And once again she was left with the vague impression that Dr. Gates had been there. Not visible, not a partic.i.p.ant in the dream, but there there.

She guessed that wasn't so unusual. Dreams were supposed to be subconscious rehashing of the day's events. She'd had a session with Dr. Gates yesterday, and he was playing an important role in her life right now, so it wasn't surprising he'd be a presence in her dreams.

But where had the Hindu come in?

As she pa.s.sed the mailboxes in the vestibule, she noticed that Kelly's seemed even fuller than last night. She'd asked the super about a key earlier this morning and he said he'd get her a replacement-for five dollars. Fine. She'd paid him.

Back in the apartment now, she found that a small envelope had been slipped under the door. It was the new mailbox key.

At that moment the buzzer from the vestibule rang. It was Ed. Instead of buzzing him in, she went down to meet him. She had to get the mail anyway.

Ed was looking dapper in a Burberry coat and a cashmere scarf. His brown hair was slightly windblown but otherwise he looked perfectly put together. He carried a slim briefcase that appeared to be polished cordovan leather.

"You're looking great!" he said with a smile as she opened the vestibule door.

"A bit of an exaggeration," she said, "but thanks anyway."

She felt shabby in her jeans and sweater, but she hadn't taken much time to pack on Monday morning. Her mind hadn't been on her wardrobe.

Ed held the door for her while she opened Kelly's mailbox and pulled out a stack of envelopes.

"Bills?" Ed said as they headed for the stairs.

Kara took a quick look at the return addresses.

"That's the way it looks."

"Then I'm just in time. Legalman to the rescue."

Kara gave him a smile. He was trying very hard to be nice.

In the apartment he set his briefcase on the floor and said, "Want to have lunch first and then get to the paperwork?"

"Why don't we-"

Kara stopped when she spotted Dr. Gates' return address on one of the envelopes. She pulled it out and stared at it.

"What's the matter?" Ed said.

"This envelope..."

Dr. Gates' name was on the return address sticker in the upper left corner, a West 21st Street address. Probably his home. But the rest was strange. It was a Consolidated Edison payment return envelope, but the Con Ed address had been heavily scratched out with pencil and the address of Kelly's apartment written below it. But even stranger was the new addressee.

"... it's addressed to me."

It wasn't sealed. The flap had been torn open and then tucked back inside. Within was an electric bill, folded around a check. Kara was baffled.

"What on earth-?"

"There's writing on the back," Ed said, pointing to the reverse of the bill.

Kara turned it over and stared at the hasty scrawl. She felt her throat constricting as she read.

Kara Wade- Get away from Dr. Gates, as far away as you can. He takes over your body while you sleep and uses it for his own pleasures. You cannot fight him. Run far away or you will end up like your sister. RUN!!!!

Kara felt as if the temperature in the apartment had plummeted forty degrees. Gooseflesh broke out along her arms. She shook her head in wonder. "This is the craziest thing I've ever seen." And it was precisely because it was so very crazy that it bothered her so. Some nut knew her name and address, and knew she was one of Dr. Gates' patients. Great. This was just what she needed.

But worse than that-the words struck a responsive chord within her-as if she had half suspected the same thing. She shivered.

Ed reached for it. "May I?"

His brow furrowed as he read it. He looked up at her, questioningly.

"What's this all about?"

"Dr. Gates was Kelly's psychiatrist. I've had a few sessions with him myself, lately. I haven't the faintest idea who this is from, but I'd a.s.sume it's one of his patients."

"Yeah. But why write on the back of an electric bill?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

"The police?"

"Right. This mentions Kelly."

With a trembling finger, she dialed Rob's number at Midtown North. While the phone was ringing, she looked at Ed and noticed that he seemed strangely tense all of a sudden.

Ed thrust his suddenly sweaty palms into his coat pockets.

The police! Couldn't he ever come here without the police getting involved?

He went to the table and picked up the electric bill again.

And this! Were these twins a magnet for madness? He takes over your body and uses it for his own pleasures He takes over your body and uses it for his own pleasures. What kind of craziness was that?

Kara spoke a few words into the phone and then hung up.

"Rob's not in, but I left a message for him to call when he gets back."

Thank G.o.d for small favors.

He wanted to change the subject.

"Speaking of craziness," he said, "I was in the Waldorf late last night and I saw someone who looked exactly like you. Was it you?"

