THE CABIN WAS SMALL, ONLY a bedroom, living-kitchen combination, and a tiny bathroom.
“Nothing fancy.” John put their bags down inside the door. “I don’t entertain here. I’ll get the broom out of the closet and sweep up after I make a pot of coffee.”
“I’ll sweep.” The place could use it. It didn’t appear neglected, but the dust was a fine film on the floor. “How long has it been since you were here?”
“I don’t remember. A year?” He was at the cabinet getting down a can of coffee. The vacuum hissed as he opened it. “When I used to come up here with my uncle, he made sure I cleaned the place up before we spent even an hour here. He hated dirt. That was his military training.”
“I remember him as being a very kind man. He loved you.”
“Yes.” He put the coffeepot on the burner. “And I loved him.”
She opened the door and swept the dust outside. The clean air rushed in and made the interior smell of pine and earth. She paused a moment to look out at the incredible beauty of the blue lake. “I can see why you liked it as a boy. It’s night and day from the stink of the projects. I would have loved it here.”
“Sorry. You wouldn’t have been invited. It was strictly a man-to-man outing. No girls allowed.”
She smiled. “Chauvinist.”
He smiled back at her. “Well, maybe we would have let you come. You’re not the usual female. You’d have held up your end.”
“You’re darned right.” She put the broom back in the closet. “I was planning on taking Bonnie camping, but I had school and was too busy.” Her smile faded. “Sometimes life goes by too fast, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“And then it’s gone.”
“Sit down.” He got down two cups and was washing them at the sink. “Bonnie didn’t miss what she’d never known. You gave her a great life.” He set the cup in front of her. “Maybe the next time around, we’ll be able to do it all.”
“Do you believe there’s a next time?”
“Why not? Millions of people believe in reincarnation. I believe in hope. I believe good people like Bonnie and you deserve a second chance.” He poured coffee in her cup. “And I believe that even not-so-good people like me might have a chance to work it out.”
She could feel her throat tighten with emotion. “I believe in hope, too. I’m still working on everything else.” She took a drink of the coffee. “It’s difficult when I want so badly to have Bonnie given a second chance. I ask if I’m fooling myself.”
He shook his head. “You always were a complete realist. So was I. But in that prison, I found that reality faded and was only as true as I believed it to be. And dreams could be far more authentic than any reality.” He lifted his cup. “And they called me mad. But madness can make life bearable, Eve.”
“You’re not mad, John.”
“You haven’t seen me fall from grace. Not really. Tell me that after you have.” He looked out the window. “The sun is going down. It will start getting chilly. I’ll make a fire as soon as I call Queen.” He took another swallow of coffee and pushed back his chair. “Which will be right now.” He took out his phone and put it on speaker. “Let’s get it over with.” He dialed the number. “Then we can get the stench off us by taking a walk down by the lake.”
Queen answered after the third ring. “Gallo? Where are you?”
“What an absurd question. Do you really think that I would tell you? As I recall, you sicced your dogs on me and burned my place to the ground.”
“That was a misunderstanding. I merely wanted to stop you from making a mistake. Taking Eve Duncan could have been a terrible disaster for both of us. You were much too impulsive.”
“No more lies.” John’s voice was terse. “I know what Black did to Judy Clark and her mother. It’s not your style. You called him in to find out where I was. And you let him take the kid.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I told you I’d find him for you.”
“And you did, in Samoa. But I think you screwed up, and now he’s pulling the strings. But you must have some control of him, or you wouldn’t be furnishing him with information.”
“This is all guesswork.”
“Good guesses, logical guesses. This is the end of the story, Queen. Stop bullshitting me and let’s get down to cases. I’m expecting Black to contact me at any time and offer to trade Cara Clark for your ledger.”
He was silent. “I had nothing to do with him taking the kid. You know that Black can’t be controlled.”
“But you made a deal to put him on my trail.”
Another silence. “I didn’t like to be at your beck and call. I want that ledger. You’ve been holding it over my head too long. You should have expected it.”
“Oh, I did. But I didn’t expect him to murder and take a six-year-old to do it. You know as well as I do that he’ll kill that little girl. You’ve got to stop him.”
“I told him not to do it. I said it would be a mistake.”
“That’s not strong enough. You brought him down on Judy Clark’s family. Now you’ve got to do what you can to stop the damage.”
“You should have given me the ledger. None of this would have happened.”
