Текст книги "Bonnie"

Автор книги: Iris Johansen

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

“Yes.”

“I won’t lie to you. I’m not afraid to die. Sometimes there seems to be more waiting for me there than here. But that’s only sometimes. Self-preservation, Danner. If I can live, I’ll do it. But you won’t have to worry about my being difficult for you until after you’ve taken me to where I can find my daughter.” She met his eyes. “I’m not as sure as you are that she wants what you want. I’ll have to see.”

He didn’t speak for a moment. “You’re … honest. I knew that from the moment I met you when you were just a kid. You were pregnant and alone, and you were still fighting and telling the world to get out of your way.”

“I wasn’t entirely alone. There are good people in this world, Danner. I thought you were one of them. You would have helped me if I’d asked, wouldn’t you?”

“You didn’t ask. You didn’t want me. You didn’t want John.”

“Is that why you killed my daughter?” Her hands clenched. “You did kill her, didn’t you? Tell me.”

He didn’t answer. “I thought you were right, that John would want to be free if he came back from Korea. I was glad you didn’t want him to marry you just because you were having his kid. I would have helped you, but I didn’t want you hanging on John, keeping him back.”

Memories of that time were bombarding her. Nights of passion with John Gallo. The first moment she’d seen Bonnie at the hospital. This was becoming incredibly hard.

“I never wanted to hurt John,” she said unevenly. “But I did hurt him by keeping my daughter to myself. I never realized that until later. I was given a special gift, and I wouldn’t share it. Did you realize that I’d hurt him and wanted to strike back? I just don’t understand.”

“I’d never let you hurt John,” Danner said roughly. “I’d never let anyone hurt him.”

She’d struck a nerve. “Yet you’re doing it now. Don’t you know how John feels about what you’re doing? He loves you, and he can’t understand what you’ve become.”

“I know.” Danner’s voice was low and threaded with pain. “But I have to do it. I have to give the child what she wants so that she’ll go away and stop the torment.”

“Bonnie,” Eve said between set teeth. “I’ve told you—” It didn’t matter what he called her. Why argue with him? “You’ve told me yourself that John is probably right behind us. What will you do when he catches up? You may have to kill him to keep the demons away.”

“No, I won’t do that. He won’t catch up. We’re almost there.”

She jumped at the sentence. “Where?”

“Providence.” His lips twisted. “Did you think you were tricking me? It doesn’t matter if you know. Not now.” He turned and started up the trail. “Come along, Eve. By this time tomorrow it will be over.”

Providence. The only Providence she knew was in Rhode Island. Was it a real place they were going or a figment of Danner’s imagination? Or was it a term he was using to describe the situation? The last few minutes should have taught her how unstable he could be. Providence. Truth or fantasy, it was the only clue, the only weapon she had.

If she could find a way of using it.

*   *   *

“WHERE ON EARTH IS HE taking us?” Father Barnabas gazed at Ben, who was climbing the hill several yards ahead of them. “It seems as if we’ve been going around in circles for the last few hours.”

“We have,” Joe said. “We passed that triangular rock twice.”

The priest shook his head. “Then the boy doesn’t really know where he’s going. Why didn’t you give up and stop him?”

“Because there’s a chance he does know. There was no uncertainty about what he was doing. He took every turn with perfect confidence. I believe there’s a possibility that Danner took this route when he led Ben to his place.” His gaze was fastened on Ben’s back. “He liked the boy, but he wouldn’t entirely trust him. He’d be afraid he could be fooled or manipulated. So he took him on a route that would make anyone with him think he didn’t know where he was going and give up on him.”

“Interesting theory. But how long do we consider it a valid premise?”

“As long as we can. Look at him. He thinks that he knows where he’s going. I’d bet he subconsciously counted every twist and turn that Danner made and is repeating them.” His lips twisted. “Have a little faith, Father.”

“That was unfair. I have faith. But perhaps I’m like Danner and not sure how the boy’s mind works. You seem to be a step ahead of us.”

