Blind Alley (28 page)

Aldo's world.

It was truly like a funeral procession, Aldo thought. The metal coffin was being carried by four of Sontag's students and the mourners were Joe Quinn, Eve Duncan, and the reporters and soldiers following the procession.

The coffin.

He stared with feverish intensity at the box that contained Cira's remains. He'd seen specially constructed coffins like that as a boy when he'd played around his father's archaeology sites. Son-tag had obviously done everything possible to preserve that skeleton from disintegration.

It would do him no good. He would smash those bones, grind them to dust. He would defile and

Jane MacGuire and Mark Trevor had come around the corner, trailing behind the crowd around the coffin. She looked pale and composed beneath the dim electric lights illuminating the sepulchral darkness. Her gaze was fixed straight ahead, not on the coffin. What are you feeling? Anticipation? Triumph? Or is it too painful, bitch? You don't know pain yet.

Do you feel me looking at you? Does it frighten you? But then you like to have men stare at you, don't you? Trevor is watching you now, devouring you with his eyes. How long did it take you to lure him into your bed, whore?

He could feel the fury explode inside him. It shouldn't have happened. Trevor had no business coming between them. It should have been him. It would be him. Before he took her face, he'd take her body. He'd spend himself, cleanse away the evil that was Cira.

But it might not be enough. What if he had only a few moments to enjoy that final victory? He needed more. He needed contact again, her voice, her words.

The procession had passed out of sight down the tunnel and he had to catch up before he lost them. He moved quickly down the robbers' tunnel that ran parallel with the theater tunnel. He

wasn't really worried. He'd be able to follow them. He knew these tunnels well and the darkness was his friend. The blood was singing through his veins with a rhythmic refrain that repeated over and over.

It was his time.

Chapter Seventeen

You went to pretty elaborate lengths to make this look authentic," Eve murmured to Trevor as she watched the students carefully placing the coffin on the table in the large, high-ceilinged library. "It wasn't easy for them to get that coffin up that ladder."

"Not as hard as it would have been if Sontag hadn't made sure that the opening would accommodate large art items."

"As far as I can see, you only did one thing wrong," Eve said. "If those tunnels underneath this villa location are supposed to be such a big secret, won't those students talk?"

"Not if they want to keep their internship with Sontag. He'll give them their walking papers if they exchange even a passing remark with anyone. I told you he wasn't a very nice guy. But in this case, it serves us well." He turned to Jane. "It's starting. Last chance to back out."

"Don't be ridiculous." She moistened her lips. Why couldn't she take her gaze from that coffin? It was a fake, a con. There was no reason to be disturbed. "What's in the coffin?"

"A skeleton."

Her gaze flew to his face. "You're joking."

He shook his head. "I don't know how close we're going to be observed by Aldo and I didn't want to take any chances."

"Where did you get it?"

"I visited a small museum outside Naples and borrowed it from them. It took some pretty fast talking and I made a hell of a lot of promises in Eve's name to get it." He turned to Eve. "The woman's skeleton was one of the bodies found in the marina."

"You want me to do an actual reconstruction?"

He nodded. "Everything should give the appearance of being absolutely authentic. You told me once that you had to be careful not to see any photographs because you were afraid your hands and mind would betray you. This time I want that to happen. Think Cira. Or Jane. I've set up a pedestal and bought supplies for you. How about it?"

"It depends on what promises you made in my name."

"I promised after we finished with the skeleton that you'd erase the Cira face and do a true reconstruction. The museum's poor as dirt and your name would be a great drawing card. It didn't seem too unreasonable. Will you do it?"

Eve nodded slowly, her gaze on the coffin. "What do you know about her?"

"She was young, somewhere in her teens. She had a broken shinbone. The museum thought from the lack of nutrition evidenced by her bones that she was working-class. They call her Giulia." He smiled. "And that's all I know. It's all they know." His glance went to Joe and Sontag, who were ushering the students from the room. "I'd better go and be sure Sontag doesn't make any major foul-ups. He takes a firm hand."

"Then I'm sure he'll get it." Eve was moving toward the coffin. "Where is this studio you set up for me?"

Eve's tone was absent and Jane could tell she was already absorbed in the project to come. "Can you wait until you unpack and have dinner?"

"The study," Trevor said. "And I'll bring the skull and set it up for you after I talk to Sontag."

"I want to look at her now."

