He caught his breath, his own scream choking him.

It was Kelsey’s fault, this terrible thing that had happened.

Kelsey’s fault.

She’d said she’d be out walking this morning…he’d heard her say that…and he’d waited for her, oh, so patiently…just watched and waited for that purple windbreaker to come up the beach…waited and followed…tracking her…choosing the perfect moment…

And he’d felt that strange, wonderful thrill, coming up behind her…that flow of pure invincibility…that strange, cold joy as she sensed him there and whirled around—

Only it wasn’t Kelsey.

It wasn’t Kelsey that had whirled around, eyes wild, staring, not begging, just staring and crying—“Oh, my God…not you…not you…”—And her eyes, two perfect mirrors of his own face—

He’d hated what he’d seen in her eyes.

In that last split second, what he’d seen there with the horror and the terrible fear.

Pity.

He’d shoved her, hard, because he’d had to, because she knew who he was now, and she was sorry for him, and he hated her for that…hated…“Oh, Donna…Donna…” he whimpered, “I didn’t want to kill you, too…”

And again he heard the screams, Donna’s screams as her body had hurtled down the cliff, and his screams, even now, as he leaned against the lighthouse wall, and he couldn’t stop…couldn’t stop…

It was all Kelsey’s fault.

She had tricked him.

The lifeguard drew a ragged breath and stared down at the limp body on the rocks.

Tricked him…

Now…and finally…it was his turn.

Chapter 21

AT FIRST SHE THOUGHT it was still night.

The room was so dark that Kelsey groped for the clock and stared at it, convinced it must have broken sometime while she slept.

The hands read 8:30.

Puzzled, Kelsey roused herself and looked out through the windows. It was hard to tell where the ocean ended and the horizon began. The sky was a boiling mass of black, the waves choppy shadows, the sand gunmetal-gray, so that everything melted together in a thick, murky blur. Sporadic stabs of lightning pierced the clouds, and a strange, thick mist hung over everything. Kelsey shuddered and jumped out of bed, switching on the light. She wouldn’t be taking a walk this morning.

There was a radio going downstairs—she could hear the drone of a newscaster and bursts of static. A cabinet door opened and closed. There was a murmur of voices, the smell of strong coffee. The phone rang once, then clattered down again. The boys were probably both downstairs; Kelsey doubted if the beaches would open today.

She went to the closet and rummaged through her sparse assortment of clothes. She hadn’t planned on it being quite so cold, and now Donna had borrowed her only jacket. She hoped Donna didn’t forget to return it—it was her favorite one. Thinking of Donna now made her smile. She had grown close to her in such a short time—she hoped they would stay friends, even after Kelsey went back home. She chuckled to herself. Hopefully Donna would be recovered now from her fight with Skip, although Skip probably deserved to suffer, just a little.