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Chapters (86)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Booklist
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
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  81. 77
  82. 78
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  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“That’s brainwashing.” Clarice flexed her hand as if trying to get the circulation flowing. “The final test occurred when Faith and I were up on the roof. She was...hurting me, and neither of us realized that at some point, at the back of the building, Bruno had lodged a grappling hook in the top of the wall. While we were out there, he climbed the rope. He hung below the edge, where we couldn’t see him. He had his camera lens resting on the wall, and he was taking pictures. Faith heard the clicking of the shutter, and she headed toward the wall. Bruno hoisted himself up. I suppose he thought he was a man and would be able to take her out.” Clarice shuddered.

Elle put a gentle arm around Clarice’s shoulders.

“I followed her. Then—” Clarice’s voice rose, and as if she could see the scene, her eyes grew wide “—it happened all at once. She pushed him hard on the chest. I grabbed the camera by the lens. She used her knife to slash the camera strap. He flew through the air. I saw his face... So surprised.” Clarice put her poor, ruined hand to her throat. Her words chased themselves, ever faster and faster. “He landed on the roof of his pickup. In that second, I realized if I hung onto the camera, she would destroy the evidence. So I dropped it.” With both hands, she made the motion. “But when I did, I acted. I pretended to try to hang onto it. She raised her hand to me.”

Elle’s heart pounded as Clarice told her story with flair and drama.

“I dropped to my knees and begged her pardon. I said my hand wasn’t strong enough to hold the heavy camera. She looked at me like she wasn’t sure...” Clarice’s hands dropped into her lap. “So I asked her to punish me.”

71

ELLE FELT NUMB WITH TERROR, more terror then she’d felt in the store while dodging that knife. Looking at Deputy Dave and at Sarcha and Gregoire, she thought they felt the same. Clarice’s ordeal had been so harrowing—and they’d never known.

“Faith slapped me—a slap was nothing to what had gone before—and dragged me down the stairs as fast as we could go. On the way down, she explained what we were going to tell the police. When we got to the ground floor, the truck alarm was going off and people were already there. She managed to get to the camera before anybody else did—everyone was so shocked—remove the memory card, smash the camera even more and toss it under the truck. When the police came, I said exactly what she had told me to. Our stories corroborated.” Clarice nodded at Elle. “But I did manage to give you the message for Adam.”