Page 41 of Little Twisted Things

“Hear what?” His brows furrowed.

“Bart Rexley was found murdered in his office this morning.”

“Who’s Bart Rexley?”

“He’s a real estate developer. The police are saying he’s another victim of The Last Chapter Killer.”

“Jesus Christ, Dahlia. That’s awful.”

“Here’s the weird thing. When I went to Tess’s house that night for dinner, she had a few of her friends over. One of the women was Nadine, Bart’s soon-to-be ex-wife.”

“What?” His eyes widened.

“Apparently, her husband was having an affair with an interior designer. Nadine found out and filed for divorce. From what Tess said, Bart was trying to get full custody of their son.”

“No shit. Do you think Nadine did it?”

“No.” I shook my head.

“I think we both need to put our houses up for sale and leave Key West. It’s too dangerous here.”

I laughed. “It’s dangerous anywhere. Besides, once this Last Chapter Killer person is caught, Key West will be safe once again.”

“I’m serious, Dahlia.” He gripped my hips.

“And so am I, Alex.”

22

The Last Chapter Killer

“No. No. No.” I stared at the TV as my chest tightened. “I never touched Bart Rexley. I never even met the guy. This wasn’t mine. I didn’t kill men!” I shouted, grabbing the remote and throwing it across the room.

“They’re blaming me.” I paced, gripping my head. “I didn’t write this chapter.”

This copycat was invading my territory, as if they were declaring a war. I’d spent years crafting an identity no one could see, trace, or define. And now, some fucking stranger walked into my story and wrote his name all over it, again.

This needed to stop. I needed to find out who was responsible for this. But how? It could be anyone in Key West. Fuck!

I went to my secret room and unlocked the door. I stood in the doorway and stared at the woman chained to the wall. She was filthy and needed cleaning up. I grabbed a bucket from the corner, filled it with body wash and water, and grabbed a loofah from the hook. Walking over to her, I sat down and began to wash her. She struggled. She tried to get away from me. But she couldn’t.

“Now, now. Be a good girl. You don’t want to be filthy when the police discover you, do you? You must look perfect. This is how your last chapter ends. This is how you’ll always be remembered.” I took my hand and ran it down her hair. “I’m doing you a favor. You should be thanking me.” I smiled. “Nothing beautiful lasts forever. But you will.”

After I finished cleaning her up, I walked out of the room and shut the door. I had planned to deliver her fate tomorrow. But now with that copycat on the loose, I’d have to wait. Two bodies in a couple of days was too risky.

23

Dahlia

“That was good.” Alex kissed the side of my head as his arm wrapped securely around me.

“It was. Wasn’t it?” I smiled. “I’m thinking of having Tess over for dinner. She really wants to meet you.”

“That sounds good. I’d like to meet her as well.”

“I saw Kris today. She asked me if I could keep an eye on her house for a couple of weeks. She’s taking the girls to Europe.”

“Sounds like a good plan. Maybe we should go too.”