Free The Haunted (Sarah Roberts 12) by Jonas Saul Page B

burn victim guard pushed her out into the corridor, turned left and started down the hall.
     
    “What time is it?” she asked.
     
    “Almost dinner.”
     
    “What? I thought it was breakfast. You even said breakfast.”
     
    “No, I didn’t. I said dinner.”
     
    “You said breakfast.”
     
    “If I did, I meant it was your breakfast as you just woke up.”
     
    “You said breakfast.”
     
    Helena’s voice echoed in her head. The burning comes in the night …
     
    The burning?
     
    Did she mean the man pushing her wheelchair? The burned man pushing the chair?
     
    Sweet release?
     
    Was she referring to the guard? Could he be molesting the patients here? In the acute ward where no one was sane enough to be listened to with any credibility?
     
    Vivian’s essence brushed up against her consciousness. “I’m sorry, Sarah.”
     
    The voice echoed in her head and made her jump at the intrusion.
     
    “You okay?” the guard asked.
     
    “Yeah.”
     
    “The only way to access Cole and see for yourself the monster he has become was to get you inside this facility,” Vivian whispered.
     
    “What?” Sarah said. “Really?”
     
    The wheelchair slowed. They had just walked through a set of double doors. “Were you talking to me?” the guard asked.
     
    Sarah lowered her head and shook it. “Mumbling to myself.”
     
    “He’s too protected otherwise,” Vivian added.
     
    Vivian! You got me committed to a mental institution to meet Cole?
     
    “You don’t remember me, do you?” the guard asked. “It’s the new face, isn’t it?”
     
    Another set of double doors brought them out to a set of communal showers.
     
    “Fancy we should meet again,” he said. The wheelchair stopped. He moved away.
     
    Sarah breathed through her nose, even and regular, her head still dipped down. When he released her for the shower, she would kill him and the burning would never come in the night ever again for any unwilling victim.
     
    “I knew you were looking for me,” he said. “I watched from afar. Saw how busy you were keeping.” A shower head flicked on, the force strong. “I knew we’d meet again, Sarah. It was just a matter of time.”
     
    He started back toward her.
     
    “Being my prisoner has its benefits. I’ll take care of you just like I used to. I’ll even try to make you enjoy our time together. Then you will die in the fire that will ravage this building, along with all the other crazies.” He leaned down in front of her and looked up into her face. “I work the night shift. Just coming on duty, in fact. I requested everyone leave you for me to tend to. Tonight, we’ll be reunited. Won’t that be something?”
     
    His burnt skin didn’t repulse her anymore. She wanted to grab it and tear it from his skull.
     
    Her fingers clenched, then unclenched.
     
    “You’re upset, possibly angry. It’s okay, little Sarah. I’ll make you feel better tonight.” He stood up and walked around behind the chair. Then he proceeded to push her under the gushing water. “Clean up, baby. Get all clean for daddy. Tonight, we party like it’s 1999.” He laughed, a deep rumbling chortle.
     
    Silent fury, more than she had ever known, flowed through her veins, her core, her heart, and she knew in that moment that Cole Lincoln would die a violent death and his reign of terror and rape would come to a karmic end.
     
    She didn’t suffer from any doubt on that count as the water obscured her vision of him.
     
    “You will suffer, Cole Lincoln,” she said to herself under the torrent of water. “You will suffer.”
     

Chapter 14

    Aaron leaned in and typed on the small keyboard of Kershaw’s laptop with Parkman standing over his shoulder.
     
      Sarah’s iCloud account opened, and Aaron clicked on her inbox and opened the email reply from Rebecca. After rereading the opening lines from her, he scanned the rest of the email.
     
    “Here, Parkman, take a look at this. Rebecca’s brother is a