“I don’t care. And I don’t think you’re a saint. I made Venable tell me all about you. He told me about Eve, too, so I wouldn’t be upset seeing bones from her reconstruction lying around.”
“Then, blast it, why did you come to me?”
“I like you,” she said simply. “I feel…at home with you. I don’t have to pretend. You don’t pity me, and if you find I can help, you’ll let me earn my way. That’s important to me right now.”
Catherine stared at her helplessly. “Kelly.”
“Let her stay the night,” Eve said quietly. “It’s no use arguing with her. You’re not going to toss her out in the rain. You’ve both had your say. Now you can both let everything simmer until morning.”
“Let? Me? This isn’t even my house. I’m not going to impose her on you. If she stays, we’ll both go down to my tent for the night.”
“You will not,” Eve said firmly. “It’s raining. Rakovac’s man may still be wandering around out there. I’d worry too much to sleep, and I’m much too selfish to permit you to do that. You can have the guest bedroom, and Kelly can sleep on the couch.” She turned to Kelly. “I presume you brought a suitcase.”
Kelly nodded. “It’s on the porch.” She got off the stool and headed for the door. “I’ll go get it.”
Catherine turned to Eve. “I never meant this to happen.”
“I know. Life has a way of slipping in the unexpected just when we have everything neatly planned.” She looked after Kelly, who had gone out on the porch. “But it may not be safe to send her away now. If you’re still under surveillance, Rakovac will probably soon know about her and that she followed you here. Maybe he’ll think you have affection for her. Couldn’t that be dangerous?”
Catherine nodded. “Yes, dammit.”
“Then you have a big problem, and you’ll have to work with it.” She smiled at Kelly as she came back into the house. “Catherine will show you the bathroom while I make up the couch for you.”
“Thank you.” Kelly hesitated. “I don’t want to be a bother, Ms. Duncan. I had to come, but I never meant you to have to—”
“Eve,” she interrupted. “And I wouldn’t have told you to stay if you weren’t welcome. But it’s late, and we all need to get to sleep. We’ll settle everything in the morning. Good night, Kelly.”
“Good night, Eve.” Her voice was low and uneven. She turned to Catherine. “I’ll make it right. I promise. Just give me a chance.”
“Tomorrow.” Catherine led her across the living room toward the bathroom. “I’m not about to give you any encouragement. I like you, I want to help you, but you’re going to be a headache, and I have to find a remedy.” She opened the door of the bathroom and turned on the light. “I’ll see you in the morning. Try to get some sense into your stubborn—” She broke off as she saw Kelly’s expression. She was not crying, but she was very close. “Don’t look like that.” She pulled her close in a quick, hard hug and let her go. “Your mother is an idiot and doesn’t deserve you. Which doesn’t mean I’m going to give in to this idiocy. I just thought you should know that I’m your friend, and I’ll find a way to get you what you need.” She turned away. “Not necessarily what you want.”
“They’re one and the same,” Kelly said unevenly. “And I think you’ll see that you need me, too. I can help you find your son. I’m smart. I see patterns. Just let me show you.”
“No, you may want to help, but I’m alone in this. Good night, Kelly.” She shut the bathroom door and turned and went back to Eve. “Do you need help making up that couch?”
Eve shook her head. “It’s almost done. The couch practically makes into a bed with the press of a button. I’m not much of a house keeper, so I made sure everything around me is easy. Life is too difficult to have to work at the little things.” She stepped back and put a blanket on the foot of the bed. “That should be comfortable. Not that the poor kid will notice. She was almost numb with exhaustion.”
“She wasn’t too exhausted to manipulate her way into staying here tonight.”
“She tried to be honest with you.”
“I know,” Catherine said wearily. “Probably because she knew that I wouldn’t accept anything else.” She shook her head. “Or maybe not. Maybe that’s her nature. I’m pretty cynical. I haven’t known her for long.”
“Long enough for her to trust you.”
“She would have trusted the devil himself if he could have gotten her away from Munoz.”
“Possibly,” Eve said. “But I prefer to think the kid has excellent instincts. What is all this patterns business?”
“I’m not sure. Venable only said that she was brilliant and disturbingly inquisitive.” She reached for her phone and put it on speaker. “But I’m going to find out.”
“Good morning, Catherine.” Venable didn’t sound in the least drowsy in spite of the hour. “Did you like the little surprise package I left for you?”
“No. I don’t like you using her or using me. I want her out of here.”
“Actually, I had the feeling that she was using me. But it suited me to give her what she wanted. At any rate, she’s now your problem. Deal with her.”
“I could strangle you, Venable. She’s a kid. Even you wouldn’t want to throw her in Rakovac’s path.”
“Then perhaps the two of you had better keep a low profile and leave Rakovac to us.” He paused. “If you send her back to me, I can’t promise that she won’t run away. She was determined not to let her mother shove her into that rehabilitation home. Besides, there’s a slight chance she might be able to help you find Luke.”
“She’s a kid,” Catherine repeated flatly. “I don’t care how intelligent, she can’t offer me anything that I’d want to use.”
“Don’t be too sure. Did she tell you about the patterns?”
