Текст книги "Silencing Eve"

Автор книги: Iris Johansen

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 23 страниц)

“Seattle,” Catherine said tensely. “The second city is Seattle.”

“And that’s where Doane is taking her.” He got a tissue from the bathroom and carefully wrapped the piece of clay. “So why don’t you get on the phone to Venable. Tell him to put everyone on alert for a possible landing in that area of the plane with the registration number we gave him.”

“I will.” She gazed in bewilderment at the tissue-wrapped clay. “What are you doing with that clay? Do you think we’ll need it again? I thought you were sure that you were right about the destination.”

“It’s exceptionally rare that I’m wrong.” He put the tissue in his jacket pocket. “But it’s obvious that it took a great effort on Eve’s part to get that message to us. She might like to have it for a souvenir.”

“I doubt it.” Her gaze narrowed on his face. “And I’m wondering if perhaps you might be the one who wants a souvenir.” She held up her hand as he opened his lips to speak. “You’re right, what am I thinking? Forget I said that. Not you. Not Lee Zander.” She took out her phone and started dialing Venable. “That would speak of a trace of sentimentality, and that would be totally absurd.”

He smiled and nodded slowly. “Totally.”

Muncie, Indiana

HARRIET WEBER’S APARTMENT building was only a two-story brick structure, and her apartment, 1B, was on the first floor.

And Jane noticed there was a Jeep Cherokee parked directly in front of the entrance that was packed with dozens of boxes, clothes, and even a small TV.

Not a good sign, Jane thought, stiffening. If that was Harriet’s car, then she was trying to escape to keep Jane or anyone else from asking any more awkward questions. Perhaps it wasn’t Harriet’s vehicle.

But that question was soon settled. As Jane hurried down the hall, a door opened, and Harriet came out carrying a suitcase.

She stopped short as she saw Jane. Her expression became suddenly wary. “What are you doing here? I told you that I was through talking to you. I don’t care what you do.”

“But I care what you do,” Jane said grimly. “I’m not satisfied with your answers. I want to ask a few more questions.” She glanced at the suitcases. “For instance, where are you going?”

“None of your business. I’m upset, and I felt the need of a few days off work to recover.” Her eyes filled with tears. “It wasn’t easy reliving those horrible years. I would think you’d be more sympathetic.”

Crocodile tears, Jane thought, intended to make Jane feel guilt. So clever.

Not this time, Harriet.

“I’m finding it hard to believe that you didn’t see either your ex-husband or Kevin after the divorce,” Jane said coldly. “From what you said, it was clear that you had great love for your son. How could you resist remaining in contact with him?”

“I have a conscience.”

“You’ll forgive me if I doubt that. Letting that monster have free rein to attack and kill children hardly gives credence to your code of conduct.”

“Think what you like.” She tried to step past her, but Jane moved sideways to intercept. “Get out of my way. Venable has nothing with which to charge me. You’re interfering with a private citizen.”

“I told you, I don’t care about Venable. I want to know what you know about the movements of your ex-husband during the past years.” She took a step closer to her. “And you will tell me. You bet I’m interfering with you,” she said fiercely. “If you’d have interfered with what Doane and your son were doing, you could have saved lives. You could have prevented Doane from kidnapping Eve. Now tell me what you know.”

Harriet’s cheeks were suddenly flushed with rage. “If you don’t get out of my way, I’ll make you sorry you were ever born,” she said harshly. “I know how to defend myself. My boy you call a monster taught me what he learned in the military. I could kill a soft little thing like you without any problem at all.”

“But how could Kevin do that if you left him when he was only fifteen before he went into the Army? Remember, you never saw him again.”

“I’d deny that I said that, and everyone would believe me. People do believe me. I’ve had a good deal of practice.” She tried to push past Jane. “You’re the one they’d think was lying.”

Jane wasn’t moving, and she stretched out her arm to block her.

Harriet finally lost the last vestige of control.

“Bitch!”

