over the top of the bed. That wonderful glass section of the ceiling that she had gotten installed just for Joel. She’d have to tell him that story soon. Have to tell him so many things.
But she’d start with her past. Because she needed Joel to see that she did trust him.
“Who sent him away?” Joel asked.
Her fingers slid over his chest. She could feel the patchwork of scars on his skin, and when she thought of the pain he’d endured, tears burned her eyes. She always used the victims to help her hunt the killers. But Joel wasn’t a typical victim. He was hers. “My parents did. They knew what he was becoming, and they wanted to stop him.”
“I don’t understand.”
“No.” She knew he didn’t. Not yet. “Because when you did your research, this part wasn’t in the stories you found. This part wasn’t anywhere. They made sure of it.” Maybe they’d still be alive if they hadn’t tried to cover everything up.
Maybe not.
“What was he becoming?”
“Have you ever heard of the Macdonald triad?”
“No.”
“It basically says there are three indicators that a person may grow up to engage in violent behavior. Or to become a serial killer.” She carefully traced another scar. “My brother killed my cat in front of me. Took a knife and—” She stopped. “That’s sign number one. Being abusive to animals, especially pets.”
Joel’s body had gone tense. “Sonofabitch.”
Yes, he would see where she was going with this story. “Arson is the second part of the triad. My brother set fire to the barn. Animals were inside—I supposed that would be circling back to sign number one—but…my mother was also inside.”
“Oh, my God.” He caught her hand as she traced his scars. Held tight.
“She got out. Two of the horses didn’t. You know, sometimes, I can still hear their screams.” That last part had slipped out. Something she hadn’t told anyone before. Their cries haunted her. She’d tried to go in and save them, but she’d been so little. Her father had held her back. His hold had been unbreakable. Tears had slid down her cheeks.
I didn’t cry much after that.
“I’m so sorry, baby.”
“The third indicator is bed wetting. I know, seems mild compared to the others, doesn’t it? Sort of an odd add-along. Honestly, if you’ve got the other two, they seem far more worrisome to me.” She swallowed. The sheet covered most of her body, but it didn’t give her any warmth. The warmth came from Joel as she pressed against him. As he held her hand. “My brother met all of the requirements in the triad. When he was fourteen, he took things a step further. He snuck into his best friend’s house and put a knife to the boy’s throat.”
“Fuck.”
“His best friend fought him off. My parents managed to stop the family from pressing charges. They were good at keeping things quiet. Hidden. Always so good. They promised to take care of my brother. Swore he wouldn’t hurt anyone else. A few days later, the tabloids started reporting that my brother had disappeared.”
“Are you telling me they faked a whole missing person’s case with your brother? Chloe, that’s not normal.”
“My family was far from normal.” She was pretty sure he understood that by now. “They sent him to a psychiatric facility. They thought he might get help. Or, at least, that’s what I heard them say to my grandfather one day. I think…I suspect they just wanted my brother locked up so that he couldn’t hurt anyone else.”
“And what about you, Chloe?”
Her head shifted on the pillow so that she was staring at him. “What do you mean?”
“What did they do to you?”
She licked her lips. “I didn’t show the signs of the triad.”
“Baby, I never thought you did.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “What did they do to you? Why were they afraid of you?”
The breath she took seemed to chill her insides. “Who told you they were afraid?”
“Reese.”
She nodded against the pillow. “I didn’t show the signs of the triad but as I got older—as I noticed more things…as I understood more—I realized that one of them did.”
He pulled her closer. Not just holding her hand now. Holding her tightly.
“It’s not just the triad signs that should worry you. There are other signs. I was always so curious. Always reading and studying everything, and I learned that there were other signs that you needed to look out for that could predict violent behavior in adults. I was reading