by Kate Harre
‘There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you,’ he said carefully, his tone causing her eyes to swing back towards him. He placed his mug down and curled both hands around the lip of the bench, on either side of his legs. ‘That first day, when I dragged you away from her body… no one’s usually in the forest that early on a Sunday morning, so I was out running when I saw you and your mother. Since I didn’t want to be seen I stayed out of sight, waiting for you to pass.’
Annie’s heart started to pound. She hadn’t realised he’d been there that long.
‘I watched the way you seemed to be looking for something and then you zeroed in on that spot like you’d found it.’ He paused. She wanted to look away, but his steady gaze held her captive and she found herself unable to even blink. ‘You knew the body was there, didn’t you?’
‘How would I know that?’ she prevaricated.
He looked disappointed in her. ‘You can trust me, Annie. I won’t judge you.’
She finally tore her gaze away and stared at the bench. ‘I tried to tell a couple of people once before – they thought I was crazy.’
Alex slid off the bench and came to sit on the stool beside her. ‘This is the town of crazy, you’ll fit right in,’ he joked quietly.
She tilted her head slightly so she could see him from the corner of her eye. ‘This is a different kind of crazy.’
‘I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,’ he offered solemnly, his eyes earnest. He reached tentatively for one of her hands and in the process his knees brushed against her leg as his stool swivelled. The feel of his fingers wrapping around hers sent a kick of excitement up her arm and Annie had to swallow back a gasp of surprise. He started to pull back, as though he’d felt her reaction and misinterpreted it. But when she tightened her fingers he relaxed, an odd sort of smile crossing his scarred face. ‘Mine is another level of crazy altogether.’
‘What do you mean?’
He gestured at his face with his free hand. ‘If you tell me your story, I’ll tell you how I ended up like this.’
Annie’s eyes rounded and she sat upright, swivelling around so they were facing each other, their knees touching. ‘You mean it wasn’t just an accident?’
He shook his head, his lips twisting in a feeling grimace. ‘It was no accident.’
She wanted to know what had happened to him – desperately. But in order to find out, she was going to have to tell him her biggest secret. Taking a deep breath for courage, she gripped his fingers.
‘When I turned sixteen, I started having strange dreams. I’d be in someone else’s body, seeing what they were seeing, thinking what they were thinking. Only it wasn’t good stuff. Every time it happened it was the last few minutes of their life before they were murdered.’ She swallowed. ‘At first I thought they were just dreams. But then I began noticing that the murders on the news were the same as what I’d dreamed and I realised what I was experiencing was actually happening.’
‘So you’re psychic?’
‘No. I can’t see the future or the past and I have absolutely no control over it. I simply live the last few minutes of a person’s life… at the very moment it’s happening.’
Alex swore under his breath, his hand tightening around hers.
‘I thought maybe it could be helpful in some way, so the next time it happened I went to the police and told them where to find the body. They didn’t take me seriously; I guess they thought I was just some kid messing with them, but then someone else found the body at the exact place I said it would be.’
Annie rubbed her eyes, reliving that stressful period of her life. ‘I was a suspect for a while – that was interesting,’ she said wryly. ‘Thank goodness my parents believed me, though how could they not when I used to wake screaming in the middle of the night. The police thought I was nuts and wanted to send me for a psychological evaluation; which I ended up doing simply because I wanted to know what was wrong with me. The shrink couldn’t find anything medically wrong. I’m some kind of anomaly.’
‘So this has never happened to anyone else before?’
‘Not that we know of. Maybe the police might have been more receptive if I could actually prevent crimes from happening but since the murder had already taken place by the time I woke, I was completely useless to them and they wouldn’t let me help.’ She sighed. ‘But that wasn’t the worst of it. There’s at least one murder every day in New York, so as you can imagine, I wasn’t getting a lot of sleep. My grades were slipping because I couldn’t concentrate, my head was full of all these gruesome deaths, so my behaviour was erratic – I just couldn’t stop crying all the time,’ she explained haltingly, remembering what a strain that period of her life had been, how close she’d come to the edge. ‘My friends didn’t understand what was going on, so they gradually drifted away and I basically became the school freak.’
