FIFTY-ONE.

PHILIP AND RAY.

Philip is thrashing from one side of the bed to

the other. It wakes Evvie, surprised to see she has fallen asleep in her clothes. has fallen asleep in her clothes.

He leaps from the bed and crashes into the wall. Evvie gasps, fearing he hurt himself. She hurries to Evvie gasps, fearing he hurt himself. She hurries to him as he starts banging his fists against the wall him as he starts banging his fists against the wall shouting over and over again. "Die, d.a.m.n you, shouting over and over again. "Die, d.a.m.n you, Ray, die!" Ray, die!"

She tries to pull him away from the wall. "Philip, wake up. Phil, darling." His body writhes "Philip, wake up. Phil, darling." His body writhes with some inner frenzy. She pulls her hands away. with some inner frenzy. She pulls her hands away. They're covered in his sweat. She doesn't know They're covered in his sweat. She doesn't know what to do. Finally she fills a gla.s.s of water from what to do. Finally she fills a gla.s.s of water from the bathroom sink and throws it in his face. the bathroom sink and throws it in his face.

That stops him. He wakes up and looks at her, startled. It takes a few minutes for him to come to startled. It takes a few minutes for him to come to himself. He smiles crookedly. "Did I wake you himself. He smiles crookedly. "Did I wake you from your beauty sleep?" He put his hands to his from your beauty sleep?" He put his hands to his aching head and moans. aching head and moans.

"Do you want your pills?

He shakes his head and sits down on the edge of the bed. the bed.

"The migraines are getting worse. Darling, it's time to see a doctor." time to see a doctor."

"No! No doctor."

"Is it me? Am I causing you the nightmares?"

He reaches out to her and she comes and sits next to him. Philip puts his arm around her shoulder. "I actually think so." next to him. Philip puts his arm around her shoulder. "I actually think so."

"But why?"

"Because it's different. Because it's you that's different. You're not like any of the others." different. You're not like any of the others."

"The other dying old ladies," she says ruefully.

"I didn't love the others. It was playacting. I pretended to love them so they would die in peace. pretended to love them so they would die in peace. I can't do that any longer. I'm not pretending anymore. I love you, Evelyn. I never expected that to I can't do that any longer. I'm not pretending anymore. I love you, Evelyn. I never expected that to happen." happen."

His body shudders against hers. She holds him tightly. tightly.

"I'm not dying, Phil, dearest."

But he doesn't seem to hear her. "You're my only cure. You're the only one who can save me. only cure. You're the only one who can save me. The actor is dead. Long live . . . long live . . ." She The actor is dead. Long live . . . long live . . ." She can feel his tears running down both their faces. can feel his tears running down both their faces.

Evvie takes a deep breath. "My darling. Long live who? Long live Ray? Who is Ray?" live who? Long live Ray? Who is Ray?"

His eyes blaze. Suddenly she sees the rage come over him. He throws her to the floor, and stands over him. He throws her to the floor, and stands up. "d.a.m.n you! d.a.m.n you to h.e.l.l!" up. "d.a.m.n you! d.a.m.n you to h.e.l.l!"

Evvie lies there petrified.

"Ray is dead!"

She crawls away from him slowly, never taking her eyes off him, as he paces the room. He reminds her eyes off him, as he paces the room. He reminds her of a tiger. About to pounce. her of a tiger. About to pounce.

"Why did you have to mention his name? Now I have to kill you." I have to kill you."

Evvie manages to slide up and sit down on the edge of the bed, next to the phone. She tries not to edge of the bed, next to the phone. She tries not to move. She's beginning to understand it now. move. She's beginning to understand it now.

"Ray didn't want to kill them. Not him, not Mr. Goody Two-shoes. He wanted them alive and Goody Two-shoes. He wanted them alive and happy. I wanted them happily dead. Like her." happy. I wanted them happily dead. Like her."

"You mean Aunt Dorothy?"

He looks at her sharply. His voice is rough, his breathing shallow. "I was so angry at her. The breathing shallow. "I was so angry at her. The things she did to me. She tortured me. It gave her things she did to me. She tortured me. It gave her pleasure. Who could I tell? Who would believe pleasure. Who could I tell? Who would believe me? When she got sick I thought I could get away. me? When she got sick I thought I could get away. But I couldn't. I couldn't leave her. She demanded But I couldn't. I couldn't leave her. She demanded I wait on her constantly. But when things got very I wait on her constantly. But when things got very bad, her doctor insisted she send me away. So I bad, her doctor insisted she send me away. So I never had my revenge. The crazy old b.i.t.c.h died never had my revenge. The crazy old b.i.t.c.h died while I was away. She burned down the house herself." while I was away. She burned down the house herself."

"So you took it out on all the poor old lady characters on W characters on World of Our Dreams?"

That stops his pacing; he turns to her, startled. "You knew? How long have you known?" "You knew? How long have you known?"

Evvie sighs. "Only a few minutes. I finally remembered where I'd seen you. I remembered a soap opera I used to watch." soap opera I used to watch."

"Daytime serial. Glory Hill would have a fit if she heard you call it a soap opera." He laughs she heard you call it a soap opera." He laughs madly at the memory. madly at the memory.

She speaks softly, evenly. "Who's Ray?"

"Who's Ray?" She says it louder.

He lunges toward her. Evvie braces herself.

"Stop it! He doesn't exist anymore. I told you! I killed him, too." killed him, too."

"And Esther Ferguson. Real people like her? And more. Did you kill all the old ladies you pretended to love?" And more. Did you kill all the old ladies you pretended to love?"

Evvie's heart is pounding so hard, she's afraid she'll have a heart attack before he has a chance to she'll have a heart attack before he has a chance to murder her. She's thinking fast. Is Donald Kincaid murder her. She's thinking fast. Is Donald Kincaid outside again? She could try for the door. What outside again? She could try for the door. What about the phone? He said call 505. What were her about the phone? He said call 505. What were her chances of having time to dial? chances of having time to dial?

As Philip reaches her, she kicks her legs out, slamming into his stomach. He's caught off guard slamming into his stomach. He's caught off guard for a minute. She makes it to the door, but he's too for a minute. She makes it to the door, but he's too fast for her. He grabs her and throws her down fast for her. He grabs her and throws her down once again. once again.

Now she realizes that Donald tried to tell her he was here to help her, and that the police knew and was here to help her, and that the police knew and were coming. Too late. They were going to be too were coming. Too late. They were going to be too late. late.

I'm going to die, she thinks.

He hovers over her, fists clenched. She tries to hide her terror. "I don't think you killed Ray. I hide her terror. "I don't think you killed Ray. I think he doesn't want to stay hidden anymore. I think he doesn't want to stay hidden anymore. I think it's Ray who loves me. He doesn't want me think it's Ray who loves me. He doesn't want me to die." to die."

He grabs her by the shoulders, hitting her head again and again against the floor "Liar. I'm the again and again against the floor "Liar. I'm the one who loves you." one who loves you."

She hears the sound of heavy knocking at the door. door.

"I don't want to kill you." Tears are streaming down his face. He picks up a pillow from the side down his face. He picks up a pillow from the side of the bed and pushes it down over her face. She of the bed and pushes it down over her face. She tries as hard as she can to push it off. tries as hard as she can to push it off.

Through her m.u.f.fled voice, she gasps. "Then let Ray go free." Ray go free."

"I can't."