Maggie had plannedas far as she'd plannedanything at all—to,rush right up and get in Sylvia'sface. To startle her into some kind of confession. She was going to say, "I need to talk to you." Butbefore she could get the first word out, Sylvia spokewithout looking up.
"What a shame. You really -should have stayedhome with your .parents, you know." Her voice wascool and languorous, not hasty and certainly notregretful.
Maggie stopped in her tracks.
Now, what's thatsupposed to mean? Is it athreat? Fine. Whatever. I can threaten, too.
But she was taken by surprise, and she had toswallow hard before speaking roughly. "I don'tknow what you're talking about, but at least you'vedropped the weepy-weepy act. You were really badat it."
"I thought I was very good," Sylvia said andadded a pinch of something to the incense burner."I'm sure the officers thought so, too."
Once again, Maggie was startled. This wasn'tgoing at all as she expected. Sylvia was so calm, somuch at ease.' So much in control of the situation.
Not anymore, Maggie thought.
She just admittedit was an act. All that chokey stuff while she was talking about Miles…
Fury uncoiled in Maggie's stomach like a snake.
She took three fast steps forward. "You knowwhy I'm here. I want to know what really happenedto my brother."
"I told you"
"You told a bunch of lies! I don't know what the truth is. The only thing I do know is that Miles would never make a stupid mistake like not buckling his harness. Look, if you did somethingdumb-if he's lying out there hurt or something,and you were too scared to admit ityou'd bettertell me right now." It was the first time she'd putinto words a reason for Sylvia to be lying.
Sylvia looked up.
Maggie was startled. In the light of the singlecandle by the incense burner, Sylvia's eyes werenot violet but a more reddish color, like amethyst. They were large and clear and the light seemed to play in them, quivering.