Текст книги "The Face of Deception"

Автор книги: Iris Johansen

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Do you think shes had a face-lift? Shes sup-posed to be forty-five but she doesnt look a day over thirty.

Maybe. Eve finished her soup. Or maybe shes just aging well.

I should be so lucky. I saw two new lines in my forehead this week. I stay out of the sun. I use mois-turizer. I do everything right and Im still going downhill. Margaret flicked off the television set. Looking at her depresses me. Chadbournes just saying the same old things. Lower taxes. More jobs. Aid to children.

Nothing wrong with that.

Tell that to John. Hell, Chadbourne says and does everything right and his wife smiles sweetly, has as many charities as Evita Peron, and bakes her own cookies. Its not going to be easy for Johns party to oust an administration that everyones calling the second Camelot.

Unless he could find a way to smear the other party. The more Eve thought about it, the more likely that explanation seemed, and she didnt like it one bit. Where is Logan?

Hes been in the study all afternoon making phone calls. Margaret stood up. Coffee?

No, I had some in the lab an hour ago.

Well, evidently I did something right by pro-viding the coffeemaker.

You did a great job. I have everything I need.

Lucky woman. She poured coffee into her own cup. Not many people can say that. Most of us arent as fortunate. We have to compromise and She looked up, stricken. God, Im sorry. I didnt mean that you

Forget it. She stood up. Now I believe I have about twenty minutes more until your decorators finish with my lab. I think Ill go to my room and make a few phone calls too.

Have I chased you off ?

Dont be ridiculous. Im not that sensitive.

Margarets gaze raked her face. I think you are. But you handle it damn well. She paused and then added awkwardly, I admire you. In your place, I dont think I could She shrugged. Anyway, I didnt mean to hurt you.

You didnt hurt me, Eve said gently. Truly. I do have phone calls to make.

Then go make them. Ill finish my coffee and then go nag those decorators and get them out of your way.

Thank you. Eve left the kitchen and strode quickly to her room. What she had told Margaret had been partly true. Time had formed scars on the wounds and, in many ways, she was lucky. She had a worthwhile profession, a parent she loved, and good friends.

And shed better check in with one of those friends, see if Joe had dug up anything more on Logan. She didnt like how the situation was shaping up, she thought grimly.

No, shed call Mom first.

It took six rings before Sandra picked up, but when she did she was laughing. Hello.

I guess I dont have to ask if youre okay, Eve said. Whats so funny?

Ron just spilled paint on his She broke off, giggling. Youd have to be here.

Youre painting?

I told you I wanted to paint your lab. Ron of-fered to help me.

What color? Eve asked warily.

Blue and white. Its going to look like sky and clouds. Were trying one of those new finishes that you do with garbage bags.

Garbage bags?

I saw it on TV. The receiver was suddenly cov-ered. Dont do that, Ron. Youre messing up the clouds. The corners have to be done differently. She came back on the line. How are you?

Fine. Ive been working on

Thats nice. She was laughing again. No cherubs, Ron. Eve would have a cow.

Cherubs?

I promise, just clouds.

Good God, cherubs, clouds. Youre busy. Ill call you again in a few days.

Im glad youre having a good time. Getting away is good for you.

And it was obviously not causing her mother any problem. No more trouble?

Trouble? Oh, you mean the break-in. Not a bit. Joe dropped by after work with Chinese food but left right after Ron got here. It turns out they know each other. I guess its not so strange, Ron being in the D.A.s office and JoeRon, you need more white in that blue paint. Eve, I have to go. Hes going to ruin my clouds.

We wouldnt want that. Good-bye, Mom. Take care of yourself.

You too.

Eve was smiling as she hung up. Sandra sounded younger than she had ever heard her, and everything was Ron and how everything and everyone related to Ron. Nothing wrong with being young. Kids grew up quick in the slums and maybe Sandra would be able to snatch some of that childhood magic now.

Why did that thought make Eve feel a thousand years old?

Because she was stupid and selfish and maybe a little envious.

Joe.

She reached for the telephone again and then stopped.

Logan had known she had gone to the cemetery.

She didnt like the idea of that electronic beehive in the carriage house.

She was being paranoid. Video cameras didnt necessarily equate to bugged telephones.

But they might. Ever since shed arrived there shed had the vague sensation of being caught in a web.

So she was paranoid.

She stood up, dug her digital out of her shoulder bag, and punched in Joes number.

I was just going to call you. How are things going?

