Tayler laid her hand gently on Ana's shoulder. "Then what happened?"

"After our tryst, she took out a small black book. She opened it and began reading something. I didn't understand the whole thing at first because I hadn't kept up with my Latin. I was able, however, to translate several words." Ana took a breath. "I couldn't believe it. Raven had placed a curse on me."

Tayler peered at Ana for some indication that this was all a myth, but she found only misery.

"This must all be very strange to you, Tayler, but please believe me -you must believe me."

"My G.o.d, Ana, we're in the twenty-first century. Things like this aren't supposed to happen." Tayler looked perplexed. "You keep talking about this curse, but the attempts on my life could've been orchestrated by a psychopath." Tayler lowered her voice. "Do you have proof that it exists?"

Ana kneeled in front of Tayler and began unb.u.t.toning her blouse.

"Ana, what are you doing?"

When Ana opened her blouse and unhooked the front of her bra, Tayler gasped. Ana's right breast looked like it had been gouged repeatedly with a sharp object. "Oh, my G.o.d - "

"It was an ingredient for the curse to work." Ana grew silent for a moment. "Raven clawed me with her nails."

Tayler sat stunned holding her breath. Finding her voice she asked, "And the curse?"

Ana's voice was cold and distant. "That morning in the cave, Raven tried to kill me, but couldn't. I was the only person in the universe she loved. So, she altered the curse, redirected it away from me and focused it on Ricah instead." Ana inhaled the ocean air. "Raven knew that if I was cursed she'd never be able to touch me again. By cursing the woman I loved, Raven knew Ricah would be out of the way. Raven thought I'd grow to love her, but I didn't."

Tayler felt the guilt and betrayal that consumed Ana. Now she understood why Ana was responsible for Erica's solitary life. She waited in the heavy shroud of silence, not knowing what to say.

Ana's voice was barely audible, "The curse affects only the women Ricah becomes involved with."

"Like me?"

"Si. If Ricah makes love to you, you will die within twelve hours." Ana's fiercely cold warning sounded acerbic in the tropical setting.

"What does that mean exactly?" Tayler's eyes grew wide.

"She can kiss and caress you, but she can't make love to you."

Tayler got up and started to pace. "What proof do you have that this curse actually exists? Surely, that old doc.u.ment proves nothing."

"There's more."

Tayler ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm listening."

"When I didn't return home the next evening, Marina called my sister and brother-in-law. They found me in the cave. The wound was infected and I was hallucinating. It took them two days to calm me down enough to find out what happened. My sister called Ricah to explain, but when Ricah learned that I had s.e.x with Raven, she was devastated. She hung up on Carmen. We did everything we could to reach her and warn her about the curse, but Ricah wouldn't talk to me. I finally got through to Susan Evans and found out that Ricah had flown to Los Angeles. While she was there she had dinner with a woman named Patricia Locksley. The two got drunk and went back to Ricah's hotel room."

In her files at the office, Tayler remembered coming across an article on a charity Erica had established in Los Angeles. It was called the Patricia Locksley Foundation. At the time she had read the article, Tayler had a.s.sumed that Patricia had become an icon for violence against women, and that Erica had not really known her.

"When the police arrived at Ricah's hotel room the next morning they questioned her about Patricia. Ricah told them that she had dinner with her the night before and that they had come back to the hotel for a drink. She couldn't remember when Patricia left, but figured that it had been earlier that morning. The police informed Ricah that Patricia Locksley had been found a mile from Ricah's hotel - dead."

Tayler turned and stared at Ana. "What did Erica do?"

"By that time, I had finally gotten through to Ricah and explained the curse. When she got off the phone she went to the police and tried to confess to the murder. The police laughed at her and sent her away."

"But you both believe it was Raven?"

"Si," Ana stood and took Tayler's hand. "In one of Raven's notes you'll remember that she refers to a 'fragile heart'."

Tayler nodded.

"Raven cut Patricia's heart out of her body."

Tayler staggered. She sought the support of a rock and leaned against it. Drops of sweat rolled down her face. She felt feverish, nauseated and light-headed.

