“I swear, Jared McNeil, if you don’t do right by that sweet girl, I’ll haunt you to the day you die and then some.”
Jared’s cell phone vibrated. He didn’t have to look to see who was calling. He never meant to be out in the open this long. “I have to go, but can I help you in before I leave?”
“I don’t need your help, but Jennie does. You just keep your promise, you hear?” Louise ambled away from him, the oxygen cord following her. At the top step of her porch, she added, “I’m counting on you.”
He yanked his coat close around his neck to ward off the chill, not from the outside temperature, but from deep within him, and skulked to his SUV. As he drove down the street, he spotted Jennie a block away, with a priest at her side. She laughed at something he said. Jared couldn’t hear the laugh, but it stroked him, warming him from the inside out.
Nine
Franklin Elementary School
* * *
Melodic tones of Joshua Bell resonated through Jennie’s fifth-grade classroom. A mountain of reports crowded her desk. Joshua Bell kept her mind focused on the essay assignment—the differences between weather and climate—instead of the numerous problems that kept her awake at night.
“Hi, Miss McKenzie.”
“Erin, come on in. Are you waiting for your brother?”
Erin Merlot stood in the doorway; her shoulders weighed down by a huge backpack. If Jennie admitted to having favorite students, Erin would be on the top of her list. And from the way her gaze darted around the room, never landing on Jennie, there was something on her mind.
“He’ll be done in a little while. Can I help you with anything, Miss McKenzie?”
“I can’t think of anything, but thank you.” Jennie set the essay back on the stack. “Ask your question. It’s okay.”
Erin lowered her eyes, while the toe of her shoe kicked at a spot on the floor. “Well, I wanted to ask…I mean, I was wondering what will happen with Danny and the camping trip?”
“That’s up to Mr. Carroll.”
“But Miss McKenzie—”
“This isn’t your problem to fix.” Jennie stood and moved to the front of the desk to sit next to Erin. “You’re a wonderful sister, you know that, don’t you?”
She shrugged her shoulders.
“Danny has done remarkably this year. Until last week, he was on the top of my list to attend, but after the fight he started, I don’t see how it will happen.”
“That fight wasn’t just Danny’s fault. Maybe if he makes up all the work, he can still go?”
“The school takes a zero-tolerance position on fighting on school property. Danny had several alternatives he could have chosen.”
“Hey, let’s go, Mom is out front.” The ten-year-old boy dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt twice his size stood in the doorway. He exited as quickly as he entered.
“Danny, wait up, you jerk. You didn’t say bye to Miss McKenzie.”
“Bye, Miss McKenzie.”
For the next several moments, Jennie stared at the empty doorway. “What a mess,” she whispered, as she dropped into her desk chair.
Danny Merlot held a special place in her heart, and he was slowly slipping through the cracks. She couldn’t stop it. Louise was dying, and she couldn’t stop that either. Jared was not hers to love, and she was powerless to change it.
As a silent tear escaped down her cheek, Jennie lifted her hand to swipe it away. Halfway to her face, she froze. Hundreds of tiny goosebumps spilled over her arm and traveled rapidly throughout her body. It was back; the feeling was back.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and slowed her throbbing heartbeat. She lifted her head from the desk and looked around the room. He was watching her again, but no one was in the room. His eyes roamed the length of her body. More chills followed.
Jennie moved around from behind her desk, hurried across her room, and peered into the hallway. No one was there. Returning to her desk, she grabbed her cell phone, and punched in Jared’s number. She would never hit send, but just knowing that he could be on the other end of the line was a comfort.
After leaving the classroom, she eyed the end of the corridor leading to the playground. It was chained for the night. Turning right, Jennie headed toward the connecting wing where she ran into Erin and Danny.
“What’s wrong, Miss McKenzie? You look white.” Erin asked.
“Did either of you pass anyone since you left my classroom?
“No,” they both answered.
“Are you sure? You saw no one at all since you left me.”
“No, Miss McKenzie,” they both said again.
Worried about the expressions on the students’ faces, she quickly said, “I must be hearing things.”
“Would you like us to stay with you?” Danny asked.
Jennie smiled. “No, but thanks. I’m fine.”
“I guess we’ll see you tomorrow,” Danny said.
Once the kids were out of the wing, Jennie rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes. “Am I going crazy?” she whispered to the empty hallway.
Entering her classroom, Jennie couldn’t help opening the storage closet, the restroom and each cabinet. He was there, but now, gone. She returned to her desk. Lying on the chair in a messy bundle was a bunch of wilted, red carnations.
Ten
St. Luke’s Catholic Church, Baltimore
* * *
“Father Anthony, I looked everywhere. This has gone beyond creepy.” Jennie sat in the first pew next to the parish priest, her voice low and hoarse. She intertwined her hands and placed them in her lap, fingers absently drumming out a nervous tap on her wrist. She peeked over her shoulder, expecting the faceless evil to pop out of nowhere. The shakes wouldn’t go away. Somehow, she had to hide them from the fifteen teenagers gathered in groups around the choir section of St. Luke’s. Practice for the Easter Triduum was scheduled to begin in ten minutes.
