Nicole Dupree has officially stepped out of the shadows in Fairmont Crest, but her protective instincts may have just painted a target on her own back. The longtime therapist and family matriarch has gone head-to-head with Heather Armstrong, the cold-blooded killer known asthe Impaler, andtension between the two women reacheda boiling point inadeserted warehouse. The confrontation beganearlier whenNicole spotted HeatheratGarland Memorial Hospital, wherethe younger Armstrong woman washaving her hand stitched upbyDr. Carlton Fitzgeraldu.
Heatherplayedthe damsel in distress, butNicole, a clinical psychologist, immediately caughtinconsistencies inherstory aboutthe injuryu. The alarm bells only grew louderwhenNicole learnedHeather wasJoey Armstrong’ssister—the sameJoey whohad once threatenedMartin RichardsonoverKenny’sdeath, usingblackmailandintimidationtocontrolhimu. Nicole quicklymoved from suspiciontoprotection, warningJoey andVanessaMcBridetostay awayfromher grandchildrenwhenHeather approachedthekidsatOrphy Jeanswithsickly-sweetcomplimentsu. ButNicole did not stop attheverbal confrontationu.
She began secretly investigatingtheyoungerArmstrong, trackinghersuspiciousactivitiesaroundtownu. Heramateur sleuthingpaysoffinadesertedwarehousen, whereshe watchedHeathermakeahushedphonecall and immediatelydestroytheSIM cardfromherphone afterwardu. ToNicole, thatbehavior screamedburner phoneandcriminal enterpriseu. She followedHeathertothewarehouse, creepingthroughshadowsas sheclosedinonthetruthabouttheImpaler’s operationu.
Thatis whenHeather,sensing shewasbeingwatched, turned aroundandlocked eyeswithNicolein theim, dustywarehouseu. The two womennow standfacetoface, eachawaretheotherisknows too muchu. The critical phone callNicole witnessedwas linkedtoJacob Hawthorner’sdiscoveryofadirectconnectionbetweenthelocalplasmaringandacracked ringinSan Francisco, coordinatedthroughasharedphonenumberu. BydestroyingtheSIM card,Heather was trying tocoverher tracks, butshedid notrealizeshehadgivenNicoletheevidence she neededto knowhersecretwas dangerousu.
Thestaredownhas lefttheirfateshangingu. Smittyhaslongsoughtapsychological profileof theImpaler, andNicole, withhertraining, couldprovideexactlythatu. ButnowthatHeather knowsshe hasbeenfollowed, theDupreematriarch islikelyseenasa loose endandtwilla viabletargetu. Sametime,Joey Armstrongis caughtbetweenhis loyalty tohis sisterandhis owndeep knowledge thatsheisaliabilityu.
Nicole hashurred andwillingto risk everything, evenher own life, to protecther familyu. Butin agame of chessagainstaserial killer, onemistakecouldprovefatal, andthetown of Fairmont Crestiswaitingto seewhowill blinkfirstu.
