Текст книги "Bonnie"

Автор книги: Iris Johansen

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“The hell we do.”

“I’m not going to argue with you. You always do what you want anyway. But I just don’t want you to go through anything more for me. I love you, Joe. Thank you for being in my life.”

She hung up the phone. The tears were running down her cheeks, and she wiped them away on the sleeve of her shirt. She handed the phone back to Danner. Had he caught the word she had slid into the conversation? It had been subtle. Maybe too subtle for Joe, too.

Danner was studying her face. “You do love him. You didn’t love John like that.” His expression was thoughtful, almost sad, and completely without that hint of vague disorientation that seemed to come and go. In that moment, he reminded Eve of the man she’d met when Bonnie had first been born.

“No, and he didn’t love me. You have to be a grown-up to know what love’s about. We were just kids.” She drew a deep breath. “Thank you for letting me talk to him. I’m ready to go to Bonnie now.”

He didn’t move. “I have to do it. I can’t let you go.”

“I know you can’t.” She met his gaze. “But we made a bargain, and I’ve kept my end of it. I think you’ve been having second thoughts, and you can’t do that. It’s your demons that are making you think those thoughts. You take me to Bonnie, and when we get there, you tell me everything. That’s how it has to be. Do you understand, Danner?”

He reached out and gently touched her tear-wet cheek. “I have to do it, Eve.” Then he turned and moved through the brush.

*   *   *

JOE DREW A DEEP BREATH as he savagely punched the button to disconnect the call. He felt angry and helpless, and he wanted to tear the phone apart.

“Joe?” Father Barnabas was gazing at him across the campfire. “Eve?”

“Yes.” He had to think. But he was so torn up inside that he was having to try to calm down and try to be objective. Objective? Hell, no. “Danner let her make the call. It was a good-bye, have-a-nice-life call. I’m going to kill him. And there’s no way you’re going to stop me, Father.”

“No, that has to come from you.” He glanced at Ben, sleeping a few yards away. “You made him a promise.”

“I said I’d try. I didn’t say—” He closed his eyes. “I’m ready to explode. I can’t let him do this to me. I have to go over what she said. Eve’s smart and wouldn’t have wasted time just to tell me good-bye.”

“Was it a waste?” the priest said gently.

Eve’s voice telling him she loved him, telling him that their life together had given meaning to hers.

“God, no.” He opened his eyes. “But she would still have concentrated on finding a way to beat Danner if there was a way. She’d try to tell me where she was or where she was going.” He grabbed his notebook from his pocket. “Give me a minute. I want to put down everything she said word for word and see if I can see anything.”

You’ve been my friend, my lover, my salvation.

His hand was shaking as he wrote. Steady it. Don’t think of those words that meant so much, Eve who meant more than life. Search for something else.

“Anything?” Father Barnabas asked.

“Nothing. But there has to be—” He stopped. “Maybe … Here she said for me to pay attention, that it was 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 now. We’ve got to accept it.

“Accept what? Accept fate. That may be the key word.” Lord, he was reaching. But he was desperate, dammit.

“But to unlock what door?” the priest asked.

“I don’t know.” Okay, clear his mind of emotion and think coolly and analytically. Probe deeper. Investigate.

He grabbed his iPhone and pulled up the dictionary app. Meaning of fate. Destiny. Fortune. Chance. Providence. Luck.

He called Catherine. “Did you get Venable to zero in closer on that entire ridge area?”

“Yes, it just came in.”

“Give me the names of towns or tourist sites anywhere near it.”

“Narrow it down. What are you looking for?”

“Fate.”

She was silent. “No Fate. Americas, Lumpkin, Providence, Eufaula.”

“Providence?” His heart was pounding as he glanced down at his thesaurus list. “I think that’s it.”

“What?”

“I’d bet that Danner will be taking her to Providence.”

“Why? On what authority?”

“Eve.”

She inhaled sharply. “You talked to her?”