“I’m guessing.” He only hoped that he was guessing right. Why was he so certain that Ben was the key to finding Eve? Just because that smile reminded him of the sketch of Bonnie? Because he seemed to shine when everything around Joe was in darkness? He should be thinking analytically, not relying on instinct.

Screw it. Instinct was all he had right now.

“It’s just ahead.” Ben was looking over his shoulder at him. “I’m glad we got here before dark. The ground is rough for the last stretch. I fell twice when Ted was leading me up here.” He didn’t wait for an answer, but lengthened his stride and disappeared around the curve.

Yes.

The way to the top of the hill was as treacherous as Ben had said. Slippery shale alternating with sandy ground that gave away from beneath their feet. Joe had to stop twice to pull Father Barnabas back on the trail when the shale had thrown him into a skid. The last yards, which should have taken a few minutes, stretched into almost twenty.

The sun was going down in a blaze of scarlet when they reached the top of the summit.

Ben was looking out at the hills and ridges surrounding them. “Beautiful.” The sun was bathing his face with a soft glow. “Isn’t it beautiful? Ted couldn’t see it. I don’t know why. I tried to tell him how it made me feel. But Ted said it was a trap, and demons lurked everywhere.”

“Did you believe him?” Joe asked quietly.

“The first night he brought me here. It scared me. But then I found out that he was wrong.”

“How did you do that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just woke up in the morning and looked out at the ridge and knew there was nothing bad out there.”

“The ridge?”

Ben pointed to the ridge to the far north. “I think that’s where Ted went when he left me. He said I had to stay here and not follow him, or the demons would get me.”

A surge of excitement electrified Joe. He went to the edge of the cliff and looked out at the ridge. Screw the demons. I’ve got you, Danner. “He was only gone one night?”

“The first night. After that, sometimes only four or five hours.”

What the hell was Danner doing beyond that ridge?

He’d find out.

“Wait until dawn.” Father Barnabas was standing beside him. “You’ll break your neck on this hill in the dark. You have time. Ted Danner isn’t there yet.”

“And he won’t come up this way. I’d bet he only brought Ben up here so that he could put a barrier to keep him from following him.” His gaze went back to the ridge, which appeared to ramble for miles. “It’s damn long. What the hell is on the other side?”

“The place,” Ben said. “But no demons. I promise you, no demons.”

“I’m not sure about that.”

“I am.”

“I’ll check my GPS and try to see what’s beyond that ridge. It’ll give me an idea of the topography.” He smiled faintly. “But I doubt if it has the capacity to identify demons.”

“You’re teasing me. That’s okay. I don’t mind.” Ben was gathering branches from the trees on the slopes leading to the hill. “I’ll build a fire. It gets cold at night in the hills.”

Joe smiled. “But Father Barnabas has his sleeping bag.”

“We can flip for it,” the priest offered.

Ben shook his head. “I like to sleep on the ground. It helps me be closer.”

“Closer to what?” Joe asked.

Ben didn’t answer directly. “Just closer.” He was kneeling and making the fire. “I like it here. It’s kind of peaceful.”

Joe wasn’t feeling at all peaceful. He could feel the blood zinging through his body, and his heart was pounding. At last he was on the way to getting a handle on this nightmare. Should he try to go explore that ridge? He didn’t have any doubt he could make it, but Father Barnabas was right about the smart course being to wait for daylight. He’d be going at it blind, and he didn’t know what the hell he was looking for. He might do it anyway. He didn’t know if he could be patient enough to wait.

“No, Joe.” The priest was gazing at him. “Think about it first.”

Joe nodded curtly. “I’ll call Catherine and Gallo and tell them where we are and see if we can get any idea about where Danner is now. If he’s anywhere near, then I’m going.” He turned and went toward the fire. “I need some light to get our position on the GPS and Google that damn ridge. I think Ben brought a pan, instant coffee, and some bottled water if you want to fix a hot drink. It’s already getting cool.”