"Afraid not. I went to bed early."

"Yeah. I didn't think it was you. Didn't dress like you. Had this red leather miniskirt on, black stockings."

She stared at him. "What was I... I mean she she, doing?"

"She was getting into an elevator with some towel-head."

"Towel-head?"

"Yeah. You know, a guy with a turban. Some sort of Indian or Hindu character."

He smiled at her but she didn't smile back. Instead, the color slowly drained from her face.

"What's wrong, Kara?"

She didn't answer. Instead she ran into the bedroom. Ed followed at a discreet distance and stood in the doorway. He watched in amazement as Kara darted about the room like a madwoman, turning over the two night stands one after the other and searching the s.p.a.ces beneath. Next she went to the big dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer. Her anguished cry drew him into the room.

"Are you okay?"

She was down on her knees before the dresser. She had something red clutched against her chest. She looked up at him with a look that Ed instantly recognized-the same helpless, tortured look that he'd seen on her sister's face before she went through the window at the Plaza.

"Sweet Jesus!" he said. "What's wrong?"

With tears glistening in her eyes, she held up something red, something leather. He didn't know what it was. Just then the phone rang. She dropped the red leather thing and ran into the front room. He could hear her on the phone, talking to "Rob," asking him to get over here as soon as he could.

It took him a moment but he finally recognized the red leather thing lying at his feet. It was a miniskirt.

Rob stared at the note scrawled on the back of the Con Ed bill. It was rank insanity. His skin crawled at the thought of what kind of mind had dreamed this up- and then addressed it to Kara.

"This is scary stuff."

"You're telling me!"

Kara looked spooked. Her eyes had a haunted, hunted look as she sat at the table and twisted her hands together. Ed the Lawyer had scooted off as soon as Rob had showed, all but falling over himself in his hurry to get out the door, leaving behind some papers for Kara to sign, saying he'd pick them up some other time.

Something about that guy...

"But that's not the worst of it!" Kara said. She held up a leather miniskirt, a pair of black panty house, and a black ruffled blouse. "Look at this!"

After Ed had left, she had told Rob about her dream, and what Ed had said about spotting her last night with somebody wearing a turban.

"Maybe you missed it when you cleaned things out the other night," Rob said, not believing it himself. Oh no, not after his Tuesday night with Kara. How could he?

"I didn't miss it, Rob. I threw out every sleazy thing I found. This was not not under the dresser when I turned in Monday night!" under the dresser when I turned in Monday night!"

He could see she was getting more upset.

"Okay, okay. Take it easy. I was just trying to offer an alternative explanation."

Her expression was bleak. "Rob, what's happening to me?"

"I don't know. And I don't know how to help you. But I'll do anything I can. You know that." He tapped his finger on the Con Ed bill. "I do know I can do something about this, though."

"What?"

"Show it to the guy whose return address is on the envelope."

With Kara along, Rob drove back to the precinct house. Handling them by the edges, he xeroxed the check, the front of the envelope, and both sides of the bill. Then he sealed each of the three in clear plastic evidence envelopes.

"I'll get them dusted for prints as soon as possible. That'll be a futile exercise with the envelope, what with all the people who've handled it legitimately since it was mailed, but the bill may yield something useful."

Kara only nodded. Her mind seemed elsewhere.

"I want your prints, too."

"Why?"

"To eliminate them. You handled the letter. Even if we don't get a single print off it, that note will still be useful in keeping your sister's case open."

"Really?" Some interest began to show in her eyes. Good.

"Sure. The part about how you'll 'end up like your sister' can be construed as a threat to you, plus it implies foul play in Kelly's death."

"Do you think it's a threat?"

"No. I think it's meant as a warning. There's a screwed up mind out there that knows something about Kelly's death-or things it knows something-and has sent you a warning. I don't think he means you any harm."

" 'He'? How do you know it's a he?"

Rob handed her the xerox of the note.

"Doesn't that look like a man's handwriting?"

She nodded. "I guess so."

He snapped his fingers. "I ought to submit this for handwriting a.n.a.lysis. That could be real interesting. But for the moment, we're going to see how the esteemed Dr. Gates reacts to this."

Kara was watching him closely.

"You're really looking forward to that, aren't you?"

Rob grinned, unable to suppress the gleeful antic.i.p.ation rising through him.

"Are you kidding?" he said. "I can hardly wait."

1:57 P.M.