Page 152 of Three Widows

‘Hey, you’re not staying over somewhere, are you?’

With a wink, Katie said, ‘One can only wish.’

In the silence of the kitchen, Lottie tried to recall when she had agreed to babysitting, without success. The investigation was swamping her brain; things were going a mile a minute on that front, still with no resolution.

She needed sleep.

As she climbed the stairs, she hoped Louis wouldn’t wake.

Of course, he did. She brought him into her bed, where he settled into an easy slumber. She lay staring at his closed eyes and long lashes far into the night, going over what Foley and Bardon had said and trying to make sense of what was behind the murders and abductions. Was it as simple as the age-old motive? Money?

If so, what was all the drama with broken bones and taking the eyes from the victims? It had to hinge on something much more devious than money. If she discovered what that was, then she would have the murdering bastard.

93

She was too weak to move when the door creaked open. If he wanted to kill her now, she would gladly agree to be taken out of her misery.

Silence. No talk. Just the rustle of paper clothing. The crackle of the plastic underfoot.

She didn’t feel pain any more. Her body was numb. She knew she couldn’t allow her mind to freeze. She had to think of a way out of this. Appeal to his better nature. Ha, she thought, someone who has murdered people won’t have any goodness in their soul. No, she couldn’t allow that thought to derail her determination.

‘If you let me go, I won’t say anything to anyone. I’ll say I fell down the stairs at home and I’ll go to the hospital to get fixed up. Please let me out of here. I want to leave.’

‘Of course you’ll be leaving. As soon as I’m finished with you. You won’t walk out, though, unfortunately for you.’

Her chair was righted and she no longer lay on the floor.

‘What do you want from me?’

‘I want you to admit your role in everything you’ve done. How you planned my downfall. How you wanted to shame me.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘I think you do. I really think you do.’

The voice. She knew it.

In that instant, she realised she had been wrong about absolutely everything. That was her last thought before something hard smashed into her leg. Even the numbness didn’t dim the pain. She lost her last grasp on reality and began to sink quickly into the realms of darkness.

* * *

I am exhausted.

I didn’t think all this would take so much out of me, all this planning and execution. This running around from place to place. The physical drain on my strength. The mental strain. It’s difficult being good on the outside while a demon crawls around like a black eel inside my stomach.

I thought I had mastered the art of deception, but with the authorities closer to the truth, I feel a bit lost. Floundering now. No, I cannot allow any doubt to derail my end goal. They all have to pay, some more quickly than others. Having two here at the one time is hard work, but I have to make them suffer before my time runs out.

After I’m done, I have one more to target. She will have to acknowledge my role in all of this. I can’t let her live.

I keep thinking I made a mistake. Somewhere I left some trace behind. The plank of wood, perhaps. I stashed it in the small yard at the rear of the shop. Is that it? I wore gloves. I should be okay. But I feel an unusual tug of sadness.

Owen.

He preyed on the wrong person, so he had to go. I hope that by throwing his death into the mix, I will have wrong-footed the detectives so that I can continue with my mission.

I cannot rest until then.

DAY FOUR