I knew she’d hate me for it, but I was scared for her, so I told our foster parents and her social worker got her into a rehab before she aged out of the system.
Sometimes, doing the right thing means people get mad. Tori has barely talked to me since then, and even now, things aren’t the same as they used to be, but at least she’s alive. I’d rather she be angry and alive than dead.
What if Billy’s been working on Nico this whole time? Wearing him down every time Nico comes to interview him? What if Billy has a plan to manipulate Nico into releasing him when he’s not in his right mind?
Nico would never do that. But manipulators make people do things they wouldn’t normally do all the time.
Billy’s hadyearsto get inside Nico’s head.
I push the thought down. Donny would have known the risks. He must have kept an eye on Nico during Billy’s interviews, at least until his diagnosis. I’ve seen how wrecked Donny can get after a long day.
Maybe that’s when the manipulation started. It makes sense that Billy would try this when Nico’s alone, struggling with the prospect of losing someone he considers a father.
Does Donny suspect this, too? Has he been counting on finding Billy’s anchor before Billy wears Nico down?
Banning the only Type One on the team from the containment room would mean nothing new could be discovered in interviews. Finding anchors would be practically impossible.
So Nico continues working in the containment room without Donny.
There’s no safe way to dispose of Billy—except maybe launching him into a black hole—without destroying his anchor, but that can’t be found unless Billy slips up in an interview that can only be conducted by the very person he’s trying to manipulate.
Until I show up.
Couldthatbe why Donny was so excited when I could also talk to ghosts?
But if that’s the case, wouldn’t Donny tell me?
Why wouldn’t Donny have DJ or Griffin watch in on Billy’s interviews? Sure, they can’t hear Billy, but neither can Donny. They could at least physically prevent Billy from being released.
It feels like I’m putting together a puzzle, but there are no edge pieces. Everything makes sense until it doesn’t.
Maybe Donnydoesn’tknow. Maybe he was just relieved to have stumbled on someone who could share the burden of confronting evil before he dies and leaves Nico with nothing but grief and responsibilities.
I should go to Donny with this. Even if he doesn’t suspect anything, I’m sure he’ll hear me out. He knows Billy is dangerous.
But if I’m wrong, and Donny speaks to Nico about this half-baked theory I’ve come up with the night after beingrejectedby him, based on one interview with a ghost who fed herhusbandto herchildren?
I don’t want Nico to hate me.
I also don’t want him to get hurt. I can’t help him if I don’t have every piece of the puzzle. I need to know what Billy’s doing so I can protect Nico from whatever game this ghost is playing.
I turn toward Billy’s containment drawer, adrenaline drumming in my ears. I’m alone in here.
I won’t get another opportunity like this.
CHAPTER 32
In all my years interviewing killers, I’ve never met one who lied as fluently as Billy Lundby. The only time we could confirm he was telling the truth was when he confessed to the killings. Even then, he embellished the details.
—Wheels Upside-Down: My Time with the FBI, a memoir by Donald Dellman
I run to Billy’s containment drawer, pressing my hands flat against the cold metal to steady myself. The keypad beside it blinks red.
Okay. I can do this.
I’ve watched Nico open these dozens of times. His fingers moved fast, but I was paying attention. I’m always paying attention to him.
I punch in the code, my finger trembling over each number. Each beep makes me flinch like Nico’s going to materialize behind me and demand to know what the hell I think I’m doing.
