Strange that it would take anger to make her feel really alive for the first time since Charles died. Even now in the midst of this all-encompassing fury, she felt in control. She realized what needed to be done -- and, nobody could stop her from doing it. Especially the men in her life.

Jeanette swept both men with a frigid, angry glance. "Fine. Don't take into consideration my feelings on this. You do what you have to do -- and I'll do what I must do."

"Jeannie," Scott rasped, as he reached out to grab her. "What the hell does that mean? What are you going to do?"

Shrinking from his touch, Jeanette replied, "Why should you care? You won't be here to worry about it."

Both men stood paralyzed with silent stupefaction as Jeanette left the room.

Monnier wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew that Eric Matthews's presence in New Orleans didn't bode well for someone. He just hoped it wasn't him.

Matthews was a stone-cold killer. So amoral that Monnier felt uncomfortable around the man -- and Monnier had associated with some fairly evil dudes in his time.

"Report," said Rutherford.

Monnier's head jerked round to look at his boss. What report? Then realized that Rutherford was asking Matthews, not him, to speak.

"Mr. Roth met with an unfortunate accident in his cell." Matthews's face displayed no expression.

Chills swept down Monnier's spine. Roth was dead. Mentally, he calculated all his liquid assets and wondered how long it would take to get them together so he could leave town.

"And our next project?" Rutherford lit the cigar he'd been chewing on. "How are you coming with that?"

Matthews pulled a small leather notebook out of his pocket and flipped the cover open. "Ms. LaFleur has been staying close to home. She is accompanied at all times by one and sometimes two men -- professionals by the look of them. Good, too. They almost made me yesterday. Her daughter is gone. They must have taken her out of town before I got here. I have no clue where she is, and the only people who know are the woman and the men who are guarding her."

"And the people who the kid is with."

Matthews allowed a hint of irritation to materialize on his stone face. Monnier smirked. So the man was human.

"Yes, sir. As you say." All hints of anger buried, Matthews once more imitated a rock.

"So, how do you intend to get Jeanette LaFleur out of my life?"

"She just started to work for the Medical Center Eye Clinic." Matthews flipped to another page. "I..."

"What?" Rutherford threw his cigar at the ash tray on his desk -- and missed. Anger turned the doctor's smooth, handsome face into a grotesque mask. "The bitch has to be eliminated and soon."

As if he realized he was losing it, Rutherford used the pretense of picking up the smoldering cigar and relighting it to give himself some time to calm down. "Do you realize the trouble she could cause if she puts her head together with Payton and Warren? Even her death wouldn't stop the investigation into my research project or the potential medical malpractice suits."

The soothing ritual of smoking the cigar unsuccessful in appeasing his loss of temper, Rutherford stood up and walked over to the bar. He poured himself a Scotch, straight up, and tossed it back in one swallow. Fortified with alcoholic courage, he turned to his imported gun and snarled, "Kill her, Matthews. Kill her tomorrow -- at the Clinic."

"Her bodyguards are with her when she goes to work."

Monnier could have sworn he caught a hint of laughter in Matthews' feral eyes. The man enjoyed Rutherford's uneasiness.

Rutherford pinned both men with a comprehensive glance. "Monnier. You help him. Kill little Jeanette tomorrow -- or be prepared to take the fall for the murders you both have already committed. You know I can do it."

Both he and Matthews nodded. Monnier wondered if Matthews had heard about Rutherford's past. Before he had become a doctor, his reputation had been that of a man who never let anything -- or anyone -- get in the way of what he wanted. Since becoming a doctor, Rutherford had paid others to do his dirty work, but he still held to the same philosophy. Some people might imagine he'd gone soft. But Monnier wasn't stupid enough to think Rutherford couldn't kill if he had to. Killing had to be like riding a bicycle; once you've learned, you never forget.

Survival instincts kicking into high gear, Monnier made plans to buy an airplane ticket to the most remote place he could find and still maintain access to his Swiss bank accounts. After tomorrow -- New Orleans wouldn't see him for his dust.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.

