He had her up in his arms and she was hugging him by the time Gia reached the hall.
'Hiya, Vicks.'
'Oh, Jack, I'm so glad you're here! I was so scared before.'
'So I heard. Your mommy said you had a bad dream.'
As Vicky launched into her account of Mr. Grape-grabber's plots against Ms. Jelliroll, Gia marveled again at the rapport between Jack and her daughter. They were like old friends. At a time like this she sorely wished Jack were a different sort of man. Vicky so needed a father. But not one whose work required guns and knives.
Jack held his hand out to Gia for the doll. Mr. Grape-grabber was made of plastic; a lean, wiry fellow with long arms and legs, entirely purple but for his face and a black top hat. Jack studied the doll.
'He does sort of look like Snidely Whiplash. Put a crow on his shoulder and he'd be Will Eisner's Mr. Carrion.' He held the doll up to Vicky. 'Is this the guy you thought you saw outside?'
'Yes,' Vicky said, nodding. 'Only he wasn't wearing his hat.'
'What was he wearing?'
'I couldn't see. All I could see was his eyes. They were yellow.'
Jack started violently, almost dropping Vicky. Gia instinctively reached out a hand to catch her daughter in case she fell.
'Jack, what's the matter?'
He smiled—weakly, she thought.
'Nothing. Just a spasm in my arm from playing tennis. Gone now.' He looked at Vicky. 'But about those eyes— it must have been a cat you saw. Mr. Grape-grabber doesn't have yellow eyes.'
Vicky nodded vigorously. 'He did tonight. So did the other one.'
Gia was watching Jack and could swear a sick look passed over his face. It worried her because it was not an expression she ever expected to see there.
'Other one?' he said.
'Uh-huh. Mr. Grape-grabber must have brought along a helper.'
Jack was silent a moment, then he hefted Vicky in his arms and carried her back into the bedroom.
'Time for sleep, Vicks. I'll see you in the morning.'
Vicky made some half-hearted protests as he left the bedroom, then rolled over and lay quiet as soon as Gia tucked her in.
Jack was nowhere in sight when Gia returned to the hall. She found him downstairs in the walnut paneled library, working on the alarm box with a tiny screwdriver.
'What are you doing?'
'Reconnecting the upper floors. This should have been done right after Grace disappeared. There! Now no one gets in or out without raising Cain.'
Gia could tell he was hiding something from her.
'What do you know?'
'Nothing.' He continued to study the insides of the box. 'Nothing that makes any sense, anyway.'
That wasn't what Gia wanted to hear. She wanted someone—anyone—to make some sense out of what had happened here this past week. Something Vicky said had disturbed Jack.
'Maybe it will make sense to me.'
'I doubt it.'
Gia flared into anger. 'I'll be the judge of that! Vicky and I have been here most of the week and we'll probably have to stay here a few more days in case there's any word from Nellie. If you've got any information about what's going on here, I want to hear it!'
Jack looked at her for the first time since she’d entered the room.
'Okay. Here it is: There's been a rotten smell that has come and gone in my apartment for the last two nights. And last night I saw two sets of yellow eyes looking in the window of my TV room.'
'But Jack…you're on the third floor!'
'They were there.'
Gia felt something twist inside her. She sat down on the settee and shivered.
'God! That gives me the creeps!'
'It had to be cats.'
Gia looked at him and knew that he didn't believe that. She pulled her robe more tightly about her. She wished she hadn't demanded to know what he was thinking, and wished even more that he hadn't told her.
'Right,' she said, playing along with the game. 'Cats. Had to be.'
Jack stretched and yawned—like a big cat—as he moved toward the center of the room. 'It's late and I'm tired. Think it'd be all right if I spent the night?'
Gia bottled a sudden gush of relief to keep it from showing on her face.
