Eight Days to Live

by Iris Johansen

  But she couldn’t close out what Lina had told them of her translation. The information kept tumbling through her mind.

  Hadar’s Tablet.

  Judas at the right hand of God.

  Coins that could shake the Christian world.

  Sacrifices to Judas that had taken place for centuries and were still taking place.

  Guilt.

  She shook her head and straightened away from the door. Try to make her mind go blank. Wash. Rest. Maybe make a cup of coffee.

  And get ready to face the chase again.

  LINA KNOCKED ON JANE’S door thirty minutes later. “I need to talk to you.” She came into the room and sat down. “Or rather I need you to talk to me.”

  “What is it?”

  “You’re the key. I want to know everything about you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve decided that I need to kill this man, Millet.” Her hands clenched together on her lap. “I’m very angry with him. And I would be safer with him dead.” She smiled mirthlessly. “No Millet, no more disappearing. True?”

  “If Millet were the only one to worry about. But you’re the one who told us about that hideous cult.”

  “I’ll worry about the rest of those maniacs later. Millet is the one who burned down my home.” She sat down in the chair at the table. “I know only what was in Adah’s ledger. I need to know everything I can about him. You have an important connection with him. Killer and victim. So you must tell me everything about yourself.”

  “Oh, must I?” She smiled faintly. “And are you going to tell me everything about yourself?”

  She looked at her in surprise. “No, I did you no injury. You owe me. I do not owe you.”

  “You have a point.” She was discovering that Lina had an almost childlike clarity of vision that was both innocent and brutal in scope. It was a strange facet of character in a woman who had gone through the hell she had experienced. “Very well, I have fifteen minutes before Jock and Caleb should be here. I hope that I’m not shallow enough to bare my entire soul in that time, but I can give you the broad strokes.” She went into the kitchenette. “I’ve just put on a pot of coffee. Would you like a cup?”

  “Not now. Talk to me.”

  Jane looked over her shoulder. “In a minute. I need the caffeine even if you don’t.”

  “But I want you to—” She stopped. “I’m antagonizing you by being too demanding. It is a habit of mine. I will try to curb it.”

  Jane smiled. “And I will try to hurry through my cup of coffee. That’s what compromise is about.”

  “I’m not good at that either.”

  “I’ve been known to have a few problems with it, too. We’ll work on it together.”

  “OKAY, MILLET. SIMPSON’S ZEROED in on the BMW,” Roland said. “And it’s stationary at the moment. They’re sitting ducks. I’m sending you the coordinates on your phone.”

  “How close?”

  “In the general area where you are. I went to a great deal of trouble convincing Simpson to do this. I’m going to owe him, and that pisses me off. You’d better make it worth my while. Don’t bungle it.”

  “Don’t threaten me. Simpson should be doing this for the glory of the Offering. So should you, Roland.”

  “How pure. May I remind you that you’re the one who lost the tablet because you couldn’t keep your hands off Adah Ziller?”

  “I’m the Guardian. It is my privilege to take any woman I wish in any way I wish. Just as it is my privilege to cut her heart out if she betrayed me.”

  “Then you should have done it in a way that didn’t get in the way of our arrangement. Get the tablet and Jane MacGuire.”

  Millet glanced at his phone screen and he forget anger as satisfaction surged through him as he saw the blip. “I’m on my way.”

  JOCK’S BROWS ROSE AS HE gazed at Lina sitting relaxed at Jane’s small table. “I wasn’t sure that you’d be here. I was prepared to have to chase you down.”

  “You wouldn’t have found me. But I decided that it would be more efficient to have MiIlet come to me than go after him.” She glanced at Jane. “Or to come to Jane. From what she tells me, he will do a great deal to try to find her. That is good.”

  “I don’t believe I’d describe it quite that way,” Jane said dryly.

  She smiled faintly. “I’m very good at languages. Not so good at tactfulness.”

  “We’ve found that out,” Jane said.

  Jock looked from Jane to Lina. “I detect a slight lessening of abrasiveness between you. Or am I mistaken?”

