The List (The Carolina Killer Files Book 2)

by Kiersten Modglin

  “And you didn’t start the fire?”

  Again she shook her head, sweat gathering at her brow.

  “Okay.” He shut his notebook. “Thank you for your time. Your car has been taken to Grimey’s tow yard, so you can pick it up there. We wish you a quick recovery.”

  McDaniel pulled the door open.

  “Wait, that was it?” she croaked.

  “We have all we need here.” Sullivan tapped his notebook.

  “Do you know what happened then? Who started the fire?”

  The officers paused, looking at each other uncomfortably. “We had an exceptionally dry summer and fall. This winter is turning out to be the same,” McDaniel answered. “Fires aren’t unusual here. What matters is that everyone is okay.”

  “Everyone?” Jordyn asked. “We got the family out?”

  “Everyone is alive.” Sullivan nodded. “You were very brave, Ms. Atwood.” They shut the door behind them.

  Jordyn stood up from the bed, hobbling toward the door, hoping that someone had packed her some clothes. As she swung open the door, she found herself face-to-face with a woman in a hospital gown. She was several inches shorter than Jordyn.

  “Jordyn?” the woman asked. “Jordyn Atwood?” She was middle-aged, her curly brown hair matted and graying.

  “I’m sorry.” Jordyn shook her head, not recognizing her.

  “I’m Hilary Hutson. I know you don’t know me, but you and your friend, they say that you saved my life. You saved my family.” Tears welled in her eyes. Jordyn stared at the bandage that covered the left side of her face.

  “Oh,” she said, pulling her eyes away, “I’m so sorry about your house.”

  The woman moved closer to her, grasping Jordyn’s hand. “I don’t know why you were there, or how, but you saved us. My Amber will live to see her fifth birthday because of you. I can never ever repay you for what you’ve done.”

  Jordyn felt tears fill her own eyes. “I just hope someone would do the same for my son.”

  The woman nodded seriously. “I do too.”

  “So you’re all fine? No one’s told me what happened.”

  “Yes, thanks to you. My husband and I are fine, just some minor scrapes and burns. Smoke inhalation. My legs are pretty banged up. Amber hit her head when she fell out of the house.” She paused, catching her breath and wiping her eyes. “She had some damage from the smoke as well. The doctors have her on life support right now.” Her voice cracked. “But they are really optimistic about her making a full recovery. Her little body just needs to rest right now. They said after day or two she’ll be able to do all of her breathing on her own.”

  Jordyn bent down, wrapping her arms around Hilary’s neck. “I am so, so sorry.”

  She hugged her back. “You are an angel. Once she’s awake, I’d like her to meet you, if that’s okay?”

  “Of course,” Jordyn said, pulling back from the hug. “I’d love that as well.”

  The woman stepped backwards, her eyes still locked on Jordyn’s. “I should go. I don’t want to leave her for long. Thank you again.”

  Jordyn smiled at her, waving as she left, trying to bury the guilty feeling that had begun nesting itself inside of her.

  ***

  The road home was filled with an awkward silence, Connor’s hand resting casually on Jordyn’s thigh. She stared out the window at the streets that were starting to lighten up with the sunrise. Each bump they hit or curve they turned hurt her more. She tried to keep herself from showing pain. Her blissfully unaware husband hadn’t spoken a word since they left the hospital, not even playing the radio, as if any noise at all would hurt her.

  Finally, Jordyn couldn’t take it any longer. “Aren’t you going to ask what I was doing out in the middle of the night?”

  He pulled his hand back from her leg, turning the heat vent down. His voice was calm when he spoke, his eyes straight ahead. “I know what you were doing.”

  “You do?” she asked, rubbing her throbbing arm. The pain medicine they’d given her at the hospital hadn’t done much for this level of aching.

  He reached into his shirt pocket and revealed her phone, wagging it in the air before tossing it into her lap. “The police gave it to me when I got to the hospital.”

  “The police?” she asked, staring at her phone in horror.

