I should have been a teacher, Ma, like you wanted. Too late now.
Too late …
Chapter 18
M OLLOY AND DAISY, WAITING for Officer Reardon in the first floor entry hall at the bottom of the stairs, heard the crash from above when he went down.
“What was that?” Daisy breathed, Molloy gasped and clutched the dark wooden stair railing.
“It might not mean anything,” she whispered in desperation. “Maybe he tripped over some of the stuff in the attic. It was so cluttered up there,”
“He had a flashlight,” Daisy said, beginning to back away from the stairs, her eyes on the second story landing, “He would have been able to see where he was going.” Her gaze went to Molloy’s face. “That killer is up there, Molloy, don’t pretend he isn’t. We wanted to know where he was, and now we know. Try the phone again. Hurry!”
Molloy fumbled for the phone, picked it up. Nothing. “No,” was all she said.
“Okay, I’m out of here,” Daisy said, and whirled toward the hallway.
“What?” Molloy ran after Daisy, already making her way down the hall toward the kitchen. “Where are you going?”
“Reardon said he parked his car down by ours. I’m going down there. It has to have a police radio. If I can figure out how to use it, I can call for help.”
“Daisy, at least wait and see if he comes back down. It was probably nothing. I don’t want you going out there by yourself.” They reached the kitchen, and Daisy strode purposefully toward the broken window. “And I don’t want to stay here by myself.”
“I know, Molloy. I don’t like it, either.” At the sink, Daisy turned to face Molloy. “But we really don’t have a lot of options here. That cop is down, and we both know it.”
Molloy knew she was right. The windows and doors were barred against them for a reason.
“We felt safer with a cop in the house,” Daisy continued, “but now that he can’t help us, we have to do this ourselves. And I don’t know any other way than getting down to that car. If I can’t make the radio work, I can drive for help.”
She climbed up on the counter. “The thing is, we only have one flashlight. I have to take it, Molloy. I’d never make my way through those woods without it. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. I can see fine.” A lie, but at least she knew her way around the house pretty well now.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Find some place to hide and stay there until I get back. Remember,” Daisy added as she slid her legs through the windowframe, “the back staircase is barred, so he can’t come down that way. You could hide in the library and keep an eye on the front staircase.”
And if he does come down, then what? Molloy wondered, shivering with fear and an overwhelming feeling of abandonment as Daisy jumped to the ground and ran off into the storm. What do I do if he shows up at the foot of the stairs?
She could only pray that the killer didn’t have Officer Reardon’s gun.
Molloy’s legs were so weak, she had to lean against the kitchen sink. Her eyes kept going from the cellar door to the housemother’s bedroom door, to the kitchen archway. He was here. Inside the house. He could come through any one of those doors at any time. He had murdered that psychologist, tried to kill Lynne, thrown Toni from a second-story window, and done who knows what to Officer Reardon.
Tears of frustration stung her eyelids. If he hadn’t attacked Lynne, she told herself in fury, we would have left this house without ever knowing he was here. We couldn’t have told anyone where he was hiding, because we wouldn’t have known.
Then she remembered the noise they’d heard from upstairs, when they first arrived, and she knew that wasn’t true. Ernie would have said, “Someone was murdered tonight and the police think the killer is hiding out somewhere around here until the roads clear.” And then she and Lynne would have looked at each other, both thinking the same thing at the same
Too late …
Chapter 18
M OLLOY AND DAISY, WAITING for Officer Reardon in the first floor entry hall at the bottom of the stairs, heard the crash from above when he went down.
“What was that?” Daisy breathed, Molloy gasped and clutched the dark wooden stair railing.
“It might not mean anything,” she whispered in desperation. “Maybe he tripped over some of the stuff in the attic. It was so cluttered up there,”
“He had a flashlight,” Daisy said, beginning to back away from the stairs, her eyes on the second story landing, “He would have been able to see where he was going.” Her gaze went to Molloy’s face. “That killer is up there, Molloy, don’t pretend he isn’t. We wanted to know where he was, and now we know. Try the phone again. Hurry!”
Molloy fumbled for the phone, picked it up. Nothing. “No,” was all she said.
“Okay, I’m out of here,” Daisy said, and whirled toward the hallway.
“What?” Molloy ran after Daisy, already making her way down the hall toward the kitchen. “Where are you going?”
“Reardon said he parked his car down by ours. I’m going down there. It has to have a police radio. If I can figure out how to use it, I can call for help.”
“Daisy, at least wait and see if he comes back down. It was probably nothing. I don’t want you going out there by yourself.” They reached the kitchen, and Daisy strode purposefully toward the broken window. “And I don’t want to stay here by myself.”
“I know, Molloy. I don’t like it, either.” At the sink, Daisy turned to face Molloy. “But we really don’t have a lot of options here. That cop is down, and we both know it.”
Molloy knew she was right. The windows and doors were barred against them for a reason.
“We felt safer with a cop in the house,” Daisy continued, “but now that he can’t help us, we have to do this ourselves. And I don’t know any other way than getting down to that car. If I can’t make the radio work, I can drive for help.”
She climbed up on the counter. “The thing is, we only have one flashlight. I have to take it, Molloy. I’d never make my way through those woods without it. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. I can see fine.” A lie, but at least she knew her way around the house pretty well now.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Find some place to hide and stay there until I get back. Remember,” Daisy added as she slid her legs through the windowframe, “the back staircase is barred, so he can’t come down that way. You could hide in the library and keep an eye on the front staircase.”
And if he does come down, then what? Molloy wondered, shivering with fear and an overwhelming feeling of abandonment as Daisy jumped to the ground and ran off into the storm. What do I do if he shows up at the foot of the stairs?
She could only pray that the killer didn’t have Officer Reardon’s gun.
Molloy’s legs were so weak, she had to lean against the kitchen sink. Her eyes kept going from the cellar door to the housemother’s bedroom door, to the kitchen archway. He was here. Inside the house. He could come through any one of those doors at any time. He had murdered that psychologist, tried to kill Lynne, thrown Toni from a second-story window, and done who knows what to Officer Reardon.
Tears of frustration stung her eyelids. If he hadn’t attacked Lynne, she told herself in fury, we would have left this house without ever knowing he was here. We couldn’t have told anyone where he was hiding, because we wouldn’t have known.
Then she remembered the noise they’d heard from upstairs, when they first arrived, and she knew that wasn’t true. Ernie would have said, “Someone was murdered tonight and the police think the killer is hiding out somewhere around here until the roads clear.” And then she and Lynne would have looked at each other, both thinking the same thing at the same
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