“She won’t need you. I’ve arranged to have a nurse and doctor in residence. And I’m going to stay with her as much as possible.” He made a face. “ Who knows? Maybe she’ll talk to me.”
“ I hope she will.”
He studied her expression. “ You really do.”
“ I know you won’t believe me, but I love her.” She paused. “ I’m going to make something to eat and bring it up. Neither Cassie nor I have had anything to eat today. So if you want one of your CIA people to watch what I’m putting in your food, you’d better send him to me. Where’s the kitchen?”
“Down the hall to the left.” He started up the stairs. “And I believe I’ll trust you. You haven’t hurt her yet.”
The huge country kitchen was fully stocked, and Melissa found canned soup and vegetables for a salad. She grabbed a bite for herself, then took a tray up to Cassie and Andreas.
An hour later she was standing at the sink, washing the dishes and looking out the window at the hills. It must be wonderful to live here and be able to look out at all these flowers. Such a beautiful place . . .
A sudden chill went through her.
Such a deadly place.
Melissa stood in the doorway of Cassie’s room. “May I speak to you in the hall?”
“ Not now,” Andreas said.
“ Now. I don’t want to talk in front of her, but I will.”
He looked at her face and then glanced at Cassie. “ Five minutes.” He stood up and followed her from the room. “ You’re pale as a ghost. What’s the problem?”
“ You tell me. Something’s going to happen here. What is it?”
“ I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“ The hell you don’t.” Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Something’s going to happen and you’re part of it.”
“ Why do you say that?”
“ Because it’s true, isn’t it?”
“ You’re imagining things. You and Cassie are perfectly safe.”
She knew that was true. “ It’s Travis.”
He turned to go back in the room.
She grabbed his arm. “ What’s going to happen to Travis?”
“ What he deserves.” He went into Cassie’s room and shut the door.
Damn him. She collapsed back against the wall. God, he was hard and totally unforgiving. He wasn’t going to tell her anything. He’d let it happen. . . .
Well, she wasn’t going to let it happen, but she couldn’t prevent it by standing there feeling sorry for herself.
She straightened and crossed the hall to the bedroom she’d chosen. She snatched a crocheted throw and wrapped it around her shoulders. Christ, she was cold. She curled up on the window seat and stared out at the hills.
Such a deadly place.
The thought had come out of nowhere and with it a vision of Travis falling, blood pouring from his chest. His eyes had glazed over as life had fled.
He was going to die.
Just as Jessica had died and that nice old man at the university. She had failed to stop both. She wouldn’t be able to stop Travis from dying either.
You didn’t give it a chance, Travis had said. It’s easier to just call it fate.
Travis falling, dying.
“ No!” She blocked the image.
Coward. Maybe something there could help her put the pieces together. She forced herself to close her eyes and brought the picture back. Travis falling . . .
Where was he?
Travis falling . . .
He was inside a building or shed, and there was an old lantern with a copper hood on the post beside him. She saw a table behind him with strange containers and on one corner a gleam of gold.
The Wind Dancer.
Terror iced through her.
A pool of blood and emerald eyes staring down . . .
No, that was Jessica. It didn’t have to happen like that again. She could stop it.
How could she do it if she couldn’t even smother the panic freezing her mind? She wanted to scream with frustration. It’s not fair. If you’re going to let me see anything, let me see enough to stop it.
Travis falling, dying.
Okay, damn you, don’t give me any more. I’ll figure it out anyway.
4:30 P.M.
“ You can’t go in there.” Danley blocked the way when Melissa tried to enter the study. “ The President is busy.”
“ I’m going to see him. And unless he’s ordering another attack on Iraq, it’s going to be now.”
“He said he didn’t want to be disturbed.”
“ Now.”
“ I can have you removed by—”
“ It’s all right, Danley.” The door had opened and Andreas stood there. “Evidently, the lady doesn’t know the meaning of the word no.” He stepped aside. “Come in, Ms. Riley. I can give you a few minutes.” He added sarcastically, “ Iraq isn’t causing me any immediate trouble. But you might remember that I do have other problems.”
“How can I forget?” She whirled to face him. “ Where are you supposed to meet Travis tonight?”
“ I beg your pardon?”
“Don’t play games with me. You would have taken Cassie home right away if you didn’t have a damn good reason to stay. So I asked myself, what would that reason be?”
His gaze narrowed on her face. “And what did you answer?”
“ The Wind Dancer or Deschamps.” She paused. “Or both.”
“ It could be something other than personal business.”
“ But it’s personal business that brought you here.”
“And I got what I came for.”
“ Not entirely. You’ll never feel Cassie is safe until Deschamps is taken out.” She drew a deep breath. “And that’s what Travis promised you, isn’t it? When he called you before he got on the helicopter, he told you to go to Vasaro and he’d meet you there and turn the statue over to you in exchange for amnesty. But that call was all a sham for Deschamps’s benefit. Travis had called you before, hadn’t he? He asked you to go along with what he said and he’d take Deschamps out for you. Then you’d have everything you wanted.”
“ Would I? This is all supposition.”
