decided it wasn't good enough to water a plant with. "It looks as
though she may be starting to remember."
His expression changed. There was a trace of fear, then a flood of
anger. "You should have let me kill her years ago."
"It wasn't necessary then." The other man shrugged and sipped his
Scotch. "It may be necessary now."
"I don't intend to get my hands dirty at this stage, old man. You take
care of her."
"I dealt with Jane." His voice was cool and level. "At the moment, I
think Emma only bears watching. If it goes further, it will be up to
you."
"All right. Not because you order it, but because I owe her."
"Mr. Blackpool, can I have your autograph?"
He set down his lighter and smiled at the curvy young redhead. "Of
course, dear. It would be a pleasure."
THROUGH THE PARLOR window, Emma could see the last of the New Year's
snow melting from the hedgerow.
"Michael wants me to marry him."
Katherine barely lifted a brow. "How do you feel about that?"
Emma nearly laughed. It was such a standard response, therapist to
patient. "I feel a lot of things about that. Surprise isn't one of
them. I've known for some time he's only been waiting to ask me. When
I'm with him, I start to believe that it could work. A home, a family.
It's what I've always wanted."
"Do you love him?"
"Oh yes." That part, it seemed was quite simple. "I do."
There was no hesitation there, Katherine noticed. "But you're not sure
of marriage."
"It works for some people. We could hardly say it worked for me."
"How does Michael compare with Drew?"
"In what way?"
Katherine merely lifted her hands palms up, fingers spread.
"They're both men. Attractive, determined men."
"Anything else?"
Emma wandered the room. The house was empty and quiet. It was
understood that at three each afternoon she would be left alone to talk
to Katherine. She hadn't meant to speak of Michael today, but of the
nightmares. But her thoughts had focused on him.
"No, nothing. Even before I realized Drew was violent" I couldn't have
compared them. He was careless with people, only able to focus on one
at a time. There was no real sense of loyalty. He could be very
clever and very romantic, but it was never done out of simple
generosity. He always required payment."
"And Mchael?"
"He cares. About people, his job, his family. Loyalty is like, well,
the color of his eyes. Just part of him. I never thought I'd want to
be with a man again. Th have sex. When we made love for the first
time, I felt things I'd always wanted to feel and hadn't been able to."
"You call it having sex when you refer to Drew. Making love with
Michael."