THE NEXT VICTIM
The girl screws the polish brush back into the bottle, leans back on her elbows, and extends her freckled legs into the air, waving her painted toes back and forth as if to dry them.
At this angle, with her head thrown back, her neck is plainly visible.
And, yes, hanging from a silver chain there is a black shark’s tooth.
So she got the little gift from a so-called secret admirer.
Does she have any idea who it’s from?
Ha. If she did, she wouldn’t be wearing it.
There she sits, clueless, unaware that her shameless masquerade is about to come to a close. There she sits, pretending to be someone else…
But I know exactly who she is.
Anger is beginning to seep in, along with a surge of adrenaline that makes it almost impossible to just stand here in the shadows and watch.
But it isn’t time yet.
Not tonight.
Tomorrow will come soon enough.
And then she’ll be mine.
Mine.
Books by Wendy Corsi Staub
DEARLY BELOVED
FADE TO BLACK
ALL THE WAY HOME
THE LAST TO KNOW
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
SHE LOVES ME NOT
KISS HER GOODBYE
LULLABY AND GOODNIGHT
THE FINAL VICTIM
MOST LIKELY TO DIE
DON’T SCREAM
DYING BREATH
DEAD BEFORE DARK
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
PINNACLE BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2008 Wendy Corsi Staub
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
All Kensington titles, imprints, and distributed lines are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, educational, or institutional use. Special book excerpts or customized printings can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write or phone the office of the Kensington sales manager: Kensington Publishing Corp., 119 West 40th Street, New York, NY 10018, attn: Sales Department; phone 1-800-221-2647.
PINNACLE BOOKS and the Pinnacle logo are Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7860-4454-2
ISBN-10: 0-7860-4454-3
First Zebra printing: May 2008
First Pinnacle printing: October 2019
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Printed in the United States of America
Electronic edition:
ISBN-13: 978-0-7860-4455-9 (e-book)
ISBN-10: 0-7860-4455-1 (e-book)
For Lisa Corsi Koellner and Rick Corsi,
two of my favorite people in the world
(and the only ones who share my bloodline),
with love from your big sister.
And for Mark, Morgan, and Brody.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
With gratitude to my editor, John Scognamiglio, for all the tireless feedback and brilliant inspiration; to all the staff at Kensington Books who made this come together; to my agents, Laura Blake Peterson and Holly Frederick, as well as Tracy Marchini and the rest of the gang at Curtis Brown Ltd; to my publicists, Nancy Berland and Elizabeth Middaugh; to Kim, Carol, and Jennifer at Nancy Berland Public Relations; to Carol Fizgerald, Joe Rivera, and Sunil Kumar at Bookreporter.com; to Rick and Patty Donovan, Phil Pelletier, and staff at my favorite store, The Book Nook, in Dunkirk, N.Y. Finally, thank you, Mark Staub, for the long hours stooped over this manuscript and for seeing things I didn’t see.
God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
—excerpted from The Serenity Prayer,
Alcoholics Anonymous
Contents
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Part 1: May
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Part II: June
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Part III: July
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Part IV: August
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Epilogue
Prologue
New York City
January
It always begins with the dizziness.
In her office high above East 46th Street, Camden Hastings is editing yet another inane fashion article, “Not Your Grandmother’s Belts and Brooches,” when the words begin to swim on the page.
Light-headed, she looks up warily. The desk lamp is glaring, the small room distorted and tilting at an impossible angle.
Oh, no.
She braces herself.
Here it comes.
It’s been awhile—a month, maybe more—since the last episode.
Sometimes after that much time has passed, she actually allows herself to