“It doesn’t matter where we began. We both know where this will end.”
He scowled. “We don’t know anything. Life isn’t something you can script, Jane. It’s full of surprises, and those surprises can change everything.” Look at what had happened to him. Never in a million years would he have guessed he’d walk away from his lucrative and rewarding career to chase down Emily’s husband for killing her and Colton. Never had he thought he’d crave another child, especially with a woman he hardly knew. “Speaking of surprises that can change everything…would you like me to pick up one of those pregnancy tests?”
“No. I-I’ll deal with it when I’m ready.”
“It might be better to know.”
“And it might not. If I miss my period, then we’ll worry.”
He nodded. “Okay, but I didn’t actually come to talk about pregnancy tests. And, much as I liked getting to see Kate, I didn’t come to meet her, either. I came because the two of you can’t stay here, not by yourselves.”
She shifted her briefcase to her other hand. “What are you talking about? I live here.”
“Malcolm associates this place with me. He’ll come back. And if he thinks I care about you, he’ll…” He didn’t finish. There was no need to spell it out. She knew what Malcolm was capable of. She’d witnessed it this morning.
“He’d be crazy to come back,” she said.
“Why?”
“Because he could get caught!”
“You don’t understand. He’ll take those risks. This thing between him and me-” he shoved a hand through his hair “-it’s become very personal. He’ll do whatever he can to get back at me.”
“And that includes killing me.”
“I’m not positive he even knows about you. You weren’t in the car with me when I came here. But he’ll watch this place, search for whatever he can find that might lead him to me.”
“Why isn’t he scared? Why doesn’t he run, get out of here before he’s arrested?”
She didn’t know Malcolm the way he did. “He beat the system once. I’m sure he believes he can do it again.”
“And you’re relieved instead of worried.”
“Like I said, I want to end this.”
She glanced around the parking lot as if their surroundings had somehow changed, but she’d felt safe here and didn’t want to let go of that. “How can you be so positive that’s what he wants?”
With a sigh, Sebastian pulled out the e-mail message he’d printed an hour ago and handed it to her.
Jane set her briefcase on the pavement and unfolded the paper. “It’s from M.T.”
He nodded. “Malcolm Turner.”
“‘It’s you or me, prick,’” she read, then glanced up at him. “He’s calling you out?”
“He’s telling me this won’t be over until one of us is dead.”
“Where did this come from? Can we have David trace it?”
“It would be a waste of time. I’ve already had the ones he sent to Mary traced. He’s using a remote server.”
She gave the paper back to him. “How is Mary?”
“Pretty shaken up, but I was able to convince her to take the boys and go to Phoenix for a week or two. They’re staying with her aunt.”
“He won’t try to follow her there…”
“Not if I draw his fire, make myself an easier target.”
“Target?” The blood drained from her face. “You don’t have to do that, Sebastian. The police will handle this.”
“Like they handled it before?” he asked.
“We’re talking about David this time. He’ll listen to us. As a matter of fact, I just talked to him. Someone else is going to finish the case that’s been taking up so much of his time. This is now his only priority. Forensic technicians are already processing your car. And Marcie’s body is scheduled to be autopsied tomorrow. Maybe they’ll find some sort of evidence.”
“They won’t find anything. He was a cop, Jane. He knows what they’ll be looking for.” He scratched his face. “Besides, this will come to a head long before any of that can help.”
She hugged herself against the cold. “So what do we do?”
“Tonight? Get some sleep. I think we might need it.”
“Where?” she asked.
“At my motel. Unless you want me to stay here. I’m not leaving you alone.”
Bowing her head, she nodded. “What do I tell her?”
“That I’m a coworker who’s down on his luck and needs a place to stay.”
“Just for tonight?”
“Until I feel comfortable that you’re safe on your own.”
“That could be a week or more!”
He grinned at her. “What’s the matter? Afraid you won’t be able to resist me for that long?” He was teasing, trying to cheer her up, but when she answered, he could tell she was absolutely serious.
“Yes.”
Why hadn’t he responded? Malcolm knew Sebastian had to have checked his e-mail, had to have received the message. He’d gone to the trouble of taking Latisha to that Internet café. The least Sebastian could do was acknowledge receipt. Malcolm wanted to know how it had affected him, what he’d felt when he found Marcie murdered in his backseat. The silence, not knowing, was driving him mad. He was tempted to cruise past Mary’s house or Sebastian’s condominium complex to see what was going on. But he couldn’t; he had to lie low, until he could devise a way to get close without getting caught.
He glanced at the clock on his computer. It was after midnight, but he couldn’t sleep. Not with his mind whirring away like this, and not after spending most of the day in bed, catching up on the sleep he’d missed last night.
Where was Sebastian? Did he live alone in that condo? How long had he been in Sacramento?
Malcolm had called Constance’s office. She was still in New York. So did that mean Sebastian was now with Mary? Was he making love to her this very minute?
The thought of them together made Malcolm clench his jaw. It was one thing to turn Mary against him, another to do it so completely that she became Sebastian’s lover. After what he’d done to her in high school-once a cheater, always a cheater-she probably saw it as the ultimate irony to take this sort of revenge. But he didn’t find it the least amusing.