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“Because you have such a fantastic memory and can put everything together and come out with dazzling answers?” Margaret asked. “And I’m just a kid who you don’t trust to remember how to tie the laces on her own te
“Yes.”
“Then pull over and let me drive. We’ll take turns at the wheel while the other one sleeps. Not that you’ll sleep right now. You can do the first read of the journal.” She smiled. “I don’t mind your being the dazzling one. Though I should tell you that I probably have a better memory than you do. You were trained by your blindness. I was trained by having to remember obscure trails and animals and having to put all of the signs together during very distracting circumstances. Often when I was on the run. Ever been chased by a bull moose?”
“No.” Kendra pulled over to the side of the road. “I’ve never had that privilege. I’m not looking forward to it in the future.” She smiled faintly. “And you almost had me convinced how superior you might be until I remembered what you said about my not thinking you could remember to tie the laces on your te
“Oops.” Margaret gazed ruefully down at her feet. “I meant to change. I just didn’t seem to have the time. Things were happening.”
“I’m sure they were.” Explosions and bullets flying and Margaret keeping calm and steady through it all. “But you have time now. Get those te
“Good idea.” She reached into the backseat. “Thanks for reminding me.”
No resentment. Someone else might have been a little a
Then why the hell did Kendra still feel the need to protect and guide her?
“There.” Margaret double-tied the second New Balance shoe and jumped out of the car. “That feels better.” She gri
Kendra didn’t answer directly. “It’s much more sensible. I can’t see how you could stand traipsing around in this weather with feet that were practically bare.”
“I just close it out.” Margaret ran around the car and slipped into the driver’s seat. “And keep moving. That’s the trick. You just keep moving.” She looked out the windshield at the snow-covered mountains in the distance. “But it would be harder up there. I hope Eve isn’t…” She shook her head. “Wishful thinking doesn’t do any good. Jane says Eve is strong. She’ll do what she has to do.” She started the car. “And so will we. Right, Kendra?”
Kendra’s gaze followed hers to the mountains, then she glanced down at the journal on her lap. We. The inference of togetherness was both clear and deliberate. Margaret wanted a commitment. What the hell. Why not give it to her? It could be an uneasy partnership, but she was begi
She opened the journal and began to read.
Gwi
“MINERAL COUNTY.” JANE repeated with frustration, her hand tightening on the phone. “Where in Mineral County, Venable?”
“Kendra said she’d be in touch.”
“Great. She didn’t answer my calls. Neither did Margaret.”
“They still consider you on the disabled list. They didn’t want to worry you. Kendra didn’t like it one bit that I called you and told you about Goldfork.” He paused. “But I think that more happened there than she told me about. If you do get in touch with her, you might ask a few questions.”
“Count on it. And I’ll probably ask them in person. I should be discharged sometime before noon today. It would be sooner, but it’s hard to get hold of doctors early in the day. Caleb has been trying to get them here to check me, but it’s been like pulling teeth.”
“Wait a minute. Qui
“I’m not breaking out. I’m getting a clean bill of health from my doctors. I’ve just got an okay from one of them. As soon as Caleb manages to get the other two specialists here, it will be all over. They’ll all talk and argue, then decide to let me out of here.”
“You seem very certain.”
“I’m certain. I feel great, and they’re not going to find any excuse to keep me here.” She paused. “But you might wait until tomorrow before you tell Joe I’ve left the hospital.”
“He’d come after me with a hatchet,” Venable said flatly. “I’ll call the hospital myself and get a report. If what you say checks out, I’ll wait for a few hours. Besides, I need to know what’s happening at Zander’s place in Vancouver.”
“Joe is in Vancouver? You didn’t mention that little fact, Venable.”
“Kendra and Margaret didn’t think I was protecting you, but there were some things you didn’t have to know.”
She tried to smother the surge of impatience at his words. The entire world seemed to be in a conspiracy to keep her safe and ignorant when her neck should have been on the line like the rest of their necks were. “I don’t like the idea that he’s trying to deal with Zander by himself. Joe is in aggressive mode. Can’t you call Zander and—”
“Zander’s not answering. This seems to be my day for being ignored. Though that’s not at all unusual for Zander.” He added, “Look, Qui
“Maybe. I’ll call him once I’m on the road and talk to him.”
Silence. “You’re not fooling yourself that you’re well because you want to get into the action?”
“Yes, I want to get into the action. No, I’m not fooling myself. Call the hospital in a few hours and check for yourself.” She added, “Blick. What are you doing about him?”
“What I’ve been trying to do all along. Get my hands on him.”
“From what you told me, he might want to get his hands on Kendra and Margaret. Which means that we should get to them as soon as possible.”
“I’m on it, Jane.”
“So am I. Call me if you get a lead on Blick.” She hung up.
Mineral County.
She’d start doing computer checks on the mountain territory as soon as possible. Why hadn’t someone told her that Kendra had mentioned those radio stations?
She knew the answer. Why tell her when she had been so damn weak and ineffectual? Well, she wasn’t weak now. She had never felt stronger and more full of energy.
Blood? Caleb’s blood ru
“I couldn’t believe it,” Mark Trevor said grimly. He was standing in the doorway, studying her. “The nurse at the station said they may be ready to discharge you sometime today. When I left you, you looked so fragile that you might break if someone blew on you. Now you’re … electrified. What happened?”
“What did they tell you happened?”
“A miraculous recovery the doctor said. But I think that he was quoting Seth Caleb. I saw Caleb going down the hall talking to him.” His gaze was narrowed on her face. “What happened?”
“I decided I had to leave here. Kendra and Margaret were almost killed at Goldfork doing a job that I should have been doing.” She went over to the closet and pulled out her suitcase and threw it on the bed. “We’ve been spi
“What route?”
“Mineral County in Colorado. That’s where Kendra and Margaret are headed. They must think there’s something there that will give them a lead.” She glanced at him. “Did you find out anything from the Georgia-Pacific office?”