Текст книги "Hunting Eve"

Автор книги: Iris Johansen

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 20 страниц)

CHAPTER

5

Rio Grande Forest

Colorado

AN ANCIENT RED TRUCK.

Yes.

Venable had mentioned an old red truck that Doane had stolen in one of his reports, Zander thought.

This old log house was in the cell-tower area from which Doane had made the call to him. According to the Google map he’d pulled up, buildings of any kind were extremely sparse in this wilderness. There had been one possibility down in the valley that Zander had dismissed immediately after taking a quick look around. Then he’d driven up the mountain to the second habitation on his map, which had looked more promising. It was higher in the mountains, where there were seldom any hunters or tourists.

An ideal place to keep a prisoner.

Make sure.

He’d already reconnoitered the house and judged it unoccupied at the moment. He popped the lock on the truck and started looking for gas receipts or anything else that would ID Doane.

On the passenger seat was a folded black cloth. He lifted it to his nose. A faint fragrance. The cloth could have been used as a blindfold. The scent was definitely feminine.

He burgled the glove compartment and found the gas receipts for which he’d been looking. Not charged to a credit card. But one was from a station in Birmingham, the other a small town in Missouri. Both issued on the same day.

The path was clear.

He gazed speculatively at the log house. It was probably booby-trapped. Doane’s son had been Special Forces as well as al-Qaeda-trained and had probably taught his father. It would take time to disarm even though it would be an ideal place to ambush Doane as he entered the place.

And where were Doane and Eve Duncan? The truck was here, and presumably this was where Eve was working on the reconstruction. Yet neither one of them appeared to be on-site. They would not be taking a casual stroll, and unless Blick was nearby, and they were using his car, there was no reason for them to be gone.

He quickly checked the area for other tire tracks.

No Blick.

It could be that Doane had become enraged with Eve and killed her.

However, that would be a last choice for Doane. He had the idea fixed in his head that he would hurt Zander more if he made him witness Eve’s death.

Which left one other interesting possibility.

“Did you take it on the lam, Eve?” he murmured. “How unobliging of you to be so troublesome to Doane.” He looked up at the path leading to wilderness country. “But it may make my task more of a challenge.”

Hunting the hunter. Much more exciting than hunting prey.

The hunter seldom expected to be caught in the crosshairs when he was feeling the exhilaration of being the dominant one. He turned and headed down the rock road, where he’d left his Jeep a mile from the area of the house. He’d get his weapons and equipment and set out tracking.

He was already feeling the urgency, the excitement of the hunt.

She had said that she wouldn’t count on anyone to protect her, but if she could hold out in that harsh country until he tracked down Doane, she might have a chance to save herself.

He found his pace unconsciously escalating at the thought. What was he doing? He deliberately slowed as he realized that his instinct had been to rush that kill just to get to Eve. He’d thought those instincts had died long ago.

He could almost name the date and hour.

He’d take his time, not rush the kill and risk making a mistake. If that time proved to be in time for Eve, then so be it.

If not, then she could take care of herself.

Lake Cottage

THE SKY HAD JUST BEGUN to lighten to a dusty orange when Joe walked into the cottage.

Kendra stood up from the kitchen table. “How’s Jane?”

“Extremely pissed. They’re going to keep her there for a few days. They’ve pumped her full of antibiotics to combat the infection, and depending on how she responds to treatment, surgery may be necessary again.”

“I could see that she has a lot of fight in her. Like Eve.”

“You’ve got that right. It’s going to be tough getting her to stay in that hospital. I halfway expected to come in this door and find her here ahead of me.”

“Not yet anyway. Did you hear about the car?”

Joe grimly nodded. “I called Venable on the way back. They’ve just notified the farmer’s family. Venable said you’d found a few other threads to go on. What were they?”

“Not much, I’m afraid. But maybe something to build on.” Kendra told him about the scrapes in the trunk and passenger compartment as well as the information provided by the radio-station presets. She showed him the area map on her iPad screen.

Joe studied it. “Mineral County, Colorado. What’s there?”

“Very little. It actually has the distinction of being one of the most remote areas in the Continental U.S. It’s on the Continental Divide. Mountains, forests, and not a whole lot of anything else.”

Joe studied it for a moment longer. “Does Venable know about this?”

She nodded. “But not about the additional stuff I found out about Mineral County. I’ve been looking it up while I sat here waiting for you. Venable is checking the area out against Doane’s known associations.”

