Dark Tribute--An Eve Duncan Novel

by Iris Johansen

  “And?”

  “Svardak was cursing about someone named Edding. That’s all, Mom.” His eyes were big as he stared at her. “Is it enough? Maybe I could go back and ask Dad to help us again. But he was so sick, and I didn’t—”

  “No.” She pulled him into her arms. “You did fine. We’ll make it enough. We just have to pull it all together.” But her mind was at a loss how to do that at the moment.” She hugged him tightly, then let him go. The Red Cross. The photo of the man in uniform. A map with bears.

  “But you have to do something else for me.” She handed him his notebook. “You have a great memory. Can you draw me a picture of that man in uniform in that photo? Every detail?”

  He nodded. “Piece of cake.”

  There was nothing resembling a piece of cake in this scenario, Eve thought. She was just glad she’d been able to give Michael something useful to do while she tried to put the rest of the pieces together. “With all due speed,” she said as she drove back on the road. “In the meantime, I’ll keep on the road toward those lakes. Maybe looking at Hunter’s Lake will cause something to click into place for you, and we won’t need to worry about soldiers or bears.”

  CHAPTER

  15

  They reached Hunter’s Lake ten minutes later. Eve sat there for a few moments gazing out at the lake. Michael was still frantically drawing his picture, and she didn’t want to disturb him.

  It was a beautiful lake, with all the purple shadows and deep green shimmer of water that moved with the wind.

  But was it the right lake?

  She wasn’t going to ask Michael at the moment. Give him a little more time. He’d already gone through enough during the last twenty-four hours. She unfastened her seat belt and got out of the car. She didn’t know if Michael even knew she had left him. He was totally absorbed in his sketch.

  She walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the curving lake that ended in a stretch of forest. That sounded right from what Michael had told her. There was no house, but it might be hidden by a curve in the lake. She would just have to rely on—

  “Here it is, Mom.”

  She turned around to see Michael coming toward her with his notebook in his hand.

  “I think it’s pretty good.” He handed her the notebook. “He looks like a nice guy, doesn’t he? And it’s a neat uniform. Is he a soldier?”

  She took the notebook. It was more than pretty good. Michael had given her all the detail she could have possibly wanted. The uniformed man did look like a nice guy and was probably not more than in his early twenties in the photo. Her gaze traveled from his face down to the uniform Michael thought was neat.

  She inhaled sharply.

  “Mom?” Michael’s gaze was on her face. “Did I do okay?”

  She couldn’t take her eyes off that uniform. “More than okay.” She turned on her heel and ran back to the car. “You couldn’t have done better.” She handed him back his notebook and reached hurriedly for her phone. “And that means we have a lot of work to do.”

  RUELL FALLS

  “It’s Eve,” Cara said as she glanced at the cell ID. “They should have reached Hunter’s Lake by now, Jock. Maybe we’ve got a break.” She accessed the call. “You’re at Hunter’s Lake? Is it yes or no for us?”

  “No, we’re not at Hunter’s Lake,” Eve said quickly, and Cara could hear the excitement in her voice. “It was the wrong one. But we definitely have a yes, Cara. Right now, I’m standing on a bank of Lake Kedrow and staring at a three-story A-frame building that looks like the roof is part of a tree house. Is that weird enough for you?”

  Cara went still. “You found it?”

  “Michael and I found it. I would never have seen the house if I hadn’t been looking for it. It’s tucked in one of the coves and surrounded by trees. I would have wasted precious time on searching Hunter’s Lake, first, if Michael hadn’t steered me in another direction.”

  “Then Michael managed to identify this lake?”

  “No, that didn’t work out. He had to go another route.” She hesitated. Then she drew a deep, shaky breath. “And I don’t have time to go into all the details with you now. Joe is sick, and I don’t know how bad he is. We have to get him out of that house before Svardak kills him.”

  “You’re certain you’ve found him?” Jock asked gently. “You’re not making much sense, Eve.”

  “Do you think I don’t realize that, Jock? Yes, I’m sure that’s where Svardak is holding Joe. I even made the calls to verify the uniform.”

