Runaway Fate: Moonstone Cove Book One

by Hunter, Elizabeth

  “I’m not going to make people believe anything.” He finished the noose and crouched down next to her. “I’m going to talk to you and make you do it.” The corner of his mouth turned up, and he put his palm on her cheek. “Relax.”

  His voice had an odd timbre, and Katherine felt the press of something in her head.

  “Relax.” He repeated himself, and this time the pressure was stronger.

  Still, she could think—she could feel—past it.

  “Oh!” The final puzzle piece clicked into place. “That’s it. That’s how you made it happen. You’re like Toni.”

  Greg frowned. “What?”

  “You’re like us.”

  Chapter 31

  Of course. It never made sense that they were the only ones with psychic abilities.

  After all, there were the three psychics in Glimmer Lake. Katherine had done her research and found that police departments and intelligence agencies often quietly used people with psychic and remote-viewing abilities behind the scenes.

  “Well, it never made sense that the only psychics we knew of would be good.” Katherine straightened her back. “I imagine if you surveyed the prison population in any meaningful way, you’d find a range of psychic abilities among the more skilled criminals.”

  Greg was still crouched in front of her, but his mouth was hanging open. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he snarled.

  “You.” She pressed her back against the kitchen cabinets. Her whole body ached, but she refused to let him see it. “You’re an empath like my friend Toni. You can influence others’ emotions. That’s how you were able to make them do things they wouldn’t normally do.”

  He glared at her. “You’re delusional.”

  “No, I’m not. They were already susceptible to suggestion because of the visualization exercises. They already trusted you because you’d worked to regain their trust in the lab. You said so yourself. No doubt there was some remote hypnosis you were using via the app. But you had to have some contact with them as well.” She frowned. “How did you do it?”

  Greg slapped her hard across the cheek. “Shut up.”

  “Yes, yes, yes.” She nodded. “Of course you couldn’t be entirely remote. You need some contact. You were at the stables before Sarah killed her horse. You just made her forget. You were at the locker room in the gym when Justin went to cool down. I bet you’re even on surveillance footage if we look.”

  “Shut up!” He raised his hand and struck her again. “You’re a fucking loony. No one is going to believe you.”

  “You think they’re going to believe that I killed myself?” Her eyes watered, but she didn’t stop talking. “Don’t be ridiculous, Mr. Hammond. You’re not as smart as you think you are. Does Alice Kraft know about your empathy? I bet she doesn’t. I bet you used it on her. Or rather, you tried. She has several markers of sociopathy, so you might not have been able to manipulate her. I bet you think you’ve outsmarted her. I imagine you even believe you have the upper hand in that relationship.”

  “I do.”

  “You don’t. Of course you don’t.” She let the pity seep into her voice even as she could feel her left eye swelling. “Boys like you don’t get the upper hand with women like Alice Kraft. She sees through you, exactly like Sarah and Abby and Kaylee did. She’s using you, Mr. Hammond. If you were more rational, you’d see that.”

  “You crazy old bitch.” He laughed. “I think I’m putting you out of your misery after all.”

  If she could keep him distracted long enough, Toni or Megan would come.

  “You saw all of us? Like, in your vision?”

  “You were holding a gun on someone. You looked… intent.”

  And if Katherine was guessing correctly, Toni was coming with a gun.

  “So tell me, Mr. Hammond, what are you going to do now?” Katherine’s eyes teared up from the pain in her face, but she refused to look away from Greg or act scared. “I’m resisting your empathic suggestions, probably because I’m also psychic.”

  He rocked back on his heels. “You’re what?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? I’ve been one step ahead of you over half the time. I have visions. You haven’t figured that out yet?” She leaned forward. “That’s how I stopped Justin at the gym. That’s how I knew what you were trying to do to Kaylee, so I stopped that too. I saw it, Greg.”

  Could she bluff? Was that possible? She could try.

  Katherine closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she opened them again. “I can see what’s going to happen to you too.”