Theyre not going. Im treading water. He wants to involve me more than Im comfortable with. I need to know what Im looking at. Did you dig up anything?

Maybe. But its pretty weird.

Whats not weird about all this?

It seems hes lately acquired an obsession about John F.Kennedy.

Kennedy, she repeated, startled.

Yeah. And Logans a Republican, so that by it-self is already weird. He paid a visit to the Kennedy Library. He ordered copies of the Warren Commis-sion Report on Kennedys assassination. He went to the book depository in Dallas and then to Bethesda. Joe paused. He even talked to Oliver Stone about the research he did for his movie JFK. All done very ca-sual and quiet. No urgency. Youd never even make the connection between his actions unless you were looking for a pattern, like I was.

Kennedy. It was bizarre. That cant have any-thing to do with why Im here. Is there anything else?

Not so far. You asked for out of the ordinary.

Well, you certainly gave it to me.

Ill keep looking. He changed the subject. I ran into your moms current flame tonight. Rons a nice guy.

She thinks so. Thanks for keeping an eye on her for me.

I dont think Im going to have to do much more of it. Ron seemed pretty protective himself.

I havent met him yet. Moms afraid Ill scare him off.

You might.

What do you mean? You know I want whatevers best for Mom.

Yep, and youll kick ass until you get it for her.

Am I that bad?

Joes voice softened. No, youre that good. Look, Ive got to go. Diane wants to catch a nine oclock movie. Ill call you when I know anything more.

Thanks, Joe.

Forget it. I probably didnt help you much.

He probably hadnt, Eve thought as she hung up. Logans interest in JFK might be just coincidence. What possible connection could there be between the ex-president and her present situation?

Coincidence? She doubted if anything Logan did was coincidental. He was too sharp, too much in con-trol. His search for information about Kennedy was too recent not to be suspicious, and if hed tried to keep his interest in Kennedy under wraps, it was for a reason.

What reason? It couldnt be of

She stiffened with shock.

Oh, my God.

SEVEN

The library was unoccupied when she entered a few minutes later.

She slammed the door closed, flicked on the light, and strode toward the desk. She opened the right-hand drawer. Just papers and telephone books. She slammed it shut and opened the left-hand drawer.

Books. She pulled them out and set them on the desk.

The Warren Commission Report was on top. Be-neath it was the Crenshaw book on the Kennedy au-topsy and then a well-thumbed book titled The Kennedy Conspiracy: Questions and Answers.

May I help you? Logan stood in the doorway.

Are you crazy, Logan? She glared at him. Ken-nedy? Youve got to be out of your mind.

He crossed the room and sat down at the desk. You appear to be a little upset.

Why should I be upset? Just because youve brought me here on the wildest goose chase ever con-ceived by man. Kennedy? she repeated. What the hell kind of crackpot are you?

Why dont you sit down and take a deep breath. He smiled. You scare me when you loom over me like that.

Bullshit. This isnt funny, Logan.

His smile vanished. No, its not funny. I was hoping it wouldnt come to this. I tried to be so careful. I take it you didnt just decide to ransack my office out of curiosity. Joe Quinn?

Yes.

I heard he was very smart. He shook his head. But youre the one who sicced him on me. Why couldnt you have just left it alone?

You expected me to wander around in the dark?

He was silent a moment. No, I guess I didnt expect it. But I hoped. I wanted you to go into this unprejudiced.

Id be unprejudiced no matter what I suspected. You have to be when you do my kind of work. But I cant believe you want me to help you dig up Kennedy.

No manual labor is required. I just need you to verify

And get shot in the process. For Gods sake, Kennedy is buried at Arlington Cemetery.

Is he?

She went still. What the devil are you saying?

Sit down.

I dont want to sit down. I want you to talk to me.

Okay. He paused. What if it isnt Kennedy buried at Arlington?

Heaven help me, not another conspiracy theory?

Conspiracy? Yes, I guess that about covers it. But with a slight twist. What if it were one of Kennedys doubles who was shot in Dallas? What if Kennedy died before the Dallas trip?

She stared at him in disbelief. Kennedys doubles?

Most public figures have doubles to protect both their lives and their privacy. Its estimated Saddam Hussein has at least six.

Hes a dictator of a third-world country. No one could get away with that here.

Not without help.

Whose help? she asked sarcastically. Little John-John? Maybe brother Bobby? Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Youre nuts. Its the most outrageous thing Ive ever heard. Who the hell are you accusing?

