Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [645]
He shoved the cup away, knocking it off the rickety wooden table and watching it splatter against the wall. That was the final betrayal. His so-called friend wanted to play games. Well, he could play as well.
He pulled his chair up to the computer and typed:
YOU POISONED THE TEA.
He clicked on Send and sat back.
Usually it took hours for a response, but it was as if The Sin Eater was sitting and waiting, expecting Keller. An e-mail came back within minutes:
YES, WITH MONKSHOOD. SINCE I CAN’T BE THERE TO KILL YOU MYSELF I WANTED YOU TO DIE A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH.
Why? How could he? The panic started to eat away at his insides. Or was it the poison? Could it already have caused irreparable damage? Could it already be too late?
He left the e-mail site and started clicking on news links, trying to find any new information on the slain priests. There had to be something, anything, he could use. Someone had put him on a hit list. He would find out who it was. Who could possibly know? There wasn’t anyone he could think of.
This Sin Eater, this assassin, had sent him things. Surely there was DNA on the envelopes. And what about all the e-mails? Maybe someone could track them. A new AP story was posted, one he hadn’t seen. It must have been posted late, expecting to hit the morning wires and newscasts. He clicked it open. Before he read a single word, he stared at the accompanying photo. He should have been alarmed, but instead he was pleased that he recognized one of the investigators. Because that’s when the idea came to him. And that’s when Keller knew exactly what he would do. It would work. It had to work. He had no other choice.
The only question was what price would Special Agent Maggie O’Dell be willing to pay to catch this killer?
CHAPTER 47
Tuesday, July 6
Blackwater Bay Campground
South of Bagdad, Florida
Corey Lee ignored his stepdad’s yelling and kept walking. He rolled his eyes at his best friend, Kevin Potter.
“Shouldn’t we wait for him to catch up?” Kevin asked.
Corey shook his head. “He won’t come this way. He’s taking the road. It’ll take forever.”
Besides, Corey didn’t want to wait. They were almost to the boat ramp. And it was stupid to turn back now. Corey knew this shortcut. He and Kevin had taken it the last time the troop used this campground. It was a straight shot to the ramp, which was just on the other side of these trees. Yeah, the brush was thick and the no-see-ums came at you in swarms, but wasn’t that what camping was supposed to be all about?
His stepdad didn’t want them taking the shortcut. It wasn’t safe, or so he’d said. He thought warning them about water moccasins and alligators would stop them, instead it only made Corey and Kevin more excited to take the shortcut. Ever since the dweeb took the position as a Scout leader he thought he knew everything about the outdoors. He already thought he knew everything about everything else. But Corey had been a Boy Scout for three years. He grew up around these wetlands. He didn’t need his mom’s latest “special friend” telling him what to do.
He still couldn’t believe she actually married this one. Which meant Corey was stuck with him hanging around the house, but it wasn’t fair that he thought he could invade Corey’s escapes, too. When he complained to his mom, she told him to stop “being a baby” about it. She said that Ethan wanted this to be a bonding experience between them. Corey didn’t tell her that bonding with the major dweeb was the last thing he wanted to do.
“Sounds like he’s following us,” Kevin said.
Both of them looked over their shoulders as they kept walking. Corey could hear Ethan, but he couldn’t see him. The brush was thick, but he could hear something snapping the branches and swishing through the tall grass.
“Maybe he’s not such a dweeb. Maybe you should cut him a break,” Kevin said, but Corey shook his head again.
“He doesn’t want us showing him up. You know, proving him wrong. Geez! Something sure stinks,” Corey said and then he tripped.