near darkness for Dale to come. He stepped away from the phone booth and walked toward a wood and metal bench set back from the road, barely visible in the shadows of Fitch Street. Might as well have a seat while he waited.
Mat reached the bench and stopped cold. It was a coincidence. It had to be. There was no way the bastard could have known where he would be.
On the bench, stuck to the wooden planks, was a half-finished lollipop.
This time, it was not so easy to dismiss the mad laughter.
Matt turned to see the asshole standing right behind him.
'You!' Matt snarled, and clenched his fists. He took a step towards Mr. Dark, who shimmered in the low light. 'What did you do to Abbey?'
Mr. Dark licked his lips and flashed Matt a lascivious wink. 'A better question would be: What
'You sorry piece of shit.' Matt swung his fist but connected only with empty air.
Laughter at his back. Matt swung around and launched another blow, a powerful roundhouse that would clean the clock of any normal man.
Mr. Dark wasn't there.
Overbalanced, Matt fell to the ground. He managed to get his right arm up in time to shield his face from the concrete, but he hit hard, scraping his palm and sending a sharp stab of pain through his left wrist.
'Son of a bitch!' Matt said, holding his hand close to his chest.
'I've been called much worse,' Mr. Dark said. 'Your lack of imagination is showing.'
'Fuck you.'
'No. Thanks for the offer, though. I've got to get going. Wouldn't want to miss the show.'
'I know all about Abbey,' Matt said. 'And I'm going to stop her before she kills anyone else.'
'You really are simple, aren't you?' Mr. Dark shook his head. 'It makes me wonder why they chose you.'
'Who? Chose me for what?'
'No matter,' Mr. Dark continued. 'You'll be in prison soon enough.'
'What?'
Just then headlights pierced the night, and Matt had to blink at the sudden brightness. When they faded, he was left staring at a black-and-white hood with the words 'Crawford P.D.' painted in reverse.
The driver's door opened, and Dale stepped out, holding a flashlight. 'Matt? What are you doin' on the ground? You okay?'
'I'm fine.' Matt rose to his feet, looking left and right but seeing no sign of Mr. Dark. 'But we need to get to Abbey's right away.'
Dale balked. 'Why?'
'I'll tell you in the car,' Matt said as he stepped around to the passenger side. His wrist felt sprained, but he couldn't stop to see a doctor just yet. He crawled into the car and sat in the passenger seat, closing the door with a grunt of pain.
'I don't like this,' Dale muttered as he got back into the car and closed his own door.
'Neither do I,' Matt said. 'Just hurry.'
Prison, Mr. Dark had said. It took Matt a minute to figure out what he meant.
Abbey had taken Annie back to her cabin in the woods. The same place she'd taken Matt. The same place where he chopped several cords of wood for her.
The same place he'd left his ax.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
'Bullshit.' The vein in Dale's forehead throbbed so hard Matt could actually see it. 'There's no way Abbey is the killer.'
How could he convince Dale without telling him about their ability to see evil? He'd never get Dale to swallow the idea that Abbey was almost eighty years old. Hell, Matt wasn't sure he believed it. If it wasn't for the picture that he'd mistaken for Abbey's mom...
'Dale,' he said, 'who was the killer's first victim?'
'Abbey's mom,' Dale replied. 'Her name was Abbey, too. But she was an older lady. She'd lived here almost her whole life.'
'Did she have any children?'
'Just the one. Abbey,' Dale said. 'But she didn't live in Crawford. She lived with her father up in Pocatah, Kentucky. Abbey moved here right before her mom died. Then she decided to take over the store since there was no one else. You should have seen her. She was a wreck.'
'Did Abbey, the older Abbey, ever mention that she had a daughter in Kentucky?' Matt asked.
Dale grunted. 'I can't recall if she ever did. But now that you mention it, I don't think so.'
'So Abbey moves here, then her mom dies, and she takes over the store. Just like that?'
Dale didn't say anything. He just stared at the road ahead.
'You didn't find that suspicious at all?'
Dale shook his head. 'She seemed so scared. So afraid. I never thought she could have...'
Matt understood. Dale had never considered that Abbey could be a suspect because he'd never
Dale's mouth dropped open. 'Yeah, that's the stuff. How did you know?'
'Isn't that the same drug the coroner found in every single one of the Blake County Killer's victims?'
Dale looked at Matt, and understanding lit his face.
'Son of a bitch,' he said. 'All this time. Could the answer have been right under my goddamn
'I bet if you call the Pocatah Police Department,' Matt said, 'you'll find out they have a string of unsolved murders. Murders that stopped three years ago. Right about the time that Abbey moved here.'
'No,' Dale said. 'I still don't believe it. Not Abbey. There's an explanation. I'm sure of it. I'll drive you out to her place, but just to prove you wrong.'
'I hope I am wrong,' Matt said. Deep down, he knew he wasn't.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
They pulled up to the house just after midnight. Matt had asked Dale to kill the car's headlights, but the officer had refused, insisting that there was nothing to worry about. Matt disagreed, but knew he couldn't win the argument, so he let it go. With any luck the two were in the bedroom, which was at the back of the house. If so, the house was wide enough to block the headlights and they could surprise her.
If not, then Abbey would know they were here.
Luck was not with them that night.
Abbey opened the front door and stood silhouetted by the light of her living room. She raised her left arm to her face, probably trying to block the car's headlights. Maybe they weren't such a bad idea, after all. 'Who's there?' she asked.
Dale got out of the car. 'Abbey, it's me.'
'Dale? What are you doing here?'
'I just want to talk to you, hon,' Dale said.
'Damn it, Dale! I thought I told you this was
