“The police will catch him someday, Evelyn.”
She knew he was just trying to comfort her. It was very possible they’d never catch him. He was too damn smart, too damn good at killing. “I can’t believe I got away. When I look back... It was a miracle,” she said, unable to explain how she hadn’t ended up in a shallow grave like that other woman.
“How’d he find you in the first place?” Amarok asked. “That’s what I want to know.”
“He must’ve been following me.”
“But he couldn’t have run across you randomly.”
“Oh, you mean to begin with. I have no idea. But if he’s back in Boston, why haven’t the police been able to find him?”
“There are a lot of people in Boston, and it’s been a long time. I’m guessing he looks different. That can’t sound like much of an excuse to you, but...it’s not easy to catch a lust killer, and if anyone can say why, it’d be you.”
“I know. I just can’t believe I’m going to have to continue to live with the thought that he’s out there, somewhere.” She thought of all the other victims in the world, who never achieved resolution, and felt guilty for complaining. Why should she be any different? And what about those who’d lost their lives? At least she’d survived and escaped. She should be grateful, not allow her bitterness to overtake her gratitude. “But I’m not the only one dealing with this type of thing,” she added. “I realize that. I’ll cope with it, somehow.”
“I don’t want you going back to your condo, not even to get your stuff,” he said. “Send half a dozen brawny men to get it for you, and be done with that place.”
“Agreed. I won’t go back. Tomorrow, when I get out of the hospital, I’m going to rent a room from someone in Cambridge. My parents want me to stay with them, but I can’t. I have to find a random place, a place where I know Jasper would have no way of finding me.”
“Or you could move here right away, instead of waiting.” He said that like he wanted to see her, to watch over her.
“This couldn’t happen in Hilltop, could it, Amarok?” she asked, suddenly uncertain that she’d be safe anywhere. “That night when my phone line was cut—”
“I’m hoping that was just scare tactics,” he broke in. “Like we talked about. It’s the best explanation we’ve got, at any rate.”
She stared up at the ceiling. “So you think I’ll be safe there.”
“I want to say you will. I’ll do everything in my power to look out for you. But the truth is, that kind of shit could happen anywhere. It all depends on how determined Jasper is, right?”
“At least I’ll be 3400 miles away from Boston. So many bad things have happened to me in this city. I’m ready to leave. Now even my mother wants me to get out.”
“Whoa, Lara’s finally supportive of Alaska?”
She allowed her eyes to close. “I wouldn’t say she’s supportive. At this point, Alaska’s just the lesser of two evils. What she’d really like is for me to get a safer job, stay out of the media and disappear into another city, like Los Angeles or Seattle.”
“I thought she didn’t want you so far away?”
“She claims they’ll move with me.”
“And your sister?”
She covered a yawn. “She’d probably stay. She likes Boston. She’s got a great job running a major hospital, so she makes good money, and she loves her work.”
“You and your sister are definitely high achievers. So...are you tempted by what your mother suggests?”
“I was for a second,” she admitted. “It just sounds so...safe.”
“You’d give up Hanover House?”
She snuggled lower in the bed. “No. You’re right—I couldn’t. It’s hard to explain, but...I have to do what I’m doing even if my folks don’t like it.” She gripped the phone tighter. “Even if you don’t like it. Because nothing’s really changed. I won’t let Jasper or anyone else drive me into a corner. Not when I can use the knowledge I’ve gained, and what I might learn in the future, to fight back, to make a difference.”
“It’s what’s bringing you here, so I’m not complaining,” he said.
She smiled at his response. “Would you like to know how I hung on mentally? How I got through it?”
“Of course.”
She rolled onto her side and spoke more softly. “By thinking of you. I wanted to live so that I could see you again.”
“I like that,” he said. “But if that’s the case, why can’t I talk you into coming tomorrow?”
She laughed. “Because I have too much to do here! I’ll come as soon as I can.” There was a noise at the door as her parents and sister rushed in, carrying flowers and balloons and candy.
“Evelyn!” her mother cried.
“Amarok, my family’s here,” she said into the phone. “And I’m exhausted—and a little groggy from the relaxers they’ve given me. Can I call you tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
“Goodnight.”