  “With knowledge comes understanding,” Jane said. “We had a talk. But knowledge only goes one way at the moment. So understanding is tentative at best.”

  “And I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” He paused. “Have you heard from Caleb?”

  She stiffened. “No, he should be here any minute.”

  “I knocked on his door, and there was no answer.”

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe he was in the shower.”

  Or maybe he was doing something that he didn’t want them to know about. It wouldn’t surprise Jane. Secretive bastard.

  Or maybe something had happened to him.

  The thought brought a rush of panic. She had been worried about everyone else, but Caleb always seemed to be invulnerable. Perhaps because she didn’t understand those psychic gifts that were such a disturbing part of him.

  No one was invulnerable. Not with Millet on the loose.

  There was a knock on the door before Caleb walked into the room. “Sorry I’m late. I had a few things to tidy up.”

  She wanted to hit him. Of course, nothing had happened to him. And of course he wasn’t going to be explicit about those few things he had to “tidy.” “It doesn’t matter,” she said curtly. “We didn’t miss you.”

  Caleb’s brows rose. “I’m crushed.” He went to the bar in the kitchenette and poured himself a cup of coffee. “But that will only make me work harder to please.”

  Her displeasure had been obvious but had rolled off him like water off a duck. “You haven’t tried to please anyone but yourself lately.”

  “That’s not true. I made a real effort to please you when I went after Weismann, but it didn’t work out.” He glanced at Lina. “And I had to balance keeping you alive or doing what you wanted, and I chose to keep you alive. Sorry.”

  Lina said, “Screw you.”

  “Then I’ll forget about offering apologies.” He paused. “Offering. That word brings to mind a few more current matters. Have you found out anything about Alan Roland from Venable, Gavin?”

  “Wait a minute,” Jock turned to Lina. “Venable’s team arrived at your place thirty minutes ago. I’m sorry, there wasn’t anything left but ashes.”

  Lina flinched. “I was expecting it.”

  He glanced back at Caleb. “And there were some human remains in the toolshed. I guess Millet didn’t like Weismann any more than you did.”

  “What about Roland?” Caleb asked again.

  “Venable hasn’t had a chance to compile an in-depth dossier, but he gave me a brief sketch.” Jock said. “Alan Roland. Very important man. British. Mid-forties. Inherited wealth but he’s managed to triple it since he took control of the family fortune. Banking background. His father was reputed to be a mover and a shaker, and Alan has stepped into his shoes. In earlier centuries he would have been called a kingmaker. He has a passion for power and indulges it.”

  “Any criminal record?” Jane asked.

  Jock shook his head. “No record, not even a speeding ticket. And no obvious connection with Millet. He’s absolutely clean.”

  “What about Syria? If he goes yearly to those Offerings at the temple, there has to be a record of it.”

  “No, as a financier he’s out of London a good deal, but according to immigration, he’s never been to Syria.”

  “I’d guess Roland may have a few passports, too,” Caleb said. “A
nd handles those visits with great discretion.”

  Jane frowned. “Very smart.”

  “But you already knew that from Adah’s ledger,” Lina said. “He would have to be clever to be able to control Millet. From what you’ve told me, Millet is very volatile.”

  Like a nuclear explosion, Jane thought.

  “I don’t care about this Roland,” Lina said. “I want the man who burned my home to the ground. Tell me about Millet.”

  “Well, I do care about Roland,” Jane said coldly. “Be quiet, Lina. Millet may have done the killings, but Roland is the one who pointed the way. No one is safe as long as Roland is out there. I won’t let them have any more of the people I care about. I want both of them. I’ll have both of them.”

  Lina blinked. “Very well.” She didn’t speak for a moment. “You’re not what I thought. There were moments when I was feeling sorry for you. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about doing that any longer.”

