“You’re thinking she’s that calculating?” She shook her head. “Bullshit. You’re fighting it, but you don’t believe she’s that cold. Admit it, you like her.”
He chuckled. “How could I help it? She made sure we both saw her tonight as warm and human, even vulnerable. Yes, I like her. But I won’t discount the fact that she’s clever as hell and has the potential for being a ticking time bomb.”
“Neither will I,” Eve said. “But you have to accept her as a complete package.”
“Remember that when you’re melting with sympathy. She’s…complicated.”
“Is that why you were watching her all through dinner? You’ve never appreciated the simple in anything.”
“I was staring at her because she’s very watchable. In case you haven’t noticed, she’s damn good-looking. She’s a cross between Lucy Liu and Angelina Jolie with megawattage thrown into the mix. It’s hard not to look at her.”
“I noticed.” But she felt a ripple of surprise that Joe had admitted to being conscious of that attractiveness when he was clearly so wary. “But I don’t think that she’s aware of it.”
“Oh, she’s aware of it.” His lips twisted. “It’s a weapon, and Catherine would know how to use it if it became necessary. She knows all about weapons. Perhaps it’s just not a weapon of choice.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “You may be right. She’s had to live in a man’s world, and that kind of weapon would end in a sexual battle. I can’t see her using sex to beat out an opponent. She’d regard it as beneath her.”
“You think you know her that well?”
She shrugged. “As well as I can under the circumstances. We all have instincts about people. My instincts say that she saw her mother as a sexual victim and she would never want to engage anyone on that particular battlefield. And growing up in the streets, she must have been exposed to all kinds of vice. It just shows how strong she is that she overcame that twisted background enough to marry and have a child.” She added softly, “A beautiful child, Joe. The older he gets, the more he looks like Catherine. I’ll show you the progressions if you like.”
“I’ll wait until you finish. You’re already besotted with the kid. That’s almost more dangerous than your liking for Catherine.”
“But you said you liked her, too.” She smiled. “And that logical, analytical mind of yours would like to take her apart and put her back together again to see how she ticks.”
“That leads to thoughts of ticking bombs.” He inclined his head. “I’m curious, and I don’t mind being the one to defuse her. Better me than you.”
“I’d mind. I don’t want either you or her to be hurt.”
He lifted his cup to her in a half salute. “As you command. Then I’ll try to restrain my curiosity…within limits.”
“Curiosity?” Catherine stood in the doorway with a carafe of coffee in her hand. “Have you been talking about me, Joe Quinn?”
“Yes. Though Eve and I do have other things to discuss than you.”
“But I’m the new comet on the scene.” She came toward them and filled Eve’s cup. “And I’m a very flashy comet. I’ve disturbed your lives, and naturally I’d be the center of attention.” She filled her own cup and set it on the swing before turning to Joe. “Go ahead. Ask your questions. I promised Eve I’d have no secrets from her.” She crossed to stand before him, and said challengingly, “Try me.”
He smiled faintly. “What bravado. Wouldn’t you be deflated if I said I just wasn’t interested?”
“But you are. I overheard the word ‘curious.’” She topped off the coffee in his cup and turned back to the swing and sat down beside Eve. “You’re a detective. You have an inquiring mind. It goes with the territory. I tried to be open with you at dinner. Not enough?”
“I found myself wondering about a few things.”
“What?”
“Your relationship with Venable and the CIA. Why are you still working with them? They wouldn’t help you search for your son. You should have been furious with them.”
“I was. I still am. They did try to find him, but when they couldn’t locate him, they refused to go any further. They wouldn’t go after Rakovac.” She took a drink of her coffee. “I resented it with all my being.”
“But you still continued to work for them.”
“Because I knew my time would come.” She gazed at him. “And, bitter as I feel, I understand who they are and where they’re coming from. When I’m able to think about it sanely, it’s exactly what I’d expect from them. Venable thinks that he recruited me all those years ago. He’s wrong. I went after that job with all the determination I put into everything I do. I had a choice. Either continue in the path I’d started or walk a different road. I was tired of fighting the scum on their level. I wanted to be one of the good guys.”
