It simply didn’t make sense. At least not in my mind. “But why?”

When Yuri turned, the smile on his face was so icy, it sent a chill through my body. “Why? The best reason of all… Revenge.”

I DECIDED TO FACE THE MUSIC AND TAKE THE DISC TO the police.

Was it smart?

I honestly didn’t know, especially with Yuri’s threat hanging over my head.

Yuri knew I didn’t kill Drago. I knew I didn’t kill Drago. But the police… well, I liked to think that if Yuri came forward and produced the receipt from Bucharest, the police would need a little more evidence before they locked me up and threw away the key.

Besides, I had bigger things to worry about than a restaurant receipt.

I had to admit that as a detective, I was a failure. Somehow, everything had turned into a gigantic mess. The worst of it was, I was confused about exactly what had happened and where our investigation had gone wrong. If all Yuri needed to establish that Beyla killed Drago was the disc now residing in my Sinatra jewel case, why wasn’t it enough for me to prove that she was guilty? Except for the fact that it was all in Romanian, of course.

But now the stakes were higher. No matter what Yuri said, there was something about him I just couldn’t trust. Something dangerous. Which is why, at some point in the day after I’d run into Yuri at the restaurant-a day in which my stomach was tied in knots and my head pounded like a brass band-I’d decided to let the professionals sort it all out.

As for me… well, I’d probably have enough time to work things through for myself.

Like the three to ten years I’d get for stealing evidence from a crime scene.

That evening after work when I stopped home to collect the disc, I packed a small overnight bag. I wasn’t going to take the chance that they wouldn’t give me a toothbrush when they threw me in the slammer. I stashed my fuzzy slippers in the bag, too, then gave myself a mental slap and pulled them out again. Something told me pink faux fur was not de rigueur in lockdown.

As I zipped up my bag, I noticed my hands were trembling. For about the hundredth time that day, I looked longingly at the phone, wishing I could call Jim. Jim would understand. I couldn’t explain how I knew it, but I was certain in a way that I had never been certain about anything before. Jim would support me. Jim would come to the police station with me, and stand by my side. He’d hold my hand if I asked him.

But I couldn’t ask him, not for any of it.

Not without involving him-and there was no way I was going to do that.

After everything that had happened with Peter, I knew enough not to fall head over heels for any guy. Not too quickly, anyway. But I couldn’t deny that I liked Jim-more than just a little. It wouldn’t be fair to tangle him up in this mess. After all, Jim had plans, and he had ambitions of his own. Someday, he was going to own that upscale restaurant he’d always dreamed about. I wasn’t about to risk embroiling him in my problems.

I set my bag down by the door and went to the living room where I kept my CD player, and what was left of my collection of music after Peter had gotten through raiding it. I grabbed the jewel case with “Sinatra” written on the front of it with the disc we’d found at Miss Magda’s inside, and tucked it in my purse. I took a deep breath and threw my shoulders back, hoping that a big dose of false courage would be enough to keep me going. But no sooner had I turned to the door, when the phone rang. The machine picked up immediately.

“Miss Capshaw. You know who this is.”

Yuri.

“Your little trick, it did not work so good. I am not amused. How stupid you were to think I could be so easily fooled.” He clicked his tongue. “I like Sinatra, but really!”

Sinatra?

It took a second for the pieces to fall into place. When they did, my blood went cold.

With one ear still tuned to the rest of what Yuri had to say, I raced to the bedroom. Sure enough, the jewel case where I’d originally stashed Beyla’s disc was gone. I hadn’t told Eve I’d switched the disc for Sinatra’s greatest hits. And Eve was the only one who had a duplicate key to my apartment. That meant-

I flew back in the living room just in time to hear Yuri say something about a last chance.

“You have only one hour. Then I will be forced to take serious measures.”

I didn’t like the sound of that.

I grabbed the phone and hit the Talk button. “Hello? Hello? I’m here. I’m listening. I couldn’t answer in time.”

There was no reply. I cursed myself for being so slow. But then I heard a rustling, as if the phone was being handed from one person to another.

“Annie?”

I almost didn’t recognize Eve’s voice, it was so soft and frightened. My heart sank.

“Annie, it’s me. I’m here with Yuri.”

“Are you OK? What on earth possessed you to get the disc and take it to him? Tell him you didn’t know, Eve. Tell Yuri it’s not your fault. You didn’t know I switched the discs.”

“I didn’t know you switched discs.” Eve sniffled. She was crying, and I could tell she wasn’t listening to a word I said. “He says he’s not mad or anything and I hope you’re not, either. I couldn’t let you take the disc to the police, Annie. I didn’t want to see you go to jail. Don’t worry, Yuri says nothing’s going to happen to me but… but…” She sniffed. “Annie, he says I can’t leave. Not until you get here with the real disc. I don’t want to stay here with him.”

“Where’s here? Eve, where are you? Are you-”

“You see we have a serious problem.” Yuri was back on the line. I knew I had to keep the panic out of my voice-there was nothing to be gained from him knowing that I was scared to death. “You will bring the disc, yes?”

For once in my life, I didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Of course.”

“And you will not bring the police.”

I hadn’t thought of that, but now that he mentioned it, it was a damn good idea.

But again, no hesitation. “No. No police. But you have to guarantee me that Eve is going to be OK.”

“OK?” I didn’t see what was so funny about it, but Yuri laughed. “Of course your Miss DeCateur is going to be OK. Why would she not be? You do not think I am a… how do you say it? A bad guy, do you?”

I wasn’t so sure, but I wasn’t taking any chances. “Of course not. And I understand about how you want revenge because of what Beyla did to Drago. But you have to understand-”

“What?”

I have never heard a single word spoken with more venom.

I swallowed down what I was going to say-the part about how if one little hair on Eve’s head was out of place, I was going to hunt Yuri down to the ends of the earth like a dirty dog and hang his intestines on my Christmas tree for garland.

“You have to understand that I need to know where to meet you,” I told him instead.

As it turned out, I didn’t need to worry about the ends of the earth. When I asked Yuri where to bring the disc, his answer was short and sweet.

Arta.

Of course.

IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO FIND A PARKING PLACE IN Georgetown. No big surprise there. But I was surprised when I got to the gallery and didn’t find a single light on.

I hoped I wasn’t too late.

The front door was locked, so I went around to the side. There, the door handle turned easily. I inched the door open and toed the invisible line between the gallery and the stone stoop outside.

“Hello! Yuri? It’s me, Annie. Annie Capshaw. Are you here?”

No answer, and no lights, either. I fished in my purse for my flashlight and flicked it on, sending the skinny beam skimming through the hallway that led from the side door into the gallery. I followed it inside.