'Next Day at Medical Center Eye Clinic'

"Come in, Jeanette."

Jeanette entered the small room used by the Clinic doctors for patient-family conferences. Dr. Payton sat at the head of the oblong table. In the room were two others, an attractive woman in her mid-thirties, wearing tinted glasses, and a stork-like figure of a man who dressed far older than he probably was.

If Maggie Payton had done as she'd promised, the woman was Lynn Barrios, the patient who'd been bilaterally blinded by Dr. Rutherford's Epi Procedure. The glasses masked and protected her unseeing eyes from some holdover light sensitivity. And from public scrutiny.

According to her charts, she could only differentiate between varying intensities of light. Her world was one of misty shadows with just enough visual acuity for her to avoid walking into objects and people -- and that only in bright light. But what should have been a partial blessing had turned out to be even more of a curse than total darkness. The glare of the light caused the poor woman to suffer debilitating migraines.

Lynn Barrios was in constant pain and distress from the results of the Epi Procedure -- and she had mentioned, more than once, her intent to sue Rutherford.

After making her decision to do something about Rutherford, Jeanette had called Maggie, who'd mentioned the young and attractive Lynn as the ideal plaintiff to draw public attention to Rutherford's perfidy. Lynn had been a highly successful model who'd graduated to anchoring a popular Louisiana cable morning show. Since the surgery, she couldn't do her job, was embarrassed to be seen in public, and had lost her husband to another woman.

Sight unseen, Lynn Barrios had sounded like the answer to Jeanette's prayers. The reality was even better. A jury would have to be made of stone not to relate to this beautiful woman's plight -- a plight created solely by Rutherford's reckless disregard of his patient's safety.

"Not a pretty picture, am I?" Lynn Barrios tilted her head toward Jeanette. "I understand you worked for a short time at the Epi Study Clinic. How many more people has he blinded since he butchered my eyes?"

A hint of rising hysteria tinged the husky contralto of Lynn's voice.

"Lynn, please." The thin man's deep baritone startled Jeanette into really looking at him. He had to be Lynn's lawyer, Evan Devereaux.

His voice belied his appearance.

Jeanette's first impression had been of an Ichabod Crane-stick of a man. Next to the auburn-haired glory of Lynn Barrios, Evan appeared gaunt, colorless -a non-entity.

But his voice had a magnetism. Jeanette could imagine both men and women falling under the spell of that voice -- a male Siren beckoning the jury to his way of thinking.

"What, Evan? Aren't I allowed to ask questions? Ms. LaFleur is supposed to be our expert witness on the Epi procedure. Aren't I allowed to find out what she knows -- or doesn't know? Am I to be kept in the dark about this, too?" Lynn's voice caught on a small sob. "Isn't it enough that I can't see, can't do my job, can't..."

Lynn wiped a tear from under her tinted lenses with the back of one elegant finger. "I'm sorry, Ms. LaFleur. Evan keeps reminding me that we must speak only neutral, non-committal words until the facts come out, lest the evil doctor pre-empts us by suing for slander. And here I always thought truth was a defense."

Jeanette had to give the lawyer credit. He hadn't winced. Instead, he smiled gently and took his client's limp hand within his two large ones.

Devereaux loved Lynn Barrios!

Only she was too blind -- both physically and emotionally -- to sense it.

Evan's eyes, a startling platinum color, captured Jeanette's gaze. "Ms. LaFleur, I would..."

"Please, call me Jeanette."

"Jeanette, it is then. I'm Evan."

She nodded.

He smiled and cast a glance at Lynn, whose vacant stare was just visible through the tinted lenses of her glasses, then he squeezed his client's hand gently.

"I would like to thank you for being willing to testify on Lynn's behalf against your former employer. I know this will be hard on you both personally and possibly professionally."

