Ashley could hear her screaming over the phone.

"Serena-"

"You're not fooling me."

"Serena-"

"That's all you men think about-getting laid."

"Serena- "Well, I won't put up with it any longer."

"Serena-"

"That's the thanks I get for being such a good wife...."

The one-sided conversation went on for another ten minutes. Finally, Deputy Blake replaced the receiver and turned to Ashley, embarra.s.sed.

"I'm sorry about that. She's not like that."

Ashley looked at him and said, "I understand."

"No-I mean it. Serena acts that way because she's scared."

Ashley looked at him curiously. "Scared?"

He was silent for a moment. "Serena is dying. She has cancer. It was in remission for a while. It first started about seven years ago. We've been married for five years."

"So you knew...?"

"Yes. It didn't matter. I love her." He stopped. "It's gotten worse lately. She's scared because she's afraid to die and she's afraid I'll leave her. All the yelling is a cover-up to hide that fear."

"I'm-I'm so sorry."

"She's a wonderful person. Inside, she's gentle and caring and loving. That's the Serena I know."

Ashley said, "I'm sorry if I caused any-"

"Not at all." He looked around.

Ashley said, "There's just the one bedroom. You can take it, and I'll sleep on the couch."

Deputy Blake shook his head. "The couch will be fine for me."

Ashley said, "I can't tell you how grateful I am."

"No problem, Miss Patterson." He watched her go into a linen closet and take out sheets and blankets.

She walked over to the couch and spread the linen out. "I hope that you'll-"

"Perfect. I don't plan on doing much sleeping, anyway." He checked the windows to make sure they were locked and then walked over to the door and double-bolted it. "All right." He placed his gun on the table next to the couch. "You get a good night's sleep. In the morning, we'll get everything organized."

Ashley nodded. She walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Deputy Blake watched her walk into the bedroom and close the door. He walked back to the windows and checked them again. It was going to be a long night.

At FBI headquarters in Washington, Special Agent Ramirez was talking to Roland Kingsley, the chief of his section.

"We have the fingerprints and DNA reports found at the murder scenes in Bedford, Cupertino, Quebec, and San Francisco. We just got in the final DNA report. The fingerprints from the scenes all match, and the DNA traces match."

Kingsley nodded. "So it's definitely a serial killer."

"No question."

"Let's find the b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

At six o'clock in the morning, Deputy Sam Blake's naked body was found by the wife of the building superintendent in the alley that ran behind Ashley Patterson's apartment building.

He had been stabbed to death and castrated.

Chapter Ten.

THERE were five of them: Sheriff Dowling, two plainclothes detectives and two uniformed policemen. They stood in the living room watching Ashley, sitting in a chair, weeping hysterically. were five of them: Sheriff Dowling, two plainclothes detectives and two uniformed policemen. They stood in the living room watching Ashley, sitting in a chair, weeping hysterically.

Sheriff Dowling said, "You're the only one who can help us, Miss Patterson."

Ashley looked up at the men and nodded. She took several deep breaths. "I'll-I'll try."

"Let's start at the beginning. Deputy Blake spent the night here?"

"Y-yes. I asked him to. I-I was desperately afraid."

"This apartment has one bedroom."

"That's right."

"Where did Deputy Blake sleep?"

Ashley pointed to the couch, which had a blanket and a pillow on it. "He-he spent the night there."

"What time did you go to bed?"

Ashley thought for a moment. "It-it must have been around midnight. I was nervous. We had some tea and talked for a while, and I felt calmer. I brought out blankets and a pillow for him, then I went into my bedroom." She was fighting for selfcontrol.

"Was that the last time you saw him?"

"Yes."

"And you went to sleep?"

"Not immediately. I finally took a sleeping pill. The next thing I remember, I was awakened by a woman's screams coming from the alley." She began to tremble.

"Do you think someone came into this apartment and killed Deputy Blake?"