‘Which explains why you seem to understand what I’m going through,’ Alex noted sadly. Reaching up, he brushed a stray strand of hair back behind her ear with only the tips of his fingers, his hand trembling slightly. She wondered how long it had been since he’d simply touched someone. ‘Does it happen with any person, anywhere?’
She shook her head, dislodging the piece of hair he’d so carefully tidied away. ‘No. There seem to be parameters to it. I don’t know exactly what they are, but it seems to be roughly a ten-mile radius. Which is why Mum and I moved here, somewhere with a much smaller population and less likelihood of harbouring psychotic killers. Or at least that’s what we’d hoped!’ She smiled fondly. ‘Dad was all set to move me to an isolated island in the Mediterranean, but I convinced him I could manage with a small number of people around me!’
‘You seem to be taking this well,’ Alex commented admiringly, his eyes assessing her.
She shrugged. ‘I’ve had two years to get used to it – as much as you can when you’re dreaming of murder.’
‘So you did know exactly where Danielle’s body was, because you’d dreamed of her murder.’ He stilled, an arrested look crossing his face. ‘The first day you went back there, you made a really strange comment about wolves being nocturnal.’
‘You remember that?’ she asked in surprise.
He smiled crookedly. ‘I haven’t talked to anyone other than Maria in almost a year – I remember everything you’ve said. So why did you mention wolves? What did you see when you dreamed about Danielle?’
Annie released Alex’s hand, slid off the stool and, ignoring her screaming muscles, paced the length of the kitchen. He hadn’t freaked out on her so far, so hopefully this didn’t tip the balance. ‘This is going to sound really weird, but it wasn’t a person who killed Danielle.’
‘It was a wolf?’ He looked completely nonplussed.
Annie nodded. ‘But not a normal wolf. It was stalking her through the forest. From the way it looked, I think it’s rabid, or at least there’s something seriously wrong with it. But that’s not the strangest thing. Its behaviour was off, like it was human rather than animal.’ She stopped pacing and stretched out her forefinger, then ran it slowly across her neck. ‘When it killed her it didn’t maul her, it just stretched out a single claw and slowly sliced her throat open. By the way, why did you think there was something wrong with the body? You mentioned poison or contamination.’
‘When this first happened,’ he waved at his face, ‘I had reason to look for antidotes or so I thought. When you’re researching antidotes you kind of have to learn a lot about poisons in the process. I’m not saying Danielle was poisoned, but I guess with all my research I’ve become a little paranoid about poisons and I didn’t want you to touch the body just in case. But I guess now that we know it was an animal we can rule that out.’
Annie resumed her pacing. ‘Can you see why I’m so obsessed with solving this one? How does a rabid wolf kill with such deliberate precision and why does he walk away without otherwise touching his prey?’
Alex rested his elbows on the bench top, propping his c
hin on his hands. ‘And how is the Sherriff going to catch a killer wolf when she’s looking for a human?’
Annie threw her hands in the air. ‘Exactly!’ He didn’t think she was crazy. Not only that, he actually got it. Annie felt such relief she wanted to throw her arms around him and hug him. But she remembered his trembling fingers, lightly brushing her forehead. He wasn’t ready for a hug yet.
‘We’ll figure it out somehow.’
‘Thank you.’ Annie grinned and watched with interest as his eyes flared, before he quickly veiled them. ‘Will you tell me now, what happened to you?’
He hung his head. ‘After seeing my face I was sure you’d want nothing to do with me and you surprised me. But I’m scared to tell you my story, because I know, this time, it will send you running.’
Annie came around the bench and pulled herself back up on the stool with only a slight wince. ‘Was it really so bad?’
‘Not what happened to me, but the kind of person I am.’
Alex drew an unsteady breath, because he knew this was going to be the end of their fledgling friendship. Now she’d see he wasn’t worthy of befriending. ‘You think I’m a good person underneath this horror, but the truth is my face reflects what’s inside me. I’m a horrible person and that’s why this was done to me.’