“Are you sure it wasn’t one of the kids? Maybe this is just a prank. They could have slipped in and out while you were down the hallway.”
“It’s not a kid; kids don’t make me feel like this.” She held up her trembling hands before dragging them back onto her lap. “Besides, I could see the entire wing from where I stood. No one entered the classroom or left it while I was out in the hall. He must have been in the room all the time.”
“Is there any way he could have entered through the window?”
“The windows are alarmed.”
“Did he leave anything else besides the flowers?”
“No. They were scattered over the seat of my desk chair. However he got in, he left in a hurry.”
“Please tell me you reported it to Mr. Carroll.” Father Anthony knuckled his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.
“I called the principal’s office the minute I found the flowers. I was so freaked out, the other teachers waited with me until Mr. Carroll checked the classroom.”
“Well, the flowers didn’t just appear out of thin air.” Anthony rested his elbows over the front wall of the pew and stared at Jennie. “I don’t like this. He’s too close. Did you contact the police?”
“Yes, but they just shook their heads and left.”
“Have you been keeping up with the Beltway Killer on the news? I think you know the man heading up the investigation. Maybe you should contact him and let him know what’s going on.”
Her breath hitched in her throat and she wrapped her arms around her middle. “I can’t…”
“Jennie, it’s his case.”
“If it happens again, I’ll reconsider.” Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She dug it out and glanced at the screen. “It’s Louise.” Jennie shot a concerned look at the priest and answered the call.
“Jennie, it’s Mrs. Cippolla. I’m sitting with Louise.” The voice on the other end was high-pitched and choppy.
Crystal Cippolla was Louise’s neighbor and best friend. Jennie had left her only twenty minutes ago. “What’s wron
g?”
“I went into the kitchen to heat up the dinner you left, and I can’t wake Louise. I called 911.”
Jennie’s heart pounded, hard, the blood rushing to her head. She tried to stand, but her legs wouldn’t support her.
Oh God, no. Not yet… please, not yet.
“Jennie, are you there?”
“I’ll be there in two minutes. Her list of medications and other papers are on the table by the front door.”
“Please hurry.”
Jennie heard the phone drop. She continued to listen as Mrs. Cippolla struggled to place it back on the receiver.
“Jennie, what’s wrong with Louise?” Father Anthony asked.
“Mrs. Cippolla can’t wake her up. I have to go.” She frantically searched the church, not sure what she was looking for.
“Let me ask a couple teens to go with you. I don’t think you should be on the streets alone.”
“It’s okay. He’s not close, or I would feel him.”
Jennie moved out of the pew. The students stood together, staring back at her, concern written all over their faces. “There’s supposed to be two adults here at all times.”
“We’ll be fine.” He escorted her to the door. “We’ll pray for both of you.”
Jennie jogged toward home, reaching the brownstone in less than two minutes. The ambulance had arrived and the EMTs were unloading their equipment. She darted past the men into the front entrance and across the living room to her friend slumped in the chair by the window.
“Louise.” Jennie gently stroked her arm, but there was no response. “Wake up for me now, please, Louise.”
“Miss, you need to wait outside. Let us do our job,” one of the EMTs said, as he eased her away from Louise.
“Jennie, come.” Mrs. Cippolla wrapped her arm around Jennie’s waist and led her across the room.
Both women looked on as the room filled with medical personnel. One of the men approached the pair. “Can you tell me how long she has been like this?”
“About fifteen minutes. I left her to heat up her supper and when I came back, I couldn’t wake her up. I called you and then Jennie. She lives with Louise.”
“Is that a list of her meds?”
“Yes, and there’s a DNR order. She has end-stage COPD,” Jennie added, never pulling her attention away from Louise.
The EMT briefly looked over the sheets of paper in the folder and handed it back. “She’s breathing on her own, but her pulse is very weak.”
Moments later, the EMTs placed Louise on the gurney, transported her outside to the ambulance, and loaded her into the bay. The doors slammed shut, and she was gone.
Jennie stood on the sidewalk, her eyes following the ambulance to the corner.
“I shouldn’t have left her alone.” Mrs. Cippolla’s eyes began to tear.
Jennie placed her arm around the woman’s shoulder. “You did nothing wrong. Her doctor warned us that something like this could happen. There must have been signs. I just missed them,” Jennie said, then swiped the moisture from her cheek. “I’ll get my car and drive us.”
“No, you go. I’ll lock up here.” Crystal hugged Jennie and climbed the steps.
Parking was at a premium in a city as large as Baltimore. It would take time for Jennie to retrieve her car and find another parking place near the hospital. Instead, with the ease of a runner, she sprinted down the sidewalk. Just as she turned the corner after the ambulance, a horrific chill slammed into her. He was there, again, spying from the shadows. She stopped, frozen in her tracks. Instead of feeling terrified, anger took over. She circled with her fist at her side, peering into the alley and darkened doorways for any sign of him. The aged streetlamps gave off little light, adding to the gloom.
