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Taja struck once at Echo, slashing her across the heel of the hand Echo flung up to protect her face.Then, instead of a lethal follow-up, Taja took the time to drive the knife into the canvas on the easel,ripping it in a gesture of fury.Taja's body was momentarily at an angle to Echo, and vulnerable.Echo braced herself against theworktable and drove a knee high to the rib cage where Silkie had shot her in the Cambridge apartment.Taja went down with a hoarse scream, dropped the knife.She was groping for it when Peter barreledinto the studio and lunged at her."No, goddamn it, no!"He grabbed her knife hand as she tried to come up off the floor at him.His free hand went to Taja'sface, street-fighter style.He missed her eyes, tried to get a grip as she jerked her head aside.Part of her flesh seemed to come loose in his hand.But it was only latex.The face beneath her second skin was pocked with random, circular scars, as if from a dozen cigaretteburns.They were both hurt but Peter couldn't hold her.He knew the knife was coming.Then Echo got anarmlock on Taja's neck and pulled her back; Peter stepped in with a short hook to Taja's jaw that droppedher in-stantly.He wrenched the knife away and pulled her back onto her feet.She wasn't unconscious buther eyes were crossing, no fight left in her."Let her go, Peter," John Ransome said behind them."It's finished."Peter shot a look behind him."Not yet!" He looked again into Taja's eyes."Tell me one thing! Was itRansome? Did he send you after those women? Tell me!""Peter, she can't talk!" Echo said.Taja still wasn't focusing.There was a trickle of blood at one corner of her mouth."Find a way to talk to me! I want to know!""Peter," John Ransome said, "please let her go." His tone weary."It's up to me to deal with Taja.She'smy ""Was it Ransome!" Peter screamed in Taja's face, as she blinked, stared at him.She nodded.Her eyes closed.A second later Ransome shot her.Blood and bits of bone from the hole inher forehead splattered Peter's face.She hung in his grip as Echo screamed.Still holding Taja up, Peterturned to Ransome, speechless with rage.Ransome lowered his.38, taking a deep breath."My responsibility.Sorry.Now will you put her down?"Peter let Taja fall and went for his own gun, brought it up in both hands inches from Ransome's face."Drop your piece! So help me God I'll cap you right here!""Peter, no !"Ransome took another breath, his gun hand moving slowly toward the worktable, his finger off thetrigger."It's all right." He sounded eerily calm.I'm putting the gun down.Just don't let your emotions getthe best of you.No accidents, Peter." The.38 was on the table.He lifted his hand slowly away from it,looked at Taja's body between them.Peter moved him at gunpoint back from the table.'You're under arrest for murder! You have the right to remain silent.You have the right to berepresented by an attorney.Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.Do youunderstand what I've just said to you?"Ransome nodded."Peter, it was self-defense.""Shut up, damn you! You don't get away with that!"'You're out of your jurisdiction here.One more thing.I own this island.""On your knees, hands behind your head." "I think we need to talk when you're in a more rational "Peter took his finger off the trigger of the 9mm Colt and bounced it off the top of Ransome's head.Ransome staggered and dropped to one knee.He slowly raised his hands.Peter glanced at Echo, who had pulled the sleeve of her sweater down over the hand that Taja hadslashed.She'd made a fist to try to stop the bleeding.She shook from fear."Oh Peter, oh God! What are you going to do?"'You own the island?" Peter said to Ransome."Who cares? This is where we get off."FIFTEENThe boat Taja had used getting back and forth was a twenty-eight-foot Rockport-built island cruiser.Peterhad John Ransome in the wheelhouse attached to a safety line with his hands lashed together in front ofhim.Echo was trying to hold the muzzle of the Colt 9mm on him while Peter battled wind gusts up to fiftyknots and heavy seas once they left the shelter of Kincairn cove.In addition to the safety lines they all worelife vests.They were bucked all over the place.Peter found he could get only about eighteen knots from theVolvo diesel, and that it was nearly impossible to keep the wind on his stern unless he wanted to sail toPortugal.The wind chill was near zero.They were shipping a lot of water with a temperature of only a fewdegrees above freezing.The pounding went on without letup.Under reasonably good conditions it wasthirty minutes to the mainland.Peter wasn't at all sure he had half an hour before hypothermia rendered himhelpless.John Ransome knew it.Watching Peter try to steer with one good hand, seeing Echo shaking with vomiton the front of her life vest, he said, "We won't make it.Breathe through your nose, Mary Catherine, oryou'll freeze your lungs.You know I don't want you to die like this! Talk sense to Peter! Best of times it'slike threading a needle through all the little islands.In a blow you can lose your boat on the rocks.""Peter's s-sailed b-boats all his life!"Ransome shook his head."Not under these conditions."A vicious gust heeled them to port; the bow was buried in a cornering wave.Water cascaded off theback of the overhead as the cruiser righted itself sluggishly."Peter!""We're okay!" he yelled, leaning on the helm.Ransome smiled in sympathy with Echo's terror."We're not okay." He turned to Peter."There is a way out of this dilemma, Peter! If you'd only give mea chance to make things right for all of us! But you must turn back now!""I told you, I don't have dilemmas! Echo, keep that gun on him!"Ransome said, his eyes on the shivering girl, "I don't think Peter knows you as well as I've come toknow you, Mary Catherine! You couldn't shoot me.No matter what you think I've done."Echo, her eyes red from salt, raised the muzzle of the Colt unsteadily as she tried to keep from slippingoff the bench opposite Ransome."Which one are you tonight?" she said bitterly."The g-god who creates, or the god who destroys?"They were taking on water faster than the pump could empty the boat.The cruiser wallowed, nearlydirectionless."Remember the rogue wave, Mary Catherine? You saved me then.Am I worth saving now?""Don't listen to him!" Peter rubbed his eyes, trying to focus through the spume on the wheelhouse window.What he saw momentarily and some distance away were the running lights of a large yacht oreven a cutter.Because of the cold he had only limited use of his left hand.His wrist had begun bleedingagain during his fight with Taja at the lighthouse.With numbed fingers he was able to open a locker infront of him."Echo, this guy has fucked up every life he ever touched!""There's no truth in that! It was Taja, no matter what she wanted you to believe.Her revenge on me.And I was the only one who ever cared about her! Mary Catherine, last night I tried to stop her from goingafter Silkie MacKenzie! You know what happened.But the story of Taja and myself is not easy to explain.You understand, though, don't you?"'You should have seen what I've seen the last forty-eight hours, Echo! The faces of Ransome's women.Slashed, burned, broken! Two that I know of are dead! Nan McLaren OD'd, Ransome you hear aboutthat?"'Yes.Poor Nan but I ""Last night Valerie Angelus went off the roof of her building! You set her up for that, you son of abitch!"Ransome lifted his head."But you could've stopped her.A year, two years ago, it wouldn't have been too late for Valerie! Youdidn't want her
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