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  At the closet she took what seemed like an hour and a half choosing something else to wear. Then she picked up the blouse she'd thrown on the floor and stormed into the bathroom. I was praying she'd shut the door so I could make an escape, but she left it wide open, and I could see her working at the sink while I lay trapped beneath the bed. I had no choice but to stay where I was.

  With every ounce of psychic power I could muster, I willed her to leave, but either I was a lousy sender or Holly was a crummy receiver. She came over and plunked herself down on the bed.

  Don't look for the journal, I thought. Do anything but look for the damned journal. To my utter dismay, I felt her lean forward, turn around and reach under her pillow. I held my breath.

  Suddenly she was on her feet, yanking back the covers, frantically searching for the book. She pulled open the drawer next to the bed and searched through the contents. When she got down on her hands and knees, I knew my time was up.

  Just then, there was an urgent knock on the door, and Holly stood up. I'd been about to say something, and I had to force my mouth to close. My heart was beating so loudly I wouldn't have been surprised if the people in nearby cabins could hear it.

  "Billie, what's up?" I was amazed at how quickly Holly was able to compose herself. Seconds earlier, she'd been ready to explode.

  "Can I talk with you for a minute? It's kind of important."

  "Sure, come on in."

  "Uh, maybe it'd be better if you came over to my cabin. It won't take long."

  I could tell Holly was thinking this over. Finally, she said, "Let me just grab my jacket."

  When I heard the door close and their footsteps recede, I exhaled loudly. I'd been holding my breath for so long, my lungs ached.

  I quickly placed the journal behind the bed so Holly would think it had inadvertently fallen down, then hurried to the door. Outside, the grounds were teeming with women! But there was nothing I could do about it. I slipped out, trying to blend in, my skin still clammy with fear.

  An hour later I tracked down Billie and Allison. They were standing at the edge of the lake, deep in conversation.

  "That was close," I said, squeezing Billie's shoulder.

  "When Sabrina spilled her coffee all over Holly's silk blouse, I knew you'd be in trouble," she said. "Sure enough, she headed straight for her cabin. I had to think quick." Billie was wearing a pink and red cotton shirt over red bicycle shorts that would have looked silly on most people but looked somehow natural against her ebony skin.

  "Two seconds later, I'd have been dead meat," I said. "She was getting down on her knees to look under the bed."

  "Why?" Allison asked. The sun had caught the reddish gold highlights in her hair and reflected in her clear blue-green eyes. The slightly sunburned nose did nothing to dispel her beauty. I looked away and told them about the journal.

  "God, don't you feel creepy going through other people's stuff? I'm glad I don't keep a diary."

  "Thanks, Billie. It's not like I do it for cheap thrills." I paused. "You know, I've been driving myself crazy over these football notes. I mean, the obvious link is Reeva, right? Which could easily mean that someone's deliberately been trying to throw suspicion her way. You can't believe the number of disparaging remarks in Holly's journal regarding Reeva's obsession with football."

  "Karen's almost as caught up in football as Reeva is," Billie said.

  "Maybe so. My point is, if you were leaving notes to someone you were trying to kill, and everyone knew your favorite hobby was surfing, would you make constant references to waves?"

  "So someone's framing Reeva?" Allison asked.

  "I think someone might be making a feeble attempt to deflect suspicion from themselves by pointing in another direction. They might not have anything personal against Reeva. Maybe she's just an easy mark. Besides, Holly seems to be an equal-opportunity snob. She has bad things to say about everyone." The two of them looked pensive, obviously wondering what had been said about them.

  "You really think it could be Holly?" Billy looked doubtful.

  I sighed. "I don't know. But I do think it's time to take a more direct approach."

  "What do you mean?" Allison asked.

  "I think we should have Billie plant a story. It's time everyone knew the real reason I'm here." Billie looked at me, her eyes round. "I want you to tell each one, like they're the only one you're telling, that I've been investigating some attacks against Allison, and that I've figured out who the would-be killer is. I'm just waiting for the police to come so I can tell them who it is. Tell them I refused to tell either you or Allison the name. Can you do that?"