“Good.”

Kendra picked up a page of notebook paper from the kitchen table. “I was writing you a note. I’m leaving for Colorado in just a few minutes.”

Joe stiffened. “You’re kidding, right?”

“There’s nothing left for me to do here, Quinn.”

“For God’s sake, you haven’t even slept.”

“And how much sleep have you had since you found out Eve had been taken?” When he didn’t answer, she shrugged. “I didn’t think so. You called me because you thought I could help. And I think maybe I can. But neither of us has the luxury of sitting around and seeing which move that we make is the right one. We’re just throwing everything into the mix and hoping one of them sticks. It’s all we can do when Eve is in danger every second she’s held by that psychopath.”

Joe’s jaw clenched, and he looked away. “Do you think I don’t know that?”

“Then stop trying to protect me. I’ll sleep on the plane. I’ll start at Doane’s house in Goldfork. I assume you can arrange access for me.”

“Of course.”

“Then do it. There may be something at Doane’s house that can help us,” Kendra said. “Maybe point out a way to figure out where he’s taken Eve.”

“The CIA has searched that place several times over the years. And I guarantee you that they’ve been there almost nonstop since Doane left. They haven’t come up with anything.”

Kendra wrinkled her nose. “If I had a dollar every time a law-enforcement officer told me there was nothing more to see at a crime scene…”

“I know, I know. That’s why I wanted you part of this, Kendra. You don’t see, you experience. I just didn’t want you to waste time crisscrossing the country.”

“You all have things pretty well covered here. If it turns out to be a dead end, I’ll catch the first flight back here. Or wherever else I can help.” She smiled crookedly. “I know you won’t be shy about sending me to hell and back if there’s a chance of that.”

Joe nodded. “Thanks, Kendra.”

“But there’s something you need to know.” Kendra motioned toward a clear glass of water on the coffee table. Four tiny capsule-shaped objects rested on the bottom of the glass. Each object had a single thin wire lead protruding from the underside, almost like a long tail.

Joe stared at the glass, then gave a low curse. “Are those—”

“Listening devices. I put them in the water to neutralize them. I didn’t want to destroy them on the off chance that you could trace them. Someone bugged the house.”

Joe reached in and plucked one of the capsules from the glass. “Where?”

“Everywhere. One in the kitchen, one in the master bathroom, two in here. Doane may have used them to plan the timing of Eve’s abduction. He knew when she would be alone.”

Joe dropped down on the couch, still staring at the bug in his hand. “And if he was listening afterward, he knows exactly what we know. Every conversation we had here with the police, the FBI, the CIA…” He looked up at Kendra. “How did you find these?”

“I wouldn’t have found them if they’d been put in by a pro. Evidently Doane wasn’t as competent at this kind of thing as his son. I wasn’t even looking.”

“Then how?”

“Drywall dust. Not much, just a faint dusting. He drilled tiny cavities in the walls above three doorframes and the one wall mirror. He threaded the antenna wire and microphone into each hole. The holes are small and above almost everyone’s sight lines.”

“Including yours.”

“But I could see small traces of drywall dust on the baseboards below some of the spots where the wall had been drilled. I wondered why. I’d bet a few of these bugs were planted more recently than others, or the dust wouldn’t still be there. Maybe he decided he needed more bugs as the time approached for taking Eve.”

Joe shook his head. “We’ve had a parade of law-enforcement officers through here, and none of them wondered why.”

“Because they didn’t see it. They weren’t looking for it.”

“Neither were you,” Joe said. “But then again, you don’t take anything you see for granted.”

Kendra shrugged. “Two decades of blindness will do that to a girl. Anyway, I looked closer and found these. Venable might be able to track them through retail-sales channels.”

“I’ll let him know.” Joe dropped the microphone back in the glass of water. “I can’t believe it … I’m mentally replaying every conversation we’ve had in the past couple weeks. The thought of that sicko’s listening to us is—”

“That’s minor compared to the thought of his holding Eve someplace.” She checked her watch. “I should really get going.”

“Look, Kendra, about this trip to Colorado. I don’t—”

“Knock it off, Quinn. I know what you’re going to say. You’d never ask me to do it, but that doesn’t change anything.” She moistened her lips. “Look, I don’t have a lot of close friends. Do you think I don’t realize how abrasive I can be? But Eve is my friend. She puts up with me and slaps me down when she thinks I need it and makes me feel like I’m special to her as a person and not the way others look at me. Do you believe I’d give that up? You can’t keep me from going to find her. I know she’d be out there doing the same thing for me.”