“You want the ledger? I have it with me now. It’s within reach of my hand. But the moment Black kills that little girl, it will go to the Washington Post, and they’ll spread it all over their paper. It won’t be long until you’ll be toted off to a federal prison.”
“Wait. Give the ledger to Black. That would solve everything.”
“He’ll still kill the kid. No, you have to stop him. I want you to come personally and meet with him. I don’t care what you do to convince him, but do it.”
“I’ll call him and try to-”
“Meet him. Face-to-face. Are you frightened, Queen? Is Black too much for you?”
“I’m not scared.” Queen hesitated. “You’ll give me the ledger?”
“When this is over, I won’t give a damn about the ledger. But if Black kills that kid, then I’ll blow you out of the water, Queen. Get here and get here fast. I want you to run interference and get me that kid.”
“I could try to do it,” Queen said cautiously. “Though it would be better to-”
“Catch the first flight to Milwaukee. I’m sending you a photo of the ledger so that you’ll know I have it in my immediate possession.”
“It’s reasonable that you’d give me the ledger,” Queen said thoughtfully. “After all, you’ll find a way to get Black, and that’s what you’ve always wanted.”
“Very reasonable. Now get your ass here as soon as possible.” He hung up.
“He’s going to come,” Eve said.
John nodded. “Why not? It’s so ‘reasonable.’” He stood up. “Let’s go for that walk. I need to cool down.”
But he didn’t seem nearly as angry as he had after he’d heard about the attack on Judy Clark and her family. He was tense, not on the edge of explosion.
She fell into step with him as he strode down the lake path. “Will Queen be able to do anything with Black?”
“I doubt it. Black doesn’t pay any attention to anything but what he wants to do. But Queen may be able to run interference or cause a distraction.”
“That’s why you wanted him here?”
“No, I wanted him here because we’re coming to the end of the road, and I wanted him where I could reach out and take him.”
Her gaze flew to his face. “You’re going to kill him?”
“You don’t think he deserves it? Let’s go over the list. He sent me into that prison and let me rot there. Suicide missions. Protecting Black from being caught and tried for dozens of murders. He gave Black the address where he could find Judy Clark and her little girl.”
“I’m not arguing that he may deserve it. He’s committed terrible crimes, and he seems to have no conscience.” She looked out at the lake. “I’d just rather he be used to save Cara Clark if possible.”
“I’ll try to let him have his chance… first.”
But he would not change his mind about Queen’s death, she realized. And she was not sure she wanted him to. Queen was not the same brand of monster as Paul Black, but he was a monster just the same. “So we just wait for a call from Paul Black. I’d have thought he’d have contacted us already.”
“Black is unpredictable. He enjoys dragging out his kills. He’s probably enjoying himself right now.”
“You think he’s killed that little girl already?”
“If he decided it’s worth it to him to get Queen’s ledger, then he’ll keep her alive… until he gets it.”
And after that she was dead and thrown away like his other victims.
Like Bonnie.
“We’ve got to get her away from him.”
“Yes.” He had reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. He looked up a number and dialed.
“Who are you calling?”
“St. Louis County Hospital. I want to check on Judy. It would be nice if we could be sure that little girl will still have a mother if we can save her.”
Eve listened as he talked to the hospital authorities. When he hung up, she asked, “She’s still alive?”
He nodded. “But they wouldn’t give me any details. Hospitals are careful who they give information to these days. If there’s any chance to live, Judy will grab it. She’s always been a fighter.”
“And she’ll want to live for her daughter. She made Catherine promise to save her.”
John nodded. “Completely unfair to your friend, but that’s how the ruthless maternal streak works. You’d understand and empathize.”
“Absolutely.” She glanced at him. “And it is ruthless. I may be able to think rationally about Queen, but Paul Black is a different matter. I have to find Bonnie, and I have to kill her murderer. There’s no question about it.” She looked back at the lake and suddenly shivered. The water looked cold, the entire forest appeared silent and without warmth or life. Was it because she was thinking of death? Or was it some kind of harbinger of things to come?
“Are you cold?”
“A little.” She turned back to the cabin. “The sun is down. It’s time we went back.”
“You go on.” He leaned back against a tall pine. “I’ll stay here for a while. I’ll watch you until you get inside the cabin.”
She didn’t argue. She had an uneasy feeling that… it was almost as if she was being watched. But there could be no one watching in this very private sanctuary.
