Is that why he wrote the book?
Partly, I suppose. And partly because he was offered a great deal of money to do so. But enough of all this. She gave Anna an enigmatic smile. You didnt come here to talk about serial killers, did you? You came here to talk about my sister.
Actually, I just wanted to stop by for a few minutes to pay my respects and now I really should be going. Anna stood, suddenly anxious to get out of that house, away from Gwen Draven and her dark story, away from Ben Porter and his devastating effect on her. She needed space to breathe because for a moment while listening to Gwen, Anna had the disturbing notion that she was being sucked into Katherines life and it just might be a place she didnt want to go.
To her relief, Gwen didnt protest her leaving. She got up to walk her to the door. Are you going back to Houston tonight?
No, I dont think so. Its a long drive, and Im pretty tired. I think Ill find a place to spend the night, and then head back first thing in the morning.
Gwens gaze rested on Anna. Look, this is none of my business, but you mentioned on the phone this morning that youd been ill recently. Thats why you hadnt heard about Katherine. She paused. Are you okay now? You seem sofragile.
I sometimes tire easily, but Im fine, Anna evaded. Thanks for asking. And thank you for agreeing to see me today. It meant a lot.
I could tell that it did when you called.
Katherine changed my life, Anna said. I wanted her family to know that.
Gwen smiled. Someday youll have to tell me more about your relationship with my sister, but right now, I wont keep you. Theres an inn on Old River Road called Casa del Gatos. Its sort of a cross between a bed and breakfast and a small hotel. Its actually quite charming if you dont mind rustic. When you leave here, just follow the street to the bottom of the hill and turn left. The hotel is all the way at the end. Some of the rooms have a nice view of the river.
Anna nodded. Thanks. Ill look for it.
The two women said their goodbyes, and Anna headed down the steps of the veranda, then crossed the lush grounds to the street. She paused at her car, glancing back at the house and wondering if shed accomplished what shed set out to.
Neither Gwen nor Ben had spoken about Katherines suicide, but Anna supposed that was to be expected. She was a stranger after all. No reason they would open up to her.
But at least shed been able to see for herself where Katherine had lived. Shed met her sister and husband, and had seen evidence of the very rich and full life Katherine had led.
So why had she committed suicide?
And why had Anna come away from Katherines home deeply disturbed? It was as if thered been something simmering just beneath the surface she hadnt quite been able to see.
As Anna stared up at the house, a movement from a third-story balcony drew her attention. Someone stood just beyond the railing, staring down at her. At first, she thought it was Gwen, but Anna wasnt sure even Gwen, for all her obvious physical fitness, would have had time to rush up two flights of stairs to the third story.
It suddenly occurred to Anna that the watcher might be Katherines fourteen-year-old daughter, Gabriella, the one who had been playing the piano earlier. Anna couldnt distinguish her features, but for some reason she had the impression the girl was scowling at her with displeasure.
As their gazes met from a distance, a chill lifted the hair at the back of Annas neck, and rather than waving a greeting, she opened the car door and climbed inside.
Chapter Four
Ben stood at the window of his second-floor office and stared down at the heavily landscaped grounds that were already deep in shadow even though the sun still lingered just above the horizon. Soon it would be twilight, and every bush and tree would become a potential hiding place for evil.
He grimaced, thinking that he might be starting to sound a little too much like Margarete Cortina, a local woman whose rants about demons and spirits, along with her devotion to a rather bizarre religion, had made her something of a laughingstock in San Miguel.
But Ben wasnt laughing, nor was he so quick to dismiss her beliefs as the ramblings of a mad woman. And for one simple reason. Like Margarete, he knew evil existed. Hed seen it. Hed almost been destroyed by it. And he would be a fool to dismiss the clues, no matter how subtle, that warned him now the evil was back. In a different form, maybe, but still deadly, nonetheless.