“Are you finished?”

“Yes.”

“Then may I say I have no intention of talking you out of going to Colorado. I’m much too selfish. I just don’t like the idea of your going alone.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “Let me call someone to go with you.”

“Like who?”

“Some of the guys I worked with in the Atlanta PD and the FBI are now private security. I’ll hire one of them.”

“A bodyguard?” She laughed. “You want to hire me a bodyguard?”

“There’s nothing funny about this.”

“The hell there isn’t. Put your phone away. I’ll be okay.” She shook her head. “Classic Joe Quinn. Always trying to take care of everybody.”

“Not everybody. Just the people who matter to me and Eve.”

“I’ll be fine. The last thing I need is to be traveling with some muscle-bound ex-cop.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being either an ex-cop or having muscles. Both can come in handy.”

“I’m joking. But seriously, put away your phone. I’ll be okay.”

“You’d better be. If you’re not, it may be too late for me to tell you I told you so.” Joe paused. “All right. But if you change your mind, just call. If I can’t be there myself, I’ll have someone on the next plane.”

“I’ll remember that.” Kendra stepped toward Joe and awkwardly put her hand on his arm. “You know, that kind of makes me feel special, too. Thanks, Quinn. I know that it’s naïve to tell you that everything is going to be okay, but I’ll do my best to make it that way.” She turned away quickly, instantly rejecting that moment of softness and headed for the door. “Keep me in the loop. Let me know everything you know. We’re all splintering in different directions to find Eve, and that’s not a bad thing. As long as we share information, the dominoes may start falling into place. We just have to cover every possibility. Good-bye, Quinn. I’ll be in touch.”

The front door closed behind her, and a few minutes later, Joe heard her car pull out of the driveway.

He sat down again and stared at the capsules in the glass.

All the time and painstaking effort Doane had made to take Eve was exemplified in those listening devices.

Son of a bitch.

The anger and helplessness were growing by the moment. The little pieces of information and leads that they were finding were not enough, dammit.

But at least Kendra had found out a few things that were promising.

Maybe.

His phone rang. Seth Caleb.

What the hell? “Quinn.”

“I’m with Jane at the hospital. I was bored, so I thought that I’d come out here in the hall and call you. She told me she’d call you again later, but I decided I’d take it off her list. She’s going to be busy.”

“Is she sleeping now?”

“No, she dozed for a while but now she’s wide-awake and in work mode.”

“Work mode? You are not to convince her to leave that hospital, or I’ll strangle you.”

“I couldn’t be less concerned about you, Quinn. I’m taking my orders from Margaret at the moment, and she’s far more intimidating. As it happens, all our goals coincide.”

“Not if Jane’s not resting.”

“She’ll rest eventually, and the work she’s doing will keep her at the hospital, where the doctors can keep an eye on her.”

“What work?”

“Something she’s evidently done before. She mentioned Cira.”

“What?”

“She had a dream about Eve, and she was in some mountain location. Jane is going through computer files and books to see if she can find any matching terrain.” He paused. “She doubts if anything is going to come of it, but she said it had results when she was searching for Cira. She’s pretty desperate.”

“She would have to be. Even when Jane’s dreams of Cira seemed to have substance, she was still trying to find a practical reason why that was so and why she was having the dreams. She has problems with anything that’s not reality-based.” He added wearily, “But then we’re all getting desperate and ready to embrace anything that gives us hope.”

“What about you, Quinn? Did you believe there was anything in Jane’s dreams of Cira that was … unusual?”

“Hell, yes. Do I believe that experience would translate to help for Eve? I have no idea. I haven’t a clue why Jane’s dreams of Cira seemed to have historical and geographic details of which she would have no possible knowledge. I used to be a total realist like Jane, but these days, I only know that there’s nothing that’s not possible. I keep bumping into impossible.”

“I’m surprised you admit that to me.”

“Why? I don’t give a damn what you think about me. As a matter of fact, you’re one of the impossibles, with that blood thing.”

“Point taken.” He paused. “I encouraged Jane to pursue this avenue. It seemed interesting and a way to keep her sedentary. I thought I’d let you know. I’m sure Jane will give you a call if it proves promising.” He hung up.

Promising? Joe pressed the disconnect. He hoped to hell he’d hear something promising from someone. But at least Caleb had found a way to keep Jane safe until she was well.

