Dawn in Eclipse Bay

campaign manager.”
    “You can’t do that,” Anderson stammered. “You have no right. Nothing was ever proven.”
    “All we want is confirmation that you went through Lillian’s things looking for her matchmaking program,” Gabe demanded.
    Anderson abruptly turned away toward the window. He gazed bleakly out at the motel parking lot.
    “I did not break into Lillian’s apartment or the cottage,” he said eventually, again enunciating each word with care.
    “Let’s not quibble over the details.” Gabe watched him closely. “Maybe you didn’t break into her apartment. Maybe you let yourself inside with keys that you either duplicated from her key ring or conned out of the housekeeping staff or the manager.”
    Lillian flashed him a startled look. Her mouth opened but she closed it quickly without saying a word.
    “The cottage was a problem,” Gabe went on, “because you didn’t have a key so you had to pry open the door. The second time you smashed a window. By then you had heard about our theory that Lillian was being stalked. Word of that kind of thing gets around fast in a small town. You trashed her studio hoping to keep us looking in that direction. You didn’t want us thinking there might be another motive for the break-ins.”
    “I am not a stalker.”
    “I didn’t say you were,” Gabe said. “But I think it’s pretty clear that Marilyn can’t afford to be connected to a campaign manager who goes around imitating stalkers. Or one who breaks into apartments and cottages, for that matter. Bad for the image, you know.”
    “It’s a lie. I didn’t trash Lillian’s studio. You can’t do this to me.”
    “All we want is the truth,” Gabe said.
    “Damn it, I won’t let you ruin this for me.”
    Without warning, Anderson spun away from the window and flung himself at Gabe.
    “Anderson, no,” Lillian called. “Stop. This won’t solve anything.”
    But Anderson was beyond reason. Gabe managed to sidestep the initial charge but Anderson wheeled with startling speed and came at him again. This time Gabe found himself trapped in the corner, the television set on one side, a lamp on the other.
    He took the only way out, going low to duck Anderson’s swinging fist. Anderson’s hand struck the wall where Gabe had been standing a second earlier. A shuddering jolt went through him. Gabe heard him suck in an anguished breath.
    He caught Anderson by the legs and shoved hard. The momentum toppled both of them to the rug. They went down with a stunning thud, Anderson on the bottom. He struggled wildly, fighting back with a reckless fury, completely out of control. He hammered the floor with his heels and managed to slam a fist into Gabe’s ribs. He twisted violently, trying to lurch free.
    Gabe finally pinned him to the rug, using his weight to force him to lie still.
    Trapped, Anderson stared up at him. Gabe felt him go limp as the hurricane of violence dissipated as suddenly as it had appeared.
    “I don’t want her hurt, do you understand?” Anderson’s voice was ragged. “I’ll do whatever you want—just don’t hurt her.”
    “Listen to me, Anderson, no one wants to hurt Marilyn. We just want the truth.” Gabe tightened his hands on Anderson’s shoulders. “Tell me about the break-ins.”
    “All right. Okay. I did go into Lillian’s apartment. But I didn’t break in, damn it. I went in with the cleaning people.”
    “It was that easy?”
    Anderson nodded. “It was that easy. Just told them I was there to check out some electrical problems. People trust you when you wear a uniform with your name on it.”
    Lillian moved closer. Gabe sensed the shock that gripped her. He caught a glimpse of her hands. They were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. But her voice was surprisingly steady.
    “Did you want the matchmaking program that badly, Anderson?” she asked. “I told you, it wasn’t magic. Just a standard personality inventory analysis program that I used together with a dose of common sense.”
    Anderson looked up at her. “It wasn’t the damned matchmaking program I wanted, you little fool. It was the data on your clients.”
    “My clients .”
    “Don’t you get it?” He made a disgusted sound. “Hell, you really don’t know what you’ve got, do you? Don’t you have any concept of what that client database is worth? You’ve got detailed background information on some of the wealthiest, most successful, most powerful people in the city. Hell,