Recalling the instruction from a self-defense class, Emma was relatively certain that what Amy meant by “somewhere private” was a place where she could kill her and dispose of her body unseen. She looked back at Amy and happened to glimpse Duke in her peripheral vision, standing outside his front door upstairs.
Amy walked closely behind her and nudged her with the weapon again. “Keep walking. They’re upstairs gaming with their online buddies and don’t have a clue. I can hear them from down here. They’ll probably be on for hours.”
Duke put his finger to his lips and nodded. Emma bit her lip and turned to walk down the sidewalk, hoping Duke had some kind of plan.
“How do you know that?”
“Because that’s how I met them. They can play those games for hours.”
All the pieces fell into place, and the name suddenly clicked with Emma. This was Gage’s cyberstalker. “He believed you had moved on. He asked you to not contact him anymore.” Way to provoke the gun-wielding crazy person, Emma!
“Then he changed his number so I couldn’t even talk to him about it.”
“You tricked his friends into giving you his number. He changed it because what you were doing was wrong. You need help, Amy. I know of several doctors—”
The solid, metal muzzle of the revolver pressing against her spine silenced her as Amy stepped close to her and said, “I don’t need a doctor. I need Gage. And I need you to shut the fuck up.” The woman’s voice shook, and Emma could tell she was becoming emotional. Perhaps she was realizing she was in over her head and rethinking her plan.
Emma knew if she got in that van she was as good as dead. Turning to look Amy in the eye, she pleaded with her. “You really don’t want to do this, Amy. You don’t strike me as the type to hurt other people. I can get you help, Amy.”
Tears flooded Amy’s eyes, and a red flush came over her face. “I’ve had enough ‘help’ to last a lifetime. I don’t need anything but Gage and he needs me in order to be fulfilled. When we talk it’s like our souls have always known each other. All I have to do is meet Gage face-to-face and he’ll understand that we were meant to be together forever. Our hearts are bonded and we have a lot in common. Keep walking.”
Keep her talking, Emma. “What? Like camping, hiking and fishing? Are you an IT consultant and help people like he does?” Emma wracked her brain for ways to persuade the woman from her intentions.
“No,” she sneered again. “Computers, gaming online. We used to instant message all the time…until you came along.”
That was right about the time he’d told Emma that he’d asked Amy to stop bothering him constantly. Emma wished now that Duke had followed through with the offer to trace Gage’s cyberstalker and have a serious talk with her and the authorities. It was obvious that Amy hadn’t been convinced by Gage’s repeated attempts to cease communication with her. Amy had simply used whatever skills she had to locate him, and there was no telling how long she’d been in Divine.
“Everything was going along fine and then you came along and he just cut me off, like he didn’t need me anymore. You poisoned him against me!” Amy’s voice trembled, but Emma could hear the unreasonable anger in her tone.
“Amy, put the gun down and we can talk all of this out. Give Gage a chance to explain. Maybe you just didn’t understand.” Emma wished now that she’d talked about it more with Gage so that she could find some common ground with Amy. Emma hadn’t wanted to know all the details behind their online friendship because frankly it had made her a little jealous to think of Gage chatting with another woman.
“I don’t think you understand, dear doctor,” Amy said as they reached the van and she opened the back door. She jerked the utility box out of Emma’s hand and placed it inside then held out her hand. “Give me your cell phone.”
Emma shook her head. “I don’t have it. It’s inside my apartment.” Over Amy’s shoulder she saw blond hair and movement alongside the van. Please be careful, Gage!
Amy sneered and said, “I don’t believe you.”
Trying to be brave, Emma replied, “Search me, if you don’t believe me. Make sure and wave that gun around some more so people can see it. I don’t have my phone. I was checking my mail and getting something from my vehicle when you accosted me.”
Amy blew out through her nostrils angrily and gestured with the revolver. “Empty your pockets.”
Feeling a little anger of her own, Emma said, “I just got back from my vacation. There is nothing in my pockets. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you check them yourself?” Emma, shut your crazy mouth before she shoots you instead!