Erin had heard enough, and she clicked off the television with cold, numb fingers. Drawing her knees beneath her chin, she wrapped her arms about her legs and sat on the couch, staring at the black Seattle evening through the window. A loneliness settled upon her and she thought about Kane, thousands of miles away in southern California. The smoky gray drizzle and the heavy purple cloud cover that cloaked the city only added to her gloom. Unconsciously she began to take the pins from her hair, and shake loose the tight, confining chignon. She ran her fingers through her black tresses and rubbed her scalp, hoping to deter the headache that was starting to throb against her temples. If only Kane were here now—perhaps the lonely desperation that was closing in on her would fade….

She must have been staring into the oncoming darkness for quite a while, but she was too lost in her own black thoughts to realize that time had escaped her. The urgent ringing of the telephone startled Erin back to the present, and she rushed into the kitchen to answer its incessant call. As she spoke, she tried to conceal the note of depression that had crept into her voice.

“Hello?”

“Erin?” a concerned voice inquired.

“Oh, Kane!” She sighed, and let her knees give way in relief. Resting against the counter, she found herself overwhelmingly grateful for the thin wire that stretched the length of the West Coast and tied her to Kane.

“Are you okay?” he asked, and she recognized a tremor of concern in his voice.

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “It’s been a long, hectic week without you. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”

There was a weighty pause in the conversation before Kane spoke again. “Have you heard about the indictment?” he asked, and his voice seemed to have become suddenly reserved.

“Yes…I saw the evening news….” She hesitated a moment. Should she tell him about her meeting with Mitch this afternoon and his proposition? Erin knew that Kane would be angry and upset when he found out about it, and she reasoned it would be better to tell him face-to-face. A long-distance call was too short and too impersonal. Too many misunderstandings could occur.

“I know that you care a lot about Cameron,” Kane began, wondering to himself why he continued to pursue a subject that only incensed him.

“I did, and I suppose I still do…but, really, it’s okay. This is the way it had to be, didn’t it?”

Why did he feel that there was a trace of hesitation in her voice? His fist involuntarily balled at his side, and his grip on the telephone receiver tightened until his knuckles showed white. It had been a difficult week for him also. Dealing with his strong-willed daughter had proven to be nearly impossible. And the fact that Erin was alone and over fifteen hundred miles away only added to his irritation and short temper.

“Krista and I will be home late Sunday afternoon,” he was saying. “Probably around six. And the moving company has promised to have the bulk of our belongings in Seattle by Monday—or so they claim. What won’t fit into the apartment, I’ll have stored. Will the apartment be ready for us?”