Текст книги "Silencing Eve"

Автор книги: Iris Johansen

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“I trust you … sometimes.” She stared him in the eye. “I’ll trust you now if you tell me that you were telling the truth about my being on the verge of collapse. Were you lying to me, Caleb?”

His smile faded. “No, it may take a little longer, but you’re on the way. I told you that I’m no healer. I can manipulate the blood and give you a constant rush of energy and a temporary masking of symptoms. That’s what I did in the hospital, so that the doctors would release you. If you’d rest, you’d even heal yourself. But we both know you’re not going to do that. Not until you find Eve.”

“Damn.”

“But maybe you can stave it off if you’ll take periodic rests. There’s a possibility that you can do without undergoing the same bonding we did last time.” His brows rose. “You see, I’m not giving you the answer I’d like to give you. Maybe because I don’t like being a drug you can’t do without even on a temporary basis. Well, actually I would, but I don’t want it to be based on a physical weakness. When I touch your body again, I want you strong and wanting it.”

She forced her gaze away from him. “I believe you’re being honest with me. Though I don’t want to believe it.” She started up the steps toward the porch. “I can’t afford to be stupid about this. I’ll see that I rest more.”

“And I’ll be close by in case you need me,” he said softly. “All you have to do is call.”

She ignored those words. “Tell Joe I’m fine, that I’m only going up to see Kendra. Do not tell him I’m tired.”

He nodded. “Whatever you say.” He stood watching her from the bottom of the stairs. “But Quinn never trusts me entirely. He’s too protective of you, and he’s seen me do a few things that are both violent and unorthodox. It might be better if you give him a text from your cell.”

Yes, she’d say that Caleb’s causing a killer’s heart to explode from a rush of blood could be termed both violent and unorthodox. She opened the cottage door. “Perhaps you’re right. I’ll tell him myself.”

CHAPTER

3

CALEB WATCHED THE DOOR CLOSE behind Jane before he started to turn away. She had looked fragile and almost breakable during those last moments. That would not last long, and the strength would be back. It was Jane’s strength that had first drawn him to her when he’d met her all those years ago. Yet now this breakable quality filled him with an almost primitive desire to reach out and touch, hold. Hell, he wanted to touch, stroke, hold, whenever he looked at her, no matter what the circumstance.

He should have lied to her, he thought recklessly. He had never wanted to have sex with anyone as much as he did Jane, and that lust was growing in intensity. Yet for some reason he couldn’t reach out and take what he wanted. Most of the time lies were counterproductive, but to increase Jane’s physical need for him could have been—

“Is she okay?”

He turned to see Margaret standing behind him. “Hello, Margaret. I’m afraid I was a little rude when I whisked Jane away from you.” He added mockingly, “Did you trail along behind us to make sure I wasn’t going to harm her?”

“Yes,” she said bluntly. “I knew she’d slap you down if you annoyed her too much, but I’m never sure what you’re going to do. You’re one of the wild ones. I thought that it wouldn’t hurt to tag along.”

“I’d hardly cause a furor at this sad occasion.”

“Yes, you would. If it suited you. But you know that Jane would never forgive you.” Her gaze went back to the door at the head of the steps. “She did look tired. Is she okay?”

“If she rests.”

She turned to look at him with narrowed eyes. “You know that’s true. Why? Is it that blood thing that Jane told me about you?”

He said warily, “It depends what she told you.”

“Only that you have this kind of blood gift that was passed down through your family since ancient times.” She giggled. “And that you’re not a vampire.”

“How kind of her to specify.”

“I was disappointed. I was sort of sensing that blood thing whenever I was around you. That’s why Jane finally broke down and told me about your family. She didn’t want me asking you about it. I think she didn’t know how you’d react.”

“You wanted me to be a vampire?”

“No, but I’ve always been interested in vampire bats because I can never read any of their impressions. I thought I might be able to get a clue from you how to do it.” She made a face. “Not that I can read minds or anything. I just get occasional impressions, particularly from the wild ones.”

“And I’m a wild one?” He smiled. “Let me see. Primitive, barbaric, possibly violent?”

She nodded. “All of those things. Along with intelligence and cynicism and…” She shrugged. “Who knows? Every person has their own soul.” She beamed at him. “But I’ve always liked you, Caleb. You’re very interesting. I just have to watch and be careful that you don’t hurt Jane while you’re trying to have sex with her.”

