“I’ll keep the local police off him, but I don’t want your agents harassing him either.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

“No, make it happen.” He strode ahead of Venable into Ben’s room.

The boy looked as pasty pale as the white bandage that encircled his head. He shook his head when he saw Joe. “You’re going to be mad at me. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do,” he whispered. “She’s gone, isn’t she? I’m sorry, Joe.”

“I know you did what you could.”

“But she’s gone. He took her.”

“You say Eve’s gone. She’s still alive?”

Ben nodded. “I think so. The little girl says she is.”

“Bonnie?”

“This morning, when I was crawling through the grass trying to get to the clinic, I kept falling asleep, and Bonnie was there. I told her I tried to do what she wanted. She said there was still time.”

Joe hoped to hell he was right. Trust him. Trust Ben’s connection with Bonnie. It was all he had right now. “Listen, Ben. How do you know Eve’s gone? Did you see who took her? Can you tell me what happened?”

“Eve called me and told me to come back to the house. I started back right away.” He reached up and rubbed his temple. “A man jumped out of the bushes and hit me with something. I think it was a wrench. I fell down, and he hit me again. And then again, I think.”

“Did you know him? Could you recognize him again?”

Ben nodded. “I never saw him before. But I’d recognize him if I saw him again.” He frowned, puzzled. “He had grayish black hair and his face … He looked like…” He stopped. “He looked like Mr. Drury, one of the volunteers who helps out at the camp where I work. Well, not really. His nose was different, and so was his hair. But the way he … smiled. Mr. Drury smiled like him. Nice man, always smiling.” His frown deepened. “The man who hit me looked like that, a nice old man.”

“He was smiling?”

“No, he wasn’t smiling. He looked … sad.”

“But he hit you at least a couple times, then dumped you near that urgent-care facility but not near enough to be sure they’d find you. I don’t think those were the actions of a ‘nice old man,’” Joe said. “I think whoever hit you meant to stop you or use you as a decoy to trap Eve.”

“Then I helped him.” His eyes glistened with moisture. “I meant to help Eve, but I didn’t do it.”

“You tried, Ben.” He gave his shoulder a brief squeeze and stepped away from the bed. “And you may still be able to do it. Suppose I get a police artist out here and have him help you remember what the man who hit you looked like?”

“I saw something like that on a TV show.” He shook his head, troubled. “I don’t know if I’m smart enough to do that.”

“Sure you are. The artist just has to ask the right questions. Is there anything else you can tell me about the man who took Eve? Did you see his truck, maybe a license plate?”

He frowned. “Sort of. For just a second. It was an old red truck. No license plate. But I’ve been thinking. He didn’t seem bad. If he’s like Mr. Drury, maybe it’s all a mistake. Maybe Eve won’t be in trouble.”

“I hope you’re right. But sometimes people aren’t what they seem,” Joe said gently. “You have to not take people at face value and pay attention to their actions. He hit you and gave you a nasty concussion, Ben.”

“And Bonnie was worried.” His teeth sank into his lower lip. “So maybe he could hurt Eve. I have to make sure that doesn’t happen, Joe.”

“We will. But right now, you have to rest so that you can concentrate and remember what we need to know for the police artist.”

Ben nodded. “But then I have to go with you to find her. You’ll take me, won’t you, Joe?”

“If it’s best for Eve. I’m not going to make promises I can’t keep.”

“Bonnie wanted me to take care of Eve.”

“You’ll help. Just think about the man who attacked you. Remember everything you can.” He turned toward the door. “You’ve already helped, Ben.”

“No, I lost her,” he said desperately. “I shouldn’t have done that. I have to find her.”

There wasn’t anything else Joe could say to comfort him. He was as desperate as Ben and was feeling the same panic. He had hoped for more information from him than he had gotten. A model of the truck, a license number, a clue, dammit.

“He wasn’t very helpful,” Venable said as he followed him down the corridor. “But it’s good that he managed to survive the attack.”

“He did the best he could to give us what we wanted. It wasn’t that he has a few problems. He has a concussion and suffered from—”

“You don’t have to be defensive to me,” Venable said. “I’m just commenting. As a witness, he did as well as 70 percent of the people I’ve questioned over the years.”

“And he may be able to help more when I get an artist to give him something to prod his memory.” He paused. “But is it necessary? Did you recognize the description? And if you did, are you going to tell me?”

Venable didn’t answer directly. “It was a very vague description. It could be almost any pleasant-faced middle-age man. Of course, you could get a photo of that Mr. Drury he’s supposed to resemble. However, that wouldn’t be very scientific, would it?”

“No, and according to Ben there isn’t any real resemblance, just an impression … mainly the expression.” He zeroed in again. “You’re not answering me, Venable.”

“No, I’m not. I told you, I made a promise.”

“Ben could have died,” he said harshly. He tried to rein in his temper. “Screw your promise.” His pace increased as he headed across the parking lot toward his car. “Your time is running out. After that, I’ll ram that promise down your throat and make you choke on it.”

CHAPTER

8

“BUT BEN IS GOING TO be all right?” Jane’s hand tightened on her cell phone. “He didn’t kill him, Joe. He dropped him near that clinic. At least that’s one good thing to come out of this nightmare. I was afraid that he would be—” She stopped to steady her voice. “It’s a good sign, isn’t it? Maybe the man who took Eve isn’t—Perhaps we can reason with him.”

“Providing we can find him,” he added bluntly. “And don’t be too encouraged. He dropped Ben in the woods a good half mile from the clinic. If Ben hadn’t roused and begun to crawl toward it, he might not have been found.”

That was true, but Jane had been trying desperately to cling to anything that would give her hope. “You said Venable might know something?”

“I think Venable knows a hell of a lot,” he said grimly. “And soon I’ll know everything he knows. One way or the other.”

“Fine,” she said bitterly. “All we need is for the CIA to find a way to make you disappear. Then I’d have to find you, too.” She drew a shaky breath. “Venable likes Eve. I don’t believe he’d use her as a pawn in one of his games. There must be some reason why he’s stonewalling. We have to get him to work with us.”

“I gave him his chance.”

His tone was totally relentless, Jane thought. She wasn’t going to be able to persuade him.

At least, not long-distance.

“What are you doing now?” she asked.

“We’re on our way to see a farmer near the lake cottage who reported a truck stolen. After I hang up from you, I’m going to call headquarters and see when they can send out a sketch artist to see Ben in the hospital.”

“No.”

“What?”

“I’ll go see Ben. I can do the sketch.”

“The hell you will.”

“Yes, the hell I will. You know I’ve worked with the police as a sketch artist when I was in college. I can do this.”

“Maybe when you’re not recovering from a bullet in San Juan. I need someone out here right away.”

“You’ll have someone right away. I’m a lot stronger than I was yesterday.” But still damnably shaky. Forget it. She could rest whenever she got an opportunity. “And stop cursing. I’m going to do it, Joe.”