Ana took her canteen and poured water into her bandanna. She lifted Tayler's hair and placed the wet cloth on Tayler's neck. Tayler took the canteen and swallowed the cold liquid.

Tayler's voice was strained. "Am I destined to die that way, too?"

"Unlike Patricia Locksley, you have the power to put an end to this curse."

"What power? Ana, I'm a writer. On most days I'm lucky to have enough power to get out of bed and meet my deadlines. I use a computer, not a magic wand. Sure, I know a thing or two about a lot of things, but I don't know this kind of power. I don't possess this kind of power." Tayler paused. "And if I never make love to Erica, I won't be killed."

"It's not as easy as that," Ana looked away to avoid Tayler's eyes.

"Why?" Tayler demanded.

"If you choose not to help Ricah she will die."

Tears flooded Tayler's eyes. "How?"

"At the stroke of midnight on Hallow's Eve, if Raven has not been stopped, she will claim Ricah's soul." The wind suddenly picked up. "Her heart will be ripped out like Patricia's..."

"Stop, Ana, please, please stop," Tayler's groan cut through the wind. "How can I help her? Us?"

"By destroying the curse." Ana watched Tayler. "You have already survived three attempts."

"But you said the curse has five elements. What will the other two involve?"

"The most common elements in curses are earth, water, air and fire. If you look at the attempts, so far, the elements have included water and fire."

"But what about the snake?"

"That's the fifth element. The fifth element identifies the person who cast the spell. Raven has a personal affiliation with snakes."

"But couldn't the attempts have been made by some crazy weirdo who's out to get me for some far-out obsession or religious belief?" Tayler wanted to run away. The more she knew the less she wanted to hear.

"When your house was destroyed by fire, Ricah knew Raven was behind the attempts. Piecing the two attempts together, she realized you were the person referred to in the second stanza."

"So you're saying that there will be two more attempts on my life -one using air and one using earth?" Tayler shuddered.

"I don't know." Ana shrugged her shoulders.

"What do you mean you don't know? Today is October 26 - we have only four days until Halloween."

"Raven found you in the cave the second day you were here. She threw a knife, but it missed you. I met with my sister yesterday, but even though she knows Raven, she is not sure this was an attempt. We don't know where to go from here."

"Did Erica tell you what Luis said about the curse?"

Ana nodded. "She told me."

Tayler looked down the beach, her eyes focusing on the mountainous terrain. "I want you to take me to the cave where Raven entrapped you. Maybe we'll find a clue to help us."

Seventeen.

Tourists filed off the plane as Erica anxiously waited in the small terminal. She stared past the faces of new arrivals looking for the two faces so dear to her. Dr. Susan Evans and Elizabeth Barrett had always been compa.s.sionate and devoted friends and Erica often looked to them for support. Their arrival in Puerto Arista marked the annual Mexican Day of the Dead celebration and, hopefully, the end of the curse for Erica. For the millionth time since she found out about the curse, Erica wondered if she had a future beyond Hallow's Eve.

"Hey, lady, you wanna buy something for your amigas?" arms went around Erica.

"Beth, Ev, hi. Am I glad to see you two." Erica embraced the two women. "I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention."

"It's okay, Erica, you were easy to locate." Susan Evans kissed Erica on the cheek. "You're the only one in the airport not wearing three-inch heels."

"Hey, was that a cultural slam?" Beth looked at Ev in disbelief.

"No, not at all. My observation on Mexican culture is due to my concern for increased breaks, strains and varicose veins. All I'm saying is that women in Mexico wear higher heels more frequently than we stodgy Midwesterners."

"But what about New York and - " Beth was just getting started.

"I'm glad you're finally here," Erica's tone brought the conversation to a halt.

"Things must be getting tense," Ev breathed. Her physician-trained eyes examined Erica. Despite her tan, Ev could tell that Erica wasn't sleeping. She also noticed that Erica had developed a nervous habit of clenching and unclenching her right hand, as if she were preparing for a fight. Ev was glad she brought sedatives, but doubted that Erica would use them. For the first time since the curse began, Ev wondered if Erica had the strength to win.

