Hunting Eve

“Then Doane is definitely not holding Eve at that safe house?”

“No way. But we don’t know where he is holding her. Eve managed to make a call to me, but it was broken off before it made the final co

“You mentioned a grave where one of Venable’s agents was buried?”

“You can check it out, but forensics has already gone over it pretty thoroughly.” He looked out at the lake. “But I really want you to get a look at that car when they bring it up. I want to know why Doane drove it into the lake.”

“You said that there might be a corpse in it. Isn’t that what your informant told you?”

“Informant?” Jane repeated. “Oh, Margaret.”

“Who’s Margaret?” Kendra asked. “And how did she know that—”

“She didn’t,” Joe said. “Not definitely. But a body is a hell of a lot easier to dispose of than a car. Why get rid of the car?”

“Who’s Margaret?” Kendra asked again.

“A friend.” Joe stiffened as his gaze narrowed on the crane at the bank. “They’re getting ready to lift. Come on, Kendra. Let’s go and watch them bring it up.” He started down the stairs. “Jane, you stay here. You’ve been doing too much today. You don’t need to be walking halfway around the lake.”

“The hell I will,” Jane said.

Kendra shook her head as she started down the steps after Joe. “You can’t help. All you could do is watch. Save your strength for the big push. Eve told me you were smart. Now prove it.”

Jane hesitated. “Dammit, I wish you were wrong.” She wearily dropped down on the porch swing. “I’ll wait here. You come back and tell me what’s happening.”

“I will.” Kendra hurried down the steps after Joe. A moment later, they were yards from the cottage. She stopped as they reached the shadow of a huge pine. “Go back to her, Qui

“What?”

“She’s not good. She wanted to come with us. There has to be a good reason why she stayed behind.”

“She was shot a couple days ago. Naturally, she’s not a hundred percent.”

“I’d say she’s way under fifty percent. She’s in a lot of pain.”

“She hasn’t said anything to me.”

“Would she?”

Joe cursed. “Probably not. She left the hospital before she was due to be released, and she won’t rest. She must be pretty bad if you noticed—what am I saying? You’d know before anyone else.”

“It’s pretty obvious. She was trying not to show it, but I could hear it in her breathing and see it in her footsteps. When she was leaning against the porch rail, she needed that support.” She paused. “And I could smell it.”

“Smell it?”

“The infection. It has its own scent. Ask any nurse. That wound is festering. I’d bet she’s burning with fever. Go back to her. Take her to the hospital and get her some help.”

“I’m going.” He turned on his heel. “Stubborn. So damn stubborn. Why wouldn’t she tell me?”

“It’s probably your fault. You and Eve raised her. You’d probably behave in the same way.”

“Are you coming with me?”

“No, I’m a stranger. Jane wouldn’t like me to see her when she’s weak. I’ll go down and take a look at that car they’re raising from the lake.” She started down the path around the lake. “I’ll call you if I find out anything.”

“You’d better,” he said grimly as he took the porch steps two at a time. “Venable’s down there ru

“I’d rather not have a CIA man hovering over me.”

“Too bad. We’re all in this together.” His voice was harsh with frustration. “I keep going down blind alleys. I’ve got to find a way to get to Eve.”

Vancouver

ZANDER SHRUGGED OUT of his jacket as he let himself back into the library after spending two hours working out at the gym. He should be feeling tired, but he was not. He was alert, revved, every sense alive.

He didn’t turn on the lights as he crossed the room to the desk. There was moonlight, and that was usually enough for him. He had trained his eyes to crystal sharpness over the years, and he kept them that way through constant practice. The gadgets and infrared glasses were all very well, but there was always that time when you didn’t have them. Then natural weapons always prevailed.

He dropped down in the executive chair and stared down at the Duncan dossier.

Are you still alive, Eve Duncan?

And why should I care? I gave up the luxury of emotion years ago. Or it could be that it gave me up.

Perhaps he didn’t care. He had dealt with death since he was a young man and knew to become involved was to open himself to defeat. At times he believed that defeat would be welcome, but he still had a keen sense of self-preservation and enjoyed some aspects of the life he’d carved out for himself. If he died, it would be his choice and not that of Doane.

Maybe what he was feeling was distaste at the idea of Doane’s entering his space, not rejection at the possibility of his killing Eve Duncan.

Whatever it was that was moving him, he didn’t like it.

Then face it and get rid of it. The worse thing that could happen was to sit around and think about Doane. He wasn’t worth it.

He reached for his phone and quickly dialed Donald Weiner, his telecommunications expert. “Do you have it?”

“Zander?” Then the sleepiness left Weiner’s voice. “Yeah, I think so. I wasn’t sure that you still wanted it when you didn’t call me back.”

“I wasn’t sure either. I’m sure now. Have you traced Doane’s call or not?”

“It wasn’t that easy. He didn’t stay on the line that long and he had it bouncing off satellites and—”

“He stayed on longer than he should have to be safe. I thought at the time that he might have wanted to lure me to wherever he is. Besides, you’re a genius. If I’d wanted excuses and easy, I’d have hired someone from a Geek desk at BestBuy to bug my phone.”

“I wish you had.”

“Don’t worry. You didn’t hear anything incriminating that would make me nervous in that conversation.” That call when Doane had phoned, spitting venom and threats and put Eve Duncan on the phone, had been more incriminating to Doane than to him, and Weiner was too afraid of him to be a threat. When Venable had told Zander that Doane was on the move, Zander had known that Doane might call him and taken precautions.

“I didn’t really listen to it,” Weiner said. “I just started tracking the signal.”

“Liar.”

“Okay, maybe a little. But I’m not stupid, I hear lots of stuff in my business, and I destroy the records as soon as I finish with them. You can trust me.”

“I don’t have to trust you. All I have to do is pay you; and then you give me the information. Where is Doane?”

“Somewhere in southern Colorado. Wild mountain area. I couldn’t zero in on the exact location, but I’ve got the tower.”

“Map it and send it to my cell phone. Now.” He hung up and leaned back in the chair.

Colorado. Mountain area.

Even if he had a start, it wouldn’t be an easy hunt.

He had done his own research on Doane and his son five years ago, when Venable had snatched Doane away and stuffed him in that safe house. Doane was a hunter and very good at it. Zander couldn’t see him exposing Eve to wild conditions when she was doing the reconstruction on Kevin, but it was possible. First, he’d check out houses and businesses in the area, then start doing some tracking himself.

He flipped open the dossier and looked down at the photo of Eve. The moonlight only revealed a dark shimmer of an image, but he found he didn’t need any more. He knew her face by now. He had looked at it, studied it, thought about it for the last few days. Maybe, for the last five years. Why? Who the hell knew? He had thought he knew himself very well, but he couldn’t deny he’d been drawn, fascinated, by the idea of Eve Duncan.

“It’s not for you,” he whispered. “I have my own reasons for going after Doane. I wouldn’t do it for you.”