Page 47

FORTY-SIX

Erin stumbled through the snow, her heart pounding so hard she could swear she heard it beat inside her ears. She wanted to run back inside the cabin, but she couldn’t. She wanted to know about the Woman in Watcher Woods, but not so much she would put herself in danger. All she really wanted was to save Chester. He’d already been abandoned once, and she couldn’t let that happen again. Maybe she couldn’t have saved Scott, but she wouldn’t let Chester die. Not by someone pretending to be a ghost—and not by a serial killer who wouldn’t think twice about killing a dog. She still had her gun, and she pulled it out of its holster. She checked her pocket for her flashlight and was relieved to find it. She turned it on and swung it around, but no one was there. Should she call Chester? Unfortunately, that would reveal her location. That would be foolish. She had to keep her location secret. Although she didn’t want to do it, she turned off the flashlight. She’d only use it when she had to.

She wasn’t sure who to be afraid of. Timothy Johnson? Allen Dunne? A ghost? The only thing she knew for certain was that Chester needed her. And she needed him. Maybe it sounded stupid. Risking your life for a dog, but she couldn’t help it. She was tired of being afraid. And she was tired of losing those she loved. Not this time. She suddenly tripped on something. A branch hidden by the snow. The flashlight flew from her hand. She got on her hands and knees and searched for it, thinking it was close by, but she couldn’t find it. Kneeling in the snow made her even colder. The flashlight was probably buried under the snow. She couldn’t spend any more time looking for it. She got back to her feet and leaned against a tree, the snow blowing in her face. It was getting deeper. It covered her feet. What should she do now? She jumped when she heard a sound coming through the forest. Barking. It was Chester!

Erin stood behind the huge tree, tears pouring down her cheeks. It felt as if they were freezing on her face. It was so dark she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face—until the moon peeked out from behind the clouds. She desperately needed the light to find her way back. Or to locate Chester. Yet the same thing that gave her hope also terrified her. What if the killer could see her? As if the moon had heard her, it vanished again, clouds shielding it from the earth.

Although she was afraid of a person, what if the Woman in Watcher Woods was real? Was she being targeted by a vicious serial killer or a ghost? Or both? Kaely kept telling her that ghosts weren’t real. Yet, she knew what she’d seen. And she wasn’t the only one. Still, it was nuts, wasn’t it? At that moment, she wished she were as sure as Kaely that killer ghosts didn’t exist. She wanted to call out for help, but she couldn’t take the chance. One thing she was sure of, the bodies found in the woods weren’t her imagination. They were very real. She also knew in her heart that she was next on the killer’s list.

She held her gun out in front of her, ready to take a shot if she needed to. Of course, she couldn’t shoot a ghost. But she could kill a man. A man who wanted to dress her in white and put a ceramic angel in her hands.

“Focus, Erin,” she whispered in the dark. “There are no ghosts. Focus on the real threat.”

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She wasn’t going to make it easy. She would fight for her life. A life she had been willing to throw away at one point. But now that she knew she could die, all she wanted was to live. To have a future that included the dog who had stolen her heart. Even more than that, she wanted a chance to change things. To change her life. To live without fear. She had no intention of allowing this killer to add her to his mounting death toll.

Once again, the moon snuck out from behind the clouds, and Erin looked around. She still couldn’t see anyone. Should she make a run for it? Try to get back to the cabin? She shook her head in the dark. She had to keep going. She had to find Chester. Before she had the chance to do anything, the moon hid from her once again. It was as if they were playing a game of hide and seek.

Erin sighed as she leaned against the rough bark of the tree and tried to listen. Silence. Chester wasn’t barking now. Where was he? Was he still alive? At first, all she could hear was the sound of owls hooting and the occasional eerie howl of a coyote.

As she waited, holding her breath, she wished she were at home in her apartment, safe and secure, Chester sitting next to her on the couch. If she couldn’t be home, she wished she and Chester were back inside the cabin. It might not be completely safe, but it was better than being exposed outside. She had no idea where the cabin was. Why didn’t she mark the way? Why didn’t she pay more attention? As she looked around, she realized that besides the things she was already afraid of, there were also coyotes and bears in these woods.

It was then that she heard barking again. She wanted so badly to call out to him, but she couldn’t. What should she do? The barking became louder and suddenly, like a miracle, there he was, at her feet, his big brown eyes staring up at her.

