Page 64 of Shattered Sanctuary

“It’s in the names,” Erin said, her voice shaking. “Think about it. Willow, Annie, Terri, Chloe, and Hailey.”

“I don’t understand,” Kaely said. “What are you seeing...” And then she understood. “W,A,T,C,H. Watch. Like Watcher Woods. Then the next victim would have to be...” Kaely felt as if she couldn’t breathe. “It doesn’t mean that it’s you. It could be anyone whose name starts with the letterE.”

“But it isn’t just anyone, and you know that.”

“You said you know who the killer is. Tell me. Then we call Adrian.”

“You said that his job made him someone that people would trust. Wouldn’t be suspicious of. He could be in his forties. Not unattractive. And he has a signature. He likes things in order.”

Kaely continued to stare at her. Then it hit her. “A certain order. Like the wordWatcher. That’s it.”

“He had to have all the flyers on the bulletin board in alphabetical order.”

“And the stamps were taken out of the regular booklet and put into a three-ring binder so that they would also be in order.” Kaely gasped. “He knew who we were, where we’re staying, and for how long. We didn’t tell him that. It’s Allen Dunne. Why didn’t I think of him sooner? He knows where everyone lives. He delivers mail to them. He has access.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the lights went out again.

“If I cussed, I think I would be doing that now,” Kaely grumbled.

Something touched her leg, and she let out a little scream. Kaely looked down to see Chester looking up at her, his head on her leg. “Chester, goodness gracious. Warn a gal first, okay?”

“So now what do we do?” Erin asked. “Just wait for the electricity to come on again?”

“I have no idea. We don’t have a generator.”

“My apartment complex has one,” Erin said. “I’ve seen it, but I have no idea how it works.”

“I saw some battery-powered lights in a cabinet in the kitchen,” Kaely said. “I’ll get them. At least we’ll have themclose by in case the generator doesn’t come back on. Then we’ll call Adrian. I’m concerned whether or not they’ll be able to pick Mr. Dunne up in this weather.”

“Are you sure we have enough evidence for the police to arrest him?”

Kaely sighed. “No. I doubt Adrian can arrest him, but at least he can bring him in for questioning.”

“Are we really convinced it’s him?” Erin shook her head. “I mean, I was when I first mentioned him, but now I’m starting to have some doubts. I mean, just because he likes to put things in order, does that make him a serial killer?”

“Remember that a profile is only supposed to narrow the search perimeters. We don’t actually charge suspects. At this point, we have to hand it over to Adrian. But I’ve been doing this a long time. I feel confident that it’s him, if that means anything.”

“It does. And I realize that just because my name starts with anE, it doesn’t mean I’m next on the list. I shouldn’t have jumped to that conclusion.”

“I think we should err on the side of caution,” Kaely said. “I’m glad we’re here together. I sincerely doubt if Allen is out in this storm, but Erin... I’d feel better if we were both armed.”

Erin nodded. “I hear you. I—I’ll get my gun.”

Kaely was relieved to hear her say that she was ready to unlock her gun box. Did that mean she was no longer afraid she might use it on herself?

“I’ll get mine too,” she said. “Did you bring a holster?”

“No, I wasn’t planning to take it out of the box.”

“I have an extra,” Kaely said. “I’ll grab it.”

Erin grinned. “You brought an extra holster? Why?”

“I have no idea. At the last moment, I just felt I should.”

Erin’s eyes widened. “Okay. That’s... weird.”

Kaely shrugged. She was certain the Holy Spirit had nudged her to bring it, but she didn’t want Erin to feel she was being manipulative, so she stayed silent.

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