“But she did very well for a beginner,” Kim Chen said as he came out of the store. He smiled at Eve. “But you should have changed the eyes.”

“Why? The manager said he didn’t see the eyes from the front, so it’s purely a matter of opinion what they looked like. I just went with instinct.”

“But I told you that you’re supposed to go with generic features in that case. You have a greater chance of coming close to a resemblance.”

She shook her head. “It just felt right.”

“‘Felt’?” Kim Chen frowned. “You don’t rely on feelings. You’re not creating, you’re duplicating.”

“You’re probably right. Detective Slindak is lucky he has your sketch to use.”

“It was nice meeting you, Ms. Duncan.” Kim handed the pad to Slindak. “Here’s the best I could do. Not bad. The manager remembered more than he thought.”

“Thanks, Kim. Sorry I had to get you out here in the middle of the night.”

“So am I.” Chen grimaced. “But it’s better than trying to pry a description out of someone after they’ve had a day or two to let it blur.” He waved and strolled toward the patrol car.

Slindak glanced at the sketch. “He’s not a handsome specimen and looks pretty ordinary.” He handed the sketch to Joe. “What do you think? Those cheekbones a little Slavic?”

“Maybe.” Joe studied the sketch. High, broad cheekbones, a wide, full mouth. Dark curly hair, cut close to the head. Ordinary-shaped dark eyes and brows. “Let me see your sketch, Eve.”

“You heard Kim. I injected too much into the eyes in the sketch.” She handed him her pad. “I did okay with the rest, though. I came pretty close.”

Joe gave a low whistle. “I can see what Kim meant.”

The dark eyes looking up at him almost jumped off the sketch. They were large, close-set, and seemed to glitter with ferocity. The brows above them were straight slashes as dark as the eyes they framed.

Slindak was glancing over his shoulder. “Nothing ordinary about that face.”

“He’s not ordinary,” Eve said. “He’s a monster. I don’t care if you tell me monsters seldom look like what they are. I think the soul must reveal itself in some way. This felt right to me.” She turned to Joe. “Use it or not. I don’t care. But I think that I have an idea now what he looks like. I may need it.”

“We’ll use it,” Slindak said. “We’ll use both of them. It may be the only thing useful to come out of this. Joe and I found two witnesses who saw Zeus, but not close enough for a description other than he appeared big and muscular. Neither of them agreed with the other about the car. One said it was a brown Ford, the other a dark blue Honda.”

“Maybe you should get Kim back to draw the car for them,” Eve said dryly.

“Maybe I should. But I don’t think it would do much good.” He turned and walked over to the forensic crew, who had just finished with the phone booth.

“Are you ready to leave?” Joe asked Eve. “I don’t think there’s much more we can learn here.”

She nodded wearily and got into the car. “I guess you’re right. I just wanted to do something that would get us closer. Something concrete.”

“The sketch will help.”

“If that store manager gave us the right information.” Her lips firmed. “But I have to think positive, don’t I? I can’t think we’re just going down a blind alley, or I’ll go crazy.”

“I’m taking you back to my hotel, okay? No Rainbow Inn.”

“No Rainbow Inn.” She leaned her head back against the rest. “Take me home, Joe.”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “No way.”

“Take me home.” She looked at him. “You heard him. He’s coming after me. He has to be able to find me.”

“So you’re making it easy for him.”

“No, I’m sure that you’ll make it a challenge,” she said. “You’re not going to let me be there alone.”

“And you’re not arguing with me about it?”

“I tried that, and it didn’t work.” She smiled with an effort. “You just keep on coming.”

“You’re damn right I do.” He paused. “That second newspaper article McVey wrote will be coming out in a few hours from now. It’s going to cause Zeus to blow sky-high again.”

“Then maybe he’ll make his move sooner. Or he’ll get so angry, he’ll make a mistake. Either way, it won’t be bad for us. Nothing will be bad as long as he doesn’t get discouraged and disappear. I figure we can hold him here if he knows I’m there in that house, and all he has to do is worry about how to get to me.”

“We probably can,” Joe said. “But I’m not going to be your only protection, Eve. That’s bullshit after we saw how close he came. I’d like to surround you with an army, but I’ll limit it to pulling in one of Slindak’s men to watch the house.” He held up his hand as she started to speak. “Don’t worry; Zeus will be expecting it. One man will be a challenge, not a deterrent. I just want the extra insurance.”

“You may be right.” She was silent, thinking about it. Then she slowly nodded. “If you promise he won’t interfere. I don’t want him in the way.”

“It would take a lot to discourage Zeus. Having you within his sights will be like putting a steak just outside the cage of a hungry wolf. It will only be a question of time before he finds a way to break out and get it.”

“You’re calling me a piece of meat? Not at all flattering, Joe.”

“I’m not in the mood to be flattering. The only thing I can see good about this is that I’ll be with you in that house.”

She was silent a moment. “That’s the only good thing I can see good about it, too, Joe. You help keep away the darkness.”

Forever. Let me hold the darkness at bay for you. Let me help you find the dawn.

Don’t say it. Keep it on an even keel.

“I’m glad we’re in agreement on something at last. It’s about time. But I’ve decided that it’s your house that’s dark. I think that we’ll paint a couple rooms while I’m staying there.”

She stared at him in bewilderment. “What?”

“It will make the time pass. I thought the living room could use brightening. What color do you think?”

She said blankly, “I have no idea.”

“Maybe a gold-beige?” he suggested. “Think about it while I stop at my hotel and pick up a bag. It shouldn’t take long…”

Two Days Later

“WHAT IS THIS STUFF?” Eve asked as she tentatively tasted the salad. “Exotic. You know I’m just a simple Southern woman with down-home tastes, Joe. Are you trying to educate my palate?”

“It’s not ‘stuff.’” Joe sat down across from her. “I got the recipe from an Indian woman in Bombay. And you’re about as simple as an Einstein equation. Try it. You’ll like it.”

She took another bite. “It’s good. Where did you learn to cook?”

“When I was in the service. I was young, with a tremendous hunger, and food was only part of it. I was all over the world tasting and experiencing everything. The good things I wanted to take home with me.”

“And the bad things?”

He shrugged. “I learned from them, too, then tried to let them go.”

“Not easy.”

“No, but that’s life.” He smiled. “I’m glad you let me loose in your kitchen. Cooking relaxes me.”

“And it bores me. I had to put wholesome meals on the table for Bonnie, but I assure you that they lacked inspiration. And definitely nothing exotic.” She finished the last bite. “I doubt that I would have picked up any exotic recipes even if I’d gone to India. Which I most certainly didn’t. I’ve never been out of Georgia.”

“You’ve missed a lot. I’d like to show you some of the parts of the world I’ve visited. It would be great seeing them through your eyes.”

“I don’t feel as if I’ve missed much. I had everything I wanted or needed here. It would have been nice to take Bonnie to those places when I could afford it, but it wasn’t important to me.” Her face clouded. “But maybe it would have been important to Bonnie. She enjoyed every minute, every new experience.”

He quickly changed the subject. “I’m glad you like the salad. The main course is much more ordinary.” He got to his feet. “Steak and mushrooms. I’ll let you take the dishes into the kitchen while I serve it up. Get to work.”