  “Don’t worry,” he told her, “They couldn’t go through it. Had no reason to.” He paused, glancing at her with a strange look. “I did though.”

  She let that sink in, unsure of just what to say. That night’s earlier reconciliation seemed like it had happened weeks ago, rather than hours.

  “Can you just tell me what the hell you were thinking? Seriously, Jordyn,” he fumed, obviously releasing what he’d wanted to say to her all night. “You go off in the middle of the night to meet some stranger, having absolutely no idea what you were up against. You could be dead right now! You just blindly followed orders, from a text message.” He emphasized the last two words.

  She didn’t respond, feeling foolish and embarrassed. How could she ever explain to him why she did it?

  “This was about that list again?” he asked, though the tone of his voice said he needed no confirmation.

  She nodded, keeping her head down.

  “Jesus, Jordyn. How could you be so stupid? That person could’ve been a psycho. You have no idea what they could’ve done to you. What would you have done if they’d tried to hurt you or even kill you? What if there was a whole group of them? No one had any idea where you were, or that you were even gone.”

  “I told Kate,” she said softly, as if that validated her actions.

  “That’s great, Jor.” He smacked his leg in disbelief. “You told Kate. Why wouldn’t you tell me? Huh? You could’ve asked me to go!”

  “I didn’t tell you because I knew what you would say. You would’ve never gone with me, never let me go.”

  “You’re damn right I wouldn’t have let you go. And then none of this would’ve happened.” He gestured to her wounds. “Do you have any idea what the police could’ve done with your phone had they actually checked it? Knowing that you—” He sighed. “That you lit the cigarette that started the fire.”

  “Don’t try to make me feel worse than I already do. I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know what would happen.”

  “Of course you did,” he insisted. “Of course you knew, Jordyn. You knew what you were getting yourself into. You can’t tell me you thought you would just show up there and rip off their mask and they’d just let you take them away in handcuffs. Have you forgotten that these people threatened Ollie?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then for one second can you just think about him before yourself? Think of our son!” He slammed his fist into the steering wheel.

  She spun to face him, rage spewing out of her. “How dare you? How dare you tell me to think about our son? He’s all that I ever think about. Every single day. All I do is think about him. I think about how his life will be. Living in constant fear. Being terrified. Watching his friends die one by one all of his life and thinking that that’s normal. Every time we kiss him goodbye, we’ll wonder if it’ll be for the last time. He’ll never have a normal childhood. His entire life will be centered around loss if we don’t stop this. That’s what I think about. I’m doing this, all of this, for Ollie.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic.” He waved her off casually.

  “Dramatic? I’m the only one being rational here. You refuse to see the truth. You refuse to see it, Connor, but I’ve seen it. People in this town don’t feel safe! They’re scared. I can’t do this. I can’t live here. Not like this.”

  “How would you know how they feel?”

  “I’ve made friends. They’ve told me how it is here,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “Oh really? And just how is it?”

  “They’ve told me about the deaths. I was right about The List. Kids die here…I know you think I’m crazy, but it’s all
true. This entire town lives in constant fear. Bates isn’t a good place anymore. It hasn’t been for years.”

  “All right then, who’s doing it? Who makes The List?” he asked, his voice sarcastic.

  “They don’t know. No one knows.”

  “Who is ‘they’? Who has been filling your head with all of this craziness? Are they the ones who convinced you to go to that house last night?”

  “I went to the house on my own. You saw the texts.”

  “Who have you been talking to, Jordyn?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she screamed. “That’s not the point that I’m trying to make.”

  They pulled into the driveway. The sun was starting to rise. Connor unlocked the doors, but didn’t budge. “Go inside, Jordyn. Go be with your parents. You should rest.”

  “Where are you going?” she asked, her hand on the door handle.

  “I just need to clear my head,” he said, his jaw firm.

  Without argument, Jordyn climbed out of the car. She didn’t look back as he pulled out and sped off in anger.

