Valentine Killer: Die For Me Part 26

"Katelynn."

Right. "So I guess you saw the news."

She eased into her usual seat at the bar. Ben wasn't there. Pity. She would have liked to talk to them both.

And tell them to be on guard.

Because that was part of the reason she was there. Not just to apologize for scaring both men yesterday, but also to warn them.

She'd told Dane the truth when she said these men were the closest things to friends that she had. Would that closeness cause them to be targets?

Katherine couldn't take that chance.

Joe's gaze swept over her face. He was guarded today, whereas before he'd always greeted her with a warm smile.

The smile was gone now.

"I saw on the news," Joe said quietly as he leaned toward her, "they found that man in your gallery."

She nodded.

It seemed as if the other voices had hushed in the diner. Or was that her imagination?

"Then you were walking here, with that gun in your hand..."

Katherine took a deep breath and leaned toward him. "There's a very dangerous killer hunting in this city."

"Valentine." The lines near his eyes seemed deeper.

"Yes. I had the gun yesterday-I had it because I was trying to protect myself."

"From the killer."

"He's a man who doesn't give up what he wants." Lucky her, she seemed to be what he wanted. Katherine leaned forward. "I want you to promise me you'll be on guard, okay? Don't go alone anywhere, don't stay at the cafe late by yourself. Just be careful."

His brows climbed. "Is that why you came here today? To tell me to be careful?"

"I think he's been watching me." I know he's been watching me. "So that means he might have been watching the people in my life, too. You and Ben...you two have always been good to me, and I would never want anything to happen to either of you. You and Ben...you're the closest I came to having friends here."

Joe was silent a moment, then he turned away from her. Katherine's shoulders wanted to slump, but she held them upright with an effort. She hadn't exactly expected a warm reception, but she'd wanted to warn Joe.

A hot mug of cafe au lait was pushed in front of her. Katherine glanced up in surprise.

Joe held her gaze. "We're not close to friends. We are friends...Katherine."

Her smile trembled.

But then Joe was called away by another customer before she could say anything else to him. Katherine took a sip of the cafe au lait. She felt warmer now, and it wasn't because of the drink.

The bell on the door jingled, and Katherine glanced over, hoping to see Ben. Only Ben wasn't in the doorway.

Another familiar figure was.

Evelyn?

Tension knifed through Katherine as Evelyn's gaze seemed to laser in on her.

Katherine shoved to her feet. She tossed some money down on the counter. This was not the place to have a public battle. Joe deserved better than that. Evelyn had tracked her there, obviously. From their sessions together, Evelyn knew of Katherine's routine stops by the cafe.

She came looking for me.

Fine, but Katherine would take that battle away from Joe.

Evelyn marched toward her.

Katherine shook her head. "I'm not going to-"

"I'm sorry." Evelyn's voice was stark.

Katherine frowned, and she realized that mascara stains were beneath Evelyn's eyes. The woman's makeup was rubbed off. No, it looked like she hadn't put on any makeup since the previous night.

Fear was etched across Evelyn's face.

"I was out of control yesterday. So upset about Trent. I-" Evelyn sucked in a deep breath. Her shaking hands. .h.i.t the counter, sending the cafe au lait cras.h.i.+ng to the side. "I should never have gone to the media. I was just hurting so much."

This was an Evelyn that Katherine had never seen before. Usually the psychiatrist was so controlled.

But emotions were pouring out of the woman now.

Katherine slowly sat back down on the stool. A waitress slid a fresh mug of cafe au lait toward her.

"I think he was in my house."

"Something for you, miss?" the waitress asked, cutting in.

Evelyn looked blankly at her.

"Get her the same," Katherine said softly.

"When I got home last night, my front door was unlocked." Evelyn's eyes were bright with tears. "Is he coming after me? Because of what I did to you?" Her voice was a stark whisper that carried only to Katherine.

"I don't know what he's doing," Katherine said.

Another mug was pushed forward. Evelyn's hands were shaking so hard that she spilled more of the hot liquid. Katherine tried to help her wipe it up.

"I don't want to die." Evelyn wasn't looking at her as the shrink made the confession.

