Evil in All Its Disguises

by Hilary Davidson

  “Poor fella,” Jesse kept saying afterwards. “I’m prayin’ for him.”

  Jesse and Martin were two of the only people who realized the significance of another story that had appeared in New York papers a couple of days earlier. beautiful pr exec dies in hit-and-run it screeched, above a particularly gorgeous photograph of Denny Chiu. I couldn’t bring myself to read it, so Jesse supplied the details. She’d been hit outside of Washington Square Park, just a couple of blocks away from Jesse’s apartment building. She’d died immediately at the scene.

  “She took my coat and went to your building,” I said. “What was she thinking? I told her Josef Dietrich’s men were watching it.”

  “She was havin’ trouble with the guilt. You know that. She couldn’t live with it. She knew her life was over when you spilled everything to Ryan, anyway.” He looked at me seriously. “You tell Ryan who really killed Skye?”

  “No.”

  “You still plannin’ to?”

  I studied Denny’s picture and put the paper down. “I don’t think there’s any reason to tell him anymore.”

  “Then I reckon Denny got what she wanted.”

  The day of Skye’s memorial was also the day Pete Dukermann finally came out of the coma he’d been in since he’d been evacuated from Mexico. When I went to see him in the hospital the next day, he was surprisingly upbeat. “I thought I was a goner,” he admitted. “But it all worked out in the end. And you know what? Donna and I are back together.” He beamed from ear to ear. “Isn’t that awesome? Who knew being in a coma would fix all my problems? Plus, she’s going to get counseling.”

  I imagined the poor woman needed a lot of help, being married to Pete. “Maybe you could go together?”

  “Yeah, we’ll do that. But she’s going to get anger-management counseling for herself. She’s promised.”

  My mind went back to the scratches and marks I’d seen on Pete in Acapulco. “Wait a minute! You mean—”

  “Don’t say anything. It’s kinda embarrassing.” Pete said. “But we’re gonna get things set right. It was like a vicious circle. I’d get high, or I’d travel, and Donna would get mad. Sometimes she’d lose control. Then, with that last fight, I hit her back and got arrested. It was the lowest point of my life. I never hit a woman before.”

  I hoped, for both their sakes, they were ready to get help. “Maybe Donna could start coming with you when you travel,” I suggested.

  “You know, I think I’m done traveling. At least for a while,” he admitted. “Don’t you feel sick of it?”

  “No. I don’t know if I’ll ever want to go back to Acapulco, but I’d still go to hell in a handbasket, if I got the chance.”

  “That’s wanderlust,” he said. “Exactly how I used to feel. Only I don’t anymore.”

  “Maybe I’ll wake up one day and decide that I don’t, either,” I said, but somehow, I doubted it.

  I was going back to Barcelona, I told myself, even as I changed my return date not once, but twice. Bruxton and I spent some time together, but he was so emotionally aloof I was never sure where I stood with him. Finally, on the night before I was supposed to fly back to Barcelona—third time’s the charm—I decided take the direct approach. We were supposed to have dinner together; instead, I discovered that was just a ruse. Jesse had planned a surprise going-away party for me, and when I walked out of his guest room, wearing my vampiest black cocktail dress and open-toed slingbacks, there were thirty people jumping out at me in the living room, shouting “Surprise!”

  “Gotcha!” Jesse said. “Bet you never saw that comin’!”

  “No, I did not.”

  Bruxton, standing against one wall, shrugged at me. It was a what-can-you-do gesture. I didn’t like it one bit.

  By nine-thirty, I’d had enough. “Let’s go for a walk,” I told Bruxton.

  “You sure you want to leave? You’re the guest of honor.”

  “They’ll have plenty of fun without me.”

  Outside, it was a cool night. Without discussing it, we headed toward Washington Square Park. I’d walked by it several times since Denny had died, thinking about her. Bruxton offered me a cigarette, then lit one for himself. He put his arm around me and rubbed my bare shoulder. Maybe I wasn’t the only one who’d waited for this. “You cold?”

  “No, I’m fine.” Except that I wasn’t. “Brux, do you remember when I came back from Acapulco, and I kissed you?”

  “Hell, yeah.”

  “Why haven’t you tried to kiss me?”

  He looked away. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with your ex, Lily. I don’t feel right, getting in the way of that.”

  “Getting in the way?”

  “He’s sick. He’s probably dying. He needs you more than I do.”

  “He asked me to marry him again. Do you know what his argument was? That I’d be a very rich widow very soon. I passed.”

  “But still you spend time with him.”

  “Brux, you have a son, so I didn’t think I’d have to explain this to you, but apparently I do.” We stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, facing each other near the park’s gleaming white, triumphal arch. “If anything happens to Martin, I’ll be Ridley’s guardian.”

  “Doesn’t the kid have a mother?”

  “Yes, but she’s been in and out of rehab. Right now, she’s in again. Not exactly the influence Ridley needs.”

