Free It Takes a Killer by Natalia Hale Page B

with the same little logo that was hanging over a small shop in the centre of town.  A shop only the locals knew about. 
    “So you’re one of us,” Hannah mumbled.  One of her own.  She shifted her jaw in thought.  Her anger dwindled at the thought of someone she grew up with being the one behind this, and she thought they would have come out and talked to her.  What was the point of hiding behind ribbons and gifts?   
    They held all the power, or at least they thought they did.  Hannah felt they were being a coward—embracing the darkness but hiding it at the same time.  Smart, but dishonourable in her eyes. 
    Still, a slight against Mariana, no matter how disloyal the woman was, was a slight against herself.  Hannah had no choice but to follow the instructions, and do exactly as the killer wanted. 
     
    Hannah found herself walking on her toes, nerves settled in.  Her hands were fisted in her pockets, and while she was moving quickly she felt like she needed to move faster.  She had to check her reflection in each store she passed just to make sure she was in as much control of her body as she always was; and each time she check, she found she was the visage of the woman she always appeared to be, going to an unknown location.  Nobody around her would be able to guess she was headed to a rendezvous with a killer.  A killer that had her best friend in their clutches.
    In the back of her mind Hannah was still working through the possible scenarios she could come upon.  Perhaps Mariana wasn’t actually taken, and the earring was a ruse.  Perhaps she was already dead and the perpetrator intended the same fate for Hannah.  Perhaps Father Tompkins was the one behind all of this; since the note had said Dane was cleansed, and she was now heading for the church.  Perhaps Mariana was behind everything.
    Hannah found herself kind of liking that thought.
    Not knowing, however, was killing Hannah.  It had been fun for a short while but now she hated how vulnerable it made her.  She swore that when this was over she would always make sure she was the one in control—starting with convincing the town that she wasn’t a threat.
    Hannah’s heels clicked against the concrete and each one felt like an announcement of her presence.  She rounded the street corner and came upon the church, the point looming overhead.  The small cross at the very top wasn’t doing anyone in this town any good, it seemed, least of all Hannah.  But she found it comforting that it was still standing, and she stepped towards the church.
    There was nobody around so late at night, and Hannah didn’t worry about looking over her shoulder.  The church was always open in Garnet’s Lake, and anyone that might see her could draw their own conclusion as to why she was there.  Nobody would guess the truth.
    The large door creaked as it opened, a sound that was normally drowned out by all the voices inside.  Hannah could hear the faint sound of someone breathing—steady and calm across the room.  She peered into the moonlight but didn’t see anyone.  Her senses were on high alert, and she had to decipher between what she knew was there and what she assumed. 
    Hannah moved forward again, letting her purse drop to the ground.  Her eyes scanned the pews as she walked, heels silent against the carpet.  Wings fluttered outside, casting mixed shadows across the church floor.  Hannah stopped at the front of the pews.
    “You didn’t jump,” a voice said.  “Interesting.”
    Hannah flinched at the sudden voice but managed to keep her face still.  She turned slowly, as if she weren’t a surprise there was a person behind her.  In a way she wasn’t surprised that she’d been caught off guard, but she had anticipated they would come from the side entrance not the front.  It irked her, and the pinch in her chest hurt.
    “Officer Martin,” Hannah said clearly.  Before she could inspect the officer her eyes fell to a figure in