Page 50 (1/2)

"And you’d have done anything for Saer!" Sam said

"Wait--what? No! No!" Andy protested "We were in business, yes, and if Abrahareed to sell the place, ould have opened it together Yes, yes! That’s true But I--I wasn’t sleeping with her I swear it"

"You hired a hit ht!" Sam said

"No, no! That wasn’t me--it wasn’t me--" Andy Yates’s protest broke off in a an

"Shut up! Shut up!" Yates said "I want a lawyer We won’t say another word until we get a lawyer"

Sam looked at Yates, the way he pulled back, and suddenly he knew They’d been wrong They’d been close, but they’d been wrong

He jerked out of his chair and headed into the hallway He hadn’t wanted Jenna here today; soer He’d been worried sick last night

But she should be at Jamie’s house--safe Unless so and rang, and her voice ot her voice mail, too

Jackson came out to the hallway

By the ti out of the school He reached his car, and he didn’t knohere he was going Jackson slid in beside hiear, and stopped

There was an old wo in front of him An old woman in costuet out of the way, get out of the way--"

"Who are you talking to? Where are you going?" Jackson deet her out of the way before I run her down!"

"There’s no one--" Jackson said "What does she look like?"

"Old Dressed to the throat In a cap--what are you talking about? She’s right there!"

"No She’s just there for you Start the car She’ll ain, who does she look like?"

"An old Puritan wo a phone I can’t reach either Angela or Jenna And it’s not Andy Yates who’s a killer--it’s his wife!"

"Drive!" Jackson said "And follow her--she’s here to lead you"

"To what?"

"Life for the innocent"

Jenna ca over her She tried to move, but couldn’t She realized that she’d been tied to the sofa downstairs, that she was lying in the chalk outline that denoted the place Abraham Sh be?" the horned god asked her "I never wanted to hurt you…I didn’t want more dead"

"Shut up, Cindy!" someone behind her said Jenna knew the voice

It was that of Saer

"Why? We both came in from the back," Cindy Yates said, iod and looked at Jenna, serious anxiety in her eyes "He really is evil, you know Malachi Smith is evil His father was evil This house makes everyone in it evil, you have to understand that"

"Cindy, cood’s cape, like Cindy, but she hadn’t bothered with a et back to the shop or I won’t have an alibi"

"Well, we’re not going to chop her up," Cindy said "It has to be an accident"

"It won’t be an accident My partner’s on the cliff right noatching the house," Jenna said Her head hurt Her reat effort

Saer chuckled and leaned over her "No, honey, she’s not watching anything right now"

"You better pray that you didn’t kill Angela," Jenna said, trying to keep calainst her binding

It was loose And they hadn’t bothered to tie her legs

"If you hurt her, you’ll have to watch out for Jackson Crow He’s part Native American, you know He learned all sorts of unique tortures fro, the wicked little bitch!" Sa down beside her She lifted a strand of Jenna’s hair "But your ol’ Indian pal won’t have to be upset--your friend will be okay I got her with a slingshot from the woods--I was ready froshot! I’s…"

"Like ested, carefully inching around in the ties that bound her