'She had her claws out, all right.' Berry gave another dry, mirthless laugh. 'I wonder. If Oren had shot me instead of Ben, would I have been considered a heroine? Or would I still be looked upon as the attempted home-wrecker who got her comeuppance? That's a good topic for debate, don't you think?'
'What I think,' Dodge said, 'is that your bosses at this outfit are lily-livered assholes.You're better off never darkening the door of that place again.'
'I agree with you, and I'm sure that's the position Delray predicted and hoped that I would take,' Berry said. 'The concern for my well-being that the boss so effusively conveyed was in actuality his safety net. He wants my resignation. He just needs the decision to be mine so that his hands can stay clean. I left it open-ended for now. Let them sweat it for a few weeks. But I already know what my final decision will be.'
'My two cents' worth,' Ski said, 'you're too good for them.'
She looked up at him with watery eyes and said hoarsely, 'Thanks.'
'You're welcome.'
For several seconds they seemed to forget that Caroline and Dodge were still in the room, then Ski pulled himself into the here and now. Duties awaited him.
'I'd better shove off.'
'There's an extra bed in my room next door,' Dodge said. 'You're welcome to it.'
Ski thanked him but declined the offer. 'Sally Buckland's murder case belongs to the Houston detectives. I've got Davis Coldare's to deal with.'
'Last we heard from Starks, he was here in Houston.'
'Yeah, Dodge, but I can't help thinking...'
'What?'
Ski ran his hand around the back of his neck. 'Oren wanted to thumb his nose at me and everyone else who was searching for him. That's why he came back here to place that call to Berry today. He knew we'd beat it here, try and chase him down. He wanted to cause confusion and make us look and feel inept.' He smiled crookedly. 'He succeeded.'
' 'Spinning Wheel.''
All of them looked at Berry, who'd whispered the words.
'Blood, Sweat and Tears,' she said. ' 'Spinning Wheel.' That's the tune he was humming during our phone conversation.'
'Dammit, you're right,' Ski said.
'Well, ain't our boy cute?' Dodge said. Then he dropped all traces of humor, sarcastic or otherwise. 'I gotta kill this son of a bitch. I really do.'
'He raped Sally, didn't he?' Berry asked, directing the question to Ski.
'I don't know about penetration,' he said evasively. 'Maybe he just...' He let the statement trail off, for which Caroline was glad. 'I won't know till I get the autopsy report from Detective Allen.'
Thoughts of what that young woman might have suffered subdued them for several moments; then Caroline addressed Ski. 'You were theorizing on his motive for calling Berry.'
'Yeah. What really worries me is that he might have had something else up his sleeve when he got us out of Merritt.'
'Like what?' Dodge asked.
'I don't know. That's why I need to get back.' He looked down at Berry. 'I assume you're returning in the morning?'
'I've got nowhere else to be.'
'Okay. I'm going to keep the guards at the lake house. But I'm going to make it appear I've pulled them off. They'll still be there when you get back. Just invisible.'
'Laying a trap for him?' Dodge asked.
'Oren won't fall for it,' Berry said.
'I don't think so, either,' Ski said, 'but it doesn't hurt to keep some people in place, just in case.'
He commissioned Dodge to remain vigilant, then looked down at Berry. 'Are you going to be all right?'
The question was softly spoken, personal, and effectively excluded Caroline and Dodge. Berry nodded, but it was a tentative motion. Their gazes held for what seemed like a long time, then, without another word, Ski strode to the door and left.
The instant the door closed behind him, Berry jumped up and charged across the room. But at the door, she stopped. Caroline watched as that one burst of energy deserted her. She leaned into the door, pressed her forehead against it, and remained that way for several seconds before decisively flipping the dead bolt and securing the chain.
When she turned back around, she went directly into the bathroom, saying, 'I'm going to soak in the tub for a while.'
She didn't come out for almost an hour. When she did, she was wrapped in a towel; another was around her hair. Her skin was rosy. Her eyes were red.
'You've been crying,' Caroline said.
'I got it out of my system.' She whipped off the towel turban and shook loose her wet hair. 'But I don't know what I've got to cry about. Not when I think of Sally's last hours. She, Davis Coldare, they're the real victims, not me.' She unzipped her small suitcase and took out a tank top and boxer shorts.
Caroline said, 'I waited to order a room service supper.'
'You should have gone ahead. I'm not hungry. Where's Dodge?'
'In his room. He thought you and I needed some time alone.'
Berry removed the towel from around her and pulled on the sleepwear. 'Anything more from Ski?'
'He called Dodge about fifteen minutes ago. Nothing to report. He just wanted to make sure you were okay. He didn't look happy to be leaving.'
'He shouldn't be driving back to Merritt until he's slept. He looked exhausted. Did you notice his eyes?'
'He can't keep them off you.' Berry turned her head and looked at Caroline, who added softly, 'I noticed
Berry lay down on the bed, stacking two pillows beneath her head and hugging another to her chest. Nervously she plucked at the corner of the pillowcase. 'It could never work between him and me.'
'Why do you say that?'
'For a thousand different reasons.'
'Name a few.'
'So you can shoot them down?'
'One by one.'
She looked across the narrow space separating them. 'You like the idea of him and me becoming an us?'
'Only if you do, Berry. But you would have my approval.'
'Don't get your hopes up. We're two entirely different types.'
'Um-huh. He's male, you're female.'
Berry smiled. 'You know what I mean. We want different things.'
'But do you want each other?' Berry gave her another sharp look, and Caroline laughed. 'Don't bother answering. You just have. And, anyway, it's palpable every time you're near each other.'
