Stealing Shadows - Hiding In The Shadows Part 36

"It also," Faith noted, "seems to indicate that Jor- dan Cochrane is onthe victim side of the equation."

"That doesn't mean he wasn't involved in Dinah's in murder. Some secrets are worth killing to keep."

"True enough. But there are four other names on that list, Kane. And yousaid all five share one other connection besides apparently beingblackmail victims.

"All are in some way involved in the construction business. The manwho committed suicide was too.

He kept the books for Mayfair Construction."

"Isn't that the company-"

"Working on the Ludlow building, yes. Or wi e, when I can put them backto work." Slowly, Faith said, "Another connection."

"Another connection," Kane agreed.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

"I don't much like you waltzing around in my dreams," Faith said to Dinah.

"It's not my idea of fun either," Dinah retorted, very busy with what

she was doing. "If you'd only get your head on straight, I could get on with my life. - Faith opened her mouth to remind Dinah once again that she had no life to get on with, but finally just shrugged and stepped closer, watching the other woman curiously. "What are you doing now?"

"I'm fixing it, of course." Dinah was carefully gluing together delicate porcelain pieces of a shattered figurine. It was, Faith saw with a s.h.i.+ver, the figurine of a woman.

"Are you trying to say you put me back together?" Dinah sighed, a bit impatient. "Never mind this. You aren't ready to think about it yet.

What you have to do first is understand what that list means.

-The names? It means blackmail, doesn't it?"

Dinah looked at her sympathetically. 'This is going to be very hard for the next little while. But you have to get through it. You won't begin to see the truth until you get through it.

-Get through what?"

-There's another body, of course. Once you begin killing, it's so easy

to keep doing it. It even seems reasonable to use that means to solve a problem-especially if you've been successful before. And he has.

First back in Seattle, and now here.

"Who? Who is he, Dinah?"

"Just remember that the body isn't who it appears to be. Don't let them

make that mistake, Faith. You have to be sure who the body is, or you

won't have the right answer "But-"

"And when you find the bell, make him tell you the truth. He won't want to, but you have to make him. He has pieces of the truth, and you need them. "

"Dammit, why do you have to talk in riddles?"

'It's the only way you can hear me."

That made no sense to Faith, and she sighed.

"Can't you at least tell me where to look? There has to be a key to all

this, and we need it. I don't even know the right questions to ask!"

Dinah returned her attention to the figurine. "Ask yourself this, Faith.

Ask yourself how many people you would die to protect. And be careful Be

very careful He's watching, you know."

It was the second time in as many days that Faith had jerked awake in the darkness just before dawn, but this time no intruder lurked outside

the window.

"Just the one in my mind," she heard herself murmur.

She remained in bed for as long as she could, but it wasn't yetsix-thirty when she finally got up. She slipped into the bathroom totake her morning shower.

Ask yourself how many people you would die to protect.

What frightened Faith about that question was her certainty that Dinahhad done just that, had died believing her silence was protectingsomeone she cared about. And so far, the only person Faith could imaginethe other woman caring for so deeply was Kane.

Had he been in danger even before the last few days?

Because he was somehow involved? Viewed objecttively, she supposed itwas possible-though nothing she had seen or felt supported thelikelihood.

But there was that elusive thing Dinah's torturers had demanded of her,and Faith's apartment had been searched at least twice. She doubted thesimple list of names was the cause of all that. Whatever else it was,its threat against the equally elusive villains had to be incrediblyexplosive to justify torture and murder, gunshots and bombs.

No, it wasn't the list. She thought it was something she herself hadfound not long before the accident, some evidence that not onlyidentified but condemned those behind the blackmail, and the murders ofher family and Dinah.

The list was a beginning, at least, the beginning where Dinah hadstarted.

Faith made her way to the kitchen. She didn't go near the couch, hopingthat Kane was sleeping. He needed to sleep.

She turned on the dim light above the stove and got the coffeemakerstarted. Then she leaned back against the counter and waited, trying notto think because she felt so weary of her thoughts chasing one anotheraround in her mind.

"You're up early." Kane stood in the doorway, his pale hair tousled andstubble on his jaw.

"Sorry if I woke you," she said.

"You didn't." He came in and busied himself getting the cups. Faithmoved away a bit nervously to get the cream from the refrigerator. Kanedidn't appear to be watching her, but she thought he noticed.

"You cried out in your sleep," he said suddenly.

That surprised her, and she looked at him uncertainly.

"About two-thirty. I opened your door and looked in. You seemedrestless, and you'd thrown off most of the covers."

Remembering the thin nightgown she'd slept in, Faith felt heat rise in her face. But Kane was pouring coffee into their cups and didn't notice.

"I went in to straighten the covers, and I thought for a minute you were awake. You said my name. But you were sound asleep."

"I must have been. I don't remember."

"Bad dreams?" He looked at her finally, as he handed her a cup.

"Just the usual. Bits and pieces." Faith dumped sugar and cream into the

coffee and took a sip. Kane tasted his and grimaced.

"Sorry," she said wryly. Clearly, he didn't like the way she made it.

She sipped her own again; it tasted to her the way coffee always

tasted-slightly bitter.

Kane said, "If you don't mind ..." and poured the entire pot down the drain.

-She was not offended. "I suppose there's a knack to it. I don't seemto have it."

He got the second pot started. "Some people don't.

I'll shave and shower while this is getting ready. You wanted to go byyour apartment for your watch, and I have that appointment with thebuilding inspector.

We might as well clear out before the work crew gets here.

"Okay." She thought he was a little abrupt but didn't protest orquestion his mood. She was still unsettled by his announcement that hehad gone into the bedroom while she slept and that she had said his nameout loud.

She was bothered by the knowledge that some dream or nightmare had causedher to cry out, had caused her to say his name.

There's another body, of course.

"My subconscious doesn't know what it's talking about," she murmured toherself. But she went into the living room and turned on the TV anyway.

She wanted to see the news, even though she didn't believe there wouldbe another body. Not really.

The first part of the program was taken up with a rehash of Dinah'sdisappearance and the discovery of her body, complete with all the gorydetails the media had been able to obtain through their various sources.

There were numerous shots of Kane as he had been in the early days,haggard with worry but determined to find Dinah, saying little exceptthat.

And someone had unearthed a short video clip of Dinah herself, caughtunawares about six months before by a news crew as she was working oninterviews for her magazine article about Haven House.

The news crew had been there because a rather well- known Atlanta wife, supposedly taking shelter there, had called a reporter friend to comeand tape her tearful accusations of repeated abuse.

It was, of course, a complete coincidence that their divorce proceedingshad turned nasty a few weeks before that.

The only positive note about the situation was that the news crew hadbeen responsiblee enough not to show any identifying characteristic ofHaven House such as a street number or a long shot that might have placedits location. Even after having been there, it took Faith a couple ofminutes to realize it was Haven House she was looking at.

She listened to the society woman's accusations with half an ear, herattention fixed on the back- ground of the shot, where Dinah, notebookin hand, was cradling a sleeping infant.

She had been a beautiful woman, Faith realized.