Sleep No More (21 page)

She opened the bathroom door and smiled brilliantly at George. “I’m all ready. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine. It’s not as if I’m not aware of what’s going on. I’ve made sure that what Pierce knows, I know.” She moved toward the door. “I should have taken care of the problem myself from the beginning. But it’s not too late to save the situation.”

“If anyone can do it, you can.”

That weariness in his tone again, she noticed; she’d have to address that attitude when she returned. It could hide signs of an underlying festering that would cause problems. “I’ll call you when I reach California.”

“Thanks.” He turned back to the door leading to his suite. “Have a good flight.”

She hesitated in the hall after she’d closed the door behind her. Should she go back to him and try to smooth away that disturbance?

No, it would be fine until she came back. She couldn’t be everything to everyone. Rick was the important one at present. All the progress she’d attained from years of work could go down the drain if she didn’t take care of this problem with Beth.

As she started down the stairs, her hand slipped into her tote and closed on the revolver. It felt cool and hard and sleek beneath her touch. She had studied a number of guns before choosing this one because it had reminded her of her own personality. She could be just as dangerous and explosive as the weapon in her palm if she chose. She was a great problem solver, and so was a revolver.

Not that she was contemplating solving the problem of Beth with this weapon.

But one must have insurance, mustn’t one?

CHAPTER

10

Seventeen Mile Drive

“VERY IMPRESSIVE,” EVE MURMURED AS
she got out of the car and looked up at the house towering above the crashing surf.

The house was English Tudor in design and resembled the castles Eve had seen in England. It would definitely have been more at home in the English countryside than on this lush California coast. “What did you say you did for the owner?”

“I didn’t.” Newell got out of the car. “I was Mr. Dendridge’s bodyguard and personal trainer. He was a great guy. We became good friends before we parted company.”

“I don’t remember any mention of him in your personnel record.”

“My uncle furnished me with that dossier and set up background records. If I’d given the hospital an authentic history, it would have led back to him.” He was gazing up at the house. “God, I hope she’s in there.”

“And I hope she’s still alive,” Eve said grimly. “Let’s find out. You have the security code, right?”

“Yes.” He was moving toward the front door. “I gave it to Beth. It was the only way she could get into the—” He stopped and his gaze shifted to Eve’s face. “I didn’t tell you I had the code. Was that a guess?”

She ignored the question as she reached the door. “You’d better go in first. She must have heard the car drive up, but you’re the only one she’d recognize. We don’t want to scare her.” She glanced back at the car. Joe had gotten out of the car but was standing there, his head lifted as he gazed around the courtyard. “Joe?”

“Go ahead. If the alarm is still set, it’s probably safe enough inside. These mansions on the strip have state-of-the-art security. You have your gun?”

She nodded. “In my bag. Why aren’t you coming?”

“I want to take a look around the property. Even if Drogan isn’t inside, it doesn’t mean he’s not stalking out here. Call me if there’s a problem.” He started toward the steps that led to the beach. “It shouldn’t take me more than ten or fifteen minutes.”

Newell watched him until he disappeared. “Smart,” he said “And careful.”

“Always.” Eve could feel the tension grip her as she watched Newell try the door, then punch in the security code. In a few minutes, she’d be face-to-face with Beth Avery. Relax. She was just a stranger. It shouldn’t matter this much.

It did matter.

“It was locked. That’s a good sign.” Newell swung open the door and went into the foyer. “Beth!”

No answer.

Newell muttered a curse. “She might have gone on the run if she knew that Drogan was after her. He could have called and scared her. Hell, that would be the best scenario. Beth! It’s okay. It’s Billy.”

“It’s not safe to turn on the lights if there’s a security guard monitoring these houses on the beach.” Eve reached in her purse and pulled out her small flashlight. She moved forward across the foyer toward the staircase. “Keep calling her name.” She shined her beam around the cherry stairs and mullioned windows on the landing. “I’m going upstairs.”

“No, you aren’t. Stay right where you are.” The woman who had spoken was coming down the hall toward them. “Billy, that means you, too.”

She had a gun.

The beam of Eve’s flashlight fell on the Luger the woman was holding before her with both hands.

Eve froze.

“Beth?” Newell took a step toward her. “Don’t be scared. It’s me.”

