Page 64 of Two for Joy

“He’s gone.”

Holly licked her lips. “You want me to tell the DI so that Chad might be cleared … so he’ll come back.”

“He’s innocent.”

“Maybe of this crime.”

Romeo scrunched his face. He could see the plotting behind Holly’s eyes, the sparkle of something. He’d pushed her too far, toyed with her to the point of obsession.

“Chad is not a killer.”

“I told him to back off.”

“You had no right to tell him that.”

“I was looking out for you, Romeo. Someone has to look out for you. Coming here, flaunting your failure. Making you reliant on him. He’s exploiting your Lima Syndrome.”

“My what?”

Holly nodded. “Lima Syndrome. I wrote about that in my article, too. It’s where the abductor feels sympathy for the captive. You healed Chad’s injured leg, cooked him food, kept him warm by the fire. You showed empathy, and now you’re locked up, he’s not let you go, he’s kept you dangling, strung along. He exploits that care. No wonder you have such difficulty expressing emotions.”

“Did you write about Chad in your article?”

Holly turned away. “A bit.”

“What did you say exactly?”

“Why is it important?”

Romeo spoke through his teeth. “What did you write about him?”

“I said it was about time he let go of his control and left you alone for good.”

The hot bubbly feeling started to grow in Romeo stomach. It fed into his veins, made his heart pound, and his skin feel too tight, too hot. The copycat was obsessed with him, the copycat was eager. Chad was the one that got away. The one, according to Holly, who mocks him by visiting, torments him from behind a barrier.

“If the copycat has read your article, he might see it as an incentive to go after Chad.”

Holly leaned closer. “Is that such a bad thing…”

“Of course it is—

“Not from where I’m sitting.”

Romeo sprung up from his chair and turned to Fred and Paul. They both drew their batons, ready for an attack.

“You need to speak to the inspector, tell him about the break in, the article.”

“Why are you so certain the killer isn’t Chad?” Holly asked.

Romeo turned back to her. “Because he’s not a monster.”

“Monsters can wear all sorts of masks…”

“He’s a good person.”

“He really has wrapped you around his finger.”

“You need to go to the police with what you know.”

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