Chapter 60

CHAPTER 60

T he ache pulsating on top of Andi’s head nearly brought her to her knees.

Who was the man behind the white mask? Had he planned the outfit he wore just so he could look like a snowman?

And what was Duke going to do?

Would he tie them all up? Or put himself at risk and try something?

Flames shot from the cabin as the building continued to burn beside them. The orange and yellow fire offered a stark contrast to the otherwise white surroundings. Her feet and legs were nearly frozen while her right arm and one side of her face felt the heat of the blaze.

Andi decided to buy some time and asked, “Why the snowmen?”

Her question seemed to startle the man, and he looked away from the zip ties a moment.

Duke hadn’t made any attempt to grab them yet, and she hoped he wouldn’t have to.

“My family home burned down on December 6.” Bitterness stained his voice. “I was only twelve, and my family was celebrating an early Christmas with extended family. Someone didn’t attend to the fire. While we were all sleeping, my childhood home went up in flames. By the time the rescue workers got there, I was the only one left alive.”

“That sounds terrible.” It truly did; Andi’s words were honest.

“When I was rescued, I was taken outside. That’s when I saw that the snowman my brother and I had built earlier in the day was still standing. Melting but standing. And my dad’s hat had somehow escaped the fire and blown out of the house. It had landed beside the snowman. I remember reaching down and putting it on top of the snowman’s head.”

Andi despised this guy, but she had to admit his story was gut-wrenching.

She’d figured that whatever had happened to the killer had been traumatic, and she was right.

“I’ve hated Christmas ever since then,” Heath said. “Despised it. Despised all the happy people. Despised everything the holiday represents. Every time I see a Christmas movie or a commercial about the holidays I get a sick feeling in my stomach.”

“So you wanted to ruin Christmas for everyone else?” Juniper asked. “I knew you hated Christmas and never wanted to celebrate. I never knew how far it went.”

“It’s only fair that others suffer the way I’ve suffered.” His nostrils flared. “I wanted to leave my mark—and I think I’ve been effective.”

“Why did you wait so many years to start your killing spree?” Andi would guess this man was in his forties or fifties, based on his voice and stance.

“Seeing this place and hearing from Calvin about everything it represented . . . it reminded me of everything I’d lost. It triggered something inside me until it was all I could think about.” He paused. “Then I saw the snowman.”

“The snowman?” Juniper asked.

“When your dad found this property, the first thing he did was to build a snowman here. he said it represented everything happy about the season.” Heath swallowed hard. “To me, it represented all my loss. I kept seeing my father’s hat on the melting snowman outside our home. The image has always haunted me.”

“So now you want to make sure you ruin Christmas for everybody else?” Disgust dripped from Andi’s voice.

“I do this in honor of my family.” His voice turned sharp. “To keep their memories alive. To remind others that life isn’t always fun and games!”

“Yet, wasn’t this a game?” Andi asked. “You were just waiting for someone to figure out how you chose your victims. It sounds like you were having some fun with it.”

“I was just making a point!”

“There has to be a better way,” Simmy murmured. “Killing others won’t bring your family back.”

“I have no one! Don’t you understand that?”

Juniper stepped forward. “You had someone, but you lost her.”

Was Juniper talking about herself? Was this man Caleb?

Then she said, “Please, tell me you’re not the one who killed Pepper. I’ve always known you weren’t a good man, but tell me you didn’t kill your own daughter.”

The breath left Andi’s lungs.

Wait . . . was Juniper saying that this man was . . . Heath Klinkhart?

At Juniper’s words, the man pulled off his mask.

Duke sucked in a breath when he saw Heath Klinkhart staring back at them.

“Why couldn’t you and your family just have minded your own business?” he snapped. “None of this would have happened.”

“This wasn’t my parents’ fault,” Juniper said.

“Did you know they weren’t really your parents?” A smirk formed on Heath’s lips.

“As a matter of fact, I did.”

“They were scammed,” he continued, as if he hadn’t heard her. “They were devastated when they found out you weren’t their flesh and blood. But for some reason, they still loved you. That’s why they fled here to Alaska—they didn’t want you to be taken away from them. My wife and I were the only other people they ever told.”

“How did they find out about the mix-up?”

“They had no idea someone else’s embryo had been used for the surrogacy—not until they realized you were nothing like them.”

“Why did they hide the truth from me? My dad hardly wanted to admit I was born via a surrogate even.”

“They struggled with whether or not to tell you all the details. My guess is that they would have eventually admitted that you weren’t their flesh and blood.”

Juniper grasped Simmy’s arm as she stared at Heath with an incredulous look in her gaze. “So you’re doing all this because you had a falling out with my parents?”

“It’s more complicated than that. I told them I would keep this secret quiet—all they had to do was give me some money.”

“That’s dirty,” Juniper muttered.

“That’s what happens when you trust the wrong person. Besides, they’re not the reason I’ve killed these other people. I just thought they’d be the icing on the cake.”

“You’re sick.” Juniper’s voice cracked as she said the words.

“Now enough talking!” Heath aimed his gun at all of them before glancing at Duke. “I told you to tie everyone up. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Duke cast his gaze to the rest of the group. He hoped they understood his silent message.

Because he needed to make his move now. It was his only chance.

When he did, they would all need to run to safety.

He prayed they would all get to shelter in time.