The edge of her hand shot out in a karate chop to Jane’s arm blocking her way.

Jane blocked it and grabbed Harriet’s arm and twisted it behind the woman’s back. “Talk to me.”

Harriet’s heel shot back and struck Jane’s knee.

Pain.

Her grip loosened, and Harriet tore away from her. She whirled, and her fist punched into Jane’s abdomen.

Jane’s breath left her, but she recovered and delivered a karate chop to the side of Harriet’s neck.

Harriet staggered back, her eyes glazing over.

Not good enough, Jane thought. If she’d done it the way Joe had taught her, it would have put the woman out.

But it was enough to stop her for a moment. Jane dove forward, brought her down, and straddled her. Harriet struggled with ferocious strength, and Jane had all she could do to fight off several vicious blows to the head and body. “Give up,” she said through her teeth. “Admit that this ‘soft little thing’ was enough to beat anything your Kevin taught you.”

“The hell I will.” Harriet’s fist shot up and connected with Jane’s lip. Then she rolled to the side and jumped to her feet. She snatched up her suitcase and started running down the hall.

Jane was only a few yards behind her as she ran out the front entrance to the Jeep Cherokee parked in front of the building.

“Stay away from me,” Harriet hissed as she jumped into the Jeep. “Or so help me God I’ll kill you.”

“I won’t stay away. I’ll follow you to hell and back.” Jane ran around to the passenger side. “Lock the door, and I’ll break the damn windows.”

“No, you won’t.” Harriet was fumbling in the glove box.

Jane caught a glimpse of metal. A gun.

The glass of the passenger side window shattered.

Jane felt the heat of a bullet whistle past her cheek.

She dodged to the side and fell to her knees.

Another bullet sparked the concrete beside her as Harriet pulled away from the building and raced toward the street.

Close. Both bullets had come very, very close, Jane realized.

And Harriet Weber had not only tried to kill her, but she was getting away!

She jumped to her feet and ran toward her car.

And was almost run over by Caleb and Trevor as they drove into the apartment parking lot.

“For God’s sake.” Trevor screeched to a halt. “You look like you’ve been through a train wreck.” He jumped out and ran over to her. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, but she’s getting away. I have to—” She stopped and drew a deep breath. Get control. The violence and heat of the last minutes were still with her, and she had to think. “It’s too late. She was driving fast, and I won’t be able to catch her.”

“Harriet Weber?” Caleb asked as he got out of the car. His gaze was raking over Jane, taking in the bruises and cuts. “She did that to you?”

“I’m fine.” She ran her hand through her hair. “She wanted to leave, and I didn’t want her to. I came off better than she did until she decided to grab a gun out of the glove box and try to shoot me.”

“I’d say that would qualify as an unfair advantage,” Caleb said. He gently touched her lip with his index finger, and it came away bloody. “I saw photos of her in the apartment, and she looked pretty tough. The fact that she was taller and stronger than you might be considered—”

“No excuses. She was good,” Jane said curtly. “Why not? She told me her dear son had taught her self-defense. He must have also taught her to shoot if she couldn’t talk her way out of a jam.” She added, “But I’m good, too. I almost had her. That gun was not—” She stopped. “Okay, she’s gone. Forget everything but the fact that she as much as admitted to me that she’d seen and interacted with Kevin during those years. It wasn’t only letters.”

“And she decided to take it on the lam when you confronted her with the possibility that she might be under suspicion.”

Jane nodded. “She was already on her way out when I came over. Why? She could have tried to bluff it out. She impressed me as being very confident of her powers of persuasion. But for some reason, it wasn’t worth it to her to go to the trouble to fight that battle.” She added thoughtfully, “Maybe because she had another battle that was more important to her … and to Doane.”

“No evidence of a connection with Doane,” Caleb said. “Wishful thinking?”

