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His confidence worried her. She suspected that it was rooted, in part, in the
fact that he was running hot.
No offense, she said, but I think we should have a Plan B.
Got one?
I ve been thinking, she said. When Owen did his mind blast thing to you
were your senses wide open?
Yeah. Why?
Mine were on edge but I wasn t running hot, at least not at the moment when
he got out of the car. I was expecting you. Then Owen spoke to me, told me a
lie. That was when my senses kicked in. And that was when I felt the full
blast of whatever it was he used to knock me out.
You think his trick only works on our psi senses?
Maybe. There s no way to know for sure without doing some tests. But it seems
logical that since his power is generated on the paranormal plane, it would be
most effective against that side of our natures, doesn t it?
All right, Jake said. I ll keep that in mind. But I still prefer Plan A,
the one where I rip his throat out before he even knows I m around.
You don t like taking directions, do you?
No, but on occasion I ve been known to be reasonable.
That s very reassuring. She slipped out of her loafers and held them in her
left hand. Okay, I m ready.
She followed him through the inky darkness, aware of the objects in their path
only when he altered course to avoid them. When they detoured around a large,
vibrating heat pump she saw another rectangular crack of light indicating
another access panel. The room below was illuminated.
Jake s fingers tightened around her wrist. The hunter had scented his prey.
They crept closer. She could hear the low, muffled sound of voices now. Owen
and a woman were speaking. The female voice sounded vaguely familiar.
Jake put his mouth very close to her ear. Got a hunch we just located
Kimberley Todd.
I know that voice, Clare whispered. I ve heard it somewhere. Good grief,
it s Karen Trent.
Who?
The assistant manager here at the spa. The one who didn t believe me when I
told her that someone tried to brain me with the dumbbell.
Like I said, I think we just found Kimberley Todd. Satisfaction reverberated
through Jake s low voice.
Damn. She was here at the spa all the time.
All right, Jake said. Here s what we re going to do. First, I want you out
of this place. I ll open one of the other panels and lower you into an empty
room. Get clear of the building, find a phone and call the cops. Understood?
I don t think I should leave you here alone with those two.
I can handle this, he said. But I can do it even better if I know you re
safe.
This was the kind of thing he was born to do, she reminded herself. It was
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time to let Jake hunt.
Chapter Forty-five
He opened an access panel above a darkened massage therapy room. Taking hold
of both of Clare s wrists, he lowered her until she could stand on the
white-sheeted table. He was aware of the pain in his left arm but with his
senses wide open he could push the sensation to the edge of his awareness, at
least for a while.
Clare found her footing on the table and looked up at him. He knew she could
not see him in the dense shadows of the ceiling crawl space.
Be careful, she said softly. Please.
I will, he promised. Go on, get out of here.
He waited until she had opened the door and slipped out into the hall. There
was enough moonlight filtering through the skylights out there to illuminate
her way to the lobby.
When she was gone, he made his way back across the ceiling to the illuminated
access panel. The voices of the two people in the room below were loud and
clear, thanks to his jacked-up hearing.
He realized at once that something had changed in the atmosphere. Shipley was
throwing off even more of the disturbing, abnormal psychic energy.
You bastard, Kimberley shrieked. What do you think you re doing? You can t
kill me.
Of course I can, Owen said calmly. In fact, it is absolutely necessary. I
need to throw some red meat to Glazebrook and the local cops.
You re crazy. You need me. We have a plan, damn you.
I have a plan, Owen said. Sadly, it is somewhat different from the one we
discussed. You are going to commit suicide.
No one will believe that.
Of course they will. As the months went past you became despondent after you
murdered McAllister. The gun you used to kill him will be found in your desk
drawer. I put it there myself a few minutes ago.
You can t do this, Kimberley said, frantic now.
Valerie s death will remain a probable accident as a result of drugs and
alcohol. You will leave a suicide note on your computer explaining the other
deaths, however. You murdered Brad McAllister because he dumped you in favor
of Clare. When she came back to Stone Canyon, you couldn t stand it. You lured
her here to the spa with the intention of murdering her tonight. Unfortunately
for him, Jake Salter showed up with Clare, no doubt anticipating a couples
massage. You had no choice but to get rid of him, too. You locked them both in
the steam chamber.
We re partners in this, Kimberley pleaded.
As I said, there has been a slight change of plan.
You need me.
Not any longer, Owen said. In a few days Archer Glazebrook will suffer a
heart attack following the shock of Clare s death. His son, Matt, will die in
a car crash on the way home to his father s funeral. And in their grief, Myra
and Elizabeth will turn to me, an old friend of the family. I will take
control of the company and lift that burden from their shoulders.
Jake sensed movement in the room below. Kimberley was edging toward the door.
She was probably going to make a desperate bid to flee into the hall. That
would be good. He could use the distraction.
You can t shoot me from across the room, Kimberley said. No one will
believe I committed suicide if you do.
I am fully prepared to make adjustments to my plan, Owen said, unruffled.
If you make me kill you this way, I will simply take your body into the steam
room and stage what will appear to be a battle over the gun. You lost.
Jake let the access panel swing open. He put one hand on the edge of the
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dropped ceiling and plummeted, feet first, straight down.
Owen s head jerked up at the sound of the panel falling open. Startled shock
and then rage flashed across his face. Instinctively he brought the gun
around, trying to aim for an impossibly awkward shot.
Jake landed inches from his prey. He brought his hand down in a short,
chopping action, striking Owen s arm. The gun clattered to the floor.
Owen skittered backward, clawing at the desk for support.
Son of a bitch, Owen snarled, his face a demented mask. You want to know
how bad it can get? I ll show you.
Pain slashed across Jake s senses, enough to make him stagger, but not enough
to cause the lights to go out again. It wasn t easy keeping his senses
dampened when everything in him wanted to make the kill.
Clare s right, he said. Your little psychic trick doesn t work nearly as
well when I m running cold.
Owen s eyes widened with real fear for the first time.
No, he breathed. Wait
Still hurts, though, Jake said. And that really pisses me off.
Owen threw up his hands to protect himself. Jake delivered two solid blows to
Owen s midsection. Owen clutched at his belly and sank to his knees, gasping
for air.
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