Page 103 of Locked In Ice

There was a hard click.A creak.A screech.

She forced her eyes open just as Benny picked her up—and then he put her on a table.

His head lowered over hers.“He did what you couldn’t.”

Once more, she tried to speak.Couldn’t.

“You spent your whole life looking for Joseph’s killer, didn’t you?The boy hero who died when you were sixteen.Only you couldn’t ever find the man who ended Joseph’s life.Buthefound him.”

Who?What was—

“Sam.Sam found him.Remember the kill that freaking led you to the Forget-Me-Not cases?The jerk in the gutter who was dead, but had that string tied around his finger?You were tracking him because you thought he was related to a string of robberies that had resulted in three deaths.Oh, Ophelia, there were so many more.That guy you found?He’d been killing for years.He killedyourJoseph.Yes, I know all about him.”His hand stroked over her cheek.“I know all of your secrets.”

She was on an exam table?No,no.When her gaze darted down, she realized that she was on one of those long, metal slabs that slid out from the body storage cabinets.

And she…

Was that a black body bag beneath her?

She tried to move, but her arms were limp at her sides.

“Sam killed the man who ruined your life.And how did you thank him?You started huntinghim.Your trainer.You killedhim.”

This wasn’t making sense.How did Benny even know Sam?

“Sam mentored a whole lot of people over the years.Did all kinds of outreach and motivational speaking.He loved justice.Loved the law.”

Loved killing.Her fingers fluttered.Touched the hard edge of the body bag.A stupid flutter was all she could manage.What had he given her?What kind of damn drug?

“I was one of those people.Sat in some of his criminal justice lectures in college and got hooked.The man inspired me.Pushed me to help others.”

This isn’t helping.A dazed thought.

“I used to have dinner at his house.Felt like I was part of his family.”

She’d had dinner at Sam’s house, too.He’d been so good at making everyone feel welcome.And good at hiding who he really was.

Benny is just like him.

“His wife gave me his journal.”

What journal?

“Then she went home and slit her wrists.Did you know that, Ophelia?”And he walked away.

She tried to heave her body.To roll off the stupid slab, but her muscles wouldn’t obey her.

He returned.Something cold and sharp pressed to her wrist.

“This is a scalpel,” he told her.“I could cut your wrist with it, just like Pamela cut hers.”

And the sharp edge bit into her wrist.She tried to jerk free.Her hand barely twitched.

The scalpel pressed deeper.She felt it draw blood.

Lane!

“Not that Pamela used a scalpel.She just grabbed a knife from her kitchen.Don’t worry, I think my scalpel is probably sharper than the blade she used.But…that would be too messy.”The scalpel lifted.He smiled down at her as her eyes opened and closed again.Opened…

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