11

 

“Silly girl. We could have been friends. I could have protected you from men like that.” The Knight tore the basketball team captain’s photo and tossed it into the flames.

Gossip spread across campus like wildfire. The girl had gotten pregnant, dropped out of college, and moved out of town. And it turned out the guy he thought was her boyfriend, wasn’t after all. Still, he could have helped her. He would have been a good friend, if she would have let him. The Knight picked up a stack of newspapers from his floor. Maybe he’d burn them rather than recycle them.

Flames danced in his fireplace. Embers flickered here and there, crackling and mesmerizing him. He untied the twine that held the bundle together and removed papers one at a time and wadded them before tossing them into the fire. The page with the pictures of the teachers caught his eye—Beth Martindale. He straightened the paper and flattened it on his dining room table. Grabbing a pair of scissors, the Knight cut out her photo. With great care, he placed it in a picture frame then set it inside the circle of red candles.

Beth. Yes, she would be his next project. Spending time getting to know her shouldn’t be too hard. He looked forward to learning more about her, studying her schedule, watching her every move. She’d been there, right in front of him. And based on what he’d seen, Beth might very well be in need of his assistance.

He let out a sigh and grabbed the bottle of pills off the table and took two. Needing to appear sane at work and around Beth, he’d have to take them, at least for the moment. He grabbed a pen and yellow notepad from his desk. Beth would see things from his perspective—all in due time.