Eye of the Beholder

You might have put doubts into her head. I didn't know how much you and Trask already suspected, you see."
    "How did you get her to leave so suddenly?"
    He gave her his impish smile. "She trusted me implicitly. I warned her that the vortices had become extremely dangerous for her. Which was true enough, when you think about it. I told her she had to leave the area at once and stay away until I let her know that it was safe to return."
    "And then you hung around her house to terrorize me, didn't you?"
    The gun in Dylan's hand trembled slightly. "No, I left right after I saw Liz off. Then I realized that her personal journal was still in the house. In her rush to pack, she had forgotten it and so had I."
    "You didn't want me to find it and browse through it, did you?"
    "No. I was afraid that she might have mentioned me, you see. If you saw my name in her journal you would only ask more questions. I went back to get the damned thing. But I saw your car in the drive."
    "And you knew that I was already there."
    "Prowling around like a burglar." Dylan fixed her with an accusing look. "I decided to give you a good scare. I parked farther down the road and put on the robes that I wear when I guide Liz's meditation. I entered through the front door while you were looking through the garage window. Got a knife from the kitchen. All I intended to do at first was frighten you off so that I could get the journal and leave."
    "I don't believe that."
    "It's true." He scowled. "But then it occurred to me that our encounter was a sign. I realized the vortices had provided me with an opportunity to get rid of you."
    "But you failed again, didn't you?" Alexa said. "Tell me, did I do any damage when I sent that little landslide down on top of you?"
    "Bitch." Dylan leveled the gun at her. "When I think about how I actually tried to keep you out of this..."
    "I'm very sorry," Harriet quavered. "But I'm afraid that if I don't sit down, I shall collapse. I really don't feel at all well."
    Dylan hesitated. Then he made an offhand motion with his free hand. "Go ahead. Sit down."
    Moving with a fragile air, Harriet sank gracefully onto a small box behind the row of winged lions.
    Once seated, only her head and shoulders were visible above the backs of the stone beasts. She gave Dylan a weak, pitifully grateful smile. "Thank you, dear boy. So kind."
    Dylan paid no attention. He glanced at his watch again. "Only a few more minutes. Then it will all be over."
    Alexa was keenly aware of the distant, muted sounds of cars pulling out of the parking lot. Most of the shoppers would have left by now. Her fellow tenants would be finished counting the day's receipts soon. It would not be long before Avalon Plaza would be deserted.
    Keep Dylan talking and pray that Trask was on his way.
    Think positive.
    "How did you kill Dean Guthrie?" she asked as casually as possible.
    "Guthrie was easy. He was drunk, as usual, when he left the bar that night. I hid in the backseat of that big car of his. When he got behind the wheel, I hit him on the head. He went out like a light."
    "Then you drove him to Avalon Point?"
    Dylan nodded happily. "I got out, wedged his foot against the gas pedal, and put the car in gear. It went straight over the edge."
    Alexa shuddered. "You chose Avalon Point because of the connection to Trask, didn't you?"
    "Sure. Like I said, if any questions were asked afterward, I wanted Strood to look in Trask's direction. Besides, it was sort of symbolic, you know?"
    "Symbolic?"
    Dylan's smile was snake-thin. "That's the same place where I forced Harry Trask off the road twelve years ago."
    Alexa took a deep breath. "So Trask was right all along. His father was murdered."
    Dylan raised one shoulder in another dismissing motion. "I had to get rid of him. He stood in the way of the expansion of Dimensions."
    "But why did you murder poor Stewart? He wasn't on your list."
    Rage flickered in Dylan's eyes. "I did not murder Stewart. He was a sacrifice, just like you."
    "There's a difference between murder and sacrifice?"
    "A world of difference. Stewart was my loyal, gallant squire. He was as committed as I am to the cause. But after things went wrong again last night, I realized that it was necessary to feed the dark vortices. Besides, he had failed to get rid of Joanna. It was only fitting that he pay the price."
    "You weren't trying to pacify the vortices," Alexa shot back. "You figured that if Stewart conveniently committed suicide, it might