She gazed out at the moonlight on the lake. Beautiful and clean and safe. Just like her life with Joe. But the waters were placid, and her relationship with Joe seldom was. Comfortable at times, but the undercurrents of passion and turbulence were always just under the surface.
So different from what she had known with John Gallo. Joe didn’t know that girl, and she couldn’t explain her to him. By the time she had met Joe, she had experienced childbirth, motherhood, and the most terrible tragedy a woman could survive. It had burned out all traces of that girl she had been.
Burn.
“You burn, Eve.”
She should have forgotten those words John had spoken. Why hadn’t she? She was sure that he had only the most fleeting memories of her.
Unless Catherine was right, and he had twisted their relationship into the beginning of a horror story.
And, if that had happened, she could not let Joe be caught up in that horror story.
* * *
EVE RECEIVED A CALL FROM Catherine an hour later.
“I heard from Venable,” Catherine said. “He’s been able to confirm the story about John Gallo’s being alive. He has a source who says that Gallo’s records were buried so deep that no one could dig them up in the next hundred years.” She paused. “And that at one time there was a contract put out on him.”
“By whom?”
“Military.”
“My God, the same people who sent him into North Korea put out a contract on him because of what he found.”
“That’s the way it looks.”
“What the hell happened to him there?”
“It’s what happened after he got out of that prison that we’ve got to know about. I got my call from Nate Queen at Army Intelligence, and I’m hoping that he’ll prove Venable wrong about how deep we have to dig to find out where Gallo is right now.”
“What did he tell you?”
“The word is that Gallo moves around a lot but that he may be located in Utah.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere in the mountains.”
“That’s damn vague.”
“It’s more than we had an hour ago.”
“What about Paul Black?”
“No mention of him other than that one statement. Not in connection with Gallo.”
“It’s crazy. Paul Black was a suspect himself, and yet it seems as if he’s a witness against John. Then you tell me that Black faded away in the investigation as if he’d never existed?”
“That’s what I’m telling you. I’m still probing.”
“Then I need to be doing some probing myself. I’ll call Luis Montalvo and see what else I can find out about Paul Black. He gave me the name as a possible suspect. He may know more than what was in the original report he gave me.”
“Montalvo?”
“Montalvo used to be an arms dealer in Colombia. I did a forensic reconstruction job for him, and in return he hired investigators to try to find leads to Bonnie’s killer.”
“It sounds like a devil’s bargain. Can you trust him?”
“Sometimes our association is a bit strained, but, yes, I can trust him.”
“Then by all means probe to your heart’s content.” She paused. “How is Joe?”
“How do you think? You’re the one who insisted on talking to—” She wasn’t being fair. Catherine had been trying to take away the burden from her. She was just so on edge about Joe’s reaction that sharpness had come out of nowhere. “And I’m grateful. But Joe didn’t particularly appreciate it.”
“I noticed. After I laid everything out for him, he got very quiet. It was clear I wasn’t wanted, so I made my exit.” She paused. “But I don’t believe he was quiet with you, was he?”
“That’s the way it started. It didn’t stay that way. Before it was over, he was on the phone with Venable getting his own update and making sure that he wasn’t being closed out.”
“Smart. Joe has great instincts.”
“I don’t want to close him out.”
“But you’re going to do it. It’s only a matter of time. He could see it coming, and so could I.”
She didn’t deny it. “I can’t risk Joe. Not this time. Not with John Gallo.”
“Because he was close to you, and you have some idea that closeness may have put all this madness into motion? That closeness is the very reason Joe will see that he’s involved. He’s taking this very personally. I knew he would.”
“Well, I’m taking this personally, too. How the hell could I help it? Bonnie’s my daughter, and John Gallo was my—”
“Lover?” Catherine asked softly.
“No, we weren’t lovers. That implies an emotion other than sexual. We were two kids whose hormones were so charged we couldn’t control them.”
“And that’s all?”
“He was a lot of firsts. He was my first sexual experience, the first who taught my body pleasure, the first for whom I was willing to postpone my ambitions and enjoy the moment.” She paused. “And the first and only man to give me a child.”
Catherine gave a low whistle. “That’s a pretty impressive list. Do me a favor and don’t go over that list with Joe.”
“But it all has one common denominator. Sex. I have so much more with Joe.”
“But he’s a guy. He may have a brilliant mind, but I’d bet sex is as important to him as it was to that kid, John Gallo. Particularly a possessive man like Joe, who is absolutely nuts about you. Those ‘firsts’ may blow him away.”
Eve wasn’t going to argue. Joe was mature and sophisticated on most planes, but their relationship had a potential for moving him toward much more basic responses. “Just find John Gallo. Maybe we’ll be able to get to him before Joe goes into high gear and tries to wrap it up himself.”
“As soon as I hear myself.” Catherine hung up the phone.
CHAPTER
9
“I NEED MORE INFORMATION about Paul Black,” Eve said as soon as Montalvo picked up the phone. “You said you’d try to find out more about him after we crossed the other two suspects off our list.”
