And then he leaned down and kissed her, softly at first, and then stronger, his full mouth seeming to envelop her. A rush of desire went through her as fast as the snap of a whip. It almost hurt when he pulled away.

"If I promise to provide a bag of chips or something else nice and crumbly, can I take you to bed, then?" he asked.

It seemed like such a slick line, endless variations of it used before on other women, but she didn't give a d.a.m.n.

"Yes," she said. "But the chips aren't necessary."

He kissed her again and this time he slipped his tongue into her mouth. He placed his hands at her waist and pulled her toward him. She relaxed into his body and wondered if he could feel how fast her heart was beating.

"Let's go inside," he whispered.

He guided her through the door, and took a minute to flip off the lights on the terrace and all but one light in the great room.

His bedroom was spare, Zenlike. He stopped in the middle of the room and untied the halter of her dress, then unzipped it and let it drop in a puddle on the floor. She stepped out of the dress and flicked off her sandals.

"You're beautiful," he said. That was something she hadn't been sure she'd ever hear again.

He kissed her roughly, with her b.r.e.a.s.t.s in his hands, and then he took her left breast in his mouth, sucking on it, flicking her nipple with his tongue. She moaned in pleasure. She reached between his legs with her hand, stroking him.

After peeling away the comforter from the bed, he laid her down on the cool sheets and slowly tugged off her underwear. Then he unbuckled his pants and slipped them off.

He found her mouth again with his, kissing her intensely and fondling her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, pinching the nipples so that each time, blood went rushing between her legs. As she writhed, he began to descend down her body, trailing his tongue along her abdomen, and then lower. She let out a gasp as he parted her legs with his hands and slid his tongue into her. Slowly he began to circle her c.l.i.toris with his tongue, and it was only seconds before she exploded in spasms of o.r.g.a.s.m.

Rolling over, he stripped off his gray boxer briefs and reached toward the bedside table. In the dim light she saw him pull out a condom. After slipping it on effortlessly, he entered her. He was large, filling her up. He began to thrust but with exquisite slowness, watching her face intently with each stroke. She moaned again as another climax began to build.

She waited for him to move faster, but suddenly he pulled out of her and flipped her over, urging her up on her knees with his hands. Then he was inside her from behind, grasping her hips, and driving deeper into her. She climaxed again, letting out a cry of pure release. His chest grew damp against her back and finally he moaned with pleasure. She could feel him shudder as he climaxed inside her.

He turned over, sunk into the bed, and in the dark she could tell he was slipping off the condom. Then he pulled her into a spoon position. After a while she could hear him snoring lightly, and a few minutes later, she felt herself drift off to sleep.

She woke at around three o'clock, needing to pee. His attached bathroom was as Zenlike as the bedroom, and inside she picked up the musky scent he wore. As soon as she returned to bed she realized she wasn't going to fall back asleep. She felt wound up suddenly, off kilter from lying in this strange bedroom. She slid out of bed again and felt in the dark for her belongings that had been left strewn on the floor. After slipping on her panties and sandals and folding her rumpled dress over a small armchair, she tiptoed toward the door.

With the light still on in the great room, she spotted her gla.s.s where she'd left it on the coffee table, still with a splash of cognac. She picked it up and took a sip.

She was about to settle on the sofa when her eyes strayed to the dark terrace. She put on her trench coat, quietly opened the French doors, and snuck outside with her gla.s.s. The surrounding buildings were now dabbed with only a few lights, like the last fireflies in a field at midnight.

After allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness, she walked over to one of the chaise longues in the far corner. Easing onto it, she took another sip of cognac and leaned back. She still felt giddy from the s.e.x-her first time with another man since meeting Jack-and unregretful. For a few minutes her mind replayed it all. She smiled, could feel herself almost smirk.

Her eyelids felt heavy and she let them drop, just for a second, for the pleasure of allowing them to close. She saw why Keaton had camped out some nights on the terrace. It was intoxicating to lie there with the city all around her. The air was as soft as a piece of worn cloth against her skin. Soon her thoughts disintegrated and she drifted off to sleep.

