“Where?”

“I couldn’t find out. He’s supposed to be back this afternoon and I’m going to fly up to INSCOM and ask him.”

Eve chuckled. “And Joe was wondering if you were going to need his help with Queen.”

“I might call him if I can’t get the bastard to talk. Joe and I could play good cop–bad cop. We’d be a good team. Is he at the precinct today?”

“Yes, it’s a wonder he keeps a job the way I constantly pull him away from it.”

“I didn’t notice any pulling. Are you working?”

“Not yet. My adopted daughter, Jane, just called me from London, and we talked for a while.”

“But I bet not about Gallo.”

“No. Why would I worry her? She’d want to jump on a plane and come here. This is my problem.” She added, “But I’ll be working soon. I’m expecting a skull from Austin, Texas, today. A little boy they found buried in the woods near the freeway.”

“I’m glad you have something to keep you occupied. Otherwise, you’d be a basket case. I’ll try to give you a heads-up as soon as I corner Queen.” She hung up.

Eve pressed the disconnect. Nice of Catherine to be concerned about Eve’s mental health, but she would be a nervous wreck whether or not she was working. It was all a matter of degree.

It was after ten. The FedEx truck should be bringing the skull from Texas. She got a cup of coffee and went out on the porch to wait for it. It was a sunny day and the lake was reflecting the incredible blue of the sky. It would be good to sit here and enjoy until she had to start work.

Her cell phone rang.

Catherine again?

She checked the caller ID.

She stiffened.

It was not Catherine.

CHAPTER

10

A NUMBER SHE DIDN’T RECOGNIZE.

Unknown number.

Why get so tense? It could be a marketing or sales firm.

She punched the button. “Eve Duncan.”

“You sound very curt and businesslike. But then you always were a no-nonsense woman … in some areas.”

The breath left her body. She closed her eyes, struggling for control.

John Gallo.

“I can almost feel your shock.” His voice was mocking. “But I don’t understand. The moment you decided to stir up the pot, you must have known that I’d have to contact you. I couldn’t just let you fade into the great beyond. Though God knows I did try.”

“John?” she whispered. She tried to pull herself together. “You’re damn right I’m shocked. I didn’t even know you were still alive until yesterday.”

“Really? Then it was all due to Catherine Ling that I have this excuse for our rapprochement? I thought you’d stumbled across something that led you toward me and were just using her. I must thank her when we meet. And here I was so annoyed with her.”

“She’s my friend. She knows how much I want to find my daughter’s killer.”

“Our daughter,” John corrected.

Shock rippled through her. “No, Bonnie was mine and always will be mine. You had nothing to do with her.” She paused. “Unless you were the one who murdered her. Catherine thinks it might be you.”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know. It might be true.”

“And what would you do if you found that it was?”

“I’d kill you.”

“Interesting.”

“Is it? I’m glad you find the prospect entertaining. I mean it, John.”

“I know you do. That’s why it’s interesting. You’ve developed the killer instinct. Whenever I thought about you, I thought of you strong, driven, the huntress, yet never violent. What did you think about me?”

“You were out of my life; and then I thought you were dead. I didn’t think of you.”

“Yes, you did. You may have pushed it into the background, but the memory was always there, wasn’t it?”

“No, my life was too full to remember a kid who dropped into it, screwed me, then disappeared.”

“I had years of fullness, too, and of emptiness, and of darkness, and of a haze somewhere in between. But I always remembered you, Eve. You were something to hold on to in the darkness.” He chuckled. “And in the haze you could be anything I wanted you to be. I must tell you about that period in my life.”

“I don’t want you to tell me anything. Except the truth about Bonnie. Did you kill her?”

“Would you believe me if I told you that I didn’t?”

“I might.”

“No, you wouldn’t. You never trusted me even when we were … close.”

“You were here in Atlanta the month she disappeared. I know that much. Do you deny it?”

“I don’t deny it.”

Silence.

“Is that all you’re going to say?”

“I didn’t phone you to answer questions. Phones are so impersonal, and impersonal is something we’ve never been with each other.”

“If you won’t answer questions about yourself, what about Paul Black? What’s your connection with him?”

“I know him. He’s part of my darkness.”

“Dammit, don’t give me double-talk. Black confessed to his cellmate that he killed Bonnie. Catherine also said he had some connection with you. What connection?”

He ignored the question. “I want to see you.”

“What?”

“I thought talking to you might be enough, but I’ve changed my mind. It’s been very … provocative. I’ve decided that there has to be final resolution. I know who you are, what you’ve become, but I have to reach out and touch it.”

“No, you don’t. You have to tell me if you killed my Bonnie.”

“We’ve already discussed the absence of my credibility.”

“Answer me.”

Silence. “No, I did not. Do you believe me?”

She didn’t answer.

“You see, if I’d answered yes, you would have believed me. But denial is always the problem. Should I say I killed her?”

“I want the truth.”

“You always did. I want to see you, Eve.”

“So you can kill me, too?”

“Why should I?”

“Because I’m after you. I’ll find you. I’ll find out if you killed Bonnie. If you’re a murderer, that would be reason enough to kill me.”

“Good reasoning. And, add to that the fact that you’ve already said that you’d kill me if you thought I’d killed Bonnie, it should make me very lethal-minded.”

“You’re taking all of this very lightly.”

“No, I’m not.” The mockery was suddenly gone from his tone. “If I were, I’d be handling this in an entirely different manner. I’d disappear where you couldn’t find me. I’d find a way to rid myself of Catherine Ling in a manner of which you would not approve. But I found myself unwilling to do either. So the only other alternative is to come to terms with you.”

“After all these years?”

“A good many things got in the way. Not the least was Bonnie’s death.”

“If you didn’t kill her, why didn’t you contact me? I know she didn’t mean anything to you, but she was your daughter. Surely even you couldn’t be callous enough to ignore the fact that she’d been kidnapped.”

“I didn’t ignore it.” He paused. “When can I see you?”

“When you’re willing to come into an ATLPD precinct and make a full disclosure. There’s no way I’d risk meeting you one-on-one.”

“But of course you’ll do it. Do you think I don’t know how desperate you are? I’ve watched and followed your path for years. You’ve risked your life on much slimmer leads.”

“I’ll just wait until Catherine finds a safer way for me to contact you.”

“Like Nate Queen? He’ll never give her what she wants. He knows better.”

“How did you know she was dealing with Queen?”

“Why, I own him, Eve.”

“You pay him?”

“No, he pays me, and there are other elements to our arrangement. Fear does equally well. Actually, it’s sometimes more efficient.”

“He’s a government agent. Why should he be afraid of you?”

“Because I want him to be. Queen will not only not help you, but, if I choose, he’ll protect me from you. I’d really hate to ask him to do that. Will you come?”

“I’ve given you my answer.”