Neither do I.

"Should I leave town?" Evelyn took a sip of her drink. "Will I be safe then?"

Katherine drank some of her own cafe au lait as she tried to think. She'd tried fleeing and getting a new ident.i.ty, but Valentine had still tracked her.

"I won't be safe then, will I?" The hope had bled from Evelyn's voice.

Katherine glanced at her. "Dane and Mac are going to find him. They found evidence of a drug he used on his victims-"

Evelyn's eyes widened.

"They're tracking it," Katherine said. "We just have to-" Stay alive until they stop him. No, she couldn't say that. Katherine drank more of her cafe au lait. She put the nearly empty mug back down. "Don't stay by yourself. Go to a friend's, a relative's. Get police protection."

"I have it," Evelyn confessed as her eyes cut to a man in a nearby booth.

Katherine's temples began to throb. Evelyn in Valentine's crosshairs? First Trent, now Evelyn. No wonder the woman was scared.

Katherine was terrified for her.

"Hearing about him was one thing," Evelyn whispered. "Our sessions, that was different." She grabbed Katherine's hand. Held tight. "I don't want to be one of his victims."

Katherine swallowed. The throbbing in her temples was getting worse. "Do you have relatives out of town you can stay with?"

Evelyn nodded.

"Then go to them." Just because he'd followed Katherine didn't mean he'd follow Evelyn. Maybe once she was out of town, his focus would s.h.i.+ft back to- Me.

"How have you done it?" Evelyn asked as she raked a hand through her hair. "All of these years, knowing he was hunting you..."

"It was hard to stay sane," Katherine confessed. "Guess that's why I wound up seeing you."

Evelyn blinked, as if surprised, and a ghost of smile tilted her lips.

The jingle came from the diner's door once more.

Katherine glanced over. This time Ben was in the doorway, with his blonde girlfriend by his side.

She had to talk to him. Needed to warn him, too.

"Excuse me," Katherine murmured, but the words sounded funny to her ears.

Katherine tried to stand up, but her knees gave way. She hit the floor with an impact that jarred her whole body.

Her hands pushed weakly against the tile, but she couldn't get up.

"Katherine?" Ben was rus.h.i.+ng toward her.

"Katherine!" Evelyn crouched in front of her. "What's happening?"

The plainclothes cops were rus.h.i.+ng up behind Evelyn.

Then Evelyn became a blur. Katherine's eyes began to roll back in her head. Her body shook, convulsing.

"She's seizing!" Evelyn yelled. "Call an ambulance!"

Hard hands were on Katherine, holding her down, but her body kept bucking. A rough, bitter taste was in her mouth, and her heart was racing so fast. Too fast.

"Katherine?" The voice came from her right. She tried to focus but couldn't see anything.

"Katherine, it's Ben. Hold on, okay? Joe's calling an ambulance right now."

Ben. She needed to warn Ben. "Kill..."

"What is she saying?" Ben asked. "Katherine, say it again."

"Run..." Run from the killer. Valentine is in town. I don't want anyone else hurt.

No one else under his knife.

But she couldn't tell Ben that. She couldn't say anything, because when she tried to speak, she started to choke.

"Clear her airway!" That voice belonged to one of the cops. Then a hand was under Katherine's chin. She attempted to suck in air but couldn't.

She couldn't breathe at all.

And she stopped hearing the voices around her.

"Katherine?"

Someone squeezed her hand.

There was a buzz of voices.

Doors slammed.

"You're gonna be okay, all right? Maggie, call your dad. Let him know what's happening." The voice was deep and male, and she recognized it.

Her world started to move-no, she was moving. Being loaded into...something. An ambulance?

"I'll stay with her," the voice said, and then he was there. Ben, frowning down at her. "I used to be an EMT," he said, and she realized that an EMT was on her right, pus.h.i.+ng a needle into her arm.

Katherine flinched.

"It's okay. Hey, hey, keep those eyes open!" Ben snapped.

She wanted to, but it was so hard.

His fingers squeezed hers.

"Are you having an allergic reaction to something?" Ben asked her. "Did something-"