“Indeed? May I say that it’s none of your business, Margaret?”

“Of course you may. But you’d be wrong. Jane saved my life and I can’t have her hurt.” Earnestly she said, “I know you’ve been stalking Jane since I met you, and it’s perfectly natural behavior for you. She’s probably very receptive to you on a basic level, but you mustn’t hurt her. You’re disturbing. I think she’s very vulnerable at the moment.” Her gaze left him and went across the crowd to Mark Trevor. “If she wants sex, Trevor would be better for her right now.”

“No!” He smothered the violence. “Margaret, I’m becoming a little annoyed with you.”

She nodded. “It happens. I just wanted to get everything straight between us.” She looked at her watch. “It’s getting late. Some of the media people are packing up to go. This should be over with soon.” She looked up the steps again. “I don’t want to hover. Does she need me?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll go see if I can help Joe.” She turned. “You’re probably going to hover around here anyway. Only in you it doesn’t look protective, it looks slightly sinister.” She drifted away. “See you…”

Hover? He did not hover.

And he would not go away from the cottage just because Margaret accused him of doing so. Those media people would love to corner Jane while she was in the cottage and bombard her with questions. It would do no harm to grab a drink from a passing waiter and stick around until the cameras and reporters were gone.

Dammit, that was not hovering.

*   *   *

“HI.” JANE CLOSED THE DOOR behind her. “It’s crazy down there. Do you mind if I hide out for a while and join you?”

“It’s your home. I’m the one who should ask you that. I just had some thinking to do and didn’t want to interfere.” Kendra got up from the couch and went to the kitchen. “Sit down. I’ll get you a cup of coffee. You look like you could use it.”

“Don’t say that.” Jane grimaced. “I’m fine. If I remember, it was you who told Joe I had an infection from that gunshot wound, and he should take me to that damn hospital. If you weren’t so observant, I’d have—”

“You’d have gone on until you were so ill that Quinn would have been frantic about you as well as Eve.” She handed her a mug filled with steaming coffee. “No apologies.” Her gaze raked Jane’s face. “And you’re looking a little fragile at the moment. Should I be calling Quinn?”

“You do, and I’ll break your neck,” Jane said. “I’m grateful for everything you did to track Eve down to that ghost town, but you worry about Eve and not me. I’ll be fine.”

“Maybe.” Kendra’s tone was skeptical. “But I’ll let it go. You’re right. Everyone and everything has to be concentrated on Eve.” Her jaw tightened. “We were so close. We almost had that bastard. Then everything went wrong. We can’t let it happen again. Everything has to go right this time.” She took a sip of her own coffee. “Zander. Doane will be targeting Zander. We have to target him, too. Where the hell is he? He left Colorado the day that Venable told him that Doane and Eve were still alive, and Venable says he’s not answering his phone.”

“Joe will find Zander,” Jane said grimly. “We just can’t be obvious if we want to keep the surprise factor. It’s the only weapon we have against Doane. That’s what this idiotic show is all about.” Her lips twisted. “I try to tell myself it’s all a farce, but it hurts me. I keep thinking, what if it was real? What if we’re wrong about Doane’s wanting to keep Eve alive so that he can kill her in front of Zander.” She shook her head. “But we’re not wrong. He wouldn’t have gone to all that trouble to stage that fake death if he hadn’t wanted to keep her alive a little while longer. I have to keep thinking that’s true, or I’d go crazy.”

“Me, too,” Kendra said. “I feel guilty as hell I didn’t figure it all out sooner.” She paused. “And I agree that Doane mustn’t have any idea that we know he’s alive. I’m scared to death he might decide to change his precious plans in midstream.”

“And kill Eve?” Jane whispered.

“I’m not projecting that kind of scenario, any kind of scenario. I just don’t want to set Doane on a different path than the one we know he wants to travel.” She moistened her lips. “So our actions must seem absolutely logical and normal to him. Before he disposed of his buddy, Terence Blick, we know he probably had him doing surveillance on us. Venable said a man of his description had been sighted during the search on the other side of the lake by one of his agents. That means we have to assume Doane knows who was here at the cottage.” She tapped her chest. “I was brought here to investigate Eve’s disappearance. No one tried to hide it. It couldn’t have been more clear. Blick knew I was at Goldfork. Again, it was very clear why I was there.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m not trying to say anything. I’m saying it. I think I’m being exceptionally lucid,” Kendra said. “That’s why I’ve been sitting up here trying to talk myself out of being so damn logical. I don’t want to be right this time.” She paused. “But I am right, Jane.” She put her cup down on the coffee table. “And that means I’m no longer an asset to the hunt, I’m a liability.” She got to her feet. “If we believe Doane and Eve are dead, then there would be no use for me to still be here. The fact that I remain after the memorial service would automatically set off alarm bells if we’re still being watched.”