  “No, that’s not something for you to bother about,” Jane said. She didn’t know why that single-minded comment of Lina’s had caused her to suddenly explode, but now that she had started, she couldn’t stop. All the frustration and threat of the day had overflowed like a raging river over a dam. “Shall I tell you what we’re going to do? We’re going to find that temple where they kill children and anyone else who gets in their way. We’re going to stop them from ever doing that again. We’re going to find that pouch of Judas coins so that Roland won’t get his dirty hands on them. Then we’re going to trap Roland and Millet and send them straight to hell.” She got up, went to the closet, and pulled out the green garbage bag she’d stuffed at Lina’s cottage. “And right now I’d like you to concentrate on something besides what you’d like to do to Millet.” She pulled out Lina’s computer and tossed it on the bed. Then she took out the box containing the tablet and set it on top of the computer. “Earn your keep. We need to know exactly what’s in that tablet. Give me a translation.”

  Lina didn’t move for a moment. Then she reached out and took both the box and the computer. “It will take time. I glanced at it at the cottage. The script is incredibly tiny, and I’ll have to be extremely careful with it. It’s more like a book than a tablet. And since it’s ancient Aramaic, I’ll need some reference books that I might not be able to find online.”

  “Then we’ll get them for you,” Caleb said. “But you’ll need a place to work, and this isn’t it.” He glanced at Jane. “In spite of Jane’s hurry to push you forward, I’d prefer you be out of Millet’s path before you start.”

  Lina gave him a cool look. “I don’t care what you prefer. Go to hell, Caleb.”

  “No, that would only be an interesting diversion.” He lifted his coffee to his lips. “And Jane doesn’t want any detours. I realize you’re still angry with me, but you’re sensible enough to realize that I could be valuable to you.”

  “I don’t need you.” She looked at Jane. “Do you need him?”

  “No. I don’t need him.” She was still as shocked and wary of Caleb as she had been when he had thrown Weismann down at her feet. Yet she was feeling a curious reluctance to reject him that had something to do with the panic she had felt for him before he walked through her door tonight. “But this isn’t the time to send anyone away. We should stay together.” Jock was studying her with narrowed eyes, and she added quickly, “It’s safer for everyone.”

  “Maybe.” Jock gazed at Caleb. “Tell me, is it safer for you?”

  “Of course, I feel very secure with you keeping an eye on me.” He added, “And such a close eye.” He finished his coffee and checked his watch. “And now I think we’d better get out of here. We should be picked up in about five minutes at the front of the motel.”

  Jane’s eyes widened. “And just who is to pick us up?”

  “His name is Hans Wolfe. He works at the local gas station about two miles from here. A very pleasant fellow.”

  “And how did you meet this pleasant fellow?”

  “I was running an errand and asked him to help me out. He was very cooperative.”

  “I imagine he was. What errand?”

  “I’ll tell you all about it. But we should get moving.” He headed for the door. “Hans is going to take us to a small private airport about forty miles from here. I’ve called and arranged for a charter pilot, Marc Lestall, to pick us up there. He’s flying in from Paris. I’ve used him before, and he’s reliable and exceptionally discreet. He should be arriving shortly after we reach the airport.”

  “All of this in one hour,” Jane said. “And without consulting us.”

  “It didn’t hurt to set it up. I figured you could always refuse.”

  She didn’t move. “Yes, we can. Where is this plane supposed to take us?”

  “Anywhere you want to go. I suspect you might want to go to London first to pay a visit to Alan Roland. Or perhaps MacDuff’s Run to drop off Lina and Gavin. She’d be safe there while she’s translating the tablet.” He repeated softly, “Anywhere you want to go.”

  She looked at Jock.

  He shrugged. “It’s true that Lina would be safer at MacDuff’s Run.”

  “Then let’s get to that plane. Get anything out of the rooms you need.” She turned and grabbed her jacket and bag. “By all means, we mustn’t keep Hans waiting.”

  They had just left the room when the shock wave came. The earth shifted slightly beneath Jane’s feet, and she instinctively reached out to clutch Caleb’s arm. “What on earth was—”

  Caleb’s gaze was on the trees in the distance that were glowing orange. “I believe that might be Millet exercising his venom and frustration.”

