“What day is today?” she had finally asked.

“Saturday.”

Of course, she thought, as she tried to force her mind out of the habits of a prisoner and back into those of a normal person. He must be at the boat.

But there was no answer there either. Damn! Damn! She was desperate to talk to Seth, to hear his voice again. Instead, she swallowed her disappointment and called the house again and left him a message on the machine. “I love you,” she said over and over. And finally, before the message tape ran out, she left him word to call her at the Eden au Lac Hotel.

Through it all, the anger, most of all the anger: six months! Those goons in the warehouse had stolen six months, a half a year from her life!

Stratton and Highgate wanted her to stay the night at a safe house on the outskirts of Zurich. No. She had been firm. It was the Eden au Lac, she told them, or they were no damn better than the thugs who had kidnapped her in the first place. They argued. Zoe won.

Now, as the Volvo crossed the plaza across from the train station, she leaned toward Stratton.

“Could you stop for just a few moments?” Zoe pointed toward the Bahnhofstrasse, the main shopping street “I’ve been held a prisoner for six months, and I don’t have a thing to wear.” She looked down at her Levi’s. “I can’t walk into the Eden au Lac like this.”

Zoe saw his smile; he almost laughed. “Of course.”

Stratton maneuvered among the Christmas shoppers in the narrow shopping street. Highgate went in with her while Stratton stayed to shuttle the car around. It took more than a moment. Nearly an hour later, half of which was spent convincing American Express that she was, indeed, alive and well, she and Highgate walked out Zoe wore a bright red sweater dress and new Italian pumps, and over that a stylishly warm new coat. Her arms were full of expensively wrapped boxes. Highgate, hands free for weapons and killing, scrutinized the sidewalk as they returned to the car.

Stratton then headed straight for the Eden au Lac.

Zoe’s head lolled gently against the car’s headrest. She closed her eyes and visualized Seth’s face when he’d return and check the message. She hoped he wouldn’t call before she got checked in at the hotel. What a perfect place. They would begin where they had left off six months ago.

He would fly over to see her, and before he got here, she would buy more new clothes and she would make herself beautiful again, at least she would try.

Zoe’s eyes were nearly closed when the Volvo pulled to a halt on the cobbled auto court in front of the Eden au Lac’s lobby. She opened her eyes and sat up.

In front of them, a uniformed porter with more gold braid than a Russian general was unloading expensive leather bags from the trunk of a Mercedes. Across the entryway from him, a similarly uniformed doorman was opening the door for a gray-haired gentleman and a woman wearing a battalion of sables. Through the doors, Zoe could see the warm glow of lights and the unhurried movement of guests with no appointments to keep. She and Seth had parted here, and there was no better place to begin putting themselves back together.