AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Mom, I’m fine. My apartment is closer to work, and I have friends here. I’m not running away.” Although I can see she isn’t happy, she seems to accept my decision.
“How about breakfast on me?” my dad asks with a smile.
“That sounds good,” I tell him, grateful he’s diverted the conversation away from me moving back home. “I’ll quickly hop in the shower.” Kissing his cheek as I pass him, I’m about to head into the bathroom when I hear another knock on the door. “I’ll get it,” I call out as I head into the entryway. Using the peephole, Kitty is standing in the hallway. As I swing the door open, she throws her arms around me.
“Oh, Hallie. I’ve just seenCNN. Why didn’t you tell me?” I shrug as I step out of her embrace and think about lying for a fraction of a second. I want to be the Hallie who lives across the hallway and gets drunk on half a bottle of wine. I don’t want to be the Hallie from ten years ago, the poor girl from Savannah who was abducted by a serial killer. But most of all, I don’t want to see the look that’s currently on Kitty’s face. The look I’ve seen hundreds of times before on everyone from the mailman to my schoolteacher. That look changes how people see and treat you. I’m still me. I don’t want people’s pity.
“It was a lifetime ago,” I mumble, my eyes not finding hers. “Can I catch up with you later? My parents are here and taking me out for breakfast.” Finally meeting her eyes, they flash with hurt before she forces a smile.
“Of course.” She pulls me in for another hug, giving me a small wave as she makes her way back to her apartment.
“Hope your date with Nick goes well,” I call after her.
I like Kitty and don’t want to lose her as a friend. I know I’m pushing her away right now, but I’m not ready to talk about what happened.
She turns around and gives me a proper smile that reaches her eyes. “I’ll fill you in later.” She winks. I smile and close the door before heading for the shower.
As I stand under the hot spray, I replay the last hour in my mind. Amanda is dead, and the day after tomorrow, the man who abducted me ten years ago will be in Savannah, just two and a half miles from where I work. I thought I’d put Matt and Amanda behind me ten years ago. It seems life has other plans for me.
ChapterSix
Hallie
It’s the day of Amanda’s funeral, and it is like I’ve been hit by a freight train. I haven’t slept properly since I saw the news of her death onCNN. My nights are filled with dreams of ten years ago, and the thoughts that race through my mind aren’t rational.
Despite knowing Matt is under guard, I need to see for myself. I need to see that he can’t get to me, and that I’m safe.
It didn’t take me long to find out the time of the funeral. A few Google searches and the information is there for anyone to see.
Jess has been around to my apartment a couple of times to check on me since I found out about Amanda’s death. As close as I am to her, I haven’t told her of my worries, putting on a brave face whenever she’s there. I’m sure she can see right through me, and that’s the reason for her multiple visits, but even so, she hasn’t called me out on it yet.
I’ve called in sick to work, and I’m sure my colleague, Dana, is worried. She’s seen the news like everyone else but thankfully, hasn’t pressed me to tell her anything. I couldn’t be more grateful to her for that. She’s offered to listen if I need to talk, but that’s the most she’s said to me about it and I am grateful.
Leaving the apartment, I head down in the elevator to the parking garage. It’s only a ten-minute drive to the cemetery, and I want to get there before the service starts. I need to see Matt, but I don’t plan on letting him see me. Nerves swirl in my stomach as I make the short drive across town. The cemetery is quiet, and I wonder if they’ve not scheduled any other funerals today. Armed guards and a high-profile prisoner aren’t exactly what people expect to see when they are laying a loved one to rest.
Parking my Jeep in the small lot, an area a little way from where I’m standing is set up for a service. A handful of chairs are positioned around an open grave, and I pull out my phone to check the time—fifteen minutes until the service is due to start. Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I walk in the opposite direction, needing to put some space between me and where Matt will shortly be standing. My phone rings, and I jump, my heart racing. Sliding it from my pocket, Jess is calling.
“Hey,” I say, my voice sounding more confident than I feel.
“Hey. So, I stopped by the library. Dana said you were sick. I swung by your apartment, but you weren’t there. Everything okay?” I bite down on my bottom lip as I contemplate lying. I’m a terrible liar though, and she can usually see straight through me.
“Umm, yeah, I’m okay.”
“So, you’re not sick?” I can hear the confusion in her voice, and I close my eyes, knowing she’s going to think I’m crazy when I tell her where I am.
“No, I’m not sick, but you might think I am when I tell you what I’m doing.”
“Why? What’s going on, Hallie? Where are you?” I’m silent for longer than I should be. “Hallie, talk to me.”
“I’m at the cemetery,” I mumble, closing my eyes as I wait for her reaction.
“The cemetery… oh, Hallie, no! Come home. You don’t want to see him.”
“I need to do this, Jess. I need to see him vulnerable and locked up.”
She sighs down the phone. “Okay, I’m coming. Which cemetery are you at?”
Before I can answer, a large gray van pulls up the driveway. As it gets closer, I can see the words ‘Prisoner Transport - Stay Away’ splashed on the side in white writing. My breathing accelerates, and I think I’m going to throw up.