She woke with a start. It took her ten seconds or so to figure out where she was. She couldn't see her watch in the darkness but she sensed she must have been sleeping for more than a few minutes. The temperature had dropped since she first came outside. She twisted her body, looking behind her toward the door. She wondered if Keaton was looking for her, curious where she'd gone.

She forced herself up, her neck stiff. She glanced up beyond the terrace wall and suddenly felt exposed, as if someone was watching her from someplace out there. Bunching her coat closed tightly, she lowered her head and hurried back inside. The clock across the room on the microwave said 5:13. She'd actually been outside for over two hours.

Though she didn't see Keaton, she could tell he'd been up. The bedroom door, which she remembered pulling halfway closed behind her, was now all the way open.

"Are you looking for me?" she called out softly.

No answer.

As she entered the bedroom, she realized he was in the bathroom. The bathroom door was open a couple of inches with light peeking through, and she heard the sound of water running softly. But when she glanced across the room toward the bed, she saw that Keaton was there there. He was sprawled on his back with the sheet kicked down by his feet. She almost jumped when she discovered that there was something big and dark next to him-a dog, she thought. It took up the entire center of the bed. It didn't make sense, though. Where had the dog been earlier? Her head felt muddled.

She moved closer to the bed, nervous about the dog. She soon saw it wasn't a dog. It was a huge dark stain on the sheet. She glanced over at Keaton. His eyes were open but blank, and his mouth was frozen in a grimace. On his neck was a bloodied gash, rippled with muscle and gaping like a horrible grin from one end to the other.

4.

LAKE OPENED HER mouth to scream but nothing came out. Her breath seemed dead-bolted in her chest. She knew she needed to get closer, to check if Keaton was alive. But she couldn't move. mouth to scream but nothing came out. Her breath seemed dead-bolted in her chest. She knew she needed to get closer, to check if Keaton was alive. But she couldn't move.

Finally, she forced herself to lurch toward the bed, her legs lead-heavy. She stared at Keaton. In the dim light from the bathroom she saw that he was clearly dead. His body was completely limp, lifeless, with his right hand partially closed by his neck, as if he'd wanted to grasp the wound. From the size of the stain on the sheet, it looked as if half his blood had drained onto the bed. A wave of nausea crashed through her.

The sound of running water punctured her consciousness again, and she jerked her head toward the bathroom. Was someone in there? she wondered frantically. She backed up. Her b.u.t.t hit hard against something and she spun around. It was the arm of the easy chair, her dress still folded on the cushion. She grabbed the dress and stumbled out of the bedroom.

Police, her mind blurted out. She had to call them. But first she had to get out. She s.n.a.t.c.hed her purse from the floor at the far end of the couch and bolted toward the front door. Opening it a crack, she checked outside. The hallway was empty and deadly quiet. She nearly flung herself into the hall and instinctively pulled the door closed behind her.

The elevator was just a few feet away and she stabbed frantically at the b.u.t.ton. She heard a whooshing sound from far below as the car began to ascend. But then, too scared to wait, she rushed toward a door with an exit sign above it and yanked it open.

She was in a stairwell, the landing lit by a single lightbulb on the wall. She looked down the long shoot of empty s.p.a.ce to the bottom. The stairs seemed to go on forever. Lake turned back to make sure no one was behind her, and then began to careen downward, letting her hand race along the railing for support. There seemed to be two of her-one tearing down the steps, terrified, the other watching from a distance and telling her what to do.

Six or seven flights down, as she stopped to catch her breath, she heard a sound. Her entire body froze as she listened. But it was just the groan of the elevator. She began to move again. Finally, she reached the ground floor, completely breathless. She pushed the door partly open and looked into the lobby. It was empty. Outside, the street was dark and deserted. She dashed through the lobby and vestibule and nearly stumbled out of the building. Down the street, a white delivery van was stopped at the intersection of Spring. She began to run toward it. Before she'd even gotten a few feet, the driver gunned the motor and shot off.

