The Sleeping Doll (Kathryn Dance 1)

"Is it consecrated?"

"I don't know. I'd suppose so."

"If not, could you find a place for him? A proper resting place. I'll pay."

The man who'd tried to kill her?

"I'll make sure."

"Thank you."

It was then that a dark blue Acura careened recklessly up the driveway and skidded to a stop nearby. The car's arrival was so abrupt that Dance crouched in alarm and her hand dropped to her pistol.

But the agent relaxed immediately, seeing Samantha McCoy emerging from the driver's seat. The woman joined Dance and Linda. She asked, "How're you feeling?"

"I'm on pills right now. I think I'll be pretty sore tomorrow. Well, probably for the next month."

"You were leaving without saying good-bye?"

"My, why would you think that? I was going to call."

The deception was easily spotted by Dance. Probably by Samantha as well.

"You look good."

Another slurred chuckle was the response.

Silence. Deep silence; the fog swallowed up whole any ambient noise.

With her hands on her hips, Samantha looked down at Linda. "Strange few days, huh?"

The woman gave a curious laugh, both groggy and cautious.

"Linda, I want to call you. We could get together."

"Why? To psychoanalyze me? To save me from the clutches of the church?" Bitterness bled from the words.

"I just want to see you. It doesn't have to be about more than that."

With some mental effort Linda offered, "Sam, we were different people eight, nine years ago, you and me. We're even more different now. We have nothing in common."

"Nothing in common? Well, that's not true. We went through hell together."

"Yeah, we did. And God helped us through it and then sent us in different directions."

Samantha crouched and carefully took the woman's arm, mindful of the wound. She was well within Linda's personal proxemic zone. "Listen to me. You listening?"

"What?" Impatient.

"There was a man once."

"A man?"

"Listen. This man was in his house and there was a bad flood, really bad. The river filled his first floor and a boat came by to rescue him but he said, 'No, go on, God'll save me.' He ran to the second floor, but the water rose up there too. Another rescue boat came by but he said, 'No, go on, God'll save me.' Then the river kept rising and he climbed to the roof and a helicopter came by but he said, 'No, go on, God'll save me.' And the helicopter flew away."

Words slurred from the medication, Linda asked, "What're you talking about?"

Sam continued, unfazed. "Then the water sweeps him off the roof and he drowns. Next thing he's in heaven and he sees God and he says, 'God, why didn't you save me?' And God shakes his head and says, 'Funny, I don't understand what went wrong. I sent you two boats and a helicopter."