“She got Danner to let her call and say good-bye.”

“Shit.”

“Yes, but she’s still alive. And we know where she’s going.”

“Maybe.”

“I don’t need skepticism, Catherine. I’ve got to believe that’s what she was trying to tell me.”

“And I hope you’re right. I just pulled up the info on Providence. It’s your Grand Canyon area. Providence National Park. That’s a sizable acreage, and it can be entered from any number of directions. If we don’t get to him before he gets to it, we’re going to have a hell of a time. I’ll keep after Danner and hope to get a visual on him before or when he enters the canyon so I can call you and let you know an approximate location.” She paused. “And I’ll call Gallo and tell him that they’re probably heading for Providence.”

“Call? He’s not with you?”

“No, we split up. He was going to find a car and truck and drive to the area you told us about. He called me an hour ago and told me that he’d run across a farmer at an apple farm who sold him a dilapidated old Buick. It runs anyway, and he’s on the highway. I’ll let him know that you’ve zeroed in on an approximate location.”

“No.”

“Yes. We may need his help if we have to try to intercede with Danner to get Eve away from him. Danner still has affection for him.”

“I don’t need—” He muttered a curse. He was being stubborn. He should take any help he could get. “Do what you like.”

“I will.” She hung up.

“She helped you,” Father Barnabas’s gaze was on his face. “But you’re not pleased.”

“I’ll be pleased.” He sat back on his heels. “When I get in a position where I can control her. Catherine is used to running the show.”

The priest’s lips curved in a faint smile. “And you’re not?”

“But it’s my show. Eve is mine.” He got to his feet, went to the edge of the hill, and gazed out at the ridge. The moon was high and casting a glow over the trees and rocks. The area beyond the ridge still appeared dark and mysterious, but he finally knew what lay beyond it. Wildness and steep rocks and a canyon that shouldn’t have been there. A terrain Joe knew nothing about, across which he’d have to follow or ambush Danner, who was probably familiar with every inch of the canyon. “Six hours. That will make it about dawn when Danner gets here.”

“What are you planning?”

“Going down this hill.” He made a face. “I should say sliding down this hill and making my way to Providence. I’ll reconnoiter the area, then camp out with my binoculars and wait until he shows up.”

“I’ll go with you.” Joe turned to where Ben had raised himself on one elbow. He did not know when the boy had awakened, but he was staring gravely at Joe. “I have to go.”

“No, you don’t,” Joe said roughly. “The last thing I want is to have to take care of you, Ben. You stay here with Father Barnabas.”

Ben was shaking his head. “There’s something for me to do. I have to go.” He sat up and began to put out the fire. “I have to be with you when you find them.”

And Joe might have to kill Danner in front of the kid. What kind of guilt trip would that lay on Ben for bringing Joe here?

“It’s okay.” Ben was looking at Joe with a gentle smile. “Stop worrying about me, Joe. It’s going to work out as it should for me.”

Joe felt a sudden chill. The kid was comforting him, yet he felt—

“Let him go,” Father Barnabas said quietly. “You can’t stop Ben, and I’ll take responsibility for him.”

“I suppose that means you’re going, too,” Joe said jerkily. “Well, you’re right, I can’t stop you. But stay out of my way.” He turned and strode toward the path leading down the hill. He suddenly whirled back to where Ben was putting out the last of the embers. “Did you … sleep well?”

The radiant smile that Joe found so like Bonnie’s lit the boy’s face. “Yes, Joe.”

But that was all he was going to say, Joe realized with frustration and that same flicker of fear. He turned and started down the hill. “That’s good, Ben.”

*   *   *

“PROVIDENCE,” GALLO REPEATED, his grasp tightening on the phone. “It’s possible but not a sure thing, Catherine.”

“Joe doesn’t care that it’s not carved in stone,” Catherine said. “It’s all we have, and he intends to go for it. You make up your mind what you’re going to do. I’m close to Danner, but I may not be able to verify his precise destination until the last hour or so. By that time, you may not have time to position yourself.” She added without expression, “It might all be over by the time you get there.”