“Later.” Father Barnabas was looking out at the ridge, which was only a purple-shaded blur in the falling darkness. “Ben is right, there is peace here. I think I’ll go over there in the trees by myself. I’ll see you soon.”

Maybe he was going to meditate or pray or whatever priests did in cases like this, Joe thought. Though a case like this wasn’t that common. Or perhaps he was planning what his next move would be in order to find Danner before Joe did.

“You watch him.” Ben was sitting back on his heels, his head tilted as he stared at Joe. “He makes you worry. Why?”

Joe shrugged. “He’s a puzzle. He may not be what he seems to be.”

Ben’s gaze went to the priest. “But why should that worry you? It’s all good.”

“Is it? How do you know?”

“Can’t you see? He kind of shines inside. Like you, Joe.”

“Me?” He shook his head. “Not likely, Ben.”

“Not exactly the same. He’s deeper, softer. But he does shine, Joe.” He smiled brilliantly. “And he only wants to help. You don’t have to worry.”

What would Ben know? He thought even Danner was good. How could Joe believe him?

Yet he did believe him. Looking at the boy’s face, he believed every word he’d spoken. Crazy.

No, it wasn’t crazy. That beautiful clear simplicity wasn’t to be denied. Dammit, he suddenly knew he didn’t want to deny it. Maybe the kid could sense or see something that Joe couldn’t. “Well, I can’t see the shine from this distance, so I guess I’ll have to go and get a little closer look at him. I’ll be right back.” He turned and strode toward the trees where the priest was sitting.

“A problem?” Father Barnabas asked as he looked up and saw Joe’s frown. “May I help?”

“Yes.” Joe stopped in front of him. “You can stop being a damn martyr and shrug off all those good intentions and vows of confidentiality that you took as a priest and as your alter ego the great psychiatrist. I’m tired of wondering if you’re going to try to push me under a bus. I want to go after Danner with a clear head.”

The priest’s brows rose. “What brought this on?”

“Ben says you shine. I don’t have his vision. I’m just a cop who’s grounded in reality. I want to see if you’re the real thing or fool’s gold.”

“I have my fool’s-gold moments. Don’t we all?”

“Yeah, but I think that Ben would be able to weigh that in and come up with the right answer.”

“You seem to have a good deal of faith in Ben.”

“I have to have faith in something or someone right now. I need it.”

Father Barnabas smiled. “So do I. That’s why I took a moment to myself.”

“Talk to me. Why are you going after Danner? Does he know too much about you, maybe too much about what the Ezra Bonafel court case was all about?”

“I’m not supposed to discuss the court case.”

“To hell with that. I’m going to find out anyway. One of Catherine’s CIA buddies is investigating it. Sealed or not, he’ll know everything about it soon.”

Barnabas’s smile faded. “I’m sure he will. The CIA can be very efficient … and ruthless. But he’s got to be very careful.”

“Why?”

“Tell the CIA to drop it, Joe.”

“Talk to me. What was so bad in those transcripts that they sealed the records? Why did the judge do that?”

Father Barnabas was silent.

“Why?” Joe asked again. “Why did the judge do it?”

The priest finally shrugged. “Because I asked him to do it.”

“You did it? Why?”

“Because it would have hurt people who were vulnerable.” He shook his head. “You’re not going to give up, are you? If I tell you, will you call off those CIA bloodhounds?”

“Maybe. If I think you’re telling the truth. But you can be sure that I’ll let them dig until eternity if you don’t tell me anything.”

The priest smiled faintly. “You’re tough, Joe.” He looked away from him at the horizon over the ridge. “The Ezra Bonafel charge was brought by Ezra’s mother, Dorothy. She claimed I had imprinted false memories through hypnosis on Ezra. The memories were of sexual abuse inflicted on Ezra as a child by his father. She refused to believe that the abuse had happened … although Ezra believed she knew about it.”

“What made her think that the charge would stick?”

“I’d done a few papers in medical journals on the possibility of being able to imprint or erase memories. Ezra had blocked out what had happened to him as a child, but the memories began to come back to him during therapy. His mother went berserk. Actually, she was probably more unstable than Ezra. She loved Ezra and couldn’t admit even to herself that she would permit him to be hurt. She had to have someone to blame.”

