“Dammit, it won’t happen. She won’t be killed.” He tore out of the precinct and down the steps.

Thirty minutes later, he was at the house on Morningside. No answer when he rang. The front door was locked. He went around to the back porch. No answer there.

What the hell? He jimmied the window and climbed into the kitchen.

Five minutes later, he’d searched every room in the house, and Eve was not to be found.

But there was an envelope on the kitchen table.

Joe

He tore it open.

You’ll be angry, but I had to do this. It’s my chance. You told me that this monster is all ego, and I thought this way I could draw him closer to me. You wouldn’t let me do that, but McVey has no qualms about it. As you said, he’s hungry. He doesn’t care about anything but getting his story. Isn’t that lucky for me? Thank you, Joe. Eve

His hand clenched on the paper.

Lucky.

Yeah, lucky enough to have that bastard zero in on her and slice her to pieces.

Cool down. Panic wouldn’t get him anywhere. He had to find her, talk to her, persuade her to step back and away from acting as bait for McVey.

Find her.

She wasn’t in the house. Her mother didn’t know where she’d gone. But she was working with Brian McVey. He might have thought he was using her, but he’d soon find out differently. Eve would be in control.

He called the Atlanta Constitution.

Brian McVey had taken an indefinite leave of absence and could not be contacted.

Strike one.

The hell he couldn’t be contacted. He called the ATLPD and had a clerk pull out all the profile information they could gather on McVey.

“What are you doing?” Slindak came on the line. “What does Duncan say?”

“I’d know if I could get hold of her,” Joe said. “She’s not home. I think that McVey has her stashed somewhere while he runs these stories. Get off the line and let me get the info I need.”

“I’ve got it here. McVey has an apartment in Dunwoody—1321 Ashford.”

“That would be too easy. Anything else?”

“Let me see … He inherited a house from his mother two years ago. It doesn’t say whether he sold it or still has possession.”

“Address.”

“It’s 4961 Rosecreek Drive. It’s near Lake Allatoona.” He paused. “McVey’s story has caused a buzz with the rest of the media. There was lot of talk on the local TV news this evening. Including Eve Duncan’s quotes.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. McVey might have even given them a call.”

“And shared his story? Not likely.”

“To stir the pot. To add the final irritant that would make an explosion certain. Anything else you can tell me about McVey?”

“I can tell you he’s a member of the press, and you should be careful what you do to him. I know you’re pissed at the hot spot he’s put Eve Duncan on, but he can cause us big-time trouble.”

“Ask me if I care.” He hung up.

The apartment in Dunwoody or the house near Lake Allatoona?

The Dunwoody apartment was closer, and he didn’t know whether McVey still owned the house he’d inherited.

But his instincts were leaning toward Lake Allatoona. He called the telephone company, identified himself, and asked if there was still a telephone connection at 4961 Rosecreek Drive.

Yes.

Private number.

Joe waited for the operator to call Washington on another line and check his authority. Five minutes later he had the number.

Name of party holding the service?

Edna McVey.

Brian McVey had never changed the name and evidently occasionally still used the house.

Okay, phone the number he’d been given?

If Eve was there, then she’d be given time to leave before he could get there.

He strode out of the house and jumped in his car.

*   *   *

THE MCVEY PLACE ON ROSECREEK Drive was a pleasant two-story cottage only a few hundred yards from the edge of Lake Allatoona. Its gray sideboard needed painting, but there was a cane rocking chair on the wide porch that gave the place a comfortable ambience.

There was light gleaming from windows on the first floor.

Joe cursed softly. Nothing like leaving a welcoming beacon.

He parked his car a good distance away from the house and moved silently into the woods.

He was a hundred yards to the rear of the cottage when he knew someone was following him.

He paused, listening.

To the left, in the brush.

He faded into the stand of trees to the right.

A sudden crashing of shrubs to the left.

Definitely following him.

He circled swiftly, silently, to the left to get behind the pursuer.

A male figure in a black Windbreaker was now moving ahead of him.

Now.

He covered the distance between them in seconds and brought him down.

The man started to struggle frantically.

Joe’s hand tangled in his hair and jerked back hard as the edge of his knife was pressed to the man’s throat. “Don’t move, or I’ll cut your throat.”

The man froze. “For God’s sake, Quinn. What are you doing? Let me go.”

McVey.

“Why should I, you son of a bitch?” He deliberately pressed the edge of the knife a little harder so that it broke the skin. “I’m a little angry with you. Maybe you can tell.”

McVey went rigid. “I can tell. But I don’t think you’re pissed enough to commit murder.”

“But you told me that I was so good at it.”

“Let me up, Quinn. You know you’re just toying with me.”

Joe drew a deep breath. “Toying”? McVey didn’t know how close he’d come. All of Joe’s training, his instincts, the savagery that had been both his friend and his enemy had come racing back in that moment.

“Let him go. What are you doing, Joe?”

He looked over his shoulder to see Eve standing with a gun pointed at him.

“A gun, Eve? Did McVey give you that gun? He probably thought you’d need it if you were going to have to rely on him.”

“I asked him for a weapon,” Eve said as she lowered the gun. “But I don’t need to use it against you, Joe. Dammit, you scared me. I thought you were going to— Let him go.”

Joe shrugged and took the knife from McVey’s throat. “It was a close call for him. I was mad as hell, and the bastard decided to follow me. I thought he was a threat.” He got off McVey and stood up. “As much threat as a day-old Chihuahua.”

“You cut me.” McVey’s fingers were on his throat and came away with blood on them. “You knew who I was, and you still cut me.”

“I cut you because of who you are, you son of a bitch. Maybe I should tie you up on the front porch and see how you like being bait. You’ve got our killer all primed. He’s probably almost as angry with you as with Eve. What do you think he’d do to you if he found you helpless?”

“None of this was McVey’s idea,” Eve said. “It was all mine, Joe. I called him and sketched it out to him.”

“And he jumped at it.”

“Of course, I did,” McVey said as he got to his feet. “Do you think I’d turn my back on a chance like this? I told you that I’d do whatever I had to do.” He glared defiantly at Joe. “I didn’t go out of my way to cause a killer to go after her. That wasn’t my fault. But I wasn’t going to say no if she wanted to run the risk. Hell, if we catch Zeus, it might mean that we’d save some other kids. What’s wrong with that?”

“You sound almost noble, McVey.”

“Stop this, Joe.” Eve turned to McVey. “Come back to the house and I’ll try to find something to put on that cut.” She glanced at Joe. “You’re not going away, are you? I can’t convince you.”

“You can’t convince me.”

“Then I suppose you’ll have to come with us, and we’ll talk.” She turned and strode toward the house, with McVey at her heels.

Joe watched them until they reached the porch, then faded back into the brush.