Page 49 of The White Picket Fence

“Good luck, guys,” Nick said.

Yeah.They were going to need it.

* * *

Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Thursday, March 31, 10:25 a.m.

“I’ll clean the kitchen,”Gino said. “You cooked. And it was delicious. I’d feel bad for Tino that he missed it, but I’m thinking you’ll cook for him again soon.”

Charlotte smiled at him. “I’ll cook for you, too. I like cooking for people who like my food. I can help you tidy up.”

Gino waved her away. “Go call your aunt. Tell her I said hi. I wasn’t an artist like Tino, but I always liked her class.”

“I will. Thank you.” She took her phone to Tino’s bedroom and closed the door behind her. The bed loomed large, and she sank onto the edge. She could smell Tino’s aftershave on the sheets. He’d always used the same kind, even back in high school. All the other guys smelled like Brut or Old Spice, but Tino’s scent had always been woodsy and light.

She should know. It had been her gift to him the first Christmas they’d exchanged gifts, back in the ninth grade. She’d smelled aftershave products at the mall until her head had ached before choosing the fragrance. That he still wore it gave her a warm feeling, deep in her chest.

He’d given her a small, silver-plated heart on a chain that same Christmas. It currently resided in her safe deposit box, its value purely sentimental.

I should have come home years ago. To Tino.

And to Dottie. She’d been so happy when Charlotte had come back for good.I’ll take care of her for as long as she has left.Which was hopefully a long, long time.

Charlotte was about to call the nurse’s station in the ICU when her phone vibrated in her hand. A FaceTime from Kayla. “Hey, honey. What’s?—?”

Her words fell away.

It wasn’t Kayla. The face that looked out from her phone was the same face Tino had drawn the night before. Kevin Hale.

It took a second for her brain to register the gravity of the situation.

Kevin Hale had Kayla’s phone.

The warm feeling that had filled Charlotte’s chest was gone in an instant, replaced with cold dread. “Hello, Kevin,” she said quietly, not sure of what to say or how to behave.

He smiled, looking pleased. “I knew you’d remember me. This one here, she’s a friend of yours, I take it.” He turned the phone to one side, revealing Kayla.

Terror stole Charlotte’s breath.He has Kayla.

The girl was tied to a chair, a gag in her mouth. Weak light filled the room behind her, but it was enough to showcase the bruise that covered the left side of her face.

He’d hit her. Fury mixed with the terror. He’d hit a thirteen-year-old girl. An innocent.

But he’d already hurt so many innocents. Of course he wasn’t above hitting a child.

“Let her go,” Charlotte whispered hoarsely.

“I will. I promise.” He turned the phone back so that his face was all she could see. “Just come to our house, and I’ll take her home. And don’t tell yourfriend.” He said the word with a sneer. “If I see a single cop—or Tino Ciccotelli—anywhere around you, I’ll kill the kid.”

Charlotte’s mind was racing, but no coherent thoughts emerged. “Why?”

The sneer gave way to a cheerful smile. “Because I’ve got us a beautiful house to live in.” The smile faltered, revealing a steely determination. “You’ll be happy here.”

It sounded like a threat.

“Why me? After all this time?”

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