Oh my God.
Lydia King?
The woman who apparently opened up my case and fought for me, the serial killer who has killed so many people and continues to bring me misery…
Is my very own lawyer?
I get up, turn around, and search for Zachary, who was supposed to be at the coffee shop, when the phone in my dress pocket rings, sending awareness through me and causing goose bumps to rise on my skin, because I don’t have to guess who it is.
With trembling hands, I swipe to pick up and hear her laughter in my ear. “Ah, took you long enough to find out who I am.” I stay silent, but my gaze darts in different directions, wondering where she could be. I have no doubts she came to the island.
No wonder my gut was telling me someone was watching us. “Don’t bother, darling. I see you, but you can’t see me. And isn’t that sad?” Her voice changes from amused to angry. “No one ever sees me unless I do something!”
“Lydia,” I start, only to be interrupted by her loud exhales and then shout of “Shut up! I don’t want to hear it.” God, I need to get to Zachary so he can stop this madness.
I take a step toward the coffee shop area, ready to bolt, when she clacks her tongue into my ear. “Nah-ah, darling. You don’t want to do that.” I freeze, hearing a malicious tone in her voice. “Now, Phoenix. Let’s finish this game, shall we?”
“Lydia, please stop this. There is still a chance,” I beg her, wondering how this beautiful and compassionate woman could have become this killer who seeks blood and a victim.
The majority of children who undergo abuse rise above it all, living their life to the fullest, not letting the monsters from the past control their present and future.
Especially those with a loving family who are always there for them no matter what, and based on what I’ve seen, that’s what the Kings are.
Why did she turn to the dark side? What triggered her? What could have possibly awakened the desire to do despicable deeds?
“Don’t give me your stupid psychological crap. I’m not one of your subjects,” she barks and then asks me a question that chills my blood while I still, barely able to breathe. “Zachary or Emmaline, Phoenix?” Sweat breaks on my skin. “The goddess wants a sacrifice, darling. Who will it be?”
The wind whooshes loudly around me, my dress plastering against my body while the bite of it on my cheeks snaps me out of my stupor, and I grip the phone tighter, knowing the time has come.
The culmination of this game that will forever end this hunt that destroyed so many lives I’ve lost count of them, all because a monster abused his own child and left scars that would never heal.
Instead, they festered until they became rotten and polluted the mind of the person to the point of insanity.
“Well, I’m waiting,” she says, and I hear music blasting through the speakers from the other end of the line. “What is your choice? The man you love or your child?” By the way she is asking this question, I understand how curious she is about my answer.
As if she is a goddess offering her help in exchange for the greatest sacrifice.
A bitter laugh almost slips past my lips, but I catch it with my palm, stopping myself from sobbing, and reply like every parent on this earth would.
Except Lydia has seen so much cruelty from one of her parents that in her mind my choice was never obvious. “Zachary will be your sacrifice.” I push the words through my throat as fear envelops every part of my body, and instead of moving toward him, I spin around and hastily walk to my child, wanting to protect her in case the insane person decides to do something.
Based on her profile, I don’t expect a shooting, but who knows?
I’ve never expected for the unsub to be Lydia King, yet that’s the reality.
A beat passes before she exhales in relief. “I knew you would pick your child. I knew you’re not like Daddy. You are like Mom.” My brows furrow at this, and she elaborates. “Loving her children and me. It’s Zachary who is and always was a problem in my life.”
I say nothing to that, reaching Emmaline and kneeling next to her, hugging her close to me, not caring about the dirt and sand all over her.
She squeals in my arms, trying to wiggle free, but I don’t let her and ignore Patience’s confused look. “What do you want?” I ask quietly, knowing she hasn’t contacted me for the hell of it.
Underneath it all, she is still a little girl who cannot face her abuser alone, and for that, she needs me, which means….
“For us both to kill Zachary, of course. Once he is dead, we can live happily on this earth.”
The thought of his death is too painful to examine, so instead, I focus on her words as if I’m watching the situation from a distance.
Doesn’t she want us to die too?
“I changed my mind,” she continues, and I hear her snap her fingers. “Killing Zachary is going to end my suffering. I don’t want endless glory. I want to enjoy the world where Daddy doesn’t exist.” A beat and then, “Now, darling, bring me my prey, and no harm will come to your precious child. Fulfill your purpose.”
Squeezing my daughter tightly in my arms, I say to Lydia in a cold voice while my heart breaks into tiny little pieces, “Tell me what to do.”
Once upon a time, I believed that goodness and evil were the two sides of the coin, and depending on how your life is flipped, that’s what you’d become.
As a psychiatrist, I’ve seen so many things in this world that I’ve learned to never judge people for their actions, as it’s always a reaction to something in their past.
How wrong I was.
Goodness and evil, they exist within every person, with the difference that one of the halves always seems more tempting, pulling you in its direction and seducing you with its power.
And the half that ultimately wins?
It’s the one we have chosen by our own free will.
Choice.
We always have a choice in this life.
Unfortunately, my choices always lead to destruction.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Phoenix
Hanging up the phone, I hug Emmaline closer one more time, kissing her on the top of her head, and she wiggles in my hold. “Phoenix?” she prompts and then turns around until her arms squeeze me tight, the sand scattering all over me, but I don’t care.
All I want to do is hold her close after the awful conversation with Lydia that once again ruined everything. “We have to go, baby. Daddy told us we can’t stay long.” She gasps, leans back, and then casts her gaze down, her lip trembling, and even though my heart hurts upsetting her, I can’t allow this to sway me.
My daughter has to get out of the line of fire in order for me to finish this and do what Lydia craves so much.
“Okay,” she finally whispers then dusts her hands and quickly starts to collect her toys into her plastic bucket.
“Is everything all right?” Patience asks with worry in her voice but helps Emmaline in her task, and I muster a fake reassuring smile that I hope will calm her down.
“Yes, I just….” I search for a viable enough excuse to cut short the trip I’d originally insisted on, when… a lifeguard runs over the beach, shouting.
“Hey, everyone! The beach is closing; a storm is coming our way. If you’re waiting for the boats to arrive at the shore, go back to the hotel. No one will be allowed in the bay during this weather. And please be careful and stay inside the buildings if you can. Especially if you have kids.”