Page 61 of Two for Joy

“Yes?”

“Who have you told?”

“Everyone knows about Chad—”

“No. Who have you told about the magpies?”

“No one.”

Romeo pressed his face into the bars. “Force that one brain cell of yours to work and tell me.”

“Well, I might have mentioned it once to Holly.”

“Holly?” Romeo said, feeling suddenly breathless.

“Yeah, I told you months ago, Ben, the rookie, took her on a tour of the crazies. She stopped at my cell and asked whether I could give her an insight on you, being your neighbor and all. She asked whether you did anything strange, and I said no, but you had nightmares, dreams about Chad, the farmhouse, and magpies.”

“What did you say?”

“Not a lot, just that the dreams tormented you, and have since you arrived.”

Romeo backed away from the bars. “Holly Stevenson…”

“So why do you dream of magpies?”

“Night, Will.”

****

Holly stepped into the room with a big smile on her face. Romeo didn’t match it, he glared until her smile fell and she averted her gaze. He’d spent two days in his cell thinking it over, running the idea of her as the killer through his head. Unlike with Chad, the thought didn’t evolve into a fantasy, it stayed as a nightmare.

Holly couldn’t be the copycat, her manicured nails, her innocent smile, not to mention she was small. Romeo smirked, but looks could be deceiving, he was proof of that.

Holly came closer, put her files on the table then sat down. “I was so relieved when you finally accepted my visit.”

“Killing people feels good, doesn’t it?”

Holly recoiled. “What?”

“Them helpless, there to take your anger out on.”

“I—”

“To hit, to bludgeon, then wrap your hands around their necks and…”

“Stop this.”

He could see the repulsion in her eyes.

“It feels good, like you’re untouchable, a god. The rush of it, it’s so intense, nothing else comes close to feeling someone die in your hands. I always knew it would feel good, it was what I was born to do—”

“You weren’t born to kill.”

“Yes, I was. Do you like what I did?”

“Of course not.”

“Why not?”

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