Kate and Marcus made a narrow escape from Patricia Lowe's house, barely avoiding an enterprising newswoman who led her team in between the fences separating Lowe's property from her next-door neighbor.Kate caught a glimpse of a man holding a shoulder-mounted camera stumbling onto the rear neighbor's yard just as their car turned the corner.
“He’s escalating,” Marcus said.“Douglas Hale was murdered five days after Warren Schulz.Patricia Lowe was murdered three days after Douglas Hale.He’s picking up speed.”
“He’s getting impatient,” Kate said.“I’m not figuring out the message like I’m supposed to.”
Marcus glanced at her.“Enough of that shit.Thisisn’t your fault.Inanyway.”
Kate’s brow furrowed.“Pull over.”
Marcus frowned.“What?”
“Pull over.There’s a fast-food place ahead.Pull over and get us some lunch.”
“I take it you don’t want to sit in the drive-through.”
“You can if you want to, but I need to make a phone call.”
Marcus looked at her.“To who?”
“Towhom,” Kate corrected.
“Screw you.Who are you calling?”
Kate’s lips thinned.“Can you just pull over?”
“Who are you calling?”
She rolled her eyes.“My mother.”
“No.Kate, God damn it, this isnotyour fault!Do you want to fall off the deep end again?Huh?Is that what you want?You want Cox to lead you to some rendezvous in some old ruin again so the third time can be the charm, and he can sacrifice you?”
“Marcus, I’m not doing this right now.People’s lives are in danger.”
“Yeah,yourlife is in danger.This has nothing to do with you and nothing to do with your father.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do!”he snapped.“Kate, Elijah Cox is aserial killer.If you never existed, he’d still find someone else to fixate on because then he doesn’t have to come to terms with the fact that he’s nothing more than a violent asshole.He’s not special.He’s just a prick.That’swhat he can’t accept, andthat’swhy he’s concocted this whole bullshit about you being the spotted calf or the lamb of God or the scapegoat or whatever he wants to call it.”
“But hehascome up with it.”
“Yeah, but…” Marcus tapped the steering wheel.“I don’t want you to throw your life away, and if you do this, you’re definitely going to throw your life away.Maybe not this time but eventually.You need to stop treating this like some personal war between you and Cox.”
“And you need to stop treating me like the goddamned kid you’re babysitting,” Kate clapped back.“I want to talk to my mother, and Idon’twantyouto hear whatever she’s about to confess about my father.Will you please excuse me and let me have a private family conversation while you buy us some goddamned tacos?”
Marcus stared ahead.He took the exit without a word, his face stony.Kate sighed and opened her mouth to explain herself, to soften the blow somehow so he wouldn’t take it so personally.
She didn’t bother.There was nothing she could say and nothing Marcus would hear except the version of the truth he knew was false but so desperately wished was real.
He pulled the car to a stop in the parking lot of the café, a run-down mom-and-pop called Mama Teresa’s that, judging by the drive-through line wrapping around the building, seemed to enjoy a brisk business despite its worn appearance.He said nothing as Kate stepped outside and accelerated faster than he needed to once she was safely away.
Kate’s hands shook slightly, but she wasn’t about to feel sore over Marcus’s attitude right now.She had a job to do, and her emotions had gotten in the way of that enough.She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed her mom’s number.
The call went to voicemail.Catherine must be in class.Kate started to leave a message, but her phone buzzed.Her mom was calling her back.
She ended the first call and answered.“Hi, Mom.”
“Kate!”Catherine cried.“So good to hear from you!How have you been?”
