Silent Fall

hand away, but he’d started this, and he had to finish it.
    Catherine closed her eyes. "I can feel her heart beating," she whispered. "Fast, short, terrified. She’s never been this scared."
    Dylan was feeling spooked himself. The cross was growing hot in his hand, burning him with an intense heat. Was he feeling Erica’s heartbeat, too, through his connection to Catherine? Or was that his own heart threatening to jump out of his chest?
    Catherine opened her eyes and dropped her hand back to her side. Just like that the connection between them broke.
    "She’s alive -- for now." Catherine let out a sigh of relief. "She’s not here anymore."
    "Did you see where she was?" The cross in his hand was cool now. Had he imagined its heat? Shit! What the hell was wrong with him?
    "No, but she’s hiding. That’s all I could feel. I’m sorry. I know that’s not very helpful."
    "Not really."
    "Dylan, I told you that I don’t see a road map in my head. I’m not a GPS tracking device. I’m a person who gets feelings that aren’t always specific. But I got us here, didn’t I?"
    "I don’t know how you did that."
    "You said you were trying to trust me. Were you just bullshitting me so I’d touch the cross?"
    "No. I am trying. I’m just pissed off that nothing is working," he said, letting out a sigh. "Sorry if I took it out on you."
    "Don’t do it again. I’m your partner, and right now you don’t have anyone else."
    "I know."
    Catherine shivered as a wind blew through the rotunda. "It’s getting cold."
    "Let’s go back to the car."
    "Then what?"
    "My apartment," he said, making a quick decision.
    "That’s a little risky, isn’t it?"
    "Erica was there. I need to see if she left me a note or something. It’s just a few blocks from here."
    They were halfway to the car when Dylan’s phone rang again. It was his attorney.
    "Where the hell are you?" Mark demanded. "I told you to stay put."
    "I couldn’t do that. I need to find Erica before the police decide to lock me up."
    "Then you’d better find her fast, because I just got a call from Detective Richardson, and he’s looking for you. He said your car is in the lot, but you checked out of the lodge, and no one has seen you for several hours. Your best bet is to go back to Tahoe and work this out. I can meet you there. You don’t have to do it alone."
    "My best bet is to find Erica. I know she’s alive. She called me a little while ago."
    "What did she say?"
    "That she was sorry."
    "That’s good news. I’m happy to hear she’s alive, but we need more than your word that she called you. What else did she say?"
    "That she was in trouble and someone was after her. Then she hung up the phone."
    "What does that mean? Who’s after her besides you?"
    "I suspect whoever is setting me up for her murder wants to make sure she’s really dead. And I’m guessing Erica didn’t realize that her death was going to be real, not fake."
    "This sounds like a damn movie," Mark grumbled.
    "Well, I wish I had the script so I could see what was coming next. At any rate, I can’t turn myself in until I find Erica."
    "Where are you?"
    "It’s better if you don’t know. I don’t want to make you an accessory, Mark."
    "Dylan, I have to advise you that should the police gather enough evidence to get an arrest warrant, the fact that you ran will make your defense much more difficult."
    Everything Mark was saying was true, but he’d made his choice, and he’d have to live with it. "I’ll call you when I find Erica."
    "Wait. Don’t use your phone again. It will be too easy to trace."
    Mark was right, dammit. Dylan should have thought of that already. The police had probably already figured out he was in San Francisco. "Thanks for the reminder. I’ll find a way to get in touch with you."
    "The police are looking for you, aren’t they?" Catherine asked as he closed his phone.
    "They’re wondering where I am."
    "Mark wants you to go back to Tahoe, doesn’t he?"
    "Yes, but Erica isn’t there. She’s in this city, and I’m not leaving until I find her. But maybe you should go, Catherine. This situation is getting worse by the minute. It’s not too late for you to disappear. You can make up a story about me stealing your car, forcing you to come with me. You don’t have to do this."
    "Oh, please, we are way