“I’m going home. I have work tonight, school tomorrow, and frankly, I’m tired and annoyed with….” I waved my hand in Peter’s direction. “All of this. I’m done. We’re through.”

His mother stuttered, but I didn’t stick around to see what she was going to say and made my way out the door. Pulling the phone out of my pocket, I opened the app to hire an Uber. The last thing I wanted to do today was deal with my mother.

Once the car was ordered, I tapped my finger on the cell number to call my dad. I was getting out of here, and I needed to stop fearing he was going to say no.

“Kirbs,” my dad answered cheerfully, and as always, I relaxed at the sound of his voice.

“Hey, Dad, we need to talk, and please don’t respond until I’m done,” I said as the Uber pulled up. This conversation was another one that had been a long time coming.

CAIN

The cleaning cart’s wheels rattled as I pushed the large plastic thing down the hall. It always amazed me how, when given the right outfit and circumstance, a person could blend in just about anywhere and not raise suspicion. I had to admit, though, that even for me, this was the biggest risk I’d ever taken, and the thrill was a little intoxicating.

I finished changing out the full garbage bag in the hall across from Kirby’s class. It was about to start, and I saw her out of the corner of my eye as she made her way inside. More students filed in, and leaving the cart where it was, I walked into the darkened classroom almost the same time that Kirby’s mother, Margaret Lawson, did. The alleged super agent didn’t know she was only a few feet away from the man she was hunting, and I smirked at the thought. I’d seen her photo in the news, and her name was always mentioned when they found mine or Abel’s bodies. I looked the woman over. Kirby looked nothing like her mother.

Kirby had a ton of helpful information on her phone, like her conversation with her mother about how her investigation was going with the Chameleon Killer case. It really was a catchy name. Margaret didn’t reveal much other than the name of her new partner, an agent Hanson, but it didn’t matter. It just made this entire situation that much sweeter. I was going to take Kirby, and I could only imagine the frantic outcry from her mother when her daughter disappeared into thin air. Or would she? They didn’t seem to have a good relationship. All the texts I read were cold as if they’d been sent between two strangers rather than a mother and daughter.