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“How did that get there?” David asked, moving closer.
“I don’t know. When I came back, the window was steamed up and it was there.”
“Ellie, this symbol is on the plank.”
“Do you think it’s Ahone’s?”
He shook his head in amazement. “I don’t know. It could be.”
“Could be isn’t good enough. Ineedto know. I can’t just tattoo some random symbol on my back.” I ran my uninjured hand through my hair and turned toward him. “I’m sorry. I’m not upset with you. I’m pissed at Ahone. Why does he have to be so damned illusive? Why can’t he just say, ‘Here’s my symbol’?”
“I don’t know. I keep wondering why Okeus’s symbol is still known but not Ahone’s. It could be because the people offered regular sacrifices to Okeus and pretty much ignored Ahone. They rarely gave him thought, so why record his name? OrperhapsAhone’s name is like the ancient Hebrew name for God, and only the priests knew how to pronounce it. God’s name was considered too reverent to be spoken by just anyone.”
“Hopefully Daddy will have recorded it somewhere. If we can find any of his other notes.”
“We will.”
He sounded more certain than I was.
“Tonight I think we should sleep in your apartment,” he said. “Last night was the first time you have dreamed since you started sleeping with the dream catcher. But I’m going to sleep with you so I can check on you and make sure you’re okay.”
I bumped his shoulder. “You just want a reason not to sleep on the sofa.”
He laughed. “That’s right. You caught me. I seduced you only so that I could have a mattress.” He pushed me against the wall and leaned over to kiss me.
I wrapped my arm around his neck, closing my eyes as I let myself be sucked into the moment. It struck me—thiswas what I’d been looking for before Collin showed up and shattered my life. I wasn’t in love with David, but I wasfallingin love with him. Even this early, it was easy to see he wasthe one—the guy I’d been waiting to show up and fill my life, the guy who could give me the love and happiness my parents had shared. Sighing with momentary contentment, I pushed him away. “As romantic as making out in a guest’s dirty bathroom is, I’m afraid I need to get back to work.”
“You are a very cruel woman, Ellie Lancaster.”
“And you are easily distracted, Dr. Preston. Now go make a bed.” I gave his arm a playful push.
After he stole another kiss and headed into the other room, I found myself staring at the fading symbol again.
With the two of us working, we finished within an hour. David insisted on carrying the dirty linen to the laundry room and starting the wash. When I protested, he mock scowled. “I’m a bachelor, Ellie. I’ve lived alone since I was eighteen. I know how to do laundry.”
“Okay…” Was I really going to fight him over him doing the laundry?
“Now that we have this symbol, I’m going to e-mail a few colleagues to find out if they’ve ever seen it. I doubt we’ll get confirmation, but we might be able to eliminate it if they recognize it as something else.”
“Okay, how about I order a pizza? The best place in town doesn’t offer delivery, but I’ll go pick it up while you’re sending your e-mails.”
Worry filled his eyes. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, I’ll be fine. It’s daylight.” Although I wasn’t sure how much longer that would give me security.
“Okay. Be careful.”
He headed for the front porch with his laptop, and I called in the order, realizing as I did that my car was back at my apartment. I grabbed my purse and walked the four blocks home. My arm throbbed after using it all morning, reminding me that it still needed butterfly bandages. I had a box in my bathroom, so I figured I could run upstairs and grab them.
When I reached my front porch, I knew something was off. The symbols on my door were smudged, and thatneverhappened. Fear squeezed my lungs. Had Tom arrested Collin?
But when I unlocked the door and pushed it open, I realized what was really going on. One of Marino’s men—the one who’d tried to kidnap me in Morehead City—sat in my overstuffed chair with a handgun on his lap. The box that held Daddy’s remaining watches was out on the coffee table.
“Ellie Lancaster, you’re a hard woman to find.”
Oh, shit. I froze in the doorway, my hand still on the doorknob.
“Come on in, Ellie. We need to have a little chat.”