“There are those who would give you an argument about the CIA’s good-guy quotient.”
“Because they haven’t been on the other side. How do you keep to some idealistic set of rules when your opponent has no rules? It’s a complicated world, and someone is always trying to destroy it in one way or the other. The only thing we can do is try to keep it intact. That way it has a chance of building itself back into something worthwhile.” She shrugged. “Sometimes it gets dirty and ragged while we’re doing it. That’s too bad, but it happens. Sometimes, important, personal things get pushed aside.”
“Like your son,” Eve said.
She nodded. “But there’s no way in hell I can see past Luke to the big picture. He is the big picture.” She glanced at Joe. “You were FBI at one time. One of those white knights bound by law and rules and structure, but I’d bet there were times when you felt like breaking every one of them.” She leaned forward, her gaze fixed intently on his face. “Am I wrong?”
He was silent a moment. “No.”
“And you had the U.S. courts backing you.”
“Sometimes.”
“Well, most of the time the CIA has backing when it’s a popular cause and none when it’s a less publicized mission to some Podunk country most citizens never knew existed. But we do our job anyway.”
“We? In spite of everything, you’re still aligning yourself with them.”
“They would have helped me if they could. Hell, Venable might not have freed Luke, but he might have saved his life.” Her lips twisted. “They are good guys. They just wear black hats.”
“Interesting reasoning,” Eve said as she looked at Joe. “Complicated enough, Joe?”
“Actually, I understand her viewpoint perfectly,” he murmured. “I’m sure the complications are all under the surface.”
“Any other questions?” Catherine asked.
“I’m thinking,” Joe said. “There may be something I’d like to—”
Catherine’s cell phone rang.
“Excuse me.” She pulled the phone out of her pocket. “It’s probably Venable wondering if I read—” She inhaled sharply as she gazed at the ID. “No, it’s not Venable.” She moistened her lips. “It’s Rakovac.”
“Are you sure?” Joe asked. “Criminals don’t usually broadcast their IDs on—”
“Oh, it’s him. He always wants me to know and dread what’s coming.”
Fear. Eve could see the tension and fear in every line of Catherine’s body. “Would you like us to leave?”
“No, I told you, no secrets. Rakovac couldn’t be more a part of my life. You might as well meet him.” She pressed the speaker amplifier. “Hello, Rakovac. I haven’t heard from you for a while.”
“Have you missed me? I’ve missed you.” Rakovac’s mocking voice was deep and only faintly accented. “Don’t think because I’ve not been in touch that you’ve been forgotten. These years have woven you into the fabric of my life.” He paused. “You and Luke.”
“Why are you calling?”
“Because I sense that you’re not being your usual meek self. I thought it was time you and I had a talk and reestablished my position
in your life.”
“I know exactly what your position is. You’re the devil who needs to be sent straight back to hell.”
He laughed. “I don’t mind being compared to Satan. He has power, and he knows how to manipulate things to suit himself. I’m glad you’ve noticed how clever I am in that area. But you usually hold your tongue. Another sign that there may be a rebellion in the wings.”
“Why are you calling?” she repeated through set teeth.
“You know I always keep track of you. That was an amazing rescue of the Winters girl. I’ve been wondering if you managed to reap a reward from your friend Venable.”
“You know he won’t touch you.”
“I’ve made sure of any dire consequences. But you’re such a valuable tool for him. He might have given you a small gift in return.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Isn’t there a song about a rainy night in Georgia?”
She stiffened. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do. You just had a cozy dinner with your newfound friends. Do you really think that Eve Duncan can help you, Catherine?”
Her gaze flew to the darkness beyond the porch. “You have someone here watching me?”