“Shall I tell you what her connection with Doane is?” Jane said. “Violence. I had a taste of it today. Harriet Weber is full of venom, and she’d go to any lengths to get what she wants. Does she want Doane? Does she want revenge? I don’t know. But she’s a lead we have to follow. It may take us to Eve.” She turned to Trevor. “I noticed Harriet Weber’s Jeep was packed to the gills before I went in to see her. You said that you had planted some bugs in the apartment.” She asked tensely, “Please tell me you managed to plant a few among her possessions.”

He nodded. “But they were all audio bugs for eavesdropping.”

“Shit.”

He smiled. “Except for one device Caleb insisted on including.”

“What device?”

“A micro GPS device,” Caleb said. “I thought it might come in handy.”

“But would she have taken it with her?”

“Oh, yes. She would definitely have taken it with her. And she’ll keep it with her.”

“Why?”

“It’s inserted on the inner lining of the box where she keeps her son’s letters.” He held up his phone. “And I can monitor it from my cell.”

Jane breathed a sigh of relief. There was no doubt that Harriet would keep those hideous letters with her. “Then let’s get on the road and see if we can find out where she’s going.”

“I’ll drive.” Trevor opened the passenger door for Jane. “Caleb, you can concentrate on tracking.”

“Margaret.” Jane suddenly realized Margaret wasn’t with them. “None of you were supposed to be here, but I can’t believe Margaret stayed behind.”

“Caleb suggested that she call Kendra and fill her in on the letters Kevin sent to his mother and see if Kendra could find something else in the journal that could have a connection with Harriet Weber.” Trevor raised his brows. “I was surprised that she did it.”

“I’m not,” Jane said. “She didn’t want Kendra to feel left out.”

Trevor nodded. “We left while she was involved with Kendra.”

“Margaret will punish you both,” Jane said. “I don’t know how. But it will happen.”

“I figured the two of us could take care of any emergency you might run across. Though you managed pretty well on your own.” He smiled at Jane. “But now you can sit back and concentrate on resting and recovering from what looks like the battle of the century.”

“Trevor, I told you not to try to—” She broke off. She had fought that battle before, and he wasn’t going to listen. She leaned back in the seat. “No comment from you, Caleb?”

“I don’t have to tell you that you need to rest,” he said quietly. “You’ve probably done damage. Your shoulder is going to start throbbing if it’s not already.”

“No serious damage.” But she didn’t tell him that he was right, and the healing wound in her shoulder was throbbing. She would be all right, she told herself. But now that the adrenaline was ebbing away, she was suddenly limp and exhausted. She didn’t want to argue with anyone at the moment.

Except Harriet Weber.

If Harriet were back on the scene, Jane knew that she would be ready and able to take her on. The woman was corrupt in a way that was different from Doane but might be even more evil. She was feeling a rush of strength and rage at the thought of her.

But not now. As Trevor said, she needed to conserve her energy.

“Okay?” Trevor asked softly.

She nodded. “Tired.” She smiled wearily. “But I found out one thing from my little dustup with Harriet Weber.”

“What’s that?”

“You were wrong, Trevor.” She leaned back and closed her eyes. “So wrong. I definitely have the killer instinct.”

CHAPTER

9

Denver International Airport

“IT’S TIME FOR YOUTO leave me now,” Zander said as he got out of the helicopter. “It’s been delightful, but I’m getting a bit bored with you, Catherine.”

“Liar.” She smiled as she jumped to the ground. “You may be feeling a bit claustrophobic, but you’re not bored. You just want to clear the decks while you go after Eve and Doane.” She looked around the private hangar facilities. “What did you tell Stang when you called him? Where is he? Which plane did you lease to take us to Seattle?”

“Stang went on ahead and is meeting me in Seattle. I’m not going into the city blind. I have a few contacts who can help me find Doane, and Stang will start the ball rolling.” He smiled. “And he arranged for that Gulfstream over there to take me to Seattle.”

“It’s a nice-size plane.” She started across the tarmac. “I don’t take up much space.”

“I mean it, Catherine.”

