Sleep No More

CHAPTER

15

“I’VE GOT IT,” NEWELL SAID, when Eve answered her cell. His voice vibrated with intensity. “And it’s pretty damn nasty. I’ll meet you and Joe on the patio in fifteen minutes.”

“Should I wake Beth and bring her with us?”

“Hell, no. It’s going to cause big trouble, and she might split. We’ve got to handle this very delicately.” He hung up.

Eve looked at Joe. “It’s her right to know anything we know.”

“Newell’s not stupid. Listen, then tell her later if that’s your decision. You’re being a little overprotective at the moment.”

“She has a right to be protected.” Then she shrugged impatiently and headed for the door. “But I’ll wait and see what Newell has to say.”

Newell was sitting on the deck chair when they reached the patio a few minutes later. He looked pale and tired, but Eve was aware of that same air of excitement and tension she’d noticed in his voice. “You didn’t bring Beth. Good. I was afraid you’d ignore me.”

“I would have done just that,” Eve said. “Joe persuaded me to wait … for a while. I won’t keep anything from Beth.”

“Thanks, Quinn.” Newell reached into a briefcase on the ground beside him and pulled out a thick sheaf of papers stapled together. “Beth’s been through enough, and she doesn’t need a shock. Let it come gently.”

“Let what come?” Joe asked impatiently. “What was on that disc?”

“Nothing that could be clearly determined on most of them. Gelber took bits and pieces of her story, tore them apart, and concentrated on making Beth forget what he wanted her to block out. But there’s one session that gives us the essence of what happened that weekend at the lodge. I printed out two copies.” He handed the stapled documents to Eve and Joe. “I’m glad the son of a bitch is a corpse. I wish I’d done it myself.”

Eve dropped down in a chair across from him. “That ugly?”

His lips twisted. “That ugly.”

Eve hesitated and then started to read.

Gelber: “Now you have to stop resisting, Beth. Our last session didn’t please me, and you know how important it is to please me. Say it.”

Beth: “I—want to please you.”

Gelber: “And you know that I’m the only one who tells you the truth. Someone has been telling you lies and making you believe them. You’re confused, but I’m going to straighten it all out for you. But you mustn’t resist me. It will hurt you. You know what happens. Every time you tell me one of the lies, your throat will tighten and your heart will pound and you won’t be able to breathe.”

Beth: “No! Please. It scares me.”

Gelber: “It’s not up to me. You’re the one who tells the lies.”

Beth: “I don’t mean to lie. Keep it from hurting me.”

Gelber: “I’ll try. Let’s go through it again. Open your mind. Trust me, Beth.”

“Trust him?” Eve lifted her gaze from the page. “You’re right, Newell. Gelber was a complete son of a bitch. He actually used torture?”

“He was a brilliant hypnotist. He used it as one of his tools. Diabolic. No evidence of what he’d done or marks on the body of the subject. But you can imagine the pain and panic of not being able to breathe.”

“I can imagine,” Joe said grimly. “And how eager that subject would be to avoid undergoing it after the first time.”

“There were many, many times,” Newell said. “I caught a glimpse of its use in several sessions. Beth was very stubborn. But they kept after her until they had what they wanted. She was almost there when she was in this session. Finish it.”

Eve didn’t want to finish it. It made her sick. But she had to go on. It wasn’t fair to Beth to avoid reading it if her sister had managed to survive it.

Beth: “But if I don’t think about it, if I don’t talk about it, then I won’t lie. Won’t that be good enough?”

Gelber: “You know it won’t. You have to believe it, Beth. Now tell me about the night before your accident. That’s where all the lies start.”

Beth: “I don’t remember that night.”

Gelber: “That’s not acceptable. Can’t you feel the pain start?”

Beth: “Yes, I can’t—I remember. I do remember. I was so happy. Rick had called to tell me that he’d rented a chalet for a week. It was only about ten miles from the lodge, and he said that he’d be able to see me the next day. Maybe we’d even go skiing. He laughed and said that I had to take it easy when we were on those slopes together. I was getting too good for him.”

