36

 

The Knight remembered his encounter with Mark Graham’s housekeeper and snickered at the hint of an invitation to meet his rival.

He was sitting at his dining room table drinking coffee when the morning edition of the Riversdale Herald arrived. Taking a bite of scrambled eggs, he read the first two stories—one about beach erosion control and the other on the Riversdale Thanksgiving parade. So far, nothing exciting. The next article caught his attention. He dropped his fork, clanging it against his plate.

According to the article, the Riversdale PD planned to reopen the cold case involving the murder of Juanita Gonzalez. No weapon had been found. But what if that’d changed? The police might have the murder weapon or DNA evidence. The Knight rubbed the back of his neck. Or both—DNA and a weapon.

In that case, he would need to lie low for a while. But how could he continue to look after Beth? He walked toward the shrine and knelt in front of her picture. Flames from the ring of crimson candles danced. He leaned forward, careful not to set his arm on fire, and touched Beth’s photo. Maybe there were other ways of ensuring her safety, like watching her from a distance. It shouldn’t be too hard to install a webcam in her classroom. Before heading to the bedroom to pack his things, he shot a final look at the photo. I’ve got my eyes on you.

He retrieved a picture of Juanita from his bedroom and hugged it to his chest. Though the Knight could watch Beth from the webcam, he couldn’t risk visiting Juanita’s grave. Though only six feet above and ten minutes away from Riversdale Cemetery, the photo would have to serve as his only connection to his dead friend for now. He hated the man who stole Juanita’s heart—a man in a wheelchair, like Mark had been. But Mark could walk. The Knight tightened his grip on the picture frame. Mark was a fraud, just like the Knight’s stepdad.

The Knight placed Juanita’s photo on his dresser and returned to the dining table. He turned the page of the newspaper and read about the attack on Beth. In the face of danger, Mark had failed to protect her. The Knight grunted. Completely unsatisfactory.

So much to be done, yet now was the time to stay hidden. He didn’t want to rot in jail for Juanita’s murder. Especially since her killing had been justified.