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Avery cleared his throat "Iwith her, but I’m not chopped liver," he said

Kelsey stared at Liam in silence So did Ted and Jaden

Jaden cleared her throat and spoke at last "So--you think that this will ive up the quest?"

"No, I don’t I think that Gary died because of soasped and shook her head "No, no…Cutter was old He ht have had a heart attack noGary White was murdered? We still have the death penalty in this state for murder!"

"True," Liam said "But people have committed murder for a lot less than a million dollars"

"But…" Ted spoke and broke off, confused "Cutter Merlin died of a heart attack He was holding a book, this little reliquary and a shotgun" He looked at theht?"

Kelsey nodded "In safekeeping?" He lifted his hand, staring at Lia of us of stealing another book"

"I was asking, not accusing," Liaht have slipped it out just to borrow it because you needed it for more research, and hts and think about neays to worship Satan," Ted said, an edge to his voice

"It’s onwhen I wake up, too," Jaden said

"Hey," Liahtened to death Give me some slack I have to ask questions"

"You’re all old friends Stop it Let’s think about it Where do the books fit in?" Kelsey asked

"I don’t know But that’s e have to find out," Liam said "Would you pass the salt, please?"

He sat comfortably in the handsome chair at Cutter Merlin’s desk Three of them in the house now, and he was still invisible

What a lovely tiht, he had stood at the door to her rooined the time when the cop would be there

He had to be patient Well, he’d been patient a very long ti, but in the end, the prize wouldthe idiots when they had found the body at last…well, that had been a thrill Watching them--from the house!--while they had been so certain that their new locks, bolts and wary care could keep hi ho found at the desk That could ruin everything

He turned away, feeling more powerful than Cutter Merlin, Pete Edwards, Satan himself--or the bastard, Liam Beckett

He was invisible

He had committed murder, and he was invisible

He watched, he waited, he stalked

And he was invisible

For a er so deep it shook him to the core

He was invisible, yes

But he hadn’t found the real reliquary

He gave himself a shake He could hear their voices Kelsey knehere the real reliquary was, she had to, or she would He would wait Patience So long, and just a little longer, then And stalking Kelsey… Well, it was fascinating to consider what the end ht finally be

10

Despite the discovery of the decorandfather’s funeral and Lia rested, strong and ready to face anything that came her way She stretched a hand out over the sheets, found that Liam’s side of the bed was eot so order, with a great deal of responsibility

She rose and headed to the bathroom to shower, then paused If he wasn’t in the rooet over the need to lock her bedroo her that she needed to do so

She obliged

Last night, Liaht in, does he?"

They’d both been able to laugh, and she shook her head, and he hu, and she had locked the door, fallen back into his ar with hilorious, starkly carnal, wild and raonder of letting the world go away in his ar but the earthly force of their bodies Surely she slept so well, so beautifully, so peacefully, because she was so replete, and because she was in his arled