“You think I want that?”

“I didn’t say that. Call me from wherever you decide to enter the canyon.” She hung up.

Gallo pressed the disconnect. He wasn’t angry with Catherine’s suspicions. She had every right to doubt him. He had been fighting with everything within him to find a way to absolve his uncle of blame. But he couldn’t sacrifice Eve on the altar of his love for Ted Danner. He couldn’t forgive Ted if he’d killed Bonnie. And he could only prove himself by acts, not words.

Providence.

The old Buick didn’t have a GPS, so he had to access his phone. He dialed it into the apps.

Do something, anything. Ever since he’d gotten on the highway, he’d been bombarded by thoughts and memories of his uncle Ted.

His friend, his family, the first person who taught him to trust in a world that was devoid of it.

Eve. Bonnie. How had the three people he loved become entangled in this nightmare that was tearing him apart?

It had happened, and now he must deal with it.

His eyes were stinging as he checked the directions for Providence.

*   *   *

“ANY SIGN?” FATHER BARNABAS asked.

Joe lowered the infrared binoculars. “Nothing.” It was not dawn yet, but that shouldn’t have prevented him from seeing signs of life. They were inside the canyon area, and he could scan the area immediately outside. But it wasn’t as if there was a fence to seal off the canyon. The surrounding area was as porous as Catherine had said, and there were thickets of trees that could shelter any interloper, dammit. All he could do was keep a constant vigil and hope that Catherine could notify him when Danner approached.

If she had even been able to get close enough to Danner to give him that information. She would have had to escalate her speed, then make constant observations once she was within sight of Danner and Eve.

He lifted his binoculars again.

Nothing.

Come on, Catherine.

He glanced at Ben, who was sitting on the ground beside him. The boy was calm and hadn’t said a word since they’d left the hill.

“Okay?”

Ben nodded but didn’t look at him. “She’s near, Joe.”

He stiffened. “Who’s near? Eve?”

Ben shook his head.

And Joe wasn’t going to delve any deeper. Eve was the only one he had to worry about at the moment. He scanned the thickets.

His phone rang.

Thank God. Catherine.

“Do you have a visual on them?” she asked.

“No, what the hell are you talking about?”

“They’re in the canyon. They have to be. I finally caught sight of them fifteen minutes ago. They were on the trail outside the park, and a few minutes later, they disappeared.”

He muttered a curse. “We’re watching the area. I haven’t caught a glimpse of them. What were their coordinates when you lost them?” As she read them off, he checked them on the GPS. “That’s twenty minutes north of here, toward the ridge. He didn’t come all the way down to the main Providence area. It’s high country.” He jumped to his feet. “I’m on my way.”

“I’m following his trail from where he entered the canyon,” Catherine said. “I’ll call you if I spot him.”

Shit, Joe thought. “Twenty minutes.”

Too long.

Panic.

“Joe!”

He didn’t pay attention to the priest’s shout as he started to run.

Twenty minutes. Who knew what could happen in that time?

Eve …

CHAPTER

15

SOMETHING WAS DIFFERENT, EVE thought.

The ground was sandy, and the trees were thinning on either side of them since they’d made that last turn. The sky was still a cold gray, the trail misty, and she could make out very little in the dimness.

But something was different.

“You said we were going to Providence,” Eve said. “When do we get there?”

“We don’t.” Danner didn’t look at her. “It’s Providence National Park, and it’s four miles from here. We don’t have to go through the main part of the park. We just have to border the edge. I found this path years ago, and it saves me time when I just have to check.”

“Check?”

“Hurry.” His pace increased as the ground beneath their feet began to climb. “You said you wanted to be here, didn’t you? I wanted it, too,” he asked roughly. “Well, you’re here.”

And Danner’s voice was jerky and his face pale and taut in the dimness.

She was here.

Eve felt an excitement that was part eagerness and part dread.

