CHAPTER ELEVEN

Lorraine Hayes closed the library door and took a deep breath. The cool, lake-scented air filled her nostrils and relaxed the knots in her shoulders. She smiled. She loved it here. Chicago was the best damned city on Earth no matter what her sister in New York said.

She headed around the building toward the small walkway that led from the library to the Chicago River. She could hear her sister scolding her for walking home alone at night in a big city, but the path was well-lit, and the river might as well have been a highway. In fact, most of it was more canal than river.

But it was still beautiful, and even though the lights were artificial and most of the path was paved with concrete, she still felt immersed in nature.

She giggled at herself for that. Immersed in nature. Because a body of water happened to be a few feet away from her. In the middle of the third-largest city in America. In full view of the skyline.

Well, whatever. She was a city girl. If she wanted to live in the boondocks, she could move to Wyoming or something.

She giggled again, then smiled dreamily as she imagined a buff bronzed cowboy pulling her behind him onto his horse and carrying her off to some cabin in the wilderness where he could have his way with her as much as he wanted.

She sighed. Maybe one day, she'd meet a man who would sweep her off her feet. Probably not a cowboy, though. That was a fantasy that she admitted was probably not as cool in real life as it was in her dreams. Horses smelled, and she really liked internet and supermarkets, so living off the grid or in some rural town with a Wal-Mart thirty minutes away where everyone did their shopping wasn't her idea of a good time.

Maybe she'd meet some cute grad student or researcher at the library. Hell, she wasn't picky. She'd settle for a handsome teacher taking his elementary school kids to the library for one of their story days.

She could hear Frankie lecturing her again, trying to tell her that a strong woman didn't need a man to fulfill her.

"Well, that's all well and good, Frankie, but sometimes I like to have sex."

She said that much louder than she intended to. She looked around, red-faced. Fortunately, no one was around to hear her. While rarely empty, this particular path was seldom-traveled, since it was on the less crowded side of the river.

She chuckled and shook her head. Confident that she was alone, she said, "Well, it's true."

A branch snapped behind her. Her face blanched, and she whirled around. She saw no one. She stood, frozen in place for several seconds before warily turning and continuing her walk. Just to be safe, she decided to be quiet for the remainder of the journey. She didn't need her private thoughts aired out on the Internet tomorrow.

Another branch snapped behind her. She turned around, but once again saw nothing. A squirrel, maybe?

No, a squirrel wouldn't snap a branch like that. A bear? Did bears come into the city? She'd never heard of it happening, but maybe one of them had wandered this way.

Through one of the largest metropolitan areas in America? Across multiple highways? Fat chance.

Then, it occurred to her that a person could have stepped on a branch and snapped it.

The pathway didn't seem so safe anymore. For the first time, she wished that she'd driven to work like every other person in America.

"Hello? Who's there?"

No answer.

"If someone's there, I'd really appreciate if you showed yourself, because I'm getting really creeped out right now."

No answer.

Maybe an acorn fell.

She clung to that thought and the relief it brought. That made sense, right? An acorn could have made that sound, falling from a branch and hitting the ground. If there was a person, they'd probably make more noise, especially if they were walking off the path.

She turned around and continued walking. A few yards later, the path transitioned from concrete to packed dirt. That made her feel even more isolated, more vulnerable. Her heart pounded, and her hands trembled.

I just need to get home, she thought. I'll get home, pour myself a drink, laugh at how stupid I'm being, then take my car to work. Who cares about emissions? I'm not helping the environment by saving the quart of gas per day it takes me to get to and from the library.

She quickened her pace, moving at an awkward gait that was somewhere between a fast walk and a jog. Part of her brain screamed at her to run, to stop messing around and get to safety now.

But if she did that, she would be admitting that there was a threat. There wasn't a threat. Everything was fine. She needed to calm down. She was alone at night, and she was imagining the worst, but everything was okay. There was no need to panic like this.

Another branch snapped behind her, and she whirled around. "Who the hell…"

Her voice trailed off when she saw the figure rushing toward her. For a split second, she didn't acknowledge what she saw. That couldn't be real. She was imagining things.

Then panic overwhelmed denial. She turned and ran. She opened her voice to scream, but before she could, one hand grabbed the crown of her head, and another grabbed her jaw. The hands twisted viciously. Lorraine heard a snap, much like the sound of the branches that had snapped earlier.

Then the lights went out.