“Don’t move. I don’t want to hurt you, Billy. But I will if I have to do it to save myself. You told me that over and over, didn’t you? Save yourself.”

“Your hands are shaking on that gun. You’re just as likely to shoot yourself.”

“No, I won’t. When I first saw that gun case in the library, I knew that I might have to break into it if it became necessary. I found some books in the library on gun usage and studied them.” Her voice was quivering. “Remember? You told me I had to learn, to teach myself. It didn’t take much studying to learn how to take off a safety and pull the trigger.” She took another step closer. “But I don’t want to pull the trigger, Billy. I don’t want to hurt you. Tell me why you’re here.”

“For God’s sake, I want to help you. Why else would I be here?”

“I don’t know. I do know you told me not to trust you either. You said don’t trust anyone. Not even me.” She looked at Eve. “Who is she?”

“Eve Duncan. She wants to help you.
I
want to help you, Beth.”

“He said you were dead.”

“Who?”

“It was that man who had the hypodermic needle. He called me, using your phone, and said he was the police and that you were dead, stabbed to death. But I recognized his voice. It was the man who tried to kill me in the hospital room. He wasn’t the police. I hung up.”

“Then why in God’s name didn’t you run like hell?” Newell asked roughly. “There are ways that you could be tracked once you answered that call. You shouldn’t have taken the chance of staying here.”

“I was hoping that he’d lied, that you were still alive. I knew if he hadn’t killed you, that you might come to help me. So I broke into the gun case and waited.”

“And then pulled the gun on me.”

“I’m afraid, Billy. I have to take care of myself. What if that murderer made you come here? How did he get your phone?”

“His name is Drogan. And he took it.”

“How?”

Eve had enough. They had to break through this wall of fear and suspicion. “Show her, Newell.” She took his arm and pulled him to stand before Beth. She jerked open his shirt and pulled it aside to reveal the bandages. “That’s how Drogan managed to take his phone. Do you want me to take off the bandages and let you see the wounds? They’re not pretty. Drogan wanted to inflict the maximum amount of pain. But Newell didn’t tell him anything about you. Drogan located you through the cell phone.”

“Billy?” Beth whispered. Her gaze was focused on the bandages, then lifted to the jagged stitches on his throat, where he’d torn off the bandages earlier. She flinched and reached out to touch the wound on the side of his neck. “He … hurt you.”

“Yeah. Now will you put down the gun?”

“I’ll take it.” Eve reached out and her hand closed on the barrel of the gun. “Now let’s talk reasonably and—”

Her head snapped back as Beth’s fist connected with her jaw.

Pain.

Darkness.

“Beth!” Newell grabbed Beth and pulled her back. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Tell her to keep her hands off me.” Beth pulled away from him, her hand tight on the gun, her voice fierce as she glared at Eve. “I don’t know her. I guess I can still trust you, but I don’t trust her. There’s no way I want her here. Why did you bring her? Who the hell is she?”

“I told you,” Newell said. “Eve Duncan. She’s not going to hurt—”

“I’m your sister,” Eve said baldly. “And I don’t want to be here any more than you want me. But I have no choice. Therefore, you have no choice.” She rubbed her jaw. “And if you ever do that again, I’ll deck you. You won’t catch me off guard again.”

“Sister,” Beth repeated blankly. “I don’t have a sister.”

“How do you know? I didn’t. It appears that our relationship wasn’t important to anyone in either of our lives.” She turned away. “Until now. Now take us someplace where it’s safe to turn on a light without its being seen from outside. I’m sure you must have checked that out since you’ve been here. Which room?”

She didn’t answer for a moment. “The library. Heavy velvet drapes on all the windows. As long as the light wasn’t too strong, it didn’t show around the edge. I went outside just to be sure and checked it when I was watching TV and reading.” She pushed past them and led the way down the hall. “I’m not doing this because you’re telling me to do it. I just want Billy to have a chance to sit down and rest. He’s paler than I’ve ever seen him.”

“I’ll accept that my wishes aren’t of importance to you,” Eve said. “And I don’t give a damn. I just want to keep my promise and have this over.” She followed Beth as she opened a tall, mahogany door and entered a large room lined with bookshelves. “Sit down, Newell. She’s right, you’re not looking so good.” She moved toward a desk in the center of the room. “You don’t want to end up back in the hospital.”