  Jane’s gaze followed his to the trees. “What are you talking about?”

  “That’s the general direction where I abandoned the BMW. Millet must have found it and got a little irritated that we were nowhere near it.”

  “Millet?” Her gaze flew to his face. “How far?”

  “Over thirty miles away. And not in the direction we’re going. He used quite some firepower to cause that kind of vibration.” He took her elbow. “But I do think we should accelerate our departure, don’t you?”

  THIRTEEN

  HANS WOLFE DROPPED THEM OFF at the small private airport thirty-five minutes later.

  “Is there anything else I can do?” His square, blunt face was eager. “I could go back and get you food at that bakery we passed.”

  “The bakery was closed,” Caleb said.

  “But I know the owner. I know everyone in this town. He’d open up the shop for me.”

  “Thank you, but I believe we’ll be fine,” Caleb said. “Our plane should be arriving any minute.”

  Hans’s face fell. “Then what else may I do for you?”

  Caleb smiled gently. “Nothing more. You’ve been a good friend to me, Hans.”

  “Yes, we’re very good friends. It’s good that you were able to stop by after all these years.”

  “But it’s time for you to go home now. I think it’s best that you forget us.”

  He nodded. “Because of that trouble you said you were in. I understand. You’ll come and see me again?”

  “Yes, someday.” He shook his hand. “I think I hear the plane. Now go home and don’t let anyone see you on the way. Good-bye, Hans.”

  “Yes, I hear it, too,” Hans said as he turned away. “Good-bye, Seth. I’ll see you next time.”

  Lina turned to Caleb as Hans drove away. “He’s very accommodating. How long have you known him?”

  “Long enough.” He turned and watched the Gulfstream jet coming in for a landing. “I think I’m going to be his silent partner. He’s always wanted to own his own gas station.”

  “Providing he could trust you,” Lina said, as she and Jock moved toward the Gulfstream.

  Caleb made a face. “It’s going to take quite a while to get her to think kindly of me, isn’t it?”

  “You could use the same voodoo you did on Hans Wolfe,” Jane said.


  “No, I couldn’t. I told you that I have a few rules I don’t break.”

  She was silent a moment. “It’s very generous of you to give Hans his dream.”

  He shrugged. “I put him at risk. He may still be at risk.”

  “Will he forget everything just as that bank manager did?”

  “Yes. It’s safer for him as well as us.” He walked toward the tall, sandy-haired man who was getting out of the plane. “Thanks for coming on short notice, Marc. We need to move quickly.” He gestured to the pilot. “This is Marc Lestall. Get on the plane. I’ll make formal introductions later.”

  “Where are we going?” Lestall asked. “It would be a good idea if I knew. Right?”

  Caleb looked at Jane. “MacDuff’s Run?”

  She nodded. “But I want to go see Alan Roland first.”

  He was silent for a moment. “It might be dangerous.”

  “Not if we go to his office. He’s not going to make a move surrounded by all his office staff.”

  “And it might not accomplish anything. He’s not going to admit anything.”

  “I don’t care. I don’t want him to think that he’s safe because he’s hiding behind all that money and power. I want him to be aware that we know what a bastard he is.”

  “Then we’ll go to Edinburgh and split up. You and I will go to London to see Roland and send Lina and Gavin to MacDuff’s Run. We’ll join them later.” Caleb followed her up the steps and said over his shoulder to Lestall. “Scotland.”

  THEY WERE IN THE AIR within a few minutes, and Jane gazed down at the ground disappearing from view. Millet might be down there, but he couldn’t touch them. Not now.

  Relief. Intense relief.

  “Blanket?” Caleb was standing beside her with a navy blue blanket in his hands. “We have a few hours, and you might be able to catch a few winks on the trip. We haven’t had a chance to get much rest since this began.”

  “That’s an understatement.” She started to take the blanket, but he was already tucking it around her. His hand brushed her throat, and she inhaled sharply. It was only the lightest touch but her skin tingled, burned.