  She had no idea what was going to happen, but Greg was still back on his heels, staring at her with wide eyes.

  “It doesn’t end well.” She kept her voice a pained whisper. “Turn yourself in. That’s the only way to avoid—”

  Someone rapped hard on the door. “Katherine, it’s me!”

  Greg turned his head, and Katherine lifted her foot and kicked out hard, right into Greg Hammond’s groin, with as much force as she could gather.

  He fell back shouting. “Fuck!”

  “Katherine?” Toni pounded on the door and rattled the knob, but Greg must have locked it.

  “He’s here!” she shouted. “He’s trying to—”

  “Fucking bitch!” Greg managed to scramble to his feet and started kicking Katherine. “You ruined it!”

  “Leave her alone!” Toni pounded on the door; then it fell silent.

  Katherine curled up and covered her head. Getting kicked by Greg Hammond was a little like falling down a rocky hill on a trail run. She focused on protecting her vital parts, curling into a ball while she tried to roll away.

  His feet landed on her thighs and her hips. That was fine—those were two large muscle groups that could take the damage.

  She heard glass breaking, and a second later, Toni’s voice rang through the house.

  “It’s loaded, and you wouldn’t be the first, asshole.”

  The kicks stopped. Katherine felt her vision go wobbly, but not because of precognition. She was just going to pass out. That was okay. Megan’s voice was in the background now too. She heard sirens in the distance.

  Poor, lonely Professor Bassi….

  She wasn’t alone; she had Baxter, she was getting a dog, and even better, she had the two best friends a forty-seven-year-old newly psychic professor could hope for.

  She smelled Megan’s perfume as soft hands stroked her back. “We’re here, hon. I already called 911. The police are on the way.”

  “Good.” She relaxed a little bit and reached for Megan’s hand. “I’m getting a dog.”

  “Good. Maybe a real big one.”

  “I don’t need a big one. Look at Toni. Clearly, little things can be very dangerous.”

  Megan sniffed. “Uh-huh.”

  “Are you crying? Why are you crying? He’s like us, Megan. He can use people’s emotions like Toni. Is that why you’re crying?”

  Megan smoothed her hair back from her forehead, still sniffing, and Katherine’s vision started to go dark.

  “Katherine?”

  Sorry.

  Her vision swam, and everything went black.

  * * *

  Katherine looked at her reflection in the tiny mirror. “Good Lord, no wonder you were crying. I look like death.”

  She had a black eye and several cuts near her ear where Greg Hammond’s boots had managed to land. The entire backside of her body was bruised and aching. She handed the little mirror back to Megan and lay back on the hospital bed. “Nope, that’s not comfortable either.”

  Toni had her feet propped on the side of Katherine’s bed. “Have you tried your side?”

  “I do lie that way, but I have to keep moving or everything hurts.”

  “Please tell me they’re at least giving you the good drugs,” Megan said.

  “Oh yeah.” Katherine’s head was swimming. “I’m flying high.”

  “Good.”

  She moved her neck to look toward the doo
r. That hurt too. “Is Bax out there?”

  “I saw him talking with Detective Bisset when I came in,” Megan said. “Before he comes back, you said Greg was an empath like Toni?”

  “Maybe not exactly the same. I’ve never seen Toni try to mind-meld like Greg tried with me.”

  “But he couldn’t do it, huh?” Toni nodded. “Good.”

  “I think he could with the others though.” Katherine looked at Toni. “Think about it. If he already had them in a suggestible state with the visualization program on the app, then all he’d need was a little contact, a little push, and he’d be able to influence them.”

  “Sarah Jordan?” Megan asked.

  “Drew said that someone matching Greg’s description was seen at the stables,” Toni said. “And the others…”

  “Justin said he went to the men’s bathroom at the gym. It was the last thing he remembered. Greg could have been there.”

  “That would explain how he got a gun too,” Toni said. “Greg could have brought it with him and given it to Justin.”

