Part 37 (2/2)

She had to get around him.

”Jordan!” he shouted her name again.

And then, that was all she remembered. She felt the incredible sting of a sharp thud against the back of her head.

The shadows definitely moved.

They shot across her eyes.

They formed a solid wall of blackness.

And she careened into the dust-laden marble of the deconsecrated church.

CHAPTER 16.

”Jordan, Jordan ...”

At first, she was only dimly aware of her name being spoken. Then she felt the pounding in her head. The sound of her name penetrated through the layers of darkness and she opened her eyes.

Night.

She heard a trickle of water. She s.h.i.+fted her head slightly; skyrockets exploded. They cleared; she looked around and focused on the face peering down into her own.

Raphael.

”There you are. I don't own a cell phone. Stay still; I'll get help.”

She stretched out a hand, grasping his arm. She was quickly gaining consciousness and memory. ”No, don't leave me. Look in the church.”

He stared at her, thinking that she was still under the spell of the conk on her head.

”Jordan, this was not a good place to meet. I don't know what you wanted, but-”

”The church, look in the church,” she said desperately. She realized exactly where she was-just feet away from the steps to the church. She lay, half off, half on the silly little fountain. She touched her face; her cheeks were damp. Raphael must have used the water from the fountain to revive her.

He stood. ”You need to go to the hospital-”

”No!” she said firmly. Was she crazy? She probably did need to go to the hospital. Her skull could be fractured, for all she knew. What had happened? She'd gotten there, gone into the church, seen the body...

And then Ragnor.

And then ...

”Wait!” she cried suddenly. She didn't know how she had gotten outside the church, but Raphael shouldn't go in. There was something very wrong inside.

”What?”

”Tiff, Tiff. . . is dead. On the altar. Someone cut her head off.”

He stared at her, then turned toward the church. ”No, don't go in! You could be in danger, Raphael-”

But he ignored her. He was already heading toward the church. The door still stood open.

The boot sc.r.a.per was back, next to the fountain, right where it had been. In fact, the way she lay, it might appear that she had tripped over it, fallen, and cracked her head.

Raphael was already going up the steps. She struggled to her feet, dizzy only for a moment. Her head was clearing. She tested her skull. It seemed fine. Her fingers were still upon her scalp as she hurried forward after Raphael.

He stood just within the church. He hadn't gone in far-there was so little light.

No candles burned now.

Down the stretch of the aisle, they could just make out the altar. It appeared to be empty.

Every instinct in Jordan screamed that she shouldn't enter the church again, but she couldn't believe her eyes; astonishment made her travel down the aisle quickly, determined to see the altar, and around it.

”Hey, Jordan, allora!” Raphael cried. ”Stop! This building has been closed down until repairs can be made. It might be dangerous in here!”

She ignored him, proceeding to the altar.

There was no sign of Tiff. Not a speck of blood.

”She was here!” Jordan said.

”Who?” Raphael demanded.

”Tiff! I'm telling you, she was here, and her head had been cut off.”

Raphael walked down the aisle. He pulled out his keys, flas.h.i.+ng the mini-light attached to them around the area.

”Jordan,” he said very softly. ”There is nothing here.”

”There was!” she insisted.

”Jordan, Anna Maria was right. I should not have put things into your head-”

”Dammit!” Jordan raged. ”I'm telling you, I came here, and I saw her body on the altar. I thought Tiff was playing a joke on me-she had left me a message to meet her here. And there she was, on the altar. So I walked up to it, yelling at her, telling her to quit fooling around. Then I-I touched her, I tried to shake her by the shoulders. Her body came up; her head-her head stayed down. It wasn't attached. Then I saw Ragnor at the door, and then ...

someone hit me!”

Raphael was looking at her, trying not to appear skeptical.

”Do you think that you were so afraid for Tiff that you rushed here, tripped, hit your head ... and imagined the rest?”

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