Chasing the Night

  “Good.” She came out on the porch. “Is he angry?”

  “No, he said he knew it was coming.” She shrugged. “Joe knows me very well.”

  “That must be nice. Comfortable.”

  “And sometimes not so comfortable.” She smiled. “But, yes, I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ve gone through far too much together to have to do it all again. What a headache that would be.” She changed the subject. “So when do we leave?”

  “Tonight. Just after midnight. There’s a private airport outside Gainesville, and we’ll take a private jet to Rome, then change planes and go on to Moscow.”

  “Private enough to keep Rakovac from knowing that we’re invading his turf? He seems to keep an eagle eye on you.”

  She nodded. “I can do it. I only tried to keep him in the dark when I went in to make an attempt to locate Luke. Otherwise, I let him track me. I figured it made him feel powerful, and it didn’t hurt to feed his ego. My aim was always to keep his volatility in check.”

  “And when we reach Russia?”

  “I know a man who may hate Rakovac more than I do. Alex Kelsov fought with Rakovac before he went to Moscow and became big in the mafia. Rakovac betrayed Kelsov to the Russian secret police, and he spent three years in a prison in Siberia. He was lucky not to have been executed. But Kelsov was always a major deal maker and slippery as an eel.” She made a face. “He still is. He may want to bring Rakovac down, but it’s still going to cost me.”

  “What?”

  “It depends on what Kelsov wants at the time. Whatever it is, I’ll give it to him.” She paused before saying soberly, “Rakovac meant what he said, you know. He’ll try to kill you.”

  “But not for a while. He impressed me as a man with a plan. This has been going on too long for him to let his revenge just dribble away into nothingness. He wanted to punish you so badly that he was willing to risk his Washington connection.”

  “You can’t be sure that he won’t make a move. He’s not predictable.”

  Eve shrugged. “Then we’d better move fast.” She started for the door. “I’ll pack a bag for both Joe and myself. What arrangements have you made for Kelly?”

  “Nothing yet. I haven’t had time,” Catherine said. “Whatever I decide, it’s not going to be easy convincing her to go.”

  “Then you’d better start.” She held out her hand. “Give me your phone. I want to print off a copy of that picture Rakovac claims is Luke’s skeleton.”

  She gave her the phone. “Why?”

  “I want to send it to an institute in St. Louis that may be able to give me a definitive analysis on the skeleton and location.”

  “You mean if it’s a fake or not?”

  “Yes, and if they can zero in on the skull and determine if it was a bullet that shattered it.”

  “Could you compare the photo of the skull to any of the transitions and see if there is a match?”

  “Possibly. But it would take time. According to Rakovac, we have no time. We’ll take what we can get. I’m more interested in that twisted pine in the background. And the moss on the leg of the skeleton. They might lead us somewhere.” She entered the house to see Kelly bent over Cindy’s skull. “How is it going?”

  “Well.” Kelly didn’t look up. “I’ll be finished soon.”

  “Good.” She hesitated. “You didn’t have to do this. I appreciate it.”

  “But not enough to let me really help you.”

  “Kelly…”

  “It’s okay, I understand. I told you I’d finish Cindy, and I’m doing it.” She finally lifted her gaze to look at Eve. “I heard you talking to Catherine about wondering where you’re going to send me. You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve already taken care of it.”

  Eve’s brows rose. “Indeed?”

  “I called Venable and told him that he had to send someone to pick me up. He said he’d do it right away.” She looked back down at the bone shards. “I think it will be Agent Dufour. He sent me with him before.”

  “You’re suddenly being very cooperative.”

  “And you’re suspicious.” Her smile was a little sad. “I’m not stupid, Eve. I know I’m not going to be able to convince you and Catherine that I should go with you. I have to move on. Agent Venable told me that if my being with you didn’t work out, he’d see that I was settled somewhere I’d be comfortable for a little while.”

  “That’s better than we could offer,” Eve said.

  “Yes.” She looked back down. “When you finish the reconstruction of Cindy, will you send me a photo? I kind of feel like I know her.”

