"I'm a mess aren't I?" She pushed the curls to the side.

"You're the messiest," he said.

She hit his chest with her hand and flinched as pain shot up her wrist.

Worry flashed on his face as he cradled her hand. "Easy. Easy."

She sniffed again and let out a short quiet breath. "I'll be okay. It probably looks worse than it is."

"Do you want to wash it off?"

"Yeah," she said. "I can get it. Do you mind?" She gestured toward the door.

"Not at all." He turned and took a step away.

She gripped his arm. "Dan?"

He looked back, startled. "Yes?"

"Why are you so nice to me?"

His face took on a serious expression and he nodded to himself, as if it was time he confessed a deep inner secret he had been holding back. "Truth be told," he said, "I'm hoping you'll validate my parking."

She pushed him out of the bathroom. "I should have known better than to ask you a serious question."

"You're right," he said, "I'm way better with unserious questions. Quick, ask me an unserious question." The door clicked shut.

She heard him stand for a moment, then walk back to the kitchen. She wanted to revel in the momentary relief Dan had given her-but it was almost noon and the killer would be calling. She washed her hand, wrapped it with gauze from the First Aid Kit, and slipped back into her bedroom.

The clock above her bed gave her three minutes. She folded the covers up and pulled the radio from the hole. Her throat tightened. What if Dan and Amber heard him? She slid the lock on her bedroom door, then climbed into the back of her closet on the other side of the room. There was a volume k.n.o.b on the top of the radio, and based on the markings, she had it turned almost completely off. She gripped it nervously with her thumb and index finger, focusing on the tactile feel of it-while the darkness pressed in on her.

The page light flickered and the beep sounded. She held it close to her mouth. "I'm here."

Static whispered from the device. She turned the volume up to hear his response. "You are not alone," he said in the familiar digital base.

"I'm in the closet. No one can hear." Her heart started racing.

Silence filled the tiny s.p.a.ce. Then... "Did you drop the package?"

"Yes," she said. "But the FBI was there."

"Good. I want them to know who I am. It's all part of telling my story."

She squeezed the radio. "Are you Gary?"

The response was almost immediate. "I'm tired, that's who I am, tired of this world, tired of this burden. You're going to tell the world my story and then you're going to save your son's life. That's what you need to know. Do you understand?"

"Yes..."

"Are you listening?"

"Yes."

"This is what I want you to do. I want you to call every news station in the telephone directory and tell them who you are and that something big is going to happen on the 395 overpa.s.s at exactly 2:00 p.m. Today." He waited for her response.

"I'll call them and tell them."

"You will tell them who you are and that something big is going to happen on the 395 overpa.s.s at exactly 2:00 p.m. Today. Repeat it."

She fumbled with the radio and repeated his request word for word.

"There is a compartment in the bottom of this radio. Inside you will find two ear pieces. At exactly 1:30 you will put them in your ears and put the radio in your pocketbook. From there I will give you instructions on where to go and what to say. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"I want you to go into Gabe's room and write 395 overpa.s.s 2:00 p.m. In blocks on the floor. Tell them I wrote it. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"If you do everything I have explained to you, every eye in the world will be on you, and my story will be heard. That is what I want. Your son does not need to die. You can save him. Repeat it. I can save my son."

"I can save my son." She choked on the words.

"Do you believe it, Holly?"

"Yes."

"Tell my story, and save your son."

The radio went dead. She quickly ran through the instructions in her head. Write the note in blocks. Make the phone calls. Put the earbuds in at 1:30. All she had to do was tell his story, and her son would live. She could do that. She had to. She had to save her son.

Chapter 41.

Jake Paris headed down Main Street, through Sunbury Center, and up toward the Sunbury Theater House where Jenna was working. He circled once and found a parking s.p.a.ce down the street. There was an entrance in the back of the theater. He took it and walked down through creaky back corridors, behind the stage, and down the old concrete stairs that led to the room on stage right. He met a man coming up.

"I'm looking for Jenna. Have you seen her?"

"Yeah, man. She was with Mina near the dressing rooms."

"Is that down here?"

