Chasing the Night

  “What conflict? If there was a conflict, it sure didn’t get much press.”

  “Enough. There was a particularly nasty conflict in 2008 between the Republic of Georgia and Russia that killed over a thousand people, but the ethnic infighting has been going on for decades. It involved South Ossetia, a territory belonging to the Republic of Georgia. South Ossetia declared its independence from Georgia, and Russia supported them.” She made a face. “While trying to gently pull them under Russian domination. It would probably have been the first move toward annexing Georgia itself. At any rate, the tempers have been flaring on both sides ever since, and it’s still a hot spot. When Russia weighed in on the side of the Ossetians and sent in a ‘peacekeeping’ force is when it became a bloodbath. Guerilla fighting, massacres. Even after the supposed truce, there was spotty guerilla warfare on both sides. The attacks are still going on today. The hatred never stops.”

  “And Rakovac was involved?”

  “Very much involved. But his involvement started much earlier than the outbursts that occurred later with Russia. As I said, there was hatred and fighting for decades. Rakovac actually was born in the Republic of Georgia and fought with them as a teenager in a guerilla group against the Ossetians. But after he went to Moscow he was supplying arms to both sides and when Russia joined in the conflict he was causing the situation to escalate even more. Our orders were to take him down.” Her lips tightened. “We did it. It took over a year of bribery and undermining of his contacts, but Rakovac was on his way out. He was furious. He dug and dug until he found out who had been behind all his problems. He got our names and he wanted revenge.”

  Eve felt sick as she looked down at the photograph of the child. So beautiful. So innocent. “Your Luke?”

  “I found out I was pregnant just before we left Russia. I left the Company and settled in Boston. Terry still worked for the CIA, but I thought I could have a normal life. But Rakovac was just biding his time. He worked and schemed and gained back all the power we’d taken from him. Then he was ready to go after us.” She moistened her lips. “One night, I put Luke to bed and went to my room. I received a call in the middle of the night. Rakovac. He had Terry. He shot him to death while I was on the phone. Then he told me to go to my son’s room.”

  “And he was gone?”

  Catherine Ling nodded jerkily. “I went crazy. Rakovac called back and said the minute I involved the police, he’d kill my son…slowly.” She closed her eyes. “And I knew he’d do it. I’d studied him. I knew what a sadistic bastard he could be.” Her eyes opened, and they were glittering with tears. “I felt so damn helpless. I called Venable and told him he had to help me get my son back. He was very sympathetic but cautious. Very cautious. It seems there had been a wind change in Moscow-Washington relations. Rakovac had made himself invaluable to the CIA and the White House. Washington didn’t want any change in the status quo.”

  “Even at the expense of a child’s life?”

  Her lips twisted. “You don’t understand it either. You’re a mother. Nothing is as important as keeping a son or daughter alive. I suppose I should have realized that it could happen. I know how things work. But I couldn’t connect any of that knowledge with Luke.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Not with my son.”

  “So what did you do?”

  “I started after Rakovac on my own. Until I got another phone call. Luke was crying so I knew that he was still alive. I recognized his voice. Rakovac said that the CIA would cause him too much trouble if he killed him, but he wasn’t going to give him up. He wanted me to suffer. I was never going to see him again, and he’d remain alive if I didn’t make waves.” Her voice broke. “But he was crying, and I couldn’t do anything about it. He was crying.”

  “Dear God.”

  “Venable said he’d do everything possible, but it would be safer for Luke if I didn’t disturb Rakovac until he could manage to negotiate a release.” Her voice hoarsened. “Disturb? I wanted to kill him. My baby…”

  “And they haven’t negotiated a release yet? How long has it been?”

  “Nine years,” she said dully. “It’s been nine years.”

  Eve’s eyes widened. “How could that be?”

  “Rakovac made sure that he was invaluable enough to keep Venable and the CIA at bay. He kept stalling and offering one more favor if they’d forget about Luke’s release for a little while longer. It stretched on and on.”

