I throw open the door, and there she is, sitting in her wheelchair. I was right to have not been scared. As ominous as she looked when she was a shadow in the window, Rosalie Baxter is absolutely non-threatening up close. She’s tiny—not much taller than five feet if she could stand, and bone thin, almost like a corpse. Her brown eyes are enormous on her skinny face as she stares up at me.
I hardly even need a knife. I could snap her in half with my bare hands. Hell, it looks like a strong breeze might do her in.
I’ll be doing her a favor. This woman must have a miserable life. Stuck up here all alone all day, unable to move. Having to live with that crabby husband of hers, who’s probably been sleeping with every pretty girl who walks through the door. I’ll end it quick for her.
But she looks terrified. She holds up her hands, which are shaking. “I’m sorry,” she gasps. “Whatever you think I did, I’m sorry.”
Her eyes dart to the side, and I realize what’s on the bed. It’s a pair of binoculars. She’s been watching me through binoculars. How pathetic. And sneaky. All my sympathy for this wretched creature has vanished—maybe I won’t make it quick.
Good thing I came here.
“You know what happened to my sister,” I snap at her.
She blinks her giant brown eyes. “Your… sister?”
I take a step towards her and she flinches. “Don’t play dumb.”
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Liar…”
“Please…” Now she’s sobbing. “I didn’t do anything to your sister. I swear.”
“I never said you did.” My shoulders tense with aggravation. Why is she pretending? Does she think I’m that stupid? “But I know what you saw.”
Her delicate jaw trembles. “Saw?”
“You and your binoculars…” I sneer at her. “You’re pathetic.”
She flinches, her face turning pink. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have… I’m so sorry…”
“It’s too late.”
“No. No. Please… You can’t…” She looks down at her phone, a pathetically hopeful expression on her face. “Nick will come. You won’t get away with it…”
“No,” I say, “he won’t come.” Then I drop the bombshell on her. I reach into my purse with my free hand and pull out the phone I swiped from the front desk. “Because I have his phone.”
What little color she still had in her face drains away. She knows she’s screwed. I’ve got the knife and her husband’s phone and she’s got nothing. Nobody is coming for her.
It’s all over for Rosalie Baxter.
Chapter 40
ROSALIE
I still had that one last hope. The hope that Nick would get my text and come running. He would be there for me like he always has been.
But when that horrible woman shows me my husband’s cell phone, that hope vanishes. And more than anything, I’m terrified to know how she got that phone. What did she do to Nick to get it?
“Oh, don’t worry,” she laughs. “Nick is fine. He left it on the front desk and I took it with me.” She cocks her head to the side. “Well, he’s fine for now. But he’s definitely going to jail for killing you. I’ll be long gone by then.”
As she closes in on me, I feel like I’m choking. She can’t get away with this, can she?
But maybe she can. After all, Nick only just escaped being charged with Christina Marsh’s murder two years ago. If I’m found murdered, there’s no way they won’t charge him. He’ll go to jail for this. Maybe forever.
I can’t die this way. I can’t. Nick and I are supposed to have a happy ending. Greta said so! I’m sick of feeling sorry for myself. If I live through this, I’m going to appreciate every moment I’ve got left.
That choking feeling intensifies, and I cough. As the sound leaves my mouth, the woman flinches. She looks concerned. It occurs to me she doesn’t know what’s wrong with me. She has no idea why I’m sick. For all she knows, I’m highly contagious.
So I start coughing more.
She freezes. I should probably be dead by now, but she’s not sure what to do. My coughing has thrown her for a loop. If I’m going to do anything, now is the time. Because it’s clear Nick isn’t coming.
So I gather every ounce of my strength. And I lunge at her.
For a moment, the world is a dizzying roller coaster. I wasn’t sure if I would have the bulk to do it, but somehow, I managed to topple her over, and then the two of us fall to the ground. There’s a loud cracking sound as her skull hits the floor. I don’t know if she’s still got the knife or not, but I’m not going to check. I reach out and run my fingernails down the side of her face.