  “What uniform?” Cara asked.

  “Okay, I’ll slow down. Michael drew me a sketch of a photo of a young man in a brown uniform that was on the desk in the room where Joe is being held. Michael thought he might have been a soldier, but when I saw it I knew he wasn’t. I’d seen similar uniforms in the forests south of Atlanta. We have a rich forestry industry in Georgia, and the forests are patrolled by the U.S. National Forest Service. You must have seen some of the rangers, too, Cara.”

  “A few. Though I spent most of my time at the lake cottage or studying in New York.”

  “Well, that photo was of a forest ranger. Michael also said there was a map on the wall with bears all over it. Who would be more likely to have a map tracking bear migration? Or a Red Cross first-aid facility at the station to treat injured hikers and tourists?”

  “My God,” Cara whispered. “You actually found him.”

  “Michael found him. I only verified. That sketch Michael drew was incredibly accurate down to the ID badge the ranger wore in that photo. R. Billings. I called the U.S. National Forest Service in Charleston and asked if they had a ranger station in this area. They did, and I’m looking at it now. Lake Kedrow. The two rangers who run it are Bob Duggan and Randy Billings. They haven’t reported in for a few days, but that’s not too unusual at this time of year.” She paused. “But I don’t think they’ll ever report in again, Cara. Svardak told me that he’d had some young fool take care of his wound because he couldn’t go to a hospital. That man in the photo looked so young and happy. And Michael said there was another man and a woman in the photo with him and they looked proud of him. I think it might have been when he got his first job with the Forest Service.” She cleared her throat. “I’m sending a copy of Michael’s sketch to you. Along with a photo of the ranger station and Lake Kedrow. I’ll leave it up to you to get what else you need and whip together a plan to use them. I didn’t mention what I thought was happening at that station to those clerks in that Forestry Office in Charleston. All we need is for the police to come barreling down here in full force and get Joe killed.” Her voice was suddenly hard and fierce. “Even though it’s what I want to do. I’d like to blow the whole place into a million pieces. If Svardak doesn’t kill Joe outright, then he’ll just let the damn fever do it. I’m not going to let that happen.”

  “No one’s asking you to,” Cara said. “If we know where to find him, the battle’s half-won. Get as far away from that lake as you can manage. I don’t like the idea of your standing on the bank staring at that damn station. What if one of Svardak’s men sees you? We’ll take it from here.”

  “No, you won’t. I have to know what’s going on. I’m staying here until Joe can leave with me.”

  “Eve, that’s not safe or—”

  “Do you think I’m fool enough to do something crazy? I’m not going to do anything that will endanger Michael. He’s already risked too much. That’s why I’m calling you. I’m taking him back to Hunter’s Lake and calling Cheknof, Kaskov’s man who’s been shadowing us like the Grim Reaper, to meet me there. I’m going to turn Michael over to him and tell him to take care of him until I come for him.”

  “That didn’t work out so well for you before.”

  “It will now. Cheknof is terrified of doing anything wrong that might displease Kaskov. Will you call Kaskov and have him reinforce it with Cheknof?”

  “I won’t have to call him. He’s here with us at Ruell Fal
ls. I’ll go see him.”

  “Even better. I’ll be through with my call to Cheknof in ten minutes. Ask Kaskov to follow up before I get to Hunter’s Lake. That should give Cheknof time to be able to work himself into a very amenable frame of mind.”

  “And then what?”

  “You mean after I try to convince Michael this is the best thing to do? He’s never going to believe it. I gave him a great speech about working together that he totally ignored. Now it’s my turn. Too bad. Time’s running out.” She paused. “I saw a boat-rental shop near Hunter’s Lake. After I drop Michael off with Cheknof, I’ll rent a boat and come back here. I’ll look the place over and try to keep watch on Joe until you show up. I’ll be okay. It’s not as if I haven’t lived in the woods all those years at the lake cottage. I’ll try to give you as much information as I can about Svardak’s sentries around the place.” She paused. “Are you listening, Jock? Don’t make any mistakes. Svardak can’t know you’re coming. Not one false step. I need Joe out of there.”

