Hunting Eve

by Iris Johansen

  She stopped some distance away to avoid getting in the way and watched the crane do its work.

  “Hi, you must be Kendra. Joe Quinn told me you were coming.”

  Kendra turned to see a young girl step out of the trees. Slim, medium height, light brown hair, probably not over nineteen or twenty. She was tan and glowing with the sheen of sheer vitality. She wore jeans and a shirt, and her bare feet were in thongs. She was smiling, and Kendra instinctively smiled back. “Yes, and you are?”

  “Margaret Douglas.”

  “Oh, the friend of the family?”

  “Is that what they called me?” Margaret’s smile broadened to delighted brilliance. “That’s nice. What else did they say?”

  “Not much. Except that you were an informant.” No one could appear less likely in that role than this young, vibrant girl. “Is that true?”

  “Well, sort of … more of an interpreter.” She giggled. “Informants hang out in dark parking garages like that Watergate story about Deep Throat, don’t they?”

  “I’m not sure. I guess there are informants and informants. Where do you hang out?” She looked down at Margaret’s semibare feet. “The beach?”

  “Sometimes. I just came from an island in the Caribbean, and I’m used to my flip-flops. Where’s Joe? Why didn’t he come with you?”

  “He had something else to do.” She took a step closer to the bank as the blue car was lifted high by the crane. “Jane MacGuire wasn’t doing too well. I told him to take her to the hospital.”

  “Dammit. I thought she looked bad earlier tonight.” Margaret was looking back at the cottage. “And it looks like Joe’s going to do as you suggested. I see the headlights of his car.” She was frowning. “I should be with her.”

  “No one can take better care of her than Quinn,” Kendra said. “And they’re family. It’s his job.”

  “You’re wrong. It’s my job. She saved my life and took that bullet for me. When Doane’s partner, Blick, was targeting Jane, she pushed me aside. I owe her.”

  “And that’s why you’re here?”

  “I owe her,” Margaret repeated. “You have to pay your debts.”

  “You must be doing your best to do that if you’re involving yourself to the extent of delving and acting as an informant to—”

  “Wait.” Margaret held up her hand. “I can see why Joe was casting around for a way to explain my presence without going into awkward details. He didn’t want to have to defend me. According to what he told me, you’re all high-powered brainpower and logical deductions. You’re going to have problems with me. But I can’t go along with it. I’ve found it easier to be honest with people if I can. Then they can take me or leave me.”

  “I don’t have to do either,” Kendra said. “I can’t see that we’ll do much interacting. I work alone.”

  “Do you?” Margaret beamed. “So do I. It’s easier, isn’t it? We may be more alike than I thought.” She tilted her head. “Nah, not likely.” She glanced at the suspended car, which was being tilted forward as it was being brought closer to the bank. “They’ll have it down soon and you can get to work. I hope your magic works.”

  “It’s not magic, it’s observation.”

  “Whatever.” Margaret was looking absently over her shoulder at the receding taillights of Joe’s car going down the drive. “I should be with her. I’m not doing any good here. I’ve told Joe and Venable all I know about this car. It’s up to you now.”

  “You told him that there would be a body in that car, the farmer from whom Doane stole the truck.”

  “That’s right.”

  “You were wrong.” Kendra could see the entire interior of the car because of the tilting of the crane. “No body.”

  “It’s in the trunk,” Margaret said with certainty. “Doane wrapped the body in a tarp and stuffed it in the trunk.”

  “Who told you that? Did you see it?”

  “No, I didn’t see it.” She frowned as she glanced back at Kendra. Joe’s taillights had disappeared from view and with them a little of her patience. “Look, I have to round up one of the officers to give me a lift to go after Jane. Go tell Venable to be careful when he opens the trunk. If there is any evidence left after that dunking, it will probably be there.”

  “If you didn’t see it happen, who told you the body was in the trunk?”

  “It’s a bullet wound to the head, so I doubt if Venable will be able to get any forensic material after his being under water all that time.” Margaret was already walking away from the bank and back toward the cottage. “But maybe I’m wrong. I’m not like you. I don’t know much about all that scientific stuff.”