“And that was you?”

“Oh, yes. She had to make Ezra believe that I was the enemy and not she. I knew she didn’t stand a chance of winning and that it was going to hurt her and Ezra far more than it did me. I tried to talk her out of pressing charges, but she wouldn’t agree. The best I could get was a trial with the least possible publicity in a small town south of Atlanta.”

“She lost the case?”

“Yes. And she suffered a nervous breakdown two weeks after the judge handed down his decision. Ezra stood by her. I believe the responsibility of taking care of her helped them both to heal.”

“And what helped you to heal?”

“The knowledge that I’d tried to do the right thing.” He grimaced. “But it brought me to the point that I realized that my patients sometimes needed more help than I was able to give. I had to do some serious thinking.” He looked back at Joe. “Don’t let those court records surface. It would hurt Ezra and his mother too much. Maybe God’s helped them to forget all that pain they went through.”

“No bitterness?”

“Why would I be bitter?”

Joe studied him in surprise for a moment. Because a woman had done her best to destroy him? No, he could tell that Father Barnabas was sincere. “No reason.”

“You believe me?”

“I believe you.” He turned away. “I can’t do anything else. Who am I to argue with a man Ben thinks is golden?”

Father Barnabas chuckled. “Not only do I ‘shine,’ but now I’m golden? I must be truly blessed.”

Joe glanced at him over his shoulder. “Do you know, I think you just might be at that.”

*   *   *

A FEW MOMENTS LATER, Joe sank down across from Ben at the fire. The boy was sitting with his chin resting on his raised knees, his gaze fixed on the fire.

Joe was silent for a moment. “Weren’t you even curious about where Ted Danner was going beyond that ridge?”

“No. I could tell he didn’t want to tell me. There are things I don’t like anyone else to know, too.” He smiled. “But he liked me to be here when he came back from the place. At first I thought he was just being nice to me, but I think maybe he was lonely like I was.”

“Past tense. You’re not lonely any longer?”

He shook his head. “I’m … full now.”

“What?”

“There were so many things I didn’t understand. Everyone around me seemed to see everything so clearly, and I couldn’t. And the things I could see, they couldn’t. I was different.”

Yes, he was, and Joe didn’t know what to answer. “Different isn’t always bad.”

“But I’m not different. I was wrong.” Ben smiled. “None of us are different on the inside. Or if we are, it’s only good.”

“And because of that, you’re not lonely any longer?”

“I think that’s it.” He was silent a moment. “I get confused. There’s so much that comes when she touches me.”

Joe stiffened. “She?”

“I didn’t tell you the truth.” Ben stared into the fire. “I told you that I didn’t know how I knew that when I woke up that first morning that everything was all right.”

“That was a lie?”

“That was the first night the dream came. She told me. She said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Ben. Not of anything. There are no demons unless you let them into your heart. Some things might hurt you, but they don’t matter. Look beyond them, and all you’ll see is all the beauty inside you.’” He smiled. “Fancy words, but somehow I knew what she meant. That was nice. It made me feel … safe.”

“Who is she, Ben?”

Ben looked at him. “Why do you ask me? You know her name. I knew when you were talking to me in the tent that she’d talked to you, too. I could feel it. It was almost as if I could see her beside you.”

“Did you?” Joe said, through the tightening in his throat. “Is that why you decided to bring us here?”

“I trust you,” he said simply. “You dream about her, too. You wouldn’t lie to me or do anything bad.”

“Listen, Ben, I’ll try to keep my promise to you. But I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“Neither do I. But she told me not to be afraid of anything. But you’re afraid, aren’t you, Joe?”

He wished he wasn’t afraid. He wished he could embrace the same glowing simplicity and faith as this boy who seemed to have reached out into the mist and touched Bonnie because of that same simplicity. But he didn’t have the right to sit and wait and hope. He was the one who had to take responsibility and not wait for help. It was Eve who was in danger.

