Natalie reached the dais. "All right. I'm here. Why don't you show yourself?"

A low snicker. "I'll be happy to." A figure stepped from the shadows, dragging along a whimpering, terrified Paige. "Good evening, Natalie," Ruth Meadows said.

Natalie stood stunned, her mouth so dry she couldn't swallow. She thought she'd been stupefied to come home from school to find her mother missing. She thought she'd been flabbergasted to walk in on Kenny making love to another woman. None of those things compared to finding the bodies of Tamara and Jeff. And even those grisly discoveries didn't cause the immediate, profound shock of realizing Ruth Meadows was a murderer.

"I don't understand," Natalie said stupidly.

Ruth smiled. "Then I did a good job." She wore a dark poncho with the hood down. Her short, silver hair shone in the candlelight. She held Paige close. The child's lower arms disappeared behind her back. Her wrists were tied or handcuffed. "You never guessed who I really am," Ruth said.

Natalie stared at her, images and phrases flashing in her mind. Their gazes met and held, one aqua and glinting, the other dark and steady. "You told me to have golden dreams," Natalie said slowly. "Viveca said Eugene Farley told Alison to have golden dreams. You're Constance Farley."

The silver-haired woman nodded. "Right you are, dear. It's a shame you didn't realize it sooner."

"You can't be Constance Farley. Nick talked to her in Knoxville."

"The sheriff talked to a woman who claimed to be Constance Farley."

"But the police questioned her neighbors."

"Natalie, you're a bright girl. Use your head. How long has this woman lived in Knoxville? Six months. She intro duced herself to her neighbors as Constance Farley. They had no reason to doubt her."

Her voice was so cold, her grip on the child so tight. "Why don't you let Paige go, Constance? I'm the one you want, not her."

"Now you know I can't let her go," the woman who was Constance Farley said in a patronizing voice. "Besides, there's something I want you to do." She nodded at an object on the floor near Natalie. "My cell phone. I want you to call your father and tell him to come here."

"Here? Why?"

"Because he's going to watch me kill you."

Paige whimpered. Natalie stiffened. "I will not call my father."

Constance 's hand raised to Paige's head. She held a gun. "You will call him or I'll shoot her."

"You won't," Natalie said desperately.

"Won't I? Don't forget Warren and Charlotte and Alison and Jeff. And of course your dear friend Tamara." Constance paused. "You know, I actually liked Tamara, but I still slit her throat and left her to bleed to death on a dirt road. So don't tell me what I won't do."

Natalie glared into the unflinching aqua eyes. Had they looked so hard all along and she simply hadn't noticed? Or was the difference that Constance Farley gazed openly at her now, not disguised behind the mask of sweet Ruth Meadows?

Natalie picked up the cell phone and punched in her home number. What if her father was still at the hospital, perhaps in surgery? Would Constance hold her and Paige prisoners until he finished? If so, would Natalie get a chance to overpower her? Doubtful. Constance had a gun to the child's head. Natalie had nothing except her wits, which at the moment seemed paralyzed.

On the eighth ring her father picked up, sounding breathless. "Dad."

"Just walked in the door." He paused. "What's wrong? You sound strange."

She swallowed. "I'm in trouble. Actually, Paige and I are in trouble."

"Trouble?" Andrew repeated. She heard the dread in his voice. "Just tell me."

"First of all, you must promise me you won't call the police. If you do, Paige and I will die."

"Die? Die? What in God's name are you talking about?"

"Dad, don't shout. Listen. Do not, under any circumstances, call the police."

He took a deep, shaking breath. "All right. No police. I swear. Now what is this about?"

"The murderer kidnapped Paige. She used her as bait to get me to come to The Blue Lady."

"The Blue Lady!"

"Yes. She wants you to come here, too."

"She?"

Natalie's eyes flicked to Constance 's. "Dad, it's Ruth."

"Ruth?" he said blankly. "Ruth Meadows?"

"Yes."

He emitted a little gust of air. "Natalie, this isn't funny."

"She isn't really Ruth Meadows, Dad, she's Constance Farley."

"Constance Farley? Eugene Farley's mother? Someone is pulling a stupid joke on you. I have seen Constance Farley."

Natalie lowered the phone and looked at the woman holding Paige. "My father says he's seen Constance Farley."

"Two years ago. I weighed seventy pounds more. I had long, dark hair pulled into a bun and I wore glasses. And he saw me for exactly three minutes when he came to tell my husband and me how very sorry he was that my son had not survived the surgery."

Natalie raised the phone again. "Dad-"

"I heard her," he said thinly.

"She's standing here in front of me with a gun to Paige Meredith's head. Please get here as soon as possible. I repeat, do not call the police." She paused. "And do not bring a gun-"

"A gun! I don't own a gun!"

"I know you don't." Please pick up the emphasis on you, she implored silently.

"That's enough," Constance said. "Hang up."

"Dad-"

"Hang up!" Constance shouted. Andrew must have heard her. Natalie clicked off the phone. "Lay it down." Natalie placed the instrument on the floor. "Now we wait."

Natalie looked at Paige's chalky face. "Please take the gun away from Paige's head." Natalie made her voice gentle and respectful. "You're frightening her terribly, and I'm sure she's not going to run away, are you, Paige?"

"I won't move. I swear" Paige said fervently.

Constance hesitated. "If I take the gun away, I know you won't make a run for it," she said to Natalie. "You're far too noble."

"I'd never make it to the door."

Constance smiled. "That, too. I said you were a bright girl."

The cool drizzle had turned into a lonely rain spattering against the dirty windows of The Blue Lady. Rose-scented smoke drifted out from the candles on the dais. The flames danced and flickered in the musty darkness. "While we wait for my father to come and watch my execution, why don't you tell me what this is all about?" Natalie said.

"You know that it's all about Eugene."

"Vaguely. But I didn't even know Eugene. He must have been quite the son to warrant all this wanton slaughter."

Natalie had meant the statement to be a taunt and it worked. Constance 's eyes narrowed. "My son was worth everything. And what I've done isn't wanton slaughter. It's justice."

"Pardon me if I don't understand what in the name of God Tamara and Alison had to do with your son's death."

"They had nothing to do with it directly. But their parents did."

"Innocent children paying for the skis of the father and all that nonsense?"

"It isn't nonsense!" Constance flared.

"Then explain. Dad can't get here for at least ten minutes. We have time for you to describe your brilliant plan. How did you pull all this off, Constance?"

"You're trying to stall me. It won't work."

"Stall you from what? Killing me as soon as my father gets here? I don't think it would work." She shrugged nonchalantly although everything inside her quivered. "You can talk or we can stand here staring at each other with me thinking you are an absolute lunatic for trying to avenge your criminal, suicidal son. It's up to you."

"My son was not responsible for what happened to him," Constance said with quiet venom. "His problems started a long time ago. With his father."

"I thought his problems only started in Port Ariel."

"They culminated in Port Ariel. They started with Hugh."