"No. That way," he said, pointing.

Jake headed up the stairs and down the other hallway in the direction the man had pointed. It brought him to a large room filled with costumed people, stage hands, and props. To the left were several doors with name plates on them. He walked down until he got to the door with Jenna's name on it.

"Can I help you?" said a round man in an untucked dress shirt and cargo shorts. He shoved his thick gla.s.ses up the bridge of his nose.

"I'm Jenna's boyfriend. I need to talk to her."

"I'm sorry, you can't be back here. I'll tell her you're here."

"It will only take a second," Jake said, standing his ground.

The man pointed to a set of stairs. "You can wait in the lobby. There are refreshments you can enjoy while you wait."

"You don't understand..."

He gripped his clipboard. "Please don't make this awkward for both of us. She is under a tight schedule and..."

Jake pounded his fist on the door. "Jenna! It's Jake! Open up!"

The round man flagged another man whose neck was as big as his head. He looked Polish-and angry.

Jake pounded harder. "Jenna! I need to talk to you! Please!"

Most of the eyes in the room were now on Jake, and on his impending removal from the theater.

The big man approached, and Jake threw his hands up. "Okay, big guy. No one needs to get hurt."

The man towered over Jake, his muscles practically ripping his tank top. "I'm going to ask you once, nicely," he said, "then there will be a lot of pain."

The door to the dressing room flew open, Mina stood there quickly fastening her robe. "Jake!" she said, in her Mediterranean accent. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to Jenna," he called past her. "Jenna!"

"Come on!" said the meaty Polish man, gripping Jake by the back of the shirt.

Mina held her hand up. "Stop! I'll handle thees. I know you're jus' trying to help, but I think he should know."

"She's not gonna like this, Mina," the round man stammered. "You tell him, she'll kill you."

Jake's eyes flashed from him to Mina. "What is he talking about, Mina?"

"Thees man has gone through enough in the las' couple of days, and he has a right to know."

"Know what?" said Jake.

She pulled him into the room and shut the door.

"Seet," she said. She hopped over to the counter with the cast on her right foot peeking out from the bottom of her satin robe.

"I'm freaking out here. What's going on?"

"Well you're here, so you must suspect something." Her accent caused her to enunciate the consonants. "What ees it you suspect?"

"I- I don't know. She just didn't sound right on the phone. Mina, tell me. Please."

"I think you know."

Did he know? There was something nagging at him, but he hadn't fully worked it out in his mind, so he was surprised to hear the words fall from his tongue. "Is Jenna pregnant?"

Mina's eyes watered; she gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Jake's eyes grew big. Was Aiyana his child?

"You know how much you love Jenna?"

He nodded, confused by the question.

"I love her dat much. Maybe moor. And by telling you thees, I may ruin our friendship forever. Do you see how dis hurts my heart?"

He nodded again solemnly.

"She is so scared, Jake. She doesn't wan to lose you, and yet she feels you slipping away."

"Why would she think that?"

"Because she wans you to commit to her forever and you don! She wans you to prove you will always love her, but you don."

"How? Marriage? We have an understanding. It doesn't have anything to do with her. I'm just not ready."

"She things you are jus' not certain she wheel be the one-and she is afraid."

"Well if she's pregnant, that certainly changes everything. I don't have a choice."

"That ees the problem," she said.

Jake blinked, then squinted at her. "Sorry. I'm lost..."

"She does not wan you to choose her because you have to, she wans you to choose her because she is the one you wan to spend the rest of your life with."

"So-she would rather hide the baby from me and-what?" His voice grew intense. "Is she planning to leave me?"

Her chin quivered and a tear crawled down her cheek. "She loves you too much to leave you."

Jake's pulse quickened. What was Mina saying? Jenna would rather kill the baby? He launched to his feet. "Mina, you need to square up with me. Is she planning something stupid?"

She licked her lip nervously. "She planned dis a week ago, but couldn't go through with it."

He gripped his head. "That's why she's been prodding me about our future and having children. I'm so stupid!"

"She was going to tell you, but then everything changed yesterday. I hurt my foot and she found out you lost your job and..."