I WAS LOST IN his words when my eye caught sight of the guard on his side of the glass. He moved toward Jasper and my hand came up, like I might stop him. Force him to give us more time.
“There was an outhouse?” I blurted out, interrupting him.
Jasper stopped midsentence. His head tilted as he stared at me. The guard seemed to inch closer in slow motion.
“What did you say?”
“There was an outhouse. And the baby. Did you know about that?”
Jasper’s eyes narrowed. He stood, one palm against the glass. Inching closer, the corner of his mouth lifted in a primal sneer.
“You stay away from her,” he hissed.
I lurched back, my own hand coming up defensively. “What? Who?”
“I’m warning you, Theodore.” Right before my eyes, Jasper Ross-Johnson transformed into the Halo Killer. “You think it’s safe, don’t you? That I’m locked away in this abomination. Not everything is at it appears.”
His mouth gaped into a pantomime smile. When his teeth clicked together again, he hissed a final, mortal warning at me.
“Stay away from that girl, or you’ll regret it.”