Chapter 62

Chapter Sixty-Two

PRESENT DAY

SYDNEY

My head is spinning.

I'm not sure if it's everything that's happened recently or something else, but it feels like I can barely stand up straight. Still, I'm thinking straight enough to feel horrified when Gretchen lets Tom into the apartment.

Tom's eyes widen when he gets a look at me. He glances over at Gretchen, then back to me. "Sydney," he says, "are you okay?"

Before I can say a word, the dizziness overwhelms me and I sink to my knees. Even if I wanted to leave this apartment, I couldn't do it. Maybe I could crawl out.

"Jesus Christ!" Tom says. "Daisy, what the hell did you do to her?"

Why is he asking Gretchen what she did? Randy is the killer. Except, when I look back at Randy, he is still out cold.

"I just thought everyone needed to chill out a bit," Gretchen says. "Especially her ."

The wine. Oh my God, was there something in the wine I was drinking? Thank God I only had one glass. Randy must have had three. Gretchen barely touched it.

Tom asks the question that's in my head: "What did you give them?"

"Oleander," she answers instantly. "I keep a few leaves handy for emergencies." When she sees the shocked look on Tom's face, she adds, "I didn't give them enough to kill them, but I find that when mixed with alcohol, it makes people extremely drowsy. And as I'm sure you know, Tom, it doesn't show up on a routine autopsy."

A flush enters his cheeks as he stares at her. "I can't believe you. You promised me—no more. You told me you would leave me alone after the last one, Daisy."

Why does he keep calling her Daisy? It's so strange. I look up at the two of them, standing over me while I lie on the floor wondering what the hell oleander is and what it will do to me. At least she supposedly didn't give me enough to kill me.

"Who's Daisy?" I manage to ask, even though my tongue feels like a big lump in my mouth.

"That's what everyone used to call me when I was a girl," she explains. "You know I love flowers—you saw my exhibit—and daisies are my favorite. But I have outgrown the nickname. Nobody calls me that anymore—well, except Tom here."

"You have a serious problem," Tom croaks. "I had no idea that you…that you were living here. Christ. Was that because of Bonnie?"

Gretchen's eyelashes flutter. "I had to keep an eye on things. So I joined Bonnie's little yoga class. I just wanted to meet this girl that you thought was so wonderful and worthy of your time."

Even with my foggy brain, I register what she's saying. I still remember the day Gretchen rolled out her yoga mat next to Bonnie's. She flashed a big smile. Hi, I'm Gretchen! This is my first yoga class. And with her sweet, open face, we both immediately liked her.

Then she met Randy while coming over to visit us. And now she's living with him. Randy was her ticket in.

"You need to leave me alone," he growls. "I can't have a life because of you. I'm lonely as hell, but I'm too afraid to have anything more than a one-night stand, because every time I start to get serious with a girl, her life is in danger . Do you know what that's like? I can't even give out my real phone number, because I don't want the cops to track me down! Do you want me to go to prison , Daisy?"

"You won't go to prison." She waves a hand. "I always make sure it happens on a night when you have an alibi. Anyway…" She glances in my direction. "It doesn't seem like you're doing so bad for yourself."

Tom's face turns pink. "What do you want from me? Do I have to take a vow of celibacy? Is that what you need me to do so you'll stop killing people?"

"I did you a favor!" she retorts. "You would have been miserable with Bonnie. Or any of those other utterly boring women…"

I feel a surge of nausea. Somehow, I got everything wrong. I thought Randy needed Gretchen to be his fake alibi. But it turns out that Gretchen was the one who actually needed the alibi.

"You know what I want, Tom?" Gretchen tilts her head to look up at him, her sweet expression contrasting with the sharp tone of her voice. "I want you . That's what I've always wanted. And I know you love me too. Sydney told me that you said you never got over me. Of course, you told her I was dead , but I can forgive you for that."

Wait, that girl Tom dated when he was in high school, the one he said was the only girl he'd ever loved…

That was Gretchen ?

I saw that flash of recognition in his face when Gretchen and Randy appeared. I had assumed he was staring at Randy, but now I realize the truth. Gretchen was the one he was shocked to recognize.

