Текст книги "Silencing Eve"

Автор книги: Iris Johansen

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 23 страниц)

CHAPTER

10

Stanley, Illinois

“SHE’S HEADING FOR CHICAGO,” Trevor said as he glanced at the GPS. They picked up Harriet’s signal almost immediately after they had gotten on the road, and had been traveling at a safe distance behind her for the past hours. “Now why would she be heading for the big city…?”

“A good place to get lost…” Jane said as she accessed the dossier that Catherine Ling had e-mailed to her. “But there’s no indication that she has friends or a connection here. I’m going to check with Catherine and see if there’s something I’m missing.”

“Good idea,” Caleb said. “Of course, she could be going to the airport. Chicago has connections to everywhere in the world. It would be logical for her to leave Muncie and go to an airline hub. We should have gone back to Muncie Airport and picked up my plane.”

“But we don’t know that she wants to leave Chicago,” Trevor said. “Maybe there’s something she wants to do there.”

“The nuke,” Jane said. “You believe she knows where it is?”

“I don’t believe anything,” Trevor said. “Except that Harriet Weber has displayed a discipline and strength in these last years that makes Doane’s appear weak in comparison. Yet there is a similarity if you look for it. Doane pretended to be a heartbroken but innocent father for the last five years. She was evidently in masquerade mode for far longer and was so good that Venable didn’t even bother to have her watched. But both were controlled by their son, Kevin.”

“The question is whether Harriet was so influenced by Kevin that she became involved in the hiding of the nuclear devices,” Jane said. “Muncie is fairly close to Chicago, and it would have been convenient for Kevin to have brought his mother into his scheme to destroy that city.”

“Now that’s true corruption,” Caleb said. “She’d have to know how dangerous mass murder would be for him. Perhaps she tried to talk him out of doing it as she did the child killings.”

“Or tried to make it safer for him by making sure he wouldn’t be caught,” Jane said grimly.

Trevor’s brows rose. “You’re leaning toward thinking that she would go that far?”

“You should have seen her face. She was proud that he’d taught her to defend herself. She liked the idea that the two of them were banded together against the world. I think she would have done anything for him.” She frowned. “But I’ll still check with Catherine to see if there’s any other reason for her going to Chicago.” She was dialing her phone. “Caleb, I want you to send those copies of Kevin’s letters to my cell. Did Margaret have you send them to Kendra?”

“That’s goes without saying. She wanted Kendra to have material with which to work.” He paused. “The turnoff for O’Hare Airport is five miles ahead. We should have an idea which way Harriet is going to jump soon.”

“Then while I’m talking to Catherine, call Margaret and tell her where we are.” Jane smiled slyly. “I’m sure she’ll be glad to hear from you.”

“I think Trevor should call her. He’s much more diplomatic.”

“I’m driving,” Trevor said. “It wouldn’t be safe.”

Caleb grimaced. “Okay. I’m stuck with it.” He took out his phone. “How bad can it get?”

“You must tell us when you finish the call,” Jane murmured. “Personally, I’d hesitate to—” She broke off as Catherine answered the phone. “Catherine, we’re heading for Chicago. We’re following Harriet Weber, and she proved to be a hell of a lot more dangerous than Venable thought her to be. I need to know more about her.”

“I told you everything that was on the Venable file,” Catherine said. “What do you mean ‘dangerous’?”

Jane filled her in on her meeting with Harriet and the discovery of Kevin’s letters. She ended with, “Why should she be going to Chicago?”

“The nuke,” Catherine said bluntly. “I’d guess she was knee deep in Kevin’s plot from what you’ve told me.”

“That was my first thought,” Jane said. “Either she was a member of the sleeper cell, or she worked alone with him. She seemed very independent, very smart, and aggressive. Even though she seems to have been firmly controlled emotionally by him, she’d need to be an active part of whatever she chose to do. She wouldn’t trust even Kevin’s judgment over her own. She was his mother, and mother knows best. Even in their correspondence, she was evidently telling him gently what to do about his damn murders.”

Catherine was silent. “You seem to have a handle on her.”

“I learned by a huge mistake, but I think I know her now.” She hadn’t realized until actually voicing that knowledge how clearly she was seeing Harriet Weber’s character. As they had been driving, she had been mentally going over what she had been told about Harriet’s background in Muncie, then the actual contact. “First, you have to realize that she has an ego to match Kevin’s and that she also lacks any hint of conscience.”

“A sociopath?”

“Perhaps. I don’t know. Maybe. But she did love Kevin.”

