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BOSTON SCHOOL OF THE ARTS STUDIO

NEXT DAY

Y ou’ve got a letter on your easel.” Jean Paul was scowling as Celine walked into the studio that evening.

“The receptionist brought it by a couple hours ago and asked me to tell you about it when you showed up for your sitting. If it’s another one of those loser artists trying to hire you away from me, you can just tell him to go to hell.

I’ve got enough to compete with since you won’t quit that damn hospital job. ”

“Poor you.” Celine put down her sketchbook as she reached for the envelope taped to her easel. “And we all know life is only about you and what you need.”

“No, only the most important things.” His eyes were narrowed on the envelope she was opening. “Go ahead and put me out of my misery and then let me know how much more I’ll have to pay to keep you posing for—”

Did you think you were free of me, bitch? I told you, I’d make you pay.

Celine stiffened as she read that first line scrawled on the notepaper. “My God,” she muttered. “Be quiet, Jean Paul. This isn’t what you think.”

“Of course it is,” Jean Paul said. “You should at least let me talk to you about—”

But she was no longer listening. She was reading that damn letter.

But it seems I can’t reach out and bloody you as you did me yet.

You have that to look forward to, and it will come.

But that doesn’t mean that I won’t punish everyone around you to show you that you can’t expect help from anyone.

Did you really think that I’d be scared of that stupid rentacop?

It’s too bad you can’t ask him if he was scared of me.

I made certain that he was before the end…

The signature was a scrawled Jossland .

Before the end…

Perhaps he’d only meant to frighten her.

But she stood there remembering every line of that bastard’s face. Celine felt ice-cold. His meaning couldn’t be more clear… or fatal.

Barnaby!

Jean Paul was frowning at her. “You’re not listening to me, Celine.”

“You’re right, dammit. I’ve got to go talk to Barnaby.” She turned and whirled toward the door. “I didn’t see Barnaby when I came into the studio. Did you, Jean Paul?”

He shook his head. “I’m busy. I don’t keep track of the help.”

“Maybe somebody should.” She was already darting out of the studio and down the hall toward the back entrance. There was a uniformed policeman on duty there, but it wasn’t Barnaby. What was his name? Charlie… Something. “Charlie, isn’t Barnaby on duty tonight? I forgot to tell him something.”

Charlie was shaking his head. “He called me because he wanted to trade shifts tonight. He said he had something important to do.” He grinned at her.

“I think it probably had something to do with those mug shots he was trying to track down for you. Didn’t he tell you that he’d zeroed in on the bastard?

He warned me to keep an eye on you until he could get the cops to bring him in for questioning. ”

“Oh, shit,” she whispered. She closed her eyes for an instant.

This was a nightmare. “Look, I have to call Barnaby’s wife, Judy, and see if she has any idea where he went tonight.

Will you do me a favor and call the local police department and ask the same thing?

He told me he used to be a rookie cop at that precinct before he resigned because he wanted to spend more time with his wife and kids.

But he knows most of those officers, and he’d probably talk to them if he got a lead about that mug shot. ”

“Sure,” Charlie said. “But I don’t want to get Barnaby pissed off with me. He really wanted to help you. He said you both were working to get that guy off the streets. Should we wait and see if we hear from him?”

Jossland promised he’d made sure the guard became afraid of him, she thought to herself. Before the end .

“No, we shouldn’t wait.” She shook her head as she reached for her phone. She was terrified it might already be too late. “Let’s just make those calls. Okay?”

DOMINIC’S GULFSTREAM

SOMEWHERE OVER THE ATLANTIC

FIVE HOURS LATER

“I’ve found Celine Kelly, Dominic,” Sam Rashid said when Dominic picked up his call. “And I have to admit I’m finding this particular job very interesting. You do like to keep me on my toes, don’t you?”

Rashid was definitely sounding amused, which automatically made Dominic wary.

“I wouldn’t want you to get bored,” Dominic said. “What’s wrong? All I asked for was information. Couldn’t you find out enough about her to give me a decent report?”

“Oh, I found out quite a bit. According to the people around her, the woman is usually very understated and hardworking, but her life appears to be an open book. She grew up as an army brat. She earns her living as an artist’s model and is also working part-time as a physician intern.