  “You’re not answering me. Who told you that there was a body in that trunk?”

  “A feral.” Margaret’s pace increased. “But he’s pretty reliable.”

  “Dammit, what’s that supposed to mean?” Kendra called after her. “Feral? Is that a gang member? Maybe some kind of private-detective organization?”

  “No.” Margaret was almost out of sight in the darkness beneath the trees. “Just a cat. I’ll see you later.”

  “A cat?” Kendra was standing, riveted, staring after her. “What in hell do you—” Kendra broke off in frustration as she realized Margaret was out of range and couldn’t hear her. The exchange with Margaret had been thoroughly aggravating and bewildering. The girl had a sunny appeal that reached out and enfolded you, but that didn’t keep you from feeling as if you’d been caught up in a gentle whirlwind that left you far from the solid ground where you needed to be. It had been a little like talking to Peter Pan.

  Venable. He was no Peter Pan, and she could count on concrete logical answers from a CIA agent.

  She turned away and moved toward the agent in a brown leather jacket who was now motioning the crane to lower the blue car on the bank. “Agent Venable?”

  “I’m busy.”

  “That’s clear. I won’t bother you. I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Dr. Kendra Michaels. Joe Quinn thought I might be of service.”

  “Yeah, he told me.” The blue car was safely on the bank, and he motioned the crane crew to take off the chains. “Though I don’t know what you’re going to be able to tell from this baby.”

  “Neither do I. But at least it’s not salt water. That could seriously damage any remaining evidence.” Her gaze went to the interior of the car, which was still a quarter filled with water that was pouring out of the closed doors. “We’ll just have to see. Quinn said to call him if you learned anything. He was going to take Jane to the hospital to have her checked out.”

  Venable frowned. “Shit. I was afraid that would happen. She’s been running on sheer will alone for the last couple days. Quinn didn’t need this. He must feel as if he’s been drawn and quartered.”

  “He’ll survive. It’s Jane who is fighting the infection.” She walked around the rear of the car. “I ran into Margaret Douglas when I first got here. Interesting.”

  “You could say that,” Venable said dryly.

  “She said to give you a message. You’re supposed to be careful of damaging evidence when you open the trunk. She said that’s where the farmer’s body has been stuffed. He’s wrapped in a tarp.” She met his gaze. “Though she doubts that you’ll be able to get very much trace evidence. There was no struggle, and he was shot in the head.”

  “Shot? My agent Dukes had his throat cut.”

  She shrugged. “She said shot.” Her eyes were still narrowed on his face. “You’re taking this very calmly. You actually believe her?”

  “Hell, no. But Joe Quinn believes her. And I believe in Quinn. So I’ll go along with him until she’s proved wrong.” His gaze shifted to the trunk. “She says there’s a body in the trunk. Let’s see if she’s right.” He motioned to a man who was standing a few feet away, with BABCOCK’S LOCKSMITH stamped on the front pocket of his shirt. “Unlock that trunk. Carefully.”

  Kendra took a step closer to Venable. “Did it occur to you that Marg
aret Douglas could be an accomplice? She said that Jane saved her life by taking a bullet for her. Now she has a reason for staying close to her.”

  “It occurred to me. But she was already on Summer Island when Jane MacGuire arrived there with her sick dog.” His lips twisted. “A plant? Maybe. Or maybe everything she says is true. Even some of the things that are a bit of a stretch.”

  “Did she tell you who told her about this car in the lake?”

  “No.” He looked at her. “But judging from your expression, I’d bet that she told you the same story she told Quinn.”

  “She didn’t tell me anything that made sense. Just some babble about a feral cat.”

  “That’s what she told Quinn.”

  She stared at him incredulously. “What?”

  “Jane MacGuire says she’s some kind of dog whisperer or animal whisperer or nature girl or something like that. She swore Margaret saved her dog’s life by finding out that he was poisoned.”

