"Ellell?"

When she turned around, George held wine bottle he'd found by the sink.

"Sit down, honey. I thi we She refused to budge.

"I didn't drink that And I didn't get clnmk. This was nt lueination. I

know there's proof."

"Sweetheart, who are you trying to convince, me?" George reached out and took her hands, closer to the fire.

"Ellen, you've been ivin8 a long time, living in fear of discovery. It'

taken. a toll on you. And no" -- he raised A Killer Smile 155 her interruption "--it doesn't mean you're crazy. It means you're tired of being lonely and of be' rag scared."

The past few days began to swim in her mind, the edges and the facts blurring together until it became hard to separate them.

"Tired ..."

she repeated, sinking to the bed. "I am tired, Tired of talking to a dog that can't hear me. Tired of wondering what's happening in the world. So tired of feeling afraid and empty..," Her mind sobbed the words but her hot, dry eyes refused to cooperate.

George placed a fatherly arm around her should and pulled her into his

embrace.

"Sometimes I wish that son of a bitch Bartholomew'would show up here.

Then I'd use that shotgun to put him out of his m'cry.," When she dissolved into tears, George didn't try to stop her flow of emotion with useless platitudes. As they sat on the bed together, he allowed her to cry without guilt or reprimand. She had no idea how long they sat there; misery knew no time limitations.

Finally Ellen straightened up and wiped her face on her sleeve.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"I needed to get some of it out of my system."

He hugged her.

"Are you going to be all right?"

She nodded.

"I gue so."

"You want me to stay in case your visitor comes back?" She searched his

face, wondering if he was be' rag patronizing or sincere.

"No, it won't be necessary. Go on home. I'll be okay."

"Sure?"

"Yes. You'd better go on before it gets dark."

"Okay, but I'll be back in a couple of days to check up on you." Heleaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Don't get up. I'll let myself out." He paused, then gave her atight-lipped grin.

"You go' rag to be okay?"

156 A Killer Smile She nodded, unable to speak, to lie to him. Shewasn't going to be okay; she was going to be miserable.

' He swung the weapon into place on his shoulder, gave hera snappysalute and slipped outside.

Ellen stayed on the bed, watching the blaze die down until she grewcold.

Instead of throwing more wood on the fire, she pulled the quilt uparound he shoulders and lost herself in the choreography of the flames.Their hypnotic dance captivaul. her mind, allowing her to forget thepain, the delusions, the fears . As the flames died, Hermitt inchedcloser to the fading source of heat. With a sigh of reluctance Ellen gotup from her cozy berth and banked the fire with several large logs.Still wrapped in the quilt, she turned around and faced the bed.

A slash of rusty red was smeared across the pristine white chenille.

A bloody handprint.

She stared at-her proof, gingerly measuring her hand against the mark.The outlined fingers extended well beyond her own. Ellen remembered how'Jack had fallen against her bed when she'd first discovered him in hercabin.

"Please, don't be scared," he'd said.

She recalled how his eyes had rolled up and how he'd bounced against herbed before hitting the floor.

Don't be scared. For the first time in five years Ellen locked the cabindoor.

Chapter Ten.

By the time he reached the rangers' cabin, Alec had forgotten about hisnarrow escape from the wild mountain woman and her gun-toting cohort.Fearing the permanent effects of frostbite, he would have been glad totake refuge in hell itself. In fact, the fires of hell sounded damncomfortable to him at the moment.

Alec eyed the snowmobile parked outside the door. If no one was home,he'd leave a note, hot-wire the thing and head back to civilization."

A ranger answered the door and immediately ushered Alec in, allowing himto sufficiently thaw out by the fire before peppering him withquestions.

Rather than admit to his probable role as a sex slave, Alec gave the man a vague story about spending the week with a friend, which the ranger accepted without' question The man merely offered Alec shelter, food and a telephone.

Alec's hands were still numb with cold when he clutched the rece'rer and dialed his partner's home number.

"Hi, this is Reid Hardy," intoned' the tinny voice.

"I can't come to the phone fight now, so leave your name and number and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

A Killer Smile "Damn it." Alec slammed the receiver into the cradle,

then picked itup to dial again.

"I hope to hell someone's hanging around the office" -- His secretary sniffed several times before responding, "Brohard Investigation and Security."

"Caroline?"

"Can you speak up? I can hardly hear you. We have a bad connection."

"Caro, it's Alec."

"No, we haven't heard from him yet. The rescue squad says" -- "Damn it,

Caroline. It's me!" he shouted.

"Alec? Alec!" Her voice turned from its usual dulcet tone to a high shrill as she addressed someone in the office with her.

"It's Alec.

No, not about Alec. It/s Alec I'm talking to!"

Another voice came on the line.

"Brody," that you?"

" Yeah, Reid, it's me." Alec felt his energy level suddenly dip. He

found a chair, which he fell into.

"How about getting me out of here? Sometime today, okay?"

"You got it, buddy! Where exactly is here?"

Alec turned to the ranger.

"Just where in the hell am I?"

"Ranger Station Eight. Thirty miles out from Copper Springs on County

Road 26. Bancroft Trail."

"Some ranger station. on Bancroft Trail," Alec re" You went to the mountain?

I thought you said it could wait."

It? What? A case?

Reid continued.

"We were worried when you didn't show up Monday for work. By Tuesdaynoon, Caroline was ready to call out the national guard."

"I wish she had. Just get somebody up here."

"Now where's this ranger station?"