‘What do you mean?’ She tried to reach for his hand to return the comfort he’d given her. But he jerked unsteadily to his feet and walked to the window. With his back to her he stared sightlessly outside, his hands braced on the bench.
‘I used to be vice-captain of the basketball team, which was unprecedented for a Junior. I would like to say it went to my head, but I was already full of myself. And why wouldn’t I be?’ he said cynically, mocking himself. ‘My Dad was the richest man in town, I was good looking, drove the hottest sports car money can buy and I was good at everything I put my hand to – if I could be bothered. Everyone wanted to be me or be with me – or at least that’s what I thought.’
He finally turned, leaning his hips against the bench and smiling ruefully at her. ‘They wanted the status of being around me, but it turns out nobody really liked me. Not that I can blame them; there was nothing likeable about me. I treated people like they were less than me and if they weren’t popular it was me that made sure their lives were miserable. I was a bully, Annie,’ he said in quiet shame. ‘Pushing kids into lockers, knocking books out of their hands, publically ridiculing whoever caught my eye… there wasn’t much I didn’t do.’
‘Oh Alex.’ His eyes were dull with guilt. He was confessing his sins and condemning himself, tarring himself with the brush of past deeds. ‘I’m sure you –‘
‘Don’t let me off the hook,’ he interrupted her, tearing his gaze away from her intent stare. ‘You haven’t heard the worst of it yet.’
She bit her lip. ‘Go on.’
Chapter 6
A slight inclination of his head was all it took for someone to bring him a drink. He didn’t thank the boy, couldn’t even recall his name. Taking a sip, he screwed up his face in distaste. Brad hadn’t spiked the punch – whether he’d forgotten or the town matrons were guarding it too closely, Alex didn’t care. He’d assigned the task and it hadn’t been carried out. He’d come well lubricated, but he’d been counting on the spiked punch to keep his buzz going.
He scanned the crowd of Juniors filling the gym, all of them dressed up to the nines for their first Prom. At last his gaze settled on Brad, both arms draped around the shoulders of a couple of cheerleaders. When Alex caught his eye and lifted his virgin punch in the air, Brad flushed guiltily and abruptly dropped his arms from the girls. Sauntering over to the drinks table, he started working his charm on the matrons. Alex looked away. He’d made his displeasure known and he now had no doubt that the task would be taken care of.
Discarding the unwanted drink on a table, Alex strode over to the wall and propped his shoulders against the bricks, which were currently covered with silk curtains used to bring some atmosphere to the Prom. He gazed moodily at the dance floor, where some of his classmates were gyrating and gesticulating like they didn’t give a rip about their image. He almost envied them. His eyes slid over their laughing, happy faces, searching for something – anything – to snag his interest. God, he was bored.
‘There you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere.’ Laney latched onto him like a starving child to a banquet. He shrugged her off, hating her neediness.
‘I had things to take care of.’ He didn’t look at her. He was too busy flashing a wicked grin at Ingrid, who was giving him come hither eyes from the dance floor. They’d had a brief tryst a week ago after the basketball game. Maybe a repeat under the bleachers tonight would add some spice to this otherwise dull night.
‘Dance with me.’ Laney’s face was pinched as she followed his gaze, her lips tightening in annoyance. But she didn’t say anything, because she knew if she did he’d toss her aside and she didn’t want to lose him. Being his girlfriend gave her too much prestige. Alex’s lip curled in disgust. She was so pathetic. He could probably get down and dirty with Ingrid right in front of her and Laney still wouldn’t say a word.
She tugged on his arm, trying to forcibly drag him to the dance floor.
‘Give it a rest, Laney,’ he growled. Prying her fingers off his arm, he stepped away, brushing at the sleeve of his jacket to straighten out the creases. ‘You know I don’t dance.’
‘It’s Prom! Couldn’t you at least…’ Distracted by something over his shoulder, her eyes suddenly lit up, a vicious grin crossing her barbie-doll face. ‘The entertainment has arrived.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Alex asked irritably.
