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Essex County, in north Jersey. And Lee saw the look of disbelief on his friend’s face when they were in public together—as if he still couldn’t quite understand how he ended up with such a beautiful woman.
    “Hey! What are you doing, standing there with that grim expression?”
    Kathy’s voice brought him out of his reverie. He set the remote receiver down on the phone charger.
Susan sends her love. Yeah, right,
as his niece would say.
As if.
    “Didn’t Chuck just ask you to join the team?” Kathy said, now on her feet, plucking at his shirt sleeve.
    “Yeah, he did.”
    “So what’s with the long face, ya crazy mug?”
    They both liked black-and-white movies from the thirties and forties, and enjoyed imitating the way the characters spoke. It was one of those little private jokes that keep happy couples from being all alike.
    “Aw, cut it out, will ya, you crazy dame?” Lee responded, but his heart wasn’t in it. His stomach was beginning to churn, and it wasn’t just because of his close encounter with Susan Morton. He had a premonition that nothing good was about to happen.
    On impulse, he pulled the slip of paper from his pocket with Ana’s cell phone number on it and dialed. The call bounced immediately to voice mail. He frowned and tried a second time, with the same results. He folded the paper and put it carefully on top of the mantel. Of course, it could mean nothing—she could have turned off her phone. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something very bad was about to happen.
    “You okay?” Kathy said, wrapping her arms around him.
    “Yeah,” he said. “Sure.”
    But even as he said it, he knew he didn’t believe it.

C HAPTER S IX
    In you go, nice and easy. That’s it, slide right in. Don’t be afraid—the water’s fine. Don’t struggle, now—there’s no point. The drugs should make you feel all nice and sleepy, so this shouldn’t hurt a bit. If you had been a better girl, there would have been no need for this, no need, but some women are just born bad. It’s sad, but that’s the way it is.
    Caleb stood and watched as she floated away, looking so peaceful, her limbs spreading out from her still form, her white-blond hair blooming like water lilies around her head. His father would be so pleased. He could still hear his father’s voice in his head, as if it were only yesterday.
    “Your mother was born bad—wicked and evil and bad. So this is what you do to bad women. Watch, boy—no, don’t turn away! And don’t cry. Only sissy boys cry. No son of
mine
will turn out to be a sissy boy, not if I can help it. That’s better—be a man, and take it like a man. Only women cry—don’t you ever forget that. And women are bad—nasty, evil creatures. They have this thing between their legs that makes them bad—this bleeding, gaping thing
that will eat you up or bite off your manhood if you ‘re not careful.”
    This one had nice hair—so pale and thick, like a white halo around her head. Just like Ophelia, floating down the stream.
    Oh, yes, Ophelia killed herself out of love, my dear, didn’t she? Well, that was a bit of inspiration on my part, I must admit. A nice touch—I hope they like it when they find you. Of course, you won’t look so pretty when they find you, will you? Not pretty at all—you’ll be bloated like a watermelon, I should think, all white and ghastly and gruesome. Maybe some young policeman will even throw up when he sees you—some of them do, you know. I’ve seen them. That would be too bad, but you only have yourself to blame. I could have taught you some manners, but it’s too late now, I’m afraid. Well, it’s getting colder out, so I’m going to have to leave you. Bon voyage—sweet dreams.

C HAPTER S EVEN
    Lee arrived at Chuck’s office in the Bronx Major Case Unit a little before nine on Monday morning, feeling tired and worried. Tired because Kathy had spent the weekend—they were still in the early stages of their romance, and