Chapter 95

NINETY-FIVE

The voices in his head would not be quiet. As hard as he tried to silence them, they flew at him, zapping his brain like the bug zapper that had sizzled mosquitos on the back porch of his uncle's shack at night. The scent of swamp water swam toward the old house, a rattler hissing in the dark. In his mind, he saw their dead bodies stuck to the glass, the porch light giving them a macabre look. One sweltering foggy night they'd swarmed around him in circles as if they'd planned an attack. He'd counted ninety-nine, smiling as each one was fried in the trap.

Just as he was trapping the little girls.

The fear on Barbara's face when he'd reached for Mazie stirred his excitement.

He'd waited a long time to punish her. Today she hadn't recognized him because he was in disguise. Although he hadn't disguised himself when he'd first seen her a few months ago, and she hadn't recognized him then either. Instead, she'd looked right past him.

He wasn't ready to reveal his face to her yet. He wanted her to sweat a little longer.

But today he would take the last little girl.

According to Claire's phone calendar, the women were supposed to meet at Winterfest today. Claire would not be there.

He donned the Santa suit again, making sure the beard and bushy eyebrows were in place, then grabbed a couple of bottles of water and carried them to the building where he'd left Barbara and Mazie. He unlocked the door and saw the little girl asleep on the floor. Barbara stood, arms folded, her expression full of hatred.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked through clenched teeth.

A laugh rumbled from him, then he disguised his voice. "You'll know soon enough."

She lifted her chin with a challenge in her eyes. "You have me. Let Mazie go. She's just an innocent child."

He shook his head. "I'll explain everything once you help me get Ivy. I want you all here together."

Frustration clawed at her. "First tell me why you're doing this."

To get to you . But he bit back the words and tossed a bag of clothing to her. "Change clothes. And make one move to escape and Mazie will die."