Copper Beach

a psi-code, then leaving town won’t do me much good,” Abby pointed out. “If the killer does have the book and decides he needs me, he’ll come looking. I can’t run forever.”

    “I can set you up with a clean ID,” Nick said. “I made new, updated sets for you and Gwen a while back, just in case.”

    “Thanks, but it would be hard for me to disappear permanently,” Abby said. “My family may not be close, but trust me, a lot of my relatives would notice if I just up and vanished tonight.”

    “Not to mention me,” Sam said. “I’d notice, too.”

    Nick glared at him. “You still think you can take care of her?”

    “I’m in a better position to protect her than you are,” Sam said.

    Abby gave Nick a worried look. “Where are you going?”

    “To Hawaii to join Gwen. Got a reservation on a red-eye. I’m taking an extended vacation until this auction is over.”

    “Who was your client?” Abby asked.

    “Mr. Anonymous,” Nick said. “I’ve done other jobs for him. Look, are you sure you don’t want to come with me tonight, Abby?”

    “I can’t,” Abby said.

    “You may be in real danger here.”

    Abby sat back against the cushions. “I’ll be okay.”

    Nick gave Sam a dismissive look and turned back to her. “You’re sure?”

    “Yes.” Abby smiled. “I’m sure.”

    “You’ll call me if you change your mind?” Nick asked.

    “I’ll call,” Abby said.

    “In that case, I’m gone.”

    Nick downed the rest of the blue martini and pushed himself out of the booth. He looked at Sam.

    “Remember what I said, Coppersmith. If anything happens to Abby, you’ll answer to me.”

    “I’ll take good care of her,” Sam said.

    Nick turned on his heel and disappeared through the doorway marked Restrooms.

    Sam looked at Abby. “I’m assuming he didn’t just go to the men’s room?”

    “That hall leads to the alley exit,” Abby said. “Nick must really be running scared if he was afraid to go out the front door.”

34

    THE ICY-FINGERS-ON-THE-BACK-OF-THE-NECK SENSATION hit Sam when they stepped out of the elevator on Abby’s floor a short time later.
    “Give me your key,” he said quietly.

    “Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” Abby whispered.

    “Yeah.”

    She looked at the closed door of her apartment as if she expected to find a cobra on the other side. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

    He took the key from her. “Stay here,” he said.

    “Sam?”

    “I don’t think there’s anyone inside now,” he said. “Whoever was here is long gone.”

    He slipped the pistol out from under his jacket, just in case, and opened the door.

    Shadows and a disturbing energy spilled out, but he did not pick up the subtle vibes that indicated the presence of someone hiding inside the apartment.

    “Whoever was here is gone,” he said.

    “Ralph, the doorman, maybe.”

    “I don’t think so.”

    He moved into the short hall and turned the corner. The city lights illuminated the chaotic scene in the living room. There was nothing professional about the search. The small condo had been ransacked by someone who must have been in a fit of rage at the time.

    Books had been pulled off the shelves and dumped on the floor. The intruder had taken a knife to the cushions of the sofa and the reading chair. The contents of the desk drawers were scattered across the floor.

    Sam did a quick tour of the bedroom and bath. Both rooms looked as if they had been hit by a tornado.

    He headed back toward the living room, trying to think of a way to break the bad news to Abby. The hushed cry from the front hall told him that she had seen the disaster for herself.

    He walked around the corner and saw her. She stood in the hallway, staring at her vandalized living room in shock and disbelief. Sam righted a lamp and switched it on.

    “Why would anyone do such a thing?” She clenched her hands into small fists. “This was my home.”

    He did not miss her use of the past tense, but he decided not to comment on it.

    “The question is, what was he looking for?” he said gently.

    “Obviously, he was searching for that damn lab book or something that would tell him who has it.” She walked slowly through the wreckage and looked into the bedroom. “Dear heaven, he even went through my lingerie drawer. How dare he do such a thing?”

    “We can call the cops,” Sam said. “But I doubt if it will do any good. To them, it will be just another low-priority