Nathan shrugged. "I try. Most of the time it's a losing battle. I get really tired of going up against the big companies who pollute our lakes and streams. They have money. I have only words."
"I don't see how a man who feels so passionately for water can have such a dislike for alligators and snakes." Galen started to unload the car. "You need to rethink and include our companions in the wild. I bet you never wrote an article about the virtues of the preservation of leeches."
"No bet," Nathan said. "I ran into Hughes, the head of your security team, when I showed up here. He said he wanted to see you."
Galen nodded. "I want to see him, too." He handed Nathan two suitcases. "So you can play the beast of burden and take these inside." He pulled out his phone as he started down the path.
Nathan gazed after him. "One of these days..." He turned and carried the bags into the cottage.
Eve picked up the leather skull case, but hesitated before following Nathan, gazing out at the lake.
It soothes the soul.
Beauty did soothe the soul, she thought. She could feel some of the rawness and pain of the past few days ebbing away.
"Home," Joe said quietly.
She looked at him, and then quickly looked away.
But the word lingered with her as she walked up the steps.
Home.
-------------------
"Where's Galen?" Eve asked Joe as she came out of the bedroom after talking to Jane on the phone that evening.
"Out on the grounds talking to the security team. He's complaining the area is one big headache to secure. Nathan is out on the porch communing with nature. How's Jane?"
"Disapproving." She made a face. "And making her displeasure known at every opportunity."
"And that means?"
"She wants us to go after Hebert and try to nail him."
"That sounds like Jane." He smiled. "Not a bad idea. I've been thinking the same thing."
"So have I." She shook her head. "I get so angry when I think of that condo, I want to murder the bastard. But it's not a responsible thing to do when Jane—"
"It may be the most responsible thing we could do. Get rid of the bastard before he does any more damage. Maybe if we had a lead..."
She didn't answer for a moment. "We may have a lead."
He looked at her inquiringly.
She emphatically shook her head. "I don't even want to think about it. It's not—"
"Okay. Okay. We'll talk about it when you're not so upset." He paused. "Jennings called on my cell phone while you were talking to Jane. He wants to come and pick up the skull."
"He'll get it when I decide I want to give it to him. I'm still pissed at him."
"He was very persistent. Just thought I'd relay the message." He stood up and moved over to the window. "The sun's going down. Pretty. I always like autumn sunsets. They seem to be sharper, more defined."
Like Joe. He was silhouetted against the dim light streaming through the window, and he seemed made of edges and angles. How many times had she watched him at this window? She crossed the room to stand beside him. "It's beautiful." Her gaze went to the lake glittering mirrored gold in the twilight. "I've always loved it here."
"I know." His glance shifted to her face. "But I'm surprised you're admitting it now. You couldn't wait to run away from here."
"I was hurting." Eve's gaze went to the hill where she'd thought she'd buried her daughter. "Everything reminded me of what you did."
He stiffened. "Was?"
She hadn't realized she'd spoken in the past tense. "I don't know, Joe. I still feel—It's not over. I'm not sure if it will ever be over."
"I don't know if I want it to be."
"What?"
"That surprises you." Joe's gaze shifted back to the lake. "Do I want to live with you for the rest of my life? Hell, yes. Am I sorry I hurt you? You know I am. Do I want to go back to what we had before? I'd take it, but I think we can do better."
"Do you?"
"I asked you to marry me two years ago. You said you loved me. Why didn't you do it?"
"We were both busy. We just didn't get around to it."
Joe turned to look at her.
"You never pushed it, dammit."
"Because I was scared. I was always the supplicant in our relationship."
"The hell you were."
"It took me ten years to get you to admit you loved me and agree to live with me. Do you think I'd rock the boat by trying to nudge you anywhere you didn't want to go?"
"I did want to marry you."
"Then why didn't you do it?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that I've made some giant strides, but I'm still second banana to Bonnie."
"And I suppose that's why you lied to me?"
"No way. I would have done the same thing even if I thought I was number one on your hit parade. I wanted your search for her to end."
"By lying to me."
"It was a mistake. But it wouldn't have been a tragedy if you'd fought your way back to the land of the living before it happened."
"You don't know what you're talking about," she said shakily.
"No one knows better how far you've come. I watched you battle your way back from pain and depression and madness. Why do you think I love you so much?" He gently touched her cheek. "You just have to come a few more steps."
"I'm ... confused. You're trying to turn this all around." She blinked back tears. "And you were never a supplicant, blast you."
"Yes, I am. I'm asking you to let me stay. Let me help you take those final steps. It's all out in the open now. We can make a fresh start."
"Joe..."
"You love me. You were happy here. You can be happy again."
She stared at him helplessly.
"Okay." He took a step back. "I'm not pushing you." Then he took a step forward and kissed her, hard. "The hell I'm not. I'm tired of being patient. We need each other, and I'm not going to let you blow it." He headed for the front door. "I'll see you in the morning."
She flinched as the door slammed behind him. The air seemed to vibrate with the passion he had emitted. And not only Joe's passion. She was shaking from emotion. All the barriers she had erected between them seemed to be toppling. She lifted her hand to her lips. She could still feel the pressure of his lips.
