But now there was no Jessica with her gentle voice and persuasive words, and Melissa had to take her place.

Good God, how was she going to do it? It was impossible. She was as different from Jessica as night and day. She wasn't even sure that Jessica's soft approach was the right way to bring Cassie back. The child was strong, perhaps stronger than Melissa had been at that age. She had willed herself away from the world, and persuasion wasn't working. Perhaps if they had the time…

They didn't have the time. Melissa had to follow her own instincts, and they were not leading her down an easy path.

Poor Cassie.

"I'll be back. You can play possum while I'm taking my shower and brushing my teeth." She moved toward the bathroom. "Then we're going to talk, Cassie."

It took Melissa two hours to break through the barriers Cassie had erected against her.

"It's about time you stopped hiding from me," Melissa said. "And why did you go deeper? It was almost too dark for me to find you."

"I didn't want you to find me."

Not good. "Why not?"

"You're…different now. You make me feel funny."

"I am different. That doesn't mean that I'm not your friend. People change."

"Not in here." She paused. "Why did you change?"

"My best friend was taken away from me."

"That wouldn't have happened here."

"Yes, it would. It happened because you were here." She added deliberately, "So it's partly your fault, Cassie."

"No, I didn't do anything."

"You hide away and close your eyes."

"I'm afraid."

"We're all afraid. You have to fight what you're afraid of…or people get taken away."

Silence.

"Jessica was your best friend, wasn't she? She's…gone?"

"Yes."

"I thought so. I've been missing her."

"So have I."

"The monsters took her?"

"Yes."

"I'm not to blame." A pause. "Am I?"

"We didn't fight them hard enough."

"They're too strong."

"They're not too strong. They'll fade away if you face them."

"Won't do it. Blow me apart like they did Jeanne."

"I'll be there to keep that from happening."

"Won't do it." Withdrawal "Goingaway…"

"I'll follow you. I'll find you and bring you back. I can do it now whether you're awake or asleep."

"Why are you being so mean to me?"

"You have to come back. It's what Jessica wanted most in the world. She wanted you back in the world and not afraid any longer."

"Have to be afraid. The monsters…"

What could she say to that? Melissa thought wearily. No one knew better than she did that there were real monsters waiting for Cassie. "You're more afraid now than you will be if you face them. I promise we'll fight them together. I'm your friend, Cassie."

"I thought Jeanne was my friend." Betrayal. Distrust. Hostility.

"She only pretended. I don't pretend. I believe you know that."

"I don't know it." Panic. Terror. "You want to let the monsters into the tunnel."

"They can never come into the tunnel. You're imagining them only so that you have an excuse to stay here. If you faced them, they'd vanish like a puff of smoke."

"No, they come and chase me…"

"They won't do it any longer. Travis and I have stopped them." She paused. "And on the outside the Wind Dancer has stopped them. Didn't you feel it when you were looking at him? You were so happy. For just an instant you were outside and yet you knew you were safe."

"I'll find him again."

"Not in the tunnel. He has no reason to be in the tunnel. He's not afraid and he doesn't want you to be afraid either."

"How do you know? He took me away."

"Because you needed to be away until you were strong enough to come back and face the monsters."

"I'm not strong enough."

"Yes, you are. Think about it. Jessica told me that you made up all kinds of adventures with the Wind Dancer. Were you ever afraid?"

"They were only stories."

"But weren't they about duty and saving the good guys and punishing the bad?"

"Maybe."

"Well, that's what life's about too. It's not about curling up in a tunnel. Think about it."

"I won't think about it. I'm afraid and I won't come out. I'll go deeper so the monsters won't hurt me."

"Your friend the Wind Dancer won't let you go deeper. You were searching for him in the wrong place. Did it ever occur to you that he always wanted you to leave the tunnel and come back? He knows it's time for you to come out even if you don't."

"You lie."

"There are no monsters in the tunnel. You'll just stay there until you're ready to come out and fight the bad guys with the rest of us. Your mom and dad and Travis and me. We're all waiting for you. We need you."

"No."

"I'm telling the truth. We do need you. I'm going away now, but I'll be back."

"I don't want you."

Poor kid. Melissa couldn't blame her for her anger or panic. She'd yanked away the security blanket Jessica had folded around her and told her she had to be a warrior and not a victim. Pretty tough fare for a seven-year-old.

And what if Melissa was wrong? What if she was inflicting serious damage on Cassie?

"I hate you."

"Right now. But you hate the monsters and the way they make you afraid more."

"You're the one who's making me afraid."

"Because I'm telling you that it's your duty to come out? Didn't you ever want those stories you made up to be true? If you see wrong, you have to fight it. Doing your duty isn't as easy in real life."

"Go away."

"I'm going. But I'll see you soon, Cassie…"

Chapter Eighteen

"Wake up, Melissa."

She opened her eyes to see Travis's face above her.

"Time to eat. It's almost dark. You've been sleeping for hours."

She had no doubt. She'd been exhausted after that latest bout with Cassie. She glanced at the child. She was sleeping too. Melissa could feed her later. "Ten minutes. I have to wash my face and brush my teeth."

"No hurry. Galen fixed a couple of casseroles before he left. I've just put one in the oven to heat."

She swung her feet to the floor. "Left?"

"He had an errand to do for me." He walked out of the room.

The answer was evasive. She hurried through her washing and was patting her face dry with the towel as she came into the kitchen. "Where did he go?"

"He's searching for word on Danielle Claron."

"Danielle Claron? Who is she?"

"Sit down." He took the casserole out of the oven. "I'll tell you about her over dinner." He spooned two servings onto plates and set them on the table. "Galen would never forgive me if I let it get cold before you could fully appreciate his expertise."

"I want to know-" He was shaking his head, and she sat down at the table and picked up her fork. "I'm eating. Tell me about Danielle Claron."

She was halfway through the meal when Travis finished. She frowned, thinking. "You believe she may know something that will help us find Deschamps?"

"Maybe. It's the only lead we have. Even if she can't locate him for us, she's a witness to her husband's murder, and Deschamps doesn't like witnesses. Chances are he'll want to find her." He got up and poured coffee into their c ups. "So we may not need the Wind Dancer to draw him into a trap."

"Danielle Claron is obviously not willing to bear witness if she's been hiding out for the last few weeks."