  Megan said, “And Mario said Abby took the trash out. Right before she attacked him, she’d taken the trash out.” She frowned. “Justin and Sarah both said they remembered doing their visualizations and feeling like someone was pushing them toward their fear. Do you think that was Greg?”

  “I don’t know how he’d do it,” Toni said, “but that makes sense. Push them when they’re vulnerable and plant suggestions. Then make them forget they ever saw you.”

  “Tell them to dump their phones in water to destroy the evidence,” Katherine said. “We wouldn’t have even known about the connection with the app if I hadn’t saved Kaylee on that roof.”

  “Wonder why he targeted her,” Toni said.

  “He targeted Sarah Jordan because she rejected him and Justin because Sarah admired him. I get the feeling Greg also wanted Abby and she didn’t reciprocate. It’s not a stretch to think that Kaylee might have rejected him or disrespected him in some way she might not have even realized. He was pretty delusional.”

  “What matters is that Detective Bisset seems to think that Greg and Alice Kraft are responsible for all this,” Megan said. “Which means that both Justin’s and Abby’s defense lawyers will be able to use that in their defense.”

  “Hopefully they won’t even press charges.” Katherine was exhausted. “Hey, you guys?”

  “What do you need?” Toni sat up straight. “You want a nurse? My cousin Leah works here.”

  “Why am I not surprised?” Megan asked.

  “I’m tired,” Katherine said. “I’m going to fall asleep pretty soon. Can you guys stay with me until Baxter gets back?”

  Megan and Toni exchanged a look.

  “You got it,” Toni said. “We’re not going anywhere.”

  “My mama’s already decorating my house for Easter.” Megan walked over to get a chair. “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”

  “Thanks,” Katherine murmured. “You guys… the best.”

  * * *

  They released Katherine from the hospital the next morning. She had two cracked ribs and a fractured radius, but they couldn’t do anything about the ribs and her arm was already in a cast. She had two stitches by her ear that her hair would cover up when it grew back in, and lots and lots of bruises.

  “I’m never going to complain about having a large butt again.” Katherine winced when Baxter helped her out of the car. “If I had more padding on my back, I might not be so sore.”

  “I’ve never complained about it,” Baxter said. “And I concur.”

  He wasn’t as keen to make jokes about the situation as she was. He was more concerned about her going back to the house where she’d been attacked.

  They paused at the front steps.

  “Are you sure you’re okay being back here?” he asked.

  “Bax, it’s our home.” She put her hand on his cheek and pulled him down for a kiss. “We have a million wonderful memories here, and one bad one. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’ve already contacted a security company,” he said. “No one will be able to break in again.”

  “Did you talk to the insurance about the back doors?” She frowned. “Does homeowners’ insurance cover damage from your friend breaking in to stop a home invasion?”

  “I don’t need to because Toni already had a cousin come over and replace the doors yesterday. I told her I was more than happy that she broke the doors since she rescued you from a madman, but she insisted.” Baxter helped her up the stairs and unlocked the front door. “Apparently the builders need to stain them to match the rest of the house, but she said the repair was finished.”

  Katherine walked into her beautiful cozy home, and nothing had changed. It was still her cozy refuge, paneled in teak with sweeping views of the stormy grey ocean and the rocky point in the middle of Moonstone Cove. The new french doors blended seamlessly with the existing picture windows. There was not a single thing out of place.

  Her copper pans shone on the wall of the kitchen. The furniture had been straightened and the floors showed not a trace of blood. Throughout the house, bunches of flowers were visible and the faint scent of linen and green grass drifted over the sharp smell of lemon oil cleaner.

  “Did Megan and her mom come over to clean after Toni’s cousin fixed the doors?”

  Baxter smiled. “Yes, how did you know?”

  “Seasonal decorating.” She smiled and felt her soul relax. “Apparently it’s the law.”

  Epilogue

  “Wait, Archie!” Katherine called to her five-month-old golden doodle, who looked over his shoulder, pausing before he said hello to the children on the beach.