Gelber: “You’re lying again.”

Beth: “No, I’m not. I don’t feel any pain yet. That must mean I’m telling the truth.”

Gelber: “No, it only means that the lies have to hit home first. Stop being defiant. Go on.”

Beth: “I was so excited. I hadn’t seen Rick for over a year. I didn’t want to wait until the next day. I wanted to see him right away. I decided to go to his chalet and surprise him. But I didn’t have a car, and I had to ask Cara to take me.”

Gelber: “Your friend, Cara Sandler.”

Beth: “That’s right. But she wasn’t really my friend. She said she’d take me, but she wouldn’t just drop me off at his chalet. She wanted to come in and meet him. She’d heard about Rick from me, but she was more impressed by the stories about how he was going to be the next senator from South Carolina.”

Gelber: “And you agreed to her terms.”

Beth: “I wanted to see him.”

Gelber: “What time did you get to the chalet?”

Beth: “I’m not sure. A few hours later. Ten or ten thirty.”

Gelber: “Tell me about it. You arrived at the chalet. What did you see?”

Beth: “Rick’s car. He’d bought a new Mercedes the year before and took me for a ride in it.” Pause. “And another car, a black Cadillac with rental plates. I was disappointed. I was hoping Rick would be alone. But I was going to go knock on the door anyway. Cara parked down the road, a little distance from the chalet, and I unlocked my door.”

Gelber: “But you didn’t get out of the car.”

Beth: “The front door opened, and a woman came out. She was older and dressed in a fur coat with a hood. She hurried down the steps and turned to call to the man behind her. ‘Hurry, Rick. I have to get her to the hospital.’ Then Rick came out of the chalet. He was carrying a girl wrapped in a green blanket. She had long black hair, and I think she was Asian. She had her eyes closed, and one bare arm was outside the blanket.”

Gelber: “Dead.”

Beth: “I didn’t say that. I don’t know. If the woman was going to take her to the hospital, then she wasn’t dead. Right?”

Gelber: “But you were afraid she might be.”

Beth: “I didn’t know what to think. I was just confused and scared.”

Gelber: “What happened next?”

Beth: “Rick put the girl in the backseat of the Cadillac. He looked scared, too. He slammed the door of the car and stepped back. He said, ‘You shouldn’t have done it, Mother. Why did you hit her with that statue? It wasn’t her fault.’ She said, ‘No, it was yours. You know the rules. And it was only an accident, but I’ll fix it. She’ll be fine once I get her to the hospital. You just stay out of it.’ He nodded. ‘She’s only a kid. You take good care of her.’ She pulled away from the chalet. ‘Don’t I always take good care of everything? I’ll call you later, Rick.’ Then she started down the road.”

Gelber: “That was when she saw you and Cara parked by the side of the road.”

Beth: “Yes, her headlights were directly on us, and she saw us sitting there. I knew she saw us. She turned her head and stared at us as she passed. She looked … angry.”

Gelber: “It was Rick’s mother. Did she recognize you?”

Beth: “I don’t know. I recognized her from photographs though I’d never met her. Rick said she thought it best for me not to be around the family. People might guess the truth about me, and that would be awkward.”

Gelber: “Did it make you angry?”

Beth: “No, I think it hurt me, but I’d never be angry at Rick.”

Gelber: “How fortunate. So did you go up to the chalet and ask for an explanation?”

Beth: “No, I was going to do it, but Cara started the car and turned it around. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen. She said I should go back to the lodge and call Rick when I got there. He wouldn’t want to talk to me right now. I was angry. What did Cara know about Rick? He’d never been angry with me about anything. But she just ignored me and drove back to the lodge. I went to my room.”

Gelber: “And called Rick?”

Beth: “Yes, after I cooled down a little about the way Cara had whisked me back there.”

Gelber: “Where was Cara?”

Beth: “I didn’t know or care. She stayed in her car and was making phone calls.”

Gelber: “To whom?”

Beth: “I don’t know. I made her promise not to tell anyone about what had happened until I could talk to Rick. As long as she did that, it didn’t matter to me.”

