“Nope. This cat came with the house and has well and truly claimed me as her owner. Or her servant—depends which way you look at it.”
Despite everything, a ghost of a smile curved her lips. She patted the cat’s head, and the animal purred and pushed deeper into Polly’s touch.
“Who were they?” The words slipped into the air, and she almost wanted to tug them back.
There was a small pause from Joel before he put the cat down. “Nikki Bishop and Zoe Ewin.”
The two tourists who’d gone missing in recent months.
“It’s a serial killer,” Polly whispered, the shake now in her voice too. “Nikki. Zoe. Priya and Jenna. And maybe even the missing people from before. Eileen and Maggie’s mother.”
Joel closed that short distance between them and cupped her cheeks. “You’re safe here.”
She nodded, but the move was stilted. If all the deaths were by the same person, then they’d been killing for over twenty years. They were so good at covering their tracks that they were still going.
“You need a warm shower.” He rubbed her arms. “I’ll make us food?—”
“I’m not hungry.”
“I’ll make food because you need to eat. While I do, you shower.”
Without waiting for her response, he took her hand in his large one and led her into a big dark-toned bedroom with a wooden headboard and oak bedside tables. They stepped through into a bathroom.
“Call if you need anything.” Then he pressed a kiss to her temple and left, the soft click of the bathroom door closing behind him.
The second he was gone, she wanted to call him back. But that was stupid. She really did want to shower, and it wasn’t like she could ask him to join her.
She turned on the water, stripped, and stepped under the warm stream.
Joel was right. This was what she needed. A hot shower. A moment alone to process everything.
She stayed in there until thick fog filled the air. Until her fingers grew wrinkly and her skin was hot to touch.
When she stepped out, she opened the door into the bedroom to see folded clothing—herclothing—on the bed and a handwritten note beside it.
Maggie grabbed these for you. J.
One side of her mouth lifted at the sight of her comfiest, baggiest sweats and her gray hoodie.
Maggie knew her well.
But if Maggie knew what had happened, then her best friend had no doubt called and texted. Polly had switched off her phone in the car. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was her way of shutting out the world.
She’d need to call Maggie back, but right now her capacity felt pretty low.
Once she was dressed in the clean clothes, she left the bedroom and followed the scent of spices.
She stopped in the living room at the sight of Joel in the kitchen, by the stove. He’d taken off his sweater and wore a gray T-shirt that hugged his broad shoulders.
He looked big and strong and safe.
He turned his head, his lips kicking up. “Hey. I’ve made some chili for lunch slash dinner. I’m not sure what three in the afternoon classifies as.”
“I love chili.” Whether she could actually eat was another question.
“Sit. I’ll bring you a bowl when it’s ready.”
She swallowed, not moving for a second, because this…Joel…it all felt so comfortable that it almost made her want to run.