  Billie's dark eyes narrowed and she glanced at Allison.

  "That will make them come after you!" Allison exclaimed.

  "You'll be the target," Billie said.

  "That's the point. There're too many of them for me to chase. I need the killer to help me out a little."

  "I wish you'd quit referring to her as a killer. So far, I'm still alive." Allison hugged herself as if suddenly chilled. She was wearing a satiny green blouse tucked into white knickers that stopped just above her lightly freckled knees. I couldn't help notice that the top three buttons of her blouse had been left open, revealing the pale swell of her breasts. It didn't help that the blouse was also nearly translucent. From where I was standing, the sun beat directly onto her cleavage. I made a point of studying a tree limb over her shoulder.

  "Can you do it?" I asked Billie. She was still frowning.

  "I can," she said. "I just don't know if I should."

  "It's the only way," I said. "Besides, I'd much rather have them come after me when I'm expecting them, than to come after Allison when we're not."

  Grudgingly, the two of them agreed that the plan was at least worth a shot.

  The clouds had finally been chased off, and the day was turning into another beauty. The resort staff was setting up a barbecue down by the lake and women were already engaged in the various games set up along the shore. There were nets for volleyball and badminton, and courses laid on a grassy stretch for croquet and lawn bowling. Reeva was organizing another football game, and I was glad she had a whole bevy of new recruits. I'd had enough football to last me.

  More than a dozen sailboats glided across the water, and brightly colored plastic paddleboats hugged the shore. Beds had been stripped of their blankets, and everywhere I looked, topless women were sprawled on the ground, tanning themselves. Off toward the pier, in a small cove, a number of women were swimming or floating on rafts. Steam rose off the water in vaporous puffs, and Allison explained that the cove's water was as warm as a heated pool.

  "The cold water mixes with the natural hot springs running underneath the ground there, making the water temperature about eighty degrees. If you float out beyond those markers, though, you'll freeze your buns off. The rest of the lake is downright frigid."

  "Who do you want me to talk to first?" Billie asked.

  "Your choice," I said. "Just make sure they all get the same message. In fact, the sooner you tell them, the better."

  "When I'm done, I'll come find you," she said. "Assuming one of them hasn't offed you both." She grinned, but Allison shivered, and folded her arms across her chest.

  "You okay?" I asked, watching Billie march off in Karen's direction.

  "Yeah, fine." She paused, then sighed. "Well, that's not entirely true. Actually, I'm pretty scared. About what you said earlier, well, I've been thinking."

  "Allie, I had no right to pry into your life like that, and I have no business offering you advice. Hell, I can barely run my own life."

  "Oh, you seem to be doing okay," she said, smiling. She started walking down toward the pier and I followed along.

  "I know what you said was right, Cass. I need to get past what happened and get on with my life. Sometimes I think I've been using what happened as an excuse. But I'm nearly forty years old and it's time to be honest with myself. I don't want to spend the rest of my life hav
ing meaningless flings. If I even have a rest-of-my-life. I'm starting to feel as if whoever's trying to kill me is going to succeed."

  "Is that supposed to be a vote of no confidence?" I was trying to lighten things up. She put her arm around my waist and squeezed my hip. When she felt the gun in my waistband, she pulled back. She stopped and looked at me.

  "It's just a precaution, Allison. I'm sure I won't need it."

  "I shouldn't be surprised. I mean, I did hire you to protect me. It's just that, I know it sounds stupid, but I don't want anyone to get hurt."

  "Allie, someone's trying to hurt you. And as soon as Billie tells your stalker that I know who she is, she's probably going to want to hurt me. It's generally a good idea to be prepared in these situations. Okay?" I smiled, but her eyes still looked troubled.

  "Maybe I should've taken your advice in the first place and not come up here."

  Strong and sensible one second, frightened and vulnerable the next, Allison continued to amaze me with her mood swings. I put my arm around her shoulder and steered her toward the pier.

