"That was a pretty good movie," Ned said as he and Nancy walked out of the River Heights Cineplex. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips.
"Yeah," Nancy said, absently.
"I think my favorite part was the huge explosion at the very end," Ned said.
"Uh-huh," Nancy said.
"But, of course, I didn't really pay much attention to the movie because of the hot brunette that was sitting next to me," Ned said, giving her a sidelong glance.
"Me too, Ned," Nancy said.
Ned stopped and stood in front of Nancy, causing her to walk into his chest. "Okay, Drew–now I know you're not paying attention to me."
"What?" Nancy finally looked at him and sighed. "I'm sorry, Ned. I just can't stop thinking about that missing picture."
"Nancy, I told you not to worry about it," Ned said.
"But, Ned–the more I think about it, the more it bothers me. I know that the picture was there a couple of days ago. I remember glancing at it. And Hannah's been out of town since last Friday, so I know she didn't move it," Nancy explained.
"It feels like we're having the same conversation again," Ned said, groaning.
"I recognize that tree," Nancy joked. "So we'll keep having this conversation until I can figure it out," Nancy said.
"We may as well make ourselves comfortable," Ned said, indicating a bench on the sidewalk.
"Thank you," Nancy said, sitting down.
"Okay, where were we?" Ned asked.
"The missing picture," Nancy said.
Ned nodded. "Right. If Hannah was out of town, she didn't move it. So, what about your dad?"
Nancy shook her head. "He hasn't been home long enough to move anything."
"Well, I don't know, then," Ned said. "I'm all out of ideas."
"I have one more," Nancy said. "But it's one that I know you won't be happy about."
"You might as well tell me," Ned said. "I'll find out anyway."
"I guess I should from the beginning," Nancy said. She looked up at the starry sky and took a deep breath. "I found out this morning how the killer was getting his ideas. He's copying the murders from Never Again. The killer in the book killed his victims and then left a poem and a pink rose after each murder."
"So, you have a break in the case," Ned said.
"How do you figure?" Nancy asked, confused.
"If he's following Ann's book, then you'll know how he kills," Ned explained.
"Yeah, but that doesn't tell us who the next victim is or when the next murder will happen," Nancy pointed out.
"I forgot about that," Ned said, a little embarrassed.
Nancy grinned at him and continued. "And it doesn't ell us the most important thing: who the killer is. The only thing that B.D. and I can figure is he believes that he's the killer in the book."
Ned whistled. "Wow–talk about a nut job."
"Isn't that the truth," Nancy said. "Do you remember the lock of hair that was left on my doorstep?"
Ned nodded.
"That's the only thing that the killer has done that wasn't written in the book," Nancy said. "But the envelope that the hair was left in was addressed to 'Katie'. That's also the name of the heroine in Ann's book."
Ned's eyes widened as he began to put things together. "So, this guy is so delusional that he thinks you're Katie. He's bringing the book to life."
Nancy nodded. "I'm afraid so. When you told me that the picture was thinking, my last thought before we left my house, was that the killer had been there and he took it."
"You're right. I don't like this at all," Ned said.
"Don't get too worked up, Ned. I don't have any proof that the killer did take it," Nancy said hurriedly.
"But you have a suspicion that he did," Ned said. "And your suspicions are usually right."
"Why would he want it, Ned?" Nancy asked, even though she knew his best answer would be a guess.
But Ned answered her with a question of his own. "Why would he want to murder innocent people?"
Nancy opened her mouth, but shut it quickly. The truth was, she was wondering the same thing herself.
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"Are you sure you're going to be okay by yourself?" Ned asked Nancy as he walked her to the front door.
"Yes, Ned. I'll double-check all of the doors and windows before I go to bed," Nancy said. "Stop worrying so much."
"I'm sorry, Nancy," Ned said. "But when you tell me that a homicidal maniac has made you the lead character of his twisted version of Ann's book, I tend to get a little worried."
Nancy grabbed Ned's face in her hands and pulled him to her. She kissed him hard on the lips. "You know that's what I love about you, right?"
"I had a suspicion," Ned said, lightly.
Nancy smiled at him. "I'll be fine. And if anything should happen, I'll call you."
"I don't like it, but I guess I don't have any choice," Ned said. "I'm not going back to Chicago, so I'll by at my folks."
"Okay," Nancy said.
"I mean it, Nan–you call me if there are any problems," Ned said in a stern voice.
Nancy saluted him. "Sir, yes, sir," she said, mocking him.
Ned sighed. "This isn't a joke, Nancy."
"I know, Ned. I'm just trying to make a dire situation a little lighter," Nancy said. She looked at him with a sad puppy dog face. "I'm sorry."
"You know I can't stay mad at you," Ned whispered.
Nancy smiled at him and their lips met again in a long, passionate kiss.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning," Nancy said when they finally broke apart.
Ned reluctantly let go of her and watched as she went into her dark home.
Nancy turned on the light to the living room and put down her purse and keys on the small table that sat in front of the door. She heard a car door slam and then take off down the quiet street.
She knew that what she had told him would worry him. But it was better that he had heard it now, especially before it was too late. He had never really liked her being involved in dangerous cases, and now it was really disturbing him since the danger was being targeted at her.
But she couldn't really think about how it would bother him. There was a killer on the loose and he needed to be stopped–fast.
Nancy spotted the flashing red light of the answering machine, indicating that she had messages. She probably should have checked it, but right now she just didn't care. It was late and anyone that had wanted her to call them back could wait until morning.