And nothing must happen to her.

Joe nodded. “I’m afraid. But I’m glad you aren’t.”

Ben was studying him. “It’s the woman in the photo, it’s Eve.”

“Always.” He paused. “She’s Bonnie’s mother, Ben.”

His eyes widened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think it would mean anything to you. I didn’t know about the dream.”

He nodded slowly. “Ted mustn’t hurt her. It would be bad.” Then his expression cleared. “But we can help her. And we mustn’t be afraid.”

Because Bonnie had told Ben that he shouldn’t fear anything.

“I’m going to sleep now.” Ben was curling up on the ground, facing the fire. “I like it here. Do you hear the wind through the trees? It’s kind of like a song…”

“Would you like some coffee?”

“No, I want to sleep. The times I’ve come here with Ted, the dreams have come. I think it’s easier for her here.…”

“You’ve had more than that one dream?”

He nodded, his eyes closing. “She talks to me. She tells me things. She teaches me. She makes me understand, and every time she leaves me I’m … bigger, fuller.”

“Do the dreams come even when you’re not here?”

“Yes, but not as often.” He cradled his cheek beneath one hand. “She likes it here. The animals … the deer…”

“Eve would like to know that.”

“Tell her…”

He was asleep.

Joe gazed at the firelight playing over Ben’s face. Are you dreaming of Bonnie now? Is she with you? What is she teaching you?

But that was between Ben and Bonnie, and no one should interfere.

Dream, my friend …

He got to his feet and moved several yards away from the fire before he pulled out his phone. No dreams for him. He had work to do.

First, to find out was beyond that ridge. He checked the coordinates on his GPS and punched them into Google.

It took a minute for the overview to come on the screen.

“What the hell!”

CHAPTER

14

“IT’S JOE.” CATHERINE PUNCHED the access on her phone and turned up the volume for Gallo. “What’s happening? Did you find out anything at the camp?”

“Enough. How close are you to Danner?”

“The signs are getting fresher. We’re moving fast. I’d say a few hours.”

“That’s too long. You have to get closer to him. There’s too much territory, and you could lose him.”

“What?” Gallo said. “We’re doing the best we can. What do you mean? You have an idea where he’s headed?”

“Almost certainly. I’ll give you the coordinates I know.” Joe rattled off the coordinates. “But this is where I am. He won’t come directly here. There’s a lot of wild country around here, acres and acres. Low hills, flatlands, and a giant ridge.”

“What ridge?”

“Something weird. I’ll send you a photo of the area I Googled that’s beyond the ridge I’m facing now.”

“Those coordinates put Danner and Eve about six hours away from you,” Catherine said. “And Gallo and I are about eight hours.”

“You’d better be right on top of him when he gets here. We could miss him, dammit.”

“Why? If we know the approximate—” Her phone pinged, and she cut over to look at the topographical photo Joe had sent her. “Holy shit.” She showed the photo to Gallo, then cut back to the call from Joe. “It looks like the Grand Canyon.”

“Not nearly as grand, much smaller, but it’s wild enough to cause us a problem. If that’s where he’s taking Eve, we could wander around there and not find them until it’s too late.”

“If?”

“Like I told you, that area is only one part of the area he could be headed for. There’s too wide a choice. Check Danner’s exact projected destination from where you are now. He should have to commit very soon.”

“A Grand Canyon in Georgia?” Catherine asked. “Have you ever heard of it, Joe?”

“I have a vague memory,” Joe said. “I’ve never seen it. It’s one of the natural oddities that appeal to some tourists.”

“And how much territory are we going to have to worry about?”

“Surrounding hills, flatlands. Too much. It’s enough to be fatal to Eve if we’re not close enough. We have to narrow it down.”

“We’ll be right behind him.”

“Call me,” Joe said curtly. He hung up.

