Rage to possess

Didn't it occur to him that he might be wrong?

Shyness and years in Africa's Karoo desert had bred in Carla Duminy a deep reserve that she wore like invisible armor to shield herself from harsh realities. The cold hauteur some people thought she exhibited was just an illusion

Foreign-affairs-correspondent Revel Braden was renowned for his dogged pursuit of truth, no matter what the danger. Yet he displayed a particularly biased view when it came to Carla and her friendship with Vivienne Franck's husband.

He claimed he knew Carla for what she was -- a married man's mistress who deserved to learn the meaning of heartache.