Im not accusing anyone. Im just looking at possibilities. Ive no idea how the man died. He had all kinds of health problems that werent public knowledge. His death could have been by natural causes.

Could? My God, are you suggesting the cause might not have been natural?

Youre not listening. Dammit, I dont know. The only thing I do know is that a deception that exten-sive would have involved more than one person.

A White House conspiracy. A cover-up. She smiled mockingly. And isnt it convenient for you that Kennedy was a Democrat? You can paint the op-position as a bunch of unscrupulous connivers not worthy of winning the election this year. What a co-incidence that a massive smear like this might trans-late to a victory for your party.

It might.

You bastard. I dont like smear campaigns. And I dont like being used, Logan.

Understandable. Now, if youre through venting your displeasure, will you listen to me for a moment? He leaned forward in his chair. Eight months ago I got a call from a man named Bernard Donnelli, a mortician who owns a small funeral home outside Baltimore. He asked me to meet him. He told me just enough to intrigue me, so I flew to Baltimore the next day. He was scared and met me in a parking garage at five in the morning. He shrugged. No imagination. He must have thought he was Deep Throat or something. Anyway, he was more greedy than he was scared and offered to sell me information. He paused. And an object that he thought I might find valuable. A skull.

Only a skull?

The rest of the body was cremated by Donnellis father. It seems that the Donnelli Funeral Home has been used for decades by the Mafia and Cosa Nostra to dispose of bodies. The Donnellis be-came known to the mob as being very discreet and reliable. However, one particular disposal made Donnelli Senior very uneasy. Two men appeared one night at Donnellis home with a mans body and, though the money they paid him was extraor-dinary, he was uneasy. They werent his regular cus-tomers and couldnt be counted on to play by the rules. They tried to keep him from seeing the corpses face, but he caught one glimpse and it was enough to scare him shitless. He was afraid theyd come back and cut his throat to eliminate him as a witness. So he rescued the skull and hid it away to use as a weapon and an insurance policy.

Rescued it?

Not many people know that it takes a tempera-ture of twenty-five hundred degrees and a burning time of at least eighteen hours to completely destroy a skeleton. Donnelli managed to position the body so that the skull would partially avoid the flames. When the two men left after forty-five minutes, Donnelli retrieved the skull and burned the rest. Donnelli used the skull as a tool for blackmail, and before he died he told his son, Bernard, where hed buried the skull. A rather macabre legacy but profitable, very profitable.

Donnelli died?

Oh, he wasnt murdered. He was an old man and had a bad heart.

And who was he blackmailing?

Logan shrugged. I dont know. Donnelli Junior wouldnt tell me. The deal was for the skull.

And youre saying you didnt press him?

Why would I tell you that? Of course, I tried to get it out of him. All hed tell me was what Ive told you. He wasnt as gutsy as his father and he didnt like living on the edge. He offered me the location of the skull and the story in exchange for enough money to set him up in Italy with a new face and identity papers.

And you took the deal?

I took it. Ive paid more for prospects with less potential.

And now you want me to bring that potential to fruition.

If what Donnelli told me was the truth.

It isnt. The entire story is crazy.

Then why not go along with me? Whats the harm? If its not true, then youll come out with your pocket full of my money and Ill come out with egg on my face. He smiled. Both prospects should bring you extreme pleasure.

Its a waste of my time.

Youre being well paid to waste it.

And if theres any truth at all to the story, its not smart for me to go around digging up

But you said there wasnt any truth to it.

Its too wild to think its Kennedy, but it could be Jimmy Hoffa or some Mafia goon.

Providing I havent paid through the nose for a fairy tale.

Which youve probably done.

Then come with me and well find out. He paused. Unless you think you couldnt do the job with an unprejudiced mind. Theres no way I want you putting Jimmy Hoffas face on this skull.

You know damn well Im too good to do that. Dont try to manipulate me, Logan.

Why not? Im good at it. We all do what were good at. Arent you even a little bit curious to find out if Donnellis telling the truth?

No, its just another wild-goose chase.

Not so wild if they tried to scare you off. Or per-haps youd rather forgive and forget what happened to your lab?

Manipulation again. Strike where it hurts. She turned away. Im not forgetting anything, but Im not sure I believe

Ill double the contribution to the Adam Fund.

She slowly turned back to him. Dammit, youre paying too much for too little. Even if its true, it all happened a long time ago. What if nobody cares that the Democrats did a massive cover-up?

What if they do? The climate is right. The public is sick to death of being manipulated by politicians.

Just what are you up to, Logan?