“Ah, you’re back on the hunt? I was wondering how long you’d be able to resist temptation.”
“There was no question that I was resisting anything. I’ve just been busy.”
“And Joe Quinn had nothing to do with your hiatus?” His voice lowered silkily. “I’d never keep you from trying to find Bonnie. I’d be there by your side. I know what it is to lose someone.”
Yes, the skull that Eve had done the forensic reconstruction on had been Montalvo’s wife. That loss had been one of the things that had bound them together. “Joe isn’t keeping me from trying to find Bonnie. He always helps me.” She changed the subject. “When I got the initial reports, you told me that Paul Black was off the radar, and you didn’t know where he’d disappeared. What else do you know about him? Why was he on your list?”
“He was in jail in Atlanta on a DUI charge and told another inmate, Larry Shipman, he’d kidnapped and killed Bonnie Duncan. He was still drunk at the time, and when he sobered up, he told Shipman that if he told anyone, he’d cut his throat. Shipman wasn’t going to run a risk when he didn’t give a damn about anything but himself. Years later, when my investigators got hold of him, a nice amount of cash persuaded him he should care after all.”
“But was he telling the truth?”
“We won’t know until we find Black. Shipman believed him.”
“Did Shipman know anything else about Black? Can we go back and ask him questions?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Why not?”
“Six months after Shipman talked to my investigators, he was sent to prison on a drug charge.”
“Then we’ll go to the prison.”
“And two months after he was locked up, he was found dead in the prison laundry. Presumably an inmate decided he didn’t like him. They never found out which one.” He paused. “Cut Shipman’s throat.”
“Cut his throat?” She made the connection. “Paul Black’s threat. But it had to be coincidence. That was years later.”
“But it was only a few months after he turned informer. A curious coincidence. It interested me when I heard about it, but you were looking in another direction. Besides, Paul Black was still not to be found no matter how hard we tried.”
The timing had probably been no more than coincidence. The idea that Black had been hovering over Shipman all those years waiting for him to break his silence was far-fetched … and totally chilling.
“What’s Paul Black’s background?”
“He was orphaned at three and grew up in Macon, Georgia, in a church orphanage. He got a construction job at seventeen and went to Athens, Georgia. He got in trouble almost immediately and spent time in jail for robbery. After he was paroled, he worked as a fry cook, then was arrested again when he almost killed another cook with a butcher knife. Paroled again two years later and disappeared for a while. Next appearance was in the county jail when he talked to Shipman.”
“Do we have a picture of him?”
“Yes, I’ll send you his mug shot when we hang up. Pretty ordinary-looking guy. Any other questions?”
“No idea where he is?”
“Not a clue.”
“Another question. Did you ever hear of him working with anyone?”
A silence. “And that’s an odd question. Did you?”
“I need an answer, Montalvo.”
“As far as I know, he was a lone wolf. Obviously, he couldn’t even get along with the people he worked with.”
“Was he ever in the service?”
“No.”
“And he disappeared right after he told Shipman he’d killed Bonnie.”
“That’s right.” He paused. “You’re very intense. How far along are you on this hunt, Eve?”
“Not far enough. Thanks, Montalvo.”
“I’m dismissed? But I don’t want to be dismissed. I’ll keep on looking for information about Black until I find enough that will make you want to take me along for the ride. It sounds as if there’s something intriguing in the wind.”
And Montalvo will do it, she thought. She’d be lucky if he didn’t show up on her doorstep anyway. Montalvo was completely unpredictable. “Good-bye, Montalvo.”
“Good-bye, Eve. I’ll be in touch.” He hung up.
She was afraid he would be in touch. Again, if she moved fast enough, she might avoid Montalvo’s interference. She heard a ping and accessed the photo Montalvo had sent her.
The mug shot of Paul Black was not flattering. In the photo, he appeared to be in his late twenties, with dark, crew-cut hair and eyes that could be either brown or gray. His nose was long, and his mouth was wide and full. As Montalvo had said, very ordinary.
She put her phone away and stood for a moment looking out at the water.
Peaceful, soothing to the soul. She’d stay a moment, drink it in, and let it bring her that same peace. There was nothing serene about her own soul tonight. She was too lost in disturbing memories and intense worry about the future.
All of which were swirling around her like a tornado.
John Gallo was out there somewhere. Who was he now? What had he become during these many years? She could not imagine him a murderer.
Not even when she had seen how violent he could be?
But she could also be violent. She had found out that truth in the years of hunting Bonnie’s killer. There was no question at all in her mind that if she found that John Gallo was the murderer of her daughter, she’d kill him without a single qualm. Bonnie deserved her revenge.
She could feel the anger begin to sear through her and took a deep breath. So much for serenity and the search for peace. There would be no peace for her anytime soon.
It would be better not to think at all.
She would just try to be patient and wait for Catherine’s call.
* * *
“YOU’RE NEVER PATIENT, MAMA.”
Bonnie.
