Page 112 of Only One More Lie

He needed to figure out a way to stop this, and he didn’t have much time.

CHAPTER 60

The ache pulsating on top of Andi’s head nearly brought her to her knees.

Who was the man behind the white mask? Had he planned the outfit he wore just so he could look like a snowman?

And what was Duke going to do?

Would he tie them all up? Or put himself at risk and try something?

Flames shot from the cabin as the building continued to burn beside them. The orange and yellow fire offered a stark contrast to the otherwise white surroundings. Her feet and legs were nearly frozen while her right arm and one side of her face felt the heat of the blaze.

Andi decided to buy some time and asked, “Why the snowmen?”

Her question seemed to startle the man, and he looked away from the zip ties a moment.

Duke hadn’t made any attempt to grab them yet, and she hoped he wouldn’t have to.

“My family home burned down on December 6.” Bitterness stained his voice. “I was only twelve, and my family was celebrating an early Christmas with extended family. Someonedidn’t attend to the fire. While we were all sleeping, my childhood home went up in flames. By the time the rescue workers got there, I was the only one left alive.”

“That sounds terrible.” It truly did; Andi’s words were honest.

“When I was rescued, I was taken outside. That’s when I saw that the snowman my brother and I had built earlier in the day was still standing. Melting but standing. And my dad’s hat had somehow escaped the fire and blown out of the house. It had landed beside the snowman. I remember reaching down and putting it on top of the snowman’s head.”

Andi despised this guy, but she had to admit his story was gut-wrenching.

She’d figured that whatever had happened to the killer had been traumatic, and she was right.

“I’ve hated Christmas ever since then,” Heath said. “Despised it. Despised all the happy people. Despised everything the holiday represents. Every time I see a Christmas movie or a commercial about the holidays I get a sick feeling in my stomach.”

“So you wanted to ruin Christmas for everyone else?” Juniper asked. “I knew you hated Christmas and never wanted to celebrate. I never knew how far it went.”

“It’s only fair that others suffer the way I’ve suffered.” His nostrils flared. “I wanted to leave my mark—and I think I’ve been effective.”

“Why did you wait so many years to start your killing spree?” Andi would guess this man was in his forties or fifties, based on his voice and stance.

“Seeing this place and hearing from Calvin about everything it represented . . . it reminded me of everything I’d lost. It triggered something inside me until it was all I could think about.” He paused. “Then I saw the snowman.”

“The snowman?” Juniper asked.

“When your dad found this property, the first thing he did was to build a snowman here. he said it represented everything happy about the season.” Heath swallowed hard. “To me, it represented all my loss. I kept seeing my father’s hat on the melting snowman outside our home. The image has always haunted me.”

“So now you want to make sure you ruin Christmas for everybody else?” Disgust dripped from Andi’s voice.

“I do this in honor of my family.” His voice turned sharp. “To keep their memories alive. To remind others that life isn’t always fun and games!”

“Yet, wasn’t this a game?” Andi asked. “You were just waiting for someone to figure out how you chose your victims. It sounds like you were having some fun with it.”

“I was just making a point!”

“There has to be a better way,” Simmy murmured. “Killing others won’t bring your family back.”

“I have no one! Don’t you understand that?”

Juniper stepped forward. “You had someone, but you lost her.”

Was Juniper talking about herself? Was this man Caleb?

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