She shares an apartment with two other models who also work at the art institute.

But she appears to have no close friends or lovers, probably because she’s so busy. ”

“Then why do you find Celine Kelly so interesting? Not much to keep you on your toes from that report.”

“I didn’t tell you the best part,” Rashid said. “The interesting part is that you said you wanted to interview her as soon as you landed, and that I’m supposed to make her available to you.”

“That’s what I said. What’s the problem?”

“The problem is that I’m having difficulty doing that,” Rashid said. “Because at the present time she’s being held for questioning by the Boston Police Department, and I can’t even get to see her.”

“What the hell?” Dominic murmured. “On what charge?”

“I’ve been trying to determine that, but they’re not being forthcoming. I thought you might know. But evidently she’s not as pure as you might guess from that report.”

“Possibly,” Dominic said. “But I want to know definitely. I’ll be landing in about an hour. Until then, I want you to talk to everyone connected to her and find out why the ministering angel turned out to be a demon in disguise.”

“Of course. I’m on my way to the art studio now. I thought that’s what you’d tell me. It was just too bizarre to resist poking the bear a little. I’ll pick you up at the airport?”

“I can hardly wait,” Dominic said. “And in the meantime, I’ll make a few calls on my own and see if I can nudge a few answers myself from those noble officers of law and order…”

INTERROGATION ROOM

BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

FOUR HOURS LATER

“I don’t know where Barnaby is,” Celine said wearily.

“Why do you keep asking me?” She turned to Lieutenant Jacobs, who was leaning against the wall across the room.

“If I knew the answer to that, why would I have asked Charlie to call you and see if anyone at the precinct could let me know what had happened to him? You’re treating me as if I’m guilty of some kind of crime. ”

The lieutenant shook his head. “No, we believe the only thing you’re guilty of is being a little too persuasive to Barnaby.

It’s understandable. It would be natural for him to want to please a lovely woman like you.

You were angry that some thug had tried to attack you and you wanted the man punished, so you sent Barnaby after him. ”

“It wasn’t like that.” She stiffened. “I’d already punished him myself. I only ran back to the studio so that I could have Barnaby fill out a report and warn the other students to keep an eye out for him.”

Jacobs smiled slightly. “Yes, Officer Charles said that Barnaby told him that rather unusual story, but I’m afraid I took it with a grain of salt.

Particularly after I caught sight of you.

You don’t look nearly lethal enough to be able to cause the kind of damage Barnaby described.

I’m sure you must have many other weapons available to you. ”

She was getting too impatient to go on with this. Why wouldn’t he listen to her? “I’m sure you do, too. But it’s always a question of choice, isn’t it, Lieutenant? Please could you just tell me what you know about Barnaby being missing.”

He nodded. “We just have a few more questions that we have to ask you to verify your story. Barnaby told a couple of his friends here at the precinct that he was doing a favor for you when he asked to check the mug books. He said you’d been assaulted and needed to check the identity of the perpetrator.

Evidently he thought he’d found what he was looking for and just wanted to locate the man for a final confirmation of ID before he asked you to file a report. Was that true?”

She nodded. “Part of it. I gave Barnaby a sketch, and he was hoping he could find the man in the mug books. I never asked him to hunt him down. I thought he was just going to file a report and then turn the case over to the police.” She moistened her lips. “Tell me he didn’t do that.”

“I’m afraid we can’t tell you any such thing,” the lieutenant said coolly. “And you told the officers we sent to pick you up at the art studio how helpful and friendly Barnaby had been to you, but you were afraid that something terrible might have happened to him. Is that correct?”

“You must know it is. I gave the officers that letter I’d received.” He’d even signed a name. Surly that should have helped. Her hands were clenching nervously into fists. “Now may I ask a few questions? Did you find Barnaby? Is he okay?”

He was silent for a long moment. “We’re not sure.

” The lieutenant shook his head. “We have a body in the morgue that hasn’t been identified yet that was discovered down in the warehouse district.

But it may take some time before we know if it’s definitely Barnaby.

” His lips tightened. “There was severe torture involved.”

Celine inhaled sharply. “Dear God.” She felt as if he’d struck her. “Have you told his wife, Judy?”

“Not yet. We hope to have something more definite to tell her soon.”