“I’m coming through!” He pushed the panel up. It flipped over and thudded, making a resounding noise. Nothing happened.

“Here I come!”

He placed his hands on the edge and pulled as hard and fast as he could. There was no resistance. A moment later, he was in the bell chamber. The large cast iron bell hung so low he couldn’t stand, so he crawled beneath it.

“Maura?”

“Don’t come any closer!”

She was standing on the edge of the tower, the very edge. One short step and she would tumble to her death three stories below. Her face was red and puffy; her hands were tucked behind her back. She was crying.

“She did it,” Maura said, her voice racked with sobs. “Judy did. She did all the killing. I knew about it, but I didn’t help.”

Mike held out his hand. “Come away from the edge, Maura.”

“Don’t come near me! I’ll jump!” Tears streamed from her eyes. “I didn’t want anything to do with it. I thought it was horrible. But she made me. She told me I had to come and I didn’t know what to do.”

“We can sort this out later, Maura.” Mike inched closer. “For now, just come away from the edge.”

“I know I shouldn’t have kept the jewelry Judy gave me. I know she took it from the women after she killed them. But I didn’t hurt anyone. I could never hurt anyone!”

“Just come with me, Maura.” Mike was barely a foot away from her now. “Come down from there and we’ll talk everything out. You don’t want to hurt yourself.”

“I didn’t know what to do!” Maura was near hysterical now, screaming and flinging her head around, her hands still locked behind her back. “I’m so confused. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I just want to go home!”

“Come on now,” Mike said gently. “I won’t let anyone hurt you. Just come with me.”

Mike gently laid his hand on her arm. The instant he did, her other arm swung out from behind her back, a brown pocket knife clenched in the fist. She plunged it into Mike’s hand.

Mike screamed.

“I told you to leave me alone,” Maura snarled. She shoved him backwards off the edge of the tower. “You should’ve listened.”

“Maura did it! Maura did everything!”

Even though his nose felt as if it were broken, Ben managed to limp through the parking lot and around the church until he caught up to Judy again, this time near the storage shed in the back. She was making a run for the apartment complex behind the rear fence. Ben was determined that she wasn’t going to make it.

“If Maura did it, you have no reason to run!” Ben shouted after her.

“She made me watch. I didn’t like it! I hated it!” She was only about a hundred feet away from the fence. Give the girl fifteen more seconds, and she’d have it. His chances of catching her would be minuscule.

“Judy, you know how the law works. It’s no good running. Give yourself up. I promise I’ll see that you’re taken care of!”

“Maura did it! Maura did it all!”

She was even closer to the fence now. Ben gave it everything he had, but at this point, his top speed wasn’t much. It looked as if she was going to make it…

When Tomlinson appeared on the other side of the fence. Her head nearly collided with his.

“Going somewhere, miss?”

Judy changed course, but Ben managed to catch her on the rebound. He held her down while Tomlinson snapped the cuffs around her wrists.

“Thanks for the assist,” Ben muttered. “You were great.”

Tomlinson grinned. “Years of training.” He looked down at the girl. “You are under arrest. Anything you say can and will be used-”

“Don’t let them take me away!” Judy flung herself at Ben. She pressed her head against his chest. “I love you, Ben.”

Ben pushed her away. “Don’t make me sick.”

“But I do! Will you represent me?”

“Not a chance.”

The air around them was split by the sound of a low-pitched scream.

“What the hell was that?” Tomlinson asked.

Ben took off and answered while in motion. “Mike.”

Mike dangled from the edge of the bell tower. Two hands-one of them severely lacerated-were all that kept him from plunging three stories down onto the concrete sidewalk.

“How long can you hold on?” Maura asked, leaning over the edge, grinning. “Not long, I bet.”

Mike gritted his teeth. “You sorry little witch.”

“Don’t call me names. I don’t like it when people call me names.” She jabbed the knife into his hand again.

Mike cried out in agony. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to focus all his energy into his one strong hand. You must not let go, he told himself. No matter what she does to you. You must not let go.

“Would you hurry up and fall already?” Maura said. “I need to get out of here.” She came closer again with the knife. “Maybe I can speed things up.” She brought the blade back down toward him-

But this time he was ready for her. As soon as she came close, he used his good hand to knock the knife against the wooden railing. Maura swore. The knife tumbled over the edge, down into the prayer garden.

Mike swung his legs around and managed to get a foot up over the edge. Mustering all his strength, he pushed himself over the precipice.

Maura was already halfway to the hatch. Mike put the pain out of his mind and flew after her. He grabbed her around the waist and knocked her to the wooden floor.

They wrestled back and forth, Maura trying to get free, Mike trying to hold on for dear life. He was at a great disadvantage, especially since his right hand was virtually useless. He managed to get one of her arms pinned behind her back, but she got a swift knee into his groin at the same instant. While he was out of commission, she climbed on top of him, kicking his ribs and pounding his ears. Mike tried to push her away, but the pain in his right hand was too great. Goddamn it, he thought, I’m losing a fight with a fifteen-year-old girl!

He tried to grab her hand, but Maura avoided him and scratched his face with her fingernails.

“You little monster!” Somehow, the additional pain gave him a new swell of energy. Mike pushed forward, flinging her back against the bell. It clanged, sending a tremulous reverberation through the wood of the tower.

He pulled himself to his feet. “Now I’m mad.”

Maura tried to scramble to the hatch, but Mike was too quick for her. He grabbed the back of her dress and held tight. He gave her a sudden sharp yank, and she spun into his arms.

“Give it up,” Mike grunted, as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight.

“Go to hell,” she answered. She took his hand-the one she had stabbed twice-and bit down on it.

Pain exploded inside his brain. He felt nauseated. “Damn!” He brought his left hand around-hard-and slapped her across the face.

Ben and Tomlinson came racing through the hatch. “What’s going on? Are you all right?”

Mike pushed the girl to Tomlinson, who promptly snapped cuffs over her wrists. “I’ll live.”

“He beat me up!” Maura cried. Once again, tears flowed from her eyes. “See the bruises? He tried to rape me!”

Mike glared at her. “You know, I don’t know whether to take you down or throw you over the edge.”

“Help me!” she continued screeching. “Someone please help me!”

“Give it up, Maura. It’s over.” With his good hand, Mike unclipped his cell phone from his belt. “Maxine? I need two patrol cars at St. Benedict’s, Seventy-first and Yale. As soon as possible. I think we’ve just bagged a couple of murderers.”

Down on the ground, Mike and Tomlinson worked to keep the madding crowd at bay while they waited for the black-and-whites to arrive. Everyone was shouting at once, wanting to know what was going on, what they thought they were doing, why they were hurting those poor innocent girls. Judy and Maura continued to scream accusations and cry and wail, which only made matters worse. It was a madhouse, all in the parking lot of St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church.