  ***

  The next morning, Jordyn awoke to the sound of a loud thumping outside. She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. Her head pounded with each bang. This morning brought a whole new level of pain. She pulled the covers off of her slowly, trying not to hurt herself any further. She eased her way out of bed, adjusting the bandage on her arm. She clumsily made her way into the kitchen, still half asleep.

  “Good morning,” three voices greeted her. Her parents and sister were gathered around the kitchen table eating breakfast. Ollie sat in his high chair between her mother and father. She smiled at them, Ollie’s eyes growing bigger when he saw her. Her mother jumped up, handing her a glass of water and two Advil tablets.

  “Thanks,” she said, gratefully swallowing the pills and chugging the glass of water. Her throat was incredibly dry.

  “You’re welcome, honey. How are you feeling this morning? Your doctor said you’d probably have some discomfort.” Her mother grimaced.

  “Yeah, you could say that.” She smiled halfheartedly. The banging outside continued. “What is that sound?”

  Her mother looked away uneasily. Jordyn scanned everyone, each person avoiding her eye contact. “Hello?” she asked. “What is it?”

  “Baby,” her father said finally, “we aren’t sure how you’re going to feel about this.”

  “But it really is the best thing for you,” her mother added.

  “What is? What are you talking about?” She sat her glass down on the counter top with a start. Still, no one answered. Groaning heavily, she turned from the kitchen, rushing toward the front door desperate to find the source of the ruckus. Her limbs ached as she ran, and a blister on her ankle rubbed against her pajama pants adamantly, but she ignored the pain. She threw back the curtain and stared out into the yard. The sunlight burned her eyes for a second, and she blinked quickly to help her eyes adjust. Finally, her eyes focused on the source. Her husband could be seen near the curb, hammering a For Sale sign into the yard.

  “What is happening?” She whirled around, facing her parents in outrage and confusion.

  “Sweetheart, after last night, we all decided—” her mother started.

  “Connor decided—” Kate mumbled under her breath, picking at her fingernails.

  “We all,” her mother emphasized, throwing a cross look at Kate, “think it’s for the best that you and Ollie come back home to the city with us for a while. We know how much you must miss it. And there will be so much for you and Ollie to do. Plus, I know this great doctor you can talk to who can get you the help that you need.”

  “What, like a shrink? Are you serious? You can’t just lock me up like a child. I’m an adult,” Jordyn said indignantly.

  “Jordyn, Connor told us that you were the one who started the fire last night,” her mother said, no question in her voice. Her eyes were filled with anguish as she stared at her daughter, looking as though she didn’t truly recognize her anymore. Jordyn wasn’t sure she even recognized anyone, including herself, anymore.

  Jordyn pushed her lips together, tears filling her eyes. “I…it was an accident. I had to do what they told me. I had to. I didn’t know what would happen. I, of course, I didn’t do it on purpose. I wouldn’t. When I realized what I’d done I stopped it. I saved those people, that little girl.” Her arms hung at her sides in hopelessness.

  “You almost died in the process, Jordyn. You ran into a burning building without a second thought,” her father said.

  “I couldn’t let them die for my mistake. I did what was right. I saved them. That doesn’t make me crazy.”

  “Why were you out in the middle of the night, anyway? Darling, no one even knew where you were. You could’ve been killed and we would’ve been none the wiser,” her father said.

  “They told me to. Connor has seen the texts. They’re on my phone. I was doing what I thought I needed to in order to end this.” Jordyn’s hope grew smaller as she saw the discouraging looks on her parent’s faces. They looked back and forth at each other in worry.

  “Who is ‘they’?” Her mother shook her head.

  “The people who are killing the kids.” Even as the words came out of her mouth, she knew how it sounded.

  “Sarah,” her father said, staring at her mom, his eyes wide.

  Sarah held her hand up, addressing Jordyn. “Okay, now I want you to go pack your things. We’re leaving this place tonight. You and Ollie will stay with us until Connor can get things squared away here. Then, you can find your own place and your own way back home. By then, all of this will have seemed like a lifetime ago.”