“And you’re excited.”

“Yes, because I believe there may be a way to reach Doane through Harriet. I’ve got to try. You’re in Seattle?”

“Yes, we just arrived. Stang picked us up, and we’re heading toward downtown. Zander’s not wasting any time. He has a rather unsavory contact named Slater who has his ear to the ground and may be able to help. I’ll call Langley and see if they have any other info on Harriet Weber and let you know.”

“Thanks. I’ll be out there as soon as I can. I just have to check out Harriet’s connection in—”

“Stop sounding so agonized. You can’t be everywhere. You said yourself that Doane’s ex-wife may be a strong lead. That’s more than I have right now. We have a target city and a hope that we interpreted Eve’s message correctly.” She paused. “Seattle. Chicago. Both target cities. We’re in Seattle, and I expect Joe and Gallo will show up soon. You’re in Chicago. We should be able to control the situation if we—” She chuckled. “Zander is frowning at me. He doesn’t appreciate my trying to run the show. I’ll talk to you later.” She hung up.

“Not very helpful.” Jane pressed the disconnect.

“I disagree,” Caleb said. “I think talking it out with Catherine was exceptionally helpful to you. You’re seeing everything with crystal clarity now. You were a little confused after your brawl with Harriet. Every instinct was screaming, but you had to put it together.” He smiled faintly. “You’re not like me, who is content to let instinct rule and to hell with everything else. That’s the difference between the primitive and the civilized.” He glanced at Trevor. “Where are you on the scale?”

“I have my moments on both levels.”

Caleb shook his head. “Never on mine, Trevor. We’ve managed to work together, but we’re not on the same wavelength.”

“You never know.” He looked at Jane. “But one thing was decided while you were on the phone.” He nodded out the windshield. “Harriet passed the turnoff for the airport five minutes ago. She’s not trying to fly out of town.” He glanced down at the GPS. “And she’s exiting at one of the lakefront exits.”

Jane tensed. “Don’t lose her.”

“I won’t.” Trevor shifted lanes. “You trusted me to be your driver. I wouldn’t fail you.”

Caleb made a face. “Not when it meant you didn’t have to take the heat from Margaret.”

“True. How did she take the news that we’d left her in Muncie?”

“No curses or threats, just cool acceptance and a comment that neither of us had behaved honorably. She said she’d be on her way to Chicago within the next hour and would tell us where to pick her up. If it was inconvenient, she’d get to Jane on her own.”

“How is she getting here?” Jane was already dialing Margaret. “I doubt if she has airfare, and she gave me back my credit card. Maybe I can prepay her ticket or something.”

No answer.

Voice mail.

“She gave you back your credit card?” Trevor asked. “Why did she have your credit card?”

“Don’t ask,” Caleb said. “But I think I can guess. Stop worrying, Jane. Margaret will find a way. She always does.”

“But it might not be a safe way.” She knew that Margaret had been left behind for the girl’s own safety, but she wished now that she was with them. “I’ll keep trying.”

“Harriet’s car has stopped.” Trevor was looking at the GPS. “Her Jeep Cherokee just pulled off the street somewhere.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know. It could be a gas station or a grocery store.” He was activating the map detail. He added softly, “Or a hotel. She’s pulled into a Marriott Hotel parking lot.” He exited the freeway. “Let’s see if she checks in and sets up housekeeping.”

“We don’t want Jane to check into the same hotel.” Caleb was accessing the hotel feature on his phone. “She’s the only one Harriet would recognize. Even if she was registered under an assumed name, there’s a chance she might run into Harriet.” He found what he was looking for. “Here’s a Radisson Inn a block away but within viewing distance of the Marriott. You check Jane into the Radisson and get her settled, Trevor. I’ll register at the Marriott, find out what room Harriet is in, then take it from there.”

“Take it where?” Jane asked. “And I don’t like being relegated to anywhere that’s not close to Harriet.”

“I didn’t think you would. But I need to be free to install a few electronic bugs in Harriet’s room, then do some listening without worrying about you interfering.”

“Me interfering?” Jane said. “I wouldn’t do that. I’m more interested than either one of you in finding out if Harriet is in contact with Doane.”

“You’d interfere because I’d be thinking about you instead of Harriet,” Caleb said quietly. “I need this hunt for Eve to be over. That means I have to focus on giving you Doane and Eve.”

“I’ve never seen you have trouble focusing,” Jane said. On the contrary, his intense concentration had often made her uneasy. “Is this some kind of excuse?”