Bonnie?

“Look at you,” Danner’s gaze was fixed on her face. “They say I’m crazy, but you know what I’m going to do, and it doesn’t matter to you.”

“It matters. But I can deal with it.” She wanted him to stop talking. The excitement was building, and she had to control it. Why wasn’t it just sick horror? This had to be her daughter’s murderer. He had not said the words, but it had to be true. “I’ve tried to find answers since the day Bonnie disappeared. I’ve been searching for my daughter for a long time.” Her stride unconsciously quickened.

I’m coming, Bonnie. I’m going to bring you home. You’ve always said it didn’t matter to you. But it matters to me.

“You shouldn’t have wasted your time looking for her,” Danner said.

“Waste? It wasn’t wasted.”

“It did you no good. And it didn’t help her. You couldn’t keep them away from her.”

He was talking about his demons again, Eve realized, and she was sick to death of it. And she didn’t have to put up with it now. The end was near. Either he was taking her to Bonnie, or it would all be revealed as a big lie spoken by this madman. “I’ve told you before. I can take care of my little girl. There are no demons who could touch her. They’re all in your mind. I’m sure your doctors have told—” She stopped. They had suddenly come out of the pine trees and were standing on a summit overlooking the canyon. She inhaled sharply. “Dear God. Where are we?”

The sun had not risen, but the dawn sky was shaded with pink and violet, and streams of golden light were falling on the canyon and the trees below. A silver ribbon that must have been a creek wound around the land at the bottom of the canyon. Beautiful. Lord, it was beautiful. It took her breath away. “I … didn’t expect this.”

“It’s the place, the canyon. I searched for a long time before I found it.” Danner had already turned away from the canyon and was starting to climb again. “It’s the only place I could find where the demons couldn’t come. But I think they’re here now, too. I … have a bad feeling.”

It was happening again. She could see the tension beginning to grip him. She’d been aware that it was growing for the last ten minutes. The violence was beginning to fester within him as it had once before. She had been able to deter that violence, but could she do it now? How much time did she have before that tension broke, and he turned on her? She’d have to fight him, and whether she lived or died, the knowledge of what happened to Bonnie could be lost.

Make him talk now. Make him tell her. Be bold. It seemed to work with him. Don’t let him think of her as a victim. “Stop hiding behind those tall tales, Danner. You’re a coward. You couldn’t even say her name. You made up a fantasy about those so-called demons because you didn’t want to face your own guilt.”

He whirled on her. “It’s not true.” His eyes were blazing in his taut face. “They’re here, they’re everywhere. I had to stop them.”

“Stop them from what? Killing my Bonnie? But you couldn’t do that. No demon murdered her. It was you, Danner.”

His hands reached out and clutched her shoulders. “It was a demon. A demon killed the child.”

“Bonnie. And it was you. No one else.”

His hands slid to her throat. “I wouldn’t have done it. Why would I do it? She belonged to John.”

“She belonged to me. I told you that I didn’t want John to have her. So you were angry and decided to punish me by killing my daughter.”

His hands tightened on her throat. “I didn’t kill her. I wanted to save her.”

His grasp was bruising, cutting off her air.

“You’re hurting me. You didn’t want to do this, remember? You wanted to take me to her first. And we’re so close now.”

“Close enough,” he muttered. His eyes were glittering. “I can take you to her later.”

“But then you’d break your promise to me. John always said you’d never break your word. Is he wrong?”

His grip was loosening but not releasing her. “I never lied to John.”

“Except about your mental illness.”

“That wasn’t really a lie. I wasn’t sick. They wouldn’t believe me. They weren’t there. They didn’t see the demons kill those children in the mountains.”

“No one is seeing the demons but you. Why should I believe you?”

“Because it’s true.”

“I don’t know that. You’re afraid of Bonnie, aren’t you? You’re willing to do anything to make her leave you alone. Why would you be afraid if you didn’t think there was a reason for her to come after you?”