Gelber: “What did Rick say when you reached him? Was he angry with you?”

Beth: “I told you that Rick was never angry with me. He loves me. He only said he wished I hadn’t gone to the chalet. His mother had called and told him that the girl was going to be fine and that she saw us up there. I asked what had happened to the girl and who she was. He said it was complicated, and he’d explain when he saw me tomorrow. He was going to come over in the afternoon and take me to town for dinner.”

Gelber: “But he didn’t explain because you went skiing that morning and had an accident. You didn’t see him again. You’ve never seen him since.”

Beth: “Not yet. But he’ll still come to see me. I know he will.”

Gelber: “And what do you remember about the accident?”

Beth: “It … wasn’t an accident. Some dumb kid played a trick and stretched a wire over the trail and tied it to two trees. I went flying face forward into the snow. Then something … the back of my head got hurt.”

Gelber: “There was no wire, Beth.”

Beth: “There was a wire. I saw it shining in the sunlight, but it was too late to stop.”

Gelber: “No wire. You ran into a tree. You mustn’t lie. It will hurt.”

Beth: “No, I saw the— Oh, God, it’s happening. I can’t breathe. Make it stop. Make it stop.”

Gelber: “I can’t make it stop. You’re the only one who can do that. You have to reject the lies and accept the truth. You never saw Rick that weekend, you never went to his chalet, you never talked to him on the phone. You made it all up because you’re lonely and want his attention. Is your heart pounding hard?”

Beth: “Yes … hurts.”

Gelber: “Soon you won’t be able to breathe. The lies did it to you, but I can save you. We’re going to go back over your story again and take lie by lie and turn it into truth.”

Beth: “Can’t breathe … dying.”

Gelber: “No, you’re not. But you could die, the lies could kill you. But I’ll work with you and try to save you. Now start again, tell me about that night.”

Beth: “Can’t talk—hurt.”

Gelber: “Nonsense. Start again. It’s only going to get worse until you’re healed. We’ll take it sentence by sentence and purge the lies. Then you’ll be able to breathe again. See, it’s getting very painful already. I can tell.”

Beth: “Can’t—think—can’t remember—scared.”

Gelber: “Start again, Beth.”

Eve had to wait a moment to speak after she’d flipped the pages closed, and even then, her voice was shaking. “He was a monster, and so is Pierce if he was responsible for those sessions. Torturing a helpless girl who was guilty of nothing but being at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“And then imprisoning her for over a decade.” Joe flipped his copy shut. “Gelber, Pierce, Drogan. Very ugly. But they were only the tools. You have to look beyond them to find the real monsters.”

“Nelda Avery,” Newell said. “And perhaps Rick Avery. He was at least an accomplice.”

“You won’t convince Beth of that,” Eve said. “He’s the only person in the world she cares about.”

“Then we may have to convince her,” Joe said. “Because Rick Avery may have been responsible for everything that happened to Beth. Hell, that Asian girl may have been murdered at the chalet.”

“But Nelda went to a great deal of trouble to keep Beth alive all these years, when it would have been easier just to kill her. There had to be a reason why she did that. Maybe she knew Rick wouldn’t go along with it, and it might damage her influence with him.”

“Possibly.”

“And from the conversation between Nelda and Rick, it would indicate Nelda was primarily guilty of whatever happened to that kid.” She shrugged. “But it may not be murder. We’ll have to run a check of the local hospitals and see if there are any records.”

“You won’t find anything,” Newell said. “Nothing near that lodge. It was a small hospital in Toronto, Canada.”

“What?”

“Gelber was evidently curious about whether the girl died, too. There were records attached to the Avery file about an investigation he did after he was brought into Beth’s case. Su Kim, a twelve-year-old Chinese girl, was taken into the emergency room at St. John’s Hospital in Toronto a day after the incident at the chalet. Nelda clearly didn’t want any local scrutiny about what happened at the chalet. However, she eventually permitted the girl to be taken to the Canadian hospital by her father. The emergency-room hospital bill was paid through one of the Avery corporations.”

“What was the diagnosis?” Eve asked.