“No, it’s different right now.” He met her gaze. “You’re ill and hurting, and I could make you feel better. You won’t let me do it, and I’m frustrated. I’d probably do something that would blow everything for me. It’s better that I get away from you and do something else that I’m good at.”

“And what is that?” Trevor asked with narrowed eyes. “You were exceptionally good planting those listening devices in Harriet Weber’s apartment. Is there more to you than an expert Peeping Tom?”

“Fathoms,” Caleb said. “I spent years chasing down the killer of my sister. I’m good at the hunt, I’m fantastic at the kill.” He glanced out the window. “There’s the Marriott. Let me out here, then go on to the Radisson. I’ll grab a taxi, have the driver take me to the closest place where I can buy a few devices, and check in at the hotel. I’ll call and report as soon as I find out anything.”

Trevor pulled over to the curb. “I could go with you, Caleb.”

“I don’t need you.” He glanced at Jane as he got out of the car. “She does. Look at her. For the last thirty miles, she’s been fading.”

“I have not,” Jane said. “I’m just tired.”

“Liar. I’ve been watching you. And I can feel you. You’re almost as bad as you were before they let you out of that hospital.” His lips tightened. “And you won’t let me do anything for you.” He turned back to Trevor. “Take care of her.” His smile was suddenly reckless. “Or I’ll come after you. I’m no caretaker like you. Do you know how difficult this is for me?”

“I have a good idea.”

“No, you can’t even come close.” He turned and strode down the street toward the Marriott.

“This is all wrong,” Jane said as she watched him go. “Caleb’s being overcareful. We should have stayed together.”

“If he’d been overcareful, you’d have taken him down and done what you wanted,” Trevor said quietly as he drove into the Radisson parking lot. “It speaks volumes that you let him control the situation with only a token protest.”

“I won’t deny that I’m not well. I have to pick my battles, and there’s a certain logic to Caleb’s handling the first stages of Harriet’s reconnaissance. He’s very effective.” And she was exhausted, she realized. She was bruised and tired and strained to the maximum degree. “But you don’t have to stay with me. That’s ridiculous.”

“It appears that I do.” He smiled faintly as he came around to her door and opened it. “Caleb was bitter that he had to leave such a major opening for me. He meant it when he said that he’d come after me.” He took her hand and helped her from the car. “You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you?”

His hand was warm and strong on her own, and she felt a rush of feeling that was like a deep, swirling river of sensation. The exhaustion was suddenly eased, and she only wanted to stand here and look at him.

“Hey, that’s not fair.” His smile faded. “You’re vulnerable, and I’m trying to remember. In spite of Caleb’s claim not to have any caretaking instincts, even he actually showed signs of doing that for once.” He made a face. “Oh, what the hell.” He grabbed their bags, but his hand still held her own as he pulled her toward the front entrance. “Caleb probably only did it to tie my hands. Why should I let him get away with it?”

*   *   *

“HARRIET WEBER BOOKED for two nights and she’s in Room 1630,” Caleb said when Jane answered two hours later. “I’m in a room directly above her on the seventh floor. She left her Cherokee packed except for an overnight case and the box of letters from Kevin.”

“Yes, she wouldn’t want to let those sentimental messages from her dear boy far away from her,” Jane said bitterly. “Let’s hope she doesn’t examine the box too carefully.”

“She’d have to be looking for that GPS bug. It’s tiny, and I placed it very carefully. But it won’t help us unless she’s on the road. But I picked up a few very sensitive motion and listening devices that should do the trick. It shouldn’t be too difficult to plant a few bugs.”

“From the floor above her?” Jane asked.

“I told you, I’m in the suite directly above hers. She has a balcony, and so do I. There are sliding glass doors, and I’ve checked, and they’re not sealed the way some hotels keep them. I’ll have to wait until the hotel quiets for the night, but then I should be able to climb down.”

“Like Spider-Man?”

“Piece of cake.”

Jane believed him. Margaret called Caleb one of the wild ones. She was probably referring to the dark recklessness she sensed within him. But Caleb’s years of hunting and stalking his sister’s killer had developed and honed those abilities to the extreme. Jane had seen him move like a jungle cat through the forest after human prey and seen the wildness in him after he had brought that prey down. “And what if she has the doors locked?”

“I’ll be prepared to jimmy them, but not many people feel threatened of anyone creeping in from that direction. As you say, Spider-Man is usually not a possibility. There’s a chance she’ll leave them unlocked if she strolls out there.” He paused. “Stop worrying, Jane. I’ll get the job done.”