“No, I don’t.” He dropped down in a leather easy chair. “And you might not help to spring me next time. After all, you’ve got what you want from me.”

“I’m not that callous.” Eve leaned forward and turned on the desk light. The library was suddenly flooded with soft light. “And I wouldn’t want to set you up for Pierce. I’ve taken a great dislike for him.”

“Not callous, tough.” Newell turned to Beth, who was still in the shadows outside the pool of light. “Will you put that gun down now? Eve’s not going to attack you.”

“I couldn’t be sure.” She came forward to put the revolver on the desk. “She could have been fooling you.”

“And I told you not to trust anyone.” He made a face. “It was a good idea, but I’m beginning to rue the day I said it.”

“You shouldn’t,” Beth said as she came toward him. “It’s as bad out here as you told me. Look what that monster did to you.” She gently touched the stitched wound on his cheek. “I’m sorry, Billy. Why didn’t you run away when I did?”

“It wasn’t the right time. I didn’t know enough. I was trying to learn more about the bad guys.” He shrugged. “But the bad guys found me instead. Or one bad guy, Drogan.”

“And just who is Drogan?” Beth asked.

“I couldn’t trace him. But we should know soon.” He nodded at Eve. “Her significant other, Joe Quinn, is a detective and he’s checking him out.”

“Joe Quinn?” She whirled toward Eve. “If he’s a detective, will they make him take me back to the hospital? Pierce knows all the police at— What are you staring at?”

“Nothing.” Eve was staring at Beth Avery. The soft lamplight surrounded her sister, and Eve couldn’t take her eyes off her. Her slender body was dressed in gray slacks and a cream blouse that she wore with simple elegance. Her dark hair resembled the curls and textures of Eve’s Bonnie, and her face …

Beautiful? Yes, a fascinating face with large dark eyes set wide in a triangular-shaped skull with beautiful bone structure. The wonderful vitality Eve had noticed in the photograph was no longer there, and she felt a sudden anger that Beth had been robbed of that lust for life. Instead, there was a … watchfulness.

And Eve noticed something else.

Beth was two years older than Eve, but she looked much younger. Her face was perfectly smooth and glowing, as if she were a child who had only just woken from a nap. No wrinkles or lines that were the usual signs of emotional or physical stress.

Sleeping Beauty.

The words popped into Eve’s mind out of nowhere. The fairy tale of the princess who had pricked her finger and fallen asleep while the world went on without her. A garden of thorns had grown up around her castle to make sure that no one got close enough to wake her, to save her.

“You’re not telling me the truth,” Beth said curtly. “I know when people lie to me. God knows, those doctors and nurses did that enough. I can tell the difference. I’m not stupid because they had me on all those drugs.”

“I don’t think you’re stupid. You want the truth? I was thinking you look very young, like Sleeping Beauty coming out from behind the wall of thorns.”

“That’s silly.” She frowned. “I don’t belong in any fairy tale. I’m just trying to understand and survive.”

Newell gave a low whistle. “I believe you’ve hit it, Eve.” He touched the cut on his throat. “Right down to the sharp thorns.”

“You can think what you wish,” Eve told Beth. “You asked me, and I told you. Look in the mirror sometime and think about it.” She took out her phone. “Now I’m going to call Joe and tell him that you’re safe and ask if he’s noticed anything suspicious while he was reconnoitering the grounds. If you want to be useful, you can find a first-aid kit in this place and rebandage any of Newell’s cuts that need it.”

She didn’t move. “Joe Quinn? That detective Billy mentioned? He’s here?”

“Yes, and you’re lucky that he is. His presence ups your safety quotient about 70 percent.” She saw that Beth wasn’t moving, and she was suddenly impatient. “You can trust him, dammit. You can trust me. We’re all here to help you.”

“Are you?” She looked Eve directly in the eye. “Then why are you angry with me? Is it because I hit you when you tried to take my gun? I’d do it again. You don’t care anything about me. I didn’t know you even existed. I don’t like you, and I don’t want you here.”

“I’m not angry.” But she was lying, Eve realized. There had been a smoldering resentment connected with Beth since the moment Sandra had told her about her. Resentment, pity, shock, curiosity had all been there, and now there was this deep frustration that she had to bury all those feelings and just find a way to rescue Sleeping Beauty. And, added to that barrage of emotions, an instant antagonism between them had flared at their first encounter.