to the grocery store.
Reaching over, I tapped Eddie’s forehead again, putting him into the trance. “Serah is safely inside the hospital. She’ll move again in thirty,” I said aloud for Bronx.
Saw her. I’m good, Bronx replied in my head, more for my own peace of mind than anything.
Telling myself that my companions were still safe, I tapped Eddie again, waking him up. We were as ready as we were going to be.
There was a part of me hoping that the killer would strike tonight. I didn’t want to think about Serah being grabbed by this psycho bitch and me not reaching her in time. But if she struck tonight and we caught her, it was all over. The threat to the women of Low Town would be over and we could all return to our pseudo-normal lives. If not, we’d have to do this over and over again until we did catch her. I wasn’t sure I could take another night of this, let alone a string of them.
Eddie and I sat without talking, listening to the police radio as the stern voice detailed the movements of the other three women who were acting as bait. I was beginning to worry that this wasn’t going to work. What if the killer knew? What if she knew which women were being watched so that she was now off somewhere else killing? What if she decided to take a night off? She hadn’t killed every night since the tattoo, right? Even psychopaths needed a break.
There was no snow tonight. A clear sky sparkled overhead with starlight, allowing the temperature to drop close to zero. Was it too cold for the killer to venture out from her nice warm home? I prayed that Bronx was wearing enough layers to tolerate the cold.
Time slipped away from me as the night dragged on with only the sounds of other cops to keep me company. One group was moving to a new location to get a better view. Another was freezing his ass off on some roof across town and wanted coffee. Another stopped to check out some movement down a dark alley along Serah’s route. I held my breath, waiting to hear that Bronx had been discovered. It was only an ice pixie chasing a rat, the cop reported back moments later. The world was quiet.
And then Serah was on the move again. Her fear spiked as soon as she stepped out of the bright embrace of the hospital into the night. From our spot across the street, I could see her flinch as the bitter cold slapped her in the face. Shoving one hand in her pocket while resting the other on her false stomach, she slowly started forward, heading north toward the grocery store.
When she was a block from the hospital, the sidewalk became empty. It was nearly eight in the evening, but the freezing temperatures had driven everyone inside for warmth. Only members of the Winter Court and the random Yeti would have found the evening air inviting.
By the second block, it looked as if someone had knocked out most of the street lamps. The darkness had grown thicker so that the navy blue coat Serah wore was nearly invisible. I wasn’t sure if the cops had prepared the street to be dark ahead of time or it was just our luck.
Eddie grabbed up the transmitter from the dashboard. “Number Four preparing to move to Location Two,” he quickly said. Returning the microphone to its spot, he turned the key. The car shook and growled to life again. He waited.
Serah stopped midstride as she was passing beside a dark, narrow alley. Her entire body was frozen as she turned her head toward the darkness.
“She heard something,” I whispered, leaning forward on the edge of my seat so I could try to see a little better. But the combination of the darkness and the distance made it impossible. I could practically taste her fear in the back of my throat while her heart pounded over mine. There was now a low growl in my head from Bronx. The troll had noticed Serah pause, and we all waited.
Eddie snatched up the radio and relayed that Serah had stopped for something. Everyone was on alert. One second stretched into an eternity, and then Serah gave a shake of her head, as if waving off the sound as nothing. She took one step down the sidewalk, resuming her long trek to the grocery, before she was