Body of Lies

by Iris Johansen

  The earth heaved as another explosion rocked the concrete building. Concrete flew in all directions like deadly shrapnel.

  "Down," Joe yelled.

  Eve dropped to the ground as concrete missiles speared the air. Jesus, it was like being in the middle of an erupting volcano. She lifted her head, and her skin stung as a barrage of small rocks hit her face. "Joe, are you—

  "Joe!"

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Joe was lying crumpled on the dirt. He wasn't moving.

  She raced across the intervening ground and dropped to her knees beside him. "Joe."

  Pale. Eyes closed. A cut bleeding at his temple. Was he breathing? He had to be breathing.

  "Joe. You talk to me. Do you hear? You talk to me."

  He didn't open his eyes.

  Oh, God, don't let him die.

  She reached into her pocket to get her cell phone. 911. Call 911.

  Headlights.

  A line of cars were pulling up in front of the burning naval air station. Secret Service.

  Forget them.

  Call 911 for Joe.

  -------------------

  Joe's eyes opened. "Hi. You ... okay?"

  Eve nodded. "And so are you. Concussion." She tried to smile. "You scared me. You wouldn't wake up. It's been two days."

  He reached out and took her hand. "Sorry."

  "You should be."

  "Won't happen again." His eyes started to close. "Sleepy..."

  "Then go to sleep."

  "You going to stay here?"

  "You bet."

  "Bently?" His eyes were open again. "Did he get away?"

  "He got to his boat and out on the ocean. After I told the Secret Service he planned to escape that way, they called in the Coast Guard. They intercepted him later that night."

  Joe searched Eve's expression. "And?"

  "The boat blew up before they could board it."

  "Suicide?"

  She nodded. "It's just as well the Secret Service didn't have to deal with him. They're having enough trouble trying to explain the deaths of all those power brokers."

  "All dead?"

  "They didn't have a chance. The authorities are even having trouble identifying most of them."

  "Did it cause you any trouble?"

  "Are you kidding? This thing is massive. Secret Service questioned me for a solid five hours. The FBI for another three. You'll be on the carpet, too. Thank God, we had the surveillance tapes."

  Joe yawned. "As soon as I wake up I'll talk to them, make sure they don't bother you anymore."

  "Joe, I'm handling it."

  "A little help won't hurt..."

  "Go back to sleep."

  "Something's wrong." His gaze was searching her face. "You're not telling me everything."

  "I told you everything that's been happening."

  "No, I mean with you. You're worrying about something. What's bothering you?"

  "I'm not worrying about—" Eve met his gaze. "It's what Bently said. He wondered why we hadn't figured out that he'd lie about Etienne not telling him the location of the meeting. I was wondering if somewhere in my subconscious I did figure it out, and just ignored it." She looked down at their joined hands. "The Cabal deserved to be destroyed, and we couldn't be sure that exposing them would be enough. Did I close my eyes and let Bently blow them up?"

  "Bullshit."

  "Did I, Joe?"

  "No, you didn't." His answer was absolutely certain. "I know you. There were so many lies, red herrings, and half-truths floating around that this one got lost in the shuffle for you. As much as you might have wanted the Cabal to disappear, you couldn't do it. Death is the enemy for you. You fight it every single day." He lifted her hand and kissed the palm. "So forget it, okay?"

  Eve moistened her lips. "Okay."

  "Good." Joe's eyes closed. "Then let me go to sleep so I can get enough strength to tackle those Secret Service assholes..."

  "They're not assholes. They're just doing their—"

  He was already asleep.

  Eve sat there, holding his hand, staring at his face.

  She was at peace again. Another gift from Joe.

  But he had spoken only of her own lack of guilt, she realized suddenly. He didn't say that he hadn't figured out that Bently might have known enough to set a death trap. Joe was one of the smartest men she had ever known, and he had a memory like a steel trap. Had he known there was a possibility the Cabal would not survive the night?

  Her hand tightened on Joe's.