“I know.” She looked over her shoulder. “And you’re intimidating me a little. You have that ability in abundance, Zander. But I’m betting that I have an ace in the hole.”

“And what is that?”

“I’m Eve’s friend, and I care about her. She cares about me, too. I don’t think that you’d harm me when you know I’m fighting for her.”

“Of course, you could be wrong,” he said softly.

She nodded. “I’ve been wrong before.”

She held her breath as he stared at her without speaking for what seemed like a long time.

“I suppose I can tolerate you for a little longer.” He turned and strode toward the Gulfstream.

She let the breath she’d been holding escape. First blood. She ran to catch up with him. “You’ll have to do more than tolerate me,” she said. “I’ve been thinking on the way from Casper, and I’m going to have to start moving on all fronts.”

“You mean I’m not to receive your exclusive attention?” He wasn’t looking at her as he reached the steps of the Gulfstream. “Thank God.”

“Oh, you’re the primary item on the agenda. I still have to make sure you’re still alive at the end of the game.” She climbed the steps and entered the plane. “But the situation is becoming tense, and I can’t let you dominate it. Venable told you about those nuclear devices, right?” He didn’t answer, and she continued. “I know he did. He might keep certain things from you as a power play, but he’s scared shitless about those ramifications. He’d hope that you’d be willing to give at least minimal assistance.”

He sat down in a leather seat and fastened his seat belt.

“I’m not that optimistic. So I’ll probably have to take care of it myself.” She sat down across from him, fastened her belt, and took out her phone. “But since I have to stick to you, I might need help. We have all kinds of information spread all over, and it’s time to tidy up.”

“Tidy up?” Zander repeated. “I hope you don’t mean what I think you do. I won’t have anyone get in my way.”

“They’re more likely to get in your way if they don’t know where you’re going to be at a given time.” She paused to gaze at him before dialing. “Look, last time Eve was found in those mountains against all odds because the people who cared about her worked together to make it happen. Personally, I wish we had an army, but I’ll take the same people with the same motivation. Am I going to tell them that Eve is possibly in Seattle? Yes, but I’m also going to tell them that Chicago is also a target, and there could also be leads to her there. For all we know, Doane might be trying to trick Eve.”

“Eve didn’t think that she was being tricked,” Zander said. “I don’t either.”

“No, but we have to look at all possibilities.” She added, “And I believe that Jane hasn’t been telling me about something that Kendra and Margaret found in Doane’s safe house. Kendra would never discuss it with Venable because she didn’t trust him. She didn’t talk to me about it either. I’m CIA, and she was probably a little nervous about my connection with Venable.” She started dialing. “So I’m going to come clean with Jane and ask her to come clean with me.”

“You’ll excuse me if I go up to the cockpit and talk to the pilot,” Zander said as he got to his feet. “I’m finding all this new broom and cleaning jargon slightly nauseating.”

“By all means. I’m more at ease if I don’t have you glaring at me.” Catherine spoke into the phone as Jane answered. “Jane, Catherine Ling, I’m in Denver and there are things that you should know…”

*   *   *

THE GULFSTREAM HAD TAKEN OFF and been in the air for over forty-five minutes when Zander came out of the cockpit.

“Finished?” He sat down in the seat across from her. “Is everyone on the same page?”

“We’re getting there.” She frowned. “What do you know about Doane’s ex-wife?”

“Not much. Except that after investigating her, the percentages were good that she wouldn’t cause me any trouble.”

“Your percentages may have been crap,” Catherine said bluntly. “She changed her name to Harriet Weber and moved to Muncie, Indiana, but she evidently didn’t change her affections when it came to her son, Kevin. She kept in contact with him by letter and possibly saw him on occasion. All in secret. Very ugly letters…”

“And Doane?”

“No sign of contact with him yet. Harriet Weber flew the coop when Jane confronted her, and Jane, Caleb, and Trevor are following Harriet in hopes she’ll lead them to Doane.”