“But Blick is dead, and he was the one doing surveillance. We don’t need to be quite as careful now.”

“Don’t we? I’m not so certain.” She moved over to her duffel that was sitting by the front door. “There are too many unknowns in the equation. Doane may have been playing a different game than the one we were told by Venable. Different games have different board pieces. If Doane took out one piece, that might mean he made room for another.” She unzipped her duffel and drew out a tattered journal. “And this might be the prize for winning the game.”

Jane sat up straight on the couch. “What’s that supposed to be?”

“It’s Kevin’s journal, which Margaret and I found in a hiding place in Doane’s house in Goldfork, Colorado. We were trying to find some clue to where Doane might have taken Eve or, at least, anything to do with that disk that his son might have given him to use as blackmail to get the CIA to give him witness protection. No disk. Just this journal. I’ve gone through it several times, and I couldn’t find anything that was more dangerous than the sick ravings of a mad pervert. But it was hidden, and that alone must mean that it has value to Doane.” She paused. “And we were told that everyone was looking for the disk that had revealed names of embedded CIA agents in Pakistan. As I said, no one found that disk. Which makes me wonder if it actually existed.”

“Venable said that it existed. He should know.”

“Yes, he should.” She moved back across the room. “Venable has been our source for most of Kevin’s past history and what went on during that period in Pakistan.”

Jane’s gaze was focused on the journal in Kendra’s hand. “You haven’t told Venable about this, have you? You told me before that you have some doubts about him.”

“Do I think that he’s one of the bad guys in this scenario? No, I’d never have let Quinn tell him that Eve and Doane were still alive if I’d thought that was a possibility. It was safe to turn him loose to try to locate Eve and Doane. We needed someone with his power and connections who could move discreetly behind the scenes. But I think that Venable’s one of those people who balance what he considers the good of many against the good of one. I’ve run into agents like him before.”

“I’ve always trusted Venable. But it scared me when I saw Venable’s attack team swarming down the mountain and firing on that saloon. He swears none of his team’s bullets caused that explosion.”

“I believe him. I think that Doane staged it and blew it himself. But that doesn’t mean that Venable couldn’t have been responsible. He took a risk.” She added deliberately, “And I don’t think he did it for Eve’s sake. He wanted to get Doane. It would be interesting to know what orders he gave his men. Kill or capture?”

“So are you going to confront him with that question?”

“No, he’d only sidestep.” She shrugged. “Besides, I’m out of it.” She thrust the journal at Jane. “It’s your decision now.”

Jane’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You heard me. I’m a liability. I was deliberately brought in to find Eve. I can’t stay here. I’m going home to San Diego. I’m going back to my teaching job.”

“You’re giving up trying to find—”

“No, dammit.” She drew a deep breath. “But it’s got to look that way. I can’t be on the scene. It has to look as if I gave up on the search because I thought Eve was dead. I’ll still do what I can. I’ll try to figure out what’s going on with this journal, and you can send me anything that—” Her hands were clenched. “It’s not enough. I hate it. It’s going to drive me crazy. But this isn’t about me. We may have only a small window of surprise with Doane, and I can’t smash it because I want to be involved.” She added fiercely, “But if there’s something I can do that won’t hurt the chances of keeping Eve alive, you call me, tell me.”

Jane was recovering from the shock, and she felt a surge of sympathy for Kendra. “That goes without question.” She smiled sadly. “I know how it feels to be forced out of the action and not being able to help. Those days in the hospital were terrible.” She glanced down at the journal. “My decision, you said. Why are you giving it to me?”

“Because, other than Joe Quinn, you care the most for Eve. It’s intensely personal with you, and you’ll fight to the death to get her back. You don’t have to strike a balance like Venable. There is no other answer for you.”