  It was a question she knew she'd never ask him.

  -------------------

  "So Bently is dead," Galen repeated thoughtfully. " 'Down to the sea in ships ...' "

  "We'll be back at the cottage tomorrow," Eve said. "The questioning isn't over, but they're going to let us go home."

  "Jane will be jumping up and down with joy. Is Quinn okay?"

  "Headache. But that's to be expected."

  "If I'd been there, it wouldn't have happened. You should take it as a lesson learned."

  "I take it as another example of your inflated ego."

  Galen chuckled. "Maybe. Are you going to call Jane, or shall I?"

  "I will."

  "Dammit, I wanted to do something to get into her good graces. She might be so happy she'd forget she considers me an ass."

  Eve smiled. "Jane's always been a girl of impeccable judgment."

  "Cruelty, thy name is Eve."

  -------------------

  "I have to go down to the precinct right away. They're feeling very cheated they don't know as much as the Feds." Joe put their bags inside the cottage. "Will you be okay?"

  "Of course."

  "Try to rest."

  "I'm not the one who got knocked on the head." Her gaze wandered over the lake to the scorched trees where Jennings had died and then, compulsively, to Bonnie's hill.

  "Shit." Joe's gaze had followed Eve's. "I know, dammit. No more threat, no more sword hanging over us, and everything is coming back to you. I knew it would happen. It's always going to be here."

  "What do you want me to do? I can't forget it, Joe."

  "I'm not an idiot. It's got to be faced. Just do me a favor," Joe said. "Don't think. Don't make any decisions. You're tired. Just try to live in the present until I get these next few days of red tape over with and we can talk."

  She nodded. "I'll try."

  He started down the steps. "And I'll pick up Jane, your Mom, and Toby on my way home tonight. They should keep you too busy to think of anything but them."

  Eve took one last look at the hill as he drove off. She had hoped the pain would go away, but it still lingered. Keep your promise, she told herself as she went inside. Don't think. Just live in the moment. It was the best advice she—

  There was a note propped on the coffee table.

  -------------------

  Eve, I had a few things to tie up. I'll call you. Tell Jane I didn't run away because she intimidated me. She doesn't scare me ... much.

  Galen

  She smiled as she put down the note. A few things to tie up? Now what the hell was that rascal up to....

  -------------------

  It was two days later that Eve got the call from Galen.

  "Where the hell are you?"

  "I've been busy. I just thought I'd fill you in. I've called Hughes and told him he's to stay with you and maintain protective surveillance until the end of the week. That should keep some of the media away. Have you brought Jane back home?"

  "Yes. I brought her and Mom back to the cottage." Eve's gaze shifted to Jane and Toby playing outside by the lake. "She couldn't be happier. Where are you, Galen?"

  "Barbados. I felt the need for a vacation."

  "Out of the blue?"

  "My last job was very exhausting. You're not an easy woman to work with, Eve."

  "Why are you in Barbados?"

  "The sun. I got a little chill in my bones while I was at your lake."

  "G
alen."

  He was silent a moment. "My suspicious nature. I don't think Bently was the type to commit suicide. And I found it very convenient that his death took place in the middle of the ocean, where his remains couldn't be retrieved."

  "You believe he staged it."

  "He's very, very smart. He would have to be, to fool me into thinking he was an ass."

  "Your pride is hurt."

  "Well, maybe. I'm just exploring possibilities. He got rid of the Cabal, his primary threat. He was obsessed with the idea of that fuel cell, and he told you he knew enough to put it together himself. Why not fake his own death to make sure he had the opportunity to work on it?"

  "You believe Simmons's fuel cell may become a reality someday?"

  "We'll have to see, won't we? At any rate, I don't think Bently's any threat to you. You're off his radar now. I'm just going to poke around and see what I can find out down here."

  "And what if you find him?"

  "I'll make a decision then. I don't believe in throwing the baby out with the bathwater."

  "When will you be back?"

