Suddenly, she felt safe here. She was far from her mother, and if anyone saw her now, they would not give her a second glance.

In the darkness, she was protected as the world drifted away. She felt so good. At peace. Like her old self. Yeah, she had broken her sober streak, but that did not seem so terrible right now. She would get back on track first thing tomorrow. Time began to slip away, and her eyes drifted closed.

Someone jostled her, and when she looked up, she was staring into the eyes of a man she did not recognize. He was wearing a black bandanna over his face, but his eyes were vivid and sharp. Maybe it was the devil come to check on his handiwork.

“A little birdie told me you were here,” he said.

His voice was smooth and soothing.

“Go away,” she said.

“How does it feel?” he asked. “Do you feel whole? Satisfied?”

She shrugged, suddenly hating to be seen like this. She tried to focus her blurred gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know the feeling. Once you’ve tasted pure pleasure, you can’t think of anything else. I’ve tried to stop, but I can’t.”

“I can stop.”

“No, you can’t. We’re the same, you and me.”

“No.”

“It’s time we go.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

He took her by the arm. His fingers bit deep into her flesh as he hauled her to her feet.

She staggered. “I don’t want this. It was a mistake.”

“You can’t help yourself. And neither can I.”

“Leave me alone.”

He pushed her forward. “I want to. But I can’t.”

The edge of determination in his voice reminded her of herself. “No.”

She stumbled a couple of steps forward. Time to get the hell out of here. Another step and she heard the rush of air seconds before she felt the crushing blow on the back of her head. Her world went black.

Spencer had worked late, not pushing away from the desk until after 2:00 a.m., when he finally decided he would be no good to anyone if he did not get a few hours of sleep. So he had driven the thirty minutes north and pushed through the front door of his home. After a shower, he lay in bed, only to discover sleep did not come as easily as he had hoped. When it finally came, it was a light, restless sleep, filled with tangled images of two dead women and Jordan Poe.