She searched his expression. “That’s not all.”

“No,” he said curtly. “Venable’s agents have located what might be a grave deep in the woods. They’ve started to excavate it.”

“He thinks it might be Tad Dukes, the CIA agent who was watching Eve?”

“He hopes not. But there’s a good chance. Either him or the farmer he stole the truck from. I need to get out there right away.” His lips tightened. “If it is Dukes, then it might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

“What?”

“Venable takes care of his agents. He’s not going to like the idea that he sent one to his death. I may not have to force Venable to talk.” He held out his hand. “Let me see that sketch.”

She flipped open the book. “I was surprised. Ben seemed remarkably certain of his choices. It was … odd. I thought he might be having me reproduce his friend, Mr. Drury. But the features he described are completely different.”

“I don’t think he’d do that.” Joe was shaking his head as he looked at the sketch. “Maybe a little.”

“Too nice?”

“It’s hard to get around that kindly face. After all these years, you’d think I’d be able to see below the surface. That butcher, Ted Bundy, was a clean-cut, nice-looking specimen, too, but he was totally ruthless.” He handed the sketch back to her. “See if you can have a couple copies made in the administration office here and bring me one to the cottage. I want to show it to Venable.” His lips thinned. “Though I have a hunch that face may already be familiar.”

She tucked the sketch back in her case. “Caleb and I will be right behind you. I’ll deliver your copy at the cottage in an hour or less.”

“Good.” Joe’s started to turn away, then stopped. “You’re okay? I’m not working you too hard?”

“Probably.” She shrugged. “I’ll survive. We’ll worry about me when we have a firm lead on Eve.” She was careful not to show unsteadiness as she walked down the hall toward the waiting room to find Caleb. She was weaker than she had let Joe see, and she would need Caleb’s help to get those copies made. She was sure the hospital wouldn’t react kindly to having their equipment used by a visitor, and she wasn’t in shape for a battle.

Let Caleb do it. He was always ready for battle even when you wouldn’t think he was. He was like a lion lying in the sun and just waiting for prey to stroll by.

Not like Trevor. Trevor always coolly picked his battles to gain maximum benefit.

Why had Trevor suddenly popped into her mind? Don’t think about him. Concentrate on what she had to do for Eve. The sketch was a step toward finding her, a step toward keeping her alive.

“You mustn’t let it hurt you too much. It’s not the end, you know.”

Death. Ben had been talking about death.

Don’t think about that, either. He was a boy caught up in his dreams, and she wouldn’t believe that those dreams would foretell a fate she couldn’t accept.

Death.

No, Eve was strong. Eve was smart. Even now, she was probably working to get away from that bastard and come back to them.

Rio Grande Forest, Colorado

“YOU’RE RIGHT, I DON’T LIKE to see Kevin like this.” Doane stared distastefully at the multitude of tiny red markers that looked like swords stabbing his son’s skull. “Kevin wouldn’t like it either. He’d be angry with you.”

“He’s not pretty at the moment, but it’s necessary to complete the process. The measurements have to be exact,” Eve said. “If it bothers you, go away. I certainly don’t want you here. Go talk to Blick on Skype again. Tell him to stay away from my Jane.”

“You’re being too slow.” He grimaced. “I thought you’d be farther along by now.”

“It’s going as fast as it can go. It’s not as if you’re giving me much rest.” She sat back on her stool and gazed critically at the skull. Doane was right, it wasn’t going as smoothly as most reconstructions. Every move she made seemed weighted and slow. “I have to be absolutely sure with the measurements before I can begin the final sculpting. I assure you that I’m not stalling.”

“I don’t believe you’re stalling.” His gaze was narrowed on her face. “I think maybe you’re sick. You’re pale, and you look kind of pinched. You got the flu or something?”

“No.” She quickly looked back at the reconstruction. Little sleep and the nausea from breathing the gas had taken its toll, but she had hoped she could hide it from Doane. “How do you expect me to look? I’m worried about Jane, and I want out of here.”

“I didn’t think you’d wither away. You’re tougher than that.”

“I’m not withering away. I’m working on your damn skull, aren’t I?”

“Not fast enough,” he repeated. “Maybe you should eat more. You only ate a few bites at your last meal.”

Because she’d been afraid she’d throw up as she’d done when she’d gotten up after finally napping before he’d come for her. She’d managed to get to the bathroom before he’d noticed, but she couldn’t expect to be that lucky throughout the day. “I’ll try to eat more later. But it won’t make any difference in how quickly the reconstruction gets done.” She started working again. But she had to slow as the nausea immediately returned. The red markers were blurring before her eyes.

Distract Doane. Don’t let him notice.

“If you’re going to sit there watching, you might as well talk to me. Tell me about Kevin and how he became this horror.”

He flinched. “He’s not a horror. Why are you so unfair to him, when you’re not with those children you reconstruct?”

“Those children are victims.”

“So is Kevin. How can you look at him and not believe that’s true?”

“Tell me. The skull is terribly burned. Was he killed in a fire?”

“No. He was shot with a high-powered rifle, then his body was cremated at a funeral home outside Athens.” His lips were drawn with pain. “But I was able to save his skull. I made the funeral director give it to me.” His words were suddenly charged with anger. “They thought that I didn’t know that my Kevin was a target after he walked out of that courtroom. I’m not stupid. Kevin told me that I had to keep myself safe and let him handle those bastards who were going to go after him.”

“Target?”

He didn’t answer directly. “I didn’t want to hide when they arrested him. But I’d always done what Kevin wanted me to do. He was special.” His voice was hoarse. “So special. And they killed him. But they won’t get away with it. He won’t get away with it.”

“He?”

“Zander.”

“And who is Zander?”

“A monster. He killed my son. I didn’t know that—” He shook his head as if to clear it. “I’m not going to talk about Zander. Stop trying to trick me.”

“Trick you? I asked a question,” she said in frustration. “The only thing I’m trying to do is fight my way through this forest of lies and get myself and Jane out safely. I don’t give a damn about this Zander. How could I?”

“That’s right, you can’t feel anything for him. However, I feel a great deal concerning him.”

“Then go after him and let me go.”

His gaze went to the skull. “Sometimes I wish I could, but that’s not possible.”

She drew a deep breath. “Okay, let me try to sort this out. It’s obvious this has to be about revenge for the death of your son by this Zander. For some reason, I’m being drawn into the mix because I have the skill to do this reconstruction. But if you have the skull, DNA can be extracted even in this damaged condition. My work has value if there’s no clue as to the identity of the victim. Then I can rebuild the face and circulate photos to find out. In this case, I’m not necessary.”

“No one is more necessary.”

“DNA is almost foolproof.”

“And can be faked if you have money and influence.”

“Then demand another test. Demand a dozen tests.”

He shook his head. “I need you, Eve.”