“Concussion. Serious stuff. She’d been struck by a sharp, heavy object.”

“But she survived?”

“I doubt it. No one but her father or Nelda Avery knows for certain. The girl’s father insisted on taking her away from the hospital after the doctors told him she’d either die or end up as a vegetable. The doctors said he appeared very angry with her.”

Eve stared at him in disbelief. “For being a victim?”

Newell shrugged. “Put it together. Rick Avery likes very young girls. Not easy to satisfy an appetite like that when you’re being groomed for high office in this country. The girl had Chinese documents, and so did her father. In China, it’s possible to obtain anything for a price, and it’s far enough away to be able to avoid media attention. Maybe that’s how he managed to get what he wanted and still be safe. But it wasn’t safe to bring the girl back to the U.S. My guess is that Su Kim was a prostitute and her father her pimp. Nelda turned the kid over to her father and sent them both out of the country.”

“Rick told Beth that the girl was all right.”

“That may be what Nelda told him,” Joe said. “Or it may be that he was just lying to protect himself and his mother. Evidently, she was the one who struck the blow.”

“Why would she do that?” Eve shook her head in bewilderment. “A child he was using. I can see her being angry with him, but the girl…”

“Unless Su Kim got scared and tried to fight her when Nelda was trying to jerk her out of there,” Newell said. “Nelda could have picked up some object and struck out at her. Who knows?”

“There are too many things we don’t know,” Eve said wearily. “What about Cara Sandler? She left the lodge the morning of Beth’s supposed accident. She knew what happened at Rick Avery’s chalet.”

“And she was on the phone when she and Beth got back to the lodge. Who was she calling? Nelda?” He turned to Joe. “You were checking on what happened to her. Did you find out anything?”

“Only that she went back to Canada and took a job at a newspaper. She apparently did very well. She got lucky with a lot of tips and managed to uncover some fairly hot stories.” He paused. “And she was equally lucky on the stock market. She acquired quite a fortune over the years.”

“Blackmail?” Eve murmured.

“A giant payoff to get her to leave the country, then a constant flow of favors and cash to keep her happy. Her father was a very prominent politician, so it would have been dangerous to try to get rid of her any other way. It’s possible.”

“Where is she now?”

“Still in Vancouver, I think,” Joe said. “I’ve been trying to get a cell number to phone her. I should be getting a call with the info anytime now.”

“We probably don’t have a chance that she’ll talk to us,” Eve said. “Her lips have been sealed about what happened at that chalet all these years. Nelda has been very careful to make sure that there have been no leaks.”

“But the situation is changed,” Joe said. “Nelda was content to pay for silence as long as she could keep the status quo, but Beth blew that to hell. Now Nelda’s scrambling for damage control. When we tell Cara about Gelber’s death and Drogan’s killings, she might be uneasy enough to turn her back on Nelda. She must know by now how ruthless Nelda can be.”

It made sense, Eve realized, and the thought brought a ripple of hope. “Then we might get a statement from her that would substantiate the fact that Beth was railroaded into that hospital. It would help keep the authorities from throwing her back in there and ask questions later. We both know that would be their first reaction. Ever since I realized that threat was hovering over her, I’ve been worrying about it.”

“I know you have.” Joe reached out and gently touched her cheek. “And I can’t say that there’s no basis for worry. A history of mental illness is an easy out for law enforcement. I have to admit it would influence me.”

“But Cara Sandler could help. Keep on her Joe.” She got to her feet. “Now I’m going upstairs to give my copy of this session to Beth. It’s time she read it.”

“It may not do any good,” Newell said. “She doesn’t remember any of its happening. Gelber saw to that.”

“I don’t care. It could trigger something. She deserves us letting her be part of this. It’s her past, her life.” She added fiercely, “We’ve been sitting here trying to puzzle everything out as if Beth was the mental incompetent they tried to convince everyone she was. She’s not incompetent. She’s smart and she’s able to—” She broke off. “Sorry. You know that without my preaching at you. It’s just that I feel as if everything is closing in on us, on her. Nelda is weaving a giant web and blocking every way for Beth to get out.” She headed for the sliding glass doors. “And I’m not even sure that I want Beth to remember those sessions with Gelber. That trigger I was talking about could be the one that causes her to go through that damn torture. Gelber was very thorough and efficient about making sure that it was firmly in place. I don’t know what the hell kind of damage is still lingering after all those years. What if her breathing shuts down, and I can’t stop its happening the way Gelber did?”

