And now I finally get it. He didn’t forget to lock the door to the basement. Hewantedme to come down here. He wanted me to see this.
He’s still looking down at me. We look a lot alike, my dad and me. Same black hair. Same dark eyes. Peoplealways know we’re related.
“There’s so much for you to learn,” he murmurs. “There’s so much I want to teach you.”
I glance over at the cage with the cover over it. I hear another muffled sound from inside. Like almost a scream.
“You want to learn,” he says, “don’t you?”
I nod slowly. “Yes,” I manage.
“Good.” He looks down on his watch. “Go back to sleep, Nora. It’s too late right now. But soon our lessons will begin. I promise you.”
He walks me back up the steps of the basement. When we get to the top, he shuts the door behind me. And locks it.
Chapter 20
Present Day
I don’t want to leave work today. The idea of going home to my empty house is terrifying to me. I can’t stop imagining Shelby’s face. She was so full of life at her last appointment. And now…
I wish I knew why. Why would somebody do it? Then again, the answer to that question is likely unsatisfying. My father never had a reason why. Well, technically he had a reason why. He did it because he enjoyed it.
I look a lot like him. If I were a man, I would be a spitting image of Aaron Nierling. But thankfully, my extra X chromosome has spared me that fate. But I have his very dark brown hair that looks black and his dark eyes. The hint of a cleft in my chin. The same lean build.
My grandmother used to hate how much I looked like him. Sometimes she would stare at me and shake her head in disgust.You have the devil in you, Nora.
If my grandmother were still alive, she would probablythink I was the one killing those girls. Just like the detective does.
Does he really think that though? Maybe not. Female serial killers are exceedingly rare. Even with my genetics, I’m an unlikely candidate.
But not impossible.
As much as I don’t want to go home, I don’t want to be the last person at the office either. So when I hear Harper packing up her things, I grab my purse and jacket and join her. She smiles when she sees me, but her eyes widen slightly at the sight of me. I must look as bad as I feel.
“Dr. Davis,” she says. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I say quickly. I watch as Harper shoves her biology book under her arm. “Are you heading out?”
She nods. “My roommate wants to take me out clubbing.”
“Oh.” I had been hoping she might be free to grab a drink with me. “Well, have a good time.”
“Do you…” She frowns and her dimples deepen. “Do you want to come with us?”
I almost laugh out loud. Even when I was Harper’s age, that sort of thing never appealed to me. “No, but thank you for the invite.”
“Okay…” Her brow furrows. I never told her what the detective was asking me about, and she’s too polite to ask. But she must be curious. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Harper smiles at me, blinking her blue eyes. A pretty girl with dark hair and blue eyes. Just like Amber Swanson and Shelby Gillis.
“Harper,” I say. “Do you… have any protection?”
“No,” she says. “But Becky has like a million condoms in her room and she’ll totally lend me one if I need it.”
I cringe. “No, that’s not what I mean. I mean, if someone were to attack you in the street, do you have anything to defend yourself with?”
“Um…” Harper shifts her purse on her shoulder. “I guess not…”