"Jeanette has nothing to worry about professionally, Evan." Maggie spoke up. "She trained here. My colleagues and I are behind her -- and Lynn -- one hundred percent. Dr. Rutherford has to be stopped. Lynn's case is just one of dozens we've seen in the Clinic. Unfortunately hers is the worst case -- but the best for legal purposes."

Maggie turned. "Lynn, with Jeanette's investigation results and our clinic's documentation of the Epi failures we've seen, I'm sure that your attorney can make not only a case of medical malpractice, but also of intentional infliction of bodily harm. In Louisiana, I understand you can get emotional distress damages."

"Battery. We lawyers call it civil battery, doctor. And yes, with the physical damage Lynn has suffered, we can go after psychological damages and punitive damages because of the knowledge and intent on Dr. Rutherford's part."

Maggie waved her hand. "Well, whatever you call it, Byron Rutherford did it. We can show that he knew that his procedure was flawed, but manufactured data to show a higher success rate than was real. That was misrepresentation."

"He told me the success rate was well over ninety percent. That the side effects were minimal -- maybe some initial blurring or auras around lights at night, like contacts cause. That I would be able to read the teleprompter without contacts or glasses. He even said my reading vision would improve..." Lynn's voice trailed off softly.

"And then he did this to me." She shook off Evan's grip and gestured to her eyes. "Now, I'm a freak -- and in constant pain, taking medications that barely cut it."

Empathetic tears filled Jeanette's eyes. Now, she had even more reason to nail Rutherford's ass to the wall. This woman's life was dominated by Rutherford's actions, just as hers was. Both of them were imprisoned: Lynn with her lack of sight and loss of independence and emotional stability, and Jeanette with her lack of freedom to live in safety.

Putting away Rutherford wouldn't bring back Lynn's eyesight, but it might heal her psyche. It definitely would make the world a safer place, not only for Jeanette but also Rutherford's other potential victims.

Jeanette could help. But her help alone would not do the whole job. She had to concede that others would have to become involved. Some, like Scott, in dangerous ways.

His trip to Brazil had the highest probability of putting the lock on Rutherford's prison door for life.

She'd known that fact last night when he announced his decision to spy for the DEA -- but she'd been afraid to acknowledge it. Instead, she'd gotten angry at the unfairness of it all. Truth be told, she was still mad -- but resigned.

Rutherford had to be stopped.

"Jeanette?" Maggie's voice cut through her whirling thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"No, but I haven't been for a while." Jeanette attempted to smile, but failed miserably. "Do Lynn and Evan know about the danger? Have you told them why I'm willing to stake myself out as the sacrificial goat in order to get something, anything, pinned on Rutherford?"

"What do you mean?" Evan's resonant voice sharpened with suspicion.

"Obviously, you haven't." Jeanette half-chuckled. "It's funny, Evan, but in a way I'm using you to tie Rutherford up in court long enough so we can buy time to hang him. Well, not literally hang him, although that might not be a bad idea..."

"Dr. Payton? Ms. LaFleur? What's going on here?" Protectively, Evan moved closer to Lynn who sat silently remote, unseeing eyes fixed on a spot somewhere past Jeanette. "Is there some danger to Lynn? I won't have it, if there is."

Jeanette paused before answering. Maggie and she hadn't thought of that angle. Danger to Lynn? Rutherford wouldn't be that stupid. Would he?

Mentally, she trotted out and examined a myriad of ramifications, then rejected each in turn. Finally, she shook her head.

"No. Once the lawsuit or lawsuits as the case may be are filed, he wouldn't dare do anything. If he found out somehow ahead of time, all bets would be off." She leaned on the table, closing the distance between herself and the others. "You see, publicity is the best protection for all of us. He can't do anything with the population of New Orleans -- and all of Louisiana -- looking at this case."

Evan blew out a harsh breath. "Let's say the word got out -- about the law suit, your testimony, and all the rest of it -- what kind of danger are we talking about here? Would he kill you? Kill Lynn?"

"Yes."

The lawyer's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Jesus. You have to be kidding. He's a doctor for God's sake. He's..."