  "Not for awhile. You're on your own. Well, not on your own. You'll always have Quinn. How's he doing?"

  "Okay, I guess. I've scarcely seen him since we got back. He's been closeted with the Secret Service and the FBI from morning to night."

  "Drudgery. I don't envy him. I like the easy life. If I don't find Bently, I may go on a real vacation. Then I'm going to get on with my life. I highly recommend it. Why don't you do the same?" He hung up.

  Annoying bastard, Eve thought crossly as she pressed the disconnect. She had actually been stupid enough to worry about Galen for the past couple days. She should have known he'd pop up like some zany jack-in-the-box.

  His lack of certainty about Bently's death was a little far out, but not totally crazy. Bently had actually told her about the boat and his preparations to get away.

  So that she could tell the authorities and set his real plan in motion?

  Let Galen worry about it. Eve and her family were safe, and she didn't want to think about Bently. She agreed with Galen that if Bently was alive, there was no reason for him to target her or Joe.

  She moved onto the porch and stood looking out at the lake. The water looked beautiful and serene today. If she hadn't known Hughes and his men were moving discreetly around the property, it would have reminded her of the time before she had gotten that DNA report.

  Her gaze lifted across the lake to the hill. Would she ever be able to look at that grave again without remembering Jules Hebert and his death in those swamps? Or that gravestone with her Bonnie's name crossed out and smeared with ugly red paint?

  Get on with your life, Galen had said.

  Sometimes things get in the way and you forget who you are and what you do.

  Why did those words of Jane's suddenly pop into her head? They had been spoken when Jane had been trying to convince her to go after Hebert, and had nothing to do with—

  She stiffened in shock. "Dear God..."

  She slowly moved down the porch steps.

  -------------------

  Jane was sitting on the porch swing when Joe got home from the precinct. Toby was curled up at her feet.

  "You must have worn him out." Joe bent down and petted him. The dog raised his head, lazily licking the back of Joe's hand. "I've never seen Toby this quiet."

  "Yeah. He runs until he's ready to drop and then he collapses. Stop that, Toby. You're getting his hand all wet." She was frowning. "I've been waiting for you."

  "Problems? Why didn't you call me?"

  "Eve didn't want me to."

  He stiffened. "Eve?" His gaze flew to the front door of the cottage. "What happened? Did she leave?"

  Jane shook her head. "She just wanted me to give you a message. She wants you to go up to the grave."

  "What?"

  "That's what she said. She left the cottage over an hour ago. I asked her if she wanted me to go up there with her, and she said no."

  "You're sure she went to the grave?" His gaze shifted to the hill. "Did she give any reason?"

  Jane shook her head.

  "How did she look?"

  She shrugged. "Sometimes it's hard to tell what Eve's thinking. She didn't look mad, but she wasn't smiling. I don't know, Joe."

  "Then I guess I'd better go see for myself." He turned and started down the steps.

  Jane's voice followed him. "I hope everything's okay, Joe."

  "Me, too." He started down the path around the lake. "Me, too..."

  -------------------

  Eve was standing beside the grave, staring down at the tombstone.

  "Eve?"

  She didn't look at him. "There are still the faintest traces of that red paint. I thought we'd gotten it all off."

  "I'll do it tomorrow."

  "No, it doesn't make any difference."

  Silence.

  "Why are you here, Eve?"

  "I had to get my head straight. I thought I'd better do it here."

  "It has to hurt to see that tombstone."

  "Of course it does."

  "And makes you even more bitter toward me."

  "A little."

  "Only a little?"

  Eve's gaze lifted to meet his. "I'm trying to be honest with you. Galen called today. He's in Barbados."

  "Doing what?"

  "He thinks maybe Bently staged his own death. He's looking around." She studied Joe. "You're not surprised?"

  "I considered the possibility, and was tempted to go down and scout around. I decided my priority was here."

  "Galen says even if he's alive, he thinks we're off his radar." She paused. "And he recommended that I get on with my life."