I thought you had me figured out. Im just your run-of-the-mill low-life tycoon trying to stack the deck.

She wasnt close to figuring him out and there was no way she would accept one word he had spoken as truth.

Will you think about it?

No.

Yes, you will. You cant help yourself. Give me your decision in the morning.

And what if I say no?

Why do you think I bought a property with a cemetery?

She stiffened.

Just joking. He smiled. Ill send you home, of course.

She started for the door.

And I wont ask for the Adam Fund money back. Even if you dont complete your part of the bargain. Which makes me appear a good deal more honorable than you, doesnt it?

I told you I wouldnt do anything illegal.

Im not trying to involve you in anything really illegal. No raid on Arlington or digging up a grave-yard. Just a brief visit to a cornfield in Maryland.

Which is probably still illegal.

But if Im right, our little transgression will come out smelling like the proverbial rose. He shrugged. Think. Sleep on it. Youre a reasonable woman and I think youll agree that Im not asking you to do anything that would betray your code of ethics.

If youre telling me the truth.

He nodded. If Im telling you the truth. Ive no intention of trying to convince you that I am. I know it wouldnt do any good. Youll have to make up your own mind. He opened the top desk drawer and pulled out a leather address book. Good night. Let me know your decision as soon as you make it.

She was dismissed, she realized. No persuasion. No protestations. The ball was in her court.

Or was it?

Good night. She left the library and swiftly climbed up the stairs to her bedroom.

Kennedy.

Impossible. Kennedy was lying at Arlington, not in some hole in a Maryland cornfield. Logan had been suckered into paying for nothing.

But Logan was anything but a sucker. If he thought there was any truth to Donnellis story, that might be enough reason for her to look deeper into it.

And to give credence to any plan Logan might have for a smear campaign. He could be lying, dig-ging desperately for a way to get what he wanted.

She had made a deal with him and he had kept his end of it.

Oh, what the hell. She was too tired to make a de-cision now. She would go to bed and hope she would see things more clearly in the morning. It would be the sensible thing to

The window.

She stiffened and inhaled sharply. Imagination. She wouldnt let herself be tricked by her own mind. She was tired and discouraged and prey to her own imagination. She wouldnt let herself be

The window.

She moved slowly across the room to the window and stood looking out into the darkness.

Darkness. Mosquitoes. Bugs. Snakes.

His Italian designer loafers were being ruined by the damp, rotting foliage on the trail, Fiske real-ized with annoyance.

He had never liked the woods. He remembered one time when he was a kid, hed been sent to some fucking camp in Maine and been forced to stay there for two weeks. His parents were always sending him somewhere to get rid of him.

Bastards.

But hed fixed them. Hed made sure the camp would never accept him back after that summer. They hadnt been able to prove anything, but the counselor had known. Oh, yes, he had known. It had shown in the pricks scared face, the way his eyes slid away from him.

That summer had taught him a few lessons hed been able to apply to his chosen vocation. Camping nuts almost always needed reservations for a camping site at a national park, and each reservation was tidily documented by the forest rangers.

There was a glimmer of fire up ahead.

Target.

Approach directly or wait until they were asleep?

Adrenaline was starting to pump through him.

Direct approach. Let them see him, feel it coming.

He ruffled his hair and smeared a streak of dirt on his cheek.

The gray-haired old man was sitting staring into the fire. His wife came out of their tent, and she laughed and said something to him. There was an air of intimacy and affection between them that Fiske found vaguely annoying. But then, he found every-thing about this kill annoying. He didnt like being forced into practicing his skills in the middle of the wilds, and he would make sure the old man and woman realized it.

He paused, drew a deep breath, then burst into the clearing. Thank God. Can you help me? My wife is hurt. We were setting up camp down the road and she fell and broke

I know where theyre camped, Gil said. Im on my way. But Im two hours behind. The ranger said there was another inquiry earlier this evening.

Logans hand tightened on the receiver. Be careful.

Am I stupid? Of course Ill be careful. Particu-larly if its Fiske.

Fiske?

I called my contact in the Treasury Department and the word is that Timwicks been known to use Al-bert Fiske on occasion. Fiske was a hit man for the CIA and a damn good one. He always wanted the toughest jobs, the most prestigious hits. He takes in-ordinate pride in his efficiency and ability to do jobs no one else can do. In the last five years hes severed his ties with the Company and struck out on his own, and hes done very well. He moves fast, knows the system well enough to make it work for him. He paused. And he likes it, Logan. He really likes it.

