most beautiful women I'd ever known. She
was also the most dangerous, responsible for the deaths of at least half
a dozen people. If Jenny hadn't found me in time I'd have added to
that tally, and while I knew I should be grateful to be alive, I was
finding it hard to put it behind me.
Especially since Grace was still out there.
The police had assured me that it was only a matter of time before
she was found, that she was too unstable to remain free for long. But
Grace had been a rich woman, consumed by a passion for vengeance
that was as irrational as it was deadly. She wasn't going to give herself
away that easily. Nor was I her only target. She'd already tried to
kill a young mother and daughter once, and only been prevented at
the cost of another life. Since Grace's attack on me, Ellen and Anna
McLeod had been living under police protection and an assumed
name. While they'd prove harder to track down than a forensic
scientist who was listed in the phone book, the truth was that none
of us would be safe until Grace was caught.
That wasn't an easy thing to live with. Not when I bore the scars
to remind me how close she'd come already.
I turned up the shower as hot as I could stand it, letting the water
scald away the dark thoughts. Dripping wet, I towelled myself dry
until my skin was stinging, then dressed and hurried downstairs.The
hot shower made me feel better, but I still felt little enthusiasm as I
went down to the hotel foyer. Paul was already there, scribbling
intently in a small notepad as he waited on a sofa.
'Sorry, have you been waiting long?' I asked.
He stood up, tucking the notepad into a back pocket. 'Only just
got here. Sam's in the car.'
He'd parked across the street. A pretty woman in her early thirties
was waiting in the passenger seat. She had long, very blond hair and
turned to face me as I slid into the back, her hands resting on her
swollen stomach.
'Hey, David, good to see you again.'
'You too,' I said, meaning it. There are some people you feel
instantly at ease with, and Sam was one of them.We'd only met once,
earlier that week, but it already seemed like I'd known her for years.
'How are you feeling?'
'Well, my back hurts, my feet ache, and you don't even want to
know about the rest. But other than that I can't complain.' She smiled
to show she didn't mean it. Sam was one of the lucky women who
wear their pregnancy well. She fairly shone with health, and for all
the discomfort it was obvious she was loving every moment.
'Junior's been playing up lately,' Paul said, pulling out into the
traffic. 'I keep on telling Sam that's a sure sign it's a girl, but she won't
listen.'
Neither of them had wanted to know the sex of the baby. Sam had
told me it would have spoiled the surprise. 'Girls aren't that
boisterous. It's a boy'
'Case of beer says you're wrong.'
'A case of beer? That's the best you can do?' She appealed to me.
'David, what sort of bet is that for a pregnant woman?'
'Sounds pretty shrewd to me. He gets to drink it even if he loses.'
'Hey, you're supposed to be on my side,' Paul protested.
'He's got more sense,' Sam said, swatting him.
I began to unwind as I listened to their banter. It felt good to see
their happiness, and if I felt a tug of envy it was only a small one.
When Paul pulled up into a parking space I was disappointed the
short journey was over.
We were in the Old City, the one-time industrial heart of
Knoxville. Some factories and warehouses still remained, but the area
had undergone a genteel conversion, the industry giving way to bars,
restaurants and apartments. Paul had parked a little way up the street
from the steakhouse where everyone was meeting, an old brick
building whose cavernous space was now filled with tables and live
music. It was already busy, and we had to ease our way to a large
group sitting by one of the windows. The half-empty beer glasses and
laughter announced that they'd been there for
was also the most dangerous, responsible for the deaths of at least half
a dozen people. If Jenny hadn't found me in time I'd have added to
that tally, and while I knew I should be grateful to be alive, I was
finding it hard to put it behind me.
Especially since Grace was still out there.
The police had assured me that it was only a matter of time before
she was found, that she was too unstable to remain free for long. But
Grace had been a rich woman, consumed by a passion for vengeance
that was as irrational as it was deadly. She wasn't going to give herself
away that easily. Nor was I her only target. She'd already tried to
kill a young mother and daughter once, and only been prevented at
the cost of another life. Since Grace's attack on me, Ellen and Anna
McLeod had been living under police protection and an assumed
name. While they'd prove harder to track down than a forensic
scientist who was listed in the phone book, the truth was that none
of us would be safe until Grace was caught.
That wasn't an easy thing to live with. Not when I bore the scars
to remind me how close she'd come already.
I turned up the shower as hot as I could stand it, letting the water
scald away the dark thoughts. Dripping wet, I towelled myself dry
until my skin was stinging, then dressed and hurried downstairs.The
hot shower made me feel better, but I still felt little enthusiasm as I
went down to the hotel foyer. Paul was already there, scribbling
intently in a small notepad as he waited on a sofa.
'Sorry, have you been waiting long?' I asked.
He stood up, tucking the notepad into a back pocket. 'Only just
got here. Sam's in the car.'
He'd parked across the street. A pretty woman in her early thirties
was waiting in the passenger seat. She had long, very blond hair and
turned to face me as I slid into the back, her hands resting on her
swollen stomach.
'Hey, David, good to see you again.'
'You too,' I said, meaning it. There are some people you feel
instantly at ease with, and Sam was one of them.We'd only met once,
earlier that week, but it already seemed like I'd known her for years.
'How are you feeling?'
'Well, my back hurts, my feet ache, and you don't even want to
know about the rest. But other than that I can't complain.' She smiled
to show she didn't mean it. Sam was one of the lucky women who
wear their pregnancy well. She fairly shone with health, and for all
the discomfort it was obvious she was loving every moment.
'Junior's been playing up lately,' Paul said, pulling out into the
traffic. 'I keep on telling Sam that's a sure sign it's a girl, but she won't
listen.'
Neither of them had wanted to know the sex of the baby. Sam had
told me it would have spoiled the surprise. 'Girls aren't that
boisterous. It's a boy'
'Case of beer says you're wrong.'
'A case of beer? That's the best you can do?' She appealed to me.
'David, what sort of bet is that for a pregnant woman?'
'Sounds pretty shrewd to me. He gets to drink it even if he loses.'
'Hey, you're supposed to be on my side,' Paul protested.
'He's got more sense,' Sam said, swatting him.
I began to unwind as I listened to their banter. It felt good to see
their happiness, and if I felt a tug of envy it was only a small one.
When Paul pulled up into a parking space I was disappointed the
short journey was over.
We were in the Old City, the one-time industrial heart of
Knoxville. Some factories and warehouses still remained, but the area
had undergone a genteel conversion, the industry giving way to bars,
restaurants and apartments. Paul had parked a little way up the street
from the steakhouse where everyone was meeting, an old brick
building whose cavernous space was now filled with tables and live
music. It was already busy, and we had to ease our way to a large
group sitting by one of the windows. The half-empty beer glasses and
laughter announced that they'd been there for
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