Hunting Eve

“I could see that she has a lot of fight in her. Like Eve.”

“You’ve got that right. It’s going to be tough getting her to stay in that hospital. I halfway expected to come in this door and find her here ahead of me.”

“Not yet anyway. Did you hear about the car?”

Joe grimly nodded. “I called Venable on the way back. They’ve just notified the farmer’s family. Venable said you’d found a few other threads to go on. What were they?”

“Not much, I’m afraid. But maybe something to build on.” Kendra told him about the scrapes in the trunk and passenger compartment as well as the information provided by the radio-station presets. She showed him the area map on her iPad screen.

Joe studied it. “Mineral County, Colorado. What’s there?”

“Very little. It actually has the distinction of being one of the most remote areas in the Continental U.S. It’s on the Continental Divide. Mountains, forests, and not a whole lot of anything else.”

Joe studied it for a moment longer. “Does Venable know about this?”

She nodded. “But not about the additional stuff I found out about Mineral County. I’ve been looking it up while I sat here waiting for you. Venable is checking the area out against Doane’s known associations.”

“Good.”

Kendra picked up a page of notebook paper from the kitchen table. “I was writing you a note. I’m leaving for Colorado in just a few minutes.”

Joe stiffened. “You’re kidding, right?”

“There’s nothing left for me to do here, Qui

“For God’s sake, you haven’t even slept.”

“And how much sleep have you had since you found out Eve had been taken?” When he didn’t answer, she shrugged. “I didn’t think so. You called me because you thought I could help. And I think maybe I can. But neither of us has the luxury of sitting around and seeing which move that we make is the right one. We’re just throwing everything into the mix and hoping one of them sticks. It’s all we can do when Eve is in danger every second she’s held by that psychopath.”

Joe’s jaw clenched, and he looked away. “Do you think I don’t know that?”

“Then stop trying to protect me. I’ll sleep on the plane. I’ll start at Doane’s house in Goldfork. I assume you can arrange access for me.”

“Of course.”

“Then do it. There may be something at Doane’s house that can help us,” Kendra said. “Maybe point out a way to figure out where he’s taken Eve.”

“The CIA has searched that place several times over the years. And I guarantee you that they’ve been there almost nonstop since Doane left. They haven’t come up with anything.”

Kendra wrinkled her nose. “If I had a dollar every time a law-enforcement officer told me there was nothing more to see at a crime scene…”

“I know, I know. That’s why I wanted you part of this, Kendra. You don’t see, you experience. I just didn’t want you to waste time crisscrossing the country.”

“You all have things pretty well covered here. If it turns out to be a dead end, I’ll catch the first flight back here. Or wherever else I can help.” She smiled crookedly. “I know you won’t be shy about sending me to hell and back if there’s a chance of that.”

Joe nodded. “Thanks, Kendra.”

“But there’s something you need to know.” Kendra motioned toward a clear glass of water on the coffee table. Four tiny capsule-shaped objects rested on the bottom of the glass. Each object had a single thin wire lead protruding from the underside, almost like a long tail.

Joe stared at the glass, then gave a low curse. “Are those—”

“Listening devices. I put them in the water to neutralize them. I didn’t want to destroy them on the off chance that you could trace them. Someone bugged the house.”

Joe reached in and plucked one of the capsules from the glass. “Where?”

“Everywhere. One in the kitchen, one in the master bathroom, two in here. Doane may have used them to plan the timing of Eve’s abduction. He knew when she would be alone.”

Joe dropped down on the couch, still staring at the bug in his hand. “And if he was listening afterward, he knows exactly what we know. Every conversation we had here with the police, the FBI, the CIA…” He looked up at Kendra. “How did you find these?”

“I wouldn’t have found them if they’d been put in by a pro. Evidently Doane wasn’t as competent at this kind of thing as his son. I wasn’t even looking.”

“Then how?”

“Drywall dust. Not much, just a faint dusting. He drilled tiny cavities in the walls above three doorframes and the one wall mirror. He threaded the ante

“Including yours.”

“But I could see small traces of drywall dust on the baseboards below some of the spots where the wall had been drilled. I wondered why. I’d bet a few of these bugs were planted more recently than others, or the dust wouldn’t still be there. Maybe he decided he needed more bugs as the time approached for taking Eve.”

Joe shook his head. “We’ve had a parade of law-enforcement officers through here, and none of them wondered why.”

“Because they didn’t see it. They weren’t looking for it.”

“Neither were you,” Joe said. “But then again, you don’t take anything you see for granted.”

Kendra shrugged. “Two decades of blindness will do that to a girl. Anyway, I looked closer and found these. Venable might be able to track them through retail-sales cha

“I’ll let him know.” Joe dropped the microphone back in the glass of water. “I can’t believe it … I’m mentally replaying every conversation we’ve had in the past couple weeks. The thought of that sicko’s listening to us is—”

“That’s minor compared to the thought of his holding Eve someplace.” She checked her watch. “I should really get going.”

“Look, Kendra, about this trip to Colorado. I don’t—”

“Knock it off, Qui

“Are you finished?”

“Yes.”

“Then may I say I have no intention of talking you out of going to Colorado. I’m much too selfish. I just don’t like the idea of your going alone.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “Let me call someone to go with you.”

“Like who?”

“Some of the guys I worked with in the Atlanta PD and the FBI are now private security. I’ll hire one of them.”

“A bodyguard?” She laughed. “You want to hire me a bodyguard?”

“There’s nothing fu

“The hell there isn’t. Put your phone away. I’ll be okay.” She shook her head. “Classic Joe Qui

“Not everybody. Just the people who matter to me and Eve.”

“I’ll be fine. The last thing I need is to be traveling with some muscle-bound ex-cop.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being either an ex-cop or having muscles. Both can come in handy.”

“I’m joking. But seriously, put away your phone. I’ll be okay.”

“You’d better be. If you’re not, it may be too late for me to tell you I told you so.” Joe paused. “All right. But if you change your mind, just call. If I can’t be there myself, I’ll have someone on the next plane.”

“I’ll remember that.” Kendra stepped toward Joe and awkwardly put her hand on his arm. “You know, that kind of makes me feel special, too. Thanks, Qui