Joe...
Why didn't you marry me?
Why hadn't she? Why had she shied away from that final commitment? Joe thought he knew, and had still been willing to accept second best.
He wasn't second best. He'd never be second best to anyone.
She was being defensive, trying to protect him, she realized. But she was the only one who could hurt him. How much had she hurt him during these past two years?
He was walking down the path, every movement suggesting pent-up emotion ready to explode. His attitude was so different from the last time she had watched him and Jane together just a few weeks ago.
But then, nothing was the same now.
She turned away from the window. She was too upset and confused to sort out her emotions now. So stop staring after Joe and think about something else.
Yeah, sure.
"Jennings is coming." Joe had thrown open the door again and was striding into the room. "Galen just called from the checkpoint at the main road. Jennings is alone in one car, but he's accompanied by a police vehicle."
"What?"
Joe shrugged. "I don't know what the hell is happening. This isn't Jennings's style."
Eve went past him out on the porch.
Headlights were coming down the road.
Nathan got up from the porch swing. "What's happening?"
"Jennings. He probably wants Victor."
He frowned. "Why the police car?"
Joe didn't answer. "If you don't want anyone to know you're involved, you'd better disappear, Nathan."
Nathan hesitated, and then slowly shook his head. "I'm tired of skulking around. You c
ame out in the open. It's time I did, too."
"Suit yourself."
A few minutes later Jennings's car was pulling up before the cottage. He got out of the car and started up the steps. "Sorry to do it this way," Jennings said quietly. "But I have to have that reconstruction, Ms. Duncan."
She bristled. "I don't like to be pushed, Jennings. You'll get it when I'm ready to give it to you."
"I know you're angry with me, but don't let that get in the way of your good judgment. You did your job; now let us do ours."
"Or you'll break down the doors and take it?" She glanced at the patrol car. "Do you have a search warrant?"
"Oh, yes." He pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to Joe. "I couldn't take the chance of your refusing me again. Since the condo was blown up, my superior, Agent Rusk, has been on my ass about finding Hebert."
"I'm not done. I've finished the reconstruction, but I haven't done photo and video confirmations."
"I'll do it. I have photos of Bently in the car. Rusk wants me to check it out right away. I have to get on the horn and call him as soon as I leave here."
"It's not the same. I want to do it myself." Eve's lips firmed. "Did it ever occur to you that Hebert might come after it? Why don't you stake out the cottage instead of taking the skull away from me?" My God, she had just suggested she be used as bait. What the hell was wrong with her?
"Actually, we may set up a similar situation to lure Hebert. That's one of the reasons we have to have the skull."
"But I'm out of it?"
Jennings nodded. "I don't see why you're objecting. You couldn't wait for me to take the skull when I came to see you."
"I don't like to have my work taken away from me by force. If you'd waited, I'd have probably called you."
"We don't have time." He paused. "I just got off a plane from Boca Raton. I've been there scouting around for the past few days."
"And?"
"Nothing concrete, but something occurred to me when I was down there. I went over what you told me, and the answer just came out of the blue. It was all there right in front of me, but I didn't see it. I may be wrong, but I have a hunch..." He shook his head. "I need to talk it over with Rusk and see if he thinks I'm nuts. If not, we'll have to move fast to put everything together."
Eve sensed an undercurrent of excitement. There was tenseness, an alertness in his manner that was unmistakable. "What hunch?"
Jennings shook his head. "Will you please go get the skull for me? Don't make me take it."
Joe took a step forward. "No way."
"I wonder how this kind of harassment would play in the press," Nathan said softly from his seat on the swing.
Jennings glanced at Nathan sitting in the shadows. "Who the hell are you?"
"Just a friend," Joe said.
Jennings looked back at Eve. "Quinn is a policeman. Do you want to make him disobey a legal writ in front of men from his own department?"
So that was why he'd brought the police car. Smart. Very smart.
Joe never took his gaze from the FBI man. "I don't give a damn about your writ. Eve?"
"No." She turned on her heel. "I would have eventually given it to him anyway. I just don't like the use of force, and I wanted to do the finish work myself. It's not worth causing you trouble."
"I can handle any trouble he's dishing out."
"No, Joe." She went into the cottage and got the leather case with Victor's skull from her bedroom. She took it back out on the porch and thrust it at Jennings.
"Thank you." He unfastened the snap, glanced inside, and then fastened it again. He looked up and said soberly, "I apologize for causing you this disturbance. It wasn't my choice. I would have been glad to give you a little more time, but the matter is too urgent."
"Don't you think I'm feeling a sense of urgency? My daughter almost died in that condo."
"You can safely leave the matter in our hands now."
"I left my daughter's safety in your hands and you fouled up. Why should I believe you'll be any more effective in finding Hebert?"
He flinched. "I deserved that." He turned and went down the stairs. "I'll try to keep you informed."
"Not likely," Joe said. "I was an agent. I know the drill."
Jennings got in the car. "I'll do what I can. That's all I can promise."