  "We're going to find out who's doing this, and then you're going to get on with your life, okay?"

  She nodded, leaning her head against my shoulder, letting her hand slip around my waist again, avoiding the thirty-eight nestled beneath my jacket. To anyone watching, we were just another loving couple strolling arm-and-arm along the lakeshore. Of course, as soon as Billie spread the word, there'd no longer be a need to pretend we were lovers. Still, I didn't move away, and neither did Allison. I had the feeling that all too soon this brief sense of calm was going to be shattered, and I wasn't all that anxious to let it go.

  Chapter Sixteen

  By three o'clock, Billie had told every last one of them, and already I was being treated differently. We were down by the barbecue grills eating hotdogs when Reeva pulled me aside. Her muscled arms glistened with sweat and her yellow flattop was plastered against her head. The football game had gone well, according to all reports. She was in a jubilant mood.

  "Don't ask me how I know, okay? I just wanted you to know, if you need help, I'm here. And about last night, well, I'm sorry if me and Karen came on a little strong. I'd just gotten into an argument and had been hittin' the beer pretty good. I was in a bad mood, that's all." Reeva's gray eyes were looking everywhere but at me. She was clearly nervous about having this conversation. I got the feeling she wasn't used to apologizing.

  "Well, I guess I wasn't in a very good mood either. Let's forget it, okay?"

  "Your lip looks better," she said, her gaze shifting toward me, then darting away.

  "It is." I couldn't figure out if Reeva was turning out to be a decent person, or if she was just trying to throw me off her trail.

  "Well, anyway, if you need help or anything, just yell."

  "I will, Reeva. Thanks."

  No sooner had Reeva left me than Lacy Watkins came bouncing over. She had two beers in her hands and offered one to me. She'd even opened it, I noticed, smiling. I was getting the royal treatment.

  "How are you, today, Cassidy?" she said, rocking forward on her toes.

  "I'm just fine, Lacy. You?"

  "Oh, I'm great. I just want you to know I think the world of Allison." She looked right at me, her buck-toothed grin making dimples in her cheeks.

  "So do I, Lacy."

  "I think you two make the cutest couple, too. Of course, I know someone who's not too happy about it, but..." She clearly wanted me to ask.

  "Who's that?"

  "I don't like to gossip," she said.

  Sure you do, I thought. I waited.

  "I think Sabrina's a little jealous, that's all. She's kinda stuck on Allison. You probably haven't noticed. You'd have had to be dead not to notice, I thought.

  "I'm curious, Lacy. Can I ask you something personal?"

  "Oh, sure." I walked down toward the water and she came bouncing along with me.

  "Allison seems to have had quite an active love-life. Have the two of you ever dated? I hope this isn't too personal."

  Lacy blushed and giggled. "I wish," she said. Realizing this might not be taken the right way, she quickly amended the statement. "I mean, now that you're together, it's out of the question, but, I mean, well, I think the world of Allison."

  Clearly, Lacy wanted me to know she thought Allison was topnotch. Meaning she was trying very hard to convince me that she'd never lay a hand on Allison.

  "I understand you're from a religious background, Lacy. Your dad was a preacher, right?"

  Lacy stopped and whirled around, her eyes huge. "Who told you that?"

  "Oh, you know. Word gets around. You still close with your family?"

  Her face had taken on a pinkish hue and her eyes could have driven nails right through me. "My family and I are estranged," she said, her mouth tight.

  "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." This seemed to appease her somewhat. I really did feel bad. It was obvious I'd upset her.

  "I shouldn't get so emotional about it." She took a sip of her beer. "It wasn't a pleasant situation. I just try not to think about it much, that's all. It happened a long time ago." She had begun bouncing on the balls of her feet again, her head bobbing nervously in rhythm with her body. If there'd been music, she could have been dancing.

  "It must be difficult for you. Growing up with such strong beliefs, and then finding out you're gay. I'll bet that didn't go over very well with your father." I was sorry I had to push her so hard, but there was no other way I could think of to find out what I needed to know. Her left eye had begun to twitch. The vehemence in her voice surprised me.

