‹ Prequel: Beyond
Status: Last story in the Avidity trilogy.
Sinister
Urge
I shot up, drenched in sweat, my heart pounding frantically. All around me was darkness, and the tick-tick-ticking of a clock somewhere in the room.
I didn't have a clock in my bedroom.
But there was one in my office—at the precinct.
Suddenly there was light. It flooded the small room and blinded me. Then someone spoke.
"Charlotte? What are you doing here?"
Ray.
I swallowed, because the image of his head split open still haunted me. I knew I couldn't do that to him.
"Charlotte?" he pressed, his tone worried.
He had entered the room, and now stood in front of me. He put a hand on my shoulder, and I flinched. I eyed the paperweight on my desk, and shut my eyes, the urge to smash him with it growing.
You are not a killer. You made a mistake.
Twice?
"Did you fall asleep here?"
No shit. And thankfully he had missed the black look that settled in front of my eyes when I looked up at him.
"Big work load," I said, gesturing to the papers strewn about.
Ray leaned against the desk. "At least you don't have to work on the Hayes case any longer. That was brutal on you and Scott." After a few minutes of silence, he said, "Fuck, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—"
"It's okay, Ray. What happened with Scott was awful. Sometimes I still have nightmares about it."
And about him killing me, while my dead best friend watches.
His fingers squeezed my shoulder. "If you ever want to talk, you know I'm here for you." He ripped off a post-it from the stack on my desk and wrote something on it. Then stood. "It's my number. Call me any time."
"Sure." But I wouldn't, and he knew that. "Ray?"
He turned.
"Turn off the light and shut the door on your way out."
I didn't have a clock in my bedroom.
But there was one in my office—at the precinct.
Suddenly there was light. It flooded the small room and blinded me. Then someone spoke.
"Charlotte? What are you doing here?"
Ray.
I swallowed, because the image of his head split open still haunted me. I knew I couldn't do that to him.
"Charlotte?" he pressed, his tone worried.
He had entered the room, and now stood in front of me. He put a hand on my shoulder, and I flinched. I eyed the paperweight on my desk, and shut my eyes, the urge to smash him with it growing.
You are not a killer. You made a mistake.
Twice?
"Did you fall asleep here?"
No shit. And thankfully he had missed the black look that settled in front of my eyes when I looked up at him.
"Big work load," I said, gesturing to the papers strewn about.
Ray leaned against the desk. "At least you don't have to work on the Hayes case any longer. That was brutal on you and Scott." After a few minutes of silence, he said, "Fuck, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—"
"It's okay, Ray. What happened with Scott was awful. Sometimes I still have nightmares about it."
And about him killing me, while my dead best friend watches.
His fingers squeezed my shoulder. "If you ever want to talk, you know I'm here for you." He ripped off a post-it from the stack on my desk and wrote something on it. Then stood. "It's my number. Call me any time."
"Sure." But I wouldn't, and he knew that. "Ray?"
He turned.
"Turn off the light and shut the door on your way out."