Zander’s lips twisted. “Don’t we all have that same hope?”

“It’s a lead,” Catherine said firmly. “And we wouldn’t have it without Kendra and Jane and everyone else who are working to find Eve. You can sit on your mountaintop alone, but I’ll be slogging along and getting things done.”

“‘Slogging’? What an ugly word. And you’re not an ugly person, Catherine. It doesn’t suit you at all.”

“It suits my attitude.”

“But how are you going to ‘slog’ if you have to protect me on my mountaintop?”

Was there a hint of humor in those words? It was hard to tell. But she found herself smiling anyway. “I’m good at multitasking.”

“I imagine you are,” he murmured. “I’d like to relax. Are we through with all this cleaning and bonding and such?”

“Not quite.” She took out her phone again. “I asked Jane to phone Joe Quinn and fill him in, but I have one more person I have to call.”

“And who is that?”

“John Gallo.” She gazed searchingly at him. “Did Eve tell you anything about Gallo?”

He shook his head. “Not really. She mentioned his name as Bonnie’s father but wouldn’t say anything more about him. I was made to understand that anything that personal was going to remain personal. She had the same attitude toward Joe Quinn, but I had dossiers on him, so it didn’t matter. Just the length of her relationship with Quinn spoke for itself.” He paused. “What does Gallo have to do with this? Why do you have to call him?”

“Because he’s wasting his time, and he’s too valuable to waste. Right now he’s in Vancouver tracking you and probably scaring all your contacts so badly they’ll be scurrying for cover. I have to tell him I’m with you and that he should pull back.” She made a face. “Easier said than done. Gallo is … not controllable. He goes his own way.”

“Then why are you trying if he won’t listen to you?”

“Sometimes he listens to me.”

“Really?” His eyes narrowed on her face. “Tell me, do you share something besides friendship with Eve? Is Gallo your lover?”

“No, but if he was, it would be no betrayal of Eve. What was between them ended almost before it began, and all they shared was Bonnie.”

“That’s a big thing to share, possibly the biggest in Eve’s life.”

“Yes, and Gallo tells me that because they share it, Eve will always be his friend.” She met his gaze. “And that’s why he’s trying to track you down. He’s trying to save his friend, and you’re the only path we’ve been able to find that might lead to her.”

“How wonderful to be so popular. Lucky me.” He leaned back in his seat. “How good is Gallo?”

“Very, very good. Brilliant. He was in the Army Special Forces and they sent him on suicide missions.” She smiled faintly. “But he always came back. Is that good enough for you, Zander?”

“It appears to be good enough for you, Catherine.” He tilted his head. “Go ahead, make your call. We must tell Gallo that he’ll have to wait to make my acquaintance. I know he’ll be disappointed.”

“No, he’ll just make a decision whether he’ll track me along with you, Zander. Since I’m sure you won’t let me tell him where we are.”

“Correct. You have me all to yourself.” His tone took on a steely edge. “All the rest of your little group can stay out of my way.”

“No promises.” She started to dial. “They’re all individuals and have minds of their own. I’m going to fill Gallo in on everything that’s happened. I’m sure it will bore you. So why don’t you go back up to the cockpit?”

“Oh, this call won’t bore me,” he drawled. “Because you obviously want to get rid of me. That opens all kinds of interesting questions to sift through.”

She had been afraid that would be his reaction. She would always have to be on guard against Zander’s razor-sharp intellect and boundless curiosity, and her vulnerability to Gallo made her wary of exposing that possible weakness. She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“Oh, I will.”

“I didn’t have the—” She broke off as Gallo answered. “Hello, Gallo. I need to fill you in on a few things that I’ve learned that may come into play.”

“I haven’t found Zander yet. He and Stang seem to have disappeared. Though I think I have a line on an electronics expert he uses on occasion. His name is Weiner, and I should be able to—”

“Weiner? No, leave him alone. The man’s been practically having a nervous breakdown because he’s afraid Zander will think he’s betrayed him.”