“Because she doesn’t understand. She thinks I did it. She doesn’t know.”

“Neither do I.” She held his gaze. “Tell me.”

His eyes were glittering. “It was the demon.”

“And what was the name of the demon? Does he have a name? Is it Ted Danner?”

“No. It’s Black. Paul Black.”

A ripple of shock surged through her. Black, the assassin that Gallo had killed weeks ago, the man who had been hired by Queen and Jacobs to take the blame for killing Bonnie. But Black had told Eve before his death that he had not done that killing.

And she had believed him.

She still believed him.

“You’re lying, Danner.”

He shook his head. “No, he was a monster. I saw him watching the little girl, and I knew what he was. He was standing outside your house on Morningside Drive, and I could see the shadow he was casting against the flames.”

“Flames?”

“No, that’s not right.” He moistened his lips. “That was the house in the village. That other time. No flames. Just the little girl getting off the bus and running up the street toward home. The sun was shining, and she was laughing.”

How many times had Eve stood on the porch and watched Bonnie run toward her, laughing and telling her something that had happened at school? “You saw Black standing there watching my Bonnie? Why were you there?”

“I had to stop him. I knew that he hated John and wanted to hurt him. John had made him look like a fool in front of Queen and Jacobs. They’d hired him to take John out, and he’d failed.”

“How did you know about Queen and Jacobs and how they’d victimized John?”

“When they told me that John was dead, I had to find out what had happened to him. John was smart. John was good. And those bastards used him and threw him away. I went after them. I searched for years until I found out what they were. I was going to take Queen and Jacobs out, but then I heard that John had escaped from that prison. I went to Jacobs and Queen and told them I was going to tell John everything and that I was going to blow the whistle on their drug dealing.”

“Wait. John was told that you were dead when he was in the hospital in Japan.”

“I might as well have been dead. Everyone thought I was crazy. I was having trouble getting off the medication. I didn’t want John to come back and see me like that.” His lips twisted bitterly. “I made a deal with Queen. He promised me that he and Jacobs would make it up to John. They said they’d make him a rich man. He’d have a good life. All I had to do was keep my mouth shut and disappear.”

“And you agreed?”

“They told me what the Koreans had done to him. I knew what John had gone through. I couldn’t help him. He deserved to have a new start.”

After being tortured and starved and cheated of all hope in that darkness in his cell. “Yes, he did. So you made the deal and disappeared.”

“I made the deal.” His lips tightened. “But I told them I’d be watching them, and if I saw any sign that they were trying to hurt John, I’d come back. And I did watch them. They got him well, then started to send him off on missions. I didn’t like that, but they said that they had to allow some time to pass before they could gather a fund together to give to John.”

“They were playing you.”

“And I would have stepped in, but then Black came back to Atlanta. He was one of Jacobs and Queen’s private hit men.”

“And he was angry because John had humiliated him.” She said slowly, “I suppose it could be true.”

“It’s all true.”

But there was more to the story than he had said.

“What else?”

“He killed the little girl to punish John.” But Danner was looking away from her.

“No. That’s not all.” She took a step back, and he let his hands drop from her shoulders. She braced herself. She didn’t want to hear the answer to this question, but she had to ask it. “How … did he kill her?”

“That’s enough.” He pushed her forward up the hill. “It’s time now.”

She jerked away and whirled to face him. “No, it’s not enough. How do you know he killed her? My daughter was taken at the park. Were you there? Did you see him do it?”

“I saw him.”

“You were there?”

He moistened his lips. “I was there.”

“Then you saw Bonnie?”

“I saw her. It was crowded, but I saw you with her on the swings. Then she ran away across the park toward the ice-cream truck.”

Eve could see Bonnie darting in and out of the crowds as she ran to get her ice cream. “And you saw Black there.”

“I told you I did.”

“Where was he?”

“Close,” he whispered. “So close. I knew it was going to be that day. It was so crowded. It would be so easy for him. I had to stop him.”