  “Couldn’t you go in and find him yourself?”

  “I tried. I went to Russia at every opportunity and tried to locate him. But Rakovac had hidden him away somewhere, and I couldn’t locate him. He’d been planning Luke’s kidnapping since Terry and I had left Russia.” She shook her head. “And I couldn’t let Rakovac know I was on his own turf searching. He’d warned me that he’d kill Luke if I came after him.” She added bitterly, “And I was making Venable nervous. He had me assigned to the other side of the world, lately in the jungles of Colombia. After that, I was only able to break free every now and then and go back to Moscow.”

  “I would have told Venable and his buddies to go to hell. I don’t see how you could keep on working with them.”

  “He was my only connection. He might have been the one element that was keeping Luke alive. Rakovac was hesitating to take that final step that might cause the CIA and Washington to have to contend with a public-opinion issue. Just having Venable making occasional inquires about Luke was a reminder that his position wasn’t totally invulnerable.” She took a shaky breath. “But things may be changing. I’ve been noticing that there seems to be a shifting…I can’t put my finger on it. Rakovac’s power may be increasing. It’s scaring me.”

  Eve could see that fear. It was reflected in the woman’s face and the slight trembling of her lips. She sensed it as a living force. Who could blame her? How would she have felt if she had gone through those years of searching, never knowing if her Bonnie was alive or dead? But at least there had been hope for Catherine Ling. From the beginning, Eve had known in her heart that Bonnie had been killed.

  “You’re thinking about your daughter.” Catherine was studying her face. “You’re making comparisons. I made comparisons, too. That’s why I’m here.”

  “Bonnie’s death has nothing to do with your son’s kidnapping. I’m sorry for you, but I can’t help you. Talk to Venable.”

  “You can help me.” Catherine’s voice breathed intensity. “You’re the only one who can. Why do you think I’m here? I’m not stupid. Do you think I haven’t gone over every way, every person who could bring Luke back to me? I’ve been trying to find a way for over a year to get Venable to persuade you to help. Why do you think I was willing to camp out on your doorstep to make you listen to me?”

  Desperation, pain, hope. Eve knew the emotions that were motivating Catherine all too well, and her heart ached for her. “I’ve listened to you.” She turned. “And I want you off my porch. Come into the house, and I’ll give you a cup of coffee. Then we’ll discuss how we can get Venable to help you. I know several qualified professionals at Langley who can do the job.”

  Catherine stared at her a moment, then rose to her feet in one graceful, fluid movement. “Coffee would be good.”

  But she wasn’t committing to any of Eve’s other suggestions, Eve noticed ruefully as she preceded Catherine into the kitchen. She probably should have closed the door and not invited the woman back into the cottage. But that wasn’t an option, not since she had seen that photo of Luke. She would just have to use persuasion and firmness to ease Catherine Ling out of her life.

  “You’re letting me get one foot back in the door. It’s not going to be easy to get rid of me,” Catherine said quietly. “If I were you, I’d have slammed the door and barricaded myself in the house.”

  “You’re not me.” Eve pressed the button on the coffeemaker and watched the liquid pour into the cup. “And I don’t need to barricade myself against you. I’m not afraid of you, Catherine Ling. Cream?”

/>   “No. Black. And call me Catherine.” She took the cup Eve handed her. “No, I can see you’re not afraid. You weren’t even afraid when you first saw me and didn’t know whether or not I was a threat.” She sipped the coffee. “And, no, we’re not alike. Venable keeps seeing resemblances, but he’s wrong. We only have one thing in common, and I intend to exploit that to the fullest extent.”

  “Go ahead. It won’t get you anywhere.” She gestured for her to sit down on the couch. “I have a job I have to do. Cindy has been lost too long, and I have to bring her home.”

  “She’s dead. Bring my son home instead. He’s alive, and there’s no telling how long he’ll stay that way if I don’t get him away from Rakovac. I can’t wait any longer. I have to go after him. But he’s eleven years old, and I don’t even know what he looks like. I haven’t seen him since he was two.” She whispered, “So many years…”

  “Age progression isn’t my area of expertise. Even if I wanted to give up work on my reconstruction of Cindy, I couldn’t do as good a job as someone who does it day in, day out.”

