“But you’re here. Why?”

“Jane!” her grandmother called, running toward her.

Jane turned and waved before telling Galen, “Hurry.” He decided to level with her. The kid was sharp, and it wouldn’t hurt to warn her.

“We think there’s a possibility the people who are trying to hurt Eve may attempt to get at her through you. Have you seen anyone suspicious?”

“You mean besides you? You’re not very good at this, are you?”

“I can be. I didn’t try to be this time. I didn’t expect you to be suspicious, and the sight of me could have been a deterrent to anyone else.”

“Who? The other creep?”

Galen stiffened. “Creep? You noticed somebody else watching you?”

“Two days ago. He followed me to school, and then he was here in the park. He was much better than you.”

“Did you get a good look at him?”

She nodded. “I made sure I did. I’d already noticed the squad cars. I knew something was happening.”

He took out the photo of Hebert. “Look anything like this?” She glanced at it. “That’s him.”

“Why didn’t you tell your grandmother?”

“I couldn’t be sure he was a creep. He might have been one of Joe’s friends, and it would just have worried her. Or he might have been just your ordinary run-of-the-mill pervert. I’ve seen plenty of those.”

“Oh, have you?”

“I haven’t seen him since. I have to go, or Grandma will call the cops on you.” Her lips tightened. “I don’t like not knowing what’s happening. You tell Eve and Joe that.”

He shook his head. “I’ll tell Joe what you said, but I won’t tell him about your

‘creep’ yet. It would be a sure way to make them drop everything and come running.

They’re much safer if they stay in hiding.”

“Hiding? Eve never mentioned anything about that. Why are they in hiding?”

“It’s complicated. Eve wanted to finish the job she started.”

“Then why are you here? You go back and make sure Joe and Eve are safe,” she said fiercely. “You do your job. Don’t you dare let anything happen to them. I’ll take care of Grandma.” She whirled and ran back toward her grandmother. “It’s okay,” she called. “He only wanted directions, Grandma. Just another lost Yankee. They get so confused with all these Peachtree Streets.”

“I told you not to talk to strangers.” Her grandmother whisked her up the path.

“Now you call that idiot dog and we’ll go home to supper.”

“Wow,” Hughes said softly as he strolled back to Galen. “Correction: She’s not at all like my kid. If I needed some muscle, I might decide to hire her.”

“Eve told me she grew up on the streets.” He watched Jane and Sandra Duncan walk down the path. “She didn’t tell me she was twelve going on fifty.”

“You showed her the photo?”

“She saw him. Hebert is here in Atlanta. Or at least he was two days ago.” He stood up. “But where the hell is he? If he was hanging around, you should have been able to spot him.”

“Maybe he was scared off.”

That scenario didn’t fit with the picture of Jules Hebert Galen had been building up. “Or maybe he went underground and is only waiting for his chance.” The idea of Hebert stalking that bright kid, hovering over her like a dark cloud, turned his stomach. “We’re not going to give it to him, Hughes.” Jules watched as the black pickup truck sank below the waters of Lake Lanier with scarcely a ripple. There was so much water here in Atlanta. He had found it very convenient.

He had chosen a deep part of the lake so the man would not be found too quickly.

There should be no outcry for at least three days. Leonard Smythe was divorced and lived alone in his mobile home, and from Jules’s brief surveillance he appeared a solitary man.

Jules glanced down at the treasure for which Smythe had died. If he’d been given a choice, Smythe would have given it up in a heartbeat, but Jules couldn’t risk giving him that option.

It was sad when a man had to die for a clipboard and a few scraps of paper.

NEW ORLEANS

Victor’s skull was dimly lit by the moonlight streaming through the window.

Nathan didn’t flip the switch that would have lit the steps to the scullery. He knew Joe Quinn made several trips around the grounds at night, but he had no idea what time.

He moved carefully, quietly down the steps. It should be safe. He had checked on Eve and she was sound asleep. But both Eve and Joe Quinn were still unknown quantities to him, and the unknown was always dangerous.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and glided silently across the scullery toward Victor’s pedestal. He knew the back of that skull so well, and nothing about his features. He had only been able to watch Eve’s intent expression as she worked.

He took out the flashlight he had found in the kitchen cabinet and moved closer to the pedestal. He took a deep breath, his thumb pressing on the flashlight switch.

The scullery was suddenly flooded with light.

“Would you like to tell me what you’re doing?” Joe Quinn said from the top of the stairs.

Dammit.

He stiffened defensively. “I wasn’t going to hurt it.”

“You didn’t answer me.” Joe came down the stairs. “What are you doing creeping down the stairs in the middle of the night?”

“I just wanted to see it.”

“But Eve didn’t want you to see it until she finished. Is she done?” Nathan shook his head. “Not until tomorrow. She said I wouldn’t be able to tell anything until then. But I thought maybe I could tell where it was going.” He scowled. “I’m going to look.”

“Go ahead. I’m not going to stop you.”

Nathan moved around the pedestal to stand before Victor. Disappointment surged through him. The visage had form, but no definition. No one could recognize the features at this point.

“You should have believed her,” Joe said. “Eve doesn’t lie.”

“I didn’t think she’d lied. I just thought I might be able—” His hands clenched at his sides. “Dammit, it’s hard to wait. I want to know.”

“And you didn’t trust her.”

“In my business you learn not to trust many people.” Nathan started toward the stairs, and then stopped to stare at Joe. “Are you going to tell her I was here?”

“I should. Eve likes you, and she has a habit of trusting people she likes. She doesn’t appreciate people sneaking around behind her back.”

“I didn’t do anything to hurt her. If I’m guilty of anything, it’s of caring too much.” Nathan’s gaze went back to Victor. “It’s important to me to know who he is.

God, I hope it’s not Bently. I hope he’s still around, maybe gone underground and ready to come out swinging against those bastards.” Joe studied him. “I believe you.” He shrugged. “I’ll hold my peace for now. There was no harm done. But you made a mistake.”

“Everyone makes mistakes. You must have made a big one, or Eve wouldn’t be angry with you.” Nathan moved quickly up the stairs, and then stopped and glanced over his shoulder at Joe. “I must have made another mistake. How did you know I was down here?”

“I was outside patrolling, and I saw movement in the kitchen through that bank of windows. It aroused my curiosity when I saw it was you rifling through the cabinets.

Particularly when you only took that flashlight.”

“I checked outside the kitchen, but I should have been more careful.”

“Like you said, we all make mistakes.”

And Quinn wasn’t making him pay for this one. “Thanks. I owe you.” Nathan hurried up the rest of the stairs. It could have been much worse. He had done what he felt he had to, and no real harm had been done. He had hoped to get a jump on the situation, but he would just have to wait.

Damn, it was hard to be patient.

The basement was well lit, the heating and air-conditioning mechanisms gleaming and powerful. The best of American technology, Jules thought, as he moved down the aisle.

“Hey, what are you doing down here?”

He glanced over his shoulder. A uniformed security guard was coming out of the elevator.