InSight

get by him? He should have been watching. A quick scan of the area didn’t turn up anyone suspicious. He tossed his jacket over the hilt and carefully pulled it out, then wrapped it to run for prints. He didn’t tell Abby.
    * * * * *
    L uke didn’t want to leave Abby, so he sent a text to Pete and told him what happened. He needed him to run the knife for prints. Pete came to pick it up. Luke dragged him off where they could talk without Abby hearing.
    “Whoever ran Matt off the road and sliced through Abby’s jacket did so in broad daylight. These were bold acts, Pete. No skulking in the dead of night or behind closed doors.”
    Pete’s teeth locked into a growl-like sneer. Luke couldn’t make out his words. “Repeat.”
    “I said, son of a bitch.”
    Luke nodded. “I always thought if Abby’s tormentor had wanted to kill her, he would have already done it. Now I’m not so sure. The FBI would profile a sadist who got his kicks scaring people half to death before he actually killed them. Make no mistake, this is a deadly game.”
    “Agreed. I’ll get back to you. Tell Abby I had a call.”
    Luke felt the anxiety building. He needed to do something. He remembered the Charleston cop and looked up the email address to introduce himself to Norm Archer. After writing a little history, he suggested to Archer that the Charleston CSU might want to check the tire marks at the scene of Matt’s accident. Then he filled him in on the last couple of months. He asked the detective to contact him through an email if he found anything supporting Luke’s theory.
    * * * * *
    I t had been a long day. Luke made dinner, but Abby sensed his distraction. When he disappeared into his office, she put on her earphones to listen to a novel. She heard his voice bellow over the book’s narrator. Daisy barked.
    “What the hell ― ” His hand encircled her arm and he pulled her up from the sofa.
    “What’s happening?”
    “Sit here and don’t ask any questions.”
    “You’re scaring me, Luke. What is it?”
    “My lights are flashing. Someone’s on the property. Keep Daisy quiet.”
    “Isn’t…isn’t a siren supposed to go off?”
    “I only activate it when I sleep. Do you hear anything outside?”
    “I can’t hear anything over my pounding heart.”
    “It’ll be all right. Don’t worry.”
    “Don’t worry? You’re kidding, right?”
    “Stay calm. Take this.”
    He put a cylindrical object in her hand. “What is it?”
    “It’s a laser light.” He directed her finger onto a button. “If you hear anything from any part of the house, press the button and point in the direction of the sound. I’m shutting off the lights. The flashers last long enough to get my attention. Sit here and be quiet.”
    Sit here and be quiet? She felt like a sitting duck. She bit her lip so hard it hurt. A drawer opened. The unmistakable sound of Luke checking the load of his gun sent fear through her. She wanted to tell him to call the police. But he was the police. And he was too stubborn and proud to call for help. And she was too scared to move.

Chapter Twenty-Seven
    The Uninvited Guest

    A bby held the laser pointer in one hand, and Daisy with the other. Her attempt to calm her restless dog seemed futile because Daisy sensed her terror.
    “I see someone outside,” Luke whispered. “I’m going around back.”
    Abby’s heart rate elevated to what felt like a perilous level. “Be careful. If it’s Collyer, he won’t think twice about killing you.”
    But with the lights off, Luke didn’t know she’d spoken. She felt the air move as he passed and grabbed at him, catching the edge of his pants.
    “Don’t worry,” he said, as if he read her thoughts. “I can take care of myself.”
    Sure you can, if you hear him sneak up on you.
    A sighted person eventually adjusts to the dark, able to see shapes and movement, even in the darkest night. She heard no sounds from outside and hoped Luke’s other senses kicked into high gear, because that’s all he had.
    Within minutes, the kitchen door crashed open, and she heard the click of the light switch. Daisy tensed and barked. Not knowing what was happening added to Abby’s gnawing fear.
    “Get in there.”
    A measure of relief washed over her as she heard Luke’s voice in control. A scurry of feet advanced down the hall toward the living room. She stood up, not wanting Graeme Collyer to see her hunkered into herself like a scared rabbit.
    But the voice she heard