“If you wanted to make it look like Flora killed them, why were you also trying to scare her?” Leon asked.
“Because watching her squirm was fun.” There was so much venom in the words that Leon could see his own shock reflected on the faces of the other people in the room. “You wouldn’t deny me a little amusement would you, Leon?” Leon’s skin crawled at the flirtatious tone. Luckily, Daisy didn’t seem to require an answer to her question. “Of course, once I saw how close you and she were getting, I had to get serious. That kiss in her kitchen? With the window blind open and the light on? Anyone could have seen you. It just happened to be me when I was busy getting the padlock off her shed.”
Leon thought back to that night, and how he’d speculated later about what had been going on beyond the darkened glass. It had bothered him more than it should. With hindsight it was easy to put his feelings of disquiet down to a subconscious sense that someone had been outside looking in. It was unimportant. If Daisy hadn’t seen the kiss, she’d have picked up on the attraction between him and Flora some other way. He shouldn’t feel guilty because a killer didn’t like what she’d seen. He shouldn’t, but he did.
The police had their confession. It was time to direct the conversation to the most important question. They needed to find out what it would take to get the twins back. “What do you want, Daisy?”
“That’s easy.” She paused, and Leon held his breath. “I want you.”
Chapter 18
“We’ve got her location,” Laurie said, as Daisy abruptly ended the call. “She’s out on the Elmville road, near the Eternal Springs plunge pool. Her vehicle appears to be stationary.”
Flora knew the area Laurie had described. It was close to Hawk Farm, where Eve Sloane lived, and she had taken the twins to see the point where the waterfall cascaded into a deep pool when they had first arrived in Stillwater. The terrain was rugged and hostile. The thought of her boys out there in the clutches of a ruthless killer, as darkness was falling, made her feel sick.
“What are we waiting for?” she asked.
“Flora, you have to leave this to the police.” Laurie’s voice was firm.
“If you think I’m going to wait here while that woman—” Her voice wobbled, and she took a moment to get it under control. “Not happening.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but we now know Daisy’s actions have been fueled by her obsession with Leon and her hatred of you. Both of you need to stay away from her.” Laurie was walking out of the room as she spoke. Joe Nolan followed close behind.
As the door shut behind them, Flora turned to Leon in anguish. “I don’t want a confrontation with Daisy, but I can’t stay here. Not while my boys are out there.”
“That’s okay. Nor can I.” He grabbed her hand and broke into a run.
“Bring them back safe,” Tegan called after them.
Flora felt like her blood was setting her veins on fire. Trying to hold it together was turning the weight in her chest into a huge, heavy boulder. Every breath scorched her lungs. If it wasn’t for Leon’s comforting presence, she’d have crumpled into a helpless heap by now. It was probably a good thing that all law enforcement in the area was otherwise engaged as he gunned the engine and pushed the car to its limit. The scenery, lit by the last rays of sunlight, flashed past the passenger window.
“The boys don’t like the dark,” she murmured.
She turned her head in time to see Leon’s jaw tighten. “The police should be close by now.”
The longer Stevie and Frankie were out of her sight, the more extreme her imaginings became. She punished herself with thoughts of “if only.” If only she hadn’t taken them to daycare that morning. If only she’d left early and collected them after lunch. If she’d never brought them to Stillwater...
Leon flicked a glance in her direction. “Stop torturing yourself.” His attempt to sound soothing didn’t work. She could hear the pain thrumming through his words.
“I will if you will.”
He sighed. “That obvious, huh?”
“I know how much you care about them.” Her voice hitched like flesh snagging on barbed wire.
A few minutes later, the highway ahead was busy, and Flora pressed a hand to her lips. Two West County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicles blocked the road, and a whumping sound overhead indicated that a helicopter was nearby. Beyond the roadblock, she could see more police vehicles and people moving around.
Leon glanced at Flora’s tight-fitting skirt and heels. “We are not going to get past Sheriff Harvey or his deputies. How do you feel about a walk through the trees?”
“Whatever it takes.”
Switching off his headlights, Leon pulled off the highway and into the shelter of a clump of trees. When they left the car, the roar of the waterfall sounded close, and they plunged straight into thick undergrowth.
“We need to approach the police position from behind.” Leon crouched low, drawing Flora down with him. “If they see us, we won’t get close.”
Although they didn’t have far to go, it wasn’t easy to make their way through the dense scrub that covered the ground. By the time they drew level with the police vehicles, Flora’s arms ached from catching hold of the branches as Leon pulled them aside for her. Scratches crisscrossed her palms, and fronds tangled in her hair.
She and Leon were on a slight elevation, looking down on a clearing above the assembled group of police officers. Through a gap in the trees, they could see that the police were surrounding a vehicle that had pulled off the highway.
“Is that the one
