She took out the cell phone that John Gallo had handed back to her in that bedroom. He had said that it was to communicate with Joe, but had he really meant that to be the purpose? She had come to realize that nothing about John was clear and absolutely straightforward. He had abandoned her to Joe and Catherine tonight, but wasn’t that the best way to avoid the complications he had been trying to skirt?
And then he had given her back her phone. Had he also given her a choice?
She slowly scrolled back to John Gallo’s call the first day that he had phoned her.
Choice?
She wasn’t prepared to make that choice yet. She was tired and emotionally drained. She had to give herself time to think and make sure she wasn’t going to stampede herself into doing something as impulsive as that sixteen-year-old kid she had been might have done.
She started to put the phone back in her pocket, then stopped and dialed the number of FedEx. She would have the skull delivered as soon as possible and start work.
Doing the reconstruction would remind her of who she was and how far she had come from that girl in the Peabody Housing Development.
* * *
JOE DIDN’T COME HOME UNTIL almost midnight. He’d called her late in the afternoon and told her he was going to have to work late on a murder case in Vinings.
He quietly slipped into bed. “Awake?” he whispered.
“Yes.” She yawned and cuddled closer. “I was working.”
“I saw the reconstruction on your worktable. I told you to take a nap.”
“I wanted to work. I didn’t do much. Only started the measurements.”
“Have you named him yet?”
“Dale.”
“Do you want to talk about him?” His hand was stroking her hair.
“Dale?”
“John Gallo.”
“No. Unless you want me to talk about him.”
He didn’t answer for a moment. “Not right now. But we’re going to have to do it. You’re behaving … I don’t know.” He pulled her tighter. “But I don’t like it.”
She didn’t like it, either. She didn’t like the fact that she had worked for hours trying to block thoughts of Gallo and Paul Black out of her mind and hadn’t succeeded. She didn’t like that she felt a tension building whenever Joe mentioned Gallo’s name.
He kissed her and nestled her head into the hollow of his shoulder. “We’ll work it out. Go to sleep.”
She closed her eyes, feeling the pounding of his heart beneath her ear. Life. She brushed her lips against his warm, smooth skin. She wanted to feel the textures, breathe the scents of him. She wanted to cherish this moment.
Because she could feel the choice approaching.
* * *
SHE GOT UP WITH JOE AND HAD coffee with him before he left for work. Then she started working on the reconstruction of the little boy. More measurements. Concentrate. They all had to be correct.
But she couldn’t concentrate. By eleven she knew there was no way she could block the decision any longer.
She shook her head as she gazed at the skull on the easel. “I’m sorry, Dale,” she said softly. “It’s not that you’re not important. But you’ll have to wait a little longer.”
She took out her phone and walked out on the porch.
Choice.
He had handed her the phone and must have realized what that meant.
She rolled back the calls and brought up the number from where he’d called her.
She pressed the button for return call.
It rang once, twice.
On the third ring, Gallo picked up.
“Is Joe Quinn standing at your shoulder?”
“No.” She had to gather her thoughts. She hadn’t been sure that he would answer. “I can’t involve Joe any more in this. He was shot last night.”
Silence. “I know. Hanks called and reported after he left the compound. I didn’t want that to happen. Is Quinn okay?”
“Yes. But it did happen. He was hurt. He could have been killed. This is your responsibility. Make it right. Tell me where to find Paul Black.”
He chuckled. “You’re using guilt to get your own way? That’s very ruthless, Eve.”
“I’ll use whatever I have to use. I have to find Bonnie’s killer. I won’t have Joe sacrificed on the altar of my obsession.”
“Yet you can’t give up the hunt.”
“No, and that’s my guilt.”
He was silent. “We’re a fine pair, aren’t we, Eve?”
“Tell me,” she said. “You said you didn’t want to destroy me. But can’t you see? I’m destroying myself and Joe. I have to find him. I have to find her.”
“You won’t let me do it for you?”
“I have to know. I have to be certain.”
“And you can’t trust me.”
“I don’t know you. I’ve never known you. How can I trust you?” She paused. “But I know that, in spite of what you said, you wanted to leave the door open for me. You wouldn’t have given me back my phone. You wouldn’t have answered the call.”
“My door is always open for you, Eve.”
“And you gave me that key. How did you know I wouldn’t turn it over to Queen?”
“I had to take the chance. I knew Queen would take advantage of what I’d done to make his move. You had to be protected. Has he contacted you yet?”
“No.”
“He will. He didn’t find what he wanted at the house, and he’ll start exploring possibilities.”
“He made me angry.” She paused. “He burned your house.”
“Hanks told me. Judy managed to get out everything that was valuable from the office.”
“Senseless. Queen wanted to hurt you.” She paused. “Did he do it?”
“Yes.” He didn’t speak for a moment. “Stupid. I knew with my head that it was just a shell made out of brick and wood. I knew it could be taken away from me like everything else. I was prepared for it. But I’d never really had a home, even as a kid. I guess I wanted one. Funny. I suppose it sort of crept in when I wasn’t looking. Primitive instinct. We’re all savages once you tear away the trappings.”
“It was a lovely place.”
