Page 84 of Be Very Quiet

Liliana stepped inside, glancing around for Rex, but she didn’t see him anywhere. Suddenly, something hard slammed into her head, and the lights went out.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Liliana’s head throbbed as consciousness seeped into her. What had happened? Why did her skull feel as if it’d been used as a punching bag by a gang of angry pugilists?

The cloying scent of flowers assailed her nose, overpowering in intensity. Was she in a garden? Or, heaven forbid, a funeral home? My God, was she dead? Would she feel the pain in her head if she were?

A voice drifted toward her, and she stilled, trying to ascertain its origin. Wherever she was, she wasn’t alone.

“Are you finally awake, darling Liliana?”

Her eyes popped open, and a memory hit her. “Theo?” She’d followed him to help Rex. He’d had a heart attack. She blinked to bring him into focus. “What are you doing? Where’s Rex? How is he?”

Theo ran a knife along her foot and up her body, stopping at her neck. That’s when she realized her hands were tied together and she was strapped to a table by a band around her waist. Vases of blood-red lilies surrounded her, the same flowers as the bouquet that had been delivered to her condo. Flames flickered on fat white candles on several stands. It felt as if she was displayed on an altar.

Liliana blinked, trying to process what was happening. Was Theo Harvey the killer? He’d always seemed so nice. She’d never felt uneasy around him.

Her heart pounded as the knife caressed her neck. Would he slice her jugular so she would bleed out like the other women? The table beneath her was cold, and her gut cramped when she realized it had gutters along the sides. It was designed to keep bodily fluids away from the person performing an embalming. The strap around her stomach anchored her in place, but if he came close enough, she might be able to snap his neck with her legs. However, she still felt lethargic and wasn’t sure she could get her muscles to do what she wanted.

“Time to remove these clothes.”

Oh, hell to the no. Liliana did not want to be naked and vulnerable in front of Theo. She needed to keep him distracted. “Theo, what happened to Rex? Did he have a heart attack?”

His hand stilled, and a look of regret crossed his features. “I had to do it. Don’t you see? He was figuring it out.”

Dread filled her belly. “What did you do, Theo?”

He looked pained. “I had to get rid of him.”

Oh, no.“Please tell me you didn’t kill Rex, Theo. He was so good to you.”

Theo winced. “I didn’t want to. He realized it wasn’t Georgia who had changed the listing. He figured out it was me. I couldn’t risk him ratting me out to the cops.”

Rex was dead? Liliana felt sick that the man filled with hope and happiness had been senselessly slaughtered. He had loved selling houses, and he was good at it. He’d donated time and money to charity. Rex Raines had been a good man. “What did he figure out, Theo? That you are a killer?”

Theo’s mouth creased into a frown. “I don’t like that term. It’s disgusting. I rid the world of the unnecessaries, the throwaways. I provide a service, if you will.”

Liliana gaped at him. “How can you say that about human beings?”

Now he sneered. “Those women are a scourge on society. They spread their legs for the almighty dollar or a hit of nose candy. Nauseating. Their morals are on par with an alley cat. They don’t deserve to share our air.”

How elitist of him. “Who are you to be judge and jury?”

The blow was unexpected, and her head whipped to the side. At one time, she would’ve been crying hysterically at the hit, but she’d taken so many during training it barely fazed her. It did hurt like hell and would leave a nasty bruise.

“I grew up with practically next to nothing. My mother prostituted herself out to one man, who threw scraps our way but was never physically involved in our lives. I made something of myself anyway. Those women could’ve done the same thing instead of using their bodies.”

Goading him probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but she needed to keep him distracted from cutting her clothes off.

“Georgia wasn’t a prostitute, Theo. She was a smart, intelligent woman. Neither was,” she swallowed heavily, “Shonda.”

“Georgia’s death was a necessity. She realized I was the one who’d delisted the house where Speke had been staying.”

“You did that for Douglas?”

Theo nodded. “I did. He needed somewhere to stay and wanted to bunk with me. That wouldn’t do, so I told him I would find him a place. I knew the family had moved out of town and couldn’t check on the status. Perfect solution.”

“You and Douglas were buddies?”

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