The Fire Witness

167

Elin locks the door with Vicky inside. She’s shaking and her arms and legs are numb from the effort she’s just made. Her cell phone rings and she sees that she’s gotten a text message from Vicky’s cell phone.

Sorry. I can’t tell more lies. Don’t be sad. Hugs, V

Elin feels nauseated and her heart is hammering. Her thoughts are tumbling too quickly in her head. It takes her a moment to understand what’s going on. Daniel must have just sent her this message from Vicky’s cell phone. She heads downstairs to the large living room. The metal shutters are still closed throughout the house.

She catches sight of someone: Daniel. He’s at the head of the basement stairs and must have just come up from the garage. She knows that she’ll have to keep him occupied until the police arrive.

“She went through with it,” Elin says. “Vicky locked the door. I couldn’t get it open in time. I don’t understand.”

“What are you saying?” Daniel says slowly, looking at her with shining eyes.

“She’s dead. I’ve got to call someone about this.”

“That’s right,” he says.

“Daniel, I don’t get it.”

“You don’t?”

“No, I’m-”

“After killing you, Vicky went to her room and hanged herself.”

“What?”

“You shouldn’t have come back so soon,” Daniel says.

Elin catches a glimpse of the ax Daniel is holding behind his back. She makes a run for the front door, but he’s right behind her. She twists to the right and pulls a chair over behind her. He trips over the chair so now she has a slight head start. She runs through the kitchen and into the hall. He’s right behind her. There is nowhere to hide. She runs into Jack’s old bedroom and locks the door behind her. She hits the button to open the metal shutters.

I’m not going to get out, she thinks. It takes too long for the shutters to open.

The motor whirs and then there’s the creaking sound as the aluminum panels start to part. Light starts to stream through the tiny holes.

Elin screams when the first ax blow hits the door. The blade goes through the wood by the lock, is turned to the side and drawn back out.

The shutters slowly rattle upward. She can see a few inches of window when the ax falls a second time.

She can’t wait in Jack’s bedroom. She stumbles into the bathroom as she hears Daniel break open the door. She can hear the wood splinter and the door being pushed aside.

She catches a glimpse of herself in the large mirror as she runs through the bathroom past the tub, the shower, the sauna, out the other door, and into Jack’s office. It’s so dark, she runs into Jack’s pedestal desk. Folders and files crash to the floor. She opens a desk drawer, dumps out pens and pencils, and gropes through them. She grabs the letter opener.

She can tell by the silence that the shutters have finished opening in the bedroom. She hears something fall into the large bathtub. Daniel is still coming after her. Elin kicks off her shoes and sneaks out the door to the hall, closing it silently behind her.

She thinks perhaps she could follow Daniel and get in the bedroom through the broken door and try to open the window.

She takes a few steps and then changes her mind and runs down the hall.

“Elin!” Daniel calls behind her.

The door to the large guest room is locked. She turns the key, but the lock sticks. She looks back and sees Daniel striding down the hall. She pulls at the door handle but it won’t budge. A shadow crosses the door and she leaps to the side.

The ax misses her head. The blade clangs into the concrete wall behind her and changes direction so fast that Daniel loses his grip on it. The ax slams to the floor.