“No.” A pause. “Am I supposed to remember?”
“Perhaps not. My daughter Bonnie had no memory of the time she was killed. And I had no body to examine and tell her.” She added, “There’s a terrible wound in this skull. You said you didn’t remember its hurting. You don’t remember who did it? You don’t remember the pain when he did it?”
Silence. “I remember pain.” Her voice was suddenly panicky. “Not then. Not then. Before. Before. Not my head. Hands. Please don’t do it. It will take it away. Please don’t—”
“Jenny.” Eve was frantic, too. She had to stop that agony she was sensing in the child. Dear God, why had she even gone down this avenue? “I’m sorry. It’s not here any longer. No pain. All the bad things are gone. You don’t have to remember him. We’ll find him for you.” She wanted to reach out and hold her in her arms, to comfort her, but how could she do that, dammit? “Forgive me.”
“Are you crying, Eve? Why?” Jenny’s agony was gone, and there was only curiosity.
She was crying, Eve realized. Two tears were running down her cheeks. “Because I screwed up.” She wiped her cheeks on her work hand towel. “And I didn’t mean to hurt you. I told you that talking to you is awkward for me.” She drew a deep breath. “I don’t know what’s going to hurt you and what’s not. It’s all experimental between us. So I’d better be quiet and just do what I’m best at.” She started to carefully remove the depth markers. “Because that sheriff who sent you to me gave me some very bad news, and I promised him I’d see if I could get him answers.”
“I know.”
Her hand hesitated midway in the act of taking out another marker. “And do you know why I promised him?”
Sadness. “His friend, Ron. I told you it was going to keep on, Eve.”
She took out another marker. “Yes, you did. Was it the same man who killed—” She wasn’t going down that road again. “Do you know because of some supernatural instinct or because I know?”
“Because of you. I know what you know. I feel what you feel.” She added simply, “I like that, Eve. I don’t feel as lonely.”
Eve was touched, but she could see problems on the horizon. “Let’s hope it’s only until I finish this reconstruction. Then maybe we can find your parents.” She took out another marker. “I’d like that, Jenny. To send you home is my main goal of doing this.”
“Home…” Jenny said. “I don’t think that I—”
“Hush, now.” Eve’s brow was wrinkled with concentration. “I’ve got to fill in the depth for accuracy and then we’ll start to work together…”
CHAPTER
3
“Coffee.” Joe set her cup on the worktable beside her. “I don’t suppose I can talk you into eating supper?”
“No.” She took his hand and put it against her cheek. “Thanks. Sorry I’ve been antisocial.”
“That’s an understatement. You were working when I got up this morning, and you’re still at it this evening.” He kissed her on the forehead. He took a step back and studied the reconstruction. “And if I’m not mistaken, you’re approaching the final stages. That’s remarkable. I’ve never seen you work this fast.”
She rubbed the back of her aching neck. “It seemed the thing to do.”
“I can see why,” he said quietly. “When were you going to tell me there had been another death out there in California?”
Her gaze flew to his face. “I wasn’t keeping it from you. I was just so absorbed that I— How did you know?”
“I’ve been keeping an eye on the doings of your Sheriff Nalchek on the Net. His attitude was unusual, and I don’t like unusual when it’s connected to you. Unusual can be trouble.”