Maybe.

If desperation was driving her as Joe thought, then she might become frustrated and give up the search for this dream location.

But that wasn’t like Jane. She had bulldog tenacity when she was fighting for anything. It would be an obsessive determination if she was fighting to find Eve. He wished he could believe that dream of Jane’s would give them a hint, a lead, a path. Maybe what he’d told Caleb wasn’t entirely true and there were still strong elements of logic and realism that made him cynical of anything else.

“I saw Kendra driving down the road.” Venable stood in the doorway. “Where was she going?”

“Airport.” His lips twisted. “And then to Goldfork. Make sure your agents welcome her with open arms.”

“I’ll see to it.” He came into the cottage. “She’s sharp, very sharp. Extraordinary. I don’t know if she’ll be able to find anything that my guys missed, but I’m willing to let her take a shot at it.” He went to the kitchen. “Mind if I grab a cup of coffee? It’s been a long night.”

Joe nodded at the glass sitting on the coffee table. “She’s already found one thing. It appears that everything that’s happened in the cottage has been monitored.”

Venable glanced at the devices in the water. “Shit.”

“Yes. How long before you’re able to identify that metallic stuff from the trunk?”

“I put a rush on it, but it takes as long as it takes.” He took his coffee cup from beneath the automatic coffeemaker and lifted it to his lips. “And I promised Kendra I’d call her as soon as it came in.” He made a face. “Otherwise, I think she’d have been down at the lab harassing the techs.”

“No doubt about it,” Joe said. “Kendra’s philosophy is that you throw everything you have at the wall and hope something sticks. She threw that metallic dust, and she’s going to want to know if it stuck.” He looked down at the glass with the capsules. “She also said she couldn’t do anything more here. I don’t think I can either, Venable.”

“And?”

“Splinters. Kendra was talking about splinters. How we were all working at different points for the same goal, finding Eve. She’s right. One of those splinters was here. The car and any evidence we could locate. Then Kendra branched off to Goldfork. Another splinter, we knew that Doane would try to kill General Tarther and Lee Zander because they were responsible for the death of his son, Kevin. You even tried to protect the general.”

“Tried. The bastard got to him anyway.”

“But as far as we know, Doane hasn’t been able to kill Zander yet.” Joe’s lips twisted. “That’s a very sharp splinter to explore.”

“More than you dream.” Venable’s eyes narrowed on Joe’s face. “It could be fatal.”

“Why are you trying to ward me off Zander? You’ve been doing it since you told me about Zander and the general. He’s an assassin.”

“I don’t want you dead.” He added, “At first, it was just that five years ago I’d made Zander a promise that I’d keep his identity secret if he didn’t go after Doane. I keep my word. Now, I’m having regrets about opening my mouth and not just trying to handle him myself.”

“I want Zander’s address,” Joe said to Venable. “Now.”

“Not smart, Quinn,” Venable said. “Let me handle him.”

“The hell I will,” Joe said. “I have to get on the move. I can’t sit here any longer. Kendra is on her way to Goldfork, Doane’s safe house. You can’t get me that damn tower location and the general was picked off as cleanly as if you didn’t have anyone there protecting him. It’s all been on Doane’s side. I have to change it.”

“Zander may not even be there.”

“But someone will be there?”

“Stang, his accountant and personal assistant.”

“Then I’ll find out where Zander is and if he has any idea where Doane has Eve.” He added grimly. “And if Doane is going to go after Zander, then I’ll stay there and stake him out myself.”

“What about Jane?”

“Stop trying to put obstacles in my path. Seth Caleb is there watching that she’s not doing too much. He said he’d keep her occupied.” He grimaced. “Which isn’t very reassuring, considering the source. And I think Mark Trevor called Jane yesterday and told her he’d be coming here within a day or two. Jane will have more help than she’s going to want. Give me Zander’s address.”

Venable hesitated.

“Venable.”

Venable reached into his pocket for his phone and accessed Zander’s information. “I’ll send it to your phone.”

“Good.” Joe turned. “Then I’m on my way.”

“Quinn.”

“Don’t try to stop me.”

“I know better. Just be careful.” He hesitated. “Oh, hell. I can’t let you go without telling you. It could be a game changer somewhere along the way.”

“What could be a game changer?”

“The reason Doane took Eve in the first place.”

“The reconstruction.”

“No.” He grimaced. “The fact that Eve is Zander’s daughter.”