“ But it’s true, isn’t it? He chose Vasaro because he and Deschamps would feel more comfortable going after the Wind Dancer here. Deschamps had scoped it out before the kidnapping attempt. What harm can it do you to tell me?”
He was silent a moment and then slowly nodded. “ Travis called me after your meeting with Deschamps at St. Ives and told me to come to Cannes to be in position and he’d contact me later by E-mail.”
“ Where is Travis supposed to meet you?”
He shook his head. “ No interference.”
“ You’re not going to meet him, are you?”
“ I wasn’t supposed to. It was always a trap for Deschamps. Travis promised he’d leave the Wind Dancer after he got rid of Deschamps for me.”
“ Leave it where?”
Andreas smiled. “ You are persistent.”
“Are you going to let Travis escape after he kills Deschamps?”
“ We didn’t discuss it. I believe he knows he’s on his own after I get what’s mine. He’s a clever man. He might be able to get away.”
“ But you’ll pounce after he leaves Vasaro.”
“ Naturally, I have to have sufficient security to make sure Deschamps doesn’t escape if he kills Travis.”
Travis falling, dying . . .
The vision filled her with panic. Keep calm. “ But you don’t intend to be around if Travis needs any help.” She moistened her lips. “ For God’s sake, you have an army here at the house. You could send someone to see that Deschamps doesn’t hurt Travis.”
“ But that might tip off Deschamps. He might get away.”
“ You’d still have your statue.”
He smiled. “ I want it all.”
It was what she had been afraid of. “ You want Travis to be killed. You regard th
is as personal business and you don’t want to order Danley or one of his men to do it. Because that would compromise your ethics as president. But you’re hoping he’ll die.”
His smile faded. “He took my daughter. He risked her life. For days she was exposed not only to Deschamps but also to any other nut who has a grudge against me. He put my wife through hell. She could have lost the child she’s carrying. I believe justice would be served if Deschamps and Travis killed each other. Now, is that all? I have to get back to work.”
It was hopeless but she had to try. “ Please. Send Danley or someone to save him.”
“ Let him save himself. He may get lucky.”
“He’ll die.”
“Good day, Ms. Riley.”
She drew a deep breath. “Okay, just tell me where he is so I can go help him myself.”
“ No interference.”
“Don’t tell me that. I’m not asking much.” She rubbed her forehead. “ It’s got to happen tonight because you told me you were going to hold me for only forty-eight hours. You wouldn’t have him anywhere close to Cassie, so he has to be far out on the grounds. He’s in some kind of house, isn’t he?”
He lifted a brow. “Good guess. Would you care to go for animal, vegetable, or mineral?”
“ I’ll find him myself.”
“ You’re in my custody. You leave this area and you’ll be shot.”
“ I don’t think so. You’re an honorable man and you know I helped Cassie. The only way you’ll stop me is if you kill me.” Her lips twisted. “ Though maybe you’ll get a bonus and Deschamps will take care of me too.”
“Vasaro is a large property. You’ll never find Travis.”
“ I’ll find him. You just tell Danley not to use me as target practice. Will you have him give me a gun?”
“ You’re really pushing the envelope.”
“ I have to.” She tried to keep the desperation from her voice but didn’t succeed. “ Travis doesn’t deserve this. Yes, he did something he shouldn’t have done, but he’s a good man. You’re making a mistake.”
He shook his head.
“And you’ll regret it.”
“ In my position I have to make many decisions I regret.”
“ But this doesn’t have to be one of them. He saved Cassie once. Doesn’t that have any weight at all?” She wasn’t getting through to him, she realized in despair. “Cassie thinks of Travis as her friend. Are you going to be able to tell her later what you did to him?”
He didn’t answer directly. “ It’s clear you have an attachment to Travis, but you’d be wise to have second thoughts. I’ve no desire for you to be hurt. Stay out of it, Ms. Riley.”
“ The hell I will.” She turned and strode past Danley down the hall. She had to stop shaking. After all, she hadn’t had much hope that she could persuade Andreas to help. If it had been her child in jeopardy, she would probably have been just as bitter.
She was lying to herself. She had hoped for a miracle. Well, the miracle hadn’t happened and she was on her own. She threw open the door of the library. She couldn’t run around Vasaro searching blindly. There must be a map of the property somewhere that showed where all the outbuildings were located.
She only had to find it.
Dear God, help me find it.
It took Melissa three hours to find a map. It wasn’t on any of the shelves but tucked in a ledger in one of the bottom drawers of the desk.
She quickly spread it out on the desk. It seemed fairly new, so it should have all the current outbuildings on the property.
Shit.
There were seven other outbuildings besides the ones surrounding the farmhouse, and they were scattered all over the property. They had to be miles apart. The chances of her being able to find the right place were practically nil.
She glanced at the window. Sweet Jesus, the sun was going down. It would be dark soon, and that’s when it would happen. Dammit, she didn’t even know how much time she had left.
She sank down in the desk chair and covered her eyes.
24
8:15 P.M.
Travis checked his watch. “Almost time to go.” He glanced at the helicopter parked near the hangar of the small airport. “Enough fuel to get us there and to Nice afterward?”
