Detective Hoover eyed the line of video tapes he had seized three days ago at Mikael Gant's studio and conveniently forgotten to return. He had watched them all, but aside that he was wondering with what kind of shit some people made thousands of dollars while others worked their ass of in honest work – he had not get any insight. A few of these tapes could maybe be classified as soft porn – but, well, no one died in there! The police had probed the respective sources on the black marked, but so far, they had not found any tape with the murder of Alexa Finley. Did exist one? And if, WHERE the hell was it? Still somewhere at Gant's house?

He stood up, went to the window and peered through the dust-covered blinds. His office plant looked disastrous. I should water it, he thought briefly, but could not get away from his pondering about that "nonexisting case". One of his colleagues had mentioned the Finley-murder might just be a copy cat. The Sorvino-serial-killer-story had been in the news, after all, and there were always crazy people who felt inspired by such things. Gant might be innocent. No, I'm sure he isn't, Hoover said to himself. But what do we miss? Dammit! What do I miss?

Crystal and Mikael sat at brunch in bathrobes. First, she had planned to get some of her things from her house, however then, she decided that she didn't want to cross Norman's path already. She needed some distance, some time to 'cool off'. And it was just that wonderful to be all day long with Mikael! He was attentive and he listened to what she said – really listened, unlike Norman who very often only grumbled an 'Uh-uhm', because occupied with whatsoever.

He had taken another of the strawberry tartlets and gently shoved it into her mouth, using the opportunity to trace the outlines of her face again. "I'm going to make a new sculpture after you…" he whispered, pausing with his finger on her lips, while she swallowed down the last crumbs. "And I'll name it…Perfection."

They sat there for a while, and Crystal had the impression they did not need words at all to communicate and understand each other.

"Marry me," he suddenly said and smiled at her. "I know a little chapel in Hilo where we can go tonight."

Crystal couldn't have been more surprised. "What…?" was all she could manage after a moment of speechlessness. They only knew each other for barely three weeks! "Mikael… I… Oh God, I don't know what to say!"

"You said you love me."

"I do! Of course, I do!" Nonetheless, she had rushed into the marriage with Norman once, and that particular memory made her feel uneasy. She stood up and lowered down on his lap and in his arms. "I just need some more time! And I don't want our marriage a quick ceremony as if it was nothing important!"

"Yes." His voice sounded as if it came out of a torture chamber.

"I won't run away from you, you know that!" she said, but he still looked strangely frightened. "And I hope, you'll design my wedding dress..."

While she caressed through his hair, the smile came back into his face. "Of course."

"Oh, Mikael, how could I be so lucky to find you?" She leaned in and brushed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I was the lucky one, Crystal." He opened her bathrobe and embraced her tightly.

The ringing phone ripped them apart a moment later. They parted with some effort, and he took the obviously important call. It was an electronics specialist in Hilo. The anticipated new video camera had arrived.

"Good, I'm going to drive to the city and get the camera. Then I can also replace the broken tools," Mikael decided.

"I come with you and drive one tour. So it will not be that straining."

"You are always that caring." He took her hands again. "You can also go into a boutique and buy some new clothes, if you want."

"You mean, so I don't look like a scarecrow next to you," she teased.

On their way to the car, they found their way blocked by a reporter who shot photos before Mikael could grab her arm. "Stop that!"

"Lucy Krazinsky from the National Enquirer! - Mr. Gant, I have a few questions, please! Is it true that there's an ongoing police investigation-"

"I have no time, excuse me!" He pushed her aside, opened the door for Crystal who hastily covered her face with her arm as the camera moved in her direction again. Then Mikael was inside the car and started the engine.

Still, they heard the reporter plead. Mikael drove on slowly, which finally hushed her back.

Crystal exhaled relieved.

"I'm sorry my love. They are a horrible nuisance."

"I'm afraid I have to get used to it, at your side!" She tried to sound lighthearted but in reality, was very disturbed by the encounter.

"You deserve every attention," he answered. "Without you and your inspiration, I would not have been able to finish anything. So I hope, you'll be at my side at the next vernissage."

Crystal woke up very early in the morning and could not find sleep again. Contrary to former times, when this state usually was evoked by sorrows concerning Norman or money or in most cases, both – this time she could not sleep anymore because of happiness. More and more, her previous life seemed one-dimensional to her. Norman had been a down-to-earth guy, whose dreams were limited to win struggles against politicians and business guys. Of course, this was important, but she realized she wanted to dream about other things, too. She did not only want to be a fighting comrade and a housewife greeting her weary warrior. Mikael had pushed open the doors to a whole new universe full of discoveries in every field. Maybe, she thought, lying there and looking at her sleeping lover, she had been dead and only now awake and alive?!

After a while, Crystal decided to stand up, go down into the studio, and make a little surprise. Last day, she had spotted a sandstone cube, which would be perfect to transform it into a stylish flower pot for one of the newly bought plants. If she hurried and everything went fine, she could have finished until he would wake up – probably around noon – and already decorate the table! He should see what she had learned already!

Mikael was again snatched into one of his nightmares. He heard the frightened cries of a woman and was running through dark corridors and spacious halls without being able to utter a sound himself or move faster, for that matter. The more he struggled, the less he could move. Suddenly, he sensed something cold, and when he looked down, his hands and clothes were full of blood. He tried to get away more frantically but could not. From everywhere was oozing blood, even the sculptures opened their immaculate stony bodies and bled.

