The sunlight filtered through the window above the sink, lighting up the small kitchen with its outdated appliances and broken cabinet knobs. The ancient refrigerator hummed loudly, most likely needing a new evaporator fan. He really should put some effort into fixing up the cabin, but he was getting older and even though he kept himself in good shape, the arthritis in his joints sometimes made home repairs a struggle. He preferred to save his strength for the girls. The cabin had been outfitted well for hunting and fishing, and the tiled cleaning and gutting room had certainly come in handy. But for his purposes, he’d needed other things added and adjusted. All the work he’d done in the beginning had been for function, not vanity. The appliances still worked fine, and he’d already replaced the roof when it’d been damaged by a storm a few years back. He felt lucky that in all these years the only repairs needed were the roof and the occasional broken floorboard, things he could manage on his own. If the plumbing had failed he would have been in a bind. The last thing he wanted was to bring a repair guy into his special place.

Clenching his fist, the heat rose to his cheeks as he reread the article calling his first murder sloppy. The police didn’t even use DNA evidence back then so how could he have known to be more careful? That didn’t make him sloppy. He’d wiped off his fingerprints, hadn’t he? All those other killers had been caught by stupid mistakes, mistakes he’d never make, and they had the audacity to call him sloppy? He slammed his fist down onto the table, causing his glass to tip over and crash down to the floor, shattering as it sent small slivers of glass in every direction.

A scream erupted behind him. Then another. As the screaming went on he rose from his chair and walked over to the door. He would give them a chance to stop on their own. No one would ever call him unreasonable. When the screaming continued, he pulled out the keys and unlocked the door. He gripped the handle and slowly turned. All noise stopped immediately. Satisfied, he released the knob and rubbed his hand up and down the door, savoring the grooves in the wood under his fingertips.

CHAPTER 1

‘Liz, you better not have looked without me!’ Andie shouted as she slammed the front door behind her, clicking the deadbolt to the locked position and throwing her keys into the bowl on the small entry table with a light clink.