“Briefly. Not enough. You tell me.”
“Kelly’s thinking processes are different from anyone else’s. When she was a toddler, they found she was a whiz at mathematics.”
“And how would that help me?” Catherine asked impatiently.
“It was only the start. The educators began testing her, and they found that if they gave her a piece of a puzzle, she could construct the entire picture.”
“What kind of puzzle?”
“Any puzzle. Astronomy, mathematical, situational. You name it. She can see it all and project the ending. Her professors at William and Mary think that Einstein must have had that kind of brain. She’s incredible. That’s why her mother is so uneasy with her. Kelly can probably read her like a book.”
“Is that any reason to push her away? All the more reason to hold her close and help her work it out. It must have been frightening for her.”
“Yes, some puzzles aren’t pretty, are they? But Kelly had her father, and after his divorce, he was very protective of the girl.” He added dryly, “Believe me, I know. He wouldn’t let us near her.”
“Why would you—Of course, an ability like that would prove very valuable to the Company. I’m surprised you don’t want to whisk her away to one of your training camps.”
“I admit I was interested enough in what I heard about her to go to her school and talk to her professors. As I said, she’s very promising.”
“She’s a kid, Venable.”
“I didn’t do anything, did I?”
“Because she had her father to protect her.”
“I might have been able to get around him. And now her father has been removed from the equation.” He added quickly, “Not that I’ve been thinking about it. It wouldn’t be practical. All that media attention has spoiled her for any confidential use.”
“Otherwise, you’d do it.”
“Possibly.” He went on brusquely. “That’s not important since I can’t implement it. What might be beneficial is having her concentrate on your problem. Doesn’t it seem fitting that your Luke’s kidnapping should be resolved by another child who was also a victim?”
“Fitting and com
pletely nuts.”
“Don’t be hardheaded. I think it would be poetic justice.” His tone became grave. “You may not believe this, but I sent her because I wanted to give you a chance before there are no more chances. Use her, Catherine. Use everything you’ve got.” He hung up.
“He sounded dead serious,” Eve said. “And foreboding.”
Catherine nodded. “Something ugly is going on with Rakovac. I’d bet that the situation is heating up.” She slowly put her phone in her pocket. “And Venable was trying to warn me that Luke may not have much time before the blowup.”
“And what can you do that you’re not doing?”
Catherine shook her head. “I don’t know. Move faster. Get really desperate and take a stab at using Kelly?” She looked at Eve. “The only thing I do know is that I have to know what Luke looks like so that I won’t get the wrong kid when I go after him. You’ll be finished tomorrow?”
“If everything goes right.” She didn’t speak for a moment. “I could keep Kelly with me after you leave.”
Catherine’s face lit. “You’d do that?” She grimaced. “Not that I’ll be able to get her to stay. She seems pretty determined. Still, thanks for the option.” She sat down in the chair. “Go on to bed. I’ll wait until Kelly gets out of the shower and tuck her in.”
“Good.” Eve yawned and started down the hall. “I’m ready for bed, and I still have to explain Kelly to Joe before I go to sleep. Try to get a few hours’ sleep before morning.”
“I will.”
“And don’t lecture the girl. She’s been through enough tonight.”
“Whatever you say.”
Eve glanced back at her over her shoulder. No, Catherine wouldn’t be giving that child a hard time. She was a strange combination of toughness and vulnerability, and Eve wasn’t sure which was stronger. But Kelly seemed to tap into that same reservoir of emotion that Catherine reserved for her Luke.
It wasn’t something that she should be worrying about, Eve thought impatiently. Both Catherine and Kelly had been catapulted into her life, and she would do the best she could for them, but after tomorrow her involvement would probably be over.
Why didn’t she believe that?
And why wasn’t she relieved?
The bitch had been frightened, Rakovac thought, as he stared thoughtfully at the photo on his desk. He had felt the jolt of familiar satisfaction at Catherine’s panic and shock. It was always like that when he twisted the knife. He tried to ration the extreme cruelties so that she would not become calloused, but there was no doubt that this time she had needed the flick of the whip.
Her use of Eve Duncan was not to be tolerated. She must stay groveling at his feet until it suited him to step forward and crush her.
“You just received a call from Ali Dabala.” Nicholas Russo came into the office. “He wants to know when he can set a date.”
“Let him wait. I’ve given him a tentative. The fool has no grasp of the importance of details. He doesn’t realize that one false step and his men will end up in Guantanamo.”
“He has a grasp on the huge amount of money he’s paid you,” Russo said. “He’s being pressured by Al-Qaeda.”
“I’m fully aware of that, Russo.”
“Then why are you still playing games with Catherine Ling?” Russo frowned. “You have no time for this.”
“There is always time for the pleasures of life.” Be patient. He still had use for Russo. As usual, Russo was dressed in an immaculate suit made by his favorite London tailor, and he was beautifully groomed from the top of his brown hair to his polished shoes. He was a good front man. Yet it was difficult to be patient. Lately, Russo had been very critical and overbearing, and Rakovac was well aware that Russo had always been slightly contemptuous of Rakovac’s lack of proper schooling and rough background. He added softly, “What I don’t have time for is a man who questions my authority. You’re acting like a frightened rabbit. Dabala is no more a threat than a hundred others I’ve dealt with over the years. The only difference is the money. I’m charging him enough to set up my own little kingdom on an island off the Brazilian coast. If you’re efficient and do everything I tell you, then you’ll have a place there.” He shrugged. “If you’re not, I’ll toss you to Dabala and let him deal with someone who is a possible informer.”