She glanced back over her shoulder to see John still leaning against the tree beside the lake. His gaze was on her, but there was a remoteness about him that was as chilling as everything surrounding him.
She was glad to get inside the cabin and slam the door. Imagination. They were getting close to Bonnie’s murderer, and Eve’s nerves were raw and on edge. It was no wonder that she wasn’t thinking with any degree of clarity.
The remedy was to get her mind working on a real problem and solution.
Catherine. She still had to call Catherine.
She reached for her phone and quickly dialed.
“I’m in Milwaukee. I just got off the plane from St. Louis,” Catherine said, when she picked up the call. “Where are you? Still at the Marriott?”
“No, we’re at a cabin in the woods about seventy miles from the city.” She paused. “Queen should be on his way to Milwaukee. John told him that he’d give him a ledger he desperately wants if he could get Black to release Cara Clark.”
“Fat chance. I saw what he did to that kid’s mother and grandmother. He likes what he does. I can’t see him giving up another kill because Queen wants him to do it.”
“Neither does John. But he’s hoping for a distraction.”
“And I’m thinking Queen will go for a double cross,” Catherine said. “But we might be able to use that, too.”
“Listen, Catherine, I know you have a stake in finding Black, too. But you can’t kill him until I can talk to him. I have to be certain he killed Bonnie. I have to know what happened and where I can find her.”
“It’s going to be hard to remember that when I think about that kid, Cara, watching what Black did to her mother. But I promise I won’t do anything that will hurt you, Eve. How is Queen arriving? Military or commercial?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m thinking commercial. He’s crooked, and he tries to keep MI from knowing anything about his less legal moves. I believe I’ll stick around here at the airport and see if I can spot Queen.”
“And then what?”
“I’ll play it by ear.” She paused. “I just called the hospital. Judy Clark is out of ICU. They think she’ll make it.”
“Wonderful. John called and inquired, but they wouldn’t tell him anything.”
“It’s a murder case. They probably weren’t sure that he wasn’t checking to see if he had to go to the hospital and finish the job. It’s a cynical world.”
“And you were just as doubtful about him.”
“Not anymore. Not about this murder. But that doesn’t mean I’m convinced he’s one of the good guys. A good guy doesn’t dope you and lug you to his lair in Utah.” She went on before Eve could answer. “I’ll call you if I find out anything interesting. Have you talked to Joe?”
“No.”
“Neither have I lately. He called once, and I ignored it, so that I wouldn’t have to lie to him. But you will hear from him. Joe isn’t going to let you fall off the face of the earth. Particularly since he knows Black is surfacing.”
“I’m hoping that it will all be over before-”
“Don’t fool yourself.” Catherine hung up.
Eve wasn’t about to deceive herself that she had anything but the smallest chance of keeping Joe away from the danger to come. Yet she had to take that chance. Her world was chaos, and she had to keep Joe away from it.
She went to the window and gazed out. It was nearly dark, and John was a dark shadow against the paler gray shadow of the lake. He was very still. His head lifted, as if he was listening.
What was he hearing?
Sounds of the forest?
Voices?
Did you hear voices, John Gallo?
And she must still doubt his sanity if she thought that there was a possibility that he did.
And what voices?
The voices of men you’ve killed?
Bonnie’s voice?
He was straightening, turning away, coming back to the cabin.
She whirled away from the window, feeling a bolt of panic, as if caught intruding. She went to the stove and put on the coffeepot.
But the question stayed with her.
Bonnie’s voice?
CATHERINE DIALED VENABLE AS soon as she hung up from Eve. “I have to know when Queen is arriving in Milwaukee,” she said curtly. “He’s probably on commercial. Can you get it for me right away?”
“Your wish is my command,” Venable said sarcastically. “You do know that the St. Louis police have been making inquiries about you? They want to know if you might have turned rogue.”
“It was Paul Black. But Queen is up to his eyebrows in this shit. I have to get that kid away from Black. Can you get me the info on Queen?”
“I’ll get it. Anything else?”
“Equipment. Active-infrared night-vision glasses. Guns. I couldn’t take mine on the plane.” She had another thought. “The latest version of Celltec our people have managed to develop. Deliver it to me at the Milwaukee airport right away.”
“And how do you know I have contacts in Milwaukee?”
“You have contacts everywhere.”
He swore beneath his breath. “You’ll have them.” He hung up.
