The Reef

barely a whisper that slithered through the bars like a snake. “Do you think I’ll let you keep it?”
    “I came here to tell you that you don’t matter anymore.”
    “Don’t I?” His eyes flickered. “I should have killed her. I should have put a hole in her gut and let you watch her die.”
    Matthew leapt toward the bars, nearly ripped at them when the gleam of satisfaction in VanDyke’s eyes stopped him. No, not this way, Matthew told himself. Not his way. “She beat you. She’s the one who finally brought you down. You saw it, didn’t you? The fire in the water. You saw her watching you,” he continued, drawing on the scene Tate had described to him. “She was so beautiful, so terrifying caught in that wild light. And you screamed like a child in a nightmare.”
    Color that rage had washed into his cheeks had now drained, leaving them white as paper. “I saw nothing. Nothing!” His voice rose as he jerked off the cot. In his mind a blur of terrifying images swam, took shape and threatened to tear at his sanity like eager claws.
    The screams wanted to pump, wild and hot, out of his throat.
    “You saw it.” Calm settled over Matthew again. “And you’ll see it over and over again. Every time you close your eyes. How long can you live with the fear of that?”
    “I’m afraid of nothing.” Terror was an icy ball in his belly. “They won’t keep me in prison. I have position. I have money.”
    “You have nothing,” Matthew murmured, “but years to think about what you did, and what in the end you couldn’t do.”
    “I’ll get out, and I’ll find you.”
    “No.” This time, Matthew smiled, sharp and fast. “You won’t.”
    “I’ve already won.” He came close, wrapped his fingers around the bars until they were as white as his face. His breath came fast, and the eyes that burned into Matthew’s held the bright edge of madness. “Your father’s dead, your uncle’s a cripple. And you’re nothing but a second-rate scavenger.”
    “You’re the one in the cage, VanDyke. And I’m the one with the amulet.”
    “I’ll deal with you. I’ll finish the Lassiters and take what’s mine.”
    “She beat you,” Matthew repeated. “A woman started it, and a woman ended it. You had it in your hands, didn’t you? But you couldn’t keep it.”
    “I’ll get it back, James.” His lips peeled back. “And I’ll deal with you. You think you can outwit me?”
    “I’ll protect what’s mine.”
    “Always so sure of yourself. But I’ve already won, James. The amulet’s mine. It was always mine.”
    Matthew backed away from the bars. “Stay healthy, VanDyke. I want you to live a long, long time.”
    “I won.” The shrill, furious voice followed Matthew as he walked away. “I won.”
    Because he needed the sun, Matthew walked outside the station house. He scrubbed his hands over his face and hoped Tate wouldn’t be much longer giving her statement.
    The air was hot and still, and he had a deep craving for the sea—for something fresh and scented. For Tate.
    It was nearly twenty minutes later before she came out. He thought she looked exhausted, all pale skin and haunted eyes. Saying nothing, he held out a bouquet of vivid pink and blue flowers.
    “What’s this?”
    “They’re called flowers. They sell them at the florist down the street.”
    That made her smile, and when she buried her face in them, her spirits lifted. “Thanks.”
    “I thought we could both use them.” He ran a hand down her braid. “Rough morning?”
    “Well, I’ve had better. Still, the police were very sympathetic and patient. With my statement, yours, LaRue’s, the tapes, they have so many charges I’m not sure what they’ll do first.” She lifted a shoulder. It hardly mattered now. “I suppose he’ll be extradited eventually.”
    With his hand linked with hers, Matthew walked her to the rental car. “I think he’s going to spend what’s left of his life in a padded cell. I just saw him.”
    “Oh.” She waited until he’d climbed into the driver’s seat. “I wondered if you would.”
    “I wanted to see him in a cage.” Thoughtfully, Matthew put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb. “I guess since I couldn’t pound his face in, I wanted to have the chance to gloat at least.”
    “And?”
    “He’s right on the edge, and I might have given him a little shove to take him closer to it.” He glanced toward her. “He tried to convince me—or maybe himself, that he’d