“That’s right, there isn’t.” She touched the cover. “You’re not asking me to keep it from Venable.”

“Your decision. I’ve made a copy of my own. I’ve told you my opinion, but you’re going to be on the ground running, and I’m going to be in San Diego. I’m only asking you to think long and hard about it.”

“I’ve already thought about it. I’ll show it to Joe, and we’ll discuss it, but Venable isn’t going to get it until his motivations are a hell of a lot more clear.”

“That’s a relief. Look, Catherine Ling is here. If you need someone of CIA caliber, I think you can trust her to look out for Eve and nothing else.” She made a face. “There I go again, trying to run the show. You don’t know how hard it was for me to give up control.”

“I think I do,” she said quietly. “I’ve learned a lot about you since you came to search for Eve.” She paused. “And all I’ve learned is good, Kendra.”

“Naturally, at least, in my areas of expertise.”

“That wasn’t what I was talking about. You have a good heart. I trust you.”

“And that’s a true honor,” Kendra said. “I’ve noticed that your trust is pretty well limited to Quinn and Eve.”

Jane lifted her shoulders in a half shrug. “It comes from being a street kid. I was in a dozen foster homes before Eve took me into her life. Everything would seem to go well for a while, then suddenly I’d be sent back to DEFACS. Or maybe it wouldn’t go so well, and I’d purposely do something that would make them kick me out. Either way, it wasn’t a lifestyle to inspire trust.”

“Even with Mark Trevor?” Kendra asked. “I’ve only gotten to know him during the days he’s been here after Colorado, but I’d say that he’s worth taking a chance on.” She smiled. “Besides being fantastically good-looking and totally charming. Quinn told me that he was your lover but that you broke up a year or so ago.” She held up her hand. “Forget I asked. It’s none of my business. It’s just my nature to probe into everything around me. Give me an inch, and I’ll take a mile.”

“I don’t mind,” Jane said. “Not from you. Trevor is all of those things. He was my first love, and he made me dizzy from the moment I met him.”

“But you couldn’t commit,” Kendra guessed. “And you walked away.”

“Something like that.”

“Okay, I’ve pried enough. I’ve just always found you a fascinating blend of wariness and emotion and wanted to know what made you tick.” She tilted her head. “You notice I didn’t mention Seth Caleb.”

Jane found herself unconsciously tensing.

“Because I knew you’d react like that,” Kendra said softly. “He wasn’t one who I’d want to bring into a discussion on trust. That’s not part of your relationship. You try to keep from looking at him whenever he’s in the room. I found that very odd until I noticed just how you connected. Very sensual. Very disturbing. Very complicated. No trust.” She smiled. “Much too complicated for me to try to analyze. I believe you’re having trouble with that yourself. You might try to resolve it as soon as possible. I had to bring it up since Caleb appears to be very much a factor in your life at the moment, and everything that affects the search for Eve is important.”

“Not my personal life. I’d never let it interfere.” But Jane was relieved that Kendra had slid away from talking about Caleb. She hadn’t realized that their relationship was so transparent to outsiders. Perhaps it wasn’t to anyone but Kendra. She changed the subject. “Margaret. If your presence here is a threat, wouldn’t Margaret’s presence fall into the same category? She came here at approximately the same time, and though she was obviously not an investigator of any kind, she was at the scenes of the crimes.” She frowned. “And she was seen with you at the house in Goldfork.”

“Very good,” Kendra said. “But Margaret is your responsibility.” She headed for the front door. “I’m going down to try to convince her she should opt out as I’m doing. But knowing Margaret, I don’t think I’m going to get very far. She’s stubborn as a mule and thinks it’s her duty to take care of you.” She paused to look back at Jane. “I repeat, she’s your responsibility now. You take care of her, or I’ll be coming after you.”

“You’re being very stern. You evidently became very close while you were on the hunt for Eve.”

“As close as you can come to a character who’s part Peter Pan and part Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.” She nodded. “Yeah, I’m close to Margaret. And, if you’re looking for someone to trust, you don’t have to look any farther. But, unfortunately, she takes chances that she shouldn’t.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I was there when we found her cuddling that wolf in the woods above the ghost town.” She added, “Don’t worry. I won’t let her run any risks on my behalf. I’ll find a way to keep her safe.”

Kendra made a sound remarkably like a snort. “You can try.” She opened the door. “And you might be busy keeping yourself safe. You stay here and rest for a while. You haven’t convinced me that you’re in the best of shape.”