Crystal heard his terrified cry from upstairs. Letting her tool drop to the ground, she ran to the staircase, calling Mikael's name. Trembling and heart racing, she arrived in the bedroom and found him sitting on the edge of the bed, fear, and shock etched in his face.

"What happened?"

"Only a nightmare." He did not look like 'only' whatsoever. "Where have you been?"

"In the studio; I wanted to make a gift for you!" Crystal sat down next to him, caressing his back. "I'm worried about you!"

"It's nothing."

"Don't you want to talk about it? To me, at least? I had bad dreams when I was a kid. After I had read some monster stories I had stolen from my brother, you know. Therefore I was afraid to tell anyone. He hated it when I browsed through his boy's stuff. Well, but after I had opened my heart to grandma, the nightmares were just gone."

Mikael shook his head, staring past her.

"Please! I love you. I don't want to see you like that and not be able to help you – and if only in listening to what's ailing you!"

He remained silent, got to his feet instead, and paced through the room, slowly, as if he had to probe the ground first before making the next step. Crystal waited patiently, trying not to show too much how worried she was.

"A few years ago," he started finally to speak, "I had an assistant… a helper doing some minor sculpting tasks, acquiring material, that sort of things. He had said he was a student, wanting to supplement his scholarship." He stood in the middle of the room, eyes half-closed, appalled. Again, some time passed until he continued. "One night, I had sent a young woman to my studio for some test photos. I wanted to fetch an ordered camera filter before, and so I sent her ahead. … But the car broke down, and I only came home long past midnight. … Just in time … to find my assistant had raped the girl."

"No wonder it still haunts you!" Crystal had put her arms around him.

"When he saw me, he fled, but the police got him, and he was sentenced."

"Is he out of prison yet?" She asked. "Could it be him who frames you?"

"He's dead. He tried to kill a prostitute back in L.A., and has been shot during his arrest. Only his ghost… still grins at me…" Mikael's voice trailed off as his gaze wandered toward the window, which mirrored a ghostlike image of himself and the woman in his arms.

Crystal's eyes were closed now; she leaned against him, attempting to shoo away the frightening remnants of the past with her presence. He still stared into the window-mirror like hypnotized. He hadn't told her everything. He had not told her that at the end of this dream, it hadn't been his assistant who awaited his frantically running self. The man who bent over the screaming girl had been himself; he had looked into his own devilish smiling features.

...

Hoover halted at the balustrade of the promenade and looked down to the Marina. Last night, he had walked up and down every street in the area where Alexa Finley's body had been found. He could not let go! Again and again, he went through the facts they had established so far. Where had she been killed? On the street? In the car? Where was the damned evidence? And was there a video tape?

A boat, it suddenly crossed his mind. A boat! And he hurried down to the administrative building on the other side. Behind the counter slouched a young guy, browsing in a comic book. The detective showed his badge and skipped all thoughts about his orders. "I would like to know if a certain Mikael Gant has a yacht or anything at this Marina?"

"Uh, I'm only here for a couple of days, Sir, because Kim is on vacation... Let me see if I can find anything on the computer." He typed with one finger on the keyboard and Hoover sighed silently.

"Yes, there's a Mikael Gant in our registry."

"He is?!"

"But it's not a yacht. More a boat... Should be over there at pier 25. Shall I show you?"

Hoover had to resist with all his willpower. But filing through the boat would be more rulebreaking than he could risk. "No, thank you. That's all I want to know." He needed the chief's support, dammit! He had to convince him!

Murmuring a thankyou, he turned back when he discovered the newest issue of the 'Enquirer' at the newsstand nearby. And from the shiny front page, annoyingly enough, greeted Mikael Gant's smug grinning face. The detective bought it and browsed through. Ah, a sneaky reporter had caught him at his home... And there was this woman he had seen on the screen of the video cutting table! Crystal Jennings, according to the 'Enquirer'. 'Do we witness a wonderful romance on the romantic Hawaiian beach?' he read.

A bad feeling started to form inside him. A very bad feeling. A romance, he wondered, or the prelude to the next murder? I should tell Shea. And I should speak to this woman... Warn her... No, this was out of the question at the moment, as she might tell Gant, who for sure would tell his damned lawyers! He went back to the precinct.

Head Detective Shea shot him a glance, as he saw him bursting into the office. "Ray, you're one hour late! We have a robbery in a pharmacy and-"

"I'm onto something in the Gant-women-murder-case!"

"There is no such case!" the chief snorted.

"I was at the Marina, Gant has a boat there!"

"So what?!"

"There's probably our missing evidence."

"Ray, I don't like that kind of obsession! The past week, you have barely done your regular work. And Mr. Gant's lawyer asked for the second time you might return his tapes."

Hoover placed the 'Enquirer' at the desk. "Look at that! She could be his next victim!"

"She also could be the next woman suing him for alimony. Ray, please-"

"So we wait until we found her in a dumpster like Alexa Finley?!"

The phone rang. For a few moments, Shea was busy with the robbery. Then, he turned to the waiting Hoover again. "You will stay away from Gant, from his house, his car, his boat, and his girlfriends - did I make myself clear?!"