"A well-respected man in the community, 'et cetera, et cetera -- ad nauseam.' Yeah, that's what I told myself when I first found out he doctored the Epi Study stats. I used the same excuses again when I'd heard that an SRP sales rep who'd embarrassed him by leaking potentially harmful information had coincidentally died. I tried to find other reasons for the fraudulent billings and misuse of Eye Bank tissue. I blamed his associates and his secret business partner."

Evan's shocked gasp pulled Lynn back from wherever she'd escaped. She reached out and took his hands as if to return the comfort he'd provided earlier.

'Looks like there might be feelings on her side, too.'

"Then I was attacked," Jeanette continued. "And my secretary was supposedly murdered by one of Rutherford's residents who, in turn and quite conveniently, committed suicide. Yeah, I kept hoping that all this malignant synchronicity was just one of those universal screw-ups that happens from time-to-time. But then..."

"There's more?" Evan's skin was translucent with his shock, his eyes dulled to pewter. A vein on his forehead pulsed until Jeanette thought it might burst through the thinly stretched skin.

"He tried to kill you, didn't he?" Lynn said.

In a sharp contrast to the man at her side, her voice and demeanor were calm, accepting. Wherever she had gone during the last few minutes, she hadn't totally lost her grip on reality. Maybe some sixth sense had given her a new way of perceiving the world around her. She'd followed everything Jeanette had said and leaped to the next logical step before her lawyer, a man who was trained to anticipate such things.

"Yes." Jeanette closed her eyes to Evan's shock and fear. "But he blew it."

"Who did he kill, Jeanette?"

A hand touched hers.

Her eyes flew open. Lynn had released Evan's hand and reached across the table, offering comfort. By reaching out to others, Jeanette knew the healing had begun for Lynn. Would it work in reverse?

Jeanette covered the slim white hand with her own. "He killed my friend. He could very well kill another ... uh, friend, who has chosen to infiltrate one of Rutherford's organizations to try to get evidence of even greater crimes the bastard committed. Is still committing."

"Then we'll just have to keep the 'bastard' occupied until your ... uh ... friend has gotten the evidence." Lynn smiled beatifically as she turned her hand palm up under Jeanette's, then squeezed the hand lying upon hers.

"Lynn, no." Evan's voice sounded unnaturally high and breathless. "This area of law is not my specialty. Plus, the firm, not to mention my father, won't countenance a potential criminal case. Besides, you've suffered enough. I won't let you expose yourself..." Evan sputtered to a stop when Lynn using her free hand removed her glasses and unerringly focused her sightless, emerald-colored eyes on him.

"I may not be able to see, really 'see', but I do 'know' that everything you've just said is just so much bullshit. I can not in good conscience allow this unspeakable excrement of a human being to continue to breathe the same air as decent people."

Lynn let go of Jeanette's hand and used both of hers to zero in and frame the dazed man's face. "Evan, for once in your life, be your own man. I picked you as my lawyer because you're smart. You think outside the box. And, when you wish to be, you are devious enough to give the bastard a damn good fight. So stop thinking about what dear old daddy and those lily-white ass-hole partners of yours are going to think and start planning on how to fight dirty. I want this slime ball dragged through the mud, do you hear me?"

She patted his cheeks, then put her glasses back on.

Evan's face burned bright red, but his eyes showed silver-gray once more.

"Well, uh, okay then." He coughed, clearing the tension from his vocal cords. In his male Siren's voice, he turned to the business at hand. "Jeanette, let's see those damning statistics. Maggie, I'll need the charts of the patients who've been harmed by the Epi procedure. I'll have a private investigator the firm uses start digging up background on Rutherford. We'll need to schedule a second-opinion exam for Lynn with a credible..."

Jeanette couldn't believe the difference in the man. The touch of a woman's hand and a gentle kick in the butt -- and the formerly staid and proper lawyer to the rich and famous acted like an eager first-year lawyer on his first big case.

'Bootsie, you know what they say about women being the giddy-up in most men's gallops. I'd say she'll be the making of that one.'