"You want me so bad?" He nods at her left hand. "Is that really true? Because it seems like you just got engaged to another man."

"Oh, him ?" Her lips curl in disgust. "Don't be silly, Tom. I don't even like him."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"It's true. I loathe him, Tom."

"You loathe him? I find that very hard to believe."

"Well, believe it." She glances back at Randy. "And I can prove it to you."

The next thing that happens occurs so fast that neither Tom nor I could possibly stop it. Gretchen picks up the knife she had placed down by the cake box. She crosses the room, and I watch in horror as she plunges the blade of the knife into Randy's belly. He was out cold, but for a split second his eyes fly open. Then she stabs him a second time, and then a third, and this time blood spurts out of his mouth and his eyes drift shut again. Tom seems to be frozen in horror, watching what she's doing.

"Daisy!" Tom finally yells, snapping out of his trance, but it's far too late. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Jesus Christ…"

She shrugs and finally lowers her hand holding the bloody knife. "I told you I don't love him. Now you don't have to be jealous."

Tom takes a shaky breath, raking both his hands through his hair. "This is nuts. You just killed an innocent man…"

"Innocent?" Gretchen sneers. "You know what he used to do? He used to use his keys to go into female tenants' apartments while they were at work and go through their underwear drawers and rub his face all over their panties. Believe me, this wasn't a big loss to society."

Is that true? Did Randy really do that? Despite everything, I believe her. Bonnie always thought Randy was creepy, and she wasn't wrong.

But he didn't deserve to die.

Tom has started pacing the room, looking thoroughly freaked out. Daisy watches him, her eyes twinkling. "Oh relax," she says. "I didn't kill him because of you. I was always going to do it. I taped a bunch of locks of hair in the tank of the toilet, and Randy here is going to take the fall for all those girls who were killed, including dear Bonnie." She flashes me a pointed look. "Poor Sydney here will be his last victim before I come in and stab him in self-defense."

Last victim? Does that mean…?

Oh my God, she's really going to kill me. This woman is a total psychopath, and she isn't about to leave behind any witnesses.

I had no idea Gretchen had it in her.

Tom stops pacing and turns to face her. "You need help, Daisy. I mean it. Let me… Let's go to the police together. I'll explain everything to them. Please…"

Gretchen shoots him a dirty look. "Don't act so holier than thou, Tom. You pretend like you're in love with Sydney, but does she know why you really like her?"

He shakes his head, his mouth hanging open. "Daisy…"

"Does she know how you love to watch her bleed?" A smile creeps across her lips. "When she told me that story about how you asked her out after an epic nosebleed, I was like, yes, Tom hasn't changed a bit."

The color drains from Tom's face. "Daisy, don't say that."

"Why not? Don't lie about who you are."

Oh my God, is that true ?

Maybe it is. He always seemed fascinated by how easily I bleed. Our first date was after a nosebleed. The first time we made passionate love was when I sliced my finger cutting up a lime.

Gretchen claims Tom is just like she is. And I'm beginning to worry she's right.

My fatigue is almost overwhelming, but at the same time, adrenaline is keeping me awake. These two are both out of their minds. I've got to figure out a way out of this apartment, before I end up like Randy.

But how?

"I know how much it turns you on when she bleeds," Gretchen says. "You're too much of a wuss to cut into her yourself, but I can do it." She reaches out to touch his arm, and to my dismay, he doesn't pull away. "I can help you with that. We can watch her bleed together. We'll have so much fun together…"

Tom doesn't tell her no. In fact, he can't seem to tear his gaze away from her. I remember how he talked about that girl he loved back in high school. This is the girl. This is the only girl he ever loved—the one he can never get over.

"I love you, Tom," she murmurs. "And I know you love me too. You're the only man I have ever loved or will ever love. We are so much alike."

He shakes his head, almost imperceptibly.

"Don't say no." She takes his hand in hers. "You love me. You'll never be happy without me."

"That's not true…"

"You and I are meant to be together," she insists, "and you know it."