“I’m not sure I’ll ever recover,” Elgin answered quietly. “Oh, the pain relievers take care of the bruises and aches but every time I close my eyes, I hear squealing tires and that sickening thump. Sometimes, I’ll be working or walking or…or just sitting and suddenly, I’m back there on that street again. Flashbacks, the doctor called them. Says they’re very common after a trauma.”

She trembled and Sheila put her arms around her friend.

“After everything that’s happened,” Sheila ventured, “I don’t see why you still want to go away. Especially to that God-forsaken place. If you want a change, why don’t you and I go down to the Islands for a while? In the daytime, we’ll sip tall, cool, exotic things with rum and little umbrellas, and at night, we’ll chase good-looking native cabana boys. With any luck, we may even catch a couple.”

“It’s precisely because of what’s happened that I do want to get away, particularly to the retreat. I don’t want to be around anyone, even you. I just want to be far away from here, from the stalker, from Pete. Which reminds me, have we heard from Dr. Criner yet?”

“Not yet. Being one of the top orthopedic men in the country…maybe the world, he’s a busy guy, even for an old college chum like me. But I did get through to him. He’s giving a paper at some kind of symposium in Toronto and then he’ll fly down and consult on the case.”

“You made sure to tell him that no one, especially Pete or Mr. Harm, is to know that I’m paying for this?”

“Yes, El, I told him and he understands that you don’t want your name mentioned although he doesn’t understand why. He’s going to tell them that he read about the case in the paper and he thought it sounded interesting and decided to come down and see if he could get a look. They won’t turn him down. Frankly, I don’t understand why you don’t want Pete to know you’re helping him. I know he doesn’t hold you responsible for what happened.”

“Perhaps not,” the other woman answered, “but I do. If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have been out on that street. He tried to tell me I shouldn’t go to the appointment because the stalker would know about it. But would I listen? No. Like always, I knew more than anyone else. I feel guilty enough as it is. Letting Pete or Harm know I hired Dr. Criner would be admitting I was wrong. I couldn’t stand that.”

“That is the stupidest thing I ever heard,” Sheila snorted. “Even from you.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter now. I’ve finished the re-writes and as soon as I can get packed, I’m gone.”

“And what about the stalker? Have you considered that he may just be sitting downstairs waiting for you to leave so he can follow you? Get you alone?”

“Already taken care of,” Elgin smiled. “The day I decide to leave, Martha’s going to put on my clothes and a pair of dark glasses, have Ben hail her a taxi and with suitcases in hand, is going to the airport where she’s going to fly first-class to San Juan and then a lovely cruise through the Panama Canal and a nice visit with her family in California. All at my expense. After she leaves, I’m going down to the parking garage, get the totally inconspicuous blue sedan I’ve rented and leave by the side entrance. And when I’m gone, even mega-P.I. C. A. Harm won’t be able to find me.”

“The reason Elgin’s been pushing herself about the re-writes is so she can get away from here…the city, her condo and especially the accident. Martha says she hardly sleeps and when she does…well, she seems to think a change of scenery is what she needs.”

Harm felt a quickening of his blood, his mind racing ahead of the woman’s conversation. Could it be…a second chance?

“I’m no doctor,” he replied carefully, “but after all that’s happened, maybe a good long rest away from everything is just what she needs.”

Suspicion flashed in those hazel eyes and for a moment, he feared he’d overplayed his hand, squandered his opportunity.

But the look flickered and disappeared.

“Perhaps,” she agreed cautiously, “but what about the stalker?”

Anxious excitement pulsed through him and it took an effort on his part to continue appearing calm.

“Has there been anything else since the accident? Deliveries? Contact of any kind?”

“Not that I know of and Martha would tell me even if Elgin wouldn’t. Why? Is that significant?” Sheila leaned forward a little.

“Hard to tell,” he replied, shrugging slightly. “Obviously he wanted to get Ms. Collier’s attention, convey his feelings with the increasingly personal gifts…”

“And grabbing her ass in the elevator and killing that homeless man,” she added coldly.

Harm stifled a grunt of exasperation. Why couldn’t this silly bitch shut up so he could make his point and get to the heart of the matter?

“Well, since we don’t have any proof those incidents are connected, we’ll leave them out of the equation. For now, let’s just say his frustration mounted as she ignored him and that frustration only increased with his inability to get into her computer and track her movements and her change in habit. No doubt he felt rejected and angry.

“Catching her going to the beauty parlor for her regular appointment, especially on the arm of another man, may have pushed him over the edge. In a moment of rage, he ran his car at them, probably intending nothing more than to scare them. But something went wrong and now he’s guilty of hit and run, being hunted by the police. For all we know, he could be in another state, another country, by now.”

Sheila eyed him for a moment, weighing his words.

“But you don’t believe that for an instant, do you?”

Bingo! He had her. Leaning forward, he folded his hands on the desktop.

“No, Ms. Forbes, I don’t,” he told her solemnly. “The car was parked in that alley, waiting for them. It sped up as it came down the street toward them, and there were no skid marks that would have indicated the driver tried to slow down or swerve to avoid them. In combination with everything else, including the possibility that this person did indeed kill that homeless beggar, I think Ms. Collier could still be in serious danger.”

“Then perhaps going away to her retreat for the summer might be a good idea.”

“Depends.” He had to be careful now. Lead her to the right conclusion but not seem overly anxious. “Where is this retreat? Is it secluded? Does she have a telephone to call for help? How far away would that help be? How long would it take to get to her? Are there close neighbors? Would she be alone?”

“I’ve never been there myself, but from what Elgin and Martha tell me, it’s in the middle of nowhere someplace upstate. No phone, no neighbors. Says that’s why she bought it, although she’s spent practically no time up there. But she’s truly frightened now and predictably, she’s running. It’s her pattern when she doesn’t want to face something.”

“What about her secretary? Is she going?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Sheila sighed. “Elgin’s cooked up this hare-brained scheme for throwing the stalker off the scent and getting away. Says when she’s gone, even you won’t be able to find her.”

Sounded just like that wise-ass bitch, he thought, but he had to keep his head.

“Beyond advising strongly against it, I don’t know what else to suggest.”

“What about surveillance?” Sheila offered. “Shadow her as you did in the beginning. She wouldn’t even have to know.”

Smart question but he had all the answers now…

“Tailing someone in a large, crowded city,” he began slowly, “is one thing. Tailing them in the country is another. For one thing, it’s hard to remain anonymous, blend into a small, isolated place where everyone knows each other and a stranger sticks out like a sore thumb.” He paused a heartbeat and shook his head.

“No, I don’t think having someone tailing her, especially the multiple people needed for twenty-four/seven duty for three months would work.” Pausing again, he looked into the other woman’s eyes for some sign his clues were being picked up.