The first victim was Dr. Hansen. She’d been a thirty-five-year-old pediatrician at St. Elizabeth hospital in Manlow but she lived in Livingston, close to the lake. She’d been found in her backyard, strangled, with an A cut into her rib cage. Soon afterward, Kristen Cynch, a seventeen-year-old high school senior, was found drowned in the lake. She had unusual marks that looked like a snake had wrapped itself around her throat. Her skin was bloated and blue, but the red mark of her killer was impossible to miss. The same signature had been cut into the other two victims, including the janitor, Mr. Chen. Hesitantly I touched the spot over my ribs where the mark would be. Sickness settled in my stomach.
I hopped off the barstool, deciding to call it a night. “Goodnight, Martha, and thanks for the food.”
She waved me off with a small smile.
The moment I arrived back on the fourth floor, I heard the fighting. The words were hushed so it took me a moment to recognize the voices: Alec and Kate. I crept closer and peeked around the corner. They stood facing each other by the door to Alec’s room.
“I can’t read your thoughts but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what you’re thinking!” Kate hissed.
“I don’t know why you’re so upset,” Alec said. There was an edge to his voice, though he was much calmer than Kate.
“Don’t play dumb. Everyone notices how you are around her. It’s ridiculous.”
“This discussion is ridiculous,” Alec said. He turned to go into his room but Kate gripped his arm.
“I know you two had movie night last week. You didn’t even tell me.”
“Kate, I don’t have to ask your permission for every little thing I do.”
“We’re in this together. Remember what Major said.” She lowered her voice so I didn’t catch her next words, but Alec’s face darkened. He stormed into his room with Kate close behind, the door closing behind them.
What had Major said?
No matter what, one thing was clear: they were fighting because of me. I wasn’t sure if I should feel elated or worried. Kate was a force to be reckoned with.
The next morning on my way to the dojo, I actually considered breaking my leg so I wouldn’t have to face Alec. But I thought better of it, since Major would probably insist I do training with my arms.
I arrived a few minutes early to mentally prepare myself. But when I approached the entrance, Alec was already there, sitting on a bench and staring at his feet. A few strands of black hair fell into his face. For a moment, I was sure he was crying. I froze halfway into the dojo, not sure what to do. I’d never seen Alec cry. He was the epitome of self-control. I inched slowly toward him but he didn’t look up, though his body tensed. I touched his shoulder, trying to ignore how good he felt, how strong. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
His muscles shifted under my fingers as though he was bracing himself for his reply, or maybe fighting against it. “I had a talk with Major—about his expectations. He wants me to take more responsibility and—” He stopped mid-sentence. Anger surged through me. Why was Major pressuring Alec? Sometimes I wondered if he saw Alec as his successor and kept challenging him to determine if he was up for the job.
“Tell him you’re not ready for it,” I said.
He looked up, his eyes tortured but devoid of tears. “It’s not that easy.”
I gently kneaded his shoulder, fighting the urge to do more. “You know I’m there for you if you need me. And you know you can talk to me about anything.”
For a moment he looked like he wanted to, like I’d broken through his mask of duty, but then he shook his head. “No. I wish I could, but I can’t talk to you about it.”
I tried to hide how much that sentence had wounded me. “Then talk to Kate. Maybe she can help you.” The words left a bitter taste in my mouth, but I’d rather have Kate take care of Alec than have him suffer alone.
“Kate wouldn’t understand. She would just agree with Major. Her first priority has always been the FEA and that won’t ever change. I’ve got to deal with this alone.”
How could he be with someone who didn’t make him a priority?
“I shouldn’t be talking to you about this,” he said as he stood, letting my hand slip off his shoulder, bringing a few steps of distance between us. Our eyes met and I felt a pull that almost knocked me over. I wanted to bridge the distance between us, kiss him, touch him. I wasn’t sure what I saw in Alec’s eyes but he too seemed unable to look away.
He cleared his throat. “I think we need to talk about yesterday.”