"h.e.l.lo."

She listens for a while.

"Hang on."

She puts down the phone on the bed side table and walks into the living room. She walks back and forth taking one sip after another from the gla.s.s. The gla.s.s is almost empty when she slowly returns to the bedroom. With care, she puts down the gla.s.s on the bed side table, but is still makes a sound against the marble surface. She holds the phone to her hear, but before she has time to say something, she hears the voice on the other end of the line.

"Yes, James, I'm alone."

She makes a face as she listens to the voice.

"I'm alone!"

There is a menacing tone in her voice. She makes a violent gesture with her one hand.

"I'm telling you. I'm alone. What do you want? Surveillance??"

She bites her lip and turns her head away. "Why did I use that word? What if he says yes?" She speaks quickly.

"No, James. You'll have to send a car and find a hotel room."

The intensity in James' voice makes her body twitch uncontrollably.

"Hmm. Yes, I realize that I can't make a living from the money Stuart gives me, but how do you know anything about that?"

James doesn't answer her.

"I'll be ready in two hours."

She smiles with resignation when the voice gets angry again.

"Beauty takes time."

Evy holds the phone away from her ear.

"James, I'm alone! What does it matter, anyway? Like you said, I need more money than Stuart gives me. Send a car. I'll be ready in two hours."

She's angry and breaks off the call and stares at the phone. She knows that her breathing is much too fast. She walks to the kitchen, almost running, the gla.s.s clinks when she puts it down on the granite surface. She cuts her finger on the corkscrew in the drawer.

"OUCH!"

She pulls back her hand but holds on to the corkscrew and reaches for the unopened bottle. A small sound when the cork leaves the bottle and she fill the gla.s.s to the rim. Back in the living room with her full gla.s.s she slowly gains control over her breathing again. Then she sits down in the chair and sighs. She feels the soft chair against her back as she tries to calm herself, but glimpses of previous encounters with James keep turning up in her head.

"I can't stand him!"

Her body reacts so violently that she spills wine on herself. She raises her eyebrows and takes a big sip. She makes a face. " I should have let it breathe longer, it's not good!" The phone rings again and she jumps up from the chair and grabs it. She lets her head fall back. "Oh, please let him cancel!" She takes a deep breath and looks at the phone.

"Hmm, I don't know that number. Yes..."

She speaks as she gets back in the chair, all the while trying to balance the wine gla.s.s. It's quiet on the other end of the line, only the faint sound of someone breathing.

"Is anybody there?"

The wine has affected her voice, and it sounds more open and friendly than she had expected, even though it's a little slurred.

"Excuse me?"

The voice on the phone sounds much younger than James', and Evy realizes that it isn't him who's calling to cancel. Like flicking on a switch, her body gets all tense again.

"Who is it?"

Her voice is shrill and she looks at the city lights, her eyes trying to find something to rest on. But the lights are just sharp and piercing.

"Evy, is that you?"

The man sounds insecure and she stays silent.

"So it's true what they say. I didn't believe them, but the air has been thick with rumors for the last two weeks."

The voice stops and Evy turns cold.

"Eric...?"

Evy's voice fades away. She had always liked him. He's one of her best friends and he hadn't been at the lunch earlier today.

"d.a.m.n it, Evy! Why didn't you tell me?! I got this number from a mutual friend when he thought I needed some female company. It's a while ago, but... Evy... I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything, Eric."

"Evy, I don't understand..."

He stops and Evy hears him breathing.

"Maybe I don't want to understand, but I would've liked to know."

He's quiet again.

"So the looks men gave you when we were out together? They didn't look because you're beautiful, but because they recognized you? Oh, Evy!"

"Eric?"

Evy's voice is just a whisper.

"Who gave you this number?"

"Stuart Pettersson. Months ago."

The line is quiet again.

"Actually, I had forgotten all about it, but because his name has been in the papers a lot after he died, I remembered. I've always felt that Stuart would only have the best, and... Oh, sorry, Evy! I didn't mean it like that. I'm..."

Evy can hear him breathing again.

"I had an accident in my car around five years ago. I was at a party where Stuart also was. It was a wild party."

Silence again.

"I was drinking and, well, I guess we're being honest, I also took some drugs. I was not in any shape to drive, but Stuart kept pressuring me he wanted me to drive him home."

Evy hears small rustling sounds that tell her Eric is moving around.

"To this day, I don't know why I drove through that neighborhood."

She can almost picture Eric shrugging as he always does when he tries to explain something.

"I really don't know. I hit a woman.... she broke both legs."

Eric's voice breaks and he finally lets go of his feelings which is so unlike him.

"Stuart later told me she was paralyzed."

It's quiet again, not even any rustling sounds.

"Stuart was quick to get the limo to the site and get me out of there. I know he must have paid someone. I just know it. Stuart later testified that the car had been stolen from the parking lot at the place the party was held. That we could never have left in it, and that's why we had called for the limo. The driver confirmed his story. Nothing more ever happened, and I was home free. My parents never found out. But I owed Stuart a favor and he made me pay over and over again. He's pressured me ever since. Every time I thought we were even, he came up with something new. Evy, I didn't have the guts to go up against him, and I have never been able to tell my parents. And then..."

The rustling noises are back.

"Then Stuart started telling me about his connections in the media world... and the police."

A deep sigh reaches Evy through the phone line.

"I have a feeling that the woman is no longer alive. A year ago, I tried to find her, but she's gone. Evy..."

His voice has a strange sound she has never heard before. Eric is quiet, and Evy realizes how quiet the living room is. The sound of the traffic down in the street is very far away.

"But my parents never found out, and now he's dead. I guess that means it stops now."

Eric is silent once again.

"I never knew what he was going to ask me to do next."

She bites her lip and it starts bleeding again. "As if I don't know the feeling..."

"Evy, one of the favors he asked me to do was to make sure you got to know my friends. I was to arrange for you to be invited to the parties. I don't understand why. Where did he know you from?

She feels like someone has just hit her in the stomach. Something is very wrong, like when there's only one single red ball in a basket full of blue ones.

"Evy?"

She doesn't say anything.

"If you don't want to tell me..."

She breathes heavily and bites her lip again, trying to make the pain stop the memories from breaking through.

"Eric, I don't know where he knew me from."

"That can't be true!"

"The first time I met Stuart was at the party at your place. I don't remember ever having talked to him before then."

"Stuart took you home that night. And?"

Evy is quiet.

"And? Evy?"

"And... Eric, don't ask me to do this..."

"What is that? Is there someone on the other line?"

Evy holds out the phone. "James."

"Eric, please don't hang up. I have to get this. I..., please stay on the line, OK?"

It's quiet.

"Eric, please!"

But there is no answer. She puts him on hold and takes the other call.

"h.e.l.lo James."

Her voice is reserved. At first there's no answer.

"It's not James. It's his driver."

His voice makes Evy shiver. She remembers him and the bag of white powder all too clearly.

"Yes. How can you call from James' number?"

"He always calls from here. From the limo."

Silence.

"He's on his way up to you."

"So you drove for both Stuart and James?"