See Me(120)

Speeding through a residential neighborhood at sixty miles per hour, he scanned for children or other pedestrians or pets, houses passing in a blur.

Another turn. Tires screeched and the rear of the Camaro fishtailed left and then right, Colin struggling for control. On this block, cars were parked on either side of the street, limiting visibility, and Colin reluctantly slowed the car. Just ahead, he could make out a couple pushing a stroller on the sidewalk; a kid playing catch with his dad on the opposite side of the street; a guy walking his dog with a long retractable leash…

Another turn and a clear road with better visibility; Colin sped up again, finally recognizing the Sanchez neighborhood.

It had taken him nine minutes.

He began to bank into the final turn at top speed… and almost hit a blue Camry that was approaching fast in the middle of the road. Colin swerved automatically to the right, as did the other car, the Camaro fishtailing again, tires screeching. Colin felt another sudden adrenaline surge as his heart hammered. He briefly glimpsed two men in the front seat with startled expressions, their eyes wide as the cars slid past within inches of each other, too close. Way too close, and he gripped the wheel hard, regaining control. Barely.

He was almost there, the Sanchezes’ street up ahead. A single turn to go, and he didn’t hit the brakes until he was almost there.

Fear taking over now.

Praying he wasn’t too late.

Shearing into the turn, he heard a siren behind him. In the rearview mirror, he saw the flashing lights on top of the squad car as it barreled around the same turn he’d just made. Colin slowed only slightly, but the squad car was closing fast and Colin heard a squawk from the loudspeaker.

“Pull over!”

Not a chance, Colin thought. No matter what happens to me.





CHAPTER 24





Maria





M

aria couldn’t take her eyes from the gun… or the person holding it.

Lester Manning.

Margolis had been wrong. Lester wasn’t in the hospital.

He had been waiting for her here. The knowledge paralyzed her, and she watched as he snatched the phone from her hand. His face contorted into something she barely recognized.

“No calls!” he shouted, making her jump. The tone was off-key, on edge. “No police!”

As he backed away, her senses heightened and she saw it all: the unkempt hair and ratty canvas jacket, faded red shirt, and torn jeans; the dark holes of his pupils and the rapid rise and fall of his chest. In her head, the words ran together: delusional disorder; acute phase; persecutory delusions.

And the gun. He was holding a gun.

Her mom and dad were inside, as was Serena. Her family was in danger and it was dark and no one in the neighborhood was out…

She should have run as soon as she saw him coming, sprinted for the front door and locked him out, but she’d stood there like her legs belonged to another person…

“I know what YOU DID!” he hissed.

The words came out fast and almost unintelligible. As he continued to back away, she saw the phone light up and heard it ring. Colin. Lester startled, staring at the phone in his hand. She watched Lester end the call with the press of a button. Saw the phone light up and ring again. Lester frowned as he ended the second call, talking at the phone as though it were alive. “I said no calls!” he called out. “No police!” Then mumbling: “Think straight. It’s not real.” His hands were shaking as he muted the phone and shoved it into his jacket pocket. “They’re not coming.”

Please God, let Colin have already called the police, she thought. The police are coming and will be here soon. I’ll just ride it out until they get here. I will not be like Cassie. If he so much as touches me, I’m going to scream and fight like crazy.

But…

Margolis had said that Lester could function normally sometimes; he’d been able to work a part-time job. And when she’d met him, he was… odd, but not psychotic, even when clearly struggling. Maybe she could talk to him… She just needed to stay calm.

“Hi, Lester,” she began, trying to keep her voice steady and pleasant.

His eyes flashed up, his pupils huge.

No, not huge. Dilated. On drugs?

“ ‘Hi, Lester’? That’s all you can say?”

“I want you to know I’m sorry about Cassie —”

“No, no, no!” he said, raising his voice. “You don’t get to say her name. She died because of you!”

She raised her hands instinctively, expecting him to lunge at her, but Lester instead moved yet another step farther away. As she waited for him to go on, she realized that he sounded less angry than… afraid?

Or paranoid. And the last thing I want is to set him off.

She lowered her eyes, her heart hammering. She could hear Lester’s labored breathing as long seconds passed. The silence stretched out until she heard him sniff and then say, “No,” in a softer voice. She could hear his breathing finally begin to slow, and when he spoke again, his voice was shaky but subdued.

“They’re safe,” he said, nodding at the house. “Your family. I saw them through the windows. I watched your sister go inside. What happens next is up to you.”

She flinched at his words but held her silence. His breath continued to slow in what seemed like a conscious effort, his gaze never wavering.