“Without falling and breaking your neck?”

“I’m touched. And I thought that you were only concerned about my getting your information.”

“Don’t be sarcastic. Of course I’m concerned about you.”

“Yes, but you guard yourself so well that you don’t let me see it very often. And I’m sarcastic because I’m very pissed off about the situation.” He paused. “Do you know that we don’t have to go through all this surveillance crap? I could go to her and make her tell anything she knows. It would take less than fifteen minutes. People fear pain and are terrified of death. When the evidence that’s happening comes from their own bodies, it’s doubly frightening. I’ve only showed you that blood can be a friend, but when I make it the enemy, it can be excruciating.”

She moistened her lips. “You’d do that to her?”

“You think I’d hold my hand because she’s a woman? No, that’s something Trevor would do. I target anyone who is capable of being a threat. I take it on a case-by-case basis. I always have a few problems with the fairness question when it comes to women. I think it’s ingrained in the genes, and has something do with the preservation of the species. But in my experience, women can be more savage and deadly than men if they’re motivated. Harriet Weber shows the signs of being a very ugly customer and would fight with every weapon she has. If you like, I’ll go after her and get your answers.”

“And torture her?”

“It would probably come down to that. I wouldn’t mind this time.” He was silent. “She hurt you.”

“And I hurt her, too.” The brutal simplicity of his answer shocked her. “I fight my own battles, Caleb.”

“I know. And I also knew that my offer would probably turn you off. I had to take the chance. It could save time.”

Time. How much time did Eve have left? For an instant, Jane was actually tempted. “And if Harriet didn’t talk, we’d have no chance of finding out if she has a connection with Doane. Or she could lie and send us down the wrong path.”

“Not likely.”

“It could happen.”

“Yes, it could happen. If she has mental problems; and judging from her actions and the tone of those letters from Kevin, she might. Then she’d feel anger and not fear, and she’d die before she’d tell the truth.” He added impatiently, “Okay, it could go either way. Forget it. You’re obviously not going to let me run the risk. I just had to put the offer out there. Is Trevor there?”

She glanced at Trevor, sitting in the chair across the hotel room. “Yes, he’s been listening. Do you want to talk to him?”

“No, I’ve said what I wanted to say to him. I just wanted to make sure he hadn’t let you send him away. Trevor has a tendency to try to give you everything you want. I’m sure that makes him even more desirable in your eyes, but you need someone with you right now.” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “I’m hanging up now. I’ll call you when I know something more.” He hung up.

“You heard him,” she said to Trevor. “He seems to have everything under control.” She punched the disconnect on her cell. “And so we’re delegated to sitting here twiddling our thumbs. I hope Caleb is pleased. I hate being here. I’m not going to be able to take it.”

Trevor smiled. “Yes, you will. And Caleb is not pleased though he hopes all we’re doing is thumb twiddling.” He gestured to the bed. “Why don’t you lie down and rest while I call room service and get us something to eat?”

“I don’t want to lie down.” She wearily brushed the hair back from her face. “Do you know, I was thinking about letting him hurt her? What kind of person am I becoming, Trevor?”

“Just an ordinary human under superhuman stress,” Trevor said. “And the choices are few, and all with consequences.”

“I think I would have done it,” she whispered. “If he’d told me that he was absolutely sure that he could get those answers. Eve’s life against the pain of a woman who would condone the death of children. I would have said save Eve. There would have been no real question.”

“Could Caleb really have done what he promised? Are you sure?”

“Eve was sure. She saw it happen. That was why she was uneasy whenever I was with him. But neither Eve nor I have ever known him to hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it.”

“You’re defending him.”

“I’m telling you the truth as I know it. Caleb is an enigma, and I won’t say that I can read him. He bewilders me.” Her lips twisted. “You know me, Trevor. The quintessential realist. I don’t like to admit that there are people who have weird gifts. Yet how the hell can I deny that Caleb appears to be in a class by himself? He can hurt, he can kill, he can even heal. Anything connected with blood flow.”

“Extraordinary. Anything else?”

She shrugged. “A few years ago, I thought that blood flow was capable of affecting the mind, too. Hallucinations. Mind games. But I can’t be sure.” She added impatiently, “I don’t want to talk about Caleb.”

“Neither do I. But it’s always intelligent to gauge the strength of the opposition. He’s beginning to come out of the shadows and make his presence known.”

“He was never in the shadows. He doesn’t pretend. I always know exactly where I am with him.”

“And he offers to give you Harriet’s head on a platter. If you’d said yes, would you have felt a kind of unholy alliance with him?”