Galen looked at him in surprise. “Of course.”
“Just checking.”
“Since when do I need to be checked on? Are you a tad nervous?”
“Maybe.”
“ Natural enough. This isn’t your field of expertise. You should really let me go in alone.” He paused. “ You think he’ll be there waiting for us?”
“ I’d bet he went straight to Vasaro. It’s what I’d do. Get to Vasaro before Andreas arrives with the troops, dig in, and wait. No chance of stumbling on to anyone coming or going from the farm. He’s smart enough to figure out that Andreas will seal the perimeter to catch me.”
“ Then how will he get out? He wouldn’t leave a car or helicopter sitting around in the fields.”
“He could steal my transportation after he’s killed me.” He smiled. “Or maybe he thinks he’ll fly out of there on the wings of the Wind Dancer after he steals it.”
“ Where is the statue?”
“ I put it in the closet in the back room.” He opened the door. “ Will you go get it? I’ll go start the helicopter.”
“Right.” Galen went in the back room and opened the closet door. No gleam of gold in the darkness. He turned on the light and glanced up on the top shelf. No statue.
“Son of a bitch.”
He ran out of the office, but the helicopter was already lifting off. “ What the hell are you doing, you asshole?” he shouted. “ You need me.”
Travis waved a hand.
Galen was still standing on the tarmac, looking up, when Travis turned south toward Vasaro. Jesus, he was pissed.
Well, Travis couldn’t help it. Galen had no stake in this that was worth the risk Vasaro posed. Even if taking out Deschamps turned out to be easier than Travis expected it to be, Andreas would snap him up if he got the chance.
Travis just had to see that he didn’t get the chance. Get rid of Deschamps, then take off for Nice and hope Andreas didn’t have something lethal to take down the helicopter. If he moved fast, he might get out. Andreas would hesitate if he thought Travis might have the Wind Dancer in the aircraft.
He glanced at the Wind Dancer on the floor in the back of the helicopter. The statue seemed to stare back at him. The light from the setting sun caused the emerald eyes to glitter with a fierce life of their own. At that moment Travis could see why some people believed the statue had supernatural powers.
He smiled at it. “Sharpen your teeth, my friend. We’re going hunting.”
Cassie!
Melissa slowly raised her head from the desk. She had no idea which building Travis was going to be in, but Cassie might know. Cassie spent her summers here. She’d helped pick the flowers. She’d probably run wild all over the farm. It was possible. . . .
Let it be possible. Please let it be possible.
She closed her eyes.
Cassie.
The child wouldn’t let her in. It took several precious minutes to break down her defenses.
“Cassie, I need you.”
“I should be mad at you. Where have you been? You haven’t been here all day.”
“Your father was here.”
“He just came back. Before there was only this . . . nurse.”
“She’s very nice.” She had no time for this. “Cassie, I need you to help me. I need you to find a place.”
“You shouldn’t have left me. I’ve been lonely.”
“Cassie.”
Silence. “You’re scared. You’re scared of the monsters.”
“Yes.” Oh, yes.
Fear. “Coming here?”
“No, I have to go there.”
“Because of Michael.”
“He’s in a house or shed. I don’t know
where it is. I have to find it. There’s a lantern with a copper hood and on a table there are bins.”
“What kind of bins?”
“Funny-shaped.”
“Show me.”
Concentrate on the table. Don’t show her Travis dying.
“It’s the picking shed in the south field.”
Her heart leapt. “You’re sure, baby?”
“Of course I’m sure. There’s only one like that. Caitlin told me it’s been there since the beginning of Vasaro. There was a fire, but it wasn’t burned and she—”
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Cassie.” She grabbed the map and located an outbuilding in the south field. Damn, at least four miles.
“There’s a shortcut. You go through the bunch of trees down the road and over the hill.”
“How much time does that take?”
“I don’t know. Some.”
She couldn’t expect the child to be precise. She just hoped her memory was fairly accurate.
Indignation. “There is too a shortcut.”
“Sorry.” She jumped to her feet. “I have to go. Good-bye, Cassie.”
Sudden panic. “Don’t want you to go. Stay here. The monsters will get you.”
She had to smother her terror. Cassie was seeing too much these days, and she mustn’t scare the child. “I’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine.”
“Come back. . . .”
But Melissa was already in the hall. Then she was running out the front door. The men on guard didn’t stop her, ignoring her as if she weren’t there.
Lord, it was almost dark.
She ran down the road toward the stand of trees.
Danley knocked on Cassie’s door and opened it. “ The woman’s gone, Mr. President. A few minutes ago.”
Andreas got to his feet and came into the hall. “ What direction?”
“ Toward the trees.”
“ No one interfered with her?”
“ You gave us our orders.” His lips tightened. “ Though I have to tell you, I disapprove of the entire situation.”
“ I know you do. You like everything neat, and this is much too uncontrolled for you. Don’t worry, Melissa Riley’s chance of finding the shed is extremely slim. Even if she does, it should all be over by that time.”
“ It’s not efficient. You should have let us go in and get the bastards.”