Page 28 of The Girl He Crowned

“Because someonejust killed a member ofmyfamily,” Harry said. “I don’t care if she waskind of a bitch, or if she was late repaying me. That’s not something you do.Ever.”

He sounded as ifhe meant it, which left Paige increasingly unsure about his potential motivefor all of this.

Christopher askedthe obvious question then.

“Where were youearlier tonight?” he asked.

“I’ve been at thebar since four,” Harry replied. “Ask any of my guys, or the bar staff.”

It was a shakyalibi, resting on the word of a bunch of people who worked for Harry, but itwas still an alibi. More than that, between his point about not killing anyonewho owed him money and his obvious anger that someone else had killed Melody,Paige simply had a hard time believing that it might be him.

The only problemwas that if Harry Connaught wasn’t the killer, the real Pendulum Killer wasstill out there somewhere, maybe already hunting for his next victim.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The town of Eddiswas full of liars. He’d known that for as long as he could remember, the truthof it ingrained so deep in him that it formed a part of who he was, rather thanjust being something he felt, thought, or believed. The world was full of suchthings, and each of them was another lie in its own way.

He walked the darkenedstreets of Eddis now with his hood up, feeling powerful after killing MelodySmythe. There was something about the moments after he killed when he feltalive in a way that he normally never did.

Normally, he feltlike a simple collection of interlocking parts, precise and efficient, but alsocold somehow, mechanical. In the moments when he killed, something else cameout, something wilder, and afterwards, for a while at least, he felt peace.

That sensationdidn’t last long, though. Already, he could feel it fading, leaving him toorestless to contemplate going home to sleep. He continued to stalk through thestreets instead, the night wrapped around him as he walked.

Eddis wasn’t anall-night city, like New York or L.A., but with so many wealthy residentswanting to be entertained, it had its share of nightlife. There wererestaurants, and there were bars, all with people spilling out onto the street.

He watched them,the women in particular. They walked along, either in groups or with peoplethey were obviously out on dates with, most of them heavily made up and wearingclothes designed to flatter and tantalize. Those were deceptions of the mostobvious kind, and he found a thread of anger rising in him because of them.

Picking one of thewomen, he followed her and the small group she was with. He kept his distance,not wanting to make it too obvious that he was watching as he made his way pasta couple of restaurants. A couple stepped out into the street, obviouslywealthy, and both well dressed. The woman was tall and dark haired, slender,and quite lovely, he supposed, although her layers of deceiving makeup were asheavy as any of the other women’s out there. The man was tall and broadshouldered, with dark hair and muscles that showed through his suit. He made tostep around them and keep following the group he was stalking.

“I can’t believeyou lied to me like that!” he said. “You told me you were on vacation with yoursister!”

“Because I knewwhat you’d say if I told you the truth!”

The words caughthis ear, and were more than enough to stop him, giving him a reason to go overto a menu in the window, pretending to check the prices while he continued tolisten. A small deception of his own, and the necessity only added to hisanger.

“You’ve been lyingto me for months now, Jolene. I… I can’t be around you right now.”

The man stormedoff. It seemed over-dramatic, but he couldn’t complain about that, not when itleft the woman alone.

“And how am Imeant to get home?” she called after the departing man.

“Walk!”

She cursed him,long and loud, of course, but then she started walking, away from therestaurant, and out into the streets of Eddis.

He found himselffollowing her, staying far enough behind that he wouldn’t alarm her for now, instinctmaking him look for opportunities in spite of his system.

The temptation torush forward and kill her grew with every step he took. It wouldn’t bedifficult; he just needed to find a spot that was out of the way enough that hecould strike without anyone else seeing him. He didn’t have his mask with him,but did that really make such a difference, when the woman wasn’t going to bealive to identify him? His hood would still disguise his face, keeping him frombeing spotted by cameras.

Maybe if it hadjust been that, he would have done it, would have taken the risk. But he didn’thave his pendulum with him, and that was a much bigger reason not to act. Yes,he could walk over and strangle this woman with his bare hands, but it wouldn’tbe the same without the pendulum. It wouldn’t fit his plan.

It was importantfor things to fit as they were meant to. He had his plan, and he had his listof those who deserved to die. Theywoulddie, at their appointed times,beneath their pendulums, the way he’d known from the start of this that theymust.

Killing a randomwoman on the street was not how he did things. It was disorderly, out ofcontrol, and he was very muchincontrol. He proved that with every planhe executed perfectly, every liar he killed for what she’d done.

So he let thiswoman go off into the streets of Eddis, turning, and walking away. Yes, theurge to kill was back already, but he would sate it soon enough. His plan wasalready in place.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

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