The pain and passion in his voice was thick with intensity, and it shook her to her core. “Me, too.” Her arms tightened around him. “Doane and Harriet caused so much pain … and maybe the worst thing they did was giving birth to Kevin. All the evil in both of them seemed to be embodied in him. Even after he was killed, the evil seemed to grow. It reached out to me and you … and Jane. Oh, God, Jane.”

“Give her time. She’ll survive.”

“No choice.” She paused. “Trevor has no family. I offered to have him buried at the lake on that hill beyond the woods. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course it is. Is it okay with her?”

“I think so. She’s hurting too much to make many decisions. I’ll broach it to her again after we get home.”

“That’s a good idea.” He didn’t speak for a moment. “Zander wants to speak to you. He asked me to tell you.”

“He’s still here? I thought he’d gone. He disappeared after all the police and CIA agents got here.”

“That shouldn’t surprise you. He’s uncomfortable with law enforcement.” His lips twisted. “And they’re uncomfortable with him. Most of them would prefer he not be around for them to worry about.”

“You included?” she asked quietly.

“I would have said yes several hours ago. The arrogant bastard runs his own show, and he took a big chance with you.”

“And now?”

“He saved you. We might not have gotten here in time, and he saved you. What the hell am I supposed to say? I’m still pissed off at the way he did it, but he did do it. So that means I have to be in his corner.” He pushed her back away from him. “So go up and talk to him. He said to take the path that goes behind the cottage.”

She nodded and turned away. “Why don’t you go up to those rocks and sit with Jane? She won’t want to talk, but she’ll like it that you’re there.” She didn’t wait for an answer but started across the beach toward the hills.

The path wound behind that driftwood graveyard down the hill and around to the next hill. It was only as she turned the last bend that she saw the smoke curling from a small fire.

Zander was sitting cross-legged in front of the fire, and he looked up as he saw her. “Does this remind you of that campfire we shared in Colorado?” He smiled. “That seems a long time ago, doesn’t it?”

“Not really. Not to me.” She sat down opposite him. “And I don’t think you asked me to come here to reminisce. That’s not your style, Zander.”

“And why do you think I did want to see you?”

“I don’t know. But I know why I wanted to see you.” She paused. “You saved my life. I wanted to thank you.”

“Don’t be maudlin.”

“Gratitude is not maudlin. And you’re not accepting it at all graciously. But, then, I didn’t expect anything else. It’s too human and probably makes you feel uncomfortable.”

“Very perceptive. You’ve gotten to know me entirely too well. It’s time we parted company.”

She stiffened. “By all means, don’t stay around anyone who might make you feel something besides curiosity and boredom.”

“My thought exactly. That could be very dangerous for me. Look what happened with you. I got a busted arm and almost ended up dead.”

“I never asked anything of you.”

“I know,” he said softly. “That’s the problem.” He looked across the fire at her. “You make me ask it of myself. How much more dangerous that is, Eve.”

She couldn’t look away from him. He had become so close to her. How could that be when she still didn’t understand him? He was an enigma that she wasn’t sure she could ever solve. But she wanted to solve it, she realized with sudden desperation. She wanted to understand him. “So you’re telling me that you’re leaving? I didn’t expect anything else. It’s not as if you have anything to keep you here.”

He nodded. “That’s right. Nothing at all. Nothing has changed.” He smiled. “And I didn’t bring you here to bid you a fatherly farewell. As you said, not my style.”

“Why did you bring me?”

“I have a good-bye gift for you.”

“What? Now that’s truly maudlin, Zander.”

“No one would ever describe this gift as maudlin.” He reached behind him into the tall grass and brought out a leather case. “I don’t think you would either.”

She stiffened. She knew that case too well. “Is this your idea of humor?”

“Would I be that cruel? Well, I would, but not to you, Eve.” He unfastened the case. “No, this is a true gift. You’re never going to forget these days with Doane, but you have a chance of its gradually blurring. But not if you know this is somewhere in the world.” He drew out the reconstruction of Kevin and studied it. “You did a magnificent job on him. He’s been with you every minute, in your mind, under your fingers. The stuff of nightmares…”

“Yes.” She forced herself to look at the reconstruction. Is it over, Kevin? Has your power to silence vanished? Have you faded back to the hell from where you came?

No smothering sense of evil.

No reaching out to grasp and take.

Has he gone, Bonnie?

“He frightened you?” Zander’s gaze was narrowed on her face. “Why?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” But the fear was gone, she realized. Bonnie’s answer?

“No, I probably wouldn’t. But I do understand about nightmares.” He smiled. “I believe I’ll take this one away from you.”

“What do you mean?”

“If this skull exists somewhere, it will always haunt you. So it will no longer exist.” He held out the reconstruction to her. “Do you wish to make sure of that? Or would you like me to do it? I thought I’d offer you the opportunity.”

“What opportunity?”

“Can’t you guess? Why do you think I built this fine fire? Five years ago, I sent Kevin’s body to a crematorium to be burned. If Doane hadn’t snatched his head from the blaze, you wouldn’t have had to deal with putting his skull back together.” He added mockingly, “Now I can correct that little error.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re going to burn this reconstruction?”

“I regret burning your wonderful work, but I prefer to think of it only as Kevin’s skull. And I’m going to burn Kevin’s skull to ashes. Then I’m going to toss those ashes into the most disgusting mire I can find. I thought about the ocean, but that would be too clean for him.”

“Yes, it would.”

“I won’t ask if you approve. Your work is to save, not destroy. I just wanted you to know it was being done and that you could trust me to do it right.”

She gazed at Kevin’s handsome features, which reflected none of the evil that had corroded his soul. All the murders, all the innocent children … She felt suddenly sick. No one should ever look at him again and not know what he was. And she would not let Zander be responsible for doing what she thought was right. “I trust you.” She took the reconstruction from him. “But I won’t let you do it alone.” She took a deep breath and threw the skull into the flames.

The fire leaped high and hungry as if in blazing welcome.

She stared at the skull as the fire began to consume it.

“It’s time for you to go,” Zander said quietly. “You’ve made your decision and acted on it. You don’t need to see it happen. It will take a long time for it to burn down to ashes. In a furnace, the heat is more intense, but this fire will do what’s necessary. I’ll tend it all day and all night, longer if need be. Then I’ll dispose of the ashes.”

She got to her feet and moved toward the path. No, not like this. She wouldn’t leave him like this. She turned and looked at him. “Thank you for my gift, Zander.”

He grimaced. “I’m happy you’re pleased. I thought you’d think it was a suitable good-bye present for a man of my profession and character.”

“You never do anything that’s suitable. But it’s a gift that I’ll remember you thought about, then gave to bring me peace. That’s a very precious gift, Zander.”

He looked a little taken aback. “Are you getting maudlin again?”