CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

 

Selene could barely believe that Michel had broken into her house. She didn’t even want to think about what other crimes he might have committed. Or had in mind now.

She took a step back, found the light switch on the wall, and turned it on.

Michel stood there with a satisfied grin on his face. “Scared you, huh, baby?”

“How did you get in here?” she snapped. What concerned her most was the fact that he was there at all. And Quinn was not.

“I told you I could get to you whenever I wanted,” Michel boasted confidently, blocking her path to the stairs.

Selene thought she detected alcohol on his breath. She could tell by his demeanor that he wasn’t drunk, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t still a threat to her.

“I hope you realize that breaking and entering is a felony. Is that what you want, Michel? To be locked up?”

Selene wondered if the power being out had affected the security system, since it hadn’t given her any indication that an intruder was in the house. Was that what Michel had counted on?

“I didn’t break in anywhere,” Michel snorted. “I walked right through the front door. That bastard you’re living with must’ve left it open in his haste to get away from you.”

So he knew Quinn wasn’t home, Selene thought. “Do you expect me to believe that? Quinn wouldn’t just leave the door open for anyone to walk in—least of all, you!”

Michel smiled. “So maybe he’s careless—or just plain dumb.”

Selene leveled her eyes at him. “First the power goes out, then you show up in the basement. That’s a little too convenient and we both know it.”

Michel shrugged. “Hey, can I help it if things happen sometimes when you least expect them to? That doesn’t make me guilty of anything but missing my wife.”

“I’m not your wife!” she retorted. “And stalking me like this won’t change that, Michel...”

Selene realized that he had not been served with the temporary restraining order yet, since they couldn’t find him. Meaning Michel was not legally bound to stay away from her. And he obviously felt no moral obligation to do so. But that didn’t give him the right to break into her house or otherwise enter uninvited.

Michel’s gaze hardened and, for an instant, Selene thought he was actually going to strike her. Instead, his features relaxed and his arms remained at his side.

“We’ll always be married, Selene, no matter what a piece of paper says,” he muttered. “And this ain’t stalking. To me, it’s just being friendly. I’m communicating again with the woman I still love...”

She glared at him. “You can call it whatever you want, but it won’t change things. I’m asking you to get out of my house and don’t come back. Quinn’s going to be home at any moment now. If he finds you here...”

“He’ll do what?” Michel’s eyes widened with amusement. “He doesn’t want to mess with me!”

Selene considered making a run for it. Or hitting Michel where it hurt. But other thoughts began to circulate in her mind. Such as the fire at S.A.W. House. And the mysterious phone call. Both seemed to have Michel’s signature all over them.

Selene recalled Detective Cramer’s words: If he shows up again, maybe you can ask him where he’s holed up. Or stall him till we can get someone there—

She weighed the risks of keeping Michel there versus trying to get him to leave, and decided she needed some answers from him while the opportunity presented itself. If he tried anything, she wouldn’t give in without a fight.

“Did you set the fire at the shelter?”

He frowned. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

Selene gritted her teeth. “And I suppose you don’t know anything about the crank call I received the other night either?”

Michel leered at her. “Right again. Sounds like you’ve gotten yourself on someone’s bad side, baby.”

“Yeah, yours!”

“Can’t take credit for something I don’t know nothin’ about.”

“Liar!” Selene was sure he was behind one, the other, or both. But proving it was a different story.

“Next thing I know, you’ll be trying to pin this Woods Strangler rap on me, too.” Michel stepped closer and caressed her face with the back of his hand. “If I wanted to strangle someone, it wouldn’t be a woman I picked at random—”

Selene winced at the feel of his calloused hand on her cheek. Her body tensed as the memories of Michel’s abuse came flooding back like a tidal wave.

She knew she had to keep him talking.

“You said you were working on some leads regarding the killer’s identity...” Selene stammered. “What did you find out?” She inched away, hoping Quinn would come running down the steps to rescue her.

Michel snickered. “I’m still working on it.”

Yeah, I’ll bet you are. “So who are you talking to?”

“People who ain’t afraid to speak out,” he said evasively. “I’m guessing your psycho killer is a member of this upstanding community.”

Selene thought about the anonymous caller implicating Quinn.

“Like who—my husband?”

Michel grinned mischievously. “Hey, if the shoe fits, he’s as good a suspect as the next guy.”

“You need help if you really believe that,” Selene retorted, refusing to even dignify the suggestion. “Why don’t you go to the police with your outlandish theories—see what they’re worth.”

“I will, when the time’s right.” Michel jutted his chin. “My first priority is to get you back where you belong.”

He approached her, and she raised her arm defensively. “Stay away from me...”

“Or what?” His brow crinkled. “You’ll beat me up? Call the cops? Sick your man on me?” He laughed derisively.

“How about the next best thing? A good friend who hates like hell to see women being picked on by an asshole like you!”

The voice boomed from above and Selene’s eyes darted toward the stairwell just as Todd Foxworth lunged at Michel. Both men fell to the floor. Once Michel overcame his shock, he threw a punch that barely grazed Todd’s shoulder. Before Selene could properly digest what she was seeing, Todd had gotten on top of Michel, who was face down, and twisted his right arm behind his back taking firm control of him.

Michel groaned helplessly.

“Are you okay, Selene?” Todd looked up, panting.

“Yes,” she said, though her stomach was still tied up in knots. “How did you get—?”

“I dropped by to see if Quinn wanted to run,” he explained. “Saw Elisa and she told me he had had already gone jogging, Marvin was at work, and she thought she saw someone lurking around your house. I found the front door open and told Elisa to call the police while I checked things out.” Todd took a breath. “I’ll keep him pinned down till they arrive.”

“The power went out,” Selene said. “I think it must have interfered with the security alarm.”

“I don’t think so,” Todd said. “I think you probably forgot to set it when Quinn left.”

Had she? It had become routine to set the alarm when she was in the house—especially when she was alone. Had she unwittingly let Michel in?

“Get off me, man,” Michel grunted, squirming beneath Todd’s evenly distributed weight.

“Not a chance in hell!” Todd tightened his grip on Michel’s arm. “You picked the wrong house to break into or whatever you had in mind—”

Michel looked at Selene. “It doesn’t have to be like this, baby. Tell this son of a bitch I’m not a burglar or strangler...”

Todd raised a brow. “You know him?”

She hated to admit it, but Selene heard the words come out of her mouth mechanically, “He’s my ex-husband—”