Страница 38 из 81
And he had refused to let her go. When he had said those words, she had felt helpless. It had been ridiculous to feel that powerless. He could not dominate her. She had her own will. Yet for that moment, she had felt… caught.
She shook her head as she started across the garden toward the toolshed. The sooner she sent him away and out of her life, the better. Just keeping alive was difficult enough without having to worry about controlling Caleb.
Control wasn’t even a concept he would deal with if tonight was any example. Yet he would argue that he’d shown the ultimate control. He’d been savage but not lethal. Was that control in his view?
She couldn’t spend time trying to decipher the dark nuances of Seth Caleb. The revelations of the night had been too mind-boggling to comprehend, and she was still trying to put together the pieces Lina had thrown out to them.
“I finally reached Venable.” Jock had opened the door of the toolshed and stepped outside. “He said he’d send someone to pick up Weisma
“That’s not good. Lina wants us out of here.”
“Who can blame her? She heard Weisma
“Yes, he wasn’t exactly quiet.”
“He was hurting,” Jock said. “I confess I didn’t really believe what you told me about Caleb. I’m not even sure I believe what I saw him do tonight. He’s a very dangerous man, Jane.”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m going to send him away.”
“That might not be easy.” He was silent a moment. “Tonight, all the gloves were off. When he threw Weisma
“Then it’s not a gift.”
Jock shrugged. “You’re probably right. You know that I’d rather you send him packing. I’m just saying that we may have trouble doing it.”
“Not you, Jock. I’m the one who asked him to come.” She saw he was about to argue and changed the subject. “Lina translated the last of the ledger. Close the shed door. I don’t want Weisma
“That was the only reason I agreed with Caleb that it would be better to rid ourselves of him.” Jock closed the door. “I take it that Adah had something interesting to tell us?”
“Yes, you could say that,” she said grimly. “Judas.”
RUN FAST, CALEB TOLD HIMSELF.
Keep the hunger at bay.
His blood was pounding in his veins as he ran down the hill into the small glade beside the road.
Find a reason.
Not that Jane would forgive him for being what he was no matter what reason he’d give her. But he would forgive himself, and that was enough.
No time for regret. He had jettisoned that emotion decades ago when he had realized that he could not change. He couldn’t live with regret. That was the way of hollowness and instability.
Yet he had felt a tingle of regret after he had met Jane MacGuire. Even though he had known that it would end as it had tonight.
She had looked away from him. She had not wanted him to see the dread and fear in her eyes. Fear that she refused to admit even to herself.
He had seen it, felt it.
And again, he had known regret.
Stop it. Crush it. There were ways to play the game with his own rules. He didn’t have to obey hers.
He could see Weisma
Search and find a reason.
If not a reason, an excuse, to take back the kill.
“JUDAS?” JOCK REPEATED. “The whole thing is totally bizarre.”
“I agree,” Jane said. “And we don’t know enough to make any sense of it. But we have to find out. Did you mention Alan Roland to Venable?”
He nodded. “Only that I wanted him to check into Roland. Nothing else.”
“Good. If the CIA is suspecting leaks, we don’t want to be too upfront with Venable.”
He smiled. “That’s what I thought. By the way, where is Caleb?”
“I have no idea. He stalked off without a word.” She frowned. “That’s not quite true. He wanted to question Weisma
“Why?”
“How should I know? Because he’s a damn sadist? I can’t see any-”
A scream! Long. Shrill. Agonized.
From inside the toolshed!
“What the hell!” Jock turned and threw open the door.
Weisma
“What happened to-”
“I found a good reason.”
Jane whirled to face Caleb, who was only a few paces away, walking toward them across the garden. “You did this?”
“Yes.”
Her hands clenched at her sides. “What you did to him before wasn’t enough? You had to torture him?”
“No, it wasn’t enough. He’s stronger than I thought. He didn’t tell us everything.” He looked down at Weisma
“How do you know he didn’t tell us everything? You hurt him, dammit.”
“He’s greedy. Sometimes greed overcomes everything.” He turned to Jock. “We’ve got to get out of here. We may have company anytime.”
“Who?” Jock asked. “You told us that you’d checked Weisma
“He didn’t make any calls on his cell.” He added grimly, “But he had a laptop computer in his car, and he had a remote setup there. He made a call an hour and thirty minutes ago to a number in London.”
“Roland?”
“Yes, that’s why I had to go into the slime in Weisma
She wanted to sock him. But if he was right, then she couldn’t afford to indulge in personal feelings. But there was one thing she had to know. “What about him?” She gestured to Weisma
He shrugged. “Sometimes. The brain is very delicate, and I wasn’t gentle.” He added, “Don’t feel too sorry for him. I came across all kinds of filth when I went in to see what else he knew. Besides murder, he had a passion for little boys. He tortured and killed a twelve-year-old he picked up in Genoa last year.” He turned away. “If he does survive, it will take him months to recover enough to cause us any trouble. It’s safe for us to leave him for Millet. Not safe for him. He’s just got to hope Venable gets here before Millet.” He walked out of the toolshed.
Caleb had already dismissed Weisma