“You could opt out of letting her read it,” Newell said. “I would.”

“No, I’d want to know everything, whatever the risk. I think she would, too.” She went into the house and up the stairs to Beth’s bedroom.

She hesitated at the door, then knocked. “Beth.”

“Hi.” Beth threw open the door. “I slept longer than I thought, and I just got out of the shower. I couldn’t sleep in that bed, so I moved to the rocking chair and—” She stopped, her gaze on Eve’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“Do you want a list? Present or past?” Eve handed her Gelber’s notes. “Gelber’s interview with you regarding that last night at the lodge before your accident. It’s very revealing … and horrible. I want you to read it.”

“Of course. I want to read it.” She frowned. “You read it? Why didn’t you let me read it first?”

“Newell said that you’d have a problem with it.” She sat down in the rocking chair. “I agree with him, but I’m not sure what kind of problem, so I’m going to stay here until you’re finished. Then we’ll talk.”

Beth sat down on the bed, leaned back against the headboard, and curled her feet beneath her. “You’re very grim.”

“It’s the way I feel at the moment. Why not? The situation is grim and getting grimmer.” She leaned back in the rocking chair. “Just read those pages, Beth.”

* * *

“DON’T TELL ME TO HURRY,” Drogan said harshly, his gaze on the Spanish-style house down the block. “Dammit, I can’t get to Beth Avery right now. I’m working on it, but she has Quinn, Eve Duncan, and Newell practically on top of her. It’s going to take a little time.”

“I don’t have time, Drogan,” Nelda said coldly. “And neither do you. I told you when I contacted you that if I upped the stakes, I’d expect you to perform accordingly. So far, I’ve had no problem with you except for a certain rudeness and a lack of alacrity in obeying my orders. Because of your slowness, I had to enlist other help to speed things along. But I can accept that if we can bring this to a swift close.”

“It’s not as if I’m not doing even more than you could expect of me. I gave you Gelber. I’ll give you Beth Avery, too, if you can find a way for me to get her away from Quinn and the others. Of course, I could blow that whole damn house to hell and gone and get rid of all of them, but you said no publicity where she was concerned.”

“No, that would be totally unacceptable. I’ve paid you a good deal of money. It’s really not my job to make it easy for you, Drogan.”

“But you will. Because you’ll do anything to have this over quickly. It’s too inconvenient for you.”

“You have monumental nerve to believe you can judge what I will or will not do.” She was silent for a moment, thinking. “There may be a way. I don’t want to do it, but I may be able to make it work. I have both Quinn’s and Duncan’s telephone numbers. But do you have a way to contact Beth directly?”

“No, she got rid of the phone Newell gave her after I called her that first time.”

“We may still be able to work through Duncan. I’ll have to think about it. It’s all in the positioning. Don’t make a move. I’ll get back to you.” She hung up.

“Did you hear that?” Drogan murmured as he looked down at the small metal container on the seat beside him. “It’s all in the positioning, Mama Zela. You know about positioning, don’t you?”

He smiled as he heard the familiar slither within the case. He had chosen well. This Mama Zela was restless and eager to strike. It was his habit to call all the snake gods by his mother’s name whenever he decided a death deserved the proper ritual. Sometimes, as he watched with fascination a snake writhe and strike, he wondered if his mother had come back to earth and could truly be one of the snakes he used to kill. It wouldn’t surprise him. His mother had been as vicious and full of poison as a rattlesnake until the day he had shoved the bitch into that coffin and given her the snake to keep her company. The idea of her coming back as a serpent amused him; he liked the idea of being able to keep her caged up and made to do his bidding. “Don’t be impatient, Mama. I’ll have plenty of work for you soon,” he whispered. “Everything is ready. We only have to wait until that other bitch comes through with what I need. We don’t get the chance of doing kills the way we want them very often, do we? But this is worth a little time and risk.” His hand stroked the smooth metal of the case. “You’re going to like Eve Duncan, dear Mama Zela.”