“I didn’t say yes.”

“No, but you might still have to say it,” he said soberly. “I’d like to take that burden away, but you wouldn’t thank me for it.”

“No, and I wouldn’t tell Caleb to do something I wouldn’t do myself.” She met his eyes. “Any more than I would ask you.”

“You wouldn’t have to ask.” He smiled. “I think when the time comes, I’ll know. We’re getting closer all the time. Can’t you feel it?”

She did feel it. Just looking at him, she was experiencing a surge of warm intimacy that was banishing the fear and uncertainty. “We’ll never be that close.”

“Don’t be defensive. I’m aware of where this is going. Your own battles and all of that fine rhetoric. Now stop trying to establish something we both realize is firmly in place. I know who you are. I know your mind and body. We were lovers.” He held out his hand to her. “We are lovers. Come over here and let me hold you.”

And how she wanted to go to him.

Trevor had been a part of her life for so long. He had been her first passion. Hell, she had learned passion from him. Did she love him? Sometimes, she had thought she loved him. She admired him and liked him and had desperately wanted to be with him. And it was that desire that had frightened her. She had felt herself being drawn closer and closer, and, if it had continued, she hadn’t known if she would be able to remain her own person. Trevor’s effect on her had always been too powerful.

Standing there looking at him, memories were flowing back to her … She was remembering the first time she’d seen him at the lake cottage when she was only seventeen. Even then, she’d been stunned by his charisma and sheer good looks. Trevor had swept her away and made her dizzy. She remembered the time when she had followed him to the airport in Herculaneum after he had pushed her away and tried to end the growing attraction between them. She had felt rejected and been angry and indignant and wanting to strike out.

“I’m only seventeen.” She had looked him directly in the eye. “No matter what you think, that’s a plus. I’m going to go home and live every minute of every day. I’m going to grow and learn and experience. I’m going to see if I can find a man who makes you look boring in comparison. It shouldn’t be so difficult, and, God knows, I don’t want to have to deal with you and your antiquated sense of what’s proper and not proper. Someday, you’re going to regret turning away from me.”

He nodded. “Oh, I already do.”

And that moment several years later in Scotland, after she had thought that Trevor had been killed. She’d had to fight desperately to keep from panicking.

“I believe I’m getting tired of being irresponsible,” he had said. “Don’t you think we’d make a great match?”

She felt a surge of happiness, followed immediately by wariness. “What are you saying?”

“You know what I’m saying. You’re scared to admit it. Well, I’m way past that point. You’ll have to catch up. How did you feel when you thought I was blown to bits?”

She said slowly, “Terrible. Frightened. Empty.”

“Good. That’s progress.” He took her hand and kissed the palm. “I know I’m rushing. I can’t help it. I’ve got years of experience on you, and I know what I want. You’re having to work your way through this. You don’t know whether you can trust what we have.” He smiled. “And it’s my job to show you that this feeling isn’t ever going to go away. Not for me, and, I hope to God, not for you.”

*   *   *

AND IN THE YEARS that followed he had done his best to show her that she could trust that the passion between them was only the foundation for something deeper, stronger. It had not been his fault that her wariness was too intense for him to overcome.

As it was right now, she thought as she looked at him.

“Come to me, Jane,” Trevor said again.

She didn’t move.

“I’m not going to make love to you,” he said softly. “It’s not the time. I just want to hold you and share whatever you’re feeling. Does that sound so bad?”

It sounded wonderful. Too wonderful. She stiffened. “I’m not that weak. I don’t need anyone to—Oh, dammit.” She ran across the room and the next moment he’d pulled her into his arms and on his lap.

She burrowed her face in his shoulder. “Just for a minute. Okay?”

“Whatever you say.” His arms tightened around her. “Personally, I prefer forever, but I realize you have limits. I’ll work on the rest.”

“I don’t want to talk.”

“You never did. Not about anything important.” His lips brushed her temple. “I didn’t care at the time. I knew you weren’t ready for commitment. I thought we had all the time in the world. But lately I’ve realized that even a day is too precious to waste.” He leaned back in the chair. “Shh, okay, no more talk.”

Minutes passed in silence. She could feel the beating of his heart beneath her ear. How often had he held her like this when they were together? She had missed this closeness, missed him. “You’re being very good to me,” she said haltingly. “Why?”

“Caleb gave me orders.” He chuckled. “I have to keep an eye on you.”

“Stop joking. I mean why did you come to help me when you heard about Eve? We weren’t together any longer. There were never any promises between us. You didn’t owe me anything.”

