Tears ran down Angie's face. Her lower lip was quivering. She clutchedthe butcher knife with both trembling hands.

"Don't do it, Angie," Kate said, her voice vibrating with fear.

"Don't let him use you this way."

She couldn't know if the girl even heard her. She thought of what Angiehad told her about the Zone, and wondered if she was going into thatplace now, to escape this nightmare. And what then? Would she act onautopilot?

Was the Zone a dissociative state? Had it allowed her to partic.i.p.ate inRob's kills before?

She jerked again at the restraints, stretching the plastic anotherfraction of an inch.

"Do it!" Rob shouted against the side of Angie's face. "Do it, youstupid c.u.n.t! Do it for your sister. Do it for Michele. You want Micheleto love you."

Sister. The headline went through Kate's mind like a comet: Sisters.e.xonerated in Burning Death of Parents.

Pig eyes popping from his ugly round head, Rob screamed with frustrationand raised the knife he held. "Do it" Light hit a blinding starburst offthe blade as it plunged through the air and into the hollow of Kate'sshoulder just as she managed to twist her body a crucial few inches. Thetip of the blade hit bone and glanced off, and the pain was likelightning striking her.

"Do it!" Rob screamed at Angie, striking her in the back of the headwith the handle of the b.l.o.o.d.y knife. "You worthless wh.o.r.e!"

"No!" the girl cried.

"Do it" Sobbing, Angie brought the knife up.

WE GOT A hit on Fine's prints in Wisconsin," Yurek said, stepping intothe bedroom doorway.

The crime scene unit was removing the tattoo fetishes from the window,carefully folding tissue paper around each and sliding each into its ownsmall paper sack.

"Her real name is Michele Finlow. She's got a handful of misdemeanorsand a sealed juvenile record."

Kovac arched a brow. "Is skinning people a misdemeanor in Wisconsin?"

"The state that brought us Ed Gem and Jeffrey Dahmer," Tippen remarked.

"Hey, aren't you from Wisconsin, Tip?" one of the crime scene guysasked.

"Yeah. Menominie. Wanna come to my house for Thanksgiving?"

Quinn stuck a finger in his free ear and listened to Kate's home numberring unanswered for the third time in twenty minutes. Her machine shouldhave picked up. He disconnected and tried her cell phone. It rang fourtimes, then pa.s.sed him on to her message service.

Her clients called her on the cell phone. Angie Dimarco had the number.

Kate wouldn't let it go unanswered. Not as responsible asas she felt for Angie.

He rubbed a hand against the fire in his belly.

Mary Moss joined the group. "One of the neighbors down the hall says she

sometimes saw Michele with a stubby, balding guy with gla.s.ses. She didn't get a name, but she says he drives a black SUV that once rear-ended the car of the guy in 3F."

"Yes!" Kovac said, pumping one arm. "Smokey Joe, you're toast."

"Hamill is talking right now with Mr. 3F to get the insurance info."

"We can bust the Cremator in time for the six o'clock news and still

make Patrick's for happy hour," Kovac said, grinning. "This is turning into my kind of day."

Hamill hustled into the apartment, dodging crime scene people.

"You won't believe this," he said to the task force at large. "Michele Fine's boyfriend was Rob Marshall."

"Holy s.h.i.t."

Quinn grabbed Kovac: by the shoulder and shoved him toward the door. "I have to get to Kate. Give me the keys. I'm driving."

"DO IT DO IT" Angie let out a long, distorted scream that sounded very

far away in her own ears, like a wail coming down a long, long tunnel.

The Zone loomed up beside her, a yawning black mouth. And on the other side, the Voice had come to life.

You stupid little s.l.u.t! Do what I tell you!

"I can't!" she cried.

"DO IT!".

The fear was like a softball in her throat, closing off her air, gagging

her, choking her.

No one loves you, crazy little b.i.t.c.h.

"You love me, Michele," she mewed, not sure if she had spoken the words

aloud or if they existed only in her head.

"DO IT!".

DO IT!.