"I thought I was finally going to meet Tayler, but it looks like Ana coerced her into doing something other than hanging out at the airport," Beth tried to ease the seriousness of the conversation.

"They went riding early this morning. Ana is giving her the grand tour."

"And the grand story, I would imagine," Ev stated matter-of-factly. The women began to walk toward the exit.

"Ana needs to explain the curse. It wasn't my place to tell Tayler," Erica looked momentarily helpless.

"When are the others arriving?" Ev asked.

"Later this afternoon. Marina will be here to pick them up, but I wanted to get the two of you."

"We're honored," Ev smiled.

"Let's get you to the hacienda. I'm sure you'd like a chance to relax before everyone arrives." Erica saw Ev throw Beth a seductive glance. The exchange made Erica sad. She wondered if the day would ever come when she would be free to love again.

"It's not much further," Ana called to Tayler. The rain began shortly after Ana and Tayler set out for the cave.

The black clouds in the sky made the day seem dark for one o'clock in the afternoon. Absorbed in Ana's story, Tayler hadn't realized how hungry and tired she was. Her wet clothes didn't help her disheartened spirit.

"Storms here are brief, but heavy," Ana had said. "They are known to pa.s.s very quickly."

"Not quickly enough," Tayler muttered to herself.

A streak of lightning broke through the clouds. The horses reared from the thunder that followed. Tayler held on tighter and encouraged her horse to keep going. Finally, when Tayler felt she could hang on no longer, she saw Ana dismount. Through the rain, Tayler could see the opening of a cave.

Ana waved to her and yelled. "Bring your saddle with you."

When she entered the cave, Tayler was greeted by the glow of a lantern. She looked around the cave for iguanas, but saw no signs of life. The hollow cavern was slightly smaller than the cave Tayler had explored two days before, but she was surprised by its barren interior. The ceiling was slightly higher but there was no opening in the top to let light through. Inside the cave, Tayler turned back to the opening. Rain was still falling, but it started to sound like the storm was lessening. She shivered in her wet clothes.

"I brought a lantern to give us more light, and we could use its heat right now to dry our clothes," Ana's voice sounded strained in the confines of the cave. She stood rigid against a boulder still clutching her saddle.

"Is this the first time you've been back here?" Tayler asked taking the saddle and placing it on the ground near the opening.

"Si."

With her arrogance stifled and the exposure of her vulnerability, Tayler saw Ana go from a self-possessed, demanding woman to a frightened victim. In the light of the lantern, against the rough edges of the boulders, Tayler saw a softer side of Ana, a side that was very appealing. Remembering the reason they had come to the cave, Tayler said quickly, "I'll just take a short look around, okay?"

Ana nodded but said nothing.

"Where were you tied down?" Tayler asked as gently as she could.

Ana pointed to a spot. It was located in an alcove.

Tayler walked over to the spot and looked around. She noticed she could not see the entrance from this location. The cave seemed to be deadly still. There were no tracks of any kind, making it clear that the cave was uninhabited. She walked over to the spot and both looked and felt with her hands. Finding nothing, Tayler took a deep breath of air and let it out slowly.

Love, Ana had said, was the reason for the curse.

Tayler grimaced imagining the loneliness Ana must have felt from Erica's absence. Only love would drive someone to such extremes. It was difficult for her to think of Ana making love in such a desolate place. Being violated, she corrected herself. Her heart pounded against her chest.

A small tremor jilted the cave.

Tayler grabbed Ana's arm. "What was that?"

"The valley is sometimes shaken by tremors, but they are never very serious," Ana stated without emotion. "We should leave."

"Just a minute," Tayler studied the cave again. The tremor stopped, but the shaking caused some of the cave floor to shift. A dark object was visible now where Tayler had previously searched.

"We should leave now," Ana repeated. This time her voice was laced with urgency.

"Wait, I just want to check this out," Tayler said as she reached down into the dirt. The cave shook again.

Ana saw what Tayler had found and looked away, the memory searing her nerves.

Tayler pulled a five-foot leather strap and a stake from the loose dirt. It was one of the straps used to bind Ana to the ground. "Ana, tell me again why Raven didn't kill you?"