Shit.

Ill call you back when I find them.

Logan slowly replaced the receiver.

He moves fast.

How fast?

And in what direction?

The house phone on the desk buzzed.

Ms. Duncan left the house three minutes ago, Mark said.

Is she heading for the front gate?

No, shes going up the hill.

Ill be right there.

Logan came into the carriage house a few min-utes later.

Shes at the graveyard, Mark said.

Logan walked over to the bank of monitors. Whats she doing?

Its dark and shes in the shadow of that tree. Shes not doing anything as far as I can tell. Just standing there.

Standing just outside a graveyard in the middle of the night.

Zero in closer.

Mark made an adjustment on the control board and Eves face was suddenly on the screen before him.

It told him nothing. She was looking at the flower-covered graves, her face totally without ex-pression. What had he expected? Strain? Torment?

Pretty weird, huh? Mark asked. What a nutcase.

Damn you, shes not a nut He broke off, as surprised as Mark at the sudden burst of fury. Sorry, but shes not crazy. Shes just carrying around a lot of baggage.

Okay, okay, Mark said. I just thought it was all kind of weird. I wouldnt be trekking up to a grave-yard at night. I guess she He suddenly started to laugh. Shit. Youre right, shes normal as hell.

Eve was looking up into the trees, and the middle finger of her right hand was lifted in an obscene gesture.

Shes giving us the bird. Mark was still chuck-ling. I think I like her, John.

Logan found himself smiling. He liked her too, dammit. He liked her strength and intelligence and resilience. Even her stubbornness and unpre-dictability intrigued him. In other circumstances he would have liked having her for a friendhellip; or even a lover.

Lover. He hadnt realized he was regarding her in a sexual light until that moment. She was attractive, but hed been more aware of her mind and person-ality than her tall, graceful body.

Yeah, sure. Who was he kidding? Hell, sex was al-ways important and, if he was honest with himself, Eves very breakability aroused him.

Which made him pretty much of a scumbag.

So forget it. Concentrate on what was important, the reason hed brought her there.

And why the hell she was still in that damn graveyard.

The warm wind stirred the carnations on the graves and carried the faintest scent to where Eve was standing outside the fence.

She had told Margaret she wasnt a ghoul who hung around graveyards, so why was she there? Why hadnt she gone to bed as shed intended instead of obeying the crazy impulse that had brought her there?

And it was impulse.

To believe something had called her there was insane, and she was not insane. She had fought that fight after Fraser had been executed and she had to be very careful not to let herself go down the path toward madness. It would be so easy. Dreaming of Bonnie at night was permissible, but she mustnt imagine Bonnie was there when she was wide awake.

Besides, Bonnie couldnt be here. She had never been in this place.

Logan had talked of death and graves and her mind had done the rest. No one had called her.

It was only an impulse.

She wasnt surprised to see Logan waiting for her when she entered the house an hour later.

Im tired. I dont want to talk, Logan. She walked past him and started up the stairs.

He smiled. I gathered that from your extremely rude gesture.

You shouldnt have been watching me. I dont like being spied on.

A graveyard isnt the most pleasant place for a stroll. Why there?

What does it matter?

Im curious.

Her hand tightened on the banister. Stop trying to read some significance into everything I say or do. I went there because it was night and I knew the way. I didnt want to get lost.

Thats all?

What did you expect? I was up there having a seance?

Dont bite my head off. I was just curious. I was actually hoping the walk had cleared your head and youd come to a decision about the

It didnt. She started up the stairs again. Ill talk to you in the morning.

Ill be working most of the night, if you come to any

Back off, Logan.

Whatever you say. He added, Since you obvi-ously know Im keeping an eye on you, I thought it only fair to keep you informed about my own whereabouts.

Sure you did. She slammed her bedroom door behind her and headed for the bathroom. A hot shower would get rid of this tension. Then maybe shed go back down to the lab and work on Mandy. She knew she wasnt going to sleep well tonight, and she might as well be productive.

It wasnt as if she were afraid of going to sleep and dreaming of Bonnie. Bonnie was never a threat. How could a loving dream be a danger?

And it had been pure impulse, not Bonnie calling her, that had led her to the graveyard that night.

The two bodies were lying in one sleeping bag, their arms draped around each other in a final embrace. They were naked and their eyes were wide open, staring into each others face with terror.

A long tent stake was driven through both their bodies.

Son of a bitch. Killing them was bad enough, but Gil felt there was something obscene about the way the old couple had been posed. It robbed their death of all dignity.