“Of course, I always keep my eye on you. And no, there’s no use trying to track him down. I pulled him out as soon as I had the information I wanted. Now tell me about Eve Duncan.”
She was silent a moment. “I hired her to do an age progression on Luke. I’m a mother. I want to know what my little boy looks like.”
“Touching. What a sentimental motive.”
“Every mother is sentimental about her child. You’ve played on that emotion for years. You shouldn’t be surprised.”
“Oh, I’m not surprised. I knew when I took your cub away from you that even a tigress loves her off spring. That’s why you’ve given me such joy. Strike at the child, and it makes you go through a living hell.”
“I wanted to see what he looks like,” she repeated.
“But perhaps not for sentimental reasons. Are you thinking of taking my toy away from me?”
“You’ve seen that I have no chance of doing that. After all this time, why would I even make the attempt?”
“Desperation?”
“I’d never risk Luke. You’ve told me enough times what you’d do to him if I tried anything.”
“Perhaps. Sometimes one can become calloused and numb to a constant threat.”
“I’m not numb.”
“No, I keep you raw and bleeding, don’t I? But I find it interesting you chose Duncan to do the age progression. Her fame lies in another direction.”
“She’s very good.”
“But she’s better with her skulls. I’ve decided that it must have been fate that led you to her.”
“Fate?”
He said softly, “You’ll have need of a reconstruction, not an age progression.”
Catherine inhaled sharply. “You’re lying.”
“No, I killed Luke when he was five years old. Venable was getting too persistent about releasing him, and I grew angry. No one can tell me what to do. I shot your son in the head and buried him in the woods. He was frightened and crying. He knew about guns and what they could do. I’d had him taught about them from the time I took him.”
Catherine closed her eyes. “I don’t believe you. You’ve told me you’ve killed him before, then said you were lying. You’re just trying to hurt me.”
“It’s a possibility.” He added maliciously, “But you can’t be sure. You haven’t talked to him. You have only me to rely on for any information about Luke. I control him. I control you.”
“He’s alive. I know it.”
“He’s buried in the woods. If it suits me, I may dig him up and send his skull to Eve Duncan. I’ll have to think about it.”
“You bastard,” Catherine whispered.
“Or send word to Venable where he can find him. Why shouldn’t he do the work? He and his cohorts in Washington have been irritating me lately.”
“You’re lying.”
“What if I’m not? I think you’ll have nightmares tonight envisioning Luke scared and crying right before I shot him.” He chuckled. “Go ahead. Work on that age progression. But don’t take it past five years. It would be totally futile.” He hung up.
Eve reached out. “Catherine, I know—”
“Don’t touch me. Not yet.” She huddled sidewise, leaning on the arm of the porch swing. “I’m…hurting.” Her voice was shaking. “I’m sorry. I don’t like you to—Give me time…”
Good Lord, she was hurting, Eve thought. Her back was arched, and Eve could almost feel the vibrations of the agony she was emitting.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“No.”
“Screw it.” Joe was suddenly kneeling before Catherine, taking her in his arms. “I will touch you. Stop trying to handle it on your own. You need us.”
“I don’t—” She suddenly collapsed against him, her arms clinging desperately. “I’m sorry.” Her voice was muffled against him. “You’d think I’d be able to handle it by this time. But he knows just where and how to—I’ve got to stop this. It’s what he wants, what he expects.” Her voice was shaking. “He was lying, you know. Every now and then, he’ll tell me he’s killed Luke. I think he saves it for when he’s feeling in the mood for a particularly savage turn of the knife. But he has to be lying, doesn’t he? But I don’t know. I don’t know.”
“No, you don’t know,” Eve said quietly. “But you have a chance of its not being true. He’s such a bastard that I can’t imagine that he’d give up the value of a live hostage with whom he can taunt you for the momentary pleasure of a kill.”
“That’s what I tell myself. Sometimes I believe it.” She drew a long, shaky breath and pushed Joe away. “I’m okay. I’m sorry I fell apart like that. Thank you.”