“I’m not in the best of shape. I won’t lie to you. But I won’t let it matter.”

“I know you won’t. Good luck, Jane. Don’t you dare not call me if I can help.” She shut the door behind her.

The house felt suddenly empty without that vital presence, Jane thought. She imagined that every room Kendra entered she effortlessly owned.

She looked down at the journal.

And since she was lacking Kendra’s vitality at the moment, she might as well start reading this journal of Kevin’s and hope that lightning might strike, and she could see something in it that Kendra had missed.

She shuddered as she reluctantly opened the cover and began reading the journal of a monster.

Penthouse

Drake Hotel

Denver, Colorado

“I’VE REACHED WEINER.” Stang, Zander’s personal assistant, entered Zander’s suite after contacting Zander’s information guru. “It was difficult. He got your message and said to tell you he’d already started the process. He said one of his contacts spotted an off-road vehicle with those special tires at the Wyoming border on the day of the explosion. It was a tan Toyota 4-Runner. He didn’t want to call you until he had something concrete to offer you. He was afraid that you were targeting him because Joe Quinn had found out that he’d done work for you.”

“Thanks to you,” Zander said dryly. “I don’t appreciate your lack of discretion in giving away my contacts. I don’t tolerate that lack of loyalty. Perhaps you should be the one afraid, Stang.”

“Probably. But I’m done with that.” He smiled. “You’ve been intimidating me so long that you’ve dulled the edge.” He put the telephone number down on the desk in front of Zander. “Do you really think that Weiner can zero in on Doane?”

“It’s possible he can help.” Zander leaned back in his chair. “He’s as close to an electronics genius as they come, and he thinks outside the box. He has the sophisticated equipment to make it happen. It depends on his motivation.” His smile was tiger bright as he said softly, “And I don’t wish to brag, but I’m quite good at providing motivation.”

Stang was aware that Zander could persuade anyone to do anything if he chose. His physical presence was very powerful, and his reputation was chilling. Who should know better than Stang? He had worked for him for a number of years as his accountant and personal assistant, and most of that time, he’d been on the edge of fear. Zander was a brilliant assassin whose fees were in the millions, but he kept most compartments of his life strictly private. That was fine with Stang, he had no desire to know too much about Zander’s dealings. It could prove dangerous, if not fatal. It was only lately that Zander had let Stang into his confidence. He had seemed to want him to know about the kidnapping of Eve Duncan by Doane. “What kind of electronics voodoo do you want Weiner to perform?”

“Something a little less than voodoo. Cameras are much more pedestrian.”

“Cameras?”

“In the past, I’ve had Weiner track targets for me using public and private cameras. I give him an area, and he creates a huge wall-mounted map and uses a highlighter pen to track a designated vehicle.”

“How?”

“Municipal traffic cams posted at major intersections. Most cities keep at least a few weeks’ worth on their servers’ hard drives. Live highway cameras feeds are available to anyone on the Internet these days, but Weiner takes it a step further by tapping into the Department of Transportation servers to review history. Then there are private-business security cameras. ATM cameras facing the roads. Toll-gate cameras…” He waved his hand. “It goes on and on.”

“So much for privacy on the road.”

“A few years ago, this kind of tracking would have been impossible. The camera feeds would have been recorded on videocassettes and stored at each place. Now the images are recorded on hard drives, usually networked, and thus vulnerable to remote hacking and snooping.” His lips twisted. “And Weiner’s network connections are truly impressive. Once he knows which road or direction Doane is traveling, he’ll be able to follow his path using Google Street View, looking left and right at businesses, banks, etcetera, to see security cameras he can hack.”

“Why tell him to focus on Colorado and Wyoming? For that matter, why are we holed up in this modernistic Taj Mahal instead of going back to Vancouver?”

“A hunch. That jump down into the cavern and the trip downstream was pretty rough. I’d think Doane would want to hole up and recuperate a little before he took to the road. First, he’d want to see if his little scam had worked; and then he’d start pulling a new plan out of his hat.” He nodded at the memorial service broadcasting on the TV set across the room. “This should reassure him that he’s safe to move.” He smiled. “And it will also be the signal for Quinn to go after me and try to grab me as bait for Doane.”

“It sounds like a good plan to me,” Stang said.