"Go ahead. There's no lock on the coffin." Trevor strode toward Joe and Sontag.

Jane followed Eve across the room. "Why are you in such a hurry? She's not one of your lost ones, Eve."

"If I do her reconstruction, she will be. Not only that, I'm going to take liberties giving her your face and I want to get to know her." She lifted the lid of the coffin. "What did the people at the museum call her?"

"Giulia."

She gently touched the skull. "Hello, Giulia," she said softly. "We're going to get to know each other very well. I have nothing but respect and admiration for you and I'm eager to see who you are." She stood for a moment looking down at the skeleton and then closed the lid. "That's enough for now." She turned away. "I couldn't work on her without introducing myself."

Jane nodded. "I know you couldn't. I've seen you do it with the lost ones. Do you think they hear you?"

"I've no idea. But it makes me feel better about the intrusion." She headed for the staircase. "At least working on Giulia will keep me busy. I've been twiddling my thumbs since the day you sprang this plan on us. It's going to be a relief to get back to work. You know, she has very small, interesting facial bones...." She looked back at Jane standing at the foot of the stairs. "Aren't you coming up?"

"Not now. I think I'll go out in the garden. I'm restless." She smiled. "I don't have a Giulia to think about. I'll see you at dinner."

"Stay close," Eve said as she started up the stairs again. "Joe has so many guards around that I suppose the gardens are just as safe as the house, but I like the idea of four walls around you."

"I went for walks at the lake."

"This place is different. It seems alien."

It didn't seem alien to her, Jane thought as she crossed the foyer and opened the French doors leading to the rose garden. Ever since she'd arrived in Herculaneum she'd felt a strong sense of familiarity. Even now the sun warming her cheeks, the scent of roses, the tinkle of the fountain as it fell on the tiles were all strangely comforting.

"You look very content. I almost hate to disturb you."

She stiffened and turned to see Trevor coming out of the house. "Then don't do it. Unless you have a good reason."

"I do. I wanted to lay down the house rules now that the game's in play." His glance traveled around the garden. "This is a pretty place. It's like a garden caught in a time warp. You can almost see ladies in white gowns with bustles drifting down those paths."

"At least you didn't say ladies in togas. I'm getting an overload on ancient history."

He studied her expression. "You don't look stressed."

"I'm handling it." She looked away from him. "Did you really need to spring that skeleton on Eve? What are the chances of Aldo getting close enough to see her working on it or seeing the reconstruction itself?"

"High enough. There's no telling if he'll get a glimpse of the reconstruction in the coffin. It was safer. Beside, Eve will be happier working."

"And that's why you did it?"

He didn't answer directly. "I like Eve. It's hard for a woman of her mind-set to sit around doing nothing."

"Yes, it is." And he was very perceptive to realize the need and fill it. "Okay, what are the house rules? Am I supposed to stay away from the garden?"

"No, just don't wander toward the gate. And you don't leave the villa without Quinn or me."

"I didn't intend to leave here. There's no reason." She paused, her gaze going to the wrought-iron gate. "He's coming to me."

"He probably will." Trevor's gaze followed hers. "But don't play into his hands."

"You didn't have to tell me that. I may be a schoolgirl but I'm not stupid."

He grimaced. "That really stung, didn't it?"

"You called it the way you saw it." She gave him a cool glance. "I am a schoolgirl and I'm not ashamed of it. But being my age and in school doesn't mean I'm ignorant. From the time I was five years old I ran the streets and knew every prostitute and drug runner in south Atlanta. By the time I was ten I'd bet I knew more than you did when you left that orphanage. Yes, it stung, but I thought about it and decided that you didn't know beans about me and that was your loss."

"It certainly is." He smiled. "And I'm feeling it more every minute. Do you forgive me?"

"No." Her gaze shifted to the fountain. "You didn't look at me as an individual. That's what I can't forgive. You lumped me in with the rest of my age group and walked away from me. That's okay with me. I don't need you. But, in a way, you're as bad as Aldo. He looked at my face and didn't see past it."

"Tampering with a girl of your age is a big responsibility," he said quietly. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"No one hurts me but me. And you didn't want the responsibility. Fine. I don't even know why we're talking about this. It's over." She stood up. "And it's not as if anything really happened."

"Something happened."

She knew what he meant and she wasn't going to deny it. "Nothing that I can't forget."