  “You do. You’ve been a big part in helping me to bring her home.”

  “I hope so. Home is important.” She grimaced. “Not that I know that from experience. Daddy was always planning on buying a house and settling down in Boulder, Colorado, with me, but his company kept sending him out of the country. And I was always away at the college. They always arranged for me to stay with really nice families near the campus, but that was their home, not mine.” She changed the subject. “You know that Rakovac sent you that photo to make you angry, don’t you? He wanted to hurt Catherine, but he wanted to make you come with her.”

  “And why would he want me to come? I’m not really important to him.”

  “Catherine is alone. She has no family. She’s the only one he can hurt. He wants more than that. What good is a Fourth of July explosion if you don’t have someone to see it?”

  “Then I’m supposed to be the witness?” She shook her head. “No, I believe he’d rather tie me to one of the rockets.”

  “It could be both or either.”

  “That’s what this so-called pattern is telling you?”

  She shook her head. “You haven’t let me study him enough to see a pattern. I can only guess from what I’ve been told.”

  And it was a pretty good guess, Eve thought. Venable was right; Kelly was incredibly intelligent, and her instincts were unsettling. Kelly looked to be such a delicate child in appearance that it was disturbing to hear her speak as if she were a woman in her thirties. Perhaps her training with her patterns had caused her to leave that childhood behind. Then the nightmare that had happened to her in Munoz’s camp had been the final blow.

  “You’re pitying me,” Kelly said. “Don’t do it. I don’t need it.” She placed another shard carefully on Cindy’s temple. “How are we going to glue these pieces together?”

  “I’ll do it before I leave tonight. I use a special epoxy.”

  “After you go over her with a fine-tooth comb and make sure I didn’t make any mistakes.”

  Eve nodded. “That’s my job. But I don’t think you did. I believe both you and Catherine did a remarkable job.”

  Kelly nodded. “It’s all you allowed me to do.” She added soberly, “Take care of Catherine. Someone has to do it. I should be the one, but she won’t let me.”

  “I know you feel that you owe her, but Catherine’s capable of taking care of herself.”

  Kelly looked away. She repeated, “Take care of her.”

  “I’ll do my best.” She turned and moved toward the bedroom. No matter what Eve promised, it would not be enough for Kelly. The girl and Catherine had forged a strange and powerful bond, and Kelly had the added urgency of proving to herself that her abilities could make a difference. Eve couldn’t blame her for her persistence. She was even surprised she had finally given up. “Good luck, Kelly.”

  “Good luck to you. You’ll need it more than I do.” She gave her a ghost of a smile. “Since you don’t have my valuable assistance.”

  “We’ll survive,” Eve said over her shoulder. “And so will you. The only one who’s not going to come out on top will be Rakovac.”

  Agent dufour arrived at the cottage at four thirty that afternoon.

  Kelly watched the dark blue sedan drive up the driveway and turned to Catherine. “You won’t change your mind?”

  Catherine shook her head. “I’ll be in t
ouch when we get back. Let Venable help you. Don’t do anything on your own. Okay?”

  Kelly didn’t answer. “Good-bye.” She gave Catherine a hug. “Be careful.” She turned and ran down the steps and jumped into the sedan. She didn’t look back as Dufour pulled out of the driveway.

  “Venable had better take good care of her,” Catherine said. “She’s so damn vulnerable, and she’s just a kid.”

  “I was just thinking this afternoon how grown-up she seemed,” Eve said. “And she trusted Venable enough to call him when she knew she wasn’t going to be able to go with us. Should she trust him, Catherine?”

  “In most cases.”

  “Not in the case of your son.”

  “Luke was standing in the way of Venable’s saving the world for democracy,” she said sarcastically. “Kelly isn’t in that position. He tried to use her as a roadblock, and it didn’t work. Now he’ll do what he can to keep her happy. He knows he’ll answer to me if he doesn’t.” She watched for another moment until Kelly disappeared from view. Then she turned to go back into the cottage. “While you finish using that epoxy on Cindy’s face, I have to make a couple more calls before we leave for the airport. Is Joe coming back here?”