  “I hear you,” Jock said grimly. “I’m going to be on the move for Lake Kedrow the minute we hang up. Keep in touch, so I’ll know where to find you. Don’t you make any mistakes, Eve. Somehow, it’s going to end up that I’m to blame if Cara loses either one of you.”

  “Good. I want to levy all the pressure possible on you right now.” Eve hung up the phone.

  Cara whirled to Jock in a panic. “It’s too dangerous for her. She’s an artist, not a cop. She has no business being out there alone. Svardak would love to get his hands on her.”

  “Not nearly as much as he’d like to get his hands on you,” he said grimly. “I’ll be with her as quickly as I can. If you think you can talk her into leaving, call her back. I knew I couldn’t do it.” The phone pinged, and Jock took it and pulled up the photos. “Good job,” he murmured. “I think she might be right. It all makes sense. It’s a perfect place for him to hideout. It’s in the back of the beyond with the Red Cross First Aid Office where he could have his wound stitched. The rangers who failed to check in…”

  “As long as you’re ready to trust Michael as a source. Are you?”

  “I have to trust him. I can’t do anything else when Eve is so convinced. She’d never risk Joe’s life if she wasn’t certain.” He was getting to his feet. “But everything is escalating now. I need to talk to Nikolai and Edding, then get moving to that ranger station.”

  “But we don’t have to use Edding now that we have a definite location.”

  “Yes, we will. Svardak has to be as vulnerable as I can make him. I have to draw as many men as possible away from that ranger station if I don’t want Joe executed the minute Svardak feels threatened.”

  She couldn’t argue with him. She hadn’t the slightest doubt that would happen, nor did Eve. And the moment he thought he wasn’t going to get his hands on her, it would have the same result. There had been that instant of hope when Eve had called, but now reality was setting in again. “Okay, I can see that it would be dangerous for him. How can we get around it?”

  “Keep the play basically as we planned. Except I go to the ranger station and leave Nikolai to handle using Edding as a target and distraction, but instead of forcing Abrams to take him to Svardak, Nikolai can stall to give me time. Then he can dispose of Abrams after I tell him I’ve taken care of Svardak at the ranger station. It will be much simpler now.” His light eyes were shimmering, his face intent, and she could almost hear his mind clicking. “I’ll have to coordinate the kill to get Joe out first, but that should be no problem.”

  “Easy.” She shivered. Given his background, it indeed might seem easy for Jock, but the thought of his facing Svardak was terrifying for Cara. And she had been aware he had left out one important detail. “Now tell me what I can do.”

  “Not one damn thing.” He met her eyes. “You don’t go near him, do you understand? The quickest way to get me killed is to have me worrying about you while I go after Svardak. I promise Joe will be safe.” His lips twisted. “And I promise Svardak will be dead. Just let me do it the way it needs to be done.”

  And then she’d have to worry about his doing the job that she knew belonged to her. She’d been fighting to keep that from happening since the moment she’d first faced Svardak at Lost Canyon. That monster had taken Joe; she couldn’t lose Jock, too. “It shouldn’t be that way, Jock. I’m going with you.”

  “It’s the only way it can be,” he said curtly. “Eve’s already there, and I know I can’t budge her. But I won’t risk you. There’s no reason. It’s what I do. It’s what I am.” But he was gazing at her expression, and he muttered a curse. “No, Cara. My stomach is twisting at the thought of you even close to him. If you need to do something, be our contact with Eve. You said you were worried about her. Keep her safe until I can get to her.”

  As long as she could do it far away from Svardak, she thought with frustration. Did he think that would be enough for her? As she stared at him, she realized that there was no way she was going to be able to change his mind. His obsession with protecting her from Svardak was too strong after all they’d gone through. “You’re an idiot, Jock. And you’re doing the wrong thing.” She turned on her heel and walked away from him.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I promised Eve I’d talk to Kaskov about speaking to this Cheknof. I’m going to keep my promise.” She gave him a cool glance over her shoulder. “If that’s all right with you. I wouldn’t want to interfere with any of your plans. I think you said that I’m allowed to deal with Eve?”

