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I have you.
Dan held the chain tightly and closed his eyes. The image that came to mind sent a violent shock wave through him, and he had to take several deep breaths to recover his control. He knew what he’d seen was the truth. The visions never lied.
Oh my God.Nowwhat do I do?
“What did you see?” Christopher demanded.
Dan had to take a moment to force calm into his voice. “The police got it wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“Therewasa guy with him. They hooked up, and then he left. But Paul needed a hit, a fix. There were no drugs in the apartment, so he called a number someone had given him. A dealer.Theybrought the stuff that killed him. It was nothing to do with the guys he’d been hooking up with.”
Christopher gaped at him, shaking. Then his face hardened once again. “You almost had me doubting myself for a moment. No. So what if it was some low-life drug dealer who ended his life? His ‘lifestyle’ and subsequent death had been the result of the men he’d associated with.Theycorrupted him.Theywere the ones who got him into drugs.Theyconvinced Paul he was gay.Theysucked him into a world where he did not belong.” He locked gazes with Dan, his face red. “They killed him.”
And just like that, Dan knew he’d run out of chances.
Except….
Go with his feelings of guilt. Don’t let him off that hook.
It was all Dan had left to play with.
Chapter 39
7:30 p.m.
GARY SATbehind the wheel. They’d parked on Rhoda Street, across the corner from Pawsey, which wasn’t as populated. He pulled up Google Maps. “There’s only the one house at the end,” he commented. “Behind it is nothing but salt marsh.”
It was a lonely house, no doubt about that, and it gave him the shivers.
What is Ludlow doing in there?
“I want a closer look.” Lewis got out of the car.
“Wait.” Gary unfastened his seat belt and followed him. Riley too. “Lewis,” he called out urgently. “What are you going to do? Walk right up to it and peer through the windows? You know we can’t do that, right? Curtilage—ring a bell? Property boundaries?” Not that he hadn’t had the same idea, but there were laws about this kind of thing, andoneof them had to stay within the lines.
Lewis scowled. “There’s a car parked up at the house. At least let’s get close enough to see if the license number checks out.”
They could do that. “Okay, but don’t gettooclose.”
They walked about halfway up the street, keeping to the left where they were in the shadow of trees from a nearby property. Lewis squinted at the car. “Yup. That’s the one. So it’s a safe bet Ludlow is in there.”
“Then let’s go knock on the door,” Riley suggested. “We can do that.”
The side of the house they could see was in darkness. No sign of life. Beyond the house was the ocean, its waters reflecting the changing golden light in the sky.
Christ, this is excruciating.
Gary wanted to break down the door and charge through that house until he found Dan. Because everything in him was yelling that Dan was in there.
“Did you hear that?” Lewis said suddenly.
Riley frowned. “Hear what? The only things around here making any noise are the bugs.”
“Thought I heard a scream.”
“You’re hearing things.”
