Page 62 of M for Murder

Jennifer turned to face her friend. ‘So what if I am going home because of the murders? Don’t I have a right to be scared? Or do you think I’m just crazy?’

Miranda shook her head. ‘No, you’re not crazy. I do think you’re overreacting, though.’ ‘How am I possibly overreacting? If you’re right about this alphabet thing, then the next victim is going to have the surname initial I. That’s you and that’s me.’

‘And God knows how many other students on campus.’

Jennifer shook her head. ‘You just don’t get it, do you? Jonah’s dead, Erika’s dead, Marcus is dead. They were our friends, Miranda. If he can get them, he can get us.’

Miranda rolled her eyes, already looking bored with the conversation.

‘I told you on day one, Jen, if we stick together, we’ll be fine. He only kills one at a time. He’s not going to go for us so long as we stick together. If we’re careful we’ll be okay.’

‘Marcus was careful. Look what happened to him.’

‘Well Marcus couldn’t have been that careful, because he’s dead,’ Miranda said sharply. Her expression softened, and she gave Jennifer her most pleading look. ‘Come on, Jen, don’t let this sicko rule your life. If you stay, I promise we’ll watch each other like hawks.’

Jennifer hesitated. Home was safe. ‘I don’t know. I really don’t want to be here right now.’

‘And what about me when you go? What if I’m his intended victim? Who’s going to look out for me when you’re gone?’

‘Well, you could go home for a while as well.’

Miranda shook her head. ‘No way,’ she gave a derisive laugh. ‘I’m staying here. I’m not going to let some dumb killer scare me off.’ She raised her eyebrows questioningly at Jennifer. ‘I guess if he wants me, I’ll be pretty easy prey once you’re gone, won’t I?’

‘Don’t do this to me, Miranda.’

Miranda ran her fingers through her thick blonde hair.

‘Do what? You’re going home. I’m not going to stop you.’

Jennifer turned away, back to her packing, and started to fold the sweaters that she had laid out on the bed. She didn’t want to look at Miranda, didn’t want to see the accusation in her eyes.

‘I hear he likes to either strangle his victims or suffocate them,’ Miranda said in a casual voice. ‘What do you reckon he’ll do to me, Jen?’

Jennifer ignored her, knowing that Miranda was just trying to make her feel guilty about leaving. Right now, she was doing a pretty good job. Eventually she heard her friend get up and walk across to the door. She thought she’d already left the room when she called back to her.

‘Hey, Jen?’

Jennifer glanced up. Miranda stood in the doorway holding the black leather belt Jennifer hadn’t yet packed.

‘What?’

‘Remember to pack this, okay. I don’t fancy waking up tonight to find it wrapped around my neck.’

Smiling dryly, Miranda threw the belt at her and left the room.

Jennifer watched her go. She sighed loudly and cursed under her breath, hating Miranda for making her feel so damn guilty and annoyed with herself for giving in. As she bent to pick the belt up, she noticed a playing card lying on the floor, just under her roommate’s bed.

The joker.

Frowning, she picked it up, wondering when Miranda had developed an interest in cards, then dropped it on the desk at the end of her friend’s bed. Turning to her case, she began to unpack her clothes.

She didn’t see Miranda again until dinner, having taken precautions to avoid her. She didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she had won.

As she suspected, when she entered the cafeteria and her friend saw her, a broad grin spread across her face. The earlier conversation and all talk of Jennifer leaving had been wiped from the slate and everything was back to normal.

Normal, except for a serial killer running amok on the campus.

It had crossed Jennifer’s mind on several occasions that the killer might be someone she knew. Maybe a fellow student or professor. The thought was scary; more so than if he was a complete stranger. In all of her lectures, in the cafeteria at mealtimes, the clubs at night, it was possible that she may have conversed with a murderer.