“You know I won’t inform. I’ve been with you too long.”
“And become rich. But we’ve never reached that level in the stratosphere where money can buy anything. But it’s only one more step, Russo.”
“A huge step. This is different. They’ll never stop searching for us.”
“And never find us. That’s why the money is so important. It can buy plastic surgeons, documents, politicians who turn blind eyes. All of those little luxuries that make a man feel safe and content.”
“They won’t turn a blind eye. Not to this. They’d be too afraid.”
“Russo.”
“All right, I’ll be quiet. But you may be sorry that you didn’t listen to me.” He turned on his heel. “Dabala said that if you didn’t call him, he’d come to see you. You don’t want him to lead the CIA to you.”
“I’ll call him.” He watched Russo leave the room. The CIA might be aware something was going on but couldn’t be permitted to know anything concrete about his deal with Dabala until he was ready to leave. Washington might accept nearly any corruption from him as long as he was a constant source of information, but even a hint of this business would cause them to bolt in panic. They were extremely sensitive to any Middle Eastern activity, and Rakovac had been careful to keep away from that contingent during their partnership.
But the Middle East was where the real money lay, and fanatics cared nothing how much it cost to grease the way to paradise. Naturally, he’d had to turn to them to find a way to his own paradise.
But paradise had its own restrictions, he thought regretfully. He wouldn’t be able to make those delightful calls to Catherine after he made his exit. It would be too dangerous not to break all ties to the outside world. The delicious game he had played all these years must be brought to an end. He reached out and touched Catherine’s throat in the photo. She had a lovely throat and many times when the anger had come to the surface, he’d wanted to slit it. Passing fancy. The mental torture he inflicted was much more enjoyable.
Oh, well, if he was going to end the charade, he would do it with style and ferocity. He had to have a plan that would be the crowning blow to his revenge on Catherine. It couldn’t terminate with just a final burst of agony from a sniper bullet. He’d bring her close to him so that he could watch every nuance of her pain.
And not only Catherine. That wouldn’t be in keeping with the grand finale.
“Who first?” he murmured. “Maybe a warning to punish you and show you what’s to come?” His finger moved to caressingly touch the lips of the woman in the photo. “Yes, that’s an excellent idea, Catherine. Let’s start with Eve Duncan.”
Chapter
7
Eve’s eyes flew open.
What had she heard?
It had been a small sound, but enough to disturb her restless slumber. She checked the bedside clock—5:42 A.M.
Probably nothing. The sound hadn’t been loud enough to wake Joe. She wasn’t accustomed to having guests in the house. She and Joe led an intensely solitary life.
She lay there, listening.
Movement? The creak of the couch in the living room? Kelly was only a young girl to have gone through so much. Perhaps she was having trouble sleeping in a strange place.
Eve obviously wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep until she checked on her. She carefully moved away from Joe and slid out of bed.
“Eve?” Joe asked sleepily.
“Shh, I’ll be right back.” She glided toward the door. “I’m having trouble sleeping.”
“I know a therapy for that.”
She chuckled. “I’ll discuss that with you when I come back.”
/> “Do that…”
He was dozing off as she quietly closed the door behind her.
The hall was dark, but there was a light in the living room. Bright light.
She moved quickly down the hall.
No Kelly.
The couch was vacant, the covers tossed to one side.
Where the hell was—
“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Kelly was perched on the high stool at the desk usually occupied by Catherine. She was dressed in loose blue-striped pajamas, and her bare feet dangled above the floor. Her blue eyes were wide in her pale face, and she looked even younger than she had earlier in the evening. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t sleep.”
“I had trouble, too.” Eve stiffened as she saw the sliver of bone in Kelly’s hand. “Put that down.”
Kelly quickly put the bone back on the table. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “I didn’t hurt anything. I didn’t think you’d mind if I—”
“I do mind. This is my work, and it’s not something to play with.” She strode across the room. “Those bones are fragile, and I don’t need any more breakage than what’s already here.”
“I didn’t break anything. I was just—” She shook her head. “I only wanted to help.”
“You should have asked me, and I would have told you not to—” She stopped as she looked down at the table. “Dear heavens.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Take it easy. I can see that you didn’t.” She was still staring at the bones on the worktable. “When we went to bed, Catherine had only a quarter of Cindy’s face put back together. Now you have at least two-thirds of it completed. How?”
“I couldn’t sleep. I needed something to do.” Kelly moistened her lips. “There was a program pulled up on the computer. It seemed clear what you wanted done.”
“So you did it.”
She nodded. “It wasn’t difficult. It was just a puzzle.”
A puzzle that would have taken Eve days to solve. A puzzle that Catherine had strained and worked at for a full day. “How long did it take you?”