Kate, who had dropped her handbag on thefloor and flown at least a foot back from the door in her shock, nodded. Herface had gone pale, and she was clearly only just fighting the urge to runbecause of Zoe’s words.
“Kate, we’re here because we think youmight be in danger,” Shelley said, putting her gun back in its holster andholding her open hands up in a gesture of peace. “We’re going to need to takeyou down to the local precinct, for your own safety.”
Kate looked around hurriedly, as ifexpecting the danger to come from anywhere at any moment. “Safety?” sherepeated, her voice weak and strangled. Clearly, she had no idea what was goingon.
Shelley stepped forward, out of thehouse and toward Kate, holding up her badge. “I’m Special Agent Shelley Rose.This is my partner, Special Agent Zoe Prime. Have you been following the newslately?”
Kate nodded, then blanched even further,a feat that Zoe had not expected was possible. She had put her own gun away andtaken out her badge, and approached Kate now with it extended. She moved slowlyand cautiously, as she had heard you would with a wild animal. “Wait,” Katesaid, shaking her head. “The… the people that got set on fire?”
Shelley nodded, putting out a hand totouch Kate’s upper arm. “Yes. I’m sorry to have to surprise you like this, butwe really do feel that you may be in danger if you stay here. We’re closing inon a suspect, but until we have them behind bars, we’d like to keep you safeunder our watch.”
Kate was starting to come back toherself, to get a grip on what was happening. She fumbled at her own sides, herhands going to the pockets of her light jacket, as if looking for something. “CanI grab some things to bring with me?”
“Of course,” Shelley said, stepping toone side and turning back to face the house. “We’ve already cleared the house,but in the interest of your safety, I’d like to accompany you. Is that all right?”
Kate nodded stiffly, her mouth set in afirm line even as her hands shook at her sides. Zoe, sensing an opportunity tobe helpful, bent to retrieve her handbag and held it out for her.
As she waited for Shelley to reemergewith their charge, Zoe stayed outside, tapping her foot on the pavement andwondering. If he wasn’t here, then where? None of the other teams had made anyreport yet, at least not one that had come through to her.
Was someone taking him down right now?
***
He heard the keys rattle in the doorwith anticipation, but then froze. There was the sound of laughter out there,and not just from one person laughing to themselves, although that would bedisturbing enough. No—it was a mixture of voices, at least three, all female.
She was not alone.
He dropped the knife down by his sidealmost immediately and stepped back further into the shadows. What could he donow? The plan was hardly going to work with interlopers in the way. What werethey doing here?
He could not take innocent lives. What hewas doing here was necessary, but to go any further—that would be murder. Hecould not do that. There was a line that one did not cross, and this was his.Only those who bore the mark of evil needed to fall. What was the point insaving the world if you had to take down the innocent to do it?
The merry voices moved through the hallin front of him, and he shrank back further, trying to make himself as small aspossible. If they turned on the light or came into the room he was done for.What would he do then? What could he do? Throw something at them and run? Hewanted to cast about himself for a sheet or some fabric, even a cushion, but hecould not see and he could not risk making noise.
He stayed still, holding his breath asthey took off their shoes in the hall, heels noisily clanking down, and hung uptheir coats. They were chattering brightly, some nonsense about a commonacquaintance and the fool she had made of herself as far as he could tell. Hisbrow was laced with sweat. His fingers ached, and he realized that he wasgripping the knife so tightly he was in danger of wearing out his muscles anddropping it. He tried to relax, but it was impossible.
If they turned on the light now, he wasdone for.
But they walked on, their voices movingfurther away. A light flicked on in another room, and a yellow cone of lightspilled into his space, making him catch his breath and freeze even furtherthan he had already. He did not dare move, willed even his organs to stop, hisblood to lay still in his veins.
There was nothing. They had not turnedback to look—just gone into the living area to sit in front of the television,now switching on with a clatter of noise. He breathed again, adjusted his gripon the knife.
So be it, then. There was no way hecould sneak out without being seen.
He would just have to wait.
CHAPTER THIRTY
“I do not like this,” Zoe said, runningher hands over the top of her head and through her short hair. The motion wassupposed to be soothing, but it only made her feel like gripping hold of theends and pulling. “How are we going to make it stick?”
Shelley sighed. It was a habit that sheseemed to have picked up around Zoe lately. “We can worry about that when weget to it.”
Zoe was too far down the track of thethought to turn back now. “We made a mistake,” she said. “We acted too soon. Weshould have done something else. Laid a trap. We could have brought all of thembut one into protection, and left that one as bait. Caught him in the act.”
“We agreed it was too much of a risk,”Shelley said.
Zoe shook her head wildly. “No, you saidit was too much of a risk. I did not change my mind. What if he never strikesagain?”
Shelley looked at her with a strangeexpression. “Are