  “He told her?” Kendra asked sarcastically.

  “You’d have to ask Jane about that. I didn’t discuss the details with Quinn.”

  “And this feral cat told Margaret not only where the car was driven into the water but where the body was put into the trunk.”

  “And that the farmer was shot and not stabbed,” Venable said. “I know where you’re coming from, and I’m a hundred times more cynical than you are. If she’s in Doane’s pocket, why would she tell us any of that?”

  “I don’t know. It’s just too bizarre.”

  “But Margaret is very plausible. She makes you want to believe her.” He smiled. “Maybe she’s just crazy and not criminal.”

  He was right, there was something about Margaret that lifted the heart. Which was probably reason to be particularly wary of her and a sad commentary on life. “And maybe she’s both.” She was gazing at the locksmith carefully trying to jimmy the trunk with a long-needled picklock gun. The crew dragged over a pair of high-wattage work lights and trained them on the vehicle. “What’s wrong? Shouldn’t he be—” She stopped short. “It appears Margaret hit the nail on the head. There is a corpse in there.”

  Venable raised his eyebrows. “Really? And did a fish just tell you that?”

  “That’s Margaret’s racket, not mine. Can’t you smell it?”

  “Smell something that has only been dead for a day or two and submerged in fifty-five-degree water? Even if you’re right, there wouldn’t be much to smell here.”

  “The corpse will be bloated.” She took a moment to prepare herself for what was inside the trunk. Detach. Focus on the irritation she was feeling toward the skepticism that she sensed in Venable. She didn’t need to deal with that right now. “Eyes bulging, cheeks swollen, the whole nine yards. It won’t be a pretty sight.”

  Venable shrugged. “I doubt if it will be that bad already. I’ve seen water corpses before.”

  “So have I.”

  “It’s open.” The locksmith with the picklock stepped back as the trunk swung open.

  A black tarp.

  Kendra inhaled sharply.

  The scent of death was immediately in her nostrils.

  It wasn’t really shock. It was the confirmation that an innocent man’s life had been taken and his body thrown away like this. It never ceased to bring her sadness as well as anger.

  “Move the tarp,” Venable said to the forensic tech next to him. “Carefully.”

  Kendra watched as the tech gripped the edge of the tarp and peeled it back. Half a dozen flashlight beams darted toward the open compartment.

  “Holy shit.” Venable instinctively stepped back.

  Kendra’s first instinct was to close her eyes, but she made herself look at the puffy and grotesque face inside. The eyes bulged from their sockets like something from an old cartoon. His lips and cheeks had puffed to five or six times that of any normal human dimensions.

  A few minutes later, the sodden gray hair of the dead man was exposed.

  “Okay, it appears Margaret Douglas was right on the money,” Venable murmured. “The body was in the trunk. Though it could have been a guess.”

  She didn’t like the idea of Margaret’s being right, but she didn’t know whether it was because the ridiculous concept of animal communication offended her or that she didn’t want Margaret to be criminally involved with Doane. The girl was so appealing that Kendra liked her in spite of her suspicions. Get a grip. Think logically. “And the location of where the car went into the water?” Kendra asked. “How did the man die, Venable?”

  “Let’s see…” He took a step closer to the body. “It can only be a preliminary guess.” He grimaced as he looked closer. “Maybe not so much of a guess. He has a bullet hole in his temple.”

  Margaret’s prediction, again.

  “You need to talk to her,” Kendra said. “It’s too … you need to talk to her, Venable.” She took a step back away from the car. “And I need to stop thinking about Margaret Douglas and start doing what Quinn brought me here to do.” She watched as Venable motioned for the forensic team to come forward. The car was instantly surrounded by a swarm of techs.

  Venable turned toward her. “And you were right, too … How in the hell did you know the corpse would look this way?”

  “The odor. It wasn’t just normal decomposition. It’s called tissue gas. An anaerobic organism enters the body and runs amok because the immune system is no longer functioning. It results in a specific smell, accelerates decomposition, and causes the body to swell and discolor.” She pointed back to the corpse. “The marbling on his face and neck is pretty common.”