Eve watched the two cars wind down the road and around the bend. She should have felt relieved, she told herself. Victor was out of her hands, and the responsibility was entirely with Jennings. But she didn't feel relieved. She felt strangely flat and ... cheated.
"He was hard for you to give up," Nathan said.
"I hadn't completed the work. I needed to do the video overlay and the final comparison."
"The Bureau will do it."
"But Victor was mine."
"You didn't have to give him up," Joe said. "I would have backed you."
"Yes, you would have fought them all and probably lost your job."
"Maybe."
"And you love that damn job."
"Yes, but it's way down on my list. Shall I tell you what's at the top?"
"No," she said unevenly.
"I didn't think so." He started down the stairs. "Then I'll go try to find Galen and tell him what's happened."
"I'm sorry, Eve," Nathan said. "I tried to help."
"I know. You should have kept quiet. Jennings may have been too absorbed to follow up on what Joe said, but later he's going to remember you being here."
"So what? It won't kill me." He grimaced. "I hope."
Eve felt a chill go through her.
"Hey, it's a joke."
"Yeah." She nodded jerkily and went into the cottage.
Chapter Fifteen
Jennings waved the police car on past him and pulled over to the side of the road. He speed-dialed Robert Rusk in Washington. "I've got it, sir. It wasn't pleasant. I like that woman, and if we'd given her another day she'd probably have turned it over without a protest."
"You didn't have time to be diplomatic," Agent Rusk said. "We've got to know if this is Harold Bently. You brought the photos of him with you?"
"Sure." Jennings turned on the overhead light before taking the three pictures out of the briefcase and spreading them on the passenger seat. Then he opened the leather case and carefully pulled out the skull. "I'm doing a comparison now."
"And?"
He studied the features of the skull and then carefully did the same to the photographs. He gave a low whistle. "Duncan's really good."
"Is it Bently?"
"No doubt about it." Jennings studied the skull again. "It's definitely Harold Bently."
"You're positive?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"Shall I bring it to the office right away? And I need to talk to you about Boca Raton. I may have found the—"
He never finished the sentence.
-------------------
Eve heard the explosion first. The sound was so loud it shook the cottage.
She ran out onto the porch.
"What the hell?" Nathan was running down the porch steps.
Then the night sky lit up with a red glow.
"I don't know what—" Eve stared in horror at the tops of the pine trees flaming on the horizon. She ran down the steps and up the path, followed closely by Nathan.
"Come on, we'll get the car." Joe was beside her, taking her arm and pulling her toward the jeep. "I think it's on the road. But it's got to be a couple miles away."
Eve and Nathan jumped into the jeep and Joe stomped on the accelerator.
She moistened her dry lips as they raced down the road. "What is it?"
Joe didn't answer.
The sky was still lit by a baleful red glow.
Fire.
But what had caused it?
As they turned a corner in the road, she saw billowing black smoke and a roaring inferno. At first she couldn't tell what was at the heart of the flames.
Joe took a deep breath
as he stopped the car. "Christ."
A car, or pieces of a car.
"My God." Nathan jumped out of the jeep.
Eve's eyes widened in shock. "Jennings?"
Joe nodded. "That's my guess."
"Could he still be alive?"
She knew the answer before Joe said, "No chance. Whatever device blew that car was damn powerful. There's not much left of the metal."
And human flesh was so much more fragile. "It was a bomb? How?"
"It may take days of lab work to determine that. Somebody didn't want any pieces left to put together."
"Hebert," Eve said dully. "He seems to be very good with explosives. The condo was—"
"I'm getting the hell out of here." Galen was running toward them. "My guy at the highway phoned to say the police car is turning around and coming back. They must have heard the explosion."
"I'll talk to them," Joe said.
"Fine. But that won't help me. You two may be fairly above suspicion, but I'm not." Galen glanced at the burning car. "And you may have a few things to explain yourselves. You tell me you're hostile to Jennings, and a few minutes later his car blows up. Jennings was FBI. The least that could happen is that you'll be grilled about your involvement. I'll call you later tonight after all the hoopla dies down."
"I'll go with you." Nathan got out of the car.
"Then you'd better move fast." Galen turned and disappeared into the forest.
Nathan muttered an oath and trotted after him. "Wait, dammit, I'm carrying a lot more weight than you are."
Eve turned and looked back at the burning car. Poor Jennings...
"Listen," Joe said. "Galen's right; there are going to be all kinds of questions. I'll handle as much as I can, but I can't keep you out of it entirely."
Eve nodded numbly. She was so stunned, it was difficult to think what was best to do. She didn't want to end up at either the police department or FBI headquarters answering interminable questions. On the other hand, taking off and running was not an option, either. "I don't expect you to keep me out of it. I'll be okay."
"Tell me that after we get through this night." He flipped open his phone. "I'm calling the chief and telling him to get a forensic crew out here right away. I want any evidence to be channeled first through our labs. There's no guarantee that the Bureau won't step in, since Jennings was one of their own, but if they do barge in and take over, at least they'll be obligated to share results with the ATLPD."