“But you didn’t stop him, did you?”

“I did. I did. I talked to her. I told her she had to go with me. I told her that there was a bad man who might hurt her or her mother. She believed me. She wasn’t afraid. She looked up at me, and she smiled. She said, ‘It’s all right, Ted. Don’t be scared.’”

“She knew your name?”

“I guess so. I don’t know how. Maybe I told her. I whisked her out to my car, which was parked in the street. I saw Black, but I didn’t know if he’d seen her with me. I had to hide her from him. I told her to jump in the trunk, and I’d let her out when it was safe. She didn’t argue. She did what I told her.” He swallowed. “She did what I told her.”

“He followed you?”

“I wasn’t sure, but I had to get her away. What if he’d seen her? I kept driving. I caught sight of a car that might have been Black’s a dozen times. I got caught in a traffic jam, and I was scared that he’d catch up with me. But then I finally broke free and got off the freeway. I drove out of the city until I came to the lake. Then I jumped out of the car and ran around to let her out.” Tears were running down his cheeks. “But he’d killed her. She was curled up as if she were asleep, but Black had killed her. The demon had taken her away.”

Eve stared at him in shock. “Oh, my God,” she whispered. “It was hot that day. She wouldn’t have lasted any time at all in that trunk.”

“No, he killed her. It wasn’t my fault. I’d never have killed John’s little girl. She was a pretty little girl and so brave … I wouldn’t have done that.”

Eve closed her eyes. “Heat. You thought you were saving her from Black but that trunk must have been hot as an oven. The heat killed her.”

“No! Stop saying that. I told you what happened.” His voice was harsh as he pushed her forward up the trail. “I kept my promise. Now it has to be over. She has to leave me alone. I have to give her what she wants.”

Her eyes opened, but she could barely see through the tears. “She’s here?” After all the years, the uncertainty. “You brought her here?”

“Of course I did. She’s John’s little girl. I had to find a special place for her. But she wouldn’t leave me alone. I tried to tell her that Black had killed her, but she wouldn’t believe me. Wherever I turned, she was beside me. Lately, it got worse. I tried to run away, but she was always there.” His hands clenched. “But I didn’t know what she wanted.”

And Danner couldn’t let himself believe that it had been his fault that Bonnie had died. A horrible accident that had become a guilt that had dominated his life and destroyed whatever sanity he still possessed.

“Listen. I can tell you what she wants.”

He shook his head. “I know now. A little girl needs her mother, and I took her away from you.”

And Danner wasn’t going to be dissuaded. She was so shaken that she didn’t even know if she could make the attempt. She would have to go along with it until she could either say something that would strike the right note or make a break.

Or find a way to kill Danner? He had killed her Bonnie. Accident or not, he had taken the daughter who had made her life worth living. Could she forgive him? She wasn’t sure that was possible.

She would think about that later, when she was able to reason and not just feel. At that moment, she couldn’t think of anything but Bonnie. An eagerness was beginning to spark within her.

He was taking her to Bonnie.

*   *   *

“SHE’S ON THAT CLIFF!” Joe stopped skidding across the sandy ground and shaded his eyes with his hand. “And that’s got to be Danner.”

“Yes, that’s Ted,” Father Barnabas said. “But how do we get to them?”

Good question, Joe thought. The cliff on which Danner and Eve were standing was several hundred feet above the valley floor, and it appeared as if they were going still higher.

Not by standing here wondering, he thought impatiently. “We go south, pick up that trail, and start climbing.”

And hope they were in time.

“There’s another trail that I ran across five minutes ago that would be quicker.”

Joe turned at John Gallo’s voice to see him coming toward them. “How much quicker?”

“Maybe only a few minutes.” Gallo added grimly, “But a few minutes can be enough.” He turned. “I’m heading back and taking the trail up to that cliff. Come if you like.”