  Venable nodded. “So now you’re a forensics expert, too?”

  “No, I’ve seen—and smelled—this on a case once before, and I asked the medical examiner to explain it to me. Force of habit. I grew up asking people to explain what I was smelling, feeling, and hearing. I guess I never stopped.” Kendra backed away from the car. “I’ll stay out of everyone’s way, but I want to monitor what they’re finding and doing. Then after they finish, I want time to do my own investigation before you take the car, okay?”

  “Okay. Do you know what you’re looking for?”

  “No, how could I? I’ll just use observation, logic, hope for luck, and try to put everything I find together.” She added grimly, “But I guarantee that my findings will be a lot more solid than some feral cat’s.”

  CHAPTER

  4

  Gwinnett Hospital

  “HOW IS SHE, Joe?”

  Joe turned to see Margaret hurrying down the corridor toward him, her thongs slapping against the pristine tiles. “I don’t know. She’s still in the emergency room. I believe she’ll be okay. She’s not dying, but she’s not good. She had a 104 fever when she got here.”

  “Shit.”

  “Exactly,” he said grimly. “This must have been coming on all day, and she hid it from me. I should have noticed the signs, dammit.”

  “She hid it well. She was probably afraid that this would happen. She didn’t want anything to get in the way of her finding Eve.” She added, “And she didn’t want to get in your way and take your focus away from her.”

  “That didn’t happen. I wouldn’t have paid enough attention to Jane to get her to the hospital if Kendra hadn’t pulled me up and told me to do it.”

  “That’s right. You blew it. You can’t see anything right now but what could happen to Eve Duncan.”

  “No argument?” His lips twisted. “No soothing words?”

  “Why?” She shrugged. “It wouldn’t help anything if I lied to you. What you did was natural according to your priorities. I have to accept you as you are. Besides, I should have been the one to keep an eye on Jane. She was wounded because of me. I guess I was too busy finding out the lay of the land.”

  “Jane would say that no one is responsible for her,” Joe said. “And we’re family, and that means that I’m the one who—”

  “Kendra…” Margaret was no longer listening to him. �
��I can see that she’d notice anything wrong in her world. You were right about her, Quinn. She’s like a mountain lion on the hunt, aware of everything, tracks, spoor, sounds … Interesting.”

  “I don’t believe Kendra would appreciate your comparing her to a mountain lion. She’s very civilized.”

  “On the surface. But underneath she has a few rebel qualities.”

  “Don’t we all?”

  “Yes, but Kendra is different.” She smiled. “I think. What do I know? I was only with her for a few minutes before she told me about Jane. I’ll have to make a judgment later. I do know that she and I are very different, and I can see a little friction erupting.”

  “That’s not surprising,” Joe said dryly. “She’d have a hard time accepting anything but what her senses tell her. You’re a little hard to swallow, Margaret.”

  “I know. I’ll try to stay away from her. It shouldn’t be difficult. I’ve got to—Here comes the doctor.” Margaret took a step back away from him as the ER doctor came out of the emergency room. “I’ll let you deal with him. Please get permission for me to see Jane. I have a call to make.”

  “Right,” Joe said absently as he walked toward the doctor.

  Quinn was clearly focused on Jane for the moment, but how long would that last? Jane was still ill, and she would need someone to protect and care for her until she was better.

  Margaret couldn’t count on that being Joe Quinn no matter how much he cared for Jane. Eve was the center, and everyone else revolved around her. And if Margaret was going to do what she’d promised Jane to find Eve, then she couldn’t be at hand to care for her either. She’d have to call in someone else whom she could trust.

  Trust?

  Trust might not come into the picture with the man she was going to call. He was one of the wild ones.

  What the hell, he would at least be sure to keep Jane alive.

  It was the best she could do.

  Lake Cottage

  “IT’S ALL YOURS.” VENABLE turned toward Kendra and motioned back to the blue car. He handed her a pair of latex evidence gloves. “Go to it.”