Part 34 (1/2)

”Do you want me to apologize for what I said to Burnett, is that it?” he

demanded.

Faith blinked at the anger in his voice, but other- wise remained

unruffled. ”If you feel you were wrong, say so. But don't do it just to placate me.”

For a dizzy moment he wondered if she had any idea how much like Dinah

she'd sounded. Dinah, who had hated false repentance and always refusedto accept a careless I'm sorry, even to pour oil on troubled waters. Shehad always preferred an honest fight to fake peace, no matter what itcost her.

Slowly, he said, ”I don't feel I was wrong, except maybe in presuming that you needed me to interfere.

I will apologize for that.”

”Thank you. I can fight my own battles, you know.”

”You didn't seem to want to fight Burnett.”

”Dr. Burnett,” she said with great deliberation, ”helped me get back on my feet after I came out of the coma. I'll always be grateful to him for that.”

”It was his job, Faith.”

”I'm aware of that.”

Is he?”

Faith was silent for a moment, then said, ”I'm his patient, nothing

more. Not that it's any of your business. ”

Kane knew she was right. It was none of his business. Absolutely none of his business.

Casting about for something casual to say, he asked, ”Did you bring your

apartment keys with you? if so, we can drop by on our way out to the

construction site.”

”I think so.” She opened her shoulder bag and checked inside. He heard the clink of keys and then saw her frown.

”What?”

She drew out a folded piece of paper and opened it slowly. Her face went

blank as she read whatever was written there, and he saw her fingers tremble.

”Faith?”

She looked at him, and for an instant he thought she was going to

crumple the paper or tear it to pieces.

Then she held it out to him.

It was half a sheet torn carelessly from a notebook, and the singlehandwritten sentence on it sprawled across the page as if the author hadbeen in a hurry.

Faith, look in my apartment inside the book.

”It isn't my writing,” Faith said.

The words blurred before Kane's eyes. ”No. It's Dinah's.”

She didn't want to go into Dinah's apartment. Beside her, Kane was stilland silent, and she was vividly conscious of his anger and disbelief.

He didn't believe she had never seen the note before or that it had not been in her bag a few days before. Nor did he believe she hadn't writtenit her- self, somehow duplicating Dinah's handwriting well enough to fool hisincredulous eyes.

He didn't believe, because any other explanation chipped away at hissanity. And he was angry with her because ... what? Because he thoughtshe was playing with his emotions, mocking his grief?

Faith didn't know what she believed. All she knew was that the note had not been in her bag before today and that she had not written it herselfin some inexplicable attempt to deceive Kane. She knew Dinahhadn't written it, because Dinah was dead.

And she knew one last thing, one final stark fact she was absolutelycertain of- Wherever the note had come from, the message it containedwas from Dinah.

She knew that.

Kane said, ”If it takes longer than ... If it looks like I'll be late inmeeting the inspector, I'll call and have him wait.” He sounded calm,but she thought it was a precarious calm.

He's angry at everybody because she's gone. And now this has to happen.

And I make a handy target for his anger.

She didn't blame him for what he felt, but there was an anger in Faithas well, and she didn't know how much longer she could handle it insilence.