  “You’d, what, act like Ridley’s mom?” Bruxton was taken aback by the idea. He was a perennial cynic, but this was clearly a scenario he hadn’t envisioned.

  “I don’t feel ready to be anyone’s mom. But I’d take care of him.” I took a breath. “If things had worked out differently, I’d be his stepmother. Claudia was close to him, too. She thought of him as a kid brother. One way or another, he’s always going to be part of my life. He’s family to me.”

  “Does that make Martin family?”

  “In a way.” I tried not to smile at his sour expression. “He’s my ex. I’m not in love with him anymore, but I’m not ashamed to admit I still feel a kind of love for him.”

  “What would Claudia think of that?” His voice was harsh, even raspier than usual.

  “I think she’d understand. She’d know how hard it is to lose someone you love, under any circumstances.” I tossed our cigarettes in the gutter and put my hands on his chest. He was almost ridiculously over-muscled and inked. I’d caught sight of his tattooed torso once and I wanted a better view. “Claudia would be thrilled that the romance is gone. She’d definitely understand that I feel a duty to Ridley. She would have, too.”

  “Yeah. I can picture that.” His hands gripped my waist, and he pulled me close. “I still hate the idea of you flying off tomorrow.”

  “What reason have you given me to stay?” I teased, putting my arms around his neck.

  “You sound like you want to be convinced.” His hands were moving along my body, as if trying to memorize every inch of me, every curve. He leaned forward and kissed me hard, clutching me against him. My body was so hot it seemed as if I were melting into him.

  “Get a room!” called a man walking past.

  “Get a life, asshole,” Brux called after him. The man turned, took a good look at Brux, and hurried off.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I love your chivalrous side.”

  “Yeah, it comes out a little too often.” He leaned forward and kissed me again. “So, what do you want to do?”

  “You, obviously.”

  “You, serious, Lily?” He put his forehead against mine. “You want to come back to my place tonight?”

  “More than anything.”

  “I’m not going to want you to leave,” he whispered.

  “I bet I won’t want to.” I pulled back a little. “But I will.”

  “Can’t I convince you to stay?”

  I shook my head. “But you can convince me to come back.”

  He put his hand on the back of my neck, his mouth working mine over intently. He tasted
like coffee and cigarettes, and that went well with the musky aroma of his skin. “I’m gonna make the best damn argument I ever made.”

  “Good. I hope you can drive fast.”

  “Damn straight.” He started to pull me down the street, but he stopped and picked me up, spinning me around and making me laugh. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

  “I do.” I leaned forward to kiss him again. “Deep down, I’m pretty superficial.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Hilary Davidson was a journalist before she turned to the dark side and started writing crime fiction. Her novels include the Lily Moore series—The Damage Done, The Next One to Fall, and Evil in All Its Disguises—the Shadows of New York series—One Small Sacrifice and Don’t Look Down—and the standalone novels Blood Always Tells and Her Last Breath. She is also the author of some fifty short stories; a few of the earliest have been gathered in a collection called The Black Widow Club. Her fiction has won two Anthony Awards, a Derringer Award, and a host of other accolades. Toronto born and raised, she moved to New York City in October 2001 because of her very persuasive husband, Daniel. She is also the author of eighteen nonfiction books.

  Visit Hilary online at www.hilarydavidson.com.

  BOOKS BY HILARY DAVIDSON

  The Lily Moore Series

  The Damage Done

  The Next One to Fall

  Evil in All Its Disguises

  The Shadows of New York Series

  One Small Sacrifice

  Don’t Look Down

  Standalone Novels

  Blood Always Tells

  Her Last Breath

  Collected Short Stories

  The Black Widow Club: Nine Tales of Obsession & Murder

  PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR

  “Hilary Davidson’s lush novel delivers on all counts, offering both slow-burn suspense and creeping pathos. Taking the classic story of a hero’s quest to solve the riddle of a wayward sister, it’s ultimately a tale of lost women, victims and victimizers, damaging and perilously damaged. A rich, haunting debut.”

  —Megan Abbott on The Damage Done

  “One of the best debuts I’ve read in years.”

  —Crimespree Magazine on The Damage Done

  “Think Hitchcock writing for the hip Manhattan set… Neil Young might have to rewrite the song. The novel is that startling and original.”

  —Ken Bruen on The Damage Done

  “Davidson smartly injects the proceedings with a healthy dose of noir. Just like many of her characters, Davidson isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. The result is a mystery that contains more grit than glamour. And while it still has a heart, it’s of the broken variety.”

  — Noir Journal on The Damage Done

  “Davidson’s follow-up to her Anthony Award-winning debut (The Damage Done) will leave you breathless, and not just because of the Andes’ high altitude. Her determined young travel writer propels the exciting plot like a rocket.”

  — Library Journal on The Next One to Fall

  “An attempt to overcome grief with a trip to fascinating Machu Picchu leads to even more wild intrigue... Lily’s feelings for her sister ring painfully true, and Davidson’s rendering of Machu Picchu and Cusco would merit a pisco sour toast even from the great Jan Morris.”