Besides, what she really wanted to do was get some sleep. It would help clear her mind of the murders and the missing picture. She went to all of the windows and doors to make sure that they were locked. Nancy was usually never one to let he nerves get to her, but a little fear was gnawing at her. After much debate with herself, she left the lamp that was in the living room on, just so the house wouldn't seem so dark to her. After sending one last look around the room, Nancy slowly made her way upstairs.
Before she was even halfway up the stairs, she heard a thud, as if someone was walking around upstairs. She stopped where she was and listened intently for any more noise. She was about to blame the thud on her mind playing tricks on her, when she heard the faint sound of the floor creaking. It was almost as if the person were trying to mask their presence now.
Not wanting to confront an intruder defenseless, Nancy slowly stepped backwards down the steps. She kept her eyes forward for any signs of the intruder, but did steal a glance behind her to see she had a few more steps to go. If she could just get out of the house and to a neighbor's to use the phone, she would be doing great.
Not wanting to look behind her the whole time, Nancy lost her footing on the steps and fell backwards. Luckily she didn't get knocked out or injured–just dazed. She shook her head to get her bearings and when she looked back up, she saw someone standing at the top of the stairs. From the build of the person, she could tell it was a man. She tried to see his face, but it was covered by a ski mask.
But there was one thing that she could see in the pale moonlight: the blade of a knife glinting menacingly at her. Nancy felt a stab of fear run down her spine. She grabbed onto the banister and pulled herself up off the floor, as the man slowly made his way down the stairs.
"Stay away from me," Nancy said, keeping the fear out of her voice.
The man didn't say anything, but Nancy could swear that he was smiling underneath the mask. She needed a diversion to get away from this guy–the knife in his hand meant business. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a vase full of yellow daisies. Without hesitation, Nancy grabbed the vase and threw it at the guy. She didn't even look to see if it made contact with him; she just took off across the living room towards the front door. She had to get out of the house!
Before Nancy could make it all the way to the door, the man tackled her to the ground. She used her arms and her legs to try to get away from the guy, but he held onto her firmly. He hauled her up from the ground and pushed her against the wall. She started to struggle with him again, but he put the blade of the knife against her throat, causing her to stop.
"Don't worry, Katie," he said. "You're not going to die right now."
Nancy swallowed hard and could feel the tip of the knife digging into her throat. "Why do you keep calling me Katie?"
"All in due time, Katie," he said, barely running the tip of the knife across her throat. "I'll tell you everything soon."
"Tell me now," Nancy said.
The man chuckled, sending shivers down Nancy's spine. "I don't think so. I've been watching you, Katie. Why aren't you scared of me?"
"What makes you think I'm not?" Nancy asked.
"I can see it in your eyes. You're angry with me," he said.
"You're killing innocent people," Nancy said.
"I'm killing them for you, Katie. Everything that I am doing is for you," he said. "I thought you would understand that."
This guy is definitely delusional, Nancy thought. I have to get away from him!
Without even thinking, she raised her leg and kicked him as hard as she could in the shin. He lifted the knife from her throat and grabbed his leg, grunting in pain. Nancy pushed past him, but he grabbed her from behind. She tried to scream, but he put a hand over her mouth.
"Why did you have to do that, Katie?" he asked. "I don't want to have to hurt you, but you're not giving me any choice."
Before Nancy could do anything, she felt a searing pain in her back as he stabbed her with his knife. He pulled the knife from her back and let her fall to the floor. Through a haze of pain, Nancy could see hurt all over his face, as if he realized what he had just done.
He dropped to his knees beside her and caressed her face. What she really wanted to do was pull away from him, but she couldn't get herself to move. Nancy could see tears falling from his eyes. "Katie," he whispered. "I didn't mean to, Katie. I didn't want to hurt you–why did you have to upset me like that? It's not your time yet."
Nancy didn't answer him; she could feel herself growing weaker.
"I have to get you help," he said. He got up from the floor and picked up the phone. Nancy watched as he dialed 911.
"I need an ambulance. 1013 River Drive–a woman has been stabbed." He hung up before the operator could say anything to him. He then looked at Nancy again. "I have to go, Katie. But I'll be back for you."
Nancy put a hand to her wound and brought it around to see the blood. It was getting hard for her to think straight now.
Ned! she thought. I need to call Ned!
Nancy slowly crawled to the table where she had left her purse. She pulled it down and dug around for her cell phone. When she found it, she hit the speed dial button for Ned's number. It seemed like forever before he groggily answered the phone.
Nancy said one thing before she lost consciousness. "Ned...I need you."
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Author's Note: Well, as you can see, I survived the hurricane. Sorry it took me so long to get an update, but there's nothing you can do when you don't have a phone for over a month! For those of you who read my profile, you saw the little bit I wrote about the hurricane. It was a very scary experience for me. Next time, I won't be stupid enough to stay at home when another one comes. Luckily, I live far enough from the water and I didn't have to worry about the storm surge. I just had winds and a small tornado near my house.
Okay, to comment on the story. A lot of you thought that Ned or someone else would be the next victim. Guess I kind of took you by surprise on this. Like Dom was saying–he wanted Nancy to feel afraid and what better way than go after her directly. This isn't the end, yet. I still have a good bit to go. As always, leave your reviews and let me know what you think!
P.S.- I do have this story finished. That was the only good thing to come out of my long absence. I will post updates every two or three days, so tell me what you think so I will know if I need to change anything or not!