Mrs. Greeves connected another blow to my temple before I could grab her hand again. “Then you killed Connie!”
She was practically sobbing at that point but was still stronger than I would ever have guessed. And even though my back screamed in protest, I shifted my body under her as I was taught, turning all the simple punctures into slices along my skin. Then, when she pushed up her body to free her hand again, I brought my knees up to my chest and kicked her stomach as hard as I could so that she launched into the rubble.
I spun over and, quickly as I could, crawled toward the knife. My fingers brushed against the hilt just as she jumped onto my back to stop me. I inched forward and she grabbed my hair, pulling back to limit my reach. But it didn’t work. My hand closed around the hilt and I swung my arm back, stabbing the knife behind me with as much strength as I could at that awkward angle.
I didn’t even know where I’d hit her until she rolled off me and I was able to sit up on my knees. She seemed a lot more delicate with blood pouring out her side. I must have punctured a lung, because she was gargling when she coughed, and her chest was moving in an uneven way when she breathed.
“I didn’t kill your friend,” I said while trying to catch my breath. “I don’t know who did, but I know one thing for sure. My father is a serial killer. What you saw through the window that night was me trying to stop him.”
She swallowed a few times and managed to growl out a “No!”
“You and I are just two more of his victims now.” I looked down at her tiny frame, which had still managed to toss me around, and I knew she’d probably survive this. She’d probably survived worse.
“You killed her and if—” Mrs. Greeves coughed into her fist and I saw blood on her skin and lips when she glared back up at me. “If they don’t get you on that, you’ll go to jail for trying to kill me.”
Maybe I would. She was obviously the X I’d spoken to Mallory about just hours ago at the station. I think that person may be in trouble. Even the inspector would have to see a threat in my words. Or maybe Mallory would see her for the home invader that she was and let me off. But in the meantime, I’d most likely be held in custody. Alice was no longer here to come to my rescue. And every hour I was in that station would be another hour closer to my father’s release. I couldn’t afford to let him run off somewhere out of my reach. I had to be prepared.
I gripped the knife hilt that was still in my hand and slowly brought the blade up to her neck. Just a nick and I could ensure she wasn’t around to accuse me of anything. But I could barely keep the blade held to her skin. She really was just another victim of my father, and just like me, she had become like him to get her revenge.
Mrs. Greeves coughed and made another gargling sound in the back of her throat, and then she gasped out, “Bitch.”
“Yeah, I am. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. He’ll be out at the end of the week, your sergeant. All of your coming after me worked.”
I’d maybe expected surprise or relief to filter somewhere into her expression, but instead she clenched her teeth and tried to hiss out another response that I couldn’t fathom.
But I nodded anyway. “You’ve freed a murderer. And now, because of you, I have to become a murderer too, to protect the world from him.”
In my imagination, I saw hands covered in blood, only this time, instead of my father’s body beyond, I saw Alice dead, and Freddie. I saw Michael and Seanie cowering as our father moved toward them. All of that and more would happen if I went to prison now. And all it would take was a slice to stop her from ruining everything.
You would not be you anymore.
I heard Lock’s voice so clearly in my mind right then, I half expected to hear his crunching steps behind me. I gritted my teeth against the sound of it and blinked away the hot, wet feeling in my eyes. I screamed in my mind that he was wrong, that I was already changed, that I had to do this!