Don

"And the night I came here to the pavilion and you hid, saying you were Tamara and threatening to kill me? You couldn't possibly have known I'd be walking along the shore that night."

"That wasn't pla

"And you broke into our house."

"I let myself in with keys. I'd stopped by your father's office one day. The place was so busy no one noticed me poking through the desk drawers. I had copies of the keys made, then I made another little surprise visit and returned the keys. I went to your house several times before that night."

Andrew had told her Ruth had only been to the house once, but the day Natalie met her she'd referred to the framed photo of Natalie and Clytemnestra in her father's study. And the day she brought the cherry pie, she'd known which drawer the towels were kept. Why didn't I notice these things? Natalie asked herself.

"Anyway, you shouldn't be angry about the night I tore up your clothes and the picture and left the blood and the skull," Constance went on. "I could have hurt Blaine, but I didn't. I told you I love animals. But I'd frightened her. I made a point to never be around her again."

"You were very clever, weren't you… Constance?" Andrew said.

She looked up, but Natalie didn't want to make any swift movement that might cause Constance to fire the gun held so close to Paige.

"Andrew," Constance said calmly. "You don't usually drive so slowly. You didn't bring the police, did you? Or were you just considering whether or not you wanted to risk your life to save your daughter?"

"I won't even answer the last question." His deep voice echoed around the huge, empty room. "And I didn't bring the police. Why are you doing this?"

"I already told Natalie. You're going to watch me kill her."

"You're going to kill my daughter because your son killed himself?"

"You killed my son!" Constance flared. "You killed him on the operating table."

"I did no such thing. I knew he was a lost cause as soon as I looked at him, but I tried."

"That nurse said-"

"That nurse was furious with me over another matter. She was also out of her head over Eugene 's death."

"You killed my son, Andrew. My only child. And now you'll know the pain of losing your only child. An eye for an eye."

"You're very fond of quoting the Bible," Natalie piped up. "Nice little quote you left at the murder scenes about their throats being an open tomb."

"The quotation was apt. Max Bishop, Oliver Peyton, Viveca-none of them has ever done anything that's good."

"And my father has never done good?" Natalie asked.

" 'Their feet are swift to shed blood.' Your father raced to the hospital to shed my son's blood on his operating table."

"That is a damned lie!" Natalie shouted, suddenly losing control. "You twist the words of the Bible to mean whatever suits you."

"You shut up!" Constance raged. Her arm tightened around Paige and she shook the little girl with such ferocity that her head snapped back. Her neck, Natalie thought in horror. She's going to break Paige's neck.

Natalie had not been aware of her father stepping off to the right until she heard him yell, " Constance!"

The woman whirled. Paige swung to the side, no longer providing a shield. Something roared past Natalie's ear and she caught a glimmer of muzzle flash. Constance jolted, her eyes flew wide, and liquid splattered from her right shoulder.

Dad has my gun! Natalie thought in the startled moment before Paige broke free of Constance 's grasp and lunged away. She managed two stumbling steps before her feet tangled and she crashed to the floor of the dais. Constance fought to regain her balance, waving the gun before she dropped it from her injured right arm. She kneeled and grabbed for the gun, her fingers curling around the grip.

"Dad, shoot her!" Natalie pleaded. He fired, but the shot flew wild. Constance laughed. Natalie shuddered at the laugh of a maniac.

A crash somewhere in the distance. A male voice yelling "Police! Freeze!" one second before a gunshot blasted through the room. Constance whirled again, gun raised, firing blindly before two more shots hit her. She crumpled into a heap with a soft laugh bubbling in her throat.

EPILOGUE

Natalie and Paige sat at the piano in the Meredith living room. Natalie finished Sarah McLachlan's "I Will Remember You" with a slight catch in her voice. Paige looked up at her. "You were thinking about someone special, someone you won't see again." Natalie nodded, picturing Ke

The pain Natalie felt knowing she would never return to Ke

"And you're glad you met me?"

"You bet I am!"

"And Daddy and Ripley?"

"Them, too."

"That's good to know," Nick said.

Natalie hadn't heard him come in. He looked tired after the recent events, but also relieved. "Daddy, guess what?" Paige asked excitedly. "We just got back from Dr. Cavanaugh's and he says Ripley gets to come home tomorrow!"

Natalie smiled. "Ripley is doing fine after his surgery. He hurts, and he'll need to rest in a cage for at least a week. Before you know it, though, he'll be jumping off the newel post again."

"Oh, great," Nick groaned. "That's one particular trick of his I could do without."

Paige beamed. "I'm go

When she left the living room, Nick motioned toward the couch. Then he sat down close to her. "Hard to believe that forty-eight hours ago Paige was in the hands of that maniac. You'd think nothing had happened to her."

"She's resilient but not indestructible. I think there might be repercussions."

"That's why I'm taking the week off. We need to be together. Also, my ace babysitter is in the hospital."

"I hope when she's released she won't be coming back to work here."

Nick rolled his eyes. "No way in hell. I've been talking to a few women who might work out. Before I hire one, though, I'm going to learn a lot more about her than I did Mrs. Collins. I'd like to have someone who would actually watch over my daughter, not tie up my phone all day."

"Well, I know Paige will be glad to see the last of Mrs. Collins. She'll also be delighted to have you to herself, and this is one week when you won't worry about her."

"I'll always worry about her, especially after everything that's happened. I don't want to be her jailer, though. She'll start to hate me."

Natalie smiled. "And that's why you've decided to let her talk to Jimmy again. You know that's who she's calling."

"No kidding?" He gri