Stealing Shadows

'Cassie?'

'What?'

'Where are you?'

She was about to report that she was still in the forest, but before she could she came to a distinct fork in the path. Her instincts had nothing to say about the matter, so Cassie flipped a mental coin and picked the right-hand path.

'Cassie, talk to me.'

'The path forked. Two roads diverged in a wood… I went right. It was the less-traveled path.'

'Cassie, I think it's time to turn around and come back.' She realized he was worried and tried to make her voice reassuring. 'I'm all right. And, besides, I'm nearly there.' 'What do you see?' 'A door.'

'In the middle of the woods?'

Until he asked the question, Cassie hadn't considered it odd. But now she stared at the very large door that appeared to be made of solid oak. 'Hmm. I could go around it, but I think I'm supposed to go through it.' 'Be careful.'

It took some time to find the knob, especially since it wasn't a knob at all but a lever hidden cunningly in the wood. She pressed it with a sense of triumph and then pushed open the door.

The forest was gone. Ahead of her stretched a bare hallway with doors opening off to the left and right. It smelled even more like the inside of a long-forgotten closet. With a sigh she started walking. 'Cassie?'

'There's a hallway with lots of doors. I'm walking straight down the hall. Damn. This is much faster when I have a guide.' 'A guide?'

'Something of his. Never mind. I've gone this far, and – ' She had opened the door at the end of the long hallway, and the instant she did, the journey was complete. 'Oh.'

'Cassie? What is it?'

No hallway. No woods. No comforting images. Just the oppressive weight of him around her, the unnerving awareness of another consciousness surrounding her own, and seeing what he saw because she had no other choice.

'It's him.' All traces of reassurance and lightness were stripped from her.

'Where is he?'

'A room. Just a room. Drawn curtains. Lamps. There's a bed. He's sitting on the bed.'

'What's he doing, Cassie?'

She had come upon him so suddenly that she was wary of giving away her presence, and so tried to keep very still and quiet. 'He's… making something.'

'What is he making?'

She was silent for a few beats, and then her breath caught in her throat. 'It's a piece of wire with a wooden handle on each end. He's making a garrote.'

'Are you sure?'

'Very sure. I've… seen one before.'

'All right. Can you look around, Cassie? Can you tell us more?'

'I can only see what he sees, and he's looking at his hands, watching them… caress the weapon. He likes it.'

'Look at his hands. Study them. What can you tell us about them?'

'Young. Strong. No scars except… the inside of each wrist. He bites his nails, but they're clean. Nothing else.'

'Do you know what he's thinking?'

'I'm afraid to listen.'

'You have to,' a new voice ordered.

'Matt, stay out of this! Cassie, don't listen to him unless you're sure you can do it safely.'

'I think I can hide from him. But…'

'But what?'

She felt forlorn. 'Nothing. I'll listen.'

'Be careful.'

Cassie made herself very small and very still, and cautiously listened. At first the racket of his thoughts was like static on a radio, crackling painfully in her mind, but slowly the snapping and popping faded as she was able to sift through all the background noise.

'He's… thinking about what he's going to do… to her.'

'To who? Who is he thinking about, Cassie?'

'He's – There's no identity. Just her. That's the way he thinks of her. She is going to be sorry. She is going to be so surprised. She… is going to die for a long time.'

'Shit.'

'Matt. Cassie, is he thinking anything else that might help us? About a place or a particular day?'

'Just… soon. He's eager to… to do it. And this time he wants his hands on her when she dies. That's why the garrote. He wants to feel her… Oh, Christ – '

Cassie crept from his mind as fast as she dared, and once she was out, the hallway and the forest path sped by in a blur. And then she was back inside herself. Her body felt cold and queasy and much more tired than it had before, but at least she was back.

'Cassie?'

She opened her eyes slowly and looked at Ben. He was unusually pale, she realized. Had her horror sounded as overwhelming as it had felt?

'I'm sorry.' Her voice sounded damnably weak, but there was nothing she could do about it. 'I had to… I couldn't stay there.'

It was Matt who asked, 'What was he thinking? What was it you couldn't bear to hear?'

She drew a breath and tried to hold her voice steady.

'This one he means to… to rape. He wants to be inside her when she dies.'

Ben made a rough sound, but Cassie kept her gaze on the sheriff.

Matt's face was grim. 'But you have no idea who it is he'll go after?'

'No. I think he's already picked her though. The sense of anticipation was strong. It was like the feeling I got the first time, when he was watching Becky. I'm sorry, Matt. Maybe if I'd been able to stay with him, he would have thought about what she looked like, or where she was when he watched her. I could try again – '

'No.' Ben's voice was level. 'Not now. You might not have been tired before, but you're exhausted now. And you're still shivering.'

Cassie still refused to look at him. 'I didn't give you anything helpful. I have to try again, and soon, or else he'll kill that poor girl – and God knows how many others.'

'Killing yourself won't help us.'

'I know my own limits. And I'm stronger than Hook.'

'Are you?'

'Yes.'

The sheriff's gaze had been shifting from one to the other as they spoke, but when Ben didn't respond to her last flat statement, Matt said, 'If we're lucky, a few hours won't make a difference. Why don't you get some rest, and we'll try again later this afternoon? The stronger you are, the better our chances of learning something useful. Right?'

Cassie wasn't an idiot. 'Yes. All right.'

Ben said, 'Promise you won't try on your own. Without a lifeline.'

Cassie wanted to point out that most of her contact with the killer had taken place without benefit of a lifeline, but something in Ben's voice warned her he wouldn't be happy with that reminder. 'All right.'

'Promise.'

'I just did.'

Ben drew an audible breath, then said, 'Matt, would you give us a minute, please?'