She stared down at Kate.

The Zone moved over her. She could feel the hot breath of it. She could fall into it and never come out. She would be safe.

She would be alone. Forever.

"DO IT!".

You know what to do, Angel. Do what you're told, Angel.

Her whole body was shaking.

Coward.

"You can save Michele, Angie. Do this for Michele." She looked down at Kate, at the place on her chest where she wa.s.supposed to stick the knife. Just as Michele had. She'd seen her sisterdo it. He had made her watch as they stood on either side of the deadwoman, one stabbing and then the other, making their pact, sealing theirbond, pledging their love. It had frightened her and made her sick.Michele had laughed at her, then given her to him for s.e.x.

He hurt her. She hated him. Michele loved him. She loved Michele.

n.o.body loves you, crazy little b.i.t.c.h.

That was all she'd ever wanted, someone to care about her, someone to

keep her from being alone. All she'd ever gotten was use and abuse. Even

from Michele, who had kept her from being alone. But Michele loved her. Love and hate. Love and hate. Lovehate, lovehate, lovehate. There was noline between them for her. She loved Michele, wanted to save her.

Michele was all she had.

"DO IT! KILL HER! KILL HER!".

She looked down at Kate, straining against the ties, terror in her face.

""y do you care what happens to me?"

"Because no one else does."

"I'm sorry," she whimpered.

"Angie, don't!"

"Stab her. Now!"

The pressure inside her was tremendous. The pressure from outside was

more. She felt as if her bones would collapse and the weight of it wouldcrush her, and the Zone would suck up the mess and she would be goneforever.

Maybe that would be just as well. At least then she wouldn't hurt anymore.

"Do it or I let your f.u.c.king c.u.n.t sister die!" he shouted. "Do it or I'll finish Michele in front of you! DO IT!"

She loved her sister. She could save her sister. She raised the knife.

"Do it!"

Kate sucked in a breath and braced herself, never taking her eyes offAngie.

The girl let out an unearthly shriek as she raised the butcher knifewith both hands above her head, then twisted her body and plunged theknife into Rob Marshall's neck.

Blood sprayed in a geyser as she jerked the blade out. Blood on thewall, on the bed, on Kate, spraying like a loose fire hose. Rob jerkedback, astonished, grabbing at the wound, blood gushing through hisfingers.

Angie went on screaming, plunging the knife again, stabbing his hand,stabbing his chest. She followed him as he staggered backward, trying toescape. He tried to call out for help or for mercy and choked on his ownblood, the sound gurgling in his throat. His knees buckled, and he fellagainst the clothes drier, knocking the candelabrum to the floor.

Angie stepped back then and stared at him for a moment, as if she had noidea who he was or how he had come to fall to the floor with the last of his life's blood pumping out of him as he gurgled and gagged. Then shelooked at the knife, dripping blood, her hands covered and sticky withit, and slowly she turned toward Kate.

QUINN DROVE WITH no regard for the laws of the road orof physics, drivenhimself by a growing sense of panic in his gut. Kovac hung on, bracedhimself, screamed more than once as Quinn swept the Caprice around andbetween cars.

"If he's smart, he's already blown town," Kovac said.

"Smart's got nothing to do with it," Quinn said above the roar of theengine. "He brought Kate on the case as part of his game. He killedMelanie Hessler because she was Kate's client. He left a calling card inKate's garage the other night. He won't leave town without finishing thething between them."

He could see the hall light on as the car skidded to a stop in front ofKate's house. The light glowed through the sheers at the G.o.dd.a.m.nsidelights she should have known better than to have. Quinn slammed theCaprice into park before it fully stopped, and the transmission made anominous sound. He was out of the car before it could stop rocking,running for the house as a pair of radio cars screamed up the street. Hethundered onto the porch and pounded on the door, tried the handle.Locked.

"Kate! Kate!"

He pressed his face to the gla.s.s of one sidelight. The hall table sataskew. Things had tumbled over on it and off it. The rug was c.o.c.keyed.