Eve relaxed. “I'm glad you said ‘we.' You're getting a little too independent for Joe and me. It scares us.”
Jane shook her head. “I came to you and asked you to come with me, didn't I? I don't want to be independent if it means closing you out. I was too much alone when I was a kid. It sucks.”
Eve chuckled. “Yes, it does.” She took Jane's arm and climbed the porch steps. “As you put it so delicately. It sucks big-time.” She looked out over the lake. “Pretty sunset. I never get tired of them. They soothe the soul.”
Jane shook her head. “Not for me. I take a lot more soothing than a sunset. But you do the job just fine.”
“Do I?” Eve looked at her uncertainly. “You never showed me you needed soothing.”
“Because you were always there. You didn't have to do anything.” She opened the screen door. “Do you want me to help with dinner?”
Eve shook her head. “I'll make a salad and sandwiches later when Joe comes in.”
“Then I'll get my computer and sit out on the porch and do some homework.” She went down the hall toward her bedroom. “Don't bother to fix me anything. I'm not hungry after that pizza. I didn't taste much of it, but it filled me. . . .”
She'd barely opened the computer when her cell phone rang.
“Whore. Bitch. Prancing and wriggling like the prostitute you are. Are you proud of yourself? Do you really think you proved anything by wearing that ring? It meant
She froze.
Aldo. His words spewing rage, ugliness, and malice.
Don't fall apart. She should have realized he'd be able to find her cell number. Don't let him see the shock and fear. “It meant nothing to me either. Just a little trinket. Why shouldn't I wear it? I'm sorry you're so disappointed.”
“It's from your mountain, the one that killed you. Doesn't it bring back memories? I hope you choke on them.”
“I've no idea what you mean. And do you believe I'd actually let you keep me penned up in this cottage? I'll go where I please. Do you know I got a compliment on this ring from the waitress at CiCi's? I told her it was given to me by a man who followed me around like a lost puppy. We both laughed about it.”
“Lost puppy?” She could hear the rage vibrating in his voice. “Do you realize how powerful I am? How many women with your foul face I've slaughtered?”
“I don't want to know.” She paused. “Why are you calling me now, Aldo? You've never done it before. I think you lied. I did manage to get under your skin.”
“It meant nothing,” he repeated. “I just decided there was no reason to withhold myself from you. It may be a long time before I take your life. Months. Years. I don't care how long it takes now that I've found you. As long as I watch you, guard you, you'll never get away from me. But I deserve the pleasure of getting closer to you, hearing your voice, listening as you become more and more afraid. It's my right.”
“And it's my right to hang up on you.”
“But you won't do it. You'll keep on talking because you're hoping I'll tell you something that will lead Trevor and Quinn to me. And every word you say gives me a burst of pleasure.”
She felt sick with revulsion. He meant it. She could hear the feverish excitement mixed with the anger in his tone. But he was right, she had to take advantage of the opportunity. “Just who do you think I am?”
“I don't think, I know. You're Cira. I thought I'd buried you in that tunnel but I realized after I killed that woman in Rome that you were too strong not to be able to be born again. I knew I had to search until I found you.”
“You're certifiably nuts. I'm not Cira, I'm Jane MacGuire.”
“With Cira's soul. And you know it. Why else did you attach yourself to a forensic sculptor like Eve Duncan? You knew I'd come to destroy that hideous face and you wanted to make sure that it survived. It won't survive. Do you know how many times I woke up at night and watched my father staring at you? I can't remember him ever touching me with affection but he'd stroke that damn bust like it was a woman he loved. I tried to destroy it when I was ten and he beat me until I couldn't walk for a week.”
“Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? He should have drowned you at birth.”
“He probably thought the same thing. I was just an encumbrance to him after you came into his life. But now I'll get my own back. So enjoy your feeling of triumph. Sit in that cottage surrounded by all those people you've duped to do your will. You'll rot there, bitch.” He hung up.
She couldn't move to turn off her phone. She felt as if she'd been scourged, beaten. Dear God, he was brimming, frothing with hatred. The poison was all-consuming and paralyzing.
Get over it. Aldo wanted her to feel this weak and helpless. Think about what he said and try to find something positive in all that ugliness. She forced herself to turn off the phone and lean back in the swing.
Positive?
My God.
Mail,” Trevor said as he came up the steps an hour later. “Nothing for you but a letter from— What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I'm okay.” She wasn't okay, but she was better. She wasn't surprised that Trevor had noticed how disturbed she was. She felt as if it were written in every line of her expression. That was the reason she hadn't wanted to go inside and face Eve. She added haltingly, “It's not been an easy day.”
“It was your choice to flaunt that blasted ring in Aldo's face.” His gaze was searching her expression. “But I didn't expect this reaction.”
“Neither did I.” She tried to smile. “And I guess I shouldn't complain. Actually, I suppose my little jaunt was a complete success. I was trying to goad him to make a move and I certainly accomplished that aim.”
“What?”
“Aldo called me.” She looked down at the phone still in her hand. “About an hour ago.”
“Holy shit. What did he say?”
“He was angry. He didn't like the fact that his gift didn't seem to bother me. It was . . . ugly.” She moistened her lips. “He was muttering about me having Cira's soul and how he hated— My God, he hates my face. He's on some kind of mission to rid the world of it. You were right, he was killing her in effigy with all those other murders.”
“But he didn't call any of the others to chat,” he said grimly. “And he didn't squander pretty trinkets on them.”
“None of them made him as angry as I did. I've been sitting here trying to think of something constructive that could come out of this but it's hard. One thing, he's going to phone me again. He believes it's his just reward. On the negative side, he said he could wait a long time to kill me, that he was in no hurry. He wants to break me, make me afraid.” Her hands clenched into fists. “Well,
“We made progress today. He called you.”
“It's not enough. He meant what he said. He'll wait until he's wrung every bit of pleasure from the situation.” Her lips tightened. “He was . . . foul. I've never touched anything that ugly. He . . . made me afraid. I can't let that happen again.”
“We can have Quinn check phone records to try to trace him.”
She nodded. “I thought of that. But I doubt if he'd have called if he hadn't thought it was safe.”
“We'll try anyway.”
“Of course.” She straightened on the swing. “We'll do everything we can. I'll talk to Joe and Eve later tonight.”
“Not now?”
“I don't want them to see me like this—not now.” Talking to Trevor had eased the sick fear that Aldo had engendered, but she had to move away from it, drown the memory of that call for a while. Her glance went to the envelope still in his hand. “You said I had a letter?”
He didn't speak for a moment and then smiled faintly. “Yes, from Harvard. Did you apply there?”