“Show yourself. Face me, damn it.” She waited, but when no one appeared, she yelled, “You’re nothing but a damn coward. Leave me the hell alone.”
Weak light from an old brass desk lamp was the only thing illuminating the dreary room. Hundreds of copies of a single clipping covered every inch of the wall, as ghastly shadows distorted the newspaper print of a young woman, surrounded by children.
The young man propped his head against the cool wall and allowed the monster’s anger to invade his sanity. “It’s what she deserves,” a croaky voice whispered as one perfect fingernail scraped over the one-dimensional picture.
“She has no time for me. Smiles at me and leads me on, then ignores me. She’s going to pay for that!” With each word, the new personality consumed the old. “She thinks she can give everyone else her attention and ignore me. She wanted me. Just like the rest, she made a move on me and now pretends I don’t exist. But she will want me! They always want me in the end.”
With slow, meticulous care, the scalpel sliced through the face of the woman, down her neck, slashing through the children, into the next newspaper clipping.
Eleven
Franklin Elementary School
Monday afternoon
* * *
The classroom was quiet for the first time all day. The sound of doors slamming and children talking echoed in from the hallway, but it was faint enough that it didn’t contribute to the pounding in Jennie’s head. The salty smell of popcorn from another room made her stomach growl. Her brain was so tired that morning that she forgot to pack a lunch.
This day was the longest she could remember. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop worrying about Louise. Her doctor said it was a massive stroke, and it was time for goodbyes.
Jennie placed stacks of papers to grade into her bag. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Danny Merlot was still at his desk. On most days, she enjoyed the time with one or two of her students who lingered behind. All she had to do was tell him she was in a hurry and he would take off. But she and Danny had not been on the best of terms. She would love the chance to clear the air.
Danny slung his backpack on his left shoulder and approached her desk with a stack of papers. “So, Miss McKenzie, this is my last day of detention.” He set the work in the box she kept for finished assignments.
“What’s all that?”
“You told my sister that I could make up the work I missed during my suspension. That’s all of it, even the paper on weather conditions.”
“You finished every assignment?”
“I know that’s not enough for the camping trip. I just wanted to get it over with. No big deal.”
“I’ll look these over and get them back to you.”
Danny shrugged. A smile formed at the corners of her mouth, but she tucked it away, respecting ten-year-old boys and their pride.
“I better get to the library before Mr. Carroll gives me another week.” Danny headed to the door.
“I’ll walk out with you. I will not be here tomorrow. I was wondering if you would help out the substitute for me.” Jennie closed the door.
“Do you have another teacher training thing?”
“No, a dear friend is very ill. I’ll be at the hospital with her for the next couple of days.”
“Oh yeah, Mrs. Cunningham. My mom asked us to pray for her. Mrs. Cunningham was my second-grade CCD teacher. She was the only teacher that always gave out candy at the end of every class.”
“Oh, I see how it is. You love us if we give you candy. That means you only love me about three times a year.”
“Nah, we love you all the time, Miss McKenzie, candy or no candy,” Danny said as he turned the corner. He collided into the new third-grade teacher, knocking his papers onto the floor.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Greg, right? I didn’t see you there.” Jennie knelt and gathered the dropped assignments.
“No, don’t touch those. You already messed everything up. Just leave it alone.”
Danny picked up the papers around his feet. “It was my fault, not Miss McKenzie’s.”
The man jerked the papers from Danny’s hand. “I said don’t touch those. Get away. Now!”
Jennie glared at the man towering
over her. No one ever spoke to students like that. Heat seeped up her neck and into her cheeks. “There is no call to be nasty. We were just trying to help.”
“You can’t help. You ruined everything.” He heaved the papers into his arms and stalked down the hallway without looking back.
“Someone’s having an unpleasant day.” What a jerk.
“Wow, my sister said he was cool. She helps in his class sometimes. But, damn, that wasn’t cool.”
Jennie took another cleansing breath and faced Danny. “Don’t say damn.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she couldn’t help letting out a laugh. Danny joined her, and they made their way toward the front of the school. The principal held the door open to the library for Danny and moved aside so he could enter.
Jennie tugged on the strap of Danny’s backpack and whispered, “I love you, too, with or without candy, Danny Merlot.”
A slight smile appeared on the boy’s face as he took his seat.
“Private joke, Ms. McKenzie?” Mr. Carroll asked, watching the exchange.
“We made up,” Jennie whispered to the principal.
“That’s good. Everything is still on for tomorrow?”
“I can think of a hundred different things I would rather take some time off for than this,” Jennie said. “Thanks for being so supportive, Jack.”
“Take the time you need. This neighborhood is going to miss Louise Cunningham.”
Twelve
Monday evening
* * *
Jennie drew the stool up to the bed and sat. Louise’s expression was so serene. Reaching for the lotion on the bedside table, she stroked it over the top of her friend’s hand, the skin was so fragile. Jennie’s heart broke seeing the bruises that had formed from the needle pricks used to draw blood or insert an IV.
In the Shadow of Evil Book 2 Page 7