Then he suddenly turned around and began to growl. That’s when she saw it. The figure in the dark cloak that seemed to kill all the brightness around it. Like a black hole eating all the light.

Chester put itself between Erin and the woman, baring his teeth, challenging the woman to back away. Erin couldn’t stop the tears that continued to drip down her face. At that moment, she was afraid of the woman and afraid for the dog. And afraid that tonight would be her last night on earth.

Although at first, she wasn’t certain what to do, she reached out with a trembling hand and took hold of Chester’s collar.

“Help me,” the woman said faintly before falling down in the snow and landing right in front of Erin and Chester who had fallen silent. He stared at the figure lying in front of them as if confused.

Once again, the moon slipped out from behind the windswept clouds. It was then that Erin saw the knife sticking out of her back. He’s here. He’s in the woods.

Should she run? Or should she try to help the person lying in front of her? Erin knelt down and pulled the hood off of the head of the figure lying prostate in the snow. She recognized her immediately. Not a ghost. A person. Bobbi Burke. Erin pulled back part of the cloak and found some kind of small lights sewn into the hem of the fabric. That explained it.

“What are you doing out here?” Erin asked.

“My... my car. Got stuck. C—couldn’t leave. He... saw me.” She turned sideways and grabbed Erin’s arm. “Please...”

Her hand dropped, and Bobbi stopped moving. Erin put her fingers on the woman’s neck and waited. Nothing. No heartbeat. She was gone.

She’d wanted to ask her who the man was, but now it was too late. Erin reached down and pulled off Bobbi’s sash, fashioning it into a temporary leash. She couldn’t allow Chester to run off again.

As the moon vanished once again, Erin began to lead Chester toward what she could only hope was the direction of the cabin. She had no other choice. She couldn’t just wait for him to come after her. He’d killed Bobbi because she must have recognized him. But he had other plans for Erin. She squinted, trying to see through the falling snow. If only they hadn’t covered the windows in the cabin. There might have been some light to help her find the way. In desperation and fear, she decided to pray to Kaely’s God. What could it hurt? Maybe He had pity on fools and lost women.

“God,” she whispered, “I haven’t believed in You, but Kaely does. If You’re real, I’d like a chance to get to know You. Please... please get us to safety. I have no idea where the cabin is. If You could guide me, I would really appreciate it. And if You answer me, I promise to...” What could she say? She couldn’t lie to God. “If you save us,” she continued, “I promise to listen to Kaely talk about You. I mean, really listen. If You’re real, of course I want to know You.”

She tried to drag Chester the way she wanted them to go, the way she thought would take them back, but Chester dug his feet into the snowy ground and refused to move. Then she heard a sound that startled her. Was he actually growling at her?

Go with him.

Erin looked around her, afraid he’d found them. Afraid she would end up the next one on his ghastly list.

Go with him.

Erin stood there for a moment, looking down at Chester, though she could barely see him. As the dog stared up at her, Erin made a decision. Not a rational one—just a decision.

She loosened her hold on Chester’s leash and turned the way he was pulling—the opposite direction she thought they should go. Chester forged ahead with confidence. Erin hoped he wasn’t chasing a rabbit or had sniffed out something else that might lead them right into the killer’s trap. But she was throwing caution to the wind—trying to listen with her heart, not her mind, and not out of past hurts. Kaely’s voice rang in her head. You’ll never be free if you don’t take a step of faith. Just one step. Don’t worry about the next ones. They’ll come.

Although she could barely see anything in front of her, she kept going, jogging behind Chester who seemed to know exactly where he was going. The moon was still playing peekaboo with the windswept clouds. It reminded Erin of a high school dance, where the lights in the gym flickered on and off with the music. It was supposed to be a cool effect, but Erin had found it disconcerting. She pushed the thought out of her mind. She wasn’t in high school, and there was nothing cool about what was happening.

As Chester wove in and out through the trees, Erin tried to keep herself from slipping on the snow. She glanced behind her to see if they were being followed, but when she did, she tripped and fell hard, slamming her knee into a fallen snow-covered branch lying on the ground, her gun flying off into the dark underbrush and out of sight.

