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PROLOGUE
Her heart was beating like crazy as she paced back and forth across the living room, the phone pressed to her ear. The line just continued to ring and ring.
If only she’d left well enough alone. But no, she had to push and push until she knew too much, and now she may have very well put herself in danger.
With every ring that traveled the line, breathing became more difficult.
Please, please, pick up!
As if to mock her, the ringing stopped—
“You’ve reached the voicemail of Detective Steele. Leave a message and your number, and I’ll get back to you. If this is an emergency, call nine-one-one.”
Should I?
Her entire body was shaking as she contemplated the enormity of her situation. She was quite sure this person was onto her, but how far would they go to keep their dark past a secret? Would they come after her and try to silence her? Or was she making too much out of this?
No, I’m not!
Her mind shot back the answer, the internal voice having power and standing on logic. This person had already proven themselves dangerous.
All these thoughts swirled in her head for several seconds until she realized the line was blank. Silence struck her ears with the impact of thunder.
She cleared her throat. “Detective Steele? It’s Felicity Kelley. I need to talk to you. In person would probably be best. Please call me when you get this.” As the words left her lips, she heard the voice of a calm and rational person. Where had she gathered such self-control when her entire body was quaking with a mix of adrenaline and fear?
After leaving her number, she ended the call and stared blankly across the room. She was at home, a place she should feel safe. A haven. But even sitting on her couch, she wasn’t comfortable. Nothing in her world was making sense. It was as if someone had tilted it upside down, and there would be no setting it right. At least not until she spoke to the detective.
For a moment, she considered calling 911, but her mind chastised her. Keep the lines open for an actual emergency.
It wasn’t like she was in immediate danger.
She took a few deep breaths, trying to convince herself that she was being paranoid. She could have exaggerated the way they had glowered at her, their eyes constricting, their look hardening.
Maybe if she occupied her mind with something else…
Surely Detective Steele would return her call soon. Hopefully. But she’d been so calm in her message, speaking as if there were no rush, as if nothing was at stake. Who knew when the detective would call back.
Taking a few deep breaths, she let her wild thoughts drift away. What she needed was a moment of normalcy to reestablish rationality. She ordered a pizza—thirty-minute delivery guarantee—and wrote while she passed the time. Playing in a world of her making was always therapeutic, and she was already past due turning in her manuscript.
Just as she was sinking into the story, letting the muse take the wheel, her doorbell rang.
She flinched, her heart rate spiking. A look at the bottom corner of her screen told her thirty minutes had almost passed. She shook her head. It’s just the pizza…
She answered the door armed with a twenty-dollar bill and a smile on her face. But it disappeared at the sight of her visitor. It wasn’t the delivery guy. Her entire body trembled and turned to liquid, but she nudged out her chin, trying to project strength. “You need to leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere. You and I need to talk. Just a few minutes?” Her visitor smiled at her.
The expression had her going cold despite the summer heat seeping into the house. But if she played along, swallowed down the fear that threatened to devour her alive, she might take control of the situation.
“Okay, come in.” She stepped back and listened to the sounds of the neighborhood—young children laughing and lawnmowers buzzing. Somewhere close by, meat was grilling on a barbecue, its smell heavenly. She squeezed her eyes shut and hoped she’d be able to savor all those things again.
Because she was quite sure the person she’d just let into her home was a killer.
ONE
The Next Day, Wednesday
How had she gotten herself into this predicament again? All alone, the house to herself, time to pass…
