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Still she does not say a word.
“Speak to me, damn you. Do you know how much trouble I am in? India is going to tell them it was me who abducted her from the hospital yesterday. They’ll think it was me who put her in a coma. They are going to think that I am involved in all this!”
She does not answer. The bathroom is silent but for the sound of my harsh breathing.
“Speak to me or I’ll go to Storm. I’ll tell him everything. I’ll tell them about you inside my head. I’ll tell him that you’re a killer. You tried to kill before. He’ll lock me up, and I’ll let him. You speak to me right now, or I will do it. I swear.”
There’s no need to get in a huff about it, she says.
I flinch at the sound of her voice, so loud and clear in my mind, not even pretending that she is weak. Not even pretending that Theo’s amulet has any effect on her. I had known it already but to hear her speak out loud so easily is worse than knowing it. I clench my fists, my nails cutting into the palm of my hands.
“What have you been doing?” I whisper in horror, an awful new thought occurring to me. How many nights have I thought I was asleep when Nemesis has been awake? What else has she been doing? “Tell me it wasn’t you?” I gasp.
She cackles, her laugh full of contempt. Me who killed Rachel? You really are paranoid. Of course I never killed Rachel. Why would I?
I sag in relief against the sink. “Then why? Why did you take India out yesterday? What are you up to?”
The clue is in the name, she says snidely. I’m a nemesis. I was made for punishing the wicked, and that is what I have to do. I found the man who wanted India first. Before you. Before your precious Agent Storm. I’m the one who found him and made him pay.
“You found Sergeant Lowry?” I whisper.
His real name is Stephen Manners, she says smugly. I found that out. I made him tell us his name. And oh what a naughty boy Stephen Manners is.
“What did you do?” I demand. “Tell me you didn’t kill him. Please tell me you didn’t kill him?”
Why do you care so much? He’s a murderer. He murdered Rachel. And now he needs to pay.
“So he’s not dead?” I say in relief. “Where is he? What have you done with him?”
Wouldn’t you like to know? she says coyly.
“Nemesis, what have you done? Tell me right now,” I demand.
Stop calling me Nemesis, she says. I’m not your nemesis. I’ll let you call me Alys.
“Alys,” I whisper, shuddering.
She giggles, as if relishing hearing her name on my tongue. She is savoring this moment of my realization. It is her moment of victory. She has been waiting for it, for when I would finally discover that she had been there all along. I had almost forgotten what it was like to have her in my mind. I can feel her relishing my horrified shock as if it is delicious. As if it feeds her.
“You have to tell me what you’ve done,” I demand. “Storm is looking for Sergeant Lowry. He is going to find him.”
Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. It doesn't matter to us anymore.
“Does Sergeant Lowry know it was you? Did he see my face?”
So what? she says sulkily.
“So he is going to tell Storm. It is going to ruin my life! What is wrong with you?”
You don’t have to worry about that, she says. Sergeant Lowry will be dead soon. Even if Storm does find him first, and he tells Storm everything, we don’t care.
“I do care.”
Really you don’t, she says slyly. It’s not like Storm will tell anyone. And we’ll have our payday and we can leave this place for good.
I shake my head. “What are you talking about? If you haven’t killed Lowry already, how is he going to die? We have to stop it. We can’t let him die.”
Of course we can let him die, she snaps. He deserves to suffer then die for what he’s done. He’s murdered six women. Five girls and Rachel Garrett. Why should he get to live when they are dead?