* * *

“WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO SAY?” Beth asked as she closed the last page. “You’re looking at me as if you think I’m going to explode or something.”

“I didn’t know what you were going to do,” Eve said. “But I thought there would be more response than this. I was more upset than you are.”

“I’m upset. I think it’s terrible. But it’s as if it happened to someone else. I can’t remember it, Eve.” She moistened her lips. “And how can I believe it if I don’t remember it?”

“You don’t believe it happened?”

“I think some of it might have been true.”

“Why not all of it?”

“The part about Rick and that young girl. It’s … ugly. I won’t believe he’d do that kind of thing. Rick isn’t like that.”

“Isn’t he? You must have noticed that he was attracted to young girls. What about your friends? Didn’t he ever comment on them? Didn’t you notice that he liked to be around them?”

“No!” Beth’s eyes were suddenly blazing. “Stop saying things like that. It’s natural that he’d like to be around my friends. He knew I was lonely because he couldn’t be with me. He told me that he wanted me to have lots of friends around me to make up for it. Of course he liked all of my school friends. And they liked him, everyone likes Rick.”

“I’m sure they did. He seems to be a charmer.” Eve added quietly, “But a charmer with a terrible flaw, Beth. We think the Asian girl you saw that night was a Chinese prostitute who was only twelve years old. And there’s a good chance she died because Rick’s mother thought she was a danger to her son’s career.”

“If it did happen, it was his mother’s fault. Rick had nothing to do with it.” Her hand reached up and desperately clutched the golden key on the chain at her throat. “He would never hurt anyone.”

“There are many ways to hurt besides the physical.” Her gaze was on the golden key. “I’ve noticed you grab that pendant whenever you’re upset. Did he give it to you?”

“Yes, when I was sixteen.” Her voice was uneven. “He told me to wear it forever, and I’d know that I had the key to his heart. No matter how far apart we were, we’d still be together.” She stared at Eve defiantly. “It was on my neck all the time I was in the hospital. He must have told them to make sure it was never taken from me.”

“Very sentimental. It would have been better if he’d dropped the sentiment and tried to find a way to get you out of that place.”

“I’m sure he would have done it if he could. They must have lied to him. He wasn’t to blame. He loves me.”

Eve gazed at her helplessly. Beth wasn’t going to believe anything against her father, and, since he was the center of what happened that night at the chalet, she was looking at the entire report skeptically. How was Eve going to reach her?

“Beth, I believe that Gelber told the exact truth in those notes. Why would he lie?”

“How do I know?” she said jerkily. “I’ve been surrounded by violence and lies since Billy helped me escape from that hospital. Black is white. But I have to hold on to something. The only person I believe in is Rick. I won’t give him up because of some scribbling of that idiot doctor.”

“Beth…”

“No, Eve.” She shook her head forcefully. “Don’t talk about it anymore.”

“I will talk about it,” Eve said. “Cling to Rick if you have to do it, but believe that what happened that night was the reason that you lost all those years. You saw something you shouldn’t have seen, and Nelda Avery had to be sure that you didn’t talk. You may be right that Rick did love you and that—”

“Of course—and he still loves me.”

“Let me finish. If Nelda Avery wanted to keep her hold over her son, she couldn’t risk killing you. Even an accidental death would appear entirely too ‘convenient’ to him under the circumstances. But a tragic skiing accident in which your injury required permanent care and restraint would fit the bill. It actually must have been very satisfying for her on several levels. Your very existence must have been a constant thorn in her flesh since her son insisted on keeping in touch with you. It was much safer to have you under strict control. Will you accept that as being reasonable?”

“Maybe.” She went on in a rush of words, “I know that you think I’m being foolish. But what if that report was twisted and not true? All that about me not being able to breathe … Wouldn’t that posthypnotic suggestion have some kind of an effect on me now if it wasn’t pure bull? I’m fine, Eve.”