  “No,” Jordyn said firmly, stamping her feet. “I won’t go. I’m not finished here.”

  “You will go.” Her mother stepped closer, her eyes sharp. “You could’ve killed those people last night, Jordyn. You’re lucky to not be in jail. Go pack your things before Connor gets inside. He’s having to deal with enough right now. He doesn’t need you throwing a fit as well.”

  Jordyn stared at her father, hoping for help, but he placed his hand on her mother’s back. His stance was firm. Jordyn turned on her heel, racing back toward her bedroom. She thought again, stopped running and turned around.

  “At least let me feed my son first.”

  Her mother pulled him away from her. “He’s already eaten.” Jordyn held her arms out for him, but her mother shook her head. He smiled up at his mother with a bright smile, oblivious to what was happening. “Jordyn, I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. I’m sorry.”

  “Who are you to tell me I can’t hold my son? You give him to me,” she demanded.

  Ollie began to cry, obviously confused as to what was going on. Sarah nuzzled him gently, whispering in his ear softly. She looked at Jordyn. “I’m sorry. The answer’s no. Not now,” she said dismissively, as if Jordyn had asked for pudding rather than for her son.

  Tears burned her face as they fell down her cheeks. “I would never hurt my child,” she said. Without another word, she turned and stormed out of the room. A few minutes later, as she sat in her bedroom floor fuming, there was a knock on her door. She didn’t answer. She turned her back further from the door, willing them to go away.

  The door crept open and she heard footsteps walking toward her, but couldn’t be bothered to look up. She felt a hand on her back briefly, not a rub, just a light touch and then it was gone. Her sister slid down the wall next to her. “You okay?”

  “Of course not,” she spat out.

  “Look, I know it’s bad and I get that you’re pissed, but they’re trying to do what they think is right.” Kate rested her head on the wall. “They’re really worried about you, Jordyn.”

  “What do you think?” she asked. “What do you think is right, Kate?”

  “I think that you’re one of the sanest, bravest, smartest people I know, but having a baby, I mean, I’m a little crazy before my period, so I can’t imagine how much worse this is.”
She tried to laugh, but the sound fell short.

  “Kate, this is not about Ollie. I swear to you, it’s not. I’m telling all of you the truth. I know how it must sound, but there are really people out there killing children. Just, just killing them because they can. And no one in this whole town is trying to stop them.”

  Kate was quiet, staring at her sister for a long time. “Can you prove it?” she finally asked.

  A glimmer of hope flickered in her head as she rolled over and grabbed her phone. She pulled open her messages and handed the phone to her sister. “There.”

  Kate’s eyes skimmed over the messages quietly and then she handed the phone back. “Jor, I’m sorry, but this proves nothing. Some idiot was pranking you maybe. Why in the world would you listen to them?”

  “I don’t know,” Jordyn answered honestly. “Because I trust the wrong people for the wrong reasons, but, Kate, this is the person. That little girl, Amber? She was on The List. She was supposed to die.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  At the risk of sounding even crazier, Jordyn sighed. “It’s a long story,” she began. And then she told her sister the whole story.

  ***

  An hour passed with Jordyn telling her sister, piece by piece, everything that had happened since they’d moved to Bates. When she finished, she stopped, out of breath.

  Kate stared at Jordyn for a long time, her eyes wide in shock. “Jor, if all of this is true, why on earth would you even want to stay here?”

  The question caught her off guard. If she were to be honest, she didn’t want to stay in Bates. Not one second longer. If she had her way, she’d be out the door faster than they were asking her to be, but there was a small part of her that now felt connected to this town and its story. There was a part of her that was stuck with Carrie and Allie and the rest of town, a part of her that couldn’t just up and leave in the middle of this. After the past night, the fire, she was just as much a part of it as all of the rest of them.

  Without a real answer, she shrugged. “I do want to leave, Kate, but it’s just not that simple. I still have friends here. Friends who’ve lost a lot and who really need me. I couldn’t just leave them, not knowing what would happen.”