Joe froze. “What? That’s not possible.”

“Zander’s daughter, and Doane knows it. It would just be too coincidental that he would pick Eve to do the reconstruction on his son.”

Joe shook his head. “That’s got to be bullshit. Eve didn’t know who her father was. I don’t think her mother did either.”

“That would surprise me because Zander definitely knew about Eve. He told me about her five years ago. He always thought Doane would walk away from that safe house. He was looking at possible chinks in his armor that Doane might attempt to find. He thought Eve might be one. He told me if Doane ever split to look in Eve Duncan’s direction.”

Joe was trying to take it all in, but he was too stunned. “And you never mentioned it to Eve? You’ve known it all these years, and you never told us.”

“I wouldn’t mention it now if I didn’t have to. Eve has made a decent life for herself. She didn’t need to know that her father is probably the deadliest assassin I’ve ever run across. I didn’t know what kind of effect that would have on her.”

“No effect. Nothing could change what she is or how she thinks about herself.”

“And you?”

“Are you crazy? Even if this crap is true, which I doubt, Eve stands alone.” He took a harsh breath. “But if he thinks it’s true, can I use it to get Zander to help me find Eve?”

Venable shook his head. “He doesn’t care, Quinn. I’ve tried that card, and he doesn’t give a damn. I’ve never seen a colder bastard.”

“I can be colder,” Joe said. “Watch me.”

“That’s what I’ve been afraid of. The situation between Zander and Eve may be … complicated. Don’t jump until you know what’s going on with him.”

“I don’t care what’s going on with him as long as I can use him to get to Eve.” He was going down the steps. “You just try to find out where that damn cell tower is.” He opened his car door. “By the time my flight reaches Vancouver, I want answers, Venable.”

Rio Grande Forest

Colorado

THREAT. DANGER.

Doane!

Eve’s eyes flew open, jarred from sleep!

Yes, Doane!

He was coming toward her, slowly, creeping through the forest to catch her off guard.

And he had caught her off guard. She had allowed herself just a few hours to nap and regain strength.

Too long. Too long.

He couldn’t be more than fifteen feet away from her.

Run!

She jumped to her feet and bolted.

He was right behind her, his hand grabbing her shoulder. “Oh, no, Eve. I had you. You’re not going to—”

Her elbow lashed backward, plowing into his stomach.

He grunted, bending double with pain.

His grasp on her shoulder loosened.

She pulled free and ran.

So close.

She could hear him behind her.

Keep running.

He had not caught her though she had been helpless in those first few moments.

Instinct. Self-preservation. Bonnie.

Whatever had caused her to sense him and wake had saved her. She was making mistakes, but she was learning.

She was not helpless now. She had will and determination and the strength of her body and mind.

And she would not let him catch her.

“How long do you think you can hold out, Eve?” Doane’s voice was mocking behind her. “I almost got you this morning, didn’t I? But I managed to grab your duffel with all those treasures that are helping you to survive.”

Eve ran harder.

She’d not had a chance to think about that loss. She had been forced to leave her duffel, blanket … and that spear she had made from the branch.

They were treasures. She had planned on using that spear and maybe distracting Doane enough to get hold of his gun.

Or give him a karate chop that would kill the son of a bitch.

She had never thought she would plan to deliberately kill a human being. It had to be self-defense. It was always a last resort.

But this was beginning to feel like a last resort. The hours of being hunted and the sound of his voice telling her that he was going to kill her had taken their toll.

She would not let him kill her.

She would not be captured and forced to deal with that hideous skull that had sometimes seemed as if it filled her world.

Keep running. She had seen a vine-covered ravine up ahead where she could perhaps become lost in the heavy foliage.

He thought she was getting weaker, that he was wearing her down.

He was wrong. Perhaps that should have been the result of his stalking, but it had the opposite effect. She was feeling stronger, her body was becoming more agile, the muscles toned, her senses sharper. The berries and plants she’d found to eat had not been sufficient, but they’d warded off weakness. The worst enemy had been the cold and the early-morning frost, but she’d been able to withstand that, too. It would be harder now that she no longer had the blanket and extra clothing, but she’d get through it.

So that she could be hunted another day?

Sudden anger tore through her at the thought.

No way.

It was time she stopped being on the defensive and turned hunter herself.

She would find another branch, make another weapon, find another opportunity.

She would not let him beat her.

Even if she had to kill him.