Lake spun around, checking behind her again. There was no one there. But she still needed to get help, to call 911. She fumbled frantically in her purse. She saw that she still had her dress in her hand. As she pulled out her BlackBerry, she stuffed her dress inside her purse.

She punched three numbers. When she heard the recorded voice announce "411" she realized that in her crazed state she'd called directory a.s.sistance, not 911. With trembling fingers, she disconnected the call and started again. But right before hitting the final 1 she stopped. What am I doing doing? she screamed to herself. Hotchkiss's words replayed in her head: Don't rob a bank Don't rob a bank. She hadn't. But a man she'd just made love to had been murdered while she was still in his home.

Hotchkiss had said there was nothing wrong with having s.e.x but surely he hadn't meant casual s.e.x with a near stranger-and a client to boot. And would the cops even believe her story? She thought of the explanation she would give them. That after she and Keaton had made love, she'd gone out to the terrace alone-and fallen asleep. While she was out there, snoozing in the night air, someone had entered the apartment and butchered her bedmate without her ever hearing a thing. Even though it was true it sounded ridiculous. They'd suspect she she had done it. had done it.

Rubbing her forehead, she tried desperately to think. What she needed to do, she decided, was to just get home. She would be safe there and could decide how to handle things once she had a clear head. After checking once more behind her, she hurried down the street and swung right onto Spring Street. There would be cabs on Broadway. But then she stopped in her tracks. Once Keaton's body was discovered, the police would surely interview everyone they could find who'd been in this area. And like she'd seen on TV crime shows, wouldn't they also go to cab companies to see what fares had been picked up around this time of night in SoHo? A cabbie might easily recall her: a woman all alone, dressed in a trench coat. The police would find out who from the clinic had been at the dinner and put two and two together.

So she had to take the subway instead-and buy a MetroCard with cash.

There was a station for the C line at Sixth Avenue and Spring, she remembered, and that would take her to Eighty-sixth and Central Park West. But subway stations had cameras. What if the cops watched the tapes to see who'd entered any station within a certain radius? She ducked into the dark doorway of a building to calm herself. She felt short of breath, like she was being smothered. Calm down Calm down, she told herself. The best thing to do, she realized, was to walk-for blocks and blocks. And finally, when she was far enough away, she would find a taxi.

With her head lowered, she made her way to Broadway and then turned north. She walked fast, so fast a st.i.tch came and went in her side. But she didn't dare run-or else someone might take notice. She felt like one of those lost dogs she sometimes saw at night in the city, trotting along without ever stopping. Every half block, she checked behind her, terrified someone might be following.

For a while she saw practically no one. Sometimes a car or a delivery van would drive by and she'd duck in a doorway. At Houston Street she turned west and made her way to Seventh Avenue. Once there, she crossed the street and headed north. People began to emerge from apartment buildings, bound for work. She kept her eyes trained on the ground, not daring to make eye contact. In the east, she noticed, the sky began to grow light.

Just before six-thirty, she reached Twenty-third. Spots on her feet were raw from walking so far in her sandals, and though she was wearing only her trench coat, her back felt damp with sweat. A cab came barreling down Seventh and she hailed it, telling the driver to turn around and head to the Upper West Side. As she leaned back into the seat, tears of relief p.r.i.c.ked her eyes.

She started to give her address and then stopped herself. The driver would have a record of it. Plus, she couldn't let her doorman see her coming in at this hour. I have to go somewhere, she thought, but where where? The driver glanced back at her through the Plexiglas.

"You gonna give me an address?" he said.

"Yes, yes," she said. She blurted out the cross streets of a diner twenty blocks south of her apartment, where she sometimes took the kids before school. She would wait there and go home closer to eight, when the doorman would be busy hailing cabs for people.