He looked around the campsite. No footprints. No visible evidence. Fiske had taken time to clean up.

Gil flipped open his phone and called Logan. Too late.

Both of them?

Yeah, nasty. More than nasty. Twisted. What do you want me to do?

Come back. I havent been able to contact Maren. Hes in the desert somewhere. But that may be good. If we cant reach him, I doubt Fiske will be able to. We may have a reprieve.

Dont count on it. He glanced at the two bodies. Fiske isnt going to be twiddling his thumbs.

Im not counting on anything, but theres no way I want you heading for Jordan. I may need you.

Gil went still. The skull?

I cant wait any longer. Everythings moving too fast. Come back.

Im on my way.

Very satisfactory.

Everything neat and hed even been able to add a little whimsy.

Fiske was humming softly to himself as he un-locked his car and got in. He quickly dialed Timwick. Cadros done. Im heading for Jordan on the next plane. Anything else?

Forget Maren for the moment. Go join the sur-veillance team at Barrett House.

Fiske frowned. I dont like surveillance.

Youll do this one. If Logan and the Duncan woman sneeze, I want to know about it and I want you on the spot.

I dont like jumping all over the place until I finish the job. I still have Maren to

We followed Gil Price when he left Barrett House yesterday morning. He went directly to Dora Bentzs apartment.

So? I left it clean.

You dont get the point. He knew about Dora Bentz and that means Logan knows. We cant Timwick drew a deep breath. We need Logan, Price, and the Duncan woman dead.

You said it was too risky.

That was before we were sure Logan was on the right track. Theres no question we can leave them alive now.

At last Timwick was showing some balls. When?

Ill let you know.

Fiske pressed the end button of the phone. Things were definitely looking up. Both the chal-lenge and monetary opportunities were escalating. He started humming again as he opened the glove compartment and took out Timwicks list. He drew a neat line through the second name and below Marens name carefully wrote in block letters John Logan, Gil Price, and Eve Duncan.

Might as well keep things orderly.

He started the car, then grinned as he suddenly realized the song he was still humming.

Making a list, checking it twice.

Gonna find out whos naughty or nice hellip;

EIGHT

"Wake up, Margaret said. For Gods sake, do you even have to sleep with those bones, Eve?

Eve groggily lifted her head. What? She shook her head to clear it of sleep. What time is it?

Margaret was standing in front of the desk. Its almost nine in the morning. John told me you werent going to work anymore last night.

I changed my mind. She looked down at Mandy on the desk in front of her. I fit a few more pieces to the puzzle.

And fell asleep working on it.

I was going to close my eyes for just a minute. Her mouth felt nasty. I guess I was tired. She pushed back her chair. I need to go brush my teeth and shower.

Not until you tell me what a good job I did on this lab.

She smiled. Sorry, its wonderful.

Your enthusiasm is truly astonishing. Margaret sighed. I knew I should have told them to do it in sackcloth and ashes.

I told you it didnt matter. She stood up and moved toward the door. But I appreciate your effort.

John wants to see you. He sent me to find you.

Ill see him after I shower and change.

Could you hurry? Hes been pretty edgy since Gil got back.

Eve turned at the door. Hes back?

Margaret nodded. About an hour and a half ago. Theyre waiting for you in the office.

Waiting for her decision. Waiting to see if shed go along on Logans wild-goose chase.

Kennedy.

My God, in the clear light of day the idea was even more bizarre than it had been the previous night.

And John authorized me to shift that other pay-ment you agreed on to the Adam Fund, Margaret said. I called the bank and you should be able to verify the transfer within another hour.

She hadnt agreed to that other payment. Logan was applying pressure, bribing her without insisting on a return favor. Well, let him give the money. It wouldnt influence her decision and the kids would benefit. I trust you.

Verify, Margaret said. John insists.

Logan could insist until he was blue in the face. Shed do exactly what she wanted to do. Working on Mandy last night had been good for her. She felt much more in control of the situation that morning. Ill see you later, Margaret.

You took enough time. Logan scowled at her as she walked into the study. Weve been waiting.

I had to wash and blow-dry my hair.

And very nice it looks, Gil said from the corner of the room. Worth every minute of the delay.

She smiled at him. I dont believe Logan thinks so.

I dont, Logan said. Its rude to keep people waiting.

It depends on whether you have an appoint-ment or a summons.

Gil chuckled. You shouldnt have sent Margaret, Logan.

Dammit, I didnt want to appear pushy.