“Give your sister some credit.” He rose and pushed the chair under the table. He began clearing the table as she stood and helped pack the leftovers.
“Want to make a bet?” Cheyenne challenged.
“A bet?” Aidan considered it as he waited for the faucet to shoot out hot water. “Name the stake.”
“How about...” He washed a large pot as she thought. “...If she ends the relationship before she leaves Florida, the loser is the winner’s slave for a month. Back rubs, breakfast in bed, whatever.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal, little lady.”
They shook on it, then Aidan used the water spray to wet her.
“Oh no, you didn’t!” Cheyenne laughed.
She attempted to grab the sprayer, but her laughter weakened her, and he was able to pin her arms to her side. He leaned toward her neck and kissed her.
“Give?” Aidan asked.
“Yes,” she said with a sigh.
Aidan released her, and she quickly grabbed the sprayer and squirted him.
“Oh, you’re going to pay for that,” he warned. “I’d sleep with one eye open tonight.”
As a way to end the water feud, she leaned in for a kiss. They enjoyed each other in silence for a few minutes, then he told her he was going to take a shower to wash the day away.
36
Again, The Carnations Killer invaded his sleep. The victims new and old would reach their hands out as if yearning to touch him. They would tell him how he failed them.
Blood would run from the ends of their hairs, their skin pale. Aidan would start to feel the coldness surrounding his body. His breath rose and evaporated into the stagnant air.
He saw Jane Ridgeway and Maya Gibson being beaten by a heavy object. They pleaded for the hands to just stop.
But the hands that held the object wouldn’t.
The crunch as the object made contact with their skulls sounded like booming thunder.
Crunch. Crunch.
He stood on the sidelines watching, desperately wanting to help them, but he couldn’t. Aidan was frozen in place.
Crunch.
Powerless to stop The Carnations Killer from bludgeoning them.
From murdering them.
Tears of dark blood ran down their faces until they lay in a pool of thick red liquid.
And the laughter echoed in the darkness. Aidan was surrounded by the deep laughter that just wouldn’t stop.
Their eyes were fixated on him, but they were empty.
Crunch.
Then Maya ripped her head off the ground. Her eyes were blackened, and a ghost of a smile crawled across her pale face. Her mouth moved, but it wasn’t her voice that spoke.
It was her killer’s: I can kill, and you can’t catch me.
And in that moment, Jane appeared next to Maya.
They began chanting the killer’s words.
Their bodies made quick, jerking moves as they inched closer, closer.
Aidan wanted to back away, but he still couldn’t move.
His legs seemed as though they stood in hardened cement.
The black night was prominent against their pale, gray faces.
Next, the scenery changed, and he saw the offender dumping Maya’s limp body at Clarks Hill Lake. Aidan saw the silver moon gleaming against the water, creating a hazy aura across the surface. The trees outlined the sky.
Then he found himself standing at the Lady Antebellum Pavilion, watching the killer toss Jane away as though she were nothing but trash.
The sounds of the night seemed to be mocking him. The birds, the wind, everything laughed.
It was growing colder, but he felt the heat rise in him.
The killer climbed back in the car, hands bloodied. Looking into the rearview mirror, Aidan saw his face for the first time.
But it wasn’t The Carnations Killer.
It was his own.
Blood stained Aidan's skin and his normally blue eyes were black.
He couldn't recognize himself, but there was some sense of familiarity, and he knew it was him. The image of the mirror slowly swirled, until the blood began dripping.
Drip.
Drip.
He wanted to cry out, but his voice seemed to be lost in his throat.
Then Jane appeared in the backseat of the car. The smile stretched across her face made the hair on the back of his neck stand at attention. His body shook, and he wasn’t sure whether it was from the cold or seeing the dead woman’s lifeless face.
She didn’t say anything.
She only smiled.
Aidan's eyes were on her. She moved her mouth as though she was trying to speak, but no sound would come.
He only heard the whistle of the wind outside the car.
Then out of nowhere, hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back into the darkness.
37
AIDAN'S eyes flew open.
His breathing rose and fell in quick, heavy motions, his skin hot and clammy.
He remained gazing across the dark room, into the bathroom, trying to control his emotions.
Slowly, he turned onto his back and looked to where Cheyenne was sleeping. The moonlight glistened through the curtains, revealing the outline of her body. One of her legs hung out of the covers, over the side of the bed.
She snored softly as her breath entered her body and exited.
Aidan sat up slowly and crawled out of bed, careful not to wake her. The clock on the table told him it was only three in the morning, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep even if he wanted to.
Slipping on his robe, Aidan crept down the stairs.
He made a pot of coffee and leaned against the counter until it finished brewing a few minutes later.
He poured it into a mug and sat at the kitchen table with the dummy files. Aidan stared at his and Shaun's notes on the mileage. He knew the agents over the weekend would attempt to triangulate possible locations for the offender’s home base.
They’d call