Joe hesitated for only an instant. Gallo was an expert woodsman and tracker, and it didn’t matter how Joe felt about him personally. He was right, a few minutes could be enough to make a difference. He strode quickly after him. Ben and Father Barnabas were only steps behind.

Gallo glanced back at them as he moved swiftly through the trees. “This isn’t your job, Father. You shouldn’t be here. And who’s the kid?”

“Ben. He’s a friend of your uncle’s.”

“You’re John Gallo.” Ben was gazing at Gallo. “Ted told me about you.”

Gallo was frowning. “What?”

“Ben came along to protect Danner,” Joe said. “He doesn’t trust me.”

“He shouldn’t trust any of us,” Gallo said, his lips tightening. “And I don’t know if he’s going to get the chance to help him. We have to worry about Eve.” He turned back and increased his pace to a trot.

Joe caught up with him. “Where’s this trail? Time is—”

“There.” Gallo was now on the trail curving toward the cliff and running hard. “And I know all about time. When did you catch sight of my uncle and Eve, Quinn?”

“Just before they started up the hill again.”

“Well, I saw them a moment or so before that,” he said jerkily. “And he had his hands on her throat.”

Shit.

“Get rid of the priest and the kid, Quinn,” Gallo said. “They’re going to get in the way.”

“Maybe not.” His head was lifted, his gaze on the trail on the summit where Eve and Danner had disappeared. God, he prayed not. “I’d think you’d be grateful to have them. They’re both on Danner’s side.”

“It only means I may have to fight my way through them,” Gallo said hoarsely. “I promised myself that Eve has to come first. I’ll keep that promise.”

He meant it, Joe realized. Good. At least, he didn’t have to worry about Gallo’s turning traitor at the last minute. It was one small light in a nightmare scenario.

“At least get rid of the kid,” Gallo said. “He makes me … He shouldn’t be here.”

But he was invited, Joe wanted to tell him. He may belong here more than any of us. But that would require explanations, and he wasn’t about to make them. He increased his speed and passed Gallo as they reached the hill. “It’s too late. Deal with it.”

*   *   *

I’M COMING, BONNIE. I’LL BE THERE with you soon. Do you feel me? Do you hear me?

But there was no answer. If Danner was truly taking her to Bonnie’s final resting place, wouldn’t Eve have sensed her near? Not necessarily. Bonnie had never been predictable.

The higher they’d climbed, the pine trees had become thinner, sparser, then disappeared entirely. They were replaced by huge boulders and canyon walls that jutted in and out like a giant maze. A dozen cracks seamed the rose red of the stone that led off the trail and disappeared into dark crevices.

“We’re almost at the top of this canyon,” she called to Danner. “And it’s all rock. Where’s Bonnie? Have you been lying to me? Has it all been one of your hallucinations?”

“Be quiet.” His voice was rough. “I don’t lie. You said that before. You said there was no demon. But it was a demon who killed the little girl.”

He was referring to Bonnie as the little girl again. Was it because he could not bear to acknowledge her identity now that they were close to her? Eve was beginning to understand his reluctance to acknowledge that it was Bonnie who had appeared to him. If he rejected the thought that he had been to blame for Bonnie’s death, it was natural that he would not want to admit that it was her spirit that was haunting him. The little girl had to be anonymous. He rejected Bonnie’s spirit as he had rejected the thought that he had killed her.

“We’re almost at the top of this canyon, and there’s nothing but rock. I don’t—” She stopped on the trail, her heart leaping to her throat, her gaze on the huge dark crack between two canyons to the left of the trail.

“Bonnie?”

“You’ve found me, Mama. I kept telling you that it didn’t matter, but you wouldn’t believe me.”

“It mattered to me.”

“And I guess that’s why you finally found me.”

“Where are you? I don’t see you.”

“You will. Not right now. He’s suffering so much that I can’t get near you.”

“Damn him.”

“No. Don’t be angry. Can’t you see? I know everything now. The two planes have come together, and I remember what happened. There mustn’t be anger.”