Chapter Twenty-Five
Vicki shuffled toward the diner. Through the window, she glimpsed Becca and Lenny laughing. They seemed so happy. Her heart squeezed at the realization she would be the one to shatter their illusion of a future. Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked them back.
She opened the door, the weight a monolithic stone in her hand. Completing the death march across the diner, she dropped into a chair opposite her best friend and the guy who’d returned the smile to her face. God, this sucks. The combined weight of truth and guilt bore down on her.
“Hey.” Lenny narrowed his eyes. “You don’t look so good. You need some food or something?”
She shook her head, her stomach rolling at the mention of food.
“Coffee, then.” Becca signaled the waitress.
A moment later, a steaming cup slid in front of her. She sipped the aromatic brew to appease her friend. Her focus moved to River’s half-empty cup still sitting on the table. Not long ago, he’d been in the café, waiting for her to finish in the bathroom. Now, he was off, inspecting a murdered police officer and searching for a kidnapped waitress. He didn’t hide from the messiness of life. He faced it head-on and encouraged her to do the same.
Tell them, Vicki. His final words rang in her ears.
Was she strong enough to tell her best friend she had days to live?
She stared at them across the table. They leaned toward one another, Lenny stealing furtive glances and Becca’s lips curving into a smile. However mismatched they appeared, the truth lay in their body language. Given time, Lenny would make her happy in a way Becca’s ex-fiancé never could have.
Except, they don’t have time.
“I have to tell you guys something,” she blurted. She clutched her cup, her knuckles whitening.
A slender eyebrow rose, and Becca grinned. “We have something to tell you, too.”
“You first.” A sigh shuddered through her. Anything to put the inevitable off just a little longer.
“Check out what Lenny found on the Internet.” Admiration sparkled in her eyes as he spun the laptop screen in her direction.
Her breath caught. The pointed D. Coffee and acid churned in her stomach, threatened to heave up her throat. “It’s…it’s….”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “It’s the killer’s signature.”
“I told him about it.” Becca’s eyes reflected concern. “I hope that’s okay.”
He patted her hand. “It’s okay. I already talked about it with Detective Chastain. He was cool.”
“You talked with River?” Vicki swallowed. “What did you tell him?”
“Thurisaz.” Her friend wrinkled her nose. “You found it, Lenny. You tell her.”
“In a nutshell, the symbol represents one evil god who gives his truest followers immortality. Or at least that’s what the stuff I read online alludes.” He tilted his head and stared at her. “Hey, you about to hurl or something?”
“I’m okay.” Vicki forced her emotions down, tried to focus on Lenny’s words.
“Here, sweetie. Take my toast.” Becca pushed a small plate of crispy, buttered bread toward her. “I already finished a pile of pancakes.”
She picked up a piece and nibbled on one point of the triangle. She gestured toward Lenny. “Keep going.”
“Well, suffice it to say, the copycat killer is a huge fan of Thurisaz. He believes the evil son of a bitch—pardon the language—has made him invincible.” He raised a brow at Becca.
Her lips thinned, and she shot Vicki a guilty look. “Yeah. Tell her the rest. If she doesn’t already know, she needs to.”
Her pulse jumped. What has Lenny found?
“I was digging.” He paused, adjusted his glasses. “I’m sorry. But I found a lot of this stuff tied to Chastain and the Valentine Killer case out in Austin.”
Dread seeped into her chest. “What do you mean?”
“He tracked the Valentine Killer for over eighteen months. Lots of girls died.”
“Yeah, but they caught the guy.”
“True. But it turned out to be his partner. Chastain went through the wringer with the whole thing. Internal Affairs cleared him, but the public crucified him.” He winced. “I guess after all those horrible murders, they couldn’t just let things ride. The department asked him to leave. Then he ends up here in Savannah. Chasing a copycat. I mean what are the odds?”
Vicki gritted her teeth. This sounds bad. How long will the Savannah PD. let him keep going? “As far as I know, he’s proven his innocence and his current partner trusts him. Where are you going with this?”
“Whoa.” He held up a hand. “I’m not accusing Chastain of anything. Jeez Louise. I’m saying he’s the target.”
“Which might make you a target, too.” Worry filled Becca’s face, and she reached across the table, her slender hand covering Vicki’s. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
A wry laugh escaped her lips, the irony not lost on her.
“I think it might be a family member, trying to even the score.” The reporter grabbed his mug then emptied it. Signaling for a refill, he leaned toward Vicki. “Man, I’m sorry. Whoever’s doing this has one bad-ass demon in his corner.”
She shook her head. No sense telling any of this to River, he’d never buy it. He barely believed she had visions of people’s destinies. She wasn’t sure she believed any of it herself. But why take chances? River had his methods to change destiny, and she had hers. “So, how do we stop it?”
“I’ll have to get back to you on that.” He dumped a load of sugar into his cup.
“Meanwhile, you need to be extra careful.” Becca squeezed her fingers. “I’m not going to suggest you stay away from River. Just keep your eyes open. Okay?”
She sighed. “Seems we all need to keep our eyes open and stay alert.”
Lenny’s head jerked up. “What do you mean?”
Guilt weighed heavy, but she needed to share the truth. Tears burning her eyes, she clutched Becca’s hand and gave her a meaningful stare.
Comprehension washed over her friend’s face, a gasp slipping through her lips. “You had a vision about me.”
Unable to speak, she nodded. Hot tears streamed over her cheeks. With the back of her hand, she wiped them away and sat hunched over the table, feeling like the freaking Grim Reaper.
“It’s okay.” A single tear slipped from the corner of Becca’s eye.