  “That’s not true. I’ve studied your reconstructions, and they come amazingly close.” She looked down into the coffee in her cup. “You have all that scientific stuff down pat, but that isn’t what happens in the final step, is it? You make a connection.”

  “Do I?” she asked warily.

  “Oh, I’m not saying that there’s anything weird going on. I’m too practical to think anything like that. But Michelangelo once said something about the figure coming out of the stone. Certain artists have the passion that makes their work come alive.” She raised her gaze to look at Eve. “You have that passion. I can see it. I could feel it when I looked at your reconstructions. I have to have that passion. I’ll do anything you say if you’ll show me a photo of my Luke as he is today.”

  “Working on a computer isn’t like doing a sculpting reconstruction,” she said gently. “Perhaps there is a kind of connection when I feel the clay beneath my fingers, but this is different.”

  “Try.” Her gaze went to the bones on the dais. “I know you want to finish what you started. I don’t like to leave anything undone either. But can’t you see this is more important?”

  “I can see it’s more important to you. I can see that it might be more important to me if I thought I was the best person to do the progression.” She raised her cup to her lips. “So I’d better continue with what I do best and let you go your own way.”

  “I don’t care what you think.” Her eyes were suddenly blazing. “I know you’re the best one to find my son. Time’s running out. I’m not going to let him die. You have to do it.” She stopped. “I’m doing this all wrong, aren’t I?” She raised her shaking hand to her head. “I’m usually not this clumsy. It means too much to me.”

  “I can understand that, Catherine.”

  “I know you can.” Her gaze returned to the bones on Eve’s worktable. “I think you want to help me. I just have to give you a reason to do it. And a way to remove any roadblocks in your path.”

  Eve raised her brows. “And how are you going to do that?”

  “Guilt.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “You saw the photo of my son. He touched you. You want to help him.” She stared Eve in the eye. “What if I’m right, and you’re the best one to identify him? What if I went to one of Venable’s techs, and they steered me wrong? Venable doesn’t want me to stir up any trouble. It’s a delicate situation in Moscow, and he knows I won’t give a damn about diplomatic relations if it means rescuing Luke.” She took a deep breath. “What if Rakovac kills him before I can find him? How would that make you feel?”

  “Sad. Not guilty, Catherine. I won’t play into your hands that way.”

  “Not even a little? Oh, I think you will. You’ll remember that my every instinct was shouting that you were the one who could help me save Luke. I think you’d feel a little guilty. There is always a reaction to an action.” She paused. “Or the lack of an action.”

  Eve muttered an oath beneath her breath. “I believe you may be something of a calculating bitch, Catherine Ling.”

  “Oh, I am. When I have to be.” Her voice became crisp. “Now for the roadblock. You don’t want to leave your reconstruction of that little girl to do a job that you feel can be done by someone else. Correct?”

  Eve slowly nodded. “Yes.”

  “Then I won’t ask you to delay your work on her. It shouldn’t take you too long to complete the age progression. It’s going to take a while to put that little girl’s face back together. You can start on Luke’s age progression while the prep work on the little girl is being done.”

  “What?” Eve was frowning. “You’re not making sense. I can’t do both at once.”

  “No. You’ll need help. I can help you with the little girl.”

  “The hell you can.”

  “Look, I’m not saying I could do any of the reconstruction. That would be insane. But what you have is a puzzle. I’m good at puzzles.” She made a face. “Though those bones are going to be a nightmare.”

  “And I’m supposed to trust you with them? Cindy is my responsibility.”

  “Try me. Oh, I know that there’s probably all kinds of training you go through for this kind of thing. But in the end, isn’t it basically just a puzzle you have to solve?”

  “Yes,” she said slowly.

