“She did not suffer. I made sure of that. I found a branch. And I stood above her and I stamped her out. She was evil and it was my duty. You must stamp out evil wherever you find it. The angel helped me do it. The angel guided my arms. You know the angel, don’t you, Hannah?”

Hannah took a wild leap into the morass of a twisted mind. “The angel of death?” she asked.

“Yes! I knew you’d understand. You’re a good person, Hannah, and I know that you’ll be rewarded in the afterlife. The angel will help me with you, too. I’m sorry, Hannah, but I can’t let you live. I can’t let you tell Gil what I’ve done. He’d never understand!”

“Maybe he would,” Hannah said quickly, hoping to keep Bonnie talking.

“I’d like to believe that, but I know it isn’t so. You must go first and then me. We’ll take the journey together, one right after the other.”

Hannah thought fast. “I’ll just heat some soup for Gil first. I’ll do it right now and come back.”

“No,” Bonnie said, and her tone was as flat as the flagstone on the front of the fireplace in Bonnie’s den. “You must stay right here so that I can release you from this earthly plane. Gil will be home soon, and the deed must be done before he comes home.”

As Hannah watched in horror, Bonnie drew a gun from beneath her afghan and pointed it directly at Hannah. “It won’t hurt, Hannah. I’d never hurt you. You’re my friend, and we can be together in the hereafter.”

Hannah knew she had to say something to stop Bonnie from using the gun. Her breakdown could be the result of guilt over the murder she’d committed, or she could be out of her mind from the fever that accompanied her cold. Hannah didn’t really care what had caused Bonnie’s mind to snap. She just knew that she had to get out of the den. And fast!

“Wait just a moment, Bonnie,” Hannah said, as calmly as she could. “Give me a little time to heat more soup. It’s comfort food, and Gil will need something to comfort himself when he sees both us here.”

Bonnie’s expression changed. She looked a bit thoughtful. “Do you really think so?”

“I do. It will be a shock, Bonnie. And everyone knows that you should give something warm, something comforting to people who are in shock.”

“I’ve heard that. And you’re right, Hannah.” Bonnie nodded, but then her eyes narrowed. “But will you come back here so that I can release you?”