Her brown hair blew in the breeze as the red convertible Triumph roared down the highway.

She was alone.

Maritz's car kept pace, but he didn't try to overtake her.

She knew he was behind her.

She knew she couldn't escape him.

She knew it was the time of the kill.

He felt a rush of pleasure as he remembered the struggle she had given him before. It would be even more interesting now that she was fully aware of the danger.

Stop soon, pretty Tania.

"She's heading for the cottage," Jamie said when Nicholas picked up the car phone. "Maybe it's all right, Nick."

It wasn't all right: If she was going to the cottage, it was because Maritz was there.

Or would soon be there.

Christ.

"Shall I drive right up to the cottage?" Jamie asked.

Yes. Drive up, stop her, save her.

"Nick?"

He drew a deep breath. "No, park at the bottom of the hill and wait for me."

7:55 P.M.

It was dark when Nell drove the car around to the back of the cottage.

No lights. No other car. She wasn't late tonight.

She got out of the car and quickly walked around to the front door. She unlocked it, set her Lady Colt on the doorstep, and turned on the porch light. There was bright moonlight, but she wanted every advantage. She strode over to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the crashing surf. She took several deep breaths and shook her shoulders to loosen the muscles.

She had expected to be nervous or frightened or angry. Instead, she felt a sense of inevitability and calm purpose.

Maritz was coming. This was the task for which she had worked and trained.

She tensed as she saw the lights of a car coming up the road.

She couldn't be sure it was Tania until she was a hundred yards away.

The small red convertible drew up before the front door, and Tania got out.

"He's behind you?" Nell asked.

Tania looked back over her shoulder. "There."

A car was coasting slowly, almost leisurely, up the road.

"Go into the cottage. I unlocked the door."

Tania hesitated. "I don't want to leave you. Do you have a gun?"

"It's on the doorstep."

"What good is it going to do you there?"

"If I don't stop him, he'll come after you."

"For God's sake, take the gun."

She shook her head. "It's too quick. He didn't make it easy for Jill. I want to hurt him. I want him to know he's going to die."

Tania strode over to the door, picked up the gun, and thrust it at Nell. "Take it. Or I won't go inside."

Nell took the weapon. There was no time to argue. The headlights were only yards away. "Hurry."

Tania ran toward the cottage.

Nell was suddenly bathed in a pool of light.

The car stopped in front of her. A man got out and stood by the open door.

"Where's Tania?"

Maritz. He was in shadow, but she would never forget that voice. It echoed in her nightmares.

"Tania's inside. You'll not get to her."

He came forward, his gaze traveling from her tennis shoes and jeans to the gun in her hand. "She called in the cops? I'm disappointed in her."

"I'm not the police. You know me, Maritz."

He peered at her. "I don't know- Calder? The Calder woman?"

"I knew you needed only to be prodded."

"Lieber did quite a job. You should thank me."

Searing rage blazed inside her. "Thank you? For killing my daughter?"

"I forgot about the kid."

He was telling the truth. It had meant so little to him that he had forgotten he had murdered Jill.

He took another step forward. "But I remember now. She was crying, trying to get to the balcony."

"Shut up."

"She saw me in the cave. I told Gardeaux I was afraid that she'd recognize me. But that was a lie. Killing a kid is special. They're soft, and the fear is so keen, you can taste it."

Her hand holding the gun was shaking. She knew it was what he wanted but he was destroying her composure, killing her with words.

"The knife went in once, but it wasn't enough. She was too-" He leapt forward and jerked the gun up, backhanding her cheek with his other hand.

She fell to the ground.

He was on top of her, staring maliciously down at her. "Don't you want to know how she screamed when I-"

Her fist struck him in the mouth. She rolled to the side, dislodging him.

Moonlight glittered on the edge of the blade in his hand.

The knife. She sprang to her feet and backed away from him. Memories whirled back to her.

Medas. I'm helpless. Don't hurt me. Don't hurt Jill. Why won't he stop?

"You can't stop me." Maritz came toward her. "You couldn't do it then. You can't do it now."

He really is the bogeyman.

He just kept coming.

"Come on," Maritz murmured. "Don't you want to hear some more about how I stabbed the little girl? How many times it took?"

"No," she whispered.

"No guts. You're the same sniveling woman. New face but just the same. It won't take me a minute to finish you and go after Tania."

The words struck her like a dash of ice water. Tania would be the victim here. Not Jill. This wasn't Medas and she wasn't that woman anymore.

"The hell you will." She whirled and back-kicked him in the stomach.

He grunted with pain and doubled over. Before she could follow through, he'd recovered and spun away.

She moved toward him. "You won't kill Tania. You'll never kill anyone again."

"Good." He was smiling. "Fight me."

She kicked at his arm and the knife went flying.

He muttered a curse and dove for the knife.

She ran toward him.

He was up, slashing with deadly accuracy.

Blinding pain. Her upper arm ...

He was coming, always coming, smiling.

She backed away, fighting the pain.

She was on the edge of the cliff and he was coming toward her. The sea was crashing below her.

Medas.

No, never again.

She waited for him.

"Are you ready?" he whispered. "It's coming. Do you hear it whisper to you?"

Death. He was talking about death. "Oh, yes, I'm ready."

He dove toward her. She stepped aside and twisted the arm holding the knife.

The ball of her hand shot up and struck him beneath the nose, shattering bones and sending the fragments into his brain.

He swayed and tumbled backward off the cliff.

She took a step closer and watched the waves washing over his broken body.

Down, down, down, we go ...

She sank down on the ground.

It's done, Jill. It's over, baby.

"Nell."

It was Nicholas, she realized dazedly.

"He's dead, Nicholas."

He took her into his arms. "I know. I saw it."

"For a while I didn't think I could-" She looked up at him. "You saw it?"

His voice was uneven. "And I never want to go through anything like that again."

"You watched it and didn't interfere?"