“I made a promise to myself. I told you what it was.” His hand gently brushed the hair at his temple. “Part of the way I feel about you is all mixed up with making sure all goes well with you in the little things as well as the big ones. That’s why you’ll never have to worry that I’ll ever try to dominate or crush your spirit. I want you to be happy. I need that for you. You can’t be happy without Eve, so I have to give you Eve.”

“She has to live, Trevor,” she whispered. “We have to find her.”

“We will.” He got to his feet and carried her toward the bed. “And now you’re going to take a nap, then have something to eat.” He lay down beside her, holding her close. “Damn, you look fragile.” His lips tightened. “Why not? You are fragile, or you’d never have let me cuddle you like this.”

“I wanted you to hold me. It was … good.”

His arms tightened. “Present tense. It is good. Future tense. It will always be good.” He raised his head to look down at her. “You said I didn’t owe you anything, but that wasn’t true. I’m a cynical bastard, but you came into my life and taught me something that I never thought I’d learn.” He kissed her gently. “I never loved anyone until you came along, Jane. You opened the gates.”

Opened the gates …

Yes, she could see the gates swinging open, and beyond them, a treasure was glowing, beckoning.

Or was that Trevor?

“I want to…” She reached up and touched his lips with her finger. “I feel … I want you to be happy. I’ve always wanted that for you. But I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for a commitment. You’re probably better off without me.”

“Hush.” He took her palm and pressed it on his lips. “I’ll never give up. I’m in this for the long haul.” He smiled down at her. “And I have an idea that we’re closer than you think. Someday soon, you’re going to say that you can’t live without me.” He tucked her head into the hollow of his shoulder. “Hell, I’m halfway there, and that’s—” He broke off and pushed her away. “You’re warm.” His hand touched her forehead. “How do you feel?”

“Okay.” She moistened her lips. “I overdid it today. It’s natural that I should run a little temperature.” She closed her eyes. “Now let me take that nap.” She could feel his gaze on her face. “One hour, then I’ll eat something. Then I’ll be fine.”

Silence. She was afraid that he was going to argue with her. Please, don’t do it. She didn’t know how much of her strength remained.

“One hour,” he finally repeated after a moment as he drew her back into his arms. “Then we’ll assess the situation.”

Driftwood Cottage

“OPEN YOUR EYES, BITCH. There’s nothing wrong with you. Wake up.”

Doane’s hand stung Eve’s cheek, and her head jerked back.

Bonnie was gone, Eve realized hazily. She’d been here only seconds ago, but now she was gone.

Her eyes slowly opened to see Doane’s face in front of her. His cheeks were flushed, and he was glaring at her with anger … and fear.

Fear? What was he afraid—

Doane struck her again. “Stop pretending. Talk to me.”

“Why are you hitting me?” Her voice was a little slurred. She shook her head to clear it. “Unless it’s just for sheer pleasure.” Then she understood as she saw his relief. “You thought you’d killed me. You were scared that all your great plans were going to be destroyed by a little carelessness on your part.” She grimaced. “Actually, a big carelessness. Evidently, you should monitor the quantity of drugs you give me if you want me alive for the grand finale. Kevin would never have been that clumsy.”

“You seem to be recovering very quickly. You were probably just pretending as I said. I knew it.” He was untying the ropes binding her. “And you appear to be cheerful enough.”

“Not cheerful.” But Eve realized she was more steady and serene than she had been for days. The hours with Bonnie had given her the joy and hope that she usually brought to Eve. “But judging from your expression, I probably had a more enjoyable experience tied up and unconscious than you did. No luck finding Kevin’s nuke? What a pity he didn’t trust you. How could he expect you to do his bidding if you were—”

“He did trust me,” he said through set teeth. “I won’t tolerate your sarcasm, Eve. I told you that he died before he could tell me what I needed to know. And I wasn’t out looking for those nuclear devices. I had to see Cartland, one of Kevin’s cell members, to make sure he’d be ready to send someone to activate them when I was ready.”

“When you found out where they were,” she corrected softly. “Aren’t you afraid this Cartland will laugh at you when he finds out that you’re just a puppet trying to be a big, bad terrorist?”

“All I have to do is make one phone call, and I’ll know where they are.”

“Then why didn’t you make the call?”

“There are difficulties.” He cuffed her left wrist to the arm of the chair. “But I’m going to make it right away. Kevin always meant me to have the information. I just have to convince—” He stopped. “But difficulties are meant to be overcome.”