"Lily, start walking. Keep your voice calm. The dog is frightened."

Lily blurted, "The dog is frightened-"

"Lily," Natalie said sternly, "I think Tamara is hurt and I think this dog has been with her. Now do you want it to run off because you're scaring the hell out of it or do you want it to lead us to Tamara?"

Lily nodded. "All right. I'm sorry. I'm just so nervous about Tam."

"I know. Let's walk." They started down the rutted lane. The dog hovered behind them. Natalie turned and smiled. "Come," she coaxed.

The dog approached Natalie, who patted it on the head. Reassured, the dog bounded ahead. In spite of its neglected condition, it looked strong and graceful.

Lily glanced around. "I don't see any signs of Tam."

"The road is so rutted and the brush has grown up. It didn't look like this when we used to ride our bikes up here."

"I hate to depress you," Lily said, "but we haven't ridden bikes up here for thirteen years."

"Hard to believe it's been so long." The dog broke into a run. It stopped about a hundred feet ahead where an oak limb that had been struck by lightning lay across the road. The limb was covered with honeysuckle. The tiny white and yellow flowers emitted a strong, sweet scent. Hundreds of bees drawn by the scent emitted a loud, threatening buzz.

Abruptly the dog began to bark. Short, sharp bursts of alarm. It ran back and forth in agitation.

Lily and Natalie stopped as oak leaves and honeysuckle rustled. Black wings appeared on the far side of the limb as a turkey vulture rose slowly, looking at them with tiny, conscienceless eyes encircled by red skin. Another followed. The dog looked up at the ugly carrion birds, barking furiously. Hair stood up along its backbone. A corresponding shudder ran through Natalie.

"What is it?" Lily asked in a thin, unnatural voice.

"I don't know yet," Natalie said. "Stay here. I'll go see."

Lily clutched Natalie's arm. "Nat, I feel sick." She had turned parchment-white. "I… I think I know what it is."

Natalie pried loose Lily's fingers. "Stay here."

If only Natalie felt as strong as she sounded. The day might be sunny perfection, but this place felt dark and cold. Wrong. Natalie had walked out Hyacinth Lane a hundred times and never experienced this feeling. She seemed to be in a totally unfamiliar, hostile place. An evil place.

She crossed her arms over her chest in an unconscious gesture of defense. Suddenly she became aware of the dog. It had come to meet her. Hair still stood up on its back, and it let out a little whimper of distress. Oh, God, no, Natalie thought. The closer to the honeysuckle mass they drew, the louder the bees sounded. Another vulture rose with frightening speed and size and flapped above her like something from a horror movie.

Natalie slowed and almost stopped. The dog crouched, whining. "Natalie?" Lily called weakly. Natalie didn't answer her. Chills running over her arms, she forced herself onward to the mass of oak leaves and honeysuckle vines. Getting as close as she could, she leaned forward, swiping at bees and a mass of black flies, peering into the brush. Then, amid the shiny green leaves and tiny fragrant flowers, she saw the side of Tamara's face. At least part of it.

The vultures had gotten the rest.

"Natalie, is it Tam?"

Hot water flooded into Natalie's mouth. As a veterinarian she had seen some gruesome sights, and the fact that she'd been looking at animals instead of humans had not made a difference to her. Until now. Before her lay the ravaged remains of a beautiful young woman. Not just any young woman-one she had known for over twenty years.

"Natalie" Lily repeated, coming forward.

Natalie waved her away. "Stay back!"

The dog cowered and Lily froze. "It's Tam," Lily said in a flat voice. "She's dead."

Natalie closed her eyes. "Yes, Lily. She is."

The dog whined as if in sympathy. Natalie opened her eyes and looked at Lily. Lily and Tamara. Two faces, mirror images. Now one remained lovely while the other had been rendered grotesque.

"Are you sure she's…?" Lily asked hollowly. "Maybe she's just unconscious or something."

The eyes were gone and the remaining flesh of the face too white for life. "Lily, Tamara is dead."

Lily came to her and Natalie wrapped her arms around Lily's stiff body. "I'm so sorry," she said softly.

"It's all so strange," Lily mumbled. "My dream. The dog. I saw that dog in my dream. It was howling." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "That's Tam's blood on its neck."

"Probably."

"All night she was lying out here in the rain. I was having fun at Panache, then I went home and slept like a log in my nice, dry bed while my sister lay out here with only that dog trying to help her."

"It's not your fault. You couldn't have known."

Lily's voice rose. "If the positions had been reversed, Tam would have known."

"Maybe, maybe not." Natalie held Lily away from her and looked into the hazel eyes that didn't seem to be quite focusing. She started to say they had to go back to the car and call the police. Then the image of the turkey vultures flashed in her mind. She couldn't leave Tamara to a renewed assault, but she couldn't make Lily stand guard over her mutilated sister, either. She didn't want Lily to see Tamara. "Call the police on your car phone," she ordered.

Lily blinked. "You want me to go back to the car by myself?"

"Yes. I need to stay here with Tamara. Please, Lily."

Abruptly Lily turned and headed back down the road. Natalie watched her, hoping she wouldn't faint. Her legs moved quickly and firmly, though. The reality of Tamara's death probably hadn't hit her.

Natalie looked down at the dog. "Did you see what happened? Was Tamara killed by the falling tree limb?" The dog turned its head, listening intently. Natalie braced herself and walked back to Tamara. Only her face was exposed. The tree limb, leaves, and masses of honeysuckle covered the rest of her body.

She looked back at the dog, thinking. It had gotten the blood on its neck from Tamara, but only her face was showing. There was no sign that the dog had trampled over the honeysuckle to reach Tamara. The dog must have been around the body-the bloody body-before the limb had fallen. Tamara was already dead when the limb fell. Could she have been struck by lightning?

The dog came to stand by her, making an occasional noise that sounded like an attempt at speech. Natalie kneeled and took the dog's face in her hands. "You tried to help her, didn't you? You tried to help the pretty lady-"

Natalie's voice broke. Tamara was a pretty lady no more.

Dear Tam who was kind and gentle, who had always tried so hard to live up to everyone's expectations. And this is how she'd ended. It was beyond unfair. Natalie felt like screaming her rage, her frustration, her shock. But she had to stay in control for Lily's sake. She could do nothing for Tamara, but she could get Lily through the horror.

Natalie paced back and forth. Shadows fell on her. She glanced up. The vultures circled overhead, waiting for her to leave their feast. She wanted to throw up. She could not look at Tamara. She felt small and cold and helpless and she wished her father were here. He was always a rock in an emergency. She hadn't really thought about that before. She'd only thought about how exasperating his iron control could be, not how comforting it was at the right time. She needed it now.

It seemed as if Lily had been gone for an hour, but when Natalie saw her coming back down Hyacinth Lane, she glanced at her watch and saw it had been only minutes. Lily didn't move as quickly and purposely as she had when she left. Her gait had a slight wandering quality. Please let her hold on for a while longer until Tamara can be taken away from here, Natalie thought.