With any luck Nathan will supply the info. I’d better get busy on the rest.”

“Wait.” She hesitated. “Let’s call Galen.” She held up her hand as he opened his mouth to protest. “Among other things, Galen is a provider, and he does the job very well. He has contacts everywhere. I’ll bet he could pick up a phone and get us anything from a space suit to an atomic bomb. We need him, Joe.”

“We don’t need him.” He hesitated and then grimaced. “But we could use him.” Her eyes widened in surprise.

“I can work with him. He brought me into the picture in Baton Rouge because our personal differences didn’t mean a damn to him if it meant keeping you safe. They can’t matter to me, either. Do you want to call him, or should I?”

“I’ll do it.”

“Good.” Joe headed for the kitchen. “I’ll make coffee and then call Wilson and the precinct to find out if Carol’s seen any forensic reports yet.” Eve nodded absently as she dialed Galen’s number.

“Hebert’s dead? Hallelujah,” Galen said when she’d finished filling him in. “And what an interesting way for Quinn to kill him. I approve.”

“I’m sure that will make him happy. Can you get us the items we need? It would be better if the Cabal doesn’t know Joe and I are still alive.”

“Piece of cake. Give me your address and phone number.”

“I don’t know what—” She saw the number on the phone and rattled it off, and then checked the address on the mailbox outside.

“Good.” Galen said. “I’m moving. I think Jonas Faber is still in Orlando. He can help.”

“Who’s Jonas Faber?”

“Ask him no questions, he’ll tell you no lies. Just accept that he can produce. And I’ll work on finding out where the meeting will be.”

“Nathan’s already on Melton.”

“Don’t send a boy to do a man’s job. I’ll get on the tech stuff right away.” He hung up.

“Well?” Joe stood in the kitchen doorway.

“He said he’s moving. Did you find out smything from Wilson?” Joe shook his head. “No autopsy.”

“What?”

“The attending doctor said he knew exactly why Copeland died, and it was natural causes. He was allergic to mold, and lately the allergy had increased to a dangerous degree. He was tested a number of times in the hospital and it was always the same problem. They did everything to maintain sterile surroundings and keep mold away from him, but he refused to leave his home here in Florida or live in a bubble. Mold is everywhere down here.”

“An autopsy might show something else.”

He shook his head again. “He’s not about to disturb the family without concrete proof. The body could always be exhumed if the investigation proved he had been murdered.”

A black Chevrolet rental SUV was delivered to the door two hours later.

After dinner that night they received a phone call and then a visit from Jonas Faber. He was a small, cheerful little man who asked Joe very politely to accompany him to his van.

Joe came back twenty minutes later shaking his head.

“Something wrong?”

“Not if I want to open a spy shop or start trading in small arms. The FBI doesn’t have as sophisticated surveillance equipment as Faber brought us. He parked a damn tech van in our backyard.” He smiled. “Complete with tutorial. He’s not going to let me go until he’s sure I know how to operate every single camera and piece of equipment. He even wanted to show me how to use an AK-seven. I told him I wasn’t exactly an amateur with firearms.”

A tech van? She had only asked for surveillance equipment. “It seems when Galen said he was moving, he meant it.”

Nathan called an hour later. “Melton is in Boca. He arrived two hours ago, and went directly to Copeland’s home to pay his respects to the widow. Bastard.”

“You’re following him?”

“Every step.”

“Be careful.”

“Hey, no problem. I value my neck.”

“I have a favor to ask. I’m going to the funeral service day after tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“I want to be there. I want to look at every person who goes into the church and be able to recognize them later. Will you find me a black hat with a dark veil?”

“You probably aren’t going to accomplish anything by going.” She knew that. She also knew that she wanted to pay her last respects to Copeland in person. He had been a great man, and along with regret she felt a sense of…

connection. “It can’t hurt. I don’t want to sit here and do nothing. Joe’s going to be busy familiarizing himself with that surveillance equipment.”

“You’ll have to stay out with the crowd in the street. You have to be on the A-list to get inside.”

“I’m going to be there.”

“Okay. I’ll drop your hat and Simmons’s photos by the house after I’m sure Melton’s tucked into his hotel for the night.”

“Here’s your black hat.” Nathan handed her a plastic bag. “It wasn’t easy. The regular stores were closed, so I went to an all-night drugstore and bought a black straw beach hat and a black sheer scarf. You’ll have to rig a veil out of that.”

“I’ll manage. Thanks, Nathan.”

“No problem.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out an envelope. “Simmons.” She drew out the pictures. One was an informal photo taken in front of a building.

The other was a close-up in the college newspaper at the time Simmons had been hired by Cal Tech. Professor Thomas Simmons was thir-tyish, with regular features except for a slightly pouty lower lip. He was wearing horn-rimmed glasses and smiling confidently into the camera. “Nice-looking. It’s hard to believe he’s a murderer.”

“Maybe he popped his cork when the Cabal tried to blow him up.” Nathan looked around the room. “Where’s Quinn?”

“Out back in the tech van.” She made a face. “He’s fascinated by all that equipment. He’s decided to make me the audio tech.”

“Pretty complex stuff.”

“Not really. Faber made sure it was user-friendly.”

“Well, then, I’d better get back to the hotel and keep an eye on Melton so that you’ll have something to record.” He turned to leave. “I’ll keep in touch, but I’m going to stick close as glue to Melton now that he’s on the scene. I’ll meet you day after tomorrow in front of the church.”

“Right.” After the door closed behind Nathan, Eve took the hat and scarf out of the plastic bag. Both items were cheap and flimsy, but it didn’t matter. They would keep her from being recognized and wouldn’t appear out of place.

“Did Nathan bring the photo?”

She turned to see Joe standing in the kitchen doorway. “Two.” She held out the envelope. “Finished for the night?”

He shook his head absently as he gazed at the photos.

“Clean-cut. I told Nathan that it was hard to believe he was a murderer.”

“I’m not having any trouble. But I’ve seen more murderers than you have.”

“Maybe I’m just confused by this whole scenario,” Eve said wearily. “Thomas Simmons was probably a very good man with a wonderful future. Now his life’s been twisted out of shape and he’s become a killer. It’s difficult to understand.”

“Not to me. Killing is a choice. You make a decision and then you weigh the consequences. I’m a cop, but I have no problem scraping up the remains of some of the scum out there on the streets.” He jammed the pictures in his pocket and turned away. “But he made the wrong choice when he tried to kill you.” BOCA RATON

October

The crowds were six deep on the roped-off streets outside St. Catherine’s Cathedral. It took Eve a few minutes to locate Nathan standing near the back of the throng and then make her way toward him.

“Eve?” Nathan peered at her features through the dark veil.

She nodded. “Is Melton inside?”

“Thirty minutes ago. He probably wanted to get his share of the limelight before the President arrived.”

“The President is here?”

“Arrived ten minutes ago.” Nathan nodded at four dark-suited men in sunglasses, standing on the steps. “Secret Service.”

“I hope they can protect the President. They didn’t do a very good job with Copeland.” She stared at the door of the church. “I’m glad President Andreas is here.