in people the same age, race, sex, and weight. There are anthropological charts that give specific measurements for each point. For instance, in a Caucasian male like Varak, the tissue-depth thickness between the mid-philtrum point, which is the space between the nose and the top lip, is ten millimeters. The architecture of the bone beneath the tissue determines whether he has bulging eyes or jutting chin or whatever.”
“What happens next?”
“I insert the depth markers and take strips of plasticine and apply them between the markers, then build up all of the tissue-depth points. Kind of like a connect the dots game in three dimensions.”
“Only that’s an enormous simplification,” Jill said quietly.
Eve glanced at her. “Enormous,” she agreed. “But that’s the basic step. Then you worry about being absolutely true to your measurements and keeping track of the placement of facial muscles and how they influence the facial contour. And so on and so forth. Are you bored yet?”
“No way. I want to know about noses and mouths.” Her gaze was narrowed on Eve’s face. “But you’re getting tired. You’re fading. I can see it. I don’t want to be an extra stress on you. I’ll just sit here and watch quietly until you give up and go to bed.”
She was right, Eve realized. She was suddenly feeling drained. She had thought she’d be fine for another hour or so, but if she wanted to finish these basic measurements, she needed to gather her strength and concentration. “Whatever.” She shrugged. “Later.”
She closed Jill out and focused entirely on the hideous skull before her. Strange, she never considered skulls hideous. It must be the thought of Varak…
Whatever it was, she wanted to be done with him for a while.
But the last measurements, which should have taken her another thirty minutes, stretched out to an hour. She was totally exhausted when she pushed back her chair. “Enough,” she told Jill as she headed for her cot. “Now I need a nap.”
“At last,” Jill murmured as she flicked off the overhead light and followed Eve. “Can I get you anything? Another glass of water?”
“No…too tired.” She crawled onto the cot. She was yawning as she pulled up the sheet. “You wanted to know about mouths and noses? They can be difficult. I’ll tell you about it some other time…”
“You do that. Don’t worry about it. That’s another story. I can wait.”
“Another story…Sounds like you. But sometimes the story turns out to be a mystery and has to be guesswork that you have…”
* * *
Eve was asleep.
Jill shook her head as she gazed down at her before she gently tucked the sheet higher around Eve’s shoulders. She was glad that Eve had finally given in, but she wished it had been before she was this exhausted. Yet she’d known it had to be Eve who made the call. She turned and glided away from Eve’s cot.
She should probably go back to her own cot across the room and try to get a few hours sleep herself, but she knew she was too wired to relax. Too much had been going on in the last twenty-four hours, and she hadn’t had Eve’s nonstop work to burn off adrenaline and energy.
And these nights, she had to be as exhausted as Eve had been before she could sleep without the nightmares coming.
Don’t think about them. It was only a matter of time before she’d overcome that damn weakness.
Fresh air.
Clear her head and listen to the soothing night sounds.
She quickly moved past the worktable, avoiding looking at the Varak reconstruction as she headed for the door. Not now. She’d face that battle again later. He was part of this village’s nightmare as well as her own personal nightmare. She needed to get away from him for a little while.
She drew a deep breath as the cool night air hit her face.
Bright moonlight.
Night sounds. Jungle sounds. Birds. Animals…Was that a monkey?
That was better. She could feel some of the tension leaving her. She sank down and leaned back against the stucco wall of the museum. Twenty minutes, and she’d be ready to go back inside and try to sleep…
“Is everything okay?”
She jumped.
Novak was a dark silhouette a few yards away.
“It would be if you didn’t move like a damn panther,” she said wryly. “I didn’t hear you. What are you doing here?”
“Making phone calls. Checking on the sentries I set up. Waiting for Quinn to show up and raise hell. According to Gideon, he’s as pissed off as we thought