There was another hesitation, then, "He was attacked this morning."

"What?"

"Seems the guards at the lockup didn't think he deserved his own cell."

"You promised to keep him out of the general population."

"I know that," she snapped. "It's not like I can control what happens when he goes back inside. You of all people should know those good old boys operate by their own rules."

Considering Jeffrey's behavior yesterday with Jack Wright, he was in no position to defend himself.

"He'll be out of it for a while," Moon said. "They cut him up pretty bad."

He muttered a curse under his breath. "He didn't give you anything after I left?"

"No."

"Is he sure it's somebody who worked in the hospital?"

"No, as a matter of fact."

"It's somebody who saw her at the hospital," Jeffrey said. "Who would see her at the hospital without working there?" He put his free hand over his eyes, trying to think. "Can you pull patient files from there?"

"Like charts?" She sounded dubious. "That's probably pushing it."

"Just names," he said. "Just that day. April twenty-third."

"I know the day."

"Can you?"

She obviously had covered the mouthpiece on the phone, but he could still hear her talking to someone. After a few beats, she was back on the line. "Give me an hour, hour and a half."

Jeffrey suppressed the groan that wanted to come. An hour was a lifetime. Instead, he said, "I'll be here."

Chapter Twenty-seven

LENA heard a door open somewhere. She lay there on the floor, waiting for him, because that's all she could do. When Jeffrey had told her Sibyl was dead, Lena's main focus had been on finding out who had killed Sibyl, on bringing him to justice. She had wanted nothing more than to find the bastard and send him to the chair. Those thoughts had so obsessed her from day one that she had not had time to stop and grieve. Not one day had been spent mourning the loss of her sister. Not one hour had gone by where she had stopped and taken the time to reflect on her loss.

Now, trapped in this house, nailed to the floor, Lena had no choice but to think about it. All of her time was devoted to memories of Sibyl. Even when she was drugged, a sponge held over her mouth, bitter-tasting water hitting the back of her throat until she was forced to swallow, Lena mourned Sibyl. There were days at school that were so real Lena could feel the grain of the pencil she held in her hand. Sitting with Sibyl in the back of classrooms, she could smell the ink from the ditto machine. There were car rides and vacations, senior pictures and field trips. She was reliving them all, Sibyl by her side, every one of them as if she was actually there in the moment.

The light came again as he entered the room. Her eyes were so dilated she could not see anything but shadows, but he still used the light to block her vision. The pain was so intense she was forced to close her eyes. Why he did this, she couldn't guess. Lena knew who her captor was. Even if she had not recognized his voice, the things he said could only come from the town's pharmacist.

Jeb sat at her feet, resting the light on the floor. The room was completely dark except for this small ray of light. Lena found it somewhat comforting to be able to see something after being in darkness for so long.

Jeb asked, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes," Lena answered, not remembering if she had felt worse before. He was injecting her with something ever)' four hours or so. She guessed from the way her muscles relaxed shortly after that it was some kind of pain medication. The drug was potent enough to keep her from hurting, but not enough to knock her out. He only knocked her out at night, then with whatever he was putting in the water. He held a wet sponge over her mouth, forcing her to swallow the bitter-tasting water. She prayed to God it was not belladonna she was ingesting. Lena had seen Julia Matthews with her own eyes. She knew how lethal the drug was. What's more, Lena doubted Sara Linton would be around to save her. Not that Lena was sure she wanted to be saved. In the back of her mind, Lena was coming to the conclusion that the best thing that could happen to her was for her to die here.

"I've tried to stop that dripping," Jeb said, as if to apologize. "I don't know what the problem is."

Lena licked her lips, holding her tongue.

"Sara came by," he said. "You know, she really has no idea who I am."

Again, Lena was silent. There was a lonely quality to his voice that she did not want to respond to. It was as if he wanted comfort.

"Do you want to know what I did to your sister?" he asked.

"Yes," Lena answered before she could stop herself.

"She had a sore throat," he began, taking off his shirt. Out of the corner of her eye, Lena watched him as he continued to undress himself. His tone was casual, the same one he used when recommending an over-the-counter cough medicine or a particular brand of vitamin.

He said, "She didn't like to take any medication, even aspirin. She asked me if I knew of a good herbal cough remedy." He was completely naked now, and he moved closer to Lena. She tried to jerk away as he lay down beside her, but it was useless. Her hands and feet were securely nailed to the floor. The secondary restraints all but paralyzed her.

Jeb continued, "Sara told me she would be going to the diner at two. I knew Sibyl would be there. I used to watch her walk by every Monday on her way to eat lunch. She was very pretty, Lena. But not like you. She didn't have your spirit."

Lena jerked as his hand came out to stroke her stomach. His fingers played lightly on her skin, sending a tremor of fear through her body.

He rested his head on her shoulder, watching his hand as he spoke. "I knew Sara was going to be there, that Sara could save her, but of course that's not how it worked out, was it? Sara was late. She was late, and she let your sister die."

Lena's body shook uncontrollably. He had kept her drugged during the past assaults, making them somewhat bearable. If he raped her now, like this, she wouldn't survive it. Lena remembered Julia Matthews's last words. She had said that Jeb made love to her; that was what had killed Julia. Lena knew if he made it gentle, if he was soft with her rather than savage, if he kissed her and caressed her as a lover, she would never be able to go back from this point. No matter what he did to her, if she lived beyond tomorrow, if she survived this ordeal, part of her would already be dead.

Jeb leaned over, tracing his tongue along her lower abdomen, into her navel. He gave a pleased laugh. "You're so sweet, Lena," he whispered, tracing his tongue up to her nipple. He sucked her breast gently, using his palm to attend to her other breast. His body was pressed into hers, and she could feel the hardness of him against her leg.

Lena's mouth trembled as she asked, "Tell me about Sibyl."

He used his fingers to gently squeeze her nipple. In another setting, under different circumstances, it would be almost playful. There was a hushed lover's tone to his voice that sent a wave of repulsion screaming down her spine.

Jeb said, "I walked around the back of the buildings and hid in the toilet. I knew the tea would make her have to use the bathroom, so…" He ran his fingers down her stomach, stopping just above her pubic area. "I locked myself in the other stall. It happened very fast. I should have guessed she was a virgin." He gave the kind of satisfied sigh a dog would give after a large meal. "She was so warm and wet when I was inside of her."

Lena shuddered as his finger probed between her legs. He massaged her, his eyes locked onto hers to see her reaction. The direct stimulation caused her body to react in ways contrary to the terror she was feeling. He leaned over, kissing the side of her breasts. "God, you've got a beautiful body," he moaned, holding his finger up to her lips, pressing her mouth open. She tasted herself as he slid his finger deeper; in and out, in and out.