power company, and then a locksmith. That bitch would have locked him out. Kept him from what he’d claimed as his own. What he’d created. What he’d collected.
He drew a breath, calming himself. First order of business was to retrieve Arianna. Then he’d dispose of the two bodies. Then he’d find Faith and finish what he’d started. And when he was all done? He’d punish Roza severely and pick up where he’d left off with Arianna.
Mt Carmel, Ohio, Monday 3 November, 5.05 P.M.
Faith lifted her head when the Jeep stopped moving.
Tim McGraw was singing the closing strains of his song, the sound surreal in the absolute quiet. She touched her brow bone, her fingers coming away sticky. I’m bleeding .
And something smelled bad. The airbag, she realized. The passenger-side bag had deployed. She’d managed to turn the steering wheel as she’d gone down the embankment so that she’d hit the first line of trees broadside rather than head on. The Jeep must have bounced and slid the rest of the way a lot more gently, because she now rested hood-first against a tree and the driver’s airbag was still intact.
She turned off the ignition and sat motionless for a moment, just breathing. Her memory re-engaged with a jolt.
Oh my God. The girl. There’d been a girl. She’d been . . . naked. Naked? How could she have been naked? Did I hit her? Oh God, please let her be okay. Please.
Panicked, Faith groped at the Jeep’s door, needing a minute to remember how it opened. You’re in shock. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was finding the girl. What if I killed her?
The door made a horrible sound as she shoved at it with her shoulder, but it finally opened and Faith stumbled out, falling to her knees. 911. Call them . She needed her phone. Where is it? She had one. She’d just been on it, talking to her father. But with the hands-free. She tapped her ear. The earpiece was still there. Good.
She’d put the phone in her coat pocket when she’d left the office. She patted her pockets, finding her gun in the left and her phone in the right. Hands shaking, she tried to dial but smeared blood all over the phone’s screen. She wiped her hand on her skirt and tried again, finally dialing the three numbers.
‘This is 911. What is your emergency?’
Faith tried to stand, but fell back to her knees. Stifling what would have been a shrill scream of pain, she dropped her phone back into her pocket and started to crawl. ‘There was a girl in the road. I swerved. Hit a tree.’
‘Are you injured?’
‘Yeah.’ She blinked when her eyes burned, then realized it was blood in her eyes. She swiped at her forehead with her sleeve. ‘Cut my head.’
‘I need you to stay still, ma’am. You could have other injuries. What is your name?’
‘Faith. Faith F—’ Frye , she’d almost said. But that wasn’t true anymore, was it? She blinked hard, making herself think. ‘Faith Corcoran.’ She started crawling again, up the steep embankment, whimpering when she slid back a few feet. If she wasn’t careful, she could tumble all the way down. She wasn’t going to look. She already knew it was steep.
‘Stay put, Faith. I’ve sent help. They’ll be there in a few minutes.’
‘I can’t. There was a girl. In the road.’ She dug her fingers into the dirt and kept climbing. ‘She was hurt. I didn’t hit her. I swear I didn’t.’ Her fingers touched asphalt and she dragged herself up the final foot of embankment and on to the road. There she was. The girl. ‘I see her.’
‘The girl?’ the operator asked carefully, as if Faith were delusional.
‘No,’ Faith snarled. ‘Frosty the damn snowman. Of course the girl. But . . . she’s not moving.’
She dragged herself to where the girl lay. She’d been right. The girl had no clothes. Which allowed Faith to see every oozing wound on her body. Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
‘Dear God. Who did this to you, honey?’ she whispered.
‘Faith?’ the
He drew a breath, calming himself. First order of business was to retrieve Arianna. Then he’d dispose of the two bodies. Then he’d find Faith and finish what he’d started. And when he was all done? He’d punish Roza severely and pick up where he’d left off with Arianna.
Mt Carmel, Ohio, Monday 3 November, 5.05 P.M.
Faith lifted her head when the Jeep stopped moving.
Tim McGraw was singing the closing strains of his song, the sound surreal in the absolute quiet. She touched her brow bone, her fingers coming away sticky. I’m bleeding .
And something smelled bad. The airbag, she realized. The passenger-side bag had deployed. She’d managed to turn the steering wheel as she’d gone down the embankment so that she’d hit the first line of trees broadside rather than head on. The Jeep must have bounced and slid the rest of the way a lot more gently, because she now rested hood-first against a tree and the driver’s airbag was still intact.
She turned off the ignition and sat motionless for a moment, just breathing. Her memory re-engaged with a jolt.
Oh my God. The girl. There’d been a girl. She’d been . . . naked. Naked? How could she have been naked? Did I hit her? Oh God, please let her be okay. Please.
Panicked, Faith groped at the Jeep’s door, needing a minute to remember how it opened. You’re in shock. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was finding the girl. What if I killed her?
The door made a horrible sound as she shoved at it with her shoulder, but it finally opened and Faith stumbled out, falling to her knees. 911. Call them . She needed her phone. Where is it? She had one. She’d just been on it, talking to her father. But with the hands-free. She tapped her ear. The earpiece was still there. Good.
She’d put the phone in her coat pocket when she’d left the office. She patted her pockets, finding her gun in the left and her phone in the right. Hands shaking, she tried to dial but smeared blood all over the phone’s screen. She wiped her hand on her skirt and tried again, finally dialing the three numbers.
‘This is 911. What is your emergency?’
Faith tried to stand, but fell back to her knees. Stifling what would have been a shrill scream of pain, she dropped her phone back into her pocket and started to crawl. ‘There was a girl in the road. I swerved. Hit a tree.’
‘Are you injured?’
‘Yeah.’ She blinked when her eyes burned, then realized it was blood in her eyes. She swiped at her forehead with her sleeve. ‘Cut my head.’
‘I need you to stay still, ma’am. You could have other injuries. What is your name?’
‘Faith. Faith F—’ Frye , she’d almost said. But that wasn’t true anymore, was it? She blinked hard, making herself think. ‘Faith Corcoran.’ She started crawling again, up the steep embankment, whimpering when she slid back a few feet. If she wasn’t careful, she could tumble all the way down. She wasn’t going to look. She already knew it was steep.
‘Stay put, Faith. I’ve sent help. They’ll be there in a few minutes.’
‘I can’t. There was a girl. In the road.’ She dug her fingers into the dirt and kept climbing. ‘She was hurt. I didn’t hit her. I swear I didn’t.’ Her fingers touched asphalt and she dragged herself up the final foot of embankment and on to the road. There she was. The girl. ‘I see her.’
‘The girl?’ the operator asked carefully, as if Faith were delusional.
‘No,’ Faith snarled. ‘Frosty the damn snowman. Of course the girl. But . . . she’s not moving.’
She dragged herself to where the girl lay. She’d been right. The girl had no clothes. Which allowed Faith to see every oozing wound on her body. Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
‘Dear God. Who did this to you, honey?’ she whispered.
‘Faith?’ the
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