“How did you do it?” She struggled to sit up, making herself look more injured than she was. “Was it hypnosis? Deep meditation? What?”
Greg ignored her and looked up. “Love the construction on this place. These open rafters are perfect.”
Katherine touched her scalp, searching for blood. “Perfect for what?”
“Poor, lonely Professor Bassi.” He threw one end of the rope over a rafter. “Never see her walking with anyone but her husband. Never see her with friends. Stuck in her little office, talking to herself or eavesdropping on students. Kind of pathetic, right?” He jumped a little to grab the end of the rope and pull it down. “Isn’t it strange how she keeps getting injured? Now she’s talking to the police, looking for attention.”
Katherine narrowed her eyes when she saw him tying a noose. “You actually think you’re going to make people believe that I killed myself? You’re not as smart as you think you are, Mr. Hammond.”
“I’m not going to make people believe anything.” He finished the noose and crouched down next to her. “I’m going to talk to you and make you do it.” The corner of his mouth turned up, and he put his palm on her cheek. “Relax.”
His voice had an odd timbre, and Katherine felt the press of something in her head.
“Relax.” He repeated himself, and this time the pressure was stronger.
Still, she could think—she could feel—past it.
“Oh!” The final puzzle piece clicked into place. “That’s it. That’s how you made it happen. You’re like Toni.”
Greg frowned. “What?”
“You’re like us.”
Chapter 31
Of course. It never made sense that they were the only ones with psychic abilities.
After all, there were the three psychics in Glimmer Lake. Katherine had done her research and found that police departments and intelligence agencies often quietly used people with psychic and remote-viewing abilities behind the scenes.
“Well, it never made sense that the only psychics we knew of would be good.” Katherine straightened her back. “I imagine if you surveyed the prison population in any meaningful way, you’d find a range of psychic abilities among the more skilled criminals.”
Greg was still crouched in front of her, but his mouth was hanging open. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he snarled.
“You.” She pressed her back against the kitchen cabinets. Her whole body ached, but she refused to let him see it. “You’re an empath like my friend Toni. You can influence others’ emotions. That’s how you were able to make them do things they wouldn’t normally do.”
He glared at her. “You’re delusional.”
“No, I’m not. They were already susceptible to suggestion because of the visualization exercises. They already trusted you because you’d worked to regain their trust in the lab. You said so yourself. No doubt there was some remote hypnosis you were using via the app. But you had to have some contact with them as well.” She frowned. “How did you do it?”
Greg slapped her hard across the cheek. “Shut up.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” She nodded. “Of course you couldn’t be entirely remote. You need some contact. You were at the stables before Sarah killed her horse. You just made her forget. You were at the locker room in the gym when Justin went to cool down. I bet you’re even on surveillance footage if we look.”
“Shut up!” He raised his hand and struck her again. “You’re a fucking loony. No one is going to believe you.”
“You think they’re going to believe that I killed myself?” Her eyes watered, but she didn’t stop talking. “Don’t be ridiculous, Mr. Hammond. You’re not as smart as you think you are. Does Alice Kraft know about your empathy? I bet she doesn’t. I bet you used it on her. Or rather, you tried. She has several markers of sociopathy, so you might not have been able to manipulate her. I bet you think you’ve outsmarted her. I imagine you even believe you have the upper hand in that relationship.”
“I do.”
“You don’t. Of course you don’t.” She let the pity seep into her voice even as she could feel her left eye swelling. “Boys like you don’t get the upper hand with women like Alice Kraft. She sees through you, exactly like Sarah and Abby and Kaylee did. She’s using you, Mr. Hammond. If you were more rational, you’d see that.”
“You crazy old bitch.” He laughed. “I think I’m putting you out of your misery after all.”
If she could keep him distracted long enough, Toni or Megan would come.
“You saw all of us? Like, in your vision?”
“You were holding a gun on someone. You looked… intent.”
And if Katherine was guessing correctly, Toni was coming with a gun.
“So tell me, Mr. Hammond, what are you going to do now?” Katherine’s eyes teared up from the pain in her face, but she refused to look away from Greg or act scared. “I’m resisting your empathic suggestions, probably because I’m also psychic.”
He rocked back on his heels. “You’re what?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve been one step ahead of you over half the time. I have visions. You haven’t figured that out yet?” She leaned forward. “That’s how I stopped Justin at the gym. That’s how I knew what you were trying to do to Kaylee, so I stopped that too. I saw it, Greg.”
Could she bluff? Was that possible? She could try.
Katherine closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she opened them again. “I can see what’s going to happen to you too.”
She had no idea what was going to happen, but Greg was still back on his heels, staring at her with wide eyes.
“It doesn’t end well.” She kept her voice a pained whisper. “Turn yourself in. That’s the only way to avoid—”
Someone rapped hard on the door. “Katherine, it’s me!”
Greg turned his head, and Katherine lifted her foot and kicked out hard, right into Greg Hammond’s groin, with as much force as she could gather.
He fell back shouting. “Fuck!”
“Katherine?” Toni pounded on the door and rattled the knob, but Greg must have locked it.
“He’s
