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I want to ask her to stay, but one, she’ll say no, and two, I won’t be able to sneak out later if she’s around.
“Have fun.”
She smiles, and it’s chilling. “Oh, I will.”
I narrow my eyes. Valerie is up to no good.
As long as she doesn’t get in the way ofmywork, everything will be fine.
Halfway through the movie, Mom and Keith make their way downstairs. Mom asks again if I want to come to the party, and my answer remains the same. I finish watching the movie, and then I get going. I have to visit the bunker first. It’s time forKiller Santa Two—Sins of the Father.
ten
Eric
It takes an hour to retrieve my stuff from the bunker and get to the mayor’s party. By the time I arrive, I’m a human popsicle. That’s the drawback of riding a bike in the middle of the winter. But I don’t have a car in Stanmore anymore, and I can’t drive my mother’s car and risk anyone seeing it zooming away from the crime scene.
The mayor lives in a huge red brick two-story house that’s fully decorated with Christmas lights. But in a more tasteful and less extravagant way than most of the other houses in the neighborhood. This time, I leave my bike in a small park behind the house. The snow is high, so I drop the bike behind a bench, and after I get everything I need from my backpack, I cover the bike and backpack with snow.
I had to get rid of my coat and beanie, and now I’m wearing only my suit. There’s no way I can sneak into a house full of people unless I look like I belong there. So I’m posing as a guest. I just have to make sure Mom, Keith, and Valerie don’t see me. I circle to the back of the house, but before I venture in through the staff entrance, I pull out the flask of whiskey I borrowed from Keith and wash my mouth with it, swishing and then spitting out the whiskey a few seconds later.
Hell, this stuff is awful. It burns and has an aftertaste I don’t care for. But it’s needed for my disguise. I sprinkle a little bit of the whiskey on my clothes and neck for good measure. My character is a drunk guest who got lost, and I need to smell like I’ve been swimming in booze.
My body relaxes as soon as I leave the freezing temperature behind and step foot in the kitchen. Personnel are working furiously to get food and drinks out to the guests, and no one notices my presence for a moment. I keep walking as if I forgot how to put one foot in front of the other until I bump into a cook.
“Sorry,” I say.
The man frowns. “You’re not supposed to be here, sir.”
I look around, pretending to be confused. “Shit. I think I took a wrong turn somewhere. I was looking for the bathroom.”
The cook gives me directions, and I get out of the kitchen fast, but not before I purposely knock a tray of canapés down. “Oops. Sorry.”
Okay, now if anyone recognizes me, they’ll say I was too drunk to be able to shish kebob anyone. Out of the safety of the kitchen, I stick to the walls, keeping my face partially covered by my long bangs. This isn’t the best of my plans. I prefer jumping someone when they’re alone in the dark. But there’s not a chance in hell I’ll let Mark Warner remain unpunished. If I had known he was involved, he’d be long gone. He’s already lived longer than he should, probably committing more atrocities because I didn’t do my due diligence.
I’ve been here before and know the lay of the land. The mayor invited our family for dinner when Mom and I first moved to Stanmore. Keith is an important member of the community, and the mayor wants to play nice with the newcomers. I head toward the mayor’s home office, on the opposite side of the house from the main party, which makes it the perfect location for a murder.
No one sees me making a beeline toward the correct hallway. I slip inside the office quickly, leaving the door partially open.
Then I put in motion my second part of the plan, which is to lure Mark Warner here. I take my burner phone out—it pays to be prepared for all scenarios—and send him a text that will make him want privacy. The dirty secret that put him on top of my list is the very thing that’ll lead him to his demise.
* * *
VALERIE
I’m glad Eric didn’t come to the mayor’s party. He’s a distraction I don’t need. My entire focus needs to be on the task at hand. One slip, and I might end up killing the wrong person. After Hansen died, I kept working on the poison that was meant for him. I figured I might need it one day. Now, I’m going to use it on the person who probably turned Hansen into a monster—his father. This will be my first kill, and I need to get it right.
Mark Warner is one of the most influential citizens in Stanmore, owning half the stores downtown. He’s also part of the city council. So he’s at the mayor’s party even though today marks the anniversary of his son’s death. I won’t have a better opportunity to end him.
It’s an effort to serve the man during the pre-dinner portion of the event and not give him his special drink right then. But I don’t want his death to be a spectacle. Plus, I can’t be the one to serve the asshole his last drink. I’d become the prime suspect. I have to serve him the poisoned drink when he’s alone.
I also want him to know I’m the one ending him. I can’t gloat if there are witnesses around.
Most people who were at the church this morning are at the party. But there’s a glaring difference. No one seems to be upset anymore about Hansen. They shouldn’t be, but it just shows how fake these people are.
My chance for revenge comes after dinner. The band is kicking it, and the guests are dancing to popular nineties songs, including my father and Theresa. I’m glad they’re having fun.
Mark Warner has his phone glued to his ear as he strides down the hallway. I bet he’s going to the mayor’s office. I grab a glass of whiskey from the bar and, without anyone seeing, squeeze a few drops of the poison into it. Then, I move close to the wall to become invisible and slowly make my way to the office as well. I don’t know yet how I’m going to convince him to drink this without causing suspicion, but I’ll improvise.