She’s stood by my side all these years. She knows my visions come true. I just never thought my best friend…. She tore her gaze from Becca and focused on Lenny. “You, too.”
“What?” He jolted, almost toppling his chair. Shoulders pulled up to his ears, he shook his head. His lips twisted into a snarl, and he pointed a finger at her. “I knew it. You whammied me.”
“Stop it, Lenny.” Becca placed her hand on the back of his chair. “Sit down.”
He sank into the seat, his expression resembling a man going under for the third time.
“Vicki can’t whammy anyone.” Trust radiated from her face. “Do you for one minute think she’d purposefully hurt me?”
He glanced at her and huffed like a little boy. “No.”
“She has no control over it.” She squeezed his shoulder, the gesture of reassurance.
“Oh, well that’s good to know.” He glared. “I thought I might be on her psychic hit list because I was falling hard for her best friend.”
“You’re what?” Becca yanked him around to face her. “Did you just say you liked me?”
Embracing Becca, he kissed her. When he finished, a sudden shyness seemed to wash over him, and he stared at her with puppy dog adoration. “I’m afraid it’s a little more than just like.”
Her eyes softened, and she cupped his face with her hands. “Lenny.”
Becca’s smile told Vicki everything. The two were smitten with one another. Bolstered, she dried her eyes. River thinks we can save them. There must be a way.
“How long do we have left?” he asked Vicki, his focus never leaving Becca’s face.
“I don’t know exactly when. But whatever happens, good or bad, it’ll be soon. For you, Becca, it’s sometime between now and next Sunday,” she whispered.
He jumped, releasing Becca. “Eight days? Holy Moly!” He rubbed his forehead, his attention shifting to his computer. “Eight days.”
Becca set her hand on his. “What about Lenny?”
“I saw his yesterday at the restaurant,” Vicki admitted. “So, around thirteen days.”
A low groan came from him, and his eyes closed.
Becca frowned. “I thought the time period was two weeks.”
“It is.” She sighed. “I just didn’t know how to tell you until now.”
She nodded, accepting her fate with a grace Vicki didn’t think she herself possessed.
“But listen,” Vicki continued. “You have to remember that there’s no guarantee that you’re fated to die. A lot of times, it’s the exact opposite, like winning the lottery or getting a great job.” She looked at Lenny. “Or writing a bestselling book.”
Lenny snorted. “We’re tied to the killer. You know it, we know it…hell, I bet even River knows it.” He eyed her. “He does, doesn’t he? You already told him.”
She grimaced and gave him a slight nod. “But that still doesn’t mean he’s after you. It could be that the visions about you two are because you’re involved in the case.” She wasn’t sure she believed that, but she couldn’t sit here and give her best friend and her boyfriend a death sentence. She couldn’t stand it.
“Okay. So, then what did you see?” Bracelets jangling, Becca gestured toward her. “What were the symbols so we can watch for them?”
Lenny’s head slewed toward Becca. “You want to know when that insane bastard is going to kill you? Good golly, woman, you’re….” His incredulous expression diminished, and a clever smile sketched his lips. “Brilliant. And that’s exactly what I love about you. If we know, we might be able to change the outcome.”
“What did you see?” she asked again.
Vicki stared at them, thankful they had each other. Knowing their destinies were linked to the killer didn’t lessen her admiration for Lenny’s survival instincts or her love of Becca’s untamed spirit. And who knew? Together, they just might be able to alter the outcome.
“The first two symbols were the same for both of you.”
Lenny pulled a pen and notepad from his computer bag. “What were they?”
“The first symbol was the letters A, S, and D.” She waited while he jotted on the paper. “The second was a thin, matte-silver tube. It looked expensive.”
“Okay.” He drew a line on the paper and wrote his and Becca’s names on either side. “Start with Becca’s other symbols.”
Lungs squeezing, she glanced at her friend—who stared back, her eyes filled with both trust and hope, a small smile gracing her lips. “Becca’s are ice cubes and broken glass.”
Lenny reached over and ran a soothing hand down her back. “Okay. Mine.” He took a deep breath. “Lay ’em on me.”
“A brown paper bag and a yellow daisy.”
He rolled his eyes. “Oh, give me a break. Could I get anything more obscure?”
Becca tapped a fingernail on the table, eyeing Vicki. “There’s one more. Isn’t there?”
He scanned his notes. “Did I miss one?”
“No.” She laid her hand on his arm.
Ice shot through Vicki’s veins. “I was going to tell you. I didn’t want to, but I was.”
“I won’t make you say it. You’ve carried enough guilt just for knowing.” Becca switched her attention to Lenny. “The last symbol is the pointed capital D.”
He sucked in a breath. “Jeez Louise. We’re on the killer’s list?” He looked from Becca to Vicki. “When the hell did that happen?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged, knowing all the hope she’d tried to give them earlier had more than likely just evaporated. “I just got a flash of the symbols. They all came at once.”
“Well, I could’ve gone the whole day without that information.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “I mean, she’s the best friend. I’m just the research guy. We’re not supposed to be….”
“I’m sorry,” Vicki whispered.
“Don’t be,” Becca said, her voice strong and firm. She spun the laptop toward Lenny. “We still have eight days to stop him before my time runs out.”
He sat up, a gleam of hope in his eyes. “You’re right. Eight days. That’s like what, three years in a dog’s life? Plenty of time.”
Becca grinned. “You’re crazy.”
“That’s what you love about me.” His fingers tapped the keyboard. “And I promise to make it the most exciting and sexually satisfying eight days of your life.”
“Sounds intriguing.” Becca pointed at the laptop screen. “But first, we have to stop a maniac.”