Silence. “Now I’m curious to know how you happen to have that information.”

She braced herself. “Because I found Zander. I’m with him now.”

“The hell you are.”

“And he’s not in Vancouver and won’t return there until we find Eve.”

He said softly, “And, dammit, how can we find Eve if we can’t use him to do it?”

She glanced at Zander. “I don’t believe he’d like to be used. But he may come around to being of minimal help.”

“He’s in the room with you, isn’t he?”

“A plane, actually. And, yes, he’s listening.”

“And is he a threat to you?”

“Not at the moment. It’s my choice to be here. If I behave myself, I may escape being thrown out over the Rockies.”

“I want to talk to him.”

“That wouldn’t be a good idea. I was joking about being thrown out over the mountains.”

“More likely the Pacific,” Zander murmured. “I could talk to him, Catherine.”

And that mocking tongue would probably stir Gallo into a fury. “Zander wasn’t the only reason I called you. I wanted to make sure you weren’t wasting your time looking for him, but there are other things I needed to tell you.” She briefly told him all she had learned in her conversation with Jane, then their chase after Eve to the airport in Wyoming. “Seattle, not Vancouver, Gallo. He’s going to try some way to get Eve with Zander in Seattle. At least, that’s what Eve guessed when she wrote those letters on the clay.”

“And Jane thinks that Doane’s ex-wife may know something about Doane?”

“I don’t know what Jane thinks. Harriet Weber is one big question mark right now. But she thinks it’s worth pursuing. Kendra is working on the journal and seeing what connections she can make with the new info about Harriet.” She paused. “There you have it, Gallo. It’s all I can give you to work with.”

“You’re going to Seattle, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but if you’re thinking about teaming with me and Zander, forget it. Zander won’t have it. He’s barely tolerating me. You’re on your own.” She hesitated. “But there’s a way that you could help Eve if you’ll do it.”

“Of course I’ll do it,” he said roughly. “Don’t be ridiculous. What is it?”

“Joe Quinn is somewhere up there in Vancouver. Jane called and told him that Seattle was going to be the hot spot.”

“I don’t like where this is going.”

“Joe is nearly crazy, he’s so afraid about Eve. He’s not going to be either cautious or safe. He may even give away the edge that Doane believes he’s safe from pursuit. Joe will tear down to Seattle and go for broke.” She paused. “Having someone around to balance that desperation would be very desirable.”

“For God’s sake, he’s Eve’s lover. I’m the father of her child. Don’t you see a few difficulties in having me chum up with him? I assure you that Quinn will.”

“You specialize in overcoming difficulties. I’ve watched you do it. It’s a matter of whether you’ll exert the effort. I can’t persuade you. Only you can decide whether it’s worth it to save Eve. I’ll keep you in the loop with any information that comes up. I’m going to hang up now.”

Gallo muttered a curse. “I need to be with you there. Why the hell didn’t you bring me into the picture when you tapped Venable? Why face Zander alone?”

“Why not?” She looked at Zander. “We’re making real progress in getting to know each other. He assured me that he wouldn’t throw me out of the plane in the mountains. It would definitely be the Pacific. Now that would extend our relationship over I don’t know how many more miles. He obviously wants to keep me with him.”

“That’s not amusing.”

“Actually, sometimes Zander is amusing.” She added, “I don’t have a choice. I have to work it this way, Gallo. I’ll call you when I can.” She hung up.

“He’s very protective,” Zander said. “He didn’t like it that I have you in my clutches.”

“I thought it was the other way around,” Catherine said. “And some men are naturally protective.”

“Of you.” He chuckled. “But not of Joe Quinn. I found it clever how you manipulated him to do what you wished.”

“I didn’t manipulate him. It will be his decision. I just made a decision that would help find Eve.”

“And you now have all your ducks in a row to move forward. It was fascinating watching you create an army out of a band of revolutionaries.”

