“I agree that she might be a likely prospect,” Salazar said cautiously.

“Then send me the money. If you double the price, I’ll arrange for the body disposal.” He added, “Unless you want the head. That could be arranged.”

“I don’t want to wait for a few days. I want you to be done with this job and out of the country,” Salazar paused. “Because I think you blundered all the way on this job. Jenny wasn’t supposed to be found, and after they did find her, you should have made sure that there was no possibility she’d be recognized.”

“You’re wrong,” he said impatiently. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Okay, they found her, but that was because of some freak rainstorm. After Nalchek called in Eve Duncan, I blocked her as soon as I could. I made sure that Jenny wouldn’t be recognized. I did everything right.”

“Then why did I get a report that Eve Duncan has just shown up in Sonderville?”

Walsh’s hand tightened on the phone. “What?”

“You heard me. She and Quinn checked into a local hotel and made contact with Nalchek. She spent some time with him. So she evidently doesn’t consider herself blocked. Why didn’t you get rid of her at the same time you took the skull?”

“You don’t understand. There were difficulties. It wasn’t the right time. I was going to do it later.”

“All I understand is that you let her get finished with that damn reconstruction, then left her alive to talk about Jenny. I wanted her forgotten … except by her father. I wanted to see him roasting in the hell I created for him.”

“She will be forgotten. You won’t have to wait long before I—”

“I’ve waited too long already. Eight damn years. It was supposed to be a simple job. You put my ass on the line, and I’ve been walking a tightrope, thinking every minute I’d fall off and have her father come after me.”

Walsh opened his mouth to spit out his defense and thought better of it. He should tone it down. Salazar was not a force to take lightly. He didn’t need him to send one of his soldiers across the border to try to gut him. Not that he would succeed. No one was better at either surviving or the kill than he. “None of the delay was my fault. And I’ve been trying hard to rectify it since it happened.”

“If you hadn’t, I would have had you very painfully removed that first year after Jenny.”

“Do you think I don’t want to move faster? But I have to move carefully if I want to finish this up, so that it’s safe for you.”

“I don’t feel safe, Walsh.”

He lost his temper. “Then it’s your fault. You’ve been tying my hands for too long. Do you know what lengths I’ve had to go to, pussyfooting around to keep you safe? The minute that I got that tip from the bank officer that Elena was still in California for at least the first year after I killed Jenny, I never stopped searching for her and that brat. I went the extra mile in making sure you couldn’t be hurt no matter where it led me.”

Silence that was laden with menace. “Extra mile? And so you should have. And I don’t care if I’ve made it difficult for you.”

No, of course he didn’t. “Well, now it’s the end of the road, and I’m in control. Send me my money and be prepared to get me help for the disposal.”

Silence. “Excuses, again. We’ll see who is in control, Walsh.” Salazar hung up.

Bastard.

But Salazar was smart, and he wouldn’t take the chance of having Walsh exposed and himself with him. He’d get him help. He’d send the money.

Because he’d seen what Walsh had seen in that photo.

Cara Delaney’s bus was leaving the school parking lot now. Soon, she’d be safe within the doors of her apartment house.

And he was feeling frustrated and hungry. He’d scoped out her setup and knew that it would be hard to get to her. There were alarms, the little girl was very careful. It might take days of stalking before he could safely pounce.

But the pretty blonde with the ponytail who was so sure nothing could happen to her? She wasn’t careful at all.

He thought about it.

No, he decided reluctantly, he didn’t want any red flags that would alert Cara Delaney or her dear aunt Elena. He enjoyed the child kills, but he could control it.

He’d have to be patient and wait for Cara …

And he’d get her. Just like he’d put that bitch, Jenny, into the ground. Only this time, with Cara, there would be nothing to reconstruct. There wouldn’t be a skull with glittering green eyes that made him writhe with fury.

No, he would not think of that skull. He had thrown that reconstruction into his trunk so he wouldn’t have to look at it again. It had to be his imagination that had caused him to think he’d seen Jenny. Out of all the lives he’d taken over the years, why would Jenny be the only one who had come back to torment him? He didn’t believe in ghosts, so it had to be stress or some kind of weird primitive instinct because he was getting near to Cara.

So prove it to himself. Prove that Jenny had no power to stop him from doing whatever he wanted to do.

Get rid of the skull.

Yes, that would do it. Lately, he’d been thinking of keeping it or sending it to Salazar as a trophy. That would show her.

Do you hear me, Jenny? You’re nothing. You can’t stop me from killing Cara. You can’t stop me from destroying the last part of you that would prove you ever lived.

And destroying that interfering slut, Eve Duncan, along with her. He would show her that she couldn’t make him look like an amateur to Salazar. She’d be sorry that she’d decided to track him down. He couldn’t move on Cara Delaney yet, but he could go after Duncan.

How? It had to be a completely satisfying kill that would make him forget the frustration of the past days. Something … spectacular …

He didn’t even look back at the yellow school bus as he started his car and headed down the street.

*   *   *

“Hi.” Elena Delaney looked up with a smile as Cara walked into the apartment. She had on her black work pants, but she was wearing a pink T-shirt with a cocktail on the front that was the same color as the pink streak running through her brown hair. She was somewhere in her midthirties, but all of Cara’s friends thought she was younger. “Just in time. I just finished the spaghetti and meatballs. Put in the garlic bread for me, will you?”

“Sure.” Cara dropped her book bag on the chest by the door. “But you should have waited for me. I could have done this. You don’t like to cook.”

“Maybe I was having a couple guilty twinges.” Elena made a face. “You do all the cooking and cleaning, and you’re just a kid.”

“I don’t mind. Someone has to do it, and you’re too busy.” She headed toward the kitchen. “I didn’t expect you to be here, Elena. You said you worked today.”

“Night shift. Don’t have to go in until seven. I thought we could have dinner together.”

“Great.” Cara got the garlic bread out of the freezer and turned on the oven. “We haven’t been able to do that all week. You’ve been working double shifts.”

Her aunt shrugged. “Pays the bills.” She glanced at Cara. “You okay? No trouble at school?”

Cara nodded as she put the garlic bread in the oven. “I’m okay. School’s fine; boring, but fine.” She suddenly smiled. “Now that you’ve done your duty and asked me, can we forget about it? Once every few months you decide you just have to check on me. I’d tell you if I had any problems. I promised you that I would.”

“I know, but you don’t…” She wrinkled her nose. “I know you’re smart, probably smarter than me, but I’m always afraid that I should be helping you more.”

Cara shook her head. “You work all the time. You told me we had to share the load. I understand that, and it’s not bad. I clean up the apartment and do my homework. Later, I get to play my violin. I’m doing good, Elena.” She looked in the refrigerator and took out a bottle of cranberry juice. “Better than Heather, and she’s got a mom and dad and a brother to help her.”