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“Hallie. Hallie, are you still there?” Jess shouts down the phone.
“He’s here,” I whisper, my eyes wide and glued to the van.
“Shit. Which cemetery, Hallie?”
“Colonial Park,” I mumble.
“I’m on my way. Stay out of sight.”
I end the call, switching the phone to vibrate. The last thing I need is for my phone to ring and give away my hiding position. There’s a large tree to my left, and I scoot behind it, using it to shield myself from view. The funeral cars haven’t arrived yet, and as I peer around the side of the tree, two guards step out of the van, their eyes constantly surveying the area.
“What the hell am I doing here?” I mutter to myself, dropping my head against the hard bark of the tree. I should go home. I simply can’t force myself to move. I’m still standing in the same position when I hear another vehicle approaching. Looking around the tree, nerves swirl in my stomach as the funeral car carrying Amanda’s body pulls up outside the chapel. My eyes are fixed on the casket, and I watch its removal from the car and placed on a trolley. Another car pulls up, and an elderly lady slides out. I’m guessing this is the aunt Detective Wilmot told me about. There are no other mourners, and after what she was a part of, I can’t say I’m surprised.
As the casket is wheeled over to where the service will take place, my eyes flick to the prison van. The two guards are opening the back doors, and my breath catches in my throat as a man dressed in an orange jumpsuit steps out. His hands are cuffed, and his ankles are shackled. There is a small length of thick chain linking the shackles on his ankles, allowing him to shuffle along slowly. His head is bowed, and despite not seeing his face, I know it’s him. His hair is the same as it was except for a few streaks of gray, and he looks as built as he was ten years ago. A shudder runs through me as he lifts his head, and I see for the first time in ten years the hard, cold eyes that terrified me—eyes that haunted my dreams for years. Eyes I never thought I’d see again.
My phone vibrates in my hand, and I look down, seeing Jess is calling me.
“Hello,” I whisper as I put the phone to my ear, my eyes still firmly fixed on Matt.
“Where are you?”
“I’m hiding behind a tree across from the parking lot.”
“Okay. I see you. I’m coming over.”
“You can see me?” I whisper scream down the phone, frantically looking around.If Jess can see me, can anyone else?Fear erupts inside me, and I pray I don’t have a panic attack. This was a bad idea. I should leave now with Jess and come back later for my car.
“Calm down. I parked on Burlington and came in the back way. I’m coming up behind you.” I close my eyes and drag in a mouthful of air trying to calm myself down. When my breathing evens out, I turn around, seeing her walking across the cemetery, her phone to her ear. Giving a small wave, I end the call, pushing the phone into my pocket. A few seconds later, she’s behind me.
“Hey, you okay?” she asks quietly as she pulls me in for a hug. “I can’t believe you’re here, Hal.”
“Me either. I had to come. I can’t explain it… I just had to.” She squeezes me a little tighter before releasing me and peeking around the tree.
“Why aren’t you at work?” I suddenly ask, realizing it’s mid-afternoon on a school day.
“School’s closed. The drains are backing up, and there’s sewage everywhere.” She looks at me and pulls a face before looking back around the tree. “Where is the bastard then? Oh, I see him, shackled like an animal. I can’t think of anyone more deserving.” Her voice is thick with disdain, and I can’t help but get a little emotional knowing my best friend has my back.
“Thank you,” I say quietly. “For coming and humoring me. I know you think I’m crazy, but I’m glad you’re here with me.”
She turns and smiles. “I don’t think you’re crazy.” Tilting her head, she screws up her nose. “A little weird maybe, but never crazy.”
“Hey,” I exclaim, feigning hurt.
“I’m joking,” she says with a laugh. “Seriously though, Hal, I will always be here for you whenever you need me. Granted, this is probably the weirdest thing we’ve ever done, stalking a serial killer, but there’s no way I’d want you to be here on your own.” I pull her into another hug before we go back to peering around the tree.
As the service is about to begin, a black sedan pulls up, and Jess nudges me in the side. “Who’s that?” I shrug as the car door opens, and Detective Wilmot climbs out along with Lieutenant Phillips.
“They’re the officers who came to my apartment,” I tell her in a hushed tone. “I wonder what they’re doing here.”
“Probably extra support for the guards. I did think there would be more police for someone as high profile as him.” I nod and turn my attention back to the officers. They haven’t approached the graveside. They lean up against their car, watching from a distance.
A few minutes later, and aside from Matt, the prison guards, and the elderly aunt, no one else has turned up. I watch Matt intently through the service, and no emotion passes his face. He really is a heartless bastard if he can’t shed a tear at his wife’s funeral. I shouldn’t be surprised, I guess. A man who can kill his daughter along with four other young girls, can’t possibly be emotionally stable. The graveside service is surprisingly long considering there are hardly any mourners.
“Do you want to go, Hal? It’s almost over,” Jess asks as they lower the casket into the ground.
I shake my head. “I need to see him get back into the van.” She takes my hand, squeezing it gently before giving me a small smile. As Matt throws dirt onto the casket, a black van squeals into the cemetery, stopping right next to where the service is being held. Three masked men jump out with guns in their hands. Before I know what’s happening, gunshots ring out in the peaceful cemetery, and the two prison guards fall to the ground.
Jess tugs on my arm, and we fall to the grass, lying as low as possible. Her hand clasps mine, and we lie pressed together in the dirt below the tree.