“They’re brilliant, competent people. I did the best I could. But I’m handicapped from now on. As I said, they’re on their own.” She met his gaze. “It’s you and me, Zander.”

“That remains to be seen. But until I make a decision, you do have amusement value.”

“I don’t believe anyone has ever listed that as one of my primary assets.”

“Doesn’t your son think you’re amusing?”

“We won’t talk about Luke if you don’t mind. You appear to be curious about everything and everyone around you, but I’m aware that knowledge can give one weapons. You must already realize I’m vulnerable where my son is concerned. I can’t hide it now. But I can keep you from knowing any more about my relationship with Luke.”

“As you like.” His gaze shifted to the window next to him. “You’re afraid I’ll target your son to hurt you. It’s very intelligent of you to consider the possibility, but I don’t hurt children. It’s one of my idiosyncrasies.”

“We’ll still not discuss him.”

“You’re wise not to trust me. You should hold tight to anyone you value.” His gaze shifted back to her. “In many ways you remind me of Eve.”

“I don’t know why. Eve and I share a few philosophies, but we’re not at all alike.”

He smiled faintly. “Then why do I feel that if you were the one missing, I’d be sitting here talking to Eve? She’d be looking for you with the same passion you’re showing trying to save her.”

“I don’t know why you’d think that.” She tilted her head. “Perhaps you know her better than I do.” She added slyly, “Or it could be fatherly instinct.”

He looked disconcerted. Then he chuckled and rose to his feet. “As I said, you do have amusement value.” He headed for the cockpit. “Buckle up. I think we’re on the way down.”

She watched him disappear into the cockpit. The tension was easing, they had struck a balance, but she knew that he could turn and strike with lightning force if he decided to do so.

She glanced out the window and saw that they were going through wispy clouds. Zander was right, they should be landing in Seattle within minutes.

If they were right about Doane and Eve’s being on the plane that had taken off from that airport in Wyoming, they should have landed in the Seattle area hours ago.

If Doane hadn’t pulled a fast one and fooled Eve about the destination.

She felt her muscles stiffen at the thought that they might be in the wrong city with little time to spare before Doane ignited those nukes.

No, she had to trust that Eve had given them the right information or go crazy.

She closed her eyes.

Be here, Eve.

Please, be here.

Driftwood Cottage

“WE’RE HOME,” DOANE SAID as he took the blindfold off Eve’s eyes. “And it’s a very special home. Kevin loved this place.”

“It took you long enough to drive here,” Eve said as she looked up the hill at the cottage. “I thought you were taking me to Canada.” Where was she? The area appeared completely deserted, and the drive from the small airport where they’d landed had seemed to be as long as she’d said.

Dark hills loomed in contrast with the beach where the car was parked. Sand, pale driftwood gleaming in the moonlight, a weather-beaten cottage on the hill.

Surf crashing against the rocky shore.

“Not as placid and beautiful as your cottage on the lake,” Doane said as he pulled Eve out of the rental car and pushed her up the path. “This is Kevin’s house. He bought it when he was in Seattle trying to find a suitable location for the device. He got a good deal of pleasure out of this place. He said it suited him.”

“I can see how it might. Totally bizarre and theatrical.” And chilling. The cottage was small and rustic, half-hidden by rocks but what she could see was like a scene from a horror film. In front of the cottage were scores of individual pieces of white driftwood whose twisted branches were oddly shaped like gleaming headstones. They appeared to be entreating mercy from the darkness of the sky above. The thought of Kevin’s standing here and looking at those twisted branches was frightening. She could almost feel him beside her.

No, behind her. If she looked over her shoulder, would she see Doane … or Kevin?

“And I liked the thought of nature unchained,” Doane said. “I believed it might increase your feeling of helplessness.”

“It doesn’t,” she lied. She would not look over her shoulder at him. Instead, she glanced around the deserted beach and hills. “But it’s not what I expected. You’re not going to have much impact with your dirty bomb out here in the boonies. I was expecting a big-city locale.”