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There’s afor me when I leave Adam’s I pace at the eot your ht away”

This is it I can confront her right now about being the killer, about shooting the others and settingI want to be wrong

I dial the nu

“Oh, Elena, thank goodness Are you okay?”

I sit down hard on the bus stop bench, gripping the phone For a second I can’t speak, can’t decide what to say to her “I’m okay But the others…they’re dead”

“What? Are you sure?”

“Yeah I saw them I-I think Aether killed them”

She sucks in a breath “I tried to stop them I toldhappened, but…No, we shouldn’t talk about this over the phone They could be listening I can help you, but we need to need tomy bare skin “Where?”

“So for you, and I’ me We need to be careful”

“How about…the beach?”

“Oh—I was just about to suggest that Perfect Maybe at the fifth lifeguard tower north of the pier?”

I close my eyes, all my suspicions confirmed with those feords There’s no way Lynne could know one to see Adam, I would have trusted Lynne in thisshe would helpshe was the killer No wonder she was able to take ainst me

“Elena…are you there?” Lynne sounds so worried that I alood”

“Perfect Can you be there around eleven thirty?”

“I’ll be there”

“I’ll see you then” Lynne pauses “And, Elena, be careful”

“I will”

The call ends, and I clutch my phone in my lap In a few minutes this will all be over, one way or another

I check my watch It’s after ten, near the end of Chris’sFor all I know he’s already dead, but I have to try to warn hiuy at Downey Autos twice and then clicks to voice mail As soon as it beeps, the words rush out of me “Chris, this is Elena The killer is Lynne Stay away from her Get Shawnda and run—just whatever you do, don’t meet with Lynne I know you don’t trust me, but please, please believeup Dammit I’m too late If only he had listened to inning…but he’s probably already dead, and now his son will groithout a father Lynne’s taken both of their futures

I don’t need to see Chris’s body to kno he died I remember the crime scene photos perfectly Shot like the other two and ditched on a street corner two blocks froer building at the thought of what she’s done Of how she aluard tower stands alone before the waves, a raised white box against the dark sea Iin the sand, and each step reminds me of when I came here with Adam I couldn’t understand then why I would kill myself in this spot, but now it seeht forheavily, and I’ve stu hurts, but I can’t lose focus now I’m early—it’s only eleven—and I check the voice recorder app I downloaded on the bus I switch it on and then stuff ure Lynne won’t search et Lynne to confess, so that she won’t get aith oura murderer