She bit her lip, trying not to cry out in pain. Chester stopped and looked back at her as if he were trying to figure out if she could go on. Erin put her hands in the snow and pushed herself up to a sitting position. Chester whined softly, and she reached out and slowly pulled herself up to her feet. As soon as she put weight on her right foot, pain shot through her leg. She felt around on the ground and found another branch, small but sturdy. She used it as a walking stick and began to hobble as quickly as she could behind her impatient dog. Although her leg hurt, living was more important than some temporary discomfort.

Suddenly, Chester began to bark. Terrified the killer would hear and find them, Erin yanked on his leash.

“Chester. Hush! Be quiet!” She tried to keep her voice as low as she could but loud enough so Chester could hear her. When he continued to bark, she became desperate. “Ozzy! Ozzy!” she hissed, hoping he’d respond to his previous name. She hated to call him that because she was pretty sure his owner hadn’t shown him much love, but she didn’t know what else to do. She stumbled on something else that was covered by the snow and fell down once again. She flipped herself over on her other side before her body hit the ground. Thankfully, she was able to protect her sore leg. The snow cushioned her fall.

As she tried to get up again, Chester suddenly tugged so hard on the sash that it slipped from her hand. She tried to grab it again, but he took off running through the woods. Before she could call him back, he was out of her limited sight. Where was he? Why had he left her? So much for some voice telling her to follow him.

Once again, she struggled to get back on her feet.

“There you are,” a voice said from behind her. “Surely you didn’t think you’d get away from me.”

Erin turned over and found herself looking up at the man who stood over her. He wore a thick coat, gloves and a ski mask. But she knew who he was.

“You can’t kill me now,” she said, her mind racing. “You killed Bobbi Burke. Now everything’s out of order. It’s ruined.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, just stared down at her. Then he cocked his head to one side as if contemplating what she’d said. Finally, he said, “But she got in the way. She doesn’t count.”

“Of course she does. It won’t work now. People will know. They’ll realize you failed. Everything is out of order.”

“So, what am I supposed to do now?”

Erin could hardly believe he was serious, yet she knew he was. Try to think the way he does. What did Kaely teach you? Erin took a deep breath before saying, “I think you’ll have to just start over. There’s no other way.”

Once again, he contemplated her. She was certain that to him, she was nothing more than a specimen. Like a germ under a microscope.

“You know, I think you may be right,” he said with a sigh. “I need to start over. That stupid woman destroyed everything.”

She’d stalled him, but how could she talk him out of killing her? He’d killed Bobbi because she recognized him. Why wouldn’t he do the same to her? It was then that she saw the knife in his hand. It had blood on it. He’d taken it out of Bobbi’s back. If only she hadn’t dropped her gun.

“You... you can just leave. I don’t know who you are. But I can spread your story. Make sure everyone knows there was never any ghostly woman in the woods, but that there is someone else. Someone real. You. Your story will multiply, and people will talk about you. For... for a lot longer than they talked about her.”

This man was narcissistic. He wanted people to know how smart he was. How powerful. And he fed on their fear. She’d just appealed to all of that. Hadn’t she? Had it worked?

“You’re a liar, Miss Delaney,” he said, his voice almost like a low growl. “Not about my starting over, but when you said you don’t know who I am. Of course you do.”

“No. No, I don’t. I can’t see your face.”

“But you knew that after killing Miss Burke, I’d have to start again. You knew that because you know how important order is to me.”

“No, you’re wrong. Please. Just leave.”

Before she could say anything else, he reached up with his left hand and pulled off his mask. The moon decided that was the moment to illuminate the area around them—as well as his face. Of course, he was right. She knew exactly who he was. Her first suspicion had been correct.

“I have no choice except to kill you,” Allen said, his smile more like a grimace. “Since there’s no more order, it doesn’t matter. You won’t stop me from starting again.”

Was this the last thing she’d ever see? “Wait—wait...” she said. She needed to call out again to the God Kaely had told her about while she still had time. Why had she been so stubborn? Would she be able to make things right before it was too late?

“God...” was all she got out before he lunged toward her, his bloody knife glinting in the moonlight.

Erin’s eyes were locked with his when a loud sound made them both jump. Allen’s eyes widened with shock as his body collapsed, falling on the ground next to her.

“Are you all right?”

Sergeant Timothy Johnson knelt beside her, and Chester began licking the tears from her face.