Eve looked over at the little girl sitting with her back against the porch rail. Dressed in jeans and the Bugs Bunny T-shirt she’d been wearing the last time Eve had seen her, curly red hair shining in the moonlight. She felt the same rush of love she always felt when Bonnie came to her.
“That’s not true. I’ve been patient for a long time. Since I lost you, baby.”
Bonnie’s face lit with her luminous smile. “But you didn’t lose me, did you, Mama? I’m always here.”
Eve had thought she had lost her forever and had been spiraling downward toward death herself when she had begun to dream of Bonnie about a year after her disappearance. At least, for a long time, she had told herself it was a dream when her little girl came to her, talked to her, brought her healing and comforting. It was only recently that she had accepted that Bonnie was no dream. “I hate to tell you, but the fact that you’re a ghost has a few disadvantages.”
Bonnie chuckled. “What disadvantages? You know I’ll always be with you.”
“Whenever you want to be. You don’t come nearly enough. You dictate all the rules.” She made an impatient gesture as Bonnie opened her lips. “And now you’ll say it wouldn’t be good for me. That I have to live my life. You always do.”
“Then I don’t have to say it.” She leaned back and gazed up at the night sky. “Aren’t the stars pretty? You used to sing me a song about a star.”
“Yes, I did.” Her throat was suddenly tight, and she had to clear it. “But you liked the song about all the pretty little horses more.”
She nodded. “But I like the one about the star, too. It’s nice being able to look at the stars with you.”
“Then come more often.”
“You need to be alone with Joe. You belong with him right now.” She smiled. “I try not to come too often when Joe is around. He tries to accept me, but I make him uneasy.”
Eve couldn’t deny that was true. It was only recently that Joe had started to be able to see her daughter, and he was not comfortable with it. Joe was a complete realist, and the concept of Bonnie as a spirit battered against every bit of training and instinct. Well, Eve had been the same way at first, telling herself that Bonnie was only a dream or a hallucination. But after years she had accepted that, by some grace of God, Bonnie was permitted to come to her. If that made her crazy, then so be it. “It may be different once we’ve found you and the man who killed you, baby.”
“Maybe. But it’s you and Joe who are important. I shouldn’t matter this much to either of you.”
Eve shook her head. “Stop preaching at me. I’ve heard this before.”
Bonnie’s smile faded. “But I have to keep saying it. Particularly now. I’m getting … I’m afraid for you.”
Eve stiffened. “Why did you come tonight? Is it because of Paul Black?”
“Partly. But there’s so much else…”
“Is it … John Gallo? He’s your father, Bonnie.”
“I know.” Bonnie looked back up at the stars. “I always knew…”
“What do you mean?”
“So much pain … so much rage.”
She felt a chill go through her. “Bonnie, what are you saying?”
Bonnie shook her head. “I just want you to take care. It’s all coming … I’m going to go now.”
“Yes, scare me to death, then go off to Never-Never Land.”
“I’d take you with me if I could. Look at the stars, Mama.”
“You just don’t want me to see you go.”
“It hurts you.”
Eve raised her eyes to the starlit sky. “What happens in Never-Never Land, Bonnie?”
“All good things.”
“I’m glad. I want everything good for you, baby.”
Bonnie didn’t answer, and Eve knew that she was gone.
But Eve didn’t look back at the step on which Bonnie had been sitting.
She kept her gaze on the stars and thought about Bonnie and Never-Never Land.
“Nate Queen is coming up the drive,” Bill Hanks said as he put down his phone. “He said you were expecting him?”
“For a long time.” John Gallo gazed down at the chessboard. “No one is with him?”
Hanks shook his head. “And Brian did the usual search at the gates. He’s clean.”
“As clean as he can be. I’m sure he has some dirty tricks up his sleeve.” Gallo moved his queen. “Checkmate.” He got up from the game table. “Bring him in as soon as he gets here.”
He moved over to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Rocky Mountains. He’d bought the ranch because of that view.
And the fact that he could not be approached without knowing about it at least twenty minutes in advance. He’d ordered that Nate Queen pass through the first barricade without a challenge, but no one got past the gates without being searched.
“You’re completely paranoid, do you know that?” Queen asked irritably from the door. “And I didn’t appreciate the body search.”
“You should expect paranoia.” Gallo turned to face him. “I have a mental problem. Haven’t you heard?”
“Oh, I’ve heard,” Queen said as he came into the study. “You’ve caused me nothing but problems. And you’re going to cause me more, aren’t you?”
“Probably.”
“I didn’t have to come here. You could have talked to me on the phone.”
“But then I wouldn’t have been able to see your expression. You’ve lied to me before, Queen. I needed to know that I had a chance to catch you in one if you tried it again.”
“Paranoia,” Queen repeated. “I didn’t tell Catherine Ling anything. I’ve just been setting her up for a regretful refusal. She’s stirring up too much shit for me to totally ignore her. It seems Eve Duncan is a good friend, and she’s trying to help her.”
“I found out that much for myself. How close is Catherine Ling coming?”
Queen hesitated. “Close. But we’ll take care of it.”
“I might have to take care of it myself.”
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