He grimaced. "I wish I could say the same."

"You shouldn't forget. You fouled up." She had to get away. She was forgetting anger and remembering the hurt. She turned and started down the path. "Maybe you'll learn something from it."

"I already have." His voice followed her as she reached the arbor. "Don't go too far, Jane."

She didn't answer. She desperately hoped he'd leave. The peacefulness of that moment before he came into the garden was gone. She'd thought she'd armored herself against him but, good Lord, she was actually trembling. Was that what sex did to you? Then she could do without it. She wanted full control of her body and didn't like the way it was betraying her. She didn't want to remember how he'd looked with the mellow sunlight turning his tanned skin to gold. She didn't want to remember how it had felt to touch him.

She wouldn't remember. She'd behaved with strength and intelligence and this aftershock would disappear soon. She glanced back over her shoulder. Relief flooded her as she saw that Trevor had gone back into the house. She'd stay here a little longer to regain her composure and then leave the garden and go up to her room. She needed a shower and she needed to see Eve. Not to talk. She wasn't good at confidences, but being with Eve always calmed her. Whenever she was filled with hurt or

Her phone rang.

Probably Eve concerned that she'd been out here too long.

"I'll be in soon, Eve. You should smell the roses. It almost makes you drunk with "

"Are you in the garden?"

Aldo.

Shock turned her rigid and she couldn't speak.

"You're not answering."

"Yes, I'm in the garden." Her voice was uneven and she had to steady it. "Where are you?"

"Close. I watched you down in that tunnel today. I was almost near enough to touch you. I will touch you soon. Shall I tell how?"

"I'm not interested. You're being ridiculous. You can't " She stopped. As much as she wanted to argue with him, it would ruin everything if she actually convinced him she wasn't Cira. Play along with him. Stop protesting and try to set him up. "Suppose you're right and I am Cira. You can't stop me. I'm too close. Eve is doing the reconstruction now and when it's finished, I'll be famous. Even after I'm dead I'll still live forever. My face will be posted on the sides of buses. They'll do documentaries about me. They'll name perfumes Cira. You can make your telephone calls, spit all the poison you like, but it's not going to do you any good. You'll lose."

"Bitch." He was clearly having to smother his rage. "You think you're so safe sitting surrounded by Duncan and Quinn and that bastard, Trevor. None of them can protect you. I'll kill you and then I'll kill them."

Her heart jerked and her hand tightened on the phone. "Why kill them? I'm the one you want."

"You infected them. They'd never give up hunting for me." He was silent a moment. "That bothers you."

"No, it just seems stupid."

"You're trying to deceive me. It does bother you. Perhaps when you draw them to you, it causes you to form an attachment yourself."

"If I'm as cold as you think, then you couldn't be more wrong."

"But you aren't always cold. Julius Precebio wrote with disgusting detail about your passion. You can be touched. Trevor has touched you, hasn't he?"

"No."

"You lie. I saw him look at you." His voice turned soft. "And I saw you with Eve Duncan on the porch one night. You were very emotional."

She felt a cold chill. "I was pretending."

"Maybe. But maybe not. I hear something in your tone...." His own tone was suddenly laden with malice. "At any rate, it's too promising not to explore. Shall I tell you what I'm going to do to Eve Duncan?"

"No."

"She works very hard giving victims back their faces, doesn't she? I'm going to take her face away. I've gotten very proficient at slicing away that evil face of yours. Sometimes those women stayed conscious until the end. I'll go slowly with Duncan and make sure she suffers the full torment she deserves."

She tried to keep her voice from shaking. "You truly are a monster."

"Oh, no, I'm the sword of justice. You're the monster. It's you who twisted my father's mind until he could give me nothing but scorn, it's you who lured Duncan and the others here when Sontag found that skeleton. You knew I'd kill them if they got in my way."

"You're not talking about killing them if they get in your way. You're saying that you'll kill them anyway."

"Once you started using them, they automatically had to be removed." He chuckled. "And now that I know it's going to upset you, I may have to plan a way to do it while you're still alive. It will be an added pleasure."

"Aren't you getting distracted? I'm your target."

"I couldn't be more focused. It's been a pleasure chatting with you. We'll do it again soon. Good-bye, Cira." He hung up.

Dear God, she was shaking.

She reached out and grabbed the wrought-iron post of the arbor to steady herself. Ugliness. Madness. Death.