He considered his father again. Waylon had been afraid of what would happen if Pastor and McPhearson spilled all they knew.

Kowalski had a family. He could be vulnerable if DJ spilled all that he knew. If he couldn’t be persuaded to help DJ, he might be convinced to call off his thugs.

It would be good not to have to look over his shoulder. So that was the plan. Get Kowalski to back off while he looked for another place to live.

He thought about staying with Pastor and Coleen in the rehab center. But Pastor kept whining for him to leave Sacramento and return to Eden, so the rehab center wasn’t a good idea.

He’d have to keep looking for a place, because Mrs. Smythe would be home soon. He’d kill her if he had to—the chest freezer could hold one more—but he ran the risk that her daughter would call to confirm that she’d made it home all right.

So his priorities were building a file on Kowalski, locating a new house, and finding Mercy. He still felt shitty and stupid, but a little more in control now that he had a plan. That would have to be enough.

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

FRIDAY, MAY 26, 12:30 P.M.

Portia Sinclair folded her hands atop Liza’s résumé. “So do you have any questions for me?”

The interview at Sunnyside Oaks had gone well and Liza was cautiously optimistic.

“Yes, ma’am.” She hadn’t mentioned that she was only applying for a short-term gig. She hoped that she’d be able to get whatever Tom needed long before she started school. “What will my responsibilities be and for how many patients will I be providing care? On average, of course. I’m aware that your needs will vary from day to day.”

“You’ll be assigned one or two patients during the day, five at night. Sometimes you’ll go as high as three during the day and seven at night, but that is our ratio cap. Will that be a problem?”

Liza blinked. “No, ma’am. My ratios were one to five during the day and one to ten at night. So, no, this won’t be a problem at all.”

“Well, you were working in the veterans’ home,” Sinclair said, not bothering to mask her disdain. “This is a private facility and we have higher standards.”

Well, bully for you, Liza thought, but kept her smile firmly in place. “That’s wonderful. What is the range of patient conditions?”

“Anything from a short-term surgical recovery to long-term rehabilitation after a stroke. Patients vary in age from pediatric to geriatric. We really cover the spectrum.”

Including killers. Because Pastor was here somewhere. “I can handle that.”

“I’m sure that you can. You’ll have to sign an NDA. Many of our patients are public figures and won’t look as polished as they do in their outside life. You will not take photographs. You will not carry your phone with you while you are on shift. We provide a locker for your things.”