Page 42 of Kill For Me Kill For You
‘And I want that too. More than anything. You can give that to me. These men are a cancer. This is the right thing to do. Quinn raped and killed my daughter. And pedophiles don’t just stop. They can’t be cured. He’ll do it again. You know it’s only a matter of time before he rapes a girl, and if she tries to scream or tell someone then he’ll kill her. That’s what happens. You know it, and I know it.’
Amanda nodded, because Naomi was telling the truth. While she had been investigating Crone, Amanda had read every article and book she could find on child killers and serial killers. The scenario Naomi had just laid out was all too familiar. It followed what Farrow had told her about how these perverts turned into killers. It had happened before. Many times.
‘It felt good killing that prick Crone,’ said Naomi, tears forming in her eyes as she gazed out of the window, unseeing, her internal vision replaying the memory perfectly. ‘He whined and screamed and I swear to Jesus on the cross that I felt Rebecca beside me, willing me to stab that evil son of a bitch. End him. I walked out of that building feeling better than I have in years. And part of that was that I had a friend. I had you. And you were going to do the same for me.’
Amanda hung her head. She understood what had to happen. She knew Naomi was right, and yet she couldn’t think. Couldn’t focus. For the longest time, she had only felt one thing – hate for the man who’d killed her daughter. Now that it was gone, she couldn’t adjust. Not yet. And she was afraid of what she had to do now, even though she knew it was the right thing.
‘I’m not sure I can do it. I’m scared,’ said Amanda.
Naomi said, ‘You’ve got to be brave, girl. You can do this. How badly did you want Crone dead?’
‘Oh, fuck, more than anything. I wanted that man to suffer for what he did. It’s all I’ve been thinking about formonths.’
‘I’ve been feeling that way foryears. You can do this. He’s exactly like Crone. Maybe even worse. I know you can do it.’
Raising her trembling fingers to her lips, Amanda nodded. She had no choice now.
Naomi reached out, took her hand.
‘I’m asking you, please. Do this for me. Like I did this for you. You’re stronger than you think. I know you can do it. You’ve just got to take Jess with you. Luis too. Put them right there beside you, in your mind. And your heart. There are monsters in this world and laws don’t apply to them. We have to do what we did thousands of years ago when we lived in caves. If a wolf came to the mouth of the cave, the first ones attacking it were the women, defending their children. Our children are gone . . .’
A tear fell onto Naomi’s cheek. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, sniffed and said, ‘We were too late to save our kids. The only thing we can do now is kill the wolf.’
19
Scott
Scott didn’t leave the hotel room until Ruth was fast asleep. It didn’t take long. Ten minutes from the time she’d swallowed her sleeping pill. She wouldn’t wake for hours.
He walked into the lobby at speed, with purpose, down the hallway to the restaurant. Before he reached the entrance, he slowed. Stopped. Took out his cell phone and stood in the open doorway.
The man with the blue eyes was examining the check while he sipped from a coffee cup.
‘Can I help you, sir?’ said a voice.
It was the greeter at the doorway.
‘Oh, yeah, my wife took ill before we could have our meal. I had a glass of wine and put that on my room, but I didn’t sign the check for a tip. Could you get it for me?’
‘Certainly, sir. What’s your room number?’
Scott advanced into the restaurant with the greeter who spoke to one of the waiters, then told him they would retrieve the check. Scott gave them the room number, thanked them and waited by the electronic register. The waiter returned in under a minute. The man with blue eyes was still at his table.
‘I’ve found it. We’ve automatically added a twelve-and-a-half percent gratuity. Is that satisfactory, sir?’
‘That’s fine. I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t forgotten the tip.’
‘All taken care of,’ said the waiter.
Scott nodded and stepped outside the restaurant, buttoning his blazer, and heading back to the lobby. In the middle was a large round table, with a glass veneer and a huge vase filled with exotic flowers in the center. Scattered around the table were stacks of complimentary newspapers for the guests. Scott picked up a copy ofTheNew York Times, found a chair that faced the bank of elevators and settled in.
He didn’t have to wait long.
The man with blue eyes walked past Scott, glanced at the papers on the table and pressed the button to call the elevator.
Scott folded his paper under his arm, got up and casually stood just a little behind the man. Scott didn’t pay too much attention to fashion, but he knew the man wore handmade shoes. He had big feet. Size thirteen, at least. A tall, lean individual. The suit fitted him perfectly and Scott expected it was bespoke too. A woolen mix the color of charcoal. His dark hair was parted, and his skin was very pale.
Ping.