  “I’ll access the Internet and study bone structure. I’ll consult with you. You can look over my shoulder every minute of the way. I can do it. I can put her back together.” She paused. “And I’ll do it with respect. The same respect you would show her, Eve.”

  “No.”

  “Please. You’re not losing anything, not even time. Just do this for me, and I’ll owe you for the rest of my life.”

  “I don’t want you to owe me.”

  “Do you think I’m lying? I’m not lying.”

  “Catherine, I don’t think you’re lying.” The woman’s pain was too agonizingly obvious. “I believe you’re going down the wrong road with me. But you’ve got me so dizzy, I have to straighten my head.” She got to her feet. “I think I’ll go for a walk and do a little thinking.”

  “May I stay here and wait for you?”

  “Politeness?” Eve smiled faintly as she headed for the front door. “That’s the first hint I’ve had of that quality from you. How refreshing. Yes, you may stay. Have some more coffee.”

  “I will.” She moistened her lips. “I know you don’t like to be pushed. But I did it for Luke. It’s all for Luke.”

  Eve nodded. “I know, Catherine.”

  “Eve.”

  She looked back over her shoulder.

  “I thought I should tell you. Joe Quinn may phone you. I set up the call that took him away this morning. There was no emergency call on the south side.”

  “I suspected that might be the case,” she said dryly.

  “I had to see you alone.”

  “Then you’ve accomplished your aim.” She shut the screen door behind her and drew a deep breath. She could still feel the waves of emotion Catherine was emitting. She’d had to escape before she wavered and gave in to the woman’s plea. She was still wavering and caught in that web of pity and empathy. That photo of Luke Ling had touched her heart.

  But Catherine was clever, even calculating, and she had probably planned on that response from Eve. What did she know? That might not even be Catherine’s child. Maybe Luke was just another pawn in one of the CIA’s complicated agendas.

  But Eve didn’t believe that. Her every instinct was telling her that Catherine’s story was tragically, painfully true.

  Professionals didn’t rely on instinct. Not when it concerned the CIA. She didn’t know Catherine Ling, but she had a minimal knowledge and respect for Venable. He was at least a starting point.

  She took out her phone and dialed his number.

  “I was expecting to hear from you,” he said with a sigh when he picked up. “
You couldn’t just send her on her way?”

  “How much am I to believe about the kidnapping of Luke Ling?”

  He was silent a moment. “Everything. Catherine can be deceptive, but not about her son.”

  “You bastard. Nine years.”

  “I was under orders not to disturb our relationship with Rakovac. He’s very volatile, and he still has a deep hatred of Catherine.”

  “So you let him keep a child prisoner rather than rock the boat? How do you know that he wasn’t mistreated? That would be the best way for Rakovac to get his revenge.”

  “I made it clear that we wouldn’t tolerate that happening.”

  She couldn’t believe her ears. “How would you know? Did you just take his word for it?”

  “Yes, with appropriate threats of repercussions.”

  “Dear God.”

  “It’s all I could do. It might have been enough.”

  “If I were Catherine, I’d have strangled you.”

  “But you’re not Catherine. She’s CIA. She knows the dirty underbelly of the world better than you ever will. And she’s aware that I was the only man standing between her son and Rakovac.” He added, “If I could have run the risk, I would have sent a Special Forces team in to get Luke. But I didn’t have that option. I couldn’t even give Catherine reports on her son. Rakovac didn’t keep him with him in Moscow. He’d sent him away and undercover almost immediately after he was kidnapped.”

  Eve’s stomach clenched. “Then how do you know he’s still alive?”

  “We’re not entirely sure. Rakovac calls Catherine now and then to taunt her and gives her so-called reports on her son. He hasn’t let her talk to him since about a year after he was taken.”

  Eve felt cold and sick. Eight years with no way to know if that little boy was alive or dead. “But, of course, she still takes the calls.” Eve would do the same. There was always hope, and you could bear the torture as long as the faintest chance existed that it would bring a child home. “Why didn’t you tell me this when you first asked me to do the age progression?”