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He grinned. 'But then I would have been too perfect.' He paused. 'I’d have thought you’d do one of Bonnie.'
'I tried. I couldn’t do it. I just found myself staring at the clay.' She adjusted her glasses and brought up the picture of Libby on the monitor. 'Maybe later.'
'But you think you can reconstruct the little girl’s skull?'
He was being very careful not to refer to it as Bonnie’s skull, she noticed. 'I have to do it. I can do whatever I have to do. Go away, Joe. I have to work now.'
He strolled toward the door. 'Try to get some sleep.'
'After I finish the progression.' She pulled up the photographs of Libby’s mother and maternal grandmother. Study them. Don’t think about Bonnie. Don’t think about Logan. Libby deserved her entire attention. She had to age the eight-year-old girl to fifteen. It wasn’t going to be easy.
Block everything else out.
Don’t think about Bonnie.
'Too bad you don’t have time to finish Joe,' Bonnie said.
Eve turned over on the couch and saw Bonnie standing staring up at Joe’s bust. She looked as she always did when she came to Eve: blue jeans, T-shirt, red hair a riot of curls. But she appeared smaller than usual next to the pedestal.
'I have more important work to do now.'
Bonnie wrinkled her nose as she glanced at Eve over her shoulder. ' Yeah, you think you’ve found me. I keep telling you I’m not there anymore. It’s just a bunch of bones.'
'Your bones?'
'How do I know? I don’t remember any of that any more. You wouldn’t want me to remember.'
'God, no.' She paused. 'But I think you know where he buried you. Why won’t you tell me? I just want to bring you home.'
'Because I want you to forget the way I died.' Bonnie moved over to the window and gazed out at the sea. 'I want you to remember me only when I was with you and how I am now.'
'A dream.'
'A ghost,' Bonnie corrected. 'Someday I’m going to convince you.”
“And then they’ll lock me up in the nut house.'
The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02
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Bonnie giggled. 'No way. Joe wouldn’t let them.'
Eve smiled and nodded. 'He’d cause a ruckus. I’d rather avoid the entire scenario if you don’t mind.'
'I don’t mind. It’s probably better that you don’t tell anyone about me.' She tilted her head.
'It’s kinda nice having these times all to ourselves. Like a very special secret. Remember the secrets we used to have? The time we surprised Grandma on her birthday with that trip to Callaway Gardens. We made her get in the car and then we took off. The flowers were so pretty that spring. Have you gone there since?'
Bonnie running around Callaway Gardens, her face alight with joy and excitement… 'No.'
'Stop that.' Bonnie frowned. 'The flowers are still beautiful, the sky is still blue. Enjoy them.'
'Yes, ma’am.'
'You say it, but you don’t mean it.' She gazed back out at the sea. ' You’re glad to be leaving the island, aren’t you?'
'I have a job to do.'
' You’d have left the island soon anyway.'
'Not necessarily. It’s been very peaceful here. I like the sunlight and the tranquility.”
“And you like Logan and didn’t want to hurt him.'
'I did hurt him.'
'He’ll be sorry to see you go, but he’ll be okay.' She paused. 'I knew Joe would come for you, but I didn’t know — I don’t like this, Mama.'
'You’ve never liked the idea of me searching for you.”
“No, I mean… I have a feeling… there’s a darkness.”
“You’re afraid I won’t be able to survive working on your skull.'
'It’s going to be bad for you, but that’s not what…' She shrugged. 'You’ll go anyway. You’re so stubborn.' She leaned against the wall. 'Go back to sleep. You have all that packing to do. You did the age progression very well, by the way.'
'Thank you,' she said mockingly. 'Talk about self-praise.'
