“It’s time to wake up now. You have a doctor to hunt.”
An explosion of thunder and light jerked me into wakefulness. They sky had been like a blushing virgin, all pink and pale when I’d fallen asleep, now it was black and grey, heavy with the storm.
The clock on my nightstand read four p.m. I’d slept much longer than I meant to.
I didn’t doubt for a moment that my dream had been real.
He’d said I had a doctor to hunt. Did he mean the Capri Killer or Larkin?
I’d promised myself I’d take care of Dr. James Larkin, so I decided it didn’t matter what my father meant. This was my realm and here I was judge, jury and executioner. Larkin belonged to me. I should have handled him already. Angela Crane deserved some peace instead of living in fear of the stepfather who’d killed her sister, raped her, and threatened to kill her, too. I’d already caught him hanging around the safe house. His behavior would escalate as soon as it became clear he wasn’t going to get his way and the little cage he’d built around Angela had already crumbled.
A familiar tingle that always made me think of fairies dancing on my skin skittered through my senses. This was what I needed. Not Jason and his pretty words, or pretty touches. This .
I dressed quickly, pulling on nondescript slacks and a white blouse, tucking my hair up under a ball cap. Casting a quick look around the loft before I left, it appeared as if Jason had been true to his word and had cleaned the place. I’d sanitize it again later, just in case.
I’d actually considered burning the building down since I’d contaminated my lair. There was no way to be completely sure I’d gotten rid of all of the evidence. Some stray fiber stuck to my shoe, a bit of DNA… If for some reason those things were found, I could say I must have picked it up at some crime scene like the Capri.
I pushed all thoughts of the previous night out of my head. I had to stop second-guessing myself. What was done, was done. There were no do-overs, no mulligans.
What I did have was Dr. James Larkin. If I hurried, I could probably catch him as he was leaving his office.
I hadn’t decided how I’d kill him. Something that would take a long time. I’d dig out of him what he’d done with Kelly’s body, Angela’s older sister, before I let him die.
For the first time, I wondered what happened to my prey after they were dead. It pleased me to think of impressing the good doctor into my army. He didn’t have any skills to offer, except service. I’d let him take his flesh with him to Hel and he’d be prey for the other predators. That resonated with the other presence inside me, Helreggin. If only I could remember how it was done.
My father said he’d given me all of the tools I needed. I trusted that when the time was right, I’d know what had to be done.
I Googled Larkin’s office on my phone as I left my loft and secured the door. It was a Prairie Village address. Lovely neighborhood. Normally, I would have stalked him, mapped out his routine and every possible scenario down to how long it took him to exhale his last breath. But my dream had emboldened me.
My mind was centered and focused as I drove and before long, I found the address. His office was in a large house that had once been a residence, but the sign out front proudly proclaimed it his place of business.
I knocked on the door and surprise was obvious on Larkin’s face.
“Is that offer to talk about Angela still open, Doc?” I gave him my best, do-gooder
An explosion of thunder and light jerked me into wakefulness. They sky had been like a blushing virgin, all pink and pale when I’d fallen asleep, now it was black and grey, heavy with the storm.
The clock on my nightstand read four p.m. I’d slept much longer than I meant to.
I didn’t doubt for a moment that my dream had been real.
He’d said I had a doctor to hunt. Did he mean the Capri Killer or Larkin?
I’d promised myself I’d take care of Dr. James Larkin, so I decided it didn’t matter what my father meant. This was my realm and here I was judge, jury and executioner. Larkin belonged to me. I should have handled him already. Angela Crane deserved some peace instead of living in fear of the stepfather who’d killed her sister, raped her, and threatened to kill her, too. I’d already caught him hanging around the safe house. His behavior would escalate as soon as it became clear he wasn’t going to get his way and the little cage he’d built around Angela had already crumbled.
A familiar tingle that always made me think of fairies dancing on my skin skittered through my senses. This was what I needed. Not Jason and his pretty words, or pretty touches. This .
I dressed quickly, pulling on nondescript slacks and a white blouse, tucking my hair up under a ball cap. Casting a quick look around the loft before I left, it appeared as if Jason had been true to his word and had cleaned the place. I’d sanitize it again later, just in case.
I’d actually considered burning the building down since I’d contaminated my lair. There was no way to be completely sure I’d gotten rid of all of the evidence. Some stray fiber stuck to my shoe, a bit of DNA… If for some reason those things were found, I could say I must have picked it up at some crime scene like the Capri.
I pushed all thoughts of the previous night out of my head. I had to stop second-guessing myself. What was done, was done. There were no do-overs, no mulligans.
What I did have was Dr. James Larkin. If I hurried, I could probably catch him as he was leaving his office.
I hadn’t decided how I’d kill him. Something that would take a long time. I’d dig out of him what he’d done with Kelly’s body, Angela’s older sister, before I let him die.
For the first time, I wondered what happened to my prey after they were dead. It pleased me to think of impressing the good doctor into my army. He didn’t have any skills to offer, except service. I’d let him take his flesh with him to Hel and he’d be prey for the other predators. That resonated with the other presence inside me, Helreggin. If only I could remember how it was done.
My father said he’d given me all of the tools I needed. I trusted that when the time was right, I’d know what had to be done.
I Googled Larkin’s office on my phone as I left my loft and secured the door. It was a Prairie Village address. Lovely neighborhood. Normally, I would have stalked him, mapped out his routine and every possible scenario down to how long it took him to exhale his last breath. But my dream had emboldened me.
My mind was centered and focused as I drove and before long, I found the address. His office was in a large house that had once been a residence, but the sign out front proudly proclaimed it his place of business.
I knocked on the door and surprise was obvious on Larkin’s face.
“Is that offer to talk about Angela still open, Doc?” I gave him my best, do-gooder
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