The diner was half full. Some people sat in groups or pairs, but most were alone, reading the Post Post or or Daily News Daily News or a paperback book. She made her way toward the back, to a table in the corner. Without thinking, she started to unb.u.t.ton the top of her trench and then realized she had nothing but her panties on underneath. The thought almost made her laugh manically. She rested her head against the tips of her fingers, trying to regroup. On the table was a smudge of hardened ketchup, and the sight recalled the huge, horrible stain next to Keaton. Tears welled in her eyes again. He had touched her, made love to her. And now he was dead. or a paperback book. She made her way toward the back, to a table in the corner. Without thinking, she started to unb.u.t.ton the top of her trench and then realized she had nothing but her panties on underneath. The thought almost made her laugh manically. She rested her head against the tips of her fingers, trying to regroup. On the table was a smudge of hardened ketchup, and the sight recalled the huge, horrible stain next to Keaton. Tears welled in her eyes again. He had touched her, made love to her. And now he was dead.

She ordered coffee, and though the taste nearly made her ill, she forced herself to drink it. She needed the caffeine, she needed to break through the dense fog of terror and think think. For the first time she asked herself why-why was Keaton dead? Was it a burglary gone awry? There had been no sign of forced entry; the apartment hadn't looked "tossed." The murderer must be someone who knew him, Lake deduced. Keaton looked as if he'd been attacked as he slept. That meant someone had gone there with the sole purpose of slashing Keaton's throat. And if she had been in the bed with him, she would be dead now, too. She let out a gasp at the thought. Her kids-it would have ruined their lives.

For a few moments Lake fought with the idea of calling the police after all. Her failure to get in touch before now wouldn't be hard to explain-she'd fled in panic, worried that the killer had still been in the apartment. And the forensic evidence would confirm that she didn't kill Keaton.

But would would it? What if the weapon was still in the apartment-a butcher knife, for instance-and it had been wiped clean? They'd think it? What if the weapon was still in the apartment-a butcher knife, for instance-and it had been wiped clean? They'd think she'd she'd wiped it clean. It wasn't hard to imagine the scenario the cops would form in their minds. A recently dumped, possibly drunk, possibly wiped it clean. It wasn't hard to imagine the scenario the cops would form in their minds. A recently dumped, possibly drunk, possibly unstable unstable divorcee sleeps with a hot doctor. She asks when she'll see him again, he makes it clear he isn't interested. In a drunken rage, she takes a butcher knife to him while he sleeps. Even if she weren't arrested immediately, she would be a "person of interest," like in those cop shows. divorcee sleeps with a hot doctor. She asks when she'll see him again, he makes it clear he isn't interested. In a drunken rage, she takes a butcher knife to him while he sleeps. Even if she weren't arrested immediately, she would be a "person of interest," like in those cop shows.

Jack would have a field day with that. He'd convince a judge to give him custody until her situation was resolved. And that's what Hotchkiss had warned her about. He'd said that it was almost impossible to regain custody once it had been lost temporarily. So even if her name was cleared, she could end up without the kids.

That meant she couldn't couldn't tell the police. She flashed back to Keaton's loft, making certain in her mind that she'd grabbed everything of hers. There was still evidence of her there, of course. Her bodily fluids in the bed perhaps, her fingerprints on the cognac gla.s.s. But from what little she knew, she was pretty sure that the police couldn't ask for her DNA or fingerprints unless they had legitimate reason to suspect her. And what reason could there be? She'd never spoken to Keaton at dinner and she'd left alone. tell the police. She flashed back to Keaton's loft, making certain in her mind that she'd grabbed everything of hers. There was still evidence of her there, of course. Her bodily fluids in the bed perhaps, her fingerprints on the cognac gla.s.s. But from what little she knew, she was pretty sure that the police couldn't ask for her DNA or fingerprints unless they had legitimate reason to suspect her. And what reason could there be? She'd never spoken to Keaton at dinner and she'd left alone.

She wondered whether she should call someone-Molly, for instance-and ask for guidance. But wouldn't that put the person in some kind of legal jeopardy?