  "He hated it! Said I would burn in hell! Said the devil had entered my soul and I was rotting from the inside out! He tried to hospitalize me! Said it was God's will." Lacy began to cry, big, gulping sobs that racked her body.

  I put my hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," I said.

  "I believed in him!" Her words were muffled by sobs.

  "God?" I asked.

  She shook her head. "My father." Her eyes searched mine, begging me to understand. "Growing up, I thought he was God. Or at least God's direct messenger. All those people looking up to him each Sunday. He was always so sure about everything. I never doubted for a minute that he was right about things. I didn't realize that all that preaching about the wrath of God was really his own bigotry and hatred. Until it was directed at me." Her crying had become more subdued, her pain turning to anger.

  "But you haven't lost your faith?" I asked.

  She studied me behind reddened eyes. "I'm only now beginning to find it," she said. "It wasn't faith I had before. I was brainwashed. I did terrible things. My father's church did terrible things. I was part of that. Now I'm just trying to get clean."

  I nodded, and noticed that for the first time since I'd met her, Lacy was standing still. She was watching me expectantly. "I'm glad you told me, Lacy. I needed to know."

  "You thought I had something to do with what's happening to Allison?" She wiped her face on her shirttail.

  "I knew you'd been arrested for what happened at the abortion clinic. That didn't seem to fit very well with your role in Women On Top."

  "How do you know all this? I've never told anyone!"

  "I'm a private investigator, Lacy. It's what I do."

  She nodded, suddenly looking around us, her eyes narrowed. "Billie says someone's trying to kill Allison and you know who it is. Is it true?"

  "I've got a pretty good idea," I said. This wasn't a total lie. I knew it wasn't Billie, and I thought Lacy's explanation of her past made sense. Besides, I didn't think she could fake all that hurt and anger. I felt almost sure I could cross Lacy off my list. Almost.

  "Can you tell me?" she asked.

  "Not yet," I said. "But keep your eyes and ears open. If you see or hear anything suspicious, let me know, okay?"

  Her eyes brightened considerably and she rose up on the balls of her feet again, starting to bounce. "You can count on me, Cassidy," she said,
grinning. And for some reason, I thought, heading back toward the others, I felt I really could.

  Halfway back, we ran into the whole group walking toward us.

  "Come on, we're going swimming!" Allison said, linking her arm through mine.

  "I'm not wearing my suit," I protested.

  "Who is?"

  "Oh my. Our little Miss Chastity is shy!" Karen said. She wasn't calling me Cowgirl or John Girl today. But I wasn't sure "our little Miss Chastity" was an improvement. Allison led the way down to the water and people began disrobing.

  "You can just wear your underthings," Sabrina said. "That's what I do."

  "And most of us wish you wouldn't," Reeva said. Everyone laughed, including Fay who had stripped to a full-piece black swimsuit. To my surprise, without the bulky sweatshirt she usually hid beneath, Fay's body was voluptuous. She seemed to sense people staring at her and quickly dove into the water.

  "What about you, Holly?" I asked.

  She looked at me, a sly smile on her lips. Then, without warning, she lifted her shirt above her head and flashed her breasts at me. She was wearing an orange bikini under her clothes. Which figured, I thought. Holly wasn't the type to expose anything she didn't want to.

  The cove was protected from the breeze by a rocky outcropping along its east bank that rose up in jagged black formations and stretched several hundred feet into the lake. The afternoon sun was still strong and warmed the sand along the shore. The scent of sulphur wafted from the water, but not nearly as noticeably as from the hot tubs behind the cabins. A dozen or so women lazed on floating rafts, while others swam and played in the water. I was pretty sure that one couple, way off by the rocks, was making love. They were trying to be discreet about it, but I recognized something about the way they moved, and suddenly missed Maggie more than I could bear.

  "Penny for your thoughts," Allison whispered. She had pulled off her shirt and was stepping out of her knickers.