The Killing Vision - By Will Overby Page 0,64

fingertips. Pounding and pounding until it began to peter out and she went limp beneath him.

Even through the pain in his side, he managed to drive home and carry her inside with little effort. He stripped her clothes and positioned her inside the freezer like the others, closed the lid and secured the room.

So far he had heard nothing of her disappearance, and he wondered if she had lied about being out past her curfew. Surely by now someone would be missing her. Unless her parents or whoever she lived with was used to her not coming home.

He gazed upon her now in the soft yellow glow of the freezer’s light. So beautiful, so perfect. He couldn’t imagine anyone not caring about her.

MONDAY, JULY 16

8:45 AM

Joel had been sitting at the table watching Marla on the phone now for thirty minutes. She had been calling and calling, but none of the attorney’s offices were open yet. “Just give it up for a few minutes, Marla,” he told her. “They’ll be in after nine.”

Joel had called into work and told Betsy he and Wade had some family issues going on. She had said little, but he could tell she had not been happy. He left her with the promise he would explain everything when he came in later.

In truth, he felt hung over. He had barely slept, and when the room began to lighten around five, he had climbed on out of bed, exhausted but wired. He had allowed himself one cigarette—the first since Friday—but had stubbed it out before he was halfway done with it.

He could not stop thinking about Wade and the visions he had seen. Most of all he could not get the image from his head of Clifton coming at Wade with the bottle. It made him hurt for his brother, knowing what they had both endured over the years, but it also made him angry as hell that he and Wade had never discussed their abuse, had never tried to get past it. But no matter what the two of them had endured, no matter what else Wade had done, he was no murderer. Joel had seen it. Had felt it.

Beside him, Derek sat with an untouched glass of orange juice. He had been biting his fingernails again, and Joel noticed with a wince that his thumb was bleeding.

What about Derek? Hadn’t he known her as well? Could he have something to do with girl’s disappearance? Evidently, the police didn’t think so. But sometimes the police could overlook obvious clues. Joel steeled himself for what was to come, then placed a hand on Derek’s shoulder.

Instantly he was met with visions and feelings, mostly about girls and cars, and Derek’s job at the Dairy Queen, which he evidently hated. He saw Derek talking to the girl at the college, one of many he had also seen Wade rolling around with. But there was nothing else. Derek was innocent as well.

Joel removed his hand and felt the pain between his eyes. Sometimes these episodes left him with migraines, and he was afraid he was getting one now.

Marla slammed the phone down and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. “Damn lawyers,” she muttered. “No one’s answering the phone yet.”

“Just give them time,” Joel said.

She picked up her coffee, then set it back down. “I don’t know why I even care.” Fresh tears spilled down her face. “I should have left him years ago, while I was still young.”

“You don’t mean that,” Joel said, but after what he had seen in Wade’s head yesterday, he knew that she was right.

“He’s been out screwing around on me since we got married. I tried to pretend it wasn’t happening, that it was just my imagination. And then, when I knew he was really doing it, I told myself it was just temporary. A phase he was going through. I figured he’d settle down after a while, after he got it all out of his system. I should have known.” She wiped her face with her sleeve. “And now the dumbass has gone and probably killed somebody. I should be surprised, but I’m not.”

Joel rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. Surely his head was going to explode. “He didn’t do it, Marla.”

“How do you know?” she said, and her voice was sharp.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, meeting her gaze evenly. “I just know,” he said.

She took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter. I should just leave