And he would deliver as promised. Venable didn’t like the idea of the kid being taken. He wasn’t a bad guy if his duty didn’t get in the way of his sense of right and wrong. Duty always won hands down in that case. She had learned that through bitter experience.
But he’d come through this time.
She turned and headed for the bar in the terminal to wait for Venable to call her back.
“HE’S ON DELTA 105 AND SHOULD be arriving at eight fifteen,” Venable said. “Did you get your equipment?”
“Delivered thirty minutes ago. Very prompt, Venable.”
“Thank you. I always like to please you. It was hard as hell to get my hands on that Celltec.” He paused. “Be careful, Catherine.”
“Queen should be no problem.”
“He can recognize you. You’re very memorable.”
“I’ll stay out of his sight. That’s why you got me the latest version of Celltec. I can tap into any of his calls from halfway across the airport.”
“See that you do.” He hung up.
Catherine checked her watch. Thirty minutes before Queen’s flight arrival. Time to position herself and get ready.
And hope Queen called Paul Black as soon as he reached the terminal. Otherwise it might get very dicey if she had to follow him to another location.
PAUL BLACK WAS REFUSING to answer his phone, dammit.
The bastard always tries to dominate me, Queen thought. He could imagine Black sitting there smiling as he let the phone ring.
Queen stopped at the baggage claim and dialed again.
That time it rang four times, but Black finally answered.
“I told you I was handling this,” Black said. “I don’t want you whining at me about the kid. We’re getting along just fine, aren’t we, Cara? She understands the rules now.”
“I’m not going to argue with you about her any longer. There’s so much publicity that you can’t let her live. It would be too awkward. Just be sure that she totally disappears. Where are you?”
“Just outside Milwaukee.”
“Gallo and Duncan aren’t at the Marriott any longer.”
“I didn’t believe they’d stay there for long. But I have you to tell me where they are, don’t I? Why do you think I answered your call?”
“You didn’t answer the first call,” Queen said sourly.
“Where are they?”
“I don’t know. I have to find out. Gallo knows about what happened in St. Louis. He thinks you’re going to try to use the kid.”
“Because he’s a very smart man. Is Duncan still with him?”
“Yes.”
“Then that will make it easier. She reportedly has a soft heart where children are concerned.”
“And a very hard heart where you’re concerned. She’s sure you killed her daughter.”
“Is she? Then that will be a double reason for her to lose her perspective when we start negotiating.”
Queen hesitated. “Gallo is pressuring me to become involved. He wants me to persuade you to give up Cara Clark.”
Black laughed. “Good God. He doesn’t realize what he’s asking, does he? He believes I’ll listen to you?”
Queen could feel anger flush his cheeks with heat at the sheer arrogance of the words. “He knows I hire you. It would be natural to think that you have respect for my opinion.”
Black ignored his answer. “And what did you tell him? That you have no influence on me?”
“No, I thought that we might find a way to trap him. I just arrived at the Milwaukee airport, and I hoped we could work together to get the ledger.” He paused. “You do remember that the ledger is the primary goal in this exercise, Black. Everything else is of minor importance.”
“He’ll give me the ledger to keep me from killing the little girl.”
And Gallo would have no more trust in Black’s restraint than Queen did. They both knew his word was without value. “You make the first contact, then let’s discuss it. I can find a way to lead Gallo and Duncan to you. Then we need to get the job done quickly.”
Black was silent. “I’ll consider it.” He added, “I’m not sure that I want to get out quickly. I promised myself some fine hunting. Cara would be disappointed.”
Queen stifled his impatience. Black had to be handled carefully or Queen would never get his hands on the ledger. “Just get me the ledger, and you can do all the hunting you want to do. But you’ll have more time to play with the kid if we take care of Gallo and Duncan first. And I can help you with them. You can see that, can’t you?”
“If you don’t get in my way.”
“It will be your rules. Just make the contact. I’ll be standing by.”
“I’ll let you know.” Black hung up.
Queen felt a surge of fierce satisfaction as he shoved his phone in his pocket. He had made progress. Once Black thought about it, he would probably agree to let Queen become part of his plans. Black was clearly more interested in the processing of his precious kills than anything else. Once involved, Queen could make the move to assume control.
He picked up his carry-on and moved toward the entrance to pick up his rental car.
“THERE’S SOME CANNED BEEF stew in the cupboard,” John said as he opened the door. “We might as well eat something.”