“Because in your heart you’re still believing what Gelber told you to believe, that you never went to that chalet. Because you’re afraid it’s going to hurt too much if you believe what really happened. You’d take the physical pain but not the emotional.”

“Think what you like.” She tossed the pages on Eve’s lap. “Everyone has gone to a lot of trouble to try to help me, and I appreciate that you—” She had to stop, her eyes glittering with tears. “I’m sorry, Eve,” she whispered. “It hurts me to have you believe I’m not grateful for all you’ve done. I want to think what you think, do what you think is best, but I can’t. I have to go my own way. Please forgive me.”

Eve could feel her throat tighten as she looked at her. In a way, she had tortured Beth as much as that bastard Gelber by bringing her face-to-face with her father’s sins and his involvement in her imprisonment in that hospital. How could she expect her to be willing to accept it? It might take a long time for her even to come close.

But they didn’t have a long time, she thought desperately. Things were moving at light speed.

Maybe they could work around Beth in some way, Eve thought wearily as she got to her feet. They seemed to have no choice at the moment. “There’s nothing to forgive.” She put the notes back on the bed. “I only ask you to read it again and see if—just read it again.” She turned toward the door. “I’ll see you later. I’m going to check with Joe and see if he’s been able to contact Cara Sandler. We’re trying to verify Gelber’s notes. I know you didn’t like or trust her, but we have to do what we can to—”

“Eve.”

Eve looked back at her.

“I … have to tell you something.”

“So tell me.”

“This is … difficult for me. I think I— I don’t know much about affection and stuff like that except with Rick. But I think I like—” She lifted her chin. “No, I think I … care for you. After all, we’re sisters. I guess that’s not weird or anything. You don’t have to feel the same way about me. That’s okay. We’ve barely gotten to know each other. I just wanted to let you know. Things happen, and if you don’t say the words, then they might get lost, and I wouldn’t—”

“Hush, Beth.” Eve smiled at her. “It’s difficult for me, too. We seem to be alike in more than blood. I think I care for you as well. But we’re as different as night and day in most things, and it’s going to take some doing to bridge those differences. We’ll have to take our time.”

Beth’s eyes were bright with eagerness. “But we’ll get there, won’t we?”

“We’ll get there.” She closed the door behind her and stood in the hall for an instant, trying to smother the emotion Beth’s words had ignited. Beth was part child, part woman, and her eagerness, vulnerability, and strength were impossible to resist.

And Eve didn’t want to resist, dammit. She had fought against letting Beth into her life in a meaningful way, but that was in the past. But as she had said, they were two individuals who would have to walk carefully not to damage one another.

“Eve?” Joe was walking toward her down the hall. “You’re upset. How did she take it?”

“The way we thought she would,” Eve said as she went toward him. “She won’t believe anything bad about Rick Avery. And she’s leaning toward not even believing much of Gelber’s notes because she’s in defense mode about her father. I asked her to read the notes again and think about them.”

“Will she do it?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. She doesn’t want to do it. Her first impulse is to reject.” She made a face. “But she has an intrinsic honesty that keeps her from being completely blind about it. I’m hoping that she’ll be able to begin to accept that it might be true the longer she lives with the knowledge.” She added soberly, “But time seems to be running out, doesn’t it?” She didn’t wait for an answer but changed the subject. “Did you get Cara Sandler’s number and manage to contact her?”

“Yes, I got her cell number.” His lips twisted. “But no I didn’t contact her. The call was picked up by the Vancouver police, and I got bombarded by questions.”

“The police?”

“Cara Sandler’s car went off the highway and down a gorge yesterday evening. She was killed on impact.”

“Damn,” Eve whispered. “How?”

“That’s what the police are trying to determine. They think the brake lines were cut.”

“Nelda Avery?”

Joe nodded. “Probably through one of Drogan’s contacts. Or maybe she’s had a plan in mind for Sandler for a long time and just set it in motion. She appears to be very efficiently tying up all the loose ends she left dangling all those years ago.”

