Page 135 of I'm Watching You

‘I thought you’d figured it all out.’

The man before her looked so ordinary, so regular. Kind even. ‘The Guardian?’

‘Very good.’ The man seemed pleased she was awake and alert. ‘I’ve been waiting for you to wake up. I was afraid that I’d overdosed you last night in the van.’

She remembered the needle pricking her arm. ‘What are you going to do with me?’

‘You have to die, Kendall. You crossed the line.’

A sob burned in her throat. But she kept her chin high. ‘What line?’

‘You didn’t know when to quit. Your reports were hurting Lindsay.’

‘I was just following the trail of evidence.’ She moistened her lips. If she could keep him talking, maybe she could delay or change what was to come. ‘Tell me what I did wrong.’

He rose, wincing. He was injured. ‘There’s no time for that.’

It had been her experience that ego drove everyone. People loved to talk about themselves. ‘But I want to get the story right. Don’t you want the world to know the truth?’

‘They will soon enough.’ He moved to the workbench and studied the monitors.

Only two screens were on. They televised images of a living room. ‘You’ve been watching her.’

‘Watching over her. Protecting her.’ From the bench he lifted up a machete. The blade glinted in the light.

Half his face was in shadows, but she could see the intensity behind his gaze. He was going to kill her. The realization was so clear. She didn’t want to be chopped into bits and watch the blood drain from her body, but she’d not lie there passively. She struggled against her binds.

Don’t panic. Don’t panic.‘Why are you watching Lindsay?’

‘I’m her only family. And family takes care of family.’

‘Who are you?’

He smiled. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

Keep him talking.‘It does. I can set the record straight.’

His face crinkled in disgust. ‘You’ve done enough damage.’

Keep him talking.‘Why did you kill the others?’

‘They were evil.’

The brick wall now dug into her spine. ‘What were their crimes?’

‘They hurt the innocent.’ He ran his thumb along the edge of the machete blade. Blood appeared.

‘How did you choose your victims?’

‘They hurt Lindsay.’

She pulled against her restraints. They didn’t budge. ‘Lindsay doesn’t appreciate what you’re doing. She hates violence.’

His face hardened. ‘You don’t know her.’

‘I know her better than you think. We spent long hours talking when I interviewed her. I’ll bet I’ve spent more time with her than you have.’

A pained look darkened his eyes. ‘You talk too much.’

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