Family Man

and hugged him close. “I'm going to miss you very much, Matt.”
    “It's just college,” he reminded her gruffly. “It's not like I'm going halfway around the world or anything.”
    Katy's eyes misted. “Yes, it is. And that's the way it should be. I want you to promise me you'll enjoy every minute of it.”
    * * *
    Luke was up at dawn on the day of his wedding. He automatically glanced out the kitchen window as he made coffee. Katy's cottage was eerily quiet. Eden and Maureen had dragged her and her brother off to Seattle last night.
    Hayden had driven Justine and Mrs. Igorson into the city also. They were all ensconced in a hotel that was convenient to the church and to the Pacific Rim.
    Luke had stayed behind with Zeke. He was planning to leave for Seattle around eight. That would give him plenty of time to dress at Darren's apartment and drive to the church for the eleven o'clock service.
    By noon Katy would be his. Luke felt a rush of satisfaction that filled him with a simmering energy. Nothing had ever felt so right in his life.
    At seven-thirty Luke was too restless to hang around the cottage any longer. He tossed his black formal clothes into the backseat of the Jaguar and turned to Zeke.
    “Come on, pal. You get one more run on the beach, and then I'm on my way. Matt will be here this evening to feed you.”
    Zeke picked up his dish and dashed ahead to the cliff path. He bounded eagerly down to the beach, leaving Luke to follow.
    A few minutes later Luke came to a halt at the water's edge. A deep sense of uneasiness descended on him, wiping away the anticipation that had been flowing through his veins. He glanced down the beach and saw Zeke at the far end nosing around a tide pool.
    Something was wrong.
    Luke looked up at the cliff and saw nothing. There was no one around. No reason to be concerned. Everyone was safely in Seattle. He had talked to Katy just last night.
    But Luke could not shake the feeling of impending doom. If Katy were here, he thought, she would laugh and tell him he was simply falling prey to another Gilchrist mood.
    This feeling of wrongness was more than just a mood, Luke realized. He had a sudden, urgent need to talk to Katy.
    Determined to call her at the hotel before he started the drive to Seattle, Luke whistled for Zeke.
    Zeke reluctantly picked up his dish and started trotting toward him from the far end of the beach. Luke did not wait. Zeke knew his way back to the cottage.
    Luke climbed the cliff path, the sense of urgency stronger now. He started to walk toward the cottage and then broke into a loping run.
    The man in the stocking mask was waiting just inside the front door of the cottage. He had a gun in his fist.
    “Close the door,” the man said in a rough, rasping voice. “I don't want to have to deal with the dog.”
    Luke ignored the gun as he slowly closed the door. He kept his gaze on the man's eyes. “What's this all about?”
    “Relax, Gilchrist. You might as well sit down. We're both going to be here for a while.”
    “Is there a point to this?”
    “The point is that you're going to miss your wedding.”
    “Why?” Luke asked softly.
    “Isn't it obvious? When you fail to show up at the church this morning your family is going to assume the worst. They'll figure you've finally had your revenge. Justine will never forgive you. The others will never trust you again. No one's going to give you a second chance. With any luck Gilchrist, Inc. will go down the tubes without you at the helm.”
    “What about Katy?” Luke asked. “Or don't you care about her feelings in all this, Atwood?”
    The intruder went still for a moment. Then, with a shrug, he reached up and jerked off the stocking mask. “It doesn't matter if you know who I am,” Atwood said. “You'll never be able to prove a thing. I'll see to it that there's no evidence I was here today. Who would believe you were kept away from your wedding by me?”
    “I'll find you, Atwood. And when I do I'll crush you.”
    Atwood smiled wearily. “Maybe. Then again, maybe not. I've made arrangements. I'm going to disappear this afternoon. When I reappear it will be with a new name in a new city a long, long way from Seattle.”
    “It won't be the first time, will it? You've had practice using other identities, haven't you? Milo Nyle, for example.”
    Atwood's brows rose in mocking admiration. “Not bad. How did you figure that out?”
    “It fit. You're out to punish Gilchrists, you're a born