Luke and Ellie were at her house up in her room. She was quietly crying into his neck, her hot, wet tears slipping down his shoulder as he held her tight. He felt on the verge of some emotional breakdown himself, but was doing his best to hold it together for her.
They had left Jimmy and John at their house, saying they would meet up later and talk to everyone else. So far, nobody was panicking and Luke attributed this to the fact Jason Margot was not in their little group. Selfish, maybe, but they couldn’t protect everyone, could they?
He was beginning to have doubts about their lack of involvement with the police and though their pact between each other only went so far, Jason Margot still did not deserve to die. Could they have prevented his death had they gone to Jaxon and Winston? Probably not, but maybe he wouldn’t feel so bad right now if they had.
Ellie lifted her head up off his shoulder and looked into his eyes. The pain he saw there bore right into his heart and his breath caught in his throat as he felt her hand touch his face.
“Look at me,” she said. A single tear slipped down her cheek, but her voice was strong. “We have to stop this, now. I can’t live with another death hanging over my head. We go to the group today and then we go to the police.”
He couldn’t find his voice. If he opened his mouth to speak, she would hear the weakness in it and he couldn’t let that happen. He needed to be strong. He nodded his head, trying to buy a little more time to get himself under control.
“You’re agreeing with me?” she asked, pulling back a bit and searching his face.
He waited a beat. “We need to have the group vote,” he finally said, his voice sounding stronger than he expected. “We all need to decide.”
“Why? It’s our problem. He hasn’t threatened them, only us.”
“We made an agreement with them. And besides, maybe someone will have some better advice.”
“You’re going to try and convince them to keep silent, aren’t you?” Another tear trickled down her cheek and her lip trembled ever so slightly. “You’re going to fight me on this?”
He didn’t answer. He couldn’t risk anything going wrong and her, somehow, ending up on the wrong side of all this.
Her face fell again and she looked away. He stared at her, his heart breaking in his chest. He felt like he was betraying her, but so much more was at stake. He loved her with every fiber in his body and he didn’t care who else got hurt, as long as it wasn’t her.
She stood. “You’re being selfish,” she said, angrily wiping away her tears. “You’re thinking only of yourself.”
“How can you say that?” he asked, but feared her answer.
“I know you. You’re thinking only of saving me,” she said, her voice cracking, tears streaming down her face, “not of anybody else who could get hurt. Well, I can’t let you. You’ll destroy us, don’t you see? I can’t live with him taking someone else’s life to save mine and I’ll hate you for letting it happen. Do you understand? I’ll hate you if you let it happen!”
He stood and went to her, grabbing and holding her tight. She resisted and softly beat on his chest, then succumbed and fell against him sobbing. A single tear fell from his face as his world came apart.
Burt Lolly loaded up the video while his wife Marie, brought them all some coffee.
“Honey,” Burt said. “I don’t think you should see this. It’s pretty upsetting.”
She nodded at him and said, “Let me know if you need anything else.” And she left the room.
“I pulled last night’s video and watched as soon as I saw all the commotion this morning. You two may want to sit down.”
“We’re alright, Mr. Lolly. Go ahead and show us what you have.”
“Burt,” he said. “Please call me Burt.” He hit play.
The screen showed the front yard again just as the masked individual entered the area from the left carrying what Jaxon presumed was the boy. He paused in front of the yard, turned and looked, facing the camera. He actually waved.
“Bastard,” Burt whispered.
He was wearing the same clothing and had on the white mask they had seen in the earlier surveillance video, but no other distinguishing marks or clothing could be made out. The boy was over his shoulder, his head hanging down his back, limp and still. Jaxon could not tell if he was alive or dead.
The masked individual approached the fence and wrestled the boy over it, following after him, up and over the chain link. He dragged the body toward the pool and left him, disappearing from view for a moment. He returned a few minutes later with something in his hand. It looked to be long and metallic.
The video jumped. It now showed the masked man back on this side of the fence jumping up and down in the road waving his arms. He stopped suddenly and then climbed back over the fence.
“He was triggering the camera again,” Burt said, quietly. “It timed out and the sensor doesn’t reach all the way inside the pool.” Burt turned and looked at them. “He wanted us to see this part, so he climbed back over the fence and jumped up and down to get the camera going again.”
Jaxon and Sally remained silent. He had a feeling what was coming.
The masked individual approached the body again and turned toward the camera. It was a little difficult to see from the distance and the chain link fence was making it even harder, but when he brought his arm up, a glint of light shining off of the metallic object Jaxon now knew to be a machete, there was no mistaking what was going to happen. Burt looked away and Sally gasped as the machete was brought down again and again until it finished its evil purpose. He then picked up the boys head and held it high above him, shaking it at the camera. The frame jumped again and the scene was empty, the killer finished with his show, the night still and silent in the aftermath. Jaxon shook with anger as Sally hung her head.
“We have to get this son-of-a-bitch,” she said. “Today.”
Ellie’s cell phone rang and she pulled away from Luke reaching for it. She looked at the caller I.D. and her face tightened.
She angrily punched the button with her finger and yelled, “What do you want, you sick bastard!”
The eerie voice came out of the speakerphone, laughing. “I thought you would be thanking me,” he said. “I did you a favor, right? Your little friend will never hurt or bother you again. Ever.”
“Why?!” Ellie said. “Why would you do this? He never did a thing to you.”
“Oh-but he did, my dear. He did. He should have known better than to damage my ultimate treasure.” The voice turned angry now. “Nobody will damage you but me. And only when it’s time.”
“Leave us alone, you sicko!” she yelled.
More laughter and then silence. She was breathing heavy, her face red and tight and her fist bunched in a ball. Luke thought she was going to throw the phone through the window.
Suddenly the voice said, “Remember, tell no one or I make it look like your friend John did it. No one will be able to help him then. Ask your cop buddies what they found on the body. You’ll see.” He hung up.
She looked shocked. “He knows,” she said and sagged onto her bed.
Luke could not figure out how this asshole knew every move they made. It was like he had some supernatural powers or something. How could he have known they talked to the police? If he knew that, then he must know they hadn’t really told the cops anything.
“We have to be careful,” Luke said. “He seems to know everything.”
She looked into his eyes again, frowned and slowly turned away. “There must be some way…” she said.
“I’ll think of something,” Luke said, but felt little confidence he would.
Suddenly, she grabbed his face, searched his eyes and then kissed him hard. He reached out and held her against him, but then she pulled away.
“Whatever happens,” she said. “I love you.”
“El, what are you saying?”
