A First Love to Die For

Chapter Forty-Four- Insane

(Josie's POV)

I knew that the smartest move was to get Candy talking but holy shit, I hadn't realized how eye-opening it was going to be. She was certifiably insane.

I mean, of course, she was. I had been kidnapped by her. She planned on torturing and murdering me. But this was Candy we were talking about. My archnemesis sure, but not because she was a killer. It was as if I had stepped into an alternate reality and was just trying to find my bearings.

I had known her since kindergarten. The fact that I hadn't known... hadn't realized that she was absolutely insane was more than troubling... it was downright terrifying. It added an extra layer of worry on top of the shit pile I already had because it meant she was strategic and smart.

What were the chances that they were going to find me in time?

She started off by telling me about her first murder. The cop in me listened to the information knowing it was Sarah James she was talking about. That she had been saving up to go away for her first year of university. That she had never reached her twentieth year. That her family had blamed themselves for their reaction to her coming out.

So young. So tragic.

"I had been dating Terry for two years. He was the first boyfriend that I had allowed myself to be with after Lincoln."

As she said Lincoln's name, she stared me down silently, as if waiting for me to say something. I was more concerned with hearing the rest of the story.

"I thought he was taking me out on a romantic date, but it turned out he was taking me out on a date to break up with me. He thought I wouldn't make as much of a scene in a public place."

Props to Terry for recognizing her crazy.

"He told me that he had met someone else. That he was with someone else and couldn't carry on the charade any longer."

I was appalled as she continued on, her biggest issue with the evening was that the waitress looked like me. "It was like you were there, you were the reason for another horrible breakup. First Lincoln, then Terry."

She didn't seem to hold Terry accountable for his actions at all. It wasn't that he had cheated on her. That he had moved on. That he had broken up with her in public and then left her to pay for the tab. It was Sarah's fault, how dare she be born looking like me?

"Can you believe that she watched him break up with me and then asked me to pay the bill? The fucking nerve!"

Like that was the waitress's fault. Did she even know that he had broken up with you?

She waved her hand in the air. "I knew that it was all a sign that I was meant for something more."

Does more mean torturing and killing multiple women? 

Her mask of sanity was well and truly gone and I was appalled. Before I could help myself, I said, "I personally, would have blamed Terry."

I knew right away that I had messed up. I wasn't meant to speak. The fury flashed in her eyes as she launched herself out of the chair she had been sitting in and pounded her fist into my jaw.

There was an ugly crunch as I veered backward, and my body hit the wall. The cuffs scraped against my wrists as my body shifted, swinging in the air and then came back to a standstill.

One of her rings must have cut me. There was blood dripping down my chin and the immediate ache told me it was going to bruise.

She was oblivious to my pain or she didn't care. Most likely the latter.