Page 20 of The Killer You Know

Why me?

Why not those other women?

I riffle through my past at lightning speed, trying to search out something, anything, that could have led to these consequences. An entire litany of people that I’ve wronged with my blind ambition flits before me. The competitive edge that drove me in the real estate world—that push that led me to believe I always had to be on top—now feels like a curse. The faces of those I’ve stepped on along the way play out like a parade of horrors, and it’s as if I can hear their voices mixed in with the creaks and whispers of this house.

Is this punishment for my sins? A reckoning for the hearts I’ve trampled on my way to success? Or simply just the hearts I’ve trampled?

And just like that, I go from fear to fury.

Whoever is behind this is going to pay. I’ll make sure I punish them myself. I won’t need the police.

They messed with the wrong woman if they think this is going to end in their favor.

I’m getting out of this alive and they’ll be dead once I’m done torturing the crap out of them.

The sound of rustling emits from the other side of the door and I gasp.

“Hello?” I call out in a panic. It’s either a savior or a devil. And with the way my luck has been going, I’m betting on the latter. “Hello, can you hear me?” I cry so loud my voice pierces my ears.

“Yes, I can hear you,” a deep, slow, and methodical voice calls from the other side of the door and I shriek in terror.

That’s no savior.

That sounds like the devil himself. And oddly, it sounds a lot like Darth Vader, too.

“Can you hear me, Brittney?” they continue.

“Y-y-yes,” I stammer, unsure if that was the right move.

“Good. I hope you’re comfortable. I’ve been thinking about you all day. Have you been thinking of me?”

My heart jumps its way into my throat and I can’t bring myself to answer.

“I’ll take that as a yes, too.” The disembodied voice warbles with laughter. “I’ve got some sad news for you. Robin Hanson was found dead in her home.”

Robin? My mind reels with the possibilities.

“Robin was killed”—they pause for a moment—“but you won’t have it so easy.”

I pull my knees up and bury my face between them, trying to muffle my whimpers.

“I’ve brought a present for you. Do you like presents? I thought you might get lonely, so I brought you a couple of friends. But don’t worry. I’ll be back in a little while to keep you company myself.”

The door opens and a box is hurled this way. No sooner does it land on the ground than two large gray rats scamper out of it.

I scream my head off as the door shuts tight once again.

And that disembodied voice laughs like mad.

15

Special Agent Jack Stone

After wrapping up at the Penalty Box, Fallon and I split ways with Nikki. We drive back to Pine Ridge Falls and grab our laptops and Buddy as well, before driving down to Bea’s Diner.

It’s time for the next phase of our investigation via working through dessert.

Bea’s Diner isn’t just any local eatery, it’s basically the hub of Pine Ridge Falls, where the conversations flow as freely as the coffee. Not only does it sit at the base of Main Street, but it has a spectacular view of the waterfall that roars down from the mountain standing tall at the helm of this small town.

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