  “No, he’s meeting us at the airport. He said he had a few things to do himself.”

  “With your daughter, Jane?”

  “No, he said that’s all taken care of. He’s satisfied that she’s safe.” Eve opened the door. “And Joe doesn’t make mistakes about the people he cares about.”

  “I noticed that he’s very…protective and comforting.”

  Eve remembered how Joe had taken Catherine into his arms to comfort her after that phone call from Rakovac. “Yes, he can be pretty wonderful.”

  “You two are good together. It’s nice to see that in a couple. I think most people stay together just so they won’t be alone.”

  “Is that what you’ve found? Is that why you married?”

  “No, I didn’t care about being alone. I never knew anything else. But Terry wanted it, and I wanted him to be happy. He’d been good to me. I’m glad I did marry him. He gave me Luke and those years were wonderful for both of us.” She pulled out her phone. “He was a great agent, too. He’d been with the CIA for years, and he knew everyone and had contacts everywhere. He worked with Kelsov even before we married.” She dialed quickly. “Go on, get to work. We need to leave here in another two hours.”

  Joe was waiting at the hangar when Catherine and Eve pulled into the airport.

  “You’re late. I was beginning to wonder.”

  “Eve wasn’t going to leave until she finished doing as much as she could on Cindy,” Catherine said. “And I wasn’t about to hurry her.” She turned as the pilot came down the steps of the Learjet. “Hi, Dorsey. Ready to go?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” the stocky, thirtysomething pilot said dryly. “Since every trip with you puts my license in jeopardy.”

  “Complaints. Complaints.” She turned to Eve. “Eve Duncan, Joe Quinn. This is Dorsey Hodges. He used to work for the Company but decided he liked the good life better than risking his neck.”

  He smiled and nodded. “So Catherine wants to make sure I don’t become bored with the good life by putting it constantly at risk.” He waved at the steps. “Get on board. Let’s get moving. I have a job in Key West in two days.”

  “I may need you longer,” Catherine said.

  His smile faded. “Then I’ll reluctantly tell Key West to take a flying leap. You know I’ll always be there for you, Catherine.” He turned away. “I’ve found ways to get around Homeland Security, but I hope your friend Kelsov is going to be able to handle any problems on that end. I’ve no desire to end up in Siberia.”

  “Neither does Kelsov. He’s been there, done that.” She ran up the steps. “You’re safe, Dorsey.”

  “Is he?” Joe asked, as they followed her into the plane. “You seem to be confident of your Kelsov.”

  “Dorsey’s safer than on other jobs I’ve asked him to do,” Catherine said as she sat down and fastened her seat belt. “Sit down. I’ve printed out copies of the skeleton photo. After we take off, we can go over them and see if we can identify Rakovac’s so-called clue he planted in it.”

  “If there is a clue,” Joe said.

  “I think that there will be,” Eve said as she sat down beside Catherine. “He was too smug, too excited. He was proud of himself.”

  “Call me when you’re ready.” Joe moved up the aisle. “I think I’ll go up to the cockpit and get to know Hodges better. You never know when you’re going to need a little airpower.”

  Eve watched him go up the aisle. Trust Joe to try to delve into the alluring mechanical world of this jet. He always liked to take things apart and put them back together again. It was a part of that insatiable curiosity.

  “You can still back out,” Catherine said quietly. “Just walk off the plane.”

  Eve shook her head. “I can’t do that.” She smiled. “Luke’s waiting.”

  “Is he?” Catherine asked. “I hope so.”

  So did Eve. But Catherine didn’t need her to be anything but positive right now. She would close out all her own fears as long as it was possible. “Luke is waiting for us,” she said firmly. “Now dig out those prints of the photo, and let’s see if they can tell us what carrot Rakovac is dangling in front of us.”

  It was difficult analyzing the photo of the skeleton, Eve thought. She had to close out the thought of the child and concentrate on the surroundings, and that was almost impossible for her. Seeing the skeleton filled her with such a wild combination of anger and sadness that it interfered with any type of logical reasoning.