"I-I don't know," Ashley said desperately. "Someone has been getting in here. They even wrote a threatening message on my mirror."

"He told me about that on the telephone."

"He might have heard something and-and gone outside to investigate," Ashley said.

Sheriff Dowling shook his head. "I don't think he would have gone out naked."

Ashley cried. "I don't know! I don't know! "I don't know! I don't know! It's a nightmare." She covered her eyes with her hands. It's a nightmare." She covered her eyes with her hands.

Sheriff Dowling said, "I'd like to look around the apartment. Do I need a search warrant?"

"Of course not. G-go ahead."

Sheriff Dowling nodded to the detectives. One of them went into the bedroom. The other one went into the kitchen.

"What did you and Deputy Blake talk about?"

Ashley took a deep breath. "I-I told him about-about the things that have been happening to me. He was very-" She looked up at the sheriff. "Why would anyone kill him? Why?" Why?"

"I don't know, Miss Patterson. We're going to find out."

Lieutenant Elton, the detective who had gone into the kitchen, stood in the doorway. "Could I see you for a moment, Sheriff?"

"Excuse me."

Sheriff Dowling walked into the kitchen.

"What?"

Lieutenant Elton said, "I found this in the sink." He was holding up a bloodstained butcher knife by the edge of the blade. "It hasn't been washed. I think we're going to get some prints."

Kostoff, the second detective, came in from the bedroom and hurried into the kitchen. He was holding an emerald ring, mounted with diamonds. "I found this in the jewelry box in the bedroom. It fits the description we got from Quebec of the ring that Jean Claude Parent gave to Toni Prescott."

The three men were looking at one another.

"This doesn't make any sense," the sheriff said. Gingerly, he took the butcher knife and the ring and walked back into the living room. He held out the knife and said, "Miss Patterson, is this your knife?"

Ashley looked at it. "I-Yes. It could be. Why?"

Sheriff Dowling held out the ring. "Have you ever seen this ring before?"

Ashley looked at it and shook her head. "No."

"We found it in your jewelry box."

They watched her expression. She was completely bewildered.

She whispered, "I-Someone must have put it there..."

"Who would do a thing like that?"

Her face was pale. "I don't know."

A detective walked in the front door. "Sheriff?"

"Yes, Baker?" He motioned the detective over to a corner. "What have you got?"

"We found bloodstains on the corridor rug and in the elevator. It looks like the body was laid on a sheet, dragged into the elevator and dumped in the alley."

"Holy s.h.i.t!" Sheriff Dowling turned to Ashley. "Miss Patterson, you're under arrest. I'm going to read you your rights. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up the right to remain silent, anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You are ent.i.tled to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the courts."

When they reached the sheriff's office, Sheriff Dowling said, "Fingerprint her and book her."

Ashley went through the procedure like an automaton. When it was finished, Sheriff Dowling said, "You have the right to make one phone call."

Ashley looked up at him and said dully, "I have no one to call." I can't call my father. I can't call my father.

Sheriff Dowling watched Ashley being led into a cell.

"I'll be G.o.dd.a.m.ned if I understand it. Did you see her polygraph test? I would swear she's innocent."

Detective Kostoff walked in. "Sam had s.e.x before he died. We ran an ultraviolet light over his body and the sheet he was wrapped in. We got a positive result for s.e.m.e.n and v.a.g.i.n.al stains. We-"

Sheriff Dowling groaned. "Hold it!" He had been putting off the moment when he would have to give his sister the news. It had to be done now. He sighed and said, "I'll be back."

Twenty minutes later, he was at Sam's house.

"Well, this is an unexpected pleasure," Serena said. "Is Sam with you?"

"No, Serena. I have to ask you a question." This was going to be difficult.

She was looking at him curiously. "Yes?"

"Did-did you and Sam have s.e.x within the last twenty-four hours?"

The expression on her face changed. "What? We...No. Why do you want to-? Sam's not coming back, is he?"

"I hate to tell you this, but he-"