Page 33 of Yuletide Guard

“We should drive around for a bit, see if we can find them,” Tom said as Chloe started the engine. “I know it’s a long shot, but we’ve been lucky so far, who knows, we could find them. He’s not going to try to hide the body because he wants us to find it. He wants us to know what the consequences are of disobeying him.”

“Worth a shot,” Chloe agreed as she pulled out into the busy Christmas traffic.

He called in what they knew about their victim and her vehicle and then turned his attention to searching the busy streets.

“Tom.”

“What?” He turned from staring out the window to look at his partner.

“A green SUV,” she said, pulling the car to a stop behind the other vehicle.

They approached cautiously, aware of how dangerous the stalker was. He didn't care who he had to hurt so long as he could do whatever it took to get to Samara.

He nodded at Chloe, and as she covered him, he opened the driver’s door of the car.

Where he found Maeve Franklin lying slumped across the seats.

Tom already knew, but blind hope had him reaching out to touch his fingertips to the woman’s neck.

He was right.

There was no pulse.

Maeve was already dead.

Stabbed dozens of times, just like the elderly woman in the parking garage.

Her body was still warm. The killer had only been gone a couple of minutes.

Just minutes earlier and they could have saved Maeve Franklin’s life.

Minutes.

He knew better than most that life could change in just one minute.

That was all it took for things to be over.

*****

12:36 P.M.

Samara pushed a piece of lettuce around on her plate. She didn't want to eat, but she didn’t want to not eat because she knew that Michael was watching her like a hawk.

Another innocent person was dead because of her.

How could you eat after learning that?

Chloe and Tom had been too late to save her stalker’s second victim. Well, third victim actually, since he had killed two people the first time.

Three lives ended all because someone wanted her.

Three people who wouldn’t get to celebrate the holidays with their families.

Three people who wouldn’t see in the new year in just over a week.

She felt numb.

There were too many emotions jumping around inside her that she couldn’t feel any of them. It was the same thing that had happened after she found out about the first murders. It was her usual MO, when she got overwhelmed, her emotions just shut down, and she didn't feel them.