  — Kirkus Reviews on The Next One to Fall

  “Lily Moore is one of the most appealing ‘amateur’ sleuths I’ve encountered in years. The vivid sense of place—Peru, in this case—is everything one would expect from a seasoned travel journalist like Hilary Davidson, the story is deliciously twisty, the characters engaging. I know I can’t be the only reader looking forward to more Moore.”

  —Laura Lippman on The Next One to Fall

  “Davidson is a rising star in the mystery genre.”

  — South Florida Sun-Sentinel on The Next One to Fall

  “I have never been to Peru nor have I tasted coca tea. But I had just read Anthony Award winner Hilary Davidson’s The Next One to Fall, which is so wonderfully steeped in the scenery of Peru that I could picture the country as if I had been there. Davidson shows the reader Peru's geography, its politics, its violence and its people in ways that most travel articles do not.”

  —Mystery Scene on The Next One to Fall

  “Davidson doesn’t just tell you of her heroine’s sorrow—she gives it substance, form, and volition, taking full advantage of its presence in a way I’ve not quite seen before. It’s effective, unique, and thoroughly compelling.”

  —Criminal Element on The Next One to Fall

  “Hilary Davidson delivers the goods—an exotic, atmospheric setting, a rocket-paced plot, and a bright, engaging heroine in Lily Moore. Evil in All Its Disguises is a top-notch mystery—exciting, harrowing, and smart.”

  —Lisa Unger on Evil in All Its Disguises

  “Davidson has a great eye for the small detail that leads the reader into the spot and her puzzle plots are beautifully organized and crafted... This third book featuring travel journalist Lily Moore is the best of the set.”

  —The Globe & Mail on Evil in All Its Disguises

  “Davidson is very good at dropping stray details in the margins of the story and daring the reader to pick up the wrong ones.”

  —National Post on Evil in All Its Disguises

  “Hilary Davidson is the master of plot twists!”

  — Tess Gerritsen on Blood Always Tells

  “Blood Always Tells is a story about power and powerlessness, about selfishness and selflessness, about desperate people doing desperate things. Underneath it all, though, it’s also a meditation on fate and free will, on nature and nurture, and on whether it’s possible to overcome genetics and circumstance.”

  —Criminal Element on Blood Always Tells

  “Davidson has penned an outstanding novel that entertains with its carefully plotted tale of kidnapping, murder and duplicity. Impressive from the outset, the surprises continue throughout until the clincher at the end. Her talent for character development shines.”

  —Romantic Times on Blood Always Tells (an RT Top Pick)

  “Davidson’s latest novel is her best work yet. One Small Sacrifice is a fast-paced winner. Highly recommended.”

  —Harlan Coben on One Small Sacrifice

  “Fans of Karin Slaughter, Tana French, and Lisa Gardner will devour this new police procedural, which boasts a strong female detective and an intriguing antagonist. Sheryn [Sterling] will draw in readers, and Davidson’s complex storytelling will keep them wanting more.”

  —Library Journal on One Small Sacrifice (starred review)

  “A taut, compelling narrative with a nerve-tingling climax. Davidson turns clichés of the contemporary novel on their heads to create a wholly believable cast of characters. I hope we’ll see more of detective Sheryn Sterling.”

  —Sara Paretsky on One Small Sacrifice

  “A terrific thriller with a big heart. A smart, compelling examination of guilt, blame, and responsibility that will keep you turning the pages. Hilary Davidson is a rising star of suspense.”

  — Jeff Abbott on One Small Sacrifice

  “The story line veers between alternate points of view with Traynor and Sterling, and their perspectives on the same information provide different results. Writing the novel in this fashion amps up the suspense while also giving the narrative a complex and compelling flair. In addition, Davidson does an admirable job of making a complicated issue such as PTSD relatable.”

  — Associated Press on One Small Sacrifice

  “Packed with secrets, lies and surprises, One Small Sacrifice kept me guessing to the very end. A gritty kaleidoscope of a thriller.”

  —Riley Sager on One Small Sacrifice

  “Davidson’s stealthily plotted, rapidly deployed, multi-stranded mystery encompasses the most intimate of brutalities—including domestic abuse and post-battlefield PTSD, a solid handful of dodgy characters, and, in the most humane of touches, a dog named Sid.”

  — Seattle Re
view of Books on One Small Sacrifice

  “Davidson’s wildly intense murder mystery grabs the listener from the beginning and holds on to the very end... The many characters are well written and have complex back stories that enhance the tale. The age-old themes of survival, class, ambition, greed, revenge, love, and deceit all come into play.”

  — Library Journal on Don’t Look Down (starred review)

  “A blackmail plot produces complications upon complications in a story of sex trafficking, class wars, and stolen identities... such a satisfying page-turner.”

  —Kirkus Reviews on Don’t Look Down