  “Okay?” Joe asked quietly.

  She nodded jerkily. “There’s nothing okay about this, but I can’t let it get to me.” She glanced at Catherine, who was across the aisle from them. “I can imagine what she’s going through right now.”

  “The photo,” Joe prompted.

  Concentrate.

  “The skeleton is almost certainly that of a five-year-old male. I can’t judge how long he’s been buried without examining the actual bones.” She added, “Or if he was actually buried in that grave. Perhaps Rakovac staged it. But if he did, then he still would have had to plant some kind of clue to draw us into the web.”

  His gaze narrowed on the photo and began to take it apart. “A pile of dirt that resembles a makeshift grave. The dirt is moist, lumpy, and appears to have a slight green cast. There are trees in the background. Pines?”

  Eve nodded. “No help there. Pines are everywhere.”

  “Then the skeleton itself.” He turned to Catherine. “Rakovac said he shot him in the head?”

  “Yes.” She moistened her lips. “But he lied. This isn’t Luke.”

  “But that shattered entry is consistent with a bullet wound,” Eve said gently. “I got a preliminary report from the St. Louis Institute just before I left the cottage. They blew up the shot and examined the pixels under the microscope. It had to be a large-caliber bullet that would cause that much damage on such a small skull.”

  Catherine flinched. “It’s not Luke.”

  “It was a helpless, five-year-old boy,” Eve said tightly. “At the moment, that’s all that I can see; everything else is blurred.”

  “I’m sorry,” Catherine said. “I’d be as angry as you under ordinary circumstances. The killing of any child is terrible. But there’s nothing blurred about my thinking right now. It’s clear and sharp and all about Luke.”

  Eve nodded. “Then try to focus some of that sharpness on the photo. Is there anything about it that’s in the least familiar?”

  Catherine looked down at the photo. “Nothing. It’s just…horrible.”

  “What is this patch of earth on his thigh?” Joe was examining the skeleton more closely.

  “I think it’s moss,” Eve said. “It’s clumpy and moist like the rest of the dirt. I guess that’s why it clung to the skeleton when it was e
xhumed.”

  “Did you e-mail it to your friends at the St. Louis Institute and see if they can identify it and place it at a specific location?”

  Eve nodded. “It seems to be an odd color, but I can’t determine much about it without putting it under intense magnification.”

  “Maybe that’s Rakovac’s carrot,” Joe said.

  “That’s what I thought. Long shot.” Eve flipped open her computer and began typing in the message to go with the e-mail. “But it’s all we have. I’ll ask them to put a rush on it.”

  “How long?” Catherine asked.

  Eve shrugged. “It depends on how close they can come to identifying that soil sample from the photo. In the meantime, we’d probably better keep looking for any other leads.”

  Catherine nodded. “It’s not as if we have Langley.” She made a face. “I’ve seen them call in a satellite to measure the angle of the moonlight and come up with a probable location.”

  “Were they right?”

  “Yes, but it took them four days. We don’t have four days. And if I asked Venable to do it, I couldn’t be sure that he’d feed me the right information. It would depend on the state of their negotiations with Rakovac. We’ll try your St. Louis Institute first.” She pulled up the Rakovac surveillance file. “And while we’re waiting, I’ll see if I can glean anything from this report.”

  “Akron, Ohio.” Venable punched a yellow pin on the city on the map of the U.S. on the wall. “Are we sure, Bradley?”

  “Hell, no.” Agent Eric Bradley scowled as he stared at the map. “We’re not sure of anything. It could be another red herring. But my informant says that Akron is a possibility.” He shook his head. “But we still don’t know who the contact is.” He cursed. “Or if there is one in Akron. It’s another damn blank. If they’re getting ready for a hit, why can’t we get someone to talk?”

  “Because whoever is handling the money trail is smart and has the manpower to cover his tracks.”

  “Rakovac?”

  “I’d bet on it.”

  “Then find him and get rid of him.”