“Couldn’t concentrate on anything that long.” He laughed. “I’m a pathetic excuse for a human being, I know, but that’s the way I am.”

“I don’t think you’re pathetic.”

“How can you not? I’ve killed people. Murdered them in cold blood. People I liked. I think that makes me very pathetic indeed.”

Annie had no answer for that.

“And I like you,” he continued. “Does that mean I might kill you too?”

Annie’s gaze moved to the weapon held at his side, his finger firmly on the trigger.

“I can’t help it,” he said. “Sometimes I have a desire to kill. I hear voices in my head, demanding I do evil things, and I have to listen or they won’t leave me alone.”

“Do you hear them now?” Annie asked.

He shook his head. “No, but I did earlier today.”

“What did they tell you?”

“To kill myself. But I couldn’t do it.”

“Then you have the power to resist,” Annie said.

He dropped his head and sighed. “Sometimes.” When he raised his head again, his eyes were sad. “But it’s not only the voices. It’s my blackout spells. Periods of time when I’ve no idea what I’ve done. I only know it was something terrible.”

“How often does it happen?”

The sadness remained in his eyes. “Seems like every day now. It started after my father died, and it’s been getting worse lately.”

“You need to get some help,” Annie said gently, compassionately.

“There’s no help. My medications don’t do anything anymore.” He laughed out of self-pity. “Besides, I’m not a priority. I’m a murderer and no one is going to care about me getting any kind of help when there are more deserving people out there who don’t kill.”

He had a point, and she knew Adam was intelligent enough not to get taken in by any false promises she might make. She understood why he didn’t want to surrender. The best he could expect was to be confined to a psychiatric facility with a constant stream of medication to keep him docile for the rest of his life.

“There’s no future for me,” he said. “And no easy way out.”

Annie pointed toward the weapon in his hand. “Do you think that’s the answer?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. But for now, it’ll keep me safe until I decide what to do.”

He glanced around the room, tears welling up in his eyes. Then he turned abruptly and strode toward the stairs. “I have to keep you here for now,” he said, and then turned and plodded up the steps, tucking the pistol back behind his belt as he went.

The door closed, the lock slid shut, and she was alone again. She was unsure if she was safe, or if his dark side would take over and come back.

Annie was at the mercy of an unpredictable and dangerous man, a man out of control, and she had no way out.

Chapter 40

Thursday, 12:51 p.m.

JAKE HAD KNOCKED on every door on Mill Street, and in each case where someone was home, he’d been informed Annie had been there earlier, asked a few questions, and then moved on. He was no further ahead in the search for his wife than he was an hour ago. In addition, she still wasn’t answering her cell phone and his text messages were ignored.

He went back to his car, circled the surrounding streets again, and then parked on Mill Street at the spot where he had dropped Annie off. He hoped she would return on her own with a simple explanation, but he knew in his heart something was very wrong.

His cell phone rang. He prayed it was Annie and was disappointed when he looked at the caller ID. It was Lisa Krunk.

“I don’t have time to talk to you now,” he said. “I’m in the middle of something that can’t wait.”

Lisa’s voice came over the line. “As you know, Jake, in the past, I’ve always tried to help law enforcement whenever possible.”

What was she getting at? She rarely did anything to help unless there was something in it for her.

“What do you want, Lisa?” Jake asked, trying to remain patient.

She paused, probably for dramatic effect. “I have some information you might find helpful.”

“Helpful in what way?”

“To find Adam Thorburn.”

Jake sat forward. “I’m listening.”

“I had the pleasure this morning of interviewing Virginia Thorburn.”

Jake shook his head in disgust. “Will you get to the point, Lisa?”

Lisa gave a long, drawn-out and exaggerated sigh. “In fact, if I hadn’t caught her in the street, I doubt I would’ve gotten a word from her. She wasn’t all that happy to see me.”

That statement didn’t surprise Jake. Rare was the time when anyone was pleased to see Lisa. Her expertise in bringing out the negative in the people she interviewed was well known by those who had been subjected to her questions.

“What do you have for me, Lisa?” Jake asked, his patience slipping away.

“I want to interview you and Annie when this is all over. Would you do me that favor, Jake?”

There it was. Her demands. They weren’t unreasonable, but there always had to be something; her conscience never came into play.

“If it helps me find Annie, you’ve got a deal,” Jake said.

“Annie’s missing?” Lisa asked in her usual way of faking concern. “How long has she been gone?”

Jake bit his tongue. He hadn’t meant to let that out, especially to Lisa. “I haven’t been able to reach her on the phone,” he said. “But I’m sure she’s okay.”

There was a short pause on the line and then Lisa spoke again. “In my attempt to get at the truth, I was able to dig out an important bit of information from Mrs. Thorburn.”

Jake’s patience was expended. “What did you find, Lisa?”

“It seems Virginia Thorburn has been meeting up with Adam on more than one occasion, the last time perhaps as recently as this morning. I caught her in a lie when she said she hadn’t seen him since Tuesday morning—”

Jake interrupted. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Apparently, Adam told her he didn’t kill the two people, but he killed the second one on Tuesday evening.” Lisa chuckled, well pleased with herself. “She was flustered and stormed away after she let that slip. I want to use it in my news story this evening, but I thought you should know.”

“If it helps us locate Adam Thorburn, then you’ll get the interview.”

“And one more thing.”

Jake sighed. “What is it?”

“Will you ask Detective Corning if he’ll sit in on the interview?”

“I can’t speak for him, but all right, I’ll ask him. No guarantee on that one.”

“Thanks, Jake. I knew I could depend on you.”

The line went dead and Jake hung up thoughtfully. He knew Adam had been home the day before, when he’d seen him coming from the basement window and chased him across the yard of the steel mill. But it was doubtful Adam had seen his mother at that time, or he would’ve left through the door.

The rosebush Jake had seen near the hut in the swamp was further proof Adam had been home more than once.

He believed Mrs. Thorburn knew more than she was letting on. Why else would Adam have fled the house the day after the first murder—after spending the night at home? The only one who could’ve told him the police were on his trail was his mother.

She was protecting her son, which was understandable, but in the process she might be putting more lives in danger. If what Lisa had said was true, and she had no reason to lie about it, then he needed to have another talk with Virginia Thorburn.

He started the Firebird and drove up the street, stopping in front of the Thorburn house. The unmarked car still sat across the street from the dwelling, not a fun job for the officers inside the vehicle.

He stepped from the car, approached the side of the house, and knocked on the screen door.

Virginia Thorburn peeked through the window of the door, her face contorting into a frown when she saw him. Jake was sure she wasn’t going to let him in, but a moment later the inner door swung open.