  His tail was wagging furiously, but she saw the children’s mother hesitate.

  “I’m so sorry!” She ran over, her right knee still aching a little. “I’m supposed to have him on a leash, but we live right over there and sometimes he jumps off the deck if he gets excited. He’s very friendly.”

  “Can I pet him?” the little girl asked.

  “You can if your mother says it’s okay. Sit, Archie.”

  Archimedes Bassi-Pang—conveniently referred to as Archie unless he was being naughty—plopped his furry backside on his pebbled stretch of North Beach and quivered in excitement as the little girl held out her hand. Soon her little brother was bravely petting Archie too.

  The dog was in heaven.

  “He’s so fluffy!” The little girl giggled. “What’s his name?”

  “Archie. And he’s still learning the dog rules.” Katherine clipped his leash on since it was the middle of the day.

  Most mornings, Katherine took Archie out for a walk at sunrise. He chased the gulls, dragged ropes of kelp up and down the beach, and got treats from the local surfers, who had all adopted him as their mascot. But it was Saturday and the beach was filled with visitors, so she’d kept Archie on the deck.

  Two weeks after the attack on Katherine, their neighbor Ron was extolling the virtues of Trudie’s skills as a watchdog. Three calls later, Baxter had discovered a lone three-month-old male golden doodle whose prospective owners had been forced to move cross-country and couldn’t take on a new dog. Four hours after that, Baxter had a pile of blond fluff in the front seat of their car.

  “He’s male, so he’ll have to be neutered.” Baxter plopped the dog on Katherine’s lap. “But he’s large enough to guard you, and the breeder said he won’t shed.”

  Katherine had fallen in love at first sight. Archie was a lovable, wiggly dog who was larger than she expected, but he was already house-trained, so she wasn’t going to complain.

  Baxter had lasted exactly two nights before the dog was sleeping in their room. Within a month, Archie had her previously indifferent husband completely in his thrall.

  “He’s so cute.” The little boy’s face was glowing. “He really likes me.”

  Archie loved everyone from the mail carrier to the grumpiest old man on their block, but Katherine wasn’
t going to say that. “You must be very special. He’s a good judge of character.”

  “Kids, we have to go.” The mom gathered her little ones and headed toward the stairs leading back to North Beach Drive. “Thanks,” she said to Katherine. “We can’t have a dog at our apartment. Guys, say bye to Archie.”

  They all waved. “Bye!”

  The little girl yelled, “Thank you for letting us pet you!”

  Archie watched them leave, whining a little. Then he looked up at Katherine and whined more.

  “No. You can’t go off leash while there are people around,” she said. “You know that.”

  He sighed deeply.

  “I know. It’s very unfair. We’ll go to Aunt Toni’s house, and you can chase rabbits later.”

  He woofed a little, probably from hearing Toni’s name.

  Toni had finished her house enough that she’d invited Megan’s family, Baxter, and Katherine over three weeks before. Her little house was an old Spanish-style cottage in the middle of a vineyard. It came with two acres of land, a few fruit trees, and lots of privacy. It had been an old foreman’s cottage for one of her uncles, but she’d bought it and fixed it up for herself. It was tiny, but it had a lot of incredible scenery and a huge barn she could use for her car collection.

  And rabbits. Archie loved the rabbits.

  They walked back to the deck, and Katherine saw a familiar face waiting with Baxter at the table under the umbrella.

  “Detective Bisset.” She climbed the stairs. “This is Archie.”

  Drew Bisset’s grin was wide and his hands reached out. “Archie, my man. Look at you. I’ll tell you like I told your owner, you can call me Drew, not Detective Bisset.” He looked up. “So you took my advice, huh?”

  “No.” Katherine pointed at Baxter. “He’s the one who surprised me.”

  Drew reached over and held out his fist for Baxter to bump knuckles. “Baxter, that’s a good-looking dog there.”