hours, patiently waiting for everyone to return and fall asleep. Then he made his move.
“Were you in my closet the whole time?” she asked as casually as she could.
“Under your bed,” he admitted. “I didn’t know your bedtime routine these days and couldn’t risk you hanging up a shirt or something. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was when I didn’t get to be up close and personal for a little hanky-panky. I thought for sure there’d be some after the exchange of I-love-yous. But I guess you guys were just too wiped out, what with investigating those beach murders, including your senior citizen buddy and your boyfriend’s near-death experience this afternoon.”
“You’ve been busy, Kyle,” she noted dryly, deciding to fake a lack of fear in the hopes that her body would follow suit. “What did you inject Ryan with?”
“I’m so glad you asked,” he admitted, oddly exuberant at the chance to reveal the particulars. “It’s a specially formulated paralytic, originally designed by an eastern bloc security service back in the 1980s in order to stimulate…cooperation with people in their care. Later it was adopted by other unscrupulous organizations…”
“Like say, drug cartels?” Jessie volunteered.
“Now you’re getting it,” he replied. “Through trial and error, they’ve managed to formulate it so that they can give the perfect dosage.”
“The prefect dosage for what?” Hannah asked, somehow managing to sound petulant, even under these circumstances. Kyle seemed oblivious to her tone.
“For keeping him from moving while still allowing his lungs to function just enough so that he can breathe. It’s a delicate balance. Not enough and he can move around. Too much and his lungs shut down completely. The beautiful part is that he’s aware of everything. He can hear and see and feel pain. He just can’t do anything about it.”
“Sounds like the kind of thing you’d be into,” Jessie muttered.
He looked at her with unblinking eyes for several seconds before replying. His stare was icy and she felt like a gust of frozen wind had passed through her.
“Don’t be snide, sweetie. You’re in no position,” he said darkly before regaining his chipper tone. “Anyway, it normally wears off in a few hours, not that he’ll be around to feel it. That reminds me, your little sister here is going to put those handcuffs on you. So throw the bat over here. Please don’t try anything or I’ll have to shoot her with your gun.”
He produced the weapon to show he meant business. Hannah looked helplessly at Jessie, who tossed the bat in his direction.
“It’s okay,” she told her sister gently. “Go ahead and do it.”
Hannah walked over. Jessie held out her hands in front of her, smiling at her sister as if she had this under control. Hannah returned the smile, though she didn’t look as reassured as Jessie might have hoped.
“Cuff her behind the back, please,” Kyle instructed sharply.
Jessie turned around. As Hannah leaned in to attach the cuffs, Jessie bent back slightly and whispered.
“Be ready when the moment comes.”
When the cuffs were attached, she turned around and glanced at her sister, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. Jessie, who was being watched closely, didn’t react.
“What’s next?” she asked as if they were all on a tourist trip and Kyle was their guide for the day.
“Oh yes,” he said, sounding almost overwhelmed with excitement. “Big plans, happy to share them. First things first though. Jessie, I need you to sit down in that chair. Hannah, please grab a bunch of plates from the kitchen for me, like a dozen. All china, no plastic, please.”
While Hannah did as instructed, Kyle stared at Jessie. She wasn’t sure if his expression was one of longing or hatred. She imagined they were much the same for him these days. He sat down on the couch while they waited and leaned in, speaking to her like they were co-workers trading gossip in the break room.
“You’re not the only one who studies serial killers, Jessie,” he said. “I was watching this documentary on the Golden State Killer. You know what he did? Of course you do. But I’m thinking of one specific detail.”
Jessie was overcome with dread. She looked over at Hannah, collecting an armload of dishes, and knew exactly what he was referencing. The Golden State Killer was a serial rapist and killer in the 1970s and ’80s in California. One of his hallmarks was to tie up a husband, make him lie face down, and put china on his back. Before he went to