What she did did have to do, she knew, was to go to the clinic today-as horrible as that would be. She would have to act normal and be cooperative when the police arrived-as they surely would. have to do, she knew, was to go to the clinic today-as horrible as that would be. She would have to act normal and be cooperative when the police arrived-as they surely would.

She stayed in the diner for another half hour. At seven-thirty she left and just walked, back and forth along the side streets, slowly making her way home to West End Avenue and Eighty-fourth-keeping her eyes down the entire time in case someone she knew was nearby.

Half a block away from her building, she stopped and positioned herself by a parked truck, watching the front. A light drizzle had begun, which was lucky for her. She could see that Ray, the morning doorman, was busy trying to flag down a cab for someone. Having no luck, he moved farther up the street to the corner. The person waiting stood under the building's awning keeping an impatient eye on the corner. Fortunately Lake didn't recognize him and she saw her chance. She bolted to the main door and slipped inside.

Rather than chance the elevator, she took the stairs, two steps at time. When she finally slammed her apartment door behind her, she let out the strangled sob that had been lodged in her throat for hours.

In the kitchen she poured a gla.s.s of water and gulped it down, and then, as she sat at the table, she let the tears come. A man who had made love to her had been murdered. And though she'd escaped death, she wasn't safe. Everything in her life was in jeopardy now.

She showered, scrubbing her body red with a loofah, and then dressed in a white shirt and dark-blue pencil skirt for work. Staring at her reflection, she wondered ruefully if things would have gone differently last night if she'd worn something other than the sundress. Maybe she wouldn't have felt so s.e.xy for the first time in ages, so ready to be seduced. As she remembered the sundress still in her purse, her stomach tightened. She would take it-and the trench coat, too-to the dry cleaner's on the way to work, just in case.

Lake arrived at the clinic shortly before ten. A few women sat in the waiting room, leafing listlessly through magazines. As she headed down the corridors past the nurses' station, it was clear from the easy manner of the staff that no one had heard anything yet. For the first time she recalled what Keaton had said to her in the Balthazar lounge-that he might not be joining the clinic after all. What had that that been about? been about?

After opening her laptop in the small conference room, Lake went to the kitchenette and fixed some tea, trying to act normal. The cup trembled in her hand as she pumped hot water into it.

"How was the dinner last night?" a female voice asked with a trace of sarcasm. Lake turned to find Brie towering in the doorway, her thin, scarlet-painted lips locked in a tight smile. Brie had obviously not been invited.

"Nice," Lake said as lightly as possible. "I got a chance to spend more time with Dr. Levin. He's a very impressive guy."

"We certainly think so," Brie said, snippily. certainly think so," Brie said, snippily.

Lake took a small breath and forced herself to smile. "I'll be in the conference room making some notes-if anyone's looking for me."

"Expecting someone?" Brie asked.

"I-no. But one of the doctors might want to talk to me." She felt stupid for having stammered, for having overexplained herself. If she was going to get through the day, she told herself, she would have to compel herself to calm down.

She went back to her laptop and tried to read the file of notes she'd been taking. But really she just waited, reading the same line over and over. At eleven, she spotted Maggie in the corridor, talking to someone just out of sight.

"I've left him at least ten messages," Maggie complained. "He was supposed to be here at nine for a procedure, and Dr. Levin is fit to be tied."

Oh G.o.d, Lake thought. She had to be talking about Keaton. He was officially missing in action and soon everything would come to a head. She felt a wave of nausea and wondered if she'd be sick. She hurried to the restroom to the left of the kitchenette. After locking the door, she wet a paper towel with cold water. Sitting on the toilet seat, she pressed the towel to her face and forced herself to breathe.

When Lake stepped out of the restroom, the hall was even quieter than usual and every door was closed. Suddenly she heard a cry that sounded almost animal-like. She spun around. It had come from an exam room just down the hall, and as Lake stood frozen, Rory and Dr. Levin emerged through the doorway. Have they just heard the news? she wondered. Had Rory let out the cry? But then she saw there was a patient with them, and it was she who was crying.