Catherine flipped back to the Google overview. “This isn’t good enough for anything. I’ll call Venable and see if he can get a satellite image of the canyon and surrounding area so we’ll have an accurate map.” She started to dial. “After that, we’ve got to get moving.” She could feel the blood pumping through her veins as the adrenaline surged. At last, they had a chance to get ahead of the bastard. “We made up a lot of the distance between us in the last few hours. We can—” Gallo was shaking his head. “What’s wrong? We can do it.”

“I don’t doubt you for a minute. You can move mountains. Or at least a minor Grand Canyon,” he said. “But we might catch up with him just a little too late. We can’t afford to do that.”

Her gaze was narrowed on his face. “What are you suggesting, Gallo?”

“I’m suggesting you go after Danner alone. I’ll cut back straight east until I get to a farm or ranch and borrow a vehicle and take off on the nearest highway or road that will take me to this canyon. I’ll be much faster than you on foot. As soon as he gets close enough to the canyon area so that you can see where he’s heading, you call me, and I’ll be there to meet him.” He tilted his head. “Much more practical?”

She thought about it from all angles. “Yes,” she said slowly.

“Then I’ll take off.” He started to turn, then whirled back to her. “Don’t try to get him by yourself, Catherine. Wait until we get to the canyon.”

“It would be questionable whether I’d even be able to reach him by the time he gets to the canyon area. I doubt if I’d be able to get ahead and ambush him.”

“But you’d do it if you got the chance.” He shook his head. “Call me. Let me help you, dammit.”

She gazed at him for a moment. “I’ll call you … and Joe.”

His lips twisted. “Because you still don’t trust me.”

“No, I don’t,” she said bluntly. “No one knows how you’re going to react until the moment you see Ted Danner. Not even you, Gallo.” She turned her back on him. “I’ll see you at the canyon.”

She could feel his gaze on her back until she turned the curve in the path. What did he expect? She would not tell him that she trusted him. She had eyes and a brain and the experience to know that nostalgia from the past could twist motives and emotions in the present. She would not be anything but honest with him.

But for that brief instant, she had wanted to tell him what he wanted to hear.

Forget it. That impulse might have been okay coming from another woman. Not her. Her entire life had been based on being totally herself and not giving one bit of that self away to anyone to buy affection or respect or a haven from fear. It didn’t matter that Gallo had an effect on her that was both powerful and unusual. She would fight to give him a chance. She would stand beside him and fight the enemy.

If he realized who that enemy was.

She had been trying hard not to think how she would feel if someone she loved suddenly became the enemy. That would be strange. She loved so few people in this world. Her son, Luke, Hu Chang, who had been friend and teacher, Eve …

Why was she thinking about this? She had a job to do.

If Gallo held any resentment that she could not lie to him, then he could deal with it.

She had another problem to deal with.

How fast could she get to Danner and Eve?

And how could she take Danner out when she got there?

*   *   *

DANNER WAS GROWING tenser, edgier with every mile that passed.

And Eve could see that the tension was having an effect on his finely balanced stability. He had not reached for his knife again, but she had seen him staring at her with frustration and impatience. He wanted this over.

Well, so did she. But she could not chance Danner’s ending it without her finding Bonnie. What if he changed his mind and decided that Eve’s death didn’t necessarily have to take place at the site he had chosen? He had been close to that decision only a short time ago. She had been able to distract him then, but she couldn’t be sure of doing it again by confronting him. She had to change tactics … and try to get help on board.

Focus. She had to get Danner to focus on his original plan and reinforce it.

She turned to face him. “You said we were close. Were you lying to me?”

“We’re close.” He raised his head, staring at the top of the trees. “I can feel the chill.”

“Chill. You’re afraid?” She grimaced. “Oh yes, your demons. You take me to my daughter, and I’ll protect you, Danner.”

“You won’t be able to do that.”

He meant because she’d be dead. She felt a chill herself. Ignore it. Get him to focus. “How close are we?”

“An hour, maybe two.”

She moistened her lips. “And then you’ll kill me.”

He didn’t answer.

“Why are you waiting? Why drag me all the way down the state when you could have killed me at the church in Rome?”

