Page 135 of The Night Before (Savannah 1)

ow to bring out Kelly when I needed her. But I also figured Rebecca Wade had discovered that you were a split personality, so I broke into her office to make sure. Everything was in the computer files, and as I read and realized that she meant to write a book about you, make you some kind of landmark case, that she, too, had to bite the big one. It was interesting, using the GHB on her, slipping it into her coffee—oh, no, let’s see, not coffee.” She hesitated and placed a finger along side her jaw. “It was a tall non-fat single latte with light foam, I think.” She laughed again, amused at herself. “Didn’t you like my little mafia touch of cutting out her tongue to keep her from talking—even though she was already dead?”

Oh, God no. Not Rebecca, too!

Caitlyn felt something. A tingle. Was it her imagination, or could she move one thumb?

Don’t listen to what she’s saying. Move, for Christ’s sake. Move. It’s your only chance. Kelly’s voice seemed to scream at her from inside her mind.

“But the shrink’s notes did help me in one way,” Atropos continued. “They showed me how to bring out the Kelly personality when I needed her. Once I figured out how to make you hyperventilate, get your blood pressure up, I was able to bring Kelly out whenever I needed you to lose track of time and therefore not have an alibi.”

Hannah let out a panicked squeak and Caitlyn stared at her, willing her to understand to be calm.

“Clever?” Amanda asked as she tied off the braid.

Not clever, you maniac. Psychotic. Sick. Horrible. Amanda had killed so many people, tortured them, used them and then set it up to blame Caitlyn. But she had feeling in her feet and arms though she didn’t lift her head, didn’t show any sign that she was recovering. If Amanda had the slightest inclination that she could move so much as one muscle, she’d drug her again. Better, for the moment, until she had her strength, to pretend to be incapacitated.

“So now you have to die, here in your lair . . . I’ll claim the roles were reversed, that you captured me. See, look here.” She lifted her arms, showed where there were bruises around her wrists. “Handcuffs,” she explained, “because it’s going to look like you handcuffed me to a post out in the wine cellar and I broke free, we struggled, the tables were turned and you ended up dead, not me.”

She tied off another cord. Time was running out.

“It helped that you . . . or was it Kelly . . . made a pathetic attempt to kill Josh. You didn’t know that I’d already arrived and caught him drinking. So while he was using the facilities I slipped in the GHB. I ducked outside to the patio to watch and guess what? That’s when you showed up. Giving the police a perfect suspect. Josh didn’t suspect his drink had been doctored, so he gave you a glass. Bingo, I got two birds with one stone.”

She admired her work and slid one eye in Caitlyn’s direction. It was all Caitlyn could do to remain still. Her limbs were beginning to tingle, feeling was coming back to her hands and feet.

“You know,” Amanda said, “it was fitting, don’t you think, the way Josh died? Josh, the bloodsucker, had his own lifeblood drained.” She finished braiding and again looked over at Caitlyn. For a second Caitlyn’s gaze cleared and she focused more clearly on her sister. The horrendous implications curdled her stomach. Amanda or Atropos, she was a murderer, a cold-blooded killer.

“. . . little Jamie was difficult.”

What? She’d killed Jamie?

No, oh, God . . . No! No! No! Agony ricocheted down her body, tore at her with angry claws, bit into any peace of mind she’d found. Not the baby. Please, please, not my precious, precious baby.

Caitlyn quaked from the inside out, felt her self begin to slide. No . . . not now, she couldn’t step aside now. She couldn’t, wouldn’t let the Kelly personality take over. She had to fight. She had to win. But it was so hard. Caitlyn’s personality had always been weaker, but now she wouldn’t let go. Couldn’t.

“She would have died anyway,” Atropos insisted with a beatific smile. “She was a wonderful child, but, we all know she was very, very sick, there really was no hope.”

Caitlyn’s heart froze. How could this monstr talk of Jamie so coldly, so clinically?

“I hated to do it. But I just helped her along, like I did Mother. She was an heir, you know. In the way. Just before I did it, I managed to tape Jamie. She was scared in the hospital. You’d just stepped downstairs for dinner; it was the only time she was alone and I had my little recorder in my pocket when I slipped in to ‘visite’ her. That’s what you heard on the phone, that and my impersonation of her.” She paused a second then said in a scared little voice, “Mommy . . . Mommy . . . where are you?”

Caitlyn tried to scream, tried to move. Her baby! Her sister had killed her baby! Adrenalin pumped through her bloodstream. Anger and rage poured through her. Her fingers curled over the edge of the desk.

Hannah let out a muffled wail.

“You’re all so pathetic. I find it incredible that we came from the same damned gene pool,” she said, glowering down at Hannah before pointing a finger at Caitlyn. “So now you pose a problem. Are you Caitlyn? Or are you Kelly? Twins. Two people in one body?” Amanda began to pace. “I think the best thing to do is to cut you in half. Right down the middle. One half put somewhere, another half somewhere else. But it”s so messy. So messy . . . I already had to deal with one mess. Draining Josh’s blood from him and splashing it all around your room wasn’t that easy. You were so out of it, and I needed your handprint to make the marks. Fortunately you hit your nose when you fell at Josh’s and spilled some blood. I bet the next morning you freaked, didn’t you, when you woke up? And you thought you had too much to drink?” She laughed then, and the sound was as evil as Satan’s cackle. Caitlyn quivered, but tried desperately to pull herself together. She could move. Barely. Her vision was getting less blurred and she thought, over the droning of Amanda’s voice, that she could hear footsteps. But maybe she was imagining the sound.

“Don’t ever let anyone slip GHB into your drink again, Caitlyn. You really do pass out and not remember.” Then she smiled and stood near the horrendous family tree. “I guess you won’t have to worry about that anymore. You won’t have to worry about anything.” Hannah was slowly inching her body close to Amanda’s feet. She caught Caitlyn’s eye, and Caitlyn blinked slowly, hoping her sister would understand.

Amanda was prattling on, but Caitlyn barely heard her, was concentrating on moving her fingers and listening. Was someone outside this hideous lair getting closer? Was that a creak of the stairs? She almost jumped . . . and felt a measure of control return to her body. If she tried . . . With all her concentration she attempted to lift the index finger of her right hand.

Hannah saw the movement and froze.

Amanda was admiring her work. “Now let’s see”—She looked at Caitlyn—“the fun part. I’ll cut the cord as Atropos.” With her pair of long-bladed surgical scissors, she snipped the red and black braid cleanly.

Caitlyn managed to move one finger. Just barely.

“Perfect,” Amanda announced, setting the scissors on the desk and turning to the image of the grotesque tree with its frightening pictures. “Pretty soon you’ll join the others.”

Not if I can help it! Kelly’s voice reverberated through her head. Move your fucking hand, Caitlyn! Grab the scissors!

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