Page 202 of Show Me

For one terrible second, all I can picture is Ruby collapsing into the grass while somebody stood over her. Rage floods through me so fast my hands start shaking.

I pick the rock up. The dried blood along the edge turns my stomach. “Jesus Christ.”

My voice barely sounds like mine. Someone did this to her. Not a stupid note. Not a meaningless threat. This. I set the stone down because if I hold onto it any longer, I’m going to put it through somebody’s skull.

Ruby said she isn’t mine to worry about. She doesn’t want to be mine to worry about. Not my responsibility. Not my obligation. Just a friend.

I stare at the blood staining the grass. That word feels ridiculous. She’s not just a friend. Not someone I’m helping because it’s convenient. Not some casual thing I picked up accidentally.

She’s everything.

That realization scares the hell out of me because everything I touch eventually falls apart. So what could I offer Ruby besides disappointment?

The crunch of tires in the driveway pulls me out of my head. Jake’s truck. He steps out, scanning the yard with the automatic alertness of a cop. “Figured you’d end up here.”

“Yeah.” I toe the rock by my foot and stop. Shit. If this is evidence, I’ve messed it up. “Is this what was used to hit her?”

Jake shakes his head. “No.”

“That’s the landscaping rock she struck when she went down.”

My stomach twists.

Jake’s voice stays even. “The one used to attack her was jagged but smaller. We recovered it last night.”

“Were there prints?”

Jake gives a slight shake of his head. “Nothing usable.”

“So we’re back to nothing.”

“We’re back to documenting what we know,” Jake corrects. “The rock that hit her matches the ones lining the edge of the driveway. The good news is, whoever did this didn’t come intending to use it as a weapon.”

“How does that change anything?”

He folds his arms. "They didn’t come here with the intention of hurting her.”

My hands ball into fists. “I don’t care what their original plan was. They waited until she was alone, attacked her, and stayed off every camera we have. How’s that possible?”

Jake’s gaze holds mine. “It’s someone who's paying attention and evolving as things change. Every camera you install. Every routine you change. Every security measure you add, they’re adjusting right along with you.”

A knot twists in my stomach. “So how do we catch them?”

Jake doesn’t answer right away. “We make them stop reacting....” His eyes meet mine. “....and start making mistakes.” Jake crosses his arms. “We start with the guys who started escalating once you entered the picture.”

Greg and Brent.

As I stand in Ruby’s dark yard beside the blood soaking into the grass, I shake my head. This is a lot worse than any of us wanted to believe.

Chapter One Hundred Six

Ruby

Hospitals are terrible places when you’re trying to ignore reality. There’s nothing to do except lie there and let your brain wander into places you’d rather avoid. And there’s been plenty of time to do that. I’ve been here for hours.

Emily and Bella stepped out to talk to one of the nurses a few minutes ago, leaving me alone in the exam room with the steady hum of fluorescent lights and the pounding ache behind my temple. And every time I yawn, the stitches near my hairline pull with the movement.

I close my eyes and lean my head back against the pillow. The room feels tilted every time I move too fast. How am I supposed to go back home?