“I’m not-” But she was hungry, she realized. They hadn’t eaten all day. They had even missed the breakfast John had ordered that morning at the hotel. “Why not? You heat it, and I’ll wash some bowls to serve it.”
He nodded and headed for the cabinets. “That sounds like a plan.”
It was strange yet oddly comfortable working with John to prepare the simple meal. The momentary uneasiness she’d experienced earlier was gradually disappearing. But the curiosity remained, and she yielded to it when they were almost finished eating.
“I was watching you before you came back to the cabin.” She didn’t look at him as she spooned up the last of the stew in her bowl. “You looked as if you were listening to something. Were you communing with nature?”
“Nothing so spiritual. My uncle taught me to identify the sounds of the forest. He said someday it could keep me alive. I was concentrating and seeing how much I remembered.” He was studying her expression. “You looked a little spooked when I came into the cabin. What did you think I was doing?” He nodded slowly. “You’re not sure of me. What was your first thought?”
She hesitated and then said honestly, “Voices.”
His brows rose. “Schizophrenia?”
“You said you had delusions in the hospital.”
“But not lately. I like to believe I’m on the up path.”
“Yet you told me the first time you called me that you had moments of instability.”
“And I do.” He smiled faintly. “Did I really appear to be listening to voices? Who did you suppose was whispering in my ear? An angel or the devil? No, I’ve never heard either entity singing to me in this forest.”
“Nor anywhere else?”
His eyes narrowed on her face. “Why are you being so persistent?”
Say it. Don’t back down. “I was wondering if… Bonnie.”
“You thought that I was imagining I heard Bonnie’s voice? A voice from the dead?” He shook his head. “I’m not that crazy, Eve.”
“Crazy? I know someone who would argue that with you.” She tried to smile. “My friend, Megan, hears voices from the dead, and she’s one of the sanest people I know.”
“You believe her?”
“Sometimes it’s difficult not to believe her. Though I was more skeptical than you in the beginning.” She picked up her coffee cup. “But now I believe that there are many things out there that defy understanding or reality itself. You experienced one in that prison when Bonnie came to you.”
“What are you getting at?”
“You told me that you’d dreamed of Bonnie even after she was killed. How many times?”
He stiffened. “Not often.”
“Did the dreams come when you were in the depths of despair? When you desperately needed someone, something?”
He was silent, then slowly nodded. “Yes.”
“And what kind of dreams, John? Was she so real that you felt as if you could reach out and touch her? After they were over, did you feel a sense of peace?”
“God, yes,” he said hoarsely. “Bonnie was- Why are you asking me these questions?”
“Why do you think?” She met his gaze. “How do you think I survived after she died?”
“You dreamed of Bonnie?”
“I dreamed, I hallucinated, I had fantasies. I told myself I was doing all of those things in the beginning. I didn’t care. I had my daughter again. Then, gradually, I began to believe her when she told me that she was not a dream.” She smiled as she lifted her cup to her lips. “So if that’s crazy, then you’re not alone in your moments of madness, John.”
He didn’t speak for a moment. “This wasn’t easy for you. It leaves you a little vulnerable. Why did you tell me?”
“The same reason that I told you all about Bonnie from the day of her birth. I felt perhaps I owed it to you.” She shook her head. “And to let you know that if you begin to think that visits from Bonnie are a sign of craziness, then at least you’re not alone in that particular madness. We share it.”
“And another experience that draws us together. As I said, if you’re trying to distance yourself from me, then it’s going to be more difficult.”
“I’ll worry about that later.” She gave him a level glance. “I’m very confused about how I feel about you, John. There are times when I’m suspicious as hell and wonder if you’re the best con man on the planet. There are other times when I believe you’re as crazy as Joe and Catherine told me and could be a Mr. Hyde waiting to strike. But I have to rely on my instincts where Bonnie is concerned. I believe you loved her.”
He inclined his head. “And so you’re willing to take a chance on me.”
“Yes, because I believe she must love you, too.”
His head jerked back as if she’d struck him. “I wasn’t expecting that. I don’t deserve her to feel anything for me. I wasn’t there for her.”
“Maybe it doesn’t matter to her.”
