“Fat chance, you bastard.” Though her hands shook, she picked up the roller and covered the black with fresh white primer.
Then they steadied, and her fingers dug in on the handle of the roller. “Wait a minute, wait a minute!”
Her mind whirling, she dropped the roller with a splatter of paint, grabbed her bag and ran as though the gods were chasing her.
Minutes later, she charged into her apartment. She tossed her purse aside and grabbed the library copy of Othello .
“ „Drown thyself, drown thyself. Its in here.” She flipped pages, frantically pulling the scene and context into her mind as she searched for the quote.
It was one ofIagos lines, when he was doing one of his numbers onRoderigo . She knew that line.
When she found it, she sat down on the floor.“ „It is a lust of the blood and a permission of the will,” she read aloud. “„Come, be a man. Drown thyself! drown cats and blind puppies.”
She fought for calm.
A lust of the blood and a permission of the will. Yes, that described Kanes vicious acts. Jealousy, guile, betrayal, and ambition. WhatIago knew, what Othello was ignorant of. Kane asIago ? The god-king as Othello. The king hadnt killed, but still the daughters—those he loved—were lost to him through lies and ambition.
And the play—surely this play had beauty, truth, courage. Was it the key?
Ordering herself to be methodical, she paged through the book, searched its binding. Setting it aside, she found her own copy and did the same. She forced herself to sit again, to read through the entire scene.
There were other copies of the play. She would go to the mall bookstore, search through those. She could hit the library again on Monday. Rising, she began to pace.
There were probably dozens of copies of Othello in various forms around the Valley. She would go to the schools, the college. Shed knock on damn doors if she had to.
“„Drown thyself, my ass,” she repeated and scooped up her purse. She would drive to the mall right now.
Shed already wrenched open the door when it struck her. Her own fury knocked her two steps back before she slammed the door shut again.
She was being a fool, a mark. An idiot. Who had written the words on the wall? Kane. A liar quoting a liar. It wasnt a clue. It was misdirection. Something to have her running off on a tangent. Exactly as she had done.
“Goddamn it!” She flung her purse across the room. “Outright lies or twisted truth? Which is it?”
Resigned, she marched across the room to retrieve her purse. She had to find out, so it looked like she was taking that trip to the mall after all.
* * *
SHE was, Dana thought when she arrived home, probably as calm as she was going to get after spending the morning on what she was certain was a wild-goose chase. Still, shed be happier when Malory andZoe arrived. If nothing else, a girlfriend afternoon would cheer her up.
Theyd have some food, theyd talk. And when Dana had called and said she needed them to come,Zoe had promised pedicures.
Not a bad deal.
She carried the Chinese food shed picked up into the kitchen, set it on the counter. Then just stood there for a moment.
All right, she admitted, maybe she wasnt calm, maybe she wasnt steady. Not quite yet. And her head was screaming from the echoes of the morning fear, the frustration that had followed.
She walked to the bathroom, took a bottle of Extra-Strength Tylenol out of the medicine cabinet, and washed two down with tap water.
Maybe she should have opted for a nap instead of company. But despite the headache, the vague nausea, this was one time she didnt want to be alone.
She nearly flew to the door at the knock.
“Are you all right?”Zoe stepped in, dropped the bags she carried on the floor, then gathered Dana in her arms. “Im sorry it took me so long to get here.”
“Its okay. Im all right.” No, Dana realized, this was much better than a nap. “Im just really glad youre here. What about Simon?”
“Flynn took him. It was really nice. He and Jordan are taking Simon over to Bradleys. He can run around with Moe, play with guys, eat junk food, watch football. Simons thrilled. Isnt Mal here yet? She left before I did.”