Page 69 of Chameleon Killer

None of those answers survived contact with a real story.

“As far as the evidence takes me.”

“Convenient.” And now he was almost dismissive. Almost.

“It’s accurate.”

“Is there no point at which you would stop?”

“No.” The answer came before caution could interfere. I stared at Colin’s name on the board.

“I was invested before,” I said. “I wanted to understand how you chose them and why you chose this method.” I wanted to know everything.

My throat tightened, but I forced the next words out evenly.

“Then Colin died.”

My stomach bottomed out. Each time I remembered that Colin was never going to be there again, it struck me.

“And Guy,” I continued. “If killing them was meant to frighten me away, it failed.”

“Was it meant to frighten you?”

My frustration welled up. “I don’t know.”

“Then why assign a motive to those actions without evidence?”

If I thought venting my frustration would get me anywhere, I’d scream. Since it wouldn’t, I kept a deathgrip on my calm. “Because their deaths changed the investigation.”

“Did they?”

“They changed me.” The admission escaped before I could reconsider it.

Not for the first time, he didn’t immediately respond.

I looked at the phone as though the shape of the silence might be visible there.

“I’m not backing off,” I said. “Whatever this is—whatever you think you’re teaching me—Colin and Guy made walking away impossible.”

“Impossible?”

“There is no too far anymore.” The words sounded reckless once they were spoken aloud. But they were true.

“Every person believes there is no limit,” he said, “until the price is named.” His voice softened and that was worse than if he had threatened me.

My pulse beat hard against the receiver. “Name it.”

A beat passed. Then another. “Why did Mr. Reardon survive?”

Everything stopped. For one impossible second, even the newsroom seemed to hold its breath. “What?”

“Why did he survive?”

I frowned. “He didn’t.”

“Did not survive the attack?”

“He was in intensive care.” All at once, that was the answer. “He lived for eleven days.”