“Gavin,” she said with surprise, her bright purple hair piled on top of her head. “What is it?”
“I need to go see someone real quick. Can you stay with Emma until I get back?”
“What is it?” Adam stepped up behind Joy, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Gavin?”
Gavin stiffened at the sight of his brother, but he didn’t have time for this. “I’ll be right back. Will you watch Emma?”
“Of course. Do you need help?” Adam asked, concern lacing his voice.
“No, but thanks.” Gavin had already grabbed his car keys, and he jogged down the stairs and out to his car before his brother decided to press for more information. His heart was pounding so fast he could barely keep his thoughts straight. Gripping the steering wheel, he drove as fast as he could to Kat’s place, praying with everything he had that he was just overreacting.
When he knocked on the door, no one answered. A chill swept through him. Going to the window, he knocked. “Kat! Are you in there?” The logical part of him wondered if she just wasn’t home, but when he glanced into the garage, he saw her car. He tried the front door, but it was locked. “Kat! Open up! It’s Gavin.”
He heard a sound around back. Sprinting toward the sound, he first saw the bright red blood smeared across the ground before he saw Kat.
Oh God, she’s been hurt. I’m too late.
She had her hands over her mouth as she stared at the scene on the ground. As Gavin got closer, he saw that the blood wasn’t coming from her—thank God—but that someone had left a decapitated squirrel in the yard, a trail of blood covering the autumn leaves.
“Kat, Jesus Christ, what happened?” He took her hands away from her face, and he watched as she trembled, her face pale. She wasn’t crying, which made him worry even more. “Are you all right?”
She nodded jerkily. “I’m okay. I mean, it’s just a squirrel. Better a squirrel than me, right?” She laughed, and Gavin took that as a sign that he should embrace her. When she hiccupped against his shoulder, he knew he’d made the right decision.
He rubbed her back through her thin jacket. “Come on, let’s go inside.” He wanted to think the squirrel was just some leftover dinner from some predator, but he knew enough to tell that the squirrel had been killed with an ax of some sort by a human, not another animal. And if a person had done this, then they’d obviously left it here for a reason.
Kat pulled away, but only to rifle in her jacket to pull out a note. She handed it to Gavin. “This was left with it.”
He unfolded the note to read: You’ll be next. Fury swept through him. “What the fuck? God, Kat, we have to call the police.”
“I know. I was just so freaked out I hadn’t yet.” She rubbed her arms, and Gavin led her inside, away from the bloody mess. “Who the fuck would do something like this?”
“Someone crazy, that’s who.” He took her into the living room and wrapped her in a blanket before pulling out his phone to call the police. “They’ll be here in a few minutes,” he said. He sat down next to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him and sighed. “Why the squirrel, though?”
She laughed, but it was bitter. “The game has a flying squirrel in it.” She sniffled. “They knew exactly what they were doing.”
“And all this over a game? What the hell is the game even about?”
She stiffened a little against him. “Nothing that horrible,” she muttered.
Now she had his curiosity piqued. But when she didn’t elaborate, he shook her slightly. “Come on, tell me. It can’t be that bad.”
“It’s not bad. It was just a silly, satirical game. I was making fun of meninists.” At his blank look, she laughed. “They’re feminists, except the dude version. They’re all about men’s rights.”
Gavin made a face. “And they’re mad you were poking fun?”
“Basically.”
He didn’t really understand exactly what she was talking about, but he knew well enough that this was an extreme overreaction for something like an online game. He was about to tell her that it didn’t matter what the game was about, that these threats weren’t remotely okay, when someone knocked on the door.
The next two hours were spent with the police. They interviewed both Kat and Gavin, took photos of the poor headless squirrel, and then poured over all the comments and emails Kat had received as well.
Officer Haldon, who Gavin knew was involved with Jaime’s case, took everything in in his usual, serious way, although he treated Kat gently, for which Gavin was grateful. She wasn’t made of glass, but he didn’t want things to be made worse for her, either, by overly probing questions or judgmental asides. Officer Haldon took notes and photos, asking pertinent questions before taking his leave, saying that if he found out anything or discovered any possible suspects, he’d be in touch shortly.
Gavin closed the door quietly, turning back to Kat, who looked so small wrapped up in the blanket he’d placed around her shoulders. Her face was drawn and tired, and at the thought of saying goodbye and leaving her here alone, he balked. What if something else happened? Whoever this was, he or she wasn’t going to stop anytime soon.
“Stay with me tonight,” he said before he even realized he’d been considering it.
She glanced up at him. “At your place?”
“Yeah. It’ll be kind of cramped, but you can’t stay here alone. I’d stay here with you, but with Emma and everything…”
She nodded, but she still looked dazed.
He sat down