“It has to matter.” His voice was suddenly rough. “It matters to me.” He pushed back his chair and strode over to the front door and threw it open. He stood framed in the doorway, his legs parted, the moonlight glinting on his dark hair, gazing out into the darkness. “I’ve had enough talk about Bonnie, and voices, and things that go bump in the night. All I want to think about is getting Paul Black and killing the son of a bitch. Why doesn’t he call?”
Eve could see the barely contained violence in every muscle of his body. Yes, it did matter, and the guilt and blame he felt must be a constant thorn. She stood up and started to stack the dishes. “You can’t want it any more than I do. But I guess I’m more accustomed to things that go bump in the night than you are.” She carried the dishes over to the sink. “I’ve gotten to expect it.”
He glanced back over his shoulder. “Yet you were always the complete realist as a young girl.”
“I still am a realist.” She smiled. “I just accept that no one can be sure of just what reality is. Your reality may not be mine… or Bonnie’s.” She changed the subject. “I’ll wash these dishes, you dry. Okay?”
“Okay.” He turned to face her. “I guess you’re aware you scared me a little.”
“I know. You’ll get used to it.” She started the water running. “Bonnie will help.”
He smiled. “Oh, and what-”
His cell phone rang.
Eve stiffened, her eyes flying to where he was standing.
John was tense, too, but he shrugged as he checked the ID. “I don’t recognize it.” But he put it on speaker anyway. “Gallo.”
“It’s been a long time.” The voice was deep and faintly mocking. “And we scarcely exchanged anything but a few words. Do you recognize my voice, Gallo?”
“Black?” Gallo asked curtly. “I could hardly forget you since you tried to kill me the first time I saw you. If you hadn’t been an incompetent, I would have been a dead man.”
“I wasn’t prepared for you.” The mockery was gone, replaced by venom. “It was Queen’s fault that I blundered. He should have told me that you were some kind of freak of nature. I knew I’d gotten my knife in you, but I couldn’t stop you. It was his fault that I ended up with my guts spilling out of me. I’ve never forgiven him for that.” He paused. “Nor you, Gallo. It’s been a constant twisting fire inside me that I couldn’t move on you.”
“You moved on me.”
“The little Bonnie? Yes, I did, didn’t I? And that was very satisfying, but it’s not like being able to get at you face-to-face.”
“Then why didn’t you do it, you son of a bitch?” John asked harshly. “Why not come after me instead of a helpless seven-year-old?”
“One takes pleasure where one can. I was… hesitant about confronting you at the time. No one had ever taken me down before. I was faced with the possibility of my own mortality. I found I had to rebuild my confidence. Now, of course, I realize that you were no real threat. I would have killed you years ago if Queen hadn’t kept me away from you because he was afraid that ledger would get in the wrong hands.”
“Then if I’m no threat, come and get me.”
“But there’s the question of little Cara Clark. It’s not that simple any longer.”
“You’re using her as an excuse as you did Bonnie. Threaten a kid because you don’t have the nerve to go after me. Did Queen tell you that you needed a negotiating tool for the ledger?”
“No, the little girl was my idea. I like to deal with children.”
Eve’s hands closed into fists at her sides at the smug satisfaction in his voice.
“I thought that Cara could possibly be a good bargaining chip. You might have expended all your sentiment on your little girl. Such a tragic loss. But you’d recently reestablished a connection with Bonnie’s mother, who has a reputation for embracing all lost children. Is she there with you, listening?”
“Yes,” Eve said. “Is Cara Clark still alive?”
“Oh, yes. She’s right here on my lap. She’s a little stiff. She won’t cuddle with me. I think that I scare her. What do you think?”
The horror of that little girl being forced that close to Black made her sick. “I think you should let her go.”
“That’s my intention. But not just yet.”
“When?”
“After we get together. Now to business. Gallo, you’ve been talking with Queen and trying to get him to persuade me to let my pretty Cara go.”
“Have I?”
“Yes, and I imagine that you’re trying to get him to set a trap for me. Is that true?”
“You mean Queen didn’t tell you that, too?”
“No, he probably isn’t sure which one he’s going to betray. Right now, you’re top of the list. You must have realized that you couldn’t trust him. Why did you decide to draw him in?”
“Like you, I recognize the end of the game. I want Queen dead. I don’t care whether I do it or you have the pleasure.”
Black chuckled. “But that’s exactly how I feel. We’re so much alike, Gallo.”
“I’d cut my throat if I thought that was true.”
