Part 16 (2/2)

”I'd like us to be friends, too,” I finally told her. It was something I rarely said, and never this quickly.

As I stared across the table at Kate, stared over the glowing wick of a dwindling candle, I was reminded of Casanova again. If nothing else, he was a very good judge of a woman's beauty and character. He was just about perfect.

Chapter 58.

THE HAREM cautiously shuffled toward a large living area at the end of a winding hallway inside the mysterious, loathsome house. The place had two floors. On the lower one, there was only a single room. Upstairs, there were as many as ten.

Naomi Cross walked cautiously among the women. They had been told to go to the common room. Since she had been there, the number of captives had ranged from six to eight. Sometimes a girl left, or disappeared, disappeared, but there always seemed to be a new one to take her place. but there always seemed to be a new one to take her place.

Casanova was waiting for them in the living room. He had on another of his masks. This one was handpainted with white and bright green streaks. Festive. A party face. A party face. He wore a gold silk robe and was naked underneath it. He wore a gold silk robe and was naked underneath it.

The room was large and tastefully furnished. The floor was covered with an oriental rug. The walls were off-white and freshly painted.

”Come in, come in ladies. Don't be shy. Don't be bashful,” he said from the back of the room. He had a stun gun and a pistol and struck a das.h.i.+ng pose.

Naomi imagined that he was smiling behind the mask. More than anything she wanted to see his face, just once, and then obliterate it forever, shatter it into tiny pieces, grind the pieces into nothing.

Naomi felt her heart skip as she entered the large, attractive sitting room. Her violin was on a table near Casanova. He had taken her violin and brought it to this awful place.

Casanova was waltzing around the low-ceilinged room like the host of a sophisticated costume party. He knew how to be cla.s.sy, even gallant. He carried himself with confidence.

He lit a woman's cigarette with a gold lighter. He stopped to talk to each of his girls. He touched a bare shoulder, a cheek, caressed someone's long blond hair.

The women all looked stunning. They wore their own beautiful clothes, and had carefully applied makeup. The scents of their perfumes filled the room. If only they could rush him all at once, Naomi thought to herself. There had to be a way to take Casanova down.

”As some of you may have already guessed,” he raised his voice, ”we have a nice surprise for tonight's festivities. A little night music.”

He pointed to Naomi, and beckoned her to come forward. He was always careful when he brought them together like this. He had his gun in hand, holding it casually.

”Please play something for us,” he said to Naomi. ”Anything that you'd like. Naomi plays the violin, and very beautifully I might add. Don't be shy, dear.”

Naomi couldn't take her eyes off Casanova. His robe was open so that they could see his nakedness. Sometimes he had one of them play an instrument, or sing, or read poetry, or just talk about their lives before h.e.l.l. Tonight it was Naomi's turn.

Naomi knew that she had no choice. She was determined to be brave, to look confident.

She picked up the violin, her precious instrument, and so many painful memories swept over her. Brave... confident..., Brave... confident..., she repeated inside her head. She'd been doing that since she was a young girl. she repeated inside her head. She'd been doing that since she was a young girl.

As a young black woman she had learned the art of acting poised. She needed all the poise she could muster now.

”I'm going to try to play Bach's sonata number one,” she quietly announced. ”This is the adagio, the first movement. It's very beautiful. I hope I can do it justice.”

Naomi shut her eyes as she brought the violin up to her shoulder. She opened her eyes again as she placed her chin on the rest and slowly began to tune the instrument.

Brave... confident, she reminded herself. she reminded herself.

Then she began to play. It was far from perfect, but it did come from her heart. Naomi's style had always been personal. She concentrated more on making music than on her technique. She wanted to cry, but she held back the tears, held everything inside. Her feelings came out only in the music, the beautiful Bach sonata.

”Brava! Brava!” Casanova shouted as she finished.

The women clapped. That was permitted by Casanova. Naomi stared out at their beautiful faces. She could feel their shared pain. She wished that she could talk to them. But when he brought them together, it was only to show off his power, his absolute control over them.

Casanova's hand moved and lightly touched Naomi's arm. It was hot, and she felt as if she'd been burned.

”You'll stay with me tonight,” he said in the softest voice. ”That was so beautiful, Naomi. You You are so beautiful, the most beautiful one here. Do you know that, sweetheart? Of course you do.” are so beautiful, the most beautiful one here. Do you know that, sweetheart? Of course you do.”

Brave, strong, confident, Naomi told herself. She was a Cross. She wouldn't let him see her fear. She would find a way to beat him. Naomi told herself. She was a Cross. She wouldn't let him see her fear. She would find a way to beat him.

Chapter 59.

KATE AND I were working at her apartment in Chapel Hill. We'd been talking about the disappearing house again, still trying to figure out that mind-bending mystery. At a little past eight the front doorbell rang. Kate went to see who it was.

I could see her talking to someone, but I couldn't tell who. My hand went for my revolver, touched the handle. She let the visitor come inside.

It was Kyle Craig. I was immediately struck by the drawn and somber look on his face. Something must have happened.

”Kyle says he has something you're going to want to see,” Kate said as she led the FBI man into the living room.

”I tracked you down, Alex. It wasn't too hard,” Kyle said. He sat on the sofa arm next to me. He looked as if he needed to sit down.

”I told the hotel desk and the operator where I'd be until nine or so.”

”Like I said, it wasn't hard. Check out the look on Alex's face, Kate. Now you see why he's still a detective. He's hooked on The Job, wants to solve all the great puzzles, even the not-so-great ones.”

I smiled, and shook my head. Kyle was partly right. ”I love my work, mostly mostly because I get to spend time with sophisticated and high-minded individuals like yourself. What's happened, Kyle? Tell me right now.” because I get to spend time with sophisticated and high-minded individuals like yourself. What's happened, Kyle? Tell me right now.”

”The Gentleman made a personal call on Beth Lieberman. She's dead. He cut off her fingers, Alex. After he killed her, he torched her studio apartment in West Los Angeles. He set half her building on fire.”

Beth Lieberman hadn't exactly endeared herself to me, but I was shocked and saddened to hear about her murder. I'd taken Kyle's word that she had nothing worth traveling to Los Angeles for. ”Maybe he knew there was something in her apartment that needed to be torched. Maybe she actually had something important.”

Kyle glanced over at Kate again. ”You see how good he is? He's a machine. She did did have something incriminating,” he said to both of us. ”Only she had it on her computer at the have something incriminating,” he said to both of us. ”Only she had it on her computer at the Times. Times. So now we have it.” So now we have it.”

Kyle handed me a long, curling fax. He pointed to some copy at the very bottom of the sheet. The fax was from the FBI's office in Los Angeles.

I glanced down the page and read the entry that was underscored.

Possible Casanova!!! it said. it said. Very possible suspect. Very possible suspect.

Dr. William Rudolph. First-cla.s.s creep.

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