“Hans Gelber, now Cara Sandler. So much for having a witness that could keep Beth from being tossed back in that hospital.” She leaned her head on Joe’s chest. “Hell, Joe, Cara Sandler was in Canada. Nelda is reaching out like a scorpion and stinging—” She drew a deep breath. “Maybe if we tell Beth about Cara Sandler, it will have some effect and she’ll be able to see the pattern.”

“We can hope it will—” His phone rang and he glanced at the ID. “Newell? Why would he call from—” He accessed the call. “What’s happening?”

He listened for a moment. “See what you can find out from your friends at the hospital.” He hung up and took Eve’s arm. “Come on, let’s go downstairs and watch the news on TV. Harry Pierce has been reported missing.”

“Pierce?”

He nodded as he nudged her down the stairs. “He had a meeting with an important donor at noon today and he didn’t show. He took out $800,000 in cashier’s checks early this morning. Stella Lenslow was with him last night and presumably this morning.”

“Then maybe Pierce lost his nerve, and he and his lady friend took off for some South Sea island.”

“Maybe. He didn’t impress me as being very brave but he was greedy. Less than a million dollars? I think he’d want more than that to set up his own Shangri-la.” His lips tightened. “Newell is seeing what he can find out at the hospital. We’ll have to watch for more news and try to put a picture together.”

* * *

“WHEN ARE YOU COMING HOME, Nelda?” George asked as soon as he picked up the phone. “I can’t stall the media much longer, and Rick is asking questions, too. What’s happening?”

“I’ve called Rick and told him that I’m fine. Let the campaign people handle the media.” She didn’t want to deal with George just then, but it wasn’t smart not to keep him calm and think he was still in the loop. She was too far away to influence him on a physical basis, and verbal reassurance was the best she could do. “I just wanted to let you know that everything is going well, and I should be able to come back in a few days.”

“You didn’t answer me,” George said. “What’s happening? Have you found Beth?”

“No. Not yet. But I’m getting close. It shouldn’t take much longer.”

“If you’re that close, then leave it up to Pierce.”

Pierce. It was going to cause a problem when George learned about Pierce’s death. Maybe prepare him a little? “I’m having trouble getting in touch with him. He may have decided to take the money we’ve been paying him and head for sunnier pastures.”

“Bullshit,” George said bluntly. “He’s been under your thumb too long. He hasn’t the guts to double-cross you.”

George was too sharp. She’d just have to deal with the Pierce problem when it developed. “I hope you’re right. I just want to have Beth back in that hospital and be on my way home to you.” She added quickly, “I have to go now. Take care. I’ll let you know if there’s any progress.”

“There doesn’t appear to be much chance of that happening.”

“Don’t be pessimistic. Trust me. Things are working out very well. Definitely progress.” She hung up.

It was true. There had been progress once she had gathered the reins into her own hands. Not the kind with which George would be happy, but it was the only kind she could make and still protect herself. She had taken the weapons she had found and made them her own. Drogan had been a particularly valuable tool, with his lethal mind-set, contacts with other equally efficient killers around the globe, plus a total lack of loyalty to Pierce. She’d needed only to furnish the money, and he had provided the means to start eliminating all the troublesome people who had been a danger to her for years. It had been almost a relief to know that she could break those chains she’d been forced to wear because of that night at the chalet. She was going to be free. She should probably have made this move before, but Rick had always been in her way. Now she had no choice since Pierce had failed so miserably to erase Beth from the scene.

But the list of the people who had been dragging her down and keeping Rick from reaching for the heights was dwindling. All she had to do was control Drogan after he cornered Beth and made the kill. It shouldn’t be too difficult. She was far more clever than Drogan.

And far more clever than Stella Lenslow.

She had a sudden memory of Stella sitting on the bed that morning. She couldn’t deny that the slut had stirred her. It had been a long time since she had felt that intensity of lust, and it had been even stronger because she knew Stella was so dangerous. It might have been interesting to take a few chances and enjoy the skills Stella was offering to show her.

Interesting and exciting …