It suddenly occurred to her that her best revenge might be to live as her mother had always expected to—as mistress of the manor. It was almost enough to make Faith smile, but the memory of her father’s devastation made her angry all over again.

The thought of her father brought to mind the promise she’d made. Reluctantly, she snapped a photo of Margaret’s headstone with her phone and texted it to her dad. He’d made a pilgrimage to her grave every few years, but a recent stroke had him housebound. Faith had promised him the photo so he’d know for sure that her grave was okay.

Got here safely, she typed. All is well. Mama’s grave is—

Her finger paused as she searched for the right words, rejecting all the wrong ones that would be sure to hurt her father, who still believed the inscription to be true. “Well cared for” was honest, she decided, so she typed it. Will call from the hotel.

She didn’t dare call now. Standing here, looking at her mother’s headstone . . . She wouldn’t be able to keep the bitterness from her voice. Swallowing hard, she hit SEND, then she turned back to her Jeep with a sigh. If she couldn’t get into the house, there was nothing more to be accomplished here today. She’d hit the Walmart near her hotel to buy some cleaning supplies and turn in early. She had a busy day tomorrow.

Mt. Carmel, Ohio
Sunday, November 2, 6:05 p.m.

His hand froze, midstrike, as the light in the ceiling began to flash. What the hell?

The alarm. Someone was outside.

“Fuck,” he bit out. It couldn’t be the caretaker. He’d mown the grass a few days before. It was a trespasser. Rage bubbled up, threatening to break free. Someone had the nerve to trespass here? To interrupt him now?

He glanced down at the young woman on his table. Her mouth was open, her breath sawing in and out of her lungs, her expression one of desperation. It had taken him two fucking days to get her to this point. After fighting him tooth and nail, she’d finally begun to scream.

She had the most remarkable threshold for pain. He’d be able to play with her for a long, long time. But not right now. Someone had trespassed and needed to be dealt with.

If he was lucky, it was someone who was lost, looking for directions. When they realized the house was abandoned, they’d leave. If not . . .

He smiled. He’d have another playmate.