“Sure.” Cara dropped her book bag on the chest by the door. “But you should have waited for me. I could have done this. You don’t like to cook.”
“Maybe I was having a couple guilty twinges.” Elena made a face. “You do all the cooking and cleaning, and you’re just a kid.”
“I don’t mind. Someone has to do it, and you’re too busy.” She headed toward the kitchen. “I didn’t expect you to be here, Elena. You said you worked today.”
“Night shift. Don’t have to go in until seven. I thought we could have dinner together.”
“Great.” Cara got the garlic bread out of the freezer and turned on the oven. “We haven’t been able to do that all week. You’ve been working double shifts.”
Her aunt shrugged. “Pays the bills.” She glanced at Cara. “You okay? No trouble at school?”
Cara nodded as she put the garlic bread in the oven. “I’m okay. School’s fine; boring, but fine.” She suddenly smiled. “Now that you’ve done your duty and asked me, can we forget about it? Once every few months you decide you just have to check on me. I’d tell you if I had any problems. I promised you that I would.”
“I know, but you don’t…” She wrinkled her nose. “I know you’re smart, probably smarter than me, but I’m always afraid that I should be helping you more.”
Cara shook her head. “You work all the time. You told me we had to share the load. I understand that, and it’s not bad. I clean up the apartment and do my homework. Later, I get to play my violin. I’m doing good, Elena.” She looked in the refrigerator and took out a bottle of cranberry juice. “Better than Heather, and she’s got a mom and dad and a brother to help her.”
“Oh, yes, Heather.” Elena looked away as she got down the plates. “She seems nice, but a little … spoiled. What do you think, Cara?”
“I like her.” She drank her juice. “Is that what this is about? You want to talk about Heather? Is that why you’re working the night shift tonight?”
“I told you that you were smart,” Elena said. “It’s just that I have to leave you alone a lot, and I wanted to make sure that you weren’t—”
“I don’t break the rules,” Cara said quietly. “Sometimes I want to, but I don’t.”
“Good. That’s a relief. It’s so easy to just…” Elena gave her a quick hug. “But those rules are important. We both know that, don’t we?”
Cara nodded. “I know it.” She stepped back and hesitated. “But maybe I could just bend … Heather wanted me to walk home with her today.”
“No,” Elena said sharply. “You can’t do it, Cara. The bus is safer.”
From the safe bus, to the locked door of the apartment that Cara was never to open. “Maybe it is safe now. Maybe something has changed.” She whispered, “Maybe he’s not out there anymore.”
“And maybe he is,” Elena said gently. “I know what your life is like. I wish I could tell you that you could take the chance. But I can’t do that.” She looked her in the eye. “Think about those nightmares you have. Do you think it’s worth the risk, Cara?”
Running through the darkness.
Blood.
Screams.
Jenny!
She jerkily shook her head. “No.” She turned and went to the cutlery drawer. “I’ll set the table.”
“Cara.”
“It’s okay.” She didn’t look at her. “You’re right. Heather is spoiled. I don’t need her to tell me what I should do. She doesn’t understand…”
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
“I shouldn’t be long, Eve. I just want to question a few detectives and check out the records on Walsh.” Joe pulled up in front of the Sacramento Police Department precinct. “Do you want to come in with me?”