  "And what did you say?"

  "I didn't get a chance to say anything." Eve looked back at the tombstone. "But it rang a bell. And then I remembered something Jane said when she was trying to talk me out of hiding. She said everything was getting in my way and making me forget who I really was and what I did. That struck a note, too. I've been running around, hurt and angry and so defensive I blocked out everything else."

  "Who could blame you?"

  "I blame me," she said fiercely. "I felt so much the victim that I forgot about who I really am and what I do." She gestured to the tombstone. "I only thought about Bonnie. I never thought about that little girl we buried in her place. She was one of the lost ones, and I didn't even think about her."

  "You couldn't be expected to—"

  "Bull. I made the choice years ago that if I couldn't help Bonnie, I could at least help the parents of other lost and murdered children. I've devoted years to doing that, and yet I allowed myself to be derailed because I felt so sorry for myself. The little girl in this grave was about the same age as Bonnie. She had everything to live for, and it was taken away from her." Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "And I never thought about her. I had no right to be that selfish just because I was hurting."

  "You weren't selfish. If you need to blame someone, blame me."

  "I'm tired of blaming you."

  Joe smiled. "Then I'm not about to urge you to do it. I know when I've gotten a break." His smile faded as his gaze went to the tombstone. "So why did you want me to come up here?"

  "Because I wanted to know how I'd feel if I stood here with you."

  He stiffened. "How do you feel?"

  "Sad. Regretful. Scarred."

  "And what does that mean?"

  "It means you made a mistake and it hurt me terribly. It means I probably made a few mistakes myself. It means I have to heal and it will take some time." Eve met his gaze. "But I don't want to do it alone. I want you with me. Whether it hurts or not, I can't imagine life without you."

  "Hallelujah," he whispered.

  "I don't promise you everything will be the same.

  But then you said you weren't sure you wanted it that way."

  "I would have taken it." Joe moved to stand beside her, but not touching
her. "Tell me what you want from me."

  "I want you to have this little girl disinterred. I'm going to do a reconstruction on her. Then I want you to help me find out who she is."

  "Done."

  "And I'm going to find my Bonnie. Will you help me?"

  "For God's sake, of course I will." He paused. "I've never stopped looking. I've followed up on every report, every lead, even after I paid to have that DNA report sent to you."

  She went still. "You didn't tell me that."

  "I didn't think you were in the mood to believe me."

  "Maybe I wasn't. Would you have told me if you'd found her?"

  He smiled crookedly. "I asked myself that a thousand times. I think I would. I hope I would. I can't guarantee it."

  "I hope you would, too. Because I want to trust you again, Joe."

  "You already trust me. You just have to recognize that you do. Why else would you agree to start again?"

  "Because I love you so much that life's not worth a damn without you," she said simply. "In spite of everything that's happened, that's the bottom line."

  Joe drew a deep breath and held out his hand to her. "Yeah, that's the bottom line."

  Eve hesitated, then slowly reached out and took his hand.

  Strength. Comfort. Love. His touch was so familiar, and yet it had an element now that was tentative and entirely new.

  Rebirth? Maybe.

  Whatever it was, like Joe, she'd take it.

  Her hand tightened around his as she turned away from the grave. "We'd better get back to Jane. I think she was worried."

  "I know she was." Joe walked beside her toward the path. "She was afraid you were going to ditch me. She was probably concerned about who would get custody of Toby."

  "Don't be silly. Jane would get custody even if she had to run away from home with that dog." She suddenly stopped to look back over her shoulder at the grave she had called Bonnie's all these months.

  "Okay?" Joe asked gently.

  She was beginning to think it would be okay. Hope was a wonderful thing, and they had that great bottom line. "Sure, I was just thinking about that little girl. I want to get to work on the reconstruction right away." She started down the path again. "I think I'll call her Sally...."

  Epilogue

  "I like the name Sally," Bonnie said. "One of my friends at school was Sally Meyers. Do you remember her, Mama?"