“It’s … her place. I have to make sure that she knows I’m giving her what she wants.”

She was silent. “Yes, that would be important. You’re going through all this trouble, and you don’t even know if it’s what she wants.”

“I don’t know whether it makes a difference if I wait.”

She had thought that was the direction in which he was leaning. “It would make a difference.”

“How do you know?”

“She’s my daughter. You said that you saw us together and that you knew we were close. Wouldn’t I know her better than anyone?” She paused. “Don’t you think she’s the one who needs to make the decision?”

He shook his head. “She’s already made it. She led me to the church. It’s what she wants. I know it.”

Cross that argument out. His tone had been absolutely positive.

He thought that Bonnie wanted her to leave this life and cross over to the next.

Oh, Bonnie, it’s an argument that I’ve had with you all through the years, and I could never convince you. He has it all wrong.

Unless you’ve changed your mind.

“I’ll accept what you say,” she said quietly. “Perhaps you’re right. Because I do know that Bonnie wouldn’t want me to be murdered and thrown into a ditch somewhere like you did her.”

He flinched as if she’d struck him. “No. No. No. I didn’t.”

“You’re protesting too much. Why else would you be afraid of her?”

“She won’t leave me alone.”

“But she’ll leave you alone if you kill me?” Move carefully now. His eyes were glaring at her, and his hands were opening and closing at his sides. “So you take me to this ‘place’ and kill me to please my daughter. Am I going to be allowed to have some clergyman to bless my soul? What about calling your friend, Father Barnabas?”

“No,” he said hoarsely.

“No help to send my soul to heaven? Bonnie wouldn’t like that. Then what about letting me call the man I love to say good-bye? Joe and Bonnie have grown very close through the years. She wouldn’t be pleased that you’d deny me that final solace.”

“You’re trying to trick me.”

“You could listen to the conversation. I deserve to say good-bye. A short conversation, then I won’t ask anything else of you. What harm would it do? You’re taking everything else from me. Let me say good-bye.” She stared into his eyes. “If you do, I’ll tell Bonnie that you were kind to me, that you let me go with gentleness.”

His expression was tormented. Then he spun her around and gave her a push up the trail. “No, I won’t do it.”

Okay, no chance of communicating with Joe. But evidently she’d changed the focus, and Danner wasn’t going to kill her on the trail. She’d take what she could get.

“Wait.”

She stopped and turned to face him.

He thrust his phone into her hand. “Call him. I’m listening to every word. If you try to trick me, then it’s all over.”

Which is what he wanted anyway.

She looked down at the phone. What was she going to say?

Providence?

It was the only clue she had to give him, and she wasn’t even sure that it was a valid one. And how could she—

“Call him,” Danner said curtly. “It’s what you wanted. It’s what you say she’d want.”

Why was she hesitating? She knew that Joe was searching for her though she had no idea how close or far he was to her. She’d try to get him what information she could. If it wasn’t enough to help, then she’d still get to fulfill the purpose she’d given Danner. She had no idea if she was going to survive, and to be able to say good-bye to Joe was a gift that was without price. “That’s right.” She cleared her throat. “I’m just surprised.” She quickly dialed Joe’s number.

It rang three times before he picked up. “Quinn.”

Lord, it was good to hear his voice. “Joe.”

There was a silence. “Eve. My God, where are you?”

“I can’t talk about that, or he’ll make me hang up. Don’t ask questions. I don’t want to waste our time together.” She paused. “We don’t have much time left.”

“What do you mean? I’ll kill him.”

“Hush. Listen to me. I have to make every word count. We’ve been together so long that sometimes I’m afraid that I haven’t said the things that I should. There’s always been Bonnie with us or between us. I didn’t tell you that if you hadn’t come into my life that there would have been no life. You’ve been my friend, my lover, my salvation.” She had to stop as her voice broke. “Pay attention to what I’m saying, Joe, this is important. Fate brought us together that day when you came to my house to try to find my Bonnie. And it’s fate that’s tearing us apart right now. We’ve got to accept it.”