As she drew closer, she heard the low hum of voices.
Thank God. Voices meant conversation, which meant still alive.
She carefully took another step.
‘I never knew you felt this way about me,’ Stephanie said.
Kim held her breath and waited for the response. It was low and she couldn’t make out who it belonged to.
‘But you hid your feelings so well,’ Stephanie said with wonder in her voice. Kim’s heart ached for the deception she was being subjected to.
Kim leaned in closer to hear the response.
‘I could hardly tell you, could I?’
Kim was stunned.
She knew exactly who that voice belonged to, and the fake warmth in it chilled her to the bone.
She stepped into the doorway to see Stephanie against the wall, pinned into position.
‘Step away from her, Jessica,’ Kim said, moving forward.
The light flirtatiousness died in the woman’s eyes as her hand darted into her pocket.
Stephanie cried out as Jessica brought a knife close to Stephanie’s face. ‘One step, Inspector, and she’ll get it.’
This woman was unrecognisable as the chirpy, friendly person who had shown them around the clinic. Now she looked older, meaner, harder, and she had a weapon in her hand.
Kim stood still as Stephanie looked from her to Jessica.
‘I…Inspector, p…please tell me what’s going on?’
‘Jessica isn’t here to connect with you. She’s here to kill you,’ Kim said, not taking her eyes from Jessica’s face.
Stephanie started to shake her head. Jessica tightened her grip and brought the knife closer to her face, making it impossible for Kim to consider rushing her. Ten feet separated them, and if she missed, that knife was going to bury itself somewhere inside the girl being held against the wall, frozen by shock.
Even with the glinting proof an inch away from her cheek, Stephanie protested, ‘No…no…she’s…’
‘She’s the person who’s been calling herself Jackal,’ Kim insisted. ‘And she’s killed at least three other people. Whatever she’s said to you is a lie. She traps people into—’
‘Tests, Inspector, please get it right,’ Jessica said, rolling her eyes.
Kim took the opportunity to make eye contact with Stephanie and shake her head. She hoped the girl understood not to make any sudden moves. While Jessica was talking, she wasn’t thinking about using the knife. She hoped Stephanie had understood the message, but with the numb look in her eyes it was hard to tell.
‘I test people to see if they’re cured,’ Jessica continued. ‘And if not, they die.’
Kim was taken aback by the simplicity of her logic.
‘You’re saying that Jamie, Sarah and Liam deserved to die because they gave in to temptation?’
‘Absolutely. They weren’t cured. They hadn’t worked hard enough. Our programme works for the people that put in the effort.’
‘So if they’d ignored your messages they’d still be alive?’ Kim asked.
‘Well, obviously,’ she said with an attitude that Kim couldn’t understand.
‘So you tricked Sarah into meeting you. You communicated with her and won her trust. You pretended to be everything she wanted?’ Kim asked.