  “Cara.”

  “Not now, Jock.” She strode toward the helicopter. “You’re in a hurry, remember? Go talk to Nikolai.” She was climbing the steps. “I guarantee he’ll be much more receptive than I am.”

  She disappeared into the helicopter.

  * * *

  “Hello, Cara. You appear a trifle disturbed.” Kaskov came out of the cockpit drinking his tea from a beautifully crafted Meissen cup. “Since I can’t recall doing anything that might bring you to that condition, I assume that Gavin is to blame. Would you like a cup of tea?”

  “No I would not.” She handed Kaskov her phone. “Eve managed to locate the place where Joe is being held. It’s a ranger station near Lake Kedrow. He’s wounded and ill, and she’s very worried about him.”

  “I’m sure she has a right to be. Eve’s a very sensible woman.” He quickly flipped through the photos. “And why is that my concern? Gavin made it clear that he’s in charge of any and all rescue attempts. I’m only allowed to contribute manpower and weapons.” He handed her back her phone. “Which I’ve done so generously that Nikolai says Gavin will quite probably be able to pull off the capture of Abrams and company. And it seems that it might be relatively easy now to pick up Svardak since we know where he’s gone to ground. Case closed.”

  “The hell it is.”

  Kaskov’s brows rose. “There’s that disturbance again. Would you care to explain? Just what do you want from me?”

  Cara wanted to shake him. There was something mockingly tigerish about the way he was playing her. “I don’t have to explain. I told you before what I wanted from you. I want to keep the people I care about away from Svardak. I should have been able to kill him in that cabin, but I screwed up. This is my battle, and I won’t let him win by killing anyone else I love.”

  “Gavin is quite competent.”

  “Don’t tell me that.” Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “I know what he can do. I have nightmares about it. I also know that he promised me that Joe would live because he knew it was important to me. Which means he’ll risk anything to give me what I want. It will be twice as dangerous for him to go up against Svardak than it would anyone else.”

  “I can see that.” He paused. “Unless perhaps it’s you. And that’s what you have in mind, isn’t it? You’ve had this idea about using yourself as bait all along. No wonder Gavin has been keeping an eagle eye on you.” He smiled faintly. “More than an ea
gle eye. Does he know that you might try to slip away from him?”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me. Jock knows me very well.” She met his eyes. “And that’s why you’ll have to be very convincing when you lie to him. He won’t trust either one of us.”

  “I’m to lie to him? Interesting.”

  “I might need a very fast way to get to Lake Kedrow. You have this helicopter. And Jock isn’t going to let me go anywhere near that ranger station. That’s okay, but I have to be able to find a way to divert Svardak while Jock and Eve are getting Joe out of there.”

  “How? What form is this diversion to take?”

  “I haven’t had time to think about it yet. For heaven’s sake, Eve just called me. But since you’re very intelligent and without conscience, we should be able to come up with something between us.”

  “I’m sure we would.”

  “It’s not as if Svardak is invulnerable. Besides being insane, he’s reminded how much he hates me every time he takes a deep breath and that wound stabs him. That will be on our side. Actually, now he hates me more than he does you. Though you’d still be very tempting to him. Can’t you see? You’re nearly perfect.”

  “I’m flattered.” He added ironically, “And you wouldn’t be troubled about having to consider your own feelings if Svardak managed to kill me?”

  “You’re wrong. I’d feel terrible. I hope neither one of us will be killed. But you’re responsible for all this. You should try to make it right.”

  “Really?”

  “And you want to do it. You’ve been hunting Svardak for years. You want to put an end to him. Why else did you point Jock toward Lost Canyon?”

  “Why else?” He cocked his head, considering her words. “It’s true that you’re being completely logical. Heaven forbid I’d be influenced by all that same emotional nonsense you are. Of course, there is the matter of your music. Do you suppose that keeping you alive might have anything to do with it?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I’ve never known what you’re thinking. You don’t like me or anyone else to know, do you?” She made an impatient gesture. “That’s not important. Are you going to help me? If you’re not, I’ll have to figure out something else.”