Page 2 of The Last Close Call

“Oh, come on,” Hannah said. “You probably misplaced it.”

“No. I did not.”

“Evie, the man drives a Porsche. What would he want with a silver locket?”

“He knew it would needle me.” She headed down the hall and paused at Bella’s room to switch off the light, ignoring the lingering scent of baby shampoo as she closed the door.

“Do you want me to come over?”

“No, I’m fine. I’m just being, I don’t know, emotional.”

“Hey, you’re allowed to be emotional. Your ex is a prick. How about we walk the lake tomorrow? We can catch up.”

Evie stepped into the bathroom and confronted her reflection in the mirror above the sink. Messy hair, sallow skin, dingy bathrobe. She opened the medicine cabinet and eyed the contents. The prescription sleeping pills called out to her. But she had more willpower than that. She closed the cabinet.

“What time?” she asked Hannah.

“Let’s do nine. I’ll meet you at the bridge.”

“Are you sure? Nine sounds early.”

Evie was fine with it, but Hannah’s body clock didn’t work that way. She hadn’t had kids.

“All right, let’s make it ten,” Hannah said.

“Ten at the bridge.”

“It’s a date. Love you, Eves.”

“You, too.”

She set the phone down and stared at her reflection as she took another sip. A four-mile loop around the lake would do her good. Maybe she’d stop at the grocery afterward and get some fresh produce. She could make soup. Or maybe a pie for next week. She stepped into the bedroom.

A man in a ski mask stood in the doorway.

Her wineglass crashed to the floor as she registered everything at once—the wide shoulders, the black clothes, the heavy boots.

His hands were empty, but the latex gloves he wore turned her throat to dust.

“Don’t scream, Evelyn.”

Her heart seized. He knew her name.

She thought of her cell phone in the bathroom only a few feet away. She could lock herself inside and then—

He stepped into the bedroom and pulled the door shut with a terrifying click.

Evie’s mind raced, even as time slowed to a crawl. She had to survive this. Whatever happened, she had to survive for Bella.

What did he want? Her heart thundered as her eyes returned to those gloved hands.

God help me.

She inched toward the bathroom, stalling for time.

“How”—she cleared her throat—“how did you get in here?”

The hole in the mask shifted—a flash of white teeth as his mouth formed a smile.

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