He leaned back on his heels. “You’re welcome.” He gazed searchingly at her face. “You’re pale, drained. I think you need to drink that coffee.”
“I agree.” She picked up her cup. “Or something stiffer.” She glanced at Eve. “He was particularly ugly tonight. He didn’t like me coming to you.”
“Tough. I don’t know how you kept from blowing up at him.”
“Think about it. He taught me well to hold my tongue. Every time I’d grow angry and say something he didn’t like he’d threaten Luke. That was one of the hardest things to bear.” She took a long drink of coffee. “And one he enjoys the most. He told me once that as long as he holds Luke, I’m his slave. He loves the control over me.”
“And he evidently embroiders his stories of Luke in detail,” Joe said. “A five-year-old familiar with guns. Unusual.”
“He meant that he’d threatened Luke with weapons.”
“Is that what he meant? Or was it something else?”
Catherine shook her head. “He lies. I can’t tell what’s true and what’s not.” Her grip tightened on the cup. “Except about Luke’s being dead. He’s not dead. Why would he worry if I found out what my son looked like? Why would he try to discourage me?” She added bitterly, “And, yes, I know there’s no telling why Rakovac would do anything. The son of a bitch is crazy.”
“According to the dossier I pulled on him, he may be a little unbalanced, but he’s clever,” Joe said. “And I think he had a purpose other than wanting to toy with you.”
“I do, too,” Eve said. “And I believe I’ll thumb my nose at him and finish that progression ASAP.” She finished her coffee and stood up. “I’ll start the dishwasher, then hit the computer.”
“I’ll go with you,” Catherine said quickly.
Eve shook her head as she moved toward the door. “Give yourself a few minutes. Your hands are shaking. I don’t want you touching Cindy yet.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Catherine said.
Eve suddenly grinned as she paused at the door. “When was the last time you said that?”
“N
ever,” Catherine said. “I’m not very obedient, and I don’t know many women.”
“I thought so. It sounded a little awkward.” Eve went into the house.
“She’s right.” Joe was smiling with amusement. “You’re very articulate, but that did sound awkward.”
“This entire situation is awkward for me,” Catherine said. “I had to beg Eve to do this progression for me. I’ve never begged anyone for anything before.” Her lips twisted. “Except Rakovac. I begged him to return Luke. He laughed at me.”
“And Eve listened and helped you. Do you resent her having that kind of power over you?”
“No, of course—” She stopped. “Maybe. I don’t have a generous spirit. I want it all. I want to keep my pride and still get everything I want.”
“That’s understandable. I’d say everyone has that philosophy.”
“Do you?”
He thought about it. “I have almost everything I want. A job I like, my adopted daughter, Jane, Eve…”
“Almost,” she repeated. “What else, Joe?”
He didn’t answer.
She tilted her head, studying him. “Maybe…an Eve with no obsession about finding her daughter’s killer?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Because you’d never be disloyal to Eve in any way. Still, you might consider that a breach in the relationship if she closes you out. I can see how you might come to resent it. Obsession is a terrible and all-consuming thing.” She shrugged. “Who should know better? I’m just as obsessed as Eve. Though I’m lucky, I’m alone. I don’t have to worry about anyone else.”
“Really? Are you lucky, Catherine?”
She gazed at him standing there, leaning against the railing. Slim hips, broad shoulders, tea-colored eyes staring intently at her; mature, intelligent, with a quietness that could mask power and leashed recklessness.
“Are you lucky to be alone, Catherine?” he repeated.
She had a sudden memory of Joe holding her, warm, strong, absorbing all the pain that Rakovac had inflicted.
“No.” She jumped to her feet. “But I don’t know anything else, and at least I’m not hurting anyone.” She avoided his eyes as she headed for the door. “I’ve got to help Eve. Thanks for being there for me tonight. I’ll try not to fall apart again.”