“I’ll make a decision on how to handle Doane when I make the approach.”

“It seems to be the only way to keep Eve Duncan alive. Why not go along with Quinn?” He met Zander’s eyes. “And don’t tell me that you don’t care whether or not Eve survives. I’m no expert about analyzing your reactions. God knows, you’ve had decades to grow that hard shell, and I’ve just accepted that it has become part of you. But I watched you after that saloon blew up, and everyone thought Eve and Doane were dead. If you’re capable of caring about anything, you cared that night. You cared, Zander.”

Zander gazed at him without expression. “Maybe I was angry that I didn’t get my chance at Doane.”

“I don’t think so. You let me read Eve Duncan’s dossier. You talked to me about Doane and his son, Kevin. That was completely unlike you.”

“Was it?”

“Yes, you wanted me to know about Eve Duncan. You wanted someone to be on her side, to try to convince you to go after her and try to save her.”

“You think I’m that complicated?”

“I think that you’re an unsolvable Rubik’s cube.”

“That you’ve solved?”

“No, but perhaps you’ve given me enough clues to see a way to do it.” He grimaced. “Maybe. You’re fighting so hard not to care about Eve. For God’s sake, she’s your daughter. It’s pure instinct to care about her.” He gestured to the TV. “And there are dozens of people at that damn memorial service who will testify that she’s a life worth saving. She’s a very special person, Zander.”

“So eloquent. You must have been storing that dissertation up for a long time.”

He was silent a moment. “It’s what you want to hear from me, Zander. Now accept it and go save her.”

“Is that an order?” he asked silkily.

Stang found himself tensing. He was on very shaky ground at that moment. “Yes, and a plea. She must have gone through hell. She deserves to have it end.” He paused. “You had a meeting with her up in the mountains, didn’t you? Before Doane captured her again. You must have some idea what kind of person she is after that.”

Zander was silent. “Yes. She’s extraordinary.” His shoulder lifted in a half shrug. “And it has nothing to do with me. I could never have given her what her life experiences have done to shape her. It was good that I stayed away from her.”

“No regrets? What about her daughter, Bonnie? If you’d been there, you might have saved her.”

“Or brought a horde more of the scum of the earth down on her, who would only use her to destroy me. By the time I was twenty-five, I was on the enemies list of half a dozen countries and targeted by four criminal networks. The only way I could survive was to do it alone and with no encumbrances. Would you like to know how many people have died because I allowed them close to me? When I was a young man, I was arrogant enough to think I could keep it from happening because I wanted to reach out and pretend I was normal. That didn’t last long. Revenge and greed are powerful motivations, and I attract the bastards who go after both.” He gazed directly in Stang’s eyes. “So don’t try to lay any guilt trips on me, Stang. If I’d allowed myself to feel guilt, I would have put a bullet in my head a long time ago.” He added impatiently, “And stop staring at me with that sickeningly maudlin look on your face. I didn’t start being cautious with my associations because I wanted to spare anyone. I just realized that it wasn’t safe for me either.” He shrugged. “And it gets boring having to replace the people close to you. It’s better to keep them at a distance.”

“I see.”

“And I know all the philosophies and psychological explanations you’re probably stifling at the moment. Think what you like. I’ve made my life what it is, and that’s how it will remain.”

“After you get Eve away from Doane.”

“You’re not listening.”

“I’m listening very carefully. So carefully I’m hearing all the undertones and nuances.” He pulled out his phone. “Should I call Weiner and tell him to speed up trying to find that Toyota? We need to locate Doane very quickly if you think he may be on the move after the memorial service.”

Zander gazed at him for a moment. “No, I’ll do it.” He started to dial his phone. “You may have become bold as brass lately, but you lack a certain ability to inspire fear. Fear is our friend at the moment.” As he waited for the phone to ring, he looked up at Stang. “And if you try to pressure me again, I’ll broadcast to the four corners of the earth how much I value you. How I’d have a horrible time replacing you. I might even say I consider you as close as a brother.” He smiled gently. “You’d be dead within two days.

“Weiner.” He was speaking into the phone. “Zander. I hear you got my message, and you’ve started tracking. A Toyota 4-Runner? Where else was it seen? I need the results right away. I’ll feed you as much additional information as I can, but pull every string on the Internet and that network that you’ve set up. Now give me every location that you have on hand…”