“But Queen tells me that you don’t know what is true or not. Think about it. We’ve both been killers. You under the guise of patriotism and good of the country. While I’m much more frank and totally without self-deception. I enjoy it. Perhaps if you let yourself explore what you really are, then it might surprise you to look into the mirror.” He paused. “Because you might see me.”
“That’s a lie,” Eve said. “There’s no one like you. There couldn’t be. You’re a monster.”
“You’re defending him.” Black chuckled. “He’s lured you back to him, hasn’t he? Would you like me to tell you a few things about him that would make you bolt in panic? You’ve never seen him when he loses control. It would frighten you. I saw him. I watched him do things that would completely destroy any tender feelings you might have for him. Ask me anything.”
“I want to know where Cara Clark is right now and what we can do to get you to release her.”
“Oh, very well. I suppose we should get back to the more boring details. Gallo, you want your chance to get the kid… and me. I want my chance to get you, Queen, and the ledger.”
“If you kill Queen, the ledger won’t be of value to you.”
“Wrong. I can use the contacts in it, and there’s always the North Korean general from whom you stole it. It won’t be as useful as if I had it to hold over Queen, but some sacrifices are necessary. Queen sent a totally inept assassin to kill me in Samoa. I regard that as an end to our relationship.” He paused. “Queen told me you were at a cabin in the woods. Is it totally private acreage? I believe you’ll agree that we can’t have any interference.”
“It’s very private.”
“Then we might as well use that site. I like the idea of wild terrain and deep woods. It fits in with my plans. Naturally, I’ll scout the area to make sure that I have every advantage. When I’ve made a definite decision, I’ll contact you again. Give me the directions to the acreage.”
Gallo quickly gave him the directions.
“And we’re supposed to sit here and wait?” Eve asked.
“No, I don’t imagine Gallo will be sitting and waiting. The cabin would be too easy a target. I’ll let you know when the game will start.” He paused. “But if I see any sign of police or FBI in the area, I won’t wait for the game. I’ll kill the kid immediately and bury her so deep, you’ll never be able to find her.”
“I want to talk to her,” Eve said. “How do we know that you haven’t already killed her?”
“Because I’m not a fool. Come talk to the nice lady, Cara.”
“Hello.” The child’s voice was a wisp of sound. “What should I say? Can you stop him from hurting me?”
“Yes.” She hoped she was telling the truth. “It will just take a little while. Don’t fight him, Cara.”
“He… hurt my mama.”
“I know, baby. But your mama is going to get well. We just have to get you back to her.”
“Her mother survived?” Black was back on the phone. “She must have a great deal of stamina. I was planning on her living long enough to send a message, then fading away. That goes to show you that you can never be certain if you delay the kill. I may have to go back and do it again.”
Eve could hear the child sobbing. “Shut up. She doesn’t have to hear that.”
“But it pleases me. It’s always interesting to see how far I can take it before they break. In this case, she’s no real challenge. Not like her mother. Judy Clark fought me all the way until I pinned her to the table. So don’t tell me not to prod the little darling. I have to stir some life into her.” He hung up.
Eve drew a shaky breath. “And how is he going to do that stirring?”
“It’s better not to think about it. Maybe if he’s eager to get on with the game, he’ll get on the move and forget about her.”
Eve could only hope he was right. The sound of the little girl’s weeping was enough to break her heart.
“He said he’d tell me anything, and I didn’t ask anything about Bonnie. All I could think about was Cara.” She shook her head. “All these years of hunting, and I didn’t ask that question.”
“Because you were concerned about life, not death.”
She nodded. “And I think I know one answer anyway. All the signs are pointing at Black. I can wait for a little while to be certain.”
But not for too long, she thought. All the agony and searching that had torn her life apart was at last coming to an end. Soon she would come face-to-face with the man who had killed her daughter. Soon she would be able to bring Bonnie home. The realization was stunning.
She asked unsteadily, “So what do we do now?”
“We get the tent and sleeping bags from the cellar and leave the cabin as soon as possible. Black is right; it’s an easy target. We’ll keep on the move while Black does his reconnoitering. We have to keep one step ahead of him until he gets back to us.” He strode toward the door in the back of the room. “And while we’re doing it, I’ll teach you everything I can squeeze into the time we have about how to get around in my woods.”
His movements were alert, swift, almost electrified. He was charged by the battle to come.
She realized she was feeling that same sense of vigor and grim anticipation. How could it be otherwise?
The waiting years were almost at an end.