"Rory will help you now," she overheard Levin say.

"Would you prefer to stay in the room for a few more minutes, Mrs. Kastner?" Rory asked the slender, spent-looking patient as Levin headed toward the front. "It might help to rest for a minute."

"No, I can't bear this," the woman said, through her sobs. "I just want to go home."

"I understand. But I'll walk you out. And I brought you some of my jams today. Come on, we'll pick them up on our way out."

This is surreal, Lake thought. People are pa.s.sing out jams as Keaton's body lies rotting in his bed.

Back in the conference room, she started the horrible waiting again. The lab supervisor popped his head in at noon and announced that people were ordering lunch-would she like something? Sure, she told him, forcing a smile. Maybe they won't find Keaton today, she thought miserably as he walked away with her order. Maybe I'll have to spend another h.e.l.lish day waiting.

But forty-five minutes later, as Lake picked at a sandwich, Brie appeared in the door and her face looked dark.

"Please come to the big conference room," she said, her voice strained. "There's an emergency meeting of the staff."

"Of course," Lake replied. A wave of panic crashed over her. This is it, she thought. I have to seem normal. And look as shocked as everyone else when they hear the news.

Lake was one of the last to enter the conference room and it was packed; the doctors, nurses, lab personnel, and support staff were all there-except Harry Kline, Lake noticed. There were also two men whom she guessed to be detectives. One was black, early forties, sort of beefy, with kind eyes. The other was white, shorter, with salt-and-pepper hair. His eyes weren't the least bit kind.

"I have terrible news to report," Levin said somberly as soon as everyone was quiet. "Dr. Keaton was found murdered in his apartment today."

There were exclamations of horror around the room. Lake's eyes met Steve's, and he flashed her a look of shock. Chelsea, one of the young embryologists, burst into tears, and then there was a flurry of questions.

"Please, everyone," Levin," said. "We have two detectives here and they need our cooperation."

"Folks, we're very sorry for your loss," the one with the unkind eyes said. "I'm Detective Hull and this is Detective McCarty. We're here because we need to speak to each of you privately. Until it's your turn to meet with us, just resume what you were doing. And do not discuss the case among yourselves at this time."

Levin interjected, telling everyone that all nonessential appointments were being canceled for the day and that it was critical to give the remaining patients the best care possible. He dismissed the meeting then and everyone dispersed, walking zombie-like out of the conference room.

Back in the small conference room, Lake opened one of her folders, trying not to let her hand shake. She mentally rehea.r.s.ed for the meeting with the detectives, trying to guess the questions they'd ask. They'd want to know if she was at all friendly with Keaton. Grasping at straws, she thought of a marketing strategy she once read about called the Rule of Candor: admit a negative and twist it into a positive admit a negative and twist it into a positive. She'd need to be forthcoming about talking to Keaton yesterday in the office. It would be better than having them find out about it from Brie.

Rory came in at one point to place a reference book back on the bookshelf. Her eyes were misty and she had one hand draped across her pregnant belly.

"Isn't it horrible?" she said to Lake. "He was only forty-five."

"I know," Lake said. "Who-who do you think would have wanted to kill him?"

"Oh, but they told us not to talk about the crime," Rory admonished "I know. I just-" Lake said defensively. But Rory turned and left before she could finish.

Lake a.s.sumed the detectives were calling people one by one into the large conference room so she was startled when a short while later they entered the small conference room where she was sitting.

"Lake Warren?" McCarty, the nicer-seeming detective, asked.

"Yes." She started to rise but he motioned for her to stay seated. They slid into chairs opposite her, and McCarty flipped open a notebook.

"So you've worked here for just a few weeks?" McCarty said.

"Um, yes. Though I'm not an actual employee. I'm a freelance consultant." Her words sounded clunky, as if she were relearning how to speak.