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Chapters (50)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. TITLE PAGE
  3. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  4. DEDICATION
  5. CONTENTS
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

She raised her eyes again—they were still overpowering, but this time they were filled with anger. “You climbed my fence and I told you to go away. You came back again and I had to have my dog take you down. You talked me into helping you, and you said no one would ever know, and I had to stand there and be insulted by that—that woman.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Nick said. “I never meant for—”

“And now you cut the lock off my fence! What does it take to get through to you, anyway?”

“I had to walk all the way back to Endor the first time,” Nick said. “The second time I had to lay there and let your dog slobber all over me—and now I have to stand here and let the ‘river of woe’ stare at me like a lunch meat buffet. Do you think this is some kind of fraternity initiation, Alena? Do you think this is fun for me?”

She hesitated. “Then why are you here?”

“Because I think your life might be in danger.”

Her eyes softened. “What?”

“The woman you met at the Patriot Center—the obnoxious one with the dehydrated dog—I think she might be dead.”

“You think she might be?”

“Let me ask you something: Would you ever leave one of your dogs locked in a cage all day without food or water—without letting it out to relieve itself ?”

“Never.”

“Do you think she would?”

Alena considered. “No—even she’s not that evil.”

“Well, I found her dog locked up that way this evening.”

“That doesn’t mean she’s dead.”

“Her car is still in the parking lot.”

“Maybe she’s in a hospital somewhere—maybe she just went off her rocker. I could believe that, after meeting her.”

“You’re right, she might turn up somewhere—if she does, she’ll eventually come back for her car and the dog. I’ll put the word out—I’ll ask around and see if anybody knows where she is. But if she doesn’t show up by tomorrow, I’m going to the police.”

Alena studied Nick’s face. “You don’t think she’s coming back, do you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“You think somebody killed her.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It smells that way.”

“What?”

“Instinct—I just have a feeling.”

“But why would somebody want to kill her?”

Nick looked at her. “Because somebody thought she was you.”

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