it quickly became popular. What followed were requests for interviews—written, online, and even from other media outlets. Erin was horrified. She did most of the written interviews but turned down the television shows and online interviews. Then her publisher began to talk to her about developing a “media presence.” What the heck was that? She was busy hiding from the world, and they wanted her to develop a presence? She was barely present for herself. She halfheartedly joined a few online sites but couldn’t keep up with the responses. Finally, she pulled back completely, even though her publisher wasn’t happy about it.

In the end, they still wanted more books and were willing to allow her to stay sheltered in the background. She’d told Kaely she wanted to be known as the “anonymous author.” Kaely had laughed. “If that’s what you want, go for it,” she’d said. Kaely, who’d hung in there, walked her through her darkest nights, and answered all of her questions, no matter what time she called. Erin had distanced herself from all her former friends. Now Kaely was the only one left. Would she really want to be her friend once she really got to know her? Realized how messed up she really was? She self-consciously reached up and touched the scar on the side of her face. Sometimes when she was upset or insecure she could swear it burned.

Suddenly, a woeful sound caught her attention. She stiffened at the sound until it repeated. A coyote, not a woman crying. Weird. Somehow it made her feel better. She wasn’t certain why. Maybe it was because he sounded as lonely as she felt.

He carefully placed her on the dead leaves. He’d dressed her and prepared her. She was his first perfect sacrifice. The others had been flawed, but he still counted them as puzzle pieces, destined to become the picture he wanted someone to see. To understand. It was time for the world to know him. He removed the figurine from his pocket and put it in her hands. Would they know what it meant? He doubted it. People were stupid. After the next one, they’d understand. He wasn’t worried about being caught. He’d been careful. No fingerprints. No DNA. Nothing to point back to him. He was smart. Much smarter than anyone around here.

He rose slowly to his feet and pulled his other phone from his pocket. Then he took her picture. He couldn’t just walk away and rely on his memory. He wanted to ...no ... needed to relive this moment. To remember how killing her made him feel. He put the phone back in his jacket pocket and looked up to the sky.

The angels were crying tonight. He could almost swear that he heard them. It made him smile.