“You have no idea what he is capable of.” His voice came out ravaged.
“He loves me, I’m not afraid of him.”
“Sometimes rage defeats love. Sometimes love isn’t enough.”
My hands shook, tears falling down my cheeks as I whispered, “It’s always enough.”
Josh stepped forward with his palms up, tears in his eyes. “Everyone is tense and hurting, we all just need to relax.”
Ethan strode across the room and stared out of the window. “We have to get them out of here. If he comes back in a rage, he will kill them and you know it, Michael.”
“I need to stay to search for clues. I may be about to get a vision on something.”
“Amy is right, her skills might be invaluable,” Michael said. “Kenneth, take Monique somewhere safe until I let you know he’s calmed.”
Kenneth nodded. Monique didn’t argue as he wrapped his arm around her back and they disappeared.
“I don’t want to be the one to point it out, but Amy’s skills won’t be any good to us if she’s …” Josh wrung his fingers together. “Maybe, Michael, you should see if you can find him and talk him down.”
Michael nodded. “I will look out the back and you check the front, Ethan. If he’s followed the scent, he could be miles from here by now.”
I moved back to the kitchen, my sneakers squelching in Mary’s blood. My hand shook as I snatched the bloody knife off the floor. And what I saw and felt had me wishing I didn’t.
Mary was in the kitchen wiping the bench down, humming—happy. She peered out of the window at the rain pouringdown. There was a silhouette in the window behind her. I couldn’t make out the detail through the blur of the rain. I felt the spike of fear in her heart as she swung back.
She gasped, “Why are you here?”
The figure stepped closer. Mary’s eyes fell to their black-gloved hand. In it, a sharp blade glinted.
She stumbled backwards, her heart beating furiously. “No, please no,” she pleaded, thrusting her arms up in front of her face and chest in a defensive position.
Mary screamed as slashes ripped through her frail arms.
A red-hot burning pain slammed into her chest. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak. Her legs lost power, and she slid down the cupboards to the floor.
“Why?” she whispered.
The knife clattering on the tiles jerked me back to the room. My legs felt shaky and I staggered.
“Amy.” Josh held me by the arms, his eyes soft and concerned. “Are you alright?”
My body was bathed in sweat. I swear, I could still feel the burning pain in my chest. I sucked at air, trying to get enough oxygen, tears streaming down my cheeks.
“What did you see?” he asked gently.
I couldn’t answer over the hot coal of despair in my neck. My whole body was shaking. Josh kept hold of one arm as he pulled out a chair from the kitchen table with the other and sat me down. “What did you see?” he asked again, rubbing my arm.
“I saw her being stabbed,” I choked out.
Josh’s hand stilled. “Did you see Sarah?”
I shook my head. “No, I couldn’t see who it was. It could have been her. It could have been someone she sent to do her dirty work. I don’t know.”
“Alright, alright. You did good.” He let go of me and tried to force a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Instead, they swamwith a mixture of devastation and concern. “How about I take you home now?”
My gaze fell to Mary’s painfully small shape on the couch. What kind of monster would murder a frail old lady? “I want to keep looking. I may be able to get something from one of the other rooms.”
Josh sniffed and nodded slowly. “It’s worth a try. Do you want me to come with you?”
