Page 117 of Gone Tonight
“If you try to signal George and June, or if you run, I will kill them both before you get halfway to the door.”
I have no doubt he means it.
George and June come back into the room. George is carrying a tray with four champagne flutes, and June has a silver bowl of mixed nuts in her free hand.
June sets the dish on the coffee table as George passes out the drinks.
My fingers are trembling so badly I nearly slosh the golden liquid over the rim of the glass.
George raises his glass. “To family.”
We clink flutes, and I tip my glass and let the champagne touch my lips, but my throat feels too tight for me to swallow any.
“I hope our little prank didn’t shock you too much, Catherine,” June says. “We gave David a ride here from the Thai restaurant to make sure your Bonneville was still in the lot. Then we signed him in as our guest so you’d truly be surprised!”
“You got me,” I say. George has an interest in cars. He knows mine because I once asked him for advice when I thought a mechanic was overcharging us for a new carburetor.
“I’ll need to catch a ride back with Catherine to pick up my car,” James laughs, and I pretend to laugh along with him as my mind whirls.
I have to do something soon. Once James gets me alone in a vehicle, it’ll be too late.
There’s an emergency pull cord in the bathroom. If I can get to it, someone from the nursing staff will be at the door quickly.
But then what? James might just decide to shoot his way out of the apartment.
I can’t risk antagonizing him until we’re away from George and June.
“Catherine?”
Everyone is staring at me. I must’ve missed a question.
“I’m sorry,” I say. James reaches over and takes my hand in his while revulsion curls my stomach.
“I was just wondering if you and David are related through your mother’s side?” June inquires.
James shakes his head. “I’m on her father’s side.”
June’s brow creases. I frantically try to recall what I’ve told her of my family history. Probably not much, other than I live with my mother and have no siblings. Certainly I’ve never mentioned a cousin to her.
If June follows up her line of questioning, she might unravel enough to grow suspicious. She could unearth enough holes in James’s story to worry her—maybe even make her concerned enough to call the police after James and I leave.
June’s face clears. “How nice.” She’s too polite to dig.
I try to pull my hand away from James’s. He grips it tighter, until my bones grind painfully together.
“June told me how wonderful you were in taking care of her after her stroke and managing her diabetes medication,” James says easily. “I always knew you’d be a good nurse, Catherine.”
James looks every bit the proud older cousin.
He’s a chameleon, adapting to his circumstances. No wonder he fooled the Campbells. He must have been parked somewhere on the road outside of Sunrise, waiting for the distinctive Cadillac to exit. Once he recognized it, he followed George and June to the restaurant and snagged the next table and began a conversation. James already had my true name and knew I had a relationship with the Campbells because of the car. He could have laid down any number of conversational tracks to get them to pinpoint their connection to me.
Then he set the trap I walked into.
“When Catherine was a little girl, I used to babysit her. One Halloween, she even dressed up as a nurse. Remember that plastic stethoscope and blood pressure cuff you had?” James laughs.
I force myself to smile again. I feel as stiff as a marionette, waiting for James to pull my strings and direct my movements.
“How many years older are you, David?” George asks.