“It’s gone. Don’t think about it.”
“Is that your philosophy? I don’t think so. Bonnie is gone. You’re still thinking about her.”
“That’s different.”
Yes, everything about Bonnie and her life and death were different and special. “Did Paul Black kill her?”
He didn’t answer immediately. “I believe he did.”
“Do you know where he is?”
“No, but I know how to bring him to me.”
Her hand tightened on the phone until the knuckles turned white. “Then tell me where you are. I have to be with you.”
He didn’t speak.
“I’m not going to plead with you. But I swear I’ll give that key to Queen. Maybe he knows something about Black that he didn’t tell Catherine. And I’ll let Queen use me as bait to try to get you. I don’t think you’d want me to do that.”
“You’d be crazy to deal with him,” John said roughly. “Your just having that key will tell him that you know too much. That was your insurance policy.”
“He’s an Army Intelligence agent. He might have you targeted, but I’m a private citizen. He’d have a difficult time trying to harass me.”
“I’m not talking about harassment.” His breath expelled with exasperation. “I’ll say you’re not pleading. Back off, Eve. This isn’t a good move.”
“I can’t back off. Tell me how to reach you.” She had to persuade him. “I have a right, John. No one has a better right than I do to catch that bastard. You know it, and I know it. Isn’t that the real reason you made contact with me? You say we’re all savages. Maybe that primitive instinct told you that this was something we had to do together.”
He was still silent, and Eve wasn’t sure that she’d made an impact.
Then
he said, “Take the Delta flight to Milwaukee this afternoon. When you get in, call me, and I’ll come and get you. Queen will probably have someone following you. He won’t stop you because he’ll hope you’re leading him to me.”
“And I will be.”
“I’ll take care of that when you get here. Be careful.” He hung up.
It was done.
Eve hung up and stared out at the lake.
“We’re going to find you, Bonnie,” she whispered. “This is the time, isn’t it? This is how you wanted it.” Why was that certainty growing within her? She could be fooling herself because she wanted it so much, and the search had gone on so long. She was taking a chance on John Gallo. Joe and Catherine were right that he was the ultimate wild card.
And she had taken a chance on him once before, and it had changed her life. He had given her Bonnie.
Stop questioning. The decision was made.
She got to her feet and moved toward the door. She would make her airline reservations, write a note to Joe, and try to get a couple hours’ sleep.
She went to her worktable and covered the reconstruction she’d started on Dale. “Just a little interruption,” she whispered. “You’ve waited a long time. Wait just a little longer.” He was her job, her duty. This was the part of her life that had been born when she had lost Bonnie. But she had to return to the time before she had become the woman who had brought all those other children home until she could come back and do that duty.
If she came back.
Was that why she was having this feeling of destiny, the conviction that Bonnie was guiding her? Was she going to die and join Bonnie? Did Bonnie know that this time Eve would not come back to Joe?
The prospect held no fear for Eve. Joe would be safe. Joe and Jane would have each other.
And she would have Bonnie.
* * *
“EVE DUNCAN JUST BOARDED A flight for Milwaukee,” Queen told Jacobs when he hung up the phone. “I’ve told one of our people in the Chicago office to get over to Milwaukee and make sure she’s under surveillance.”
“Why Milwaukee?” Jacobs asked. “Quinn wasn’t with her?”
“No, he’s at ATLPD headquarters.” Queen smiled unpleasantly. “I think she’s given him the slip. Maybe Quinn was wrong about Gallo taking Eve Duncan. It could be that she decided to renew old times. They must have been a hot item when they were younger.”
“You believe she’s gone to join Gallo again?” Jacobs repeated, “Why Milwaukee?”
“Gallo grew up in Milwaukee. He knows it like the back of his hand. He’d feel comfortable there.” He paused. “Maybe enough to find a hiding place for the ledger.”
“And you believe Duncan is joining him because they’re having an affair?”
“Women seem to find him attractive. He’s had several mistresses over the years. Even a couple movie actresses. Why else?”
“I researched her when Gallo requested the files on her. She’s not the kind of woman who’d abandon her career and a stable relationship to jump into bed with a man she hasn’t seen in years.”
“She was willing to do it when she was sixteen. Maybe she still has a yen for him.” He shrugged. “At any rate, we should explore it. I doubt if Gallo feels the same way, but if there’s a chance, we’ll grab it.”
“There’s another possibility.” He paused. “Paul Black.”
Queen shook his head. “I don’t think Black has surfaced yet. He had me e-mail him some information about Gallo’s employees, and I sent him current info about Eve Duncan as well, including the fact that she’s on her way to Milwaukee.”
“Why pull Black into it?”
“Why not? The hunted pursuing the hunter. Better he go after Gallo than me. I knew I shouldn’t have tried to hand Black over to Gallo. It boomeranged, and it could have been fatal. But I handled it damn well.”
“So you say,” Jacobs said. “But you’ve been prone to impulsive behavior of late. You didn’t have to burn down Gallo’s place. It will make him difficult to negotiate with if that becomes necessary.”
