It was a photo of a girls’ choir. All the girls looked to be between the ages of ten and fifteen, and all were dressed in flowing white robes.

The girl at the end of the second row …

Small, dark hair, high cheekbones, winged brows, delicate features.

“Bingo,” Margaret said softly.

Not Jenny, naturally. But so close …

Eve couldn’t take her eyes from that picture. “What school?”

“Ronald Reagan Middle School,” Josie said. Her finger was going down the name list. “Second row … Cara Delaney.”

She was flipping through pages again. “That appears to be the only organization to which she belongs … No, here she is again in the band photo. Violin.”

Choir. Violin.

I got to keep the music.

And Cara had also been permitted to keep her music.

Eve closed the yearbook. “May I borrow this? I promise to return it.”

Josie nodded. “See that you do.” She was smiling. “I really made that robe look good, didn’t I? You should see what I can do with an entire wedding party. Magnificent.”

“I’m sure that’s true. Thank you.” She headed for the door. “Is that school near here?”

“About twenty minutes north.” She was frowning down at her Persian gazing balefully up at her. “Do you know, I think he has lost weight.”

*   *   *

“You set the GPS while I call Joe,” Eve said when they reached the car. She wasn’t sure that what she had promised him would be enough, but she’d keep her word. “I think we’ve found her,” she said as soon as Joe answered. “Cara Delaney. She looks so much like Jenny that they have to be related. We’re going to the school now and try to find out more about her.”

“We always thought that it might be a family resemblance we were looking at,” Joe said.

“No might about it now,” Eve said. “She has hazel eyes, not green, but everything else is right on.”

“Jenny’s sister?”

“I don’t know. It would be my guess. But she would have had to be only about three when Jenny was killed. What were two children doing out there in those woods? And why was Jenny murdered, and Cara—” She stopped. “Too many questions and not enough answers. But Cara Delaney has to have parents or guardians. At least I’ll have someone to ask. I’ll call you again after I get to the school and find out more.” She paused. “How are you?”

“Healing as fast as I can. And I haven’t jumped that guard Nalchek put outside my door. Though don’t count on my holding out past tomorrow.”

“I had to do it, Joe.”

“No, you didn’t. But you thought you did. What you really want to know is am I angry with you. Yes, I’m no saint, and I hate being thwarted.” He added, “Keep safe, and you may get your way … for a little while.” He was silent for a moment. “But those two girls pose interesting questions. Why? Where? What? I’m keeping myself occupied trying to work up some scenarios. I believe I’m getting there. Good-bye, Eve.” He hung up.

He was angry, Eve thought. He had been absentminded, almost cool, and that was something Joe had seldom been with her.

Too bad.

She had done what she had thought necessary and would have done it again.

“Trouble?” Margaret asked.

“Some.” Eve started the car. “Nothing we can’t work out. At any rate, I can’t think of it now. Do me a favor and call Nalchek and have him pave the way with the school administration before we get there.” She looked down at the GPS. “We should get there before school is out. I’ll go to the administration office and see what information I can gather before I speak to Cara.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Margaret said. “Not a bad start for a day. I’m excited.” She smiled. “We thought that we were going to find out so much from the reconstruction article but it turned out differently. You can never tell, can you?”

“No, you can’t,” Eve said. “But I’ll take it.”

She could still see that little girl in the photo. Jenny, but alive and well and not threatened by monsters. No, not Jenny. She kept thinking of that little girl who had exploded into her mind and life, but this was another child.

Cara, who was almost certainly Jenny’s kin.

Cara, who loved music as much as Jenny.

Cara, who was also threatened by monsters.

CHAPTER

13

“Cara Delaney.” Mrs. Karpel looked down at the transcript on her desk. “Eleven years old. Her parents were killed in an automobile accident, and she’s in the custody of her aunt, Elena Delaney.”

“How long has she attended this school?” Eve asked.

“Two years. She transferred from Fresno Elementary.”

“Any problems with attendance or grades?”

“No, she’s a good student and always obeys the rules. In the entire two years she’s been with us, she’s had only one absence, and she brought a doctor’s excuse.”

“We saw a photo of her in the choir. Did she belong to any other groups?”

“Just the band. She’s an amazing violinist. Mr. Donavan, the band director, wanted to give her a solo in the spring festival, but her aunt refused to sign the permission slip.”

“Have you had any contact with her aunt?”

She shook her head. “But that’s not unusual. The school is overcrowded, and unless the student causes a disturbance, there isn’t a lot of reaching out from the teachers. There just isn’t time. Sad, but true.” She tilted her head. “What’s all this about? Is Cara in trouble?”

“I hope not,” Eve said. “But I’d like to have her aunt’s address and phone number. And I’d like to talk to Cara before she leaves school today.”

“Certainly. Elena Delaney works as a waitress at a local Waffle House, and I’ll give you her work number, too.” The administrator was already writing out the information. “I’ll have Cara paged to come to the office.” She tore off a Post-it with Cara’s name, got up, and moved toward the front desk.

“No photos. No problems that would draw attention,” Margaret said.

Eve nodded. “Cara faded into the background. And her aunt Elena appears to also be very elusive. I definitely have to speak to that aunt.”

“I’m sorry.” The administrator was back. “Cara became ill in her English class this morning and ran out of the room.” She was frowning. “I spoke too soon about her obeying the rules. She should have reported to the nurse’s office, but evidently she called her aunt to pick her up instead.”

Eve tensed. “Evidently?”

“Her aunt didn’t answer her phone when Cara’s advisor tried to call her. But Cara’s friend, Heather Smallwood, saw her aunt waiting outside the school. She must have picked her up without checking her out.” Her lips tightened. “I’ll have to have a talk with Elena Delaney.”

“And so will I.” Eve got to her feet. “Thank you for your help. If you hear from Cara or her aunt, I’d appreciate your contacting me.”

“Of course. I’ll get in touch the first minute I know anything. This is very disturbing.”

More disturbing than she knew, Eve thought grimly as they left the building.

“We’re going to her apartment?” Margaret asked.

“Right. I don’t like the fact that on the morning that photo was published, Cara got suddenly sick, and her aunt decided to whisk her out of school. I think that Elena Delaney knew that the little girl was targeted, and they were hiding out. That photo of the reconstruction was a red flag that made her panic.”

“And you’re afraid she’ll take Cara on the run?”

“It’s possible. I knew that there might be a response from publishing that photo. I hoped it would be positive.” She got into the driver’s seat. “But, yes, we’re definitely going to her apartment and see what we can find out.”

They were only a few blocks from the apartment when Eve’s phone rang. Terry Brandell. She put the call on speaker. “Hello, Terry. Do you have something for me?”

“Yes, I got a phone call regarding the reconstruction,” Terry Brandell said when she picked up. “Nothing very promising. It was from a young girl who said she went to school with a girl who resembled that sculpture. She was all excited at the thought of being part of the case. She kept asking about a reward or her picture in the paper if she could get the family to acknowledge that the dead girl was a relation.”