‘That girl who wants to replace me is here and she can’t take her eyes off you,’ Laney stage whispered.
Spinning lithely, Alex grinned at the sight of Sydney. Laney was right; Sydney stood a couple of metres away, her gaze trained on Alex like nothing else in the world existed. Ever since she’d shown up at school a few weeks back, she’d made it clear she had a huge crush on him – turning up wherever he was, watching his every move, so overcome by his presence she barely spoke. Alex’s grin widened; it was time to play.
Brad ambled over, handing Alex a fresh glass of punch, this time heavily laced with vodka. Alex tossed it back, relishing the burn down his throat, before casting aside the empty cup. Reading the atmosphere, Brad’s gaze flickered between Alex’s impassive face and Laney’s gleefully malicious expression. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Alex is about to have some fun,’ Laney purred.
Brad glanced over at Sydney, still patiently awaiting Alex’s attention. She was dressed in some kind of pale blue feathery concoction that made her look like a bird – perfect fodder for Alex’s rapier tongue. Brad whistled sharply, drawing the attention of the rest of their gang, all of whom quickly gathered around. Sydney looked around nervously, but stood her ground.
Alex finally looked at her properly, his gaze travelling insolently up and down the length of her, deliberately lingering at chest level until she squirmed uncomfortably. Playing to his audience, he strolled casually forward, his hands shoved loosely into his trouser pockets, and did a full circle around her. When he stood in front of her again, mere inches separated them, as he purposely dwarfed her with his height.
‘What can I do for you, Sydney?’ he drawled, his voice liquid honey.
‘I was wondering if you would dance with me?’ she asked, her voice calm. Alex was almost impressed by her composure.
‘The little bird wants to dance with me?’ His voice was loud, making sure everyone could hear him. He swivelled on his heel so he was facing his rapacious group of friends. ‘What do you think guys? Should I dance with her?’
‘I say we vote on it,’ Laney called out. ‘Hands up if you think Sydney is a worthy dance partner for Alex.’
There were snickers all around but no one put up their hand.
‘What? Not a single one of you?’ Alex asked jovi
ally. ‘Maybe one of you would rather dance with her instead?’
The boys shifted uneasily. It was dangerous playing Alex’s games. Judging his humour was difficult, trying to anticipate his next move virtually impossible and at any time the possibility hovered he’d turn on one of them.
Alex grinned, enjoying the power of keeping everyone on their toes. ‘Relax boys,’ he murmured. ‘I’m not done with Sydney yet.’
He turned back to Sydney with a careless shrug. ‘The votes are in and you lost, Sydney. But then this isn’t a democracy, is it? You can still change my mind.’
‘How?’ she whispered bravely.
Alex trailed his finger along her jawline, nudging her face up with his thumb. ‘What are you prepared to do to convince me?’
‘What do you want?’ She shivered, reacting to his touch.
He used his face, knowing girls found him irresistible. Lowering his eyelids to half-mast, he deliberately focussed his smouldering gaze on her mouth, licking his lips suggestively. The message was clear and Sydney didn’t miss it.
Her small hands settled on his shoulders and raising herself on her toes, she leaned in, her eyes fluttering closed. When barely a breath separated them, Alex shoved her violently away from him. Sydney staggered backwards, tripped on the hem of her dress and crashed to the floor.
‘As if I would ever kiss someone like you,’ he sneered, his eyes flashing with cruel contempt.
Laughing in satisfaction, Laney ripped the glass of punch from Brad’s hand and threw the contents at Sydney, drenching her in pink liquid. ‘Keep your sticky paws off my boyfriend!’
Sydney didn’t even look at her. Humiliated tears were running down her cheeks but she lifted her head proudly and said quietly to Alex, ‘Your time is coming.’
Unconcerned, Alex stood with his long legs splayed and arms crossed over his broad chest, watching her silently as she regained her feet and fled. His friends’ laughter and catcalls chased her from the gym, their enjoyment lifting their spirits to even greater heights. But Alex didn’t feel the same way. The game was done and now he was bored again.