Bastard. Jacobs hadn’t had to deal with Gallo all these years. He hadn’t realized what bullshit Queen had had to take from him. “It won’t be necessary. I’ll find him, and I’ll find the ledger. The woman may be the answer.” He turned and moved toward the door. “She’s going to find Gallo a little too hot to handle.”
* * *
THE NOTE WAS PROPPED UP on the coffeemaker on the counter.
Joe had expected it. He had tried to phone home twice before he’d gotten into his car and driven home. He tore open the envelope and pulled out the sheet of paper.
Joe,
I’m with John Gallo. He can lead me to Black. You know why I didn’t tell you before. It’s time I assumed full responsibility. God knows, I’ve leaned on you too long. This isn’t your war, and I won’t have you be a casualty.
I’ll be in touch. I love you.
Eve
His hand clenched the paper, then he crushed it into a ball and hurled it onto the counter.
Control the anger … and the fear. He had known this could be coming. It had been building for the last few years, and he had been able to fight it off.
He would still fight it off.
But he had to find Eve first.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Eve.
Voice mail.
He called Catherine.
She answered immediately. “Trouble?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Eve was too quiet.”
“She’s gone to John Gallo. He’s convinced her he can take her to Black.”
“Then we have to find Gallo. I suppose she’s not answering her phone?”
“Voice mail.”
Catherine was silent. “Okay, so I track down Judy Clark while you go after Hanks?”
“Can you? How is your son?”
“Luke is fine. I’ve hired a live-in tutor for him. Sam O’Neill used to work for the CIA, but he retired a few years ago. He was a teacher before he joined the Company, and he decided to go back to it. I figured they’d be a good match. Sam’s a nice guy but tough, and they get along. Luke wouldn’t know what to do with a cozy, maternal housekeeper.” She added, “Luke doesn’t need me. After being on his own all these years, he’s totally independent. He reads and studies, and sometimes we even have discussions. It’s a start.” She paused. “I wish he did need me. But that will come.” She added brusquely, “I’ll call Venable and see what we can pull up on Hanks and Judy Clark.”
“And I’ll go to the airport and check to see if Eve left her car there. It’s not here.” He added, “Thanks, Catherine. I need to move fast.”
“Do you think I’m doing it for you? It’s Eve. Every time I look at my son, I remember that I wouldn’t have him with me if it wasn’t for her. And you do need to move fast. Gallo has her blinded. Hell, maybe she’s right about him, but he scares me. He’s unpredictable. Queen could be right about him having a split personality, and there’s no one more convincing than someone who believes that he’s telling the truth. Let me know if she’s taken a flight.” She hung up.
Split personality. Possible answer. Eve was not easily fooled. She had great instincts about people and would not be easily dazzled.
But Gallo had dazzled her when she was sixteen.
Don’t think about it. Think about the Eve you know now.
The Eve who could be walking into Gallo’s trap.
CHAPTER
15
EVE’S CELL PHONE RANG AS SOON as she walked off the jetway in Milwaukee.
“Go to the Avis rental pickup,” John Gallo said. “A tan Toyota Camry has been rented for you. I’ll see you soon.” He hung up.
Short and to the point, Eve thought as she moved down the aisle. Evidently, he was taking no chances on their conversation being bugged. Not that she could blame him. His home had been burned to the ground a little more than twenty-four hours ago. But where was she supposed to g
o after she went to the Avis lot?
And when she got into the Camry, there was no note on the seat to help her. What was she supposed to do. Just sit and wait for—
The GPS.
She activated it. An address was on the bottom of the GPS. Marriott Hotel. Downtown, Milwaukee.
She drove out of the lot.
Marriott Hotel.
It had been to a Marriott that she had gone with John when her mother had been in trouble. Some sort of puckish whimsy?
But John had never had that kind of humor. He had always had a reason for every action.
She glanced at the rearview mirror.
Was she being followed?
* * *
“EVE DUNCAN JUST PULLED UP in front of the Marriott, Colonel,” Brandell said. “She’s going up to the front desk and registering. Shall I follow?”
“Not yet. Any sign of Gallo?”
“No.”
“Then park and go inside. Find out what room she’s been given.”
“How?”
“I don’t give a damn. Bribery is usually good.” He hung up. He was surrounded by idiots and incompetents.
Brandell called back ten minutes later. “Room 1502.”
“Keep watch outside and make sure you know when she leaves the hotel.”
Queen hesitated a moment, then dialed another number. “Marriott Hotel. Room 1502.”
“How very accommodating of you,” Black said.
“Accommodating? I’ve practically drawn you a picture,” Queen said. “Just get me what I need.”
“Gallo’s head and the ledger,” Black said. “I’ll probably have to take out the woman, too. It would be dangerous to leave a witness.”
“Then she has to just disappear. She has contacts with the Atlanta PD.”
“Disappear. No problem. Do you think that I’d still be free if I wasn’t an expert?” he said mockingly. “One can’t just leave bodies lying about. Actually, it’s rather fitting, isn’t it? Her daughter disappeared, and now poor Eve Duncan herself.”
“As far as I know, Duncan is still hale and hearty and able to cause me trouble. I don’t care what you do to any of them. Just get me what I need. It shouldn’t be hard now that I’ve done your groundwork.”
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