He pulled her into the bed with him. “I believe I could put up with it.”
She was silent for a moment in the darkness, listening to his heartbeat beneath her ear. “You’re an amazing man, Joe Quinn.”
“I keep telling you that.”
“And I’m a lucky woman.”
His lips brushed her temple. “Damn straight. And don’t forget that, either.”
She nestled closer. “I won’t. I promise…”
* * *
Something was wrong!
Eve’s eyes flew open.
Panic.
Darkness.
Wrong. All wrong.
Eve sat up in bed, her heart racing.
All wrong.
Her first thought was Joe.
No, he was still asleep, his breathing normal.
All wrong.
She swung her legs to the floor.
“Where are you going?” Joe asked drowsily as Eve slipped out of the bed and reached for her shoes. “What am I? A one-night stand?”
“I don’t believe that’s an accurate term since we didn’t have sex.” She stood up, leaned over, and kissed him. “I’m going to the hotel to shower and change. I want to get an early start on locating that bus driver.” He opened his lips, and she put two fingers on them to silence him. “I love you. I’ll keep you informed.” She hurried out of the room before he could protest.
All wrong.
She leaned against the wall of the elevator, trying to overcome the sickness as the car zoomed downward.
Crazy.
Everything was okay. She just needed some air. She’d keep the car windows open as she drove to the hotel. The tension of the day must have been more enervating than she had dreamed.
She was feeling less sick but still shaky as she pulled out of the hospital parking lot. Stop it. She was fine. Everything was fine.
* * *
“No, it’s not. It’s all wrong, Eve.”
She stiffened, her gaze flying to the passenger seat.
Jenny.
Pain.
Eve could feel her pain and despair.
“It’s been a long time, Jenny. I thought we were working on this together.”
“I told you that I’d never be sure when I could come to you,” she said. “It’s so hard. He’s so hard. He fights me. He won’t believe me, and sometimes he makes me think that he’s right. That I’m … nothing.”
“No, he’s not right. Don’t think that.”
“It’s only sometimes. Most of the time, I know I’m getting stronger, and I’ll soon be able to stop him.”
“Stop him?”
“The way he stopped me,” she said. “The way he stopped her.”
“Her?”
“Elena. He shouldn’t have done that. It was all wrong.”
“Jenny, what are you saying?”
“He followed her. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t make him listen. He wouldn’t hear me.”
“Jenny, what did he do?”
“I don’t know. The car … I don’t know. He wanted to hurt her. I think he did it.”
“He hurt Elena?”
“Yes. He shouldn’t have done it. So kind to me. So good to Cara.”
“Cara. You know about Cara? You know that she’s the little girl Walsh was targeting?”
“Of course I do. Who else? It had to be Cara.”
“You didn’t know before.”
“I told you, I’m getting stronger. Things are coming back to me. Soon I’ll know everything.”
“And you know that Cara is your sister?”
“Of course she is. She was Marnie. Now she’s Cara. Elena had to change it.”
“And Elena isn’t really her aunt?”
“No, she was our nurse. She took care of both of us before Walsh took us from our home. He thought having her with us would make it easier for him on the trip, and he made her come along.”
“But it didn’t make it easier, did it? She helped you to escape from him?”
“Yes, but it didn’t work. He was too smart. He came after us. He was too close. He was going to catch Cara. I couldn’t let him do it. All I had to do was run away and make a lot of noise, so he’d follow me. But I had to leave her alone. I told her that I’d keep her safe if she’d just do what I said.” She moistened her lips. “And I did it. I can’t let it all be for nothing. I can’t let her die now. I saved her the last time. I have to do it again.”
“Is it Cara who Walsh is hurting now?”
“No, not yet. I told you … the car. Cara wasn’t in the car.”
“She wasn’t in Elena’s car? But she picked her up at school.”
“No, she fooled him. She had to fool him. She couldn’t let him get Cara.”
“Then where is Cara?”
“I don’t know. I can feel her. She’s scared, so scared. Like she was that night. There were tall trees around her then, but now there’s only rock. And she’s all alone.”
“Does Walsh know where she is?”
“I don’t think so. Maybe. He hurt Elena.”
“Do you know where Elena is?”
“The car.” Her green eyes were glittering with tears. “It’s the car. We have to help them, Eve. I’ve been searching. I have to find them before Walsh does.”
“We will. We found two bus passes that led up and around Carmel. Could that be near where she is?”
“I told you, I don’t know. I have to—” She stopped and drew a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put this on you. I always knew that I was the one who had to stop Walsh. Maybe the reason I was sent to you was that I had to learn to be strong enough to do it. Remember, you told me that I had to reach down and get the strength to fight him? Maybe I didn’t try hard enough. Well, I have to do it now.” Her lips were trembling, but her voice was steady. “I hope you can help me, but if you can’t, then I have to do it myself. It’s all wrong. It shouldn’t happen again. I can’t let it happen.”
“No, and it won’t. We’ll work it out together. It will be—”
* * *
But Jenny was gone.
Eve could feel her own eyes sting. “I wish you wouldn’t do that, Jenny. It’s hard enough without you wafting off to never-never land after you upset me.”
She pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and turned off the car. She buried her face in her hands and tried to get control of herself.
Think.
Try to put it together.
If she was to believe Jenny, Cara was somewhere alone and on the run.
Elena Delaney? Eve was afraid to make a guess. She leaned back in the seat and took a deep breath.
Wherever Elena was, she must be in danger … or worse. She had to be found. How?
“Car … it’s the car.”
She took out her phone and dialed Nalchek. “I need your help.”
“In the middle of the night?” A pause followed immediately by, “Have you found Walsh?”
“Not yet. I’m worried about Elena Delaney. I’m afraid that Walsh may have located her.”
“Not the kid?”
“No, I think Cara and her aunt may have split up.”
“Why do you think that?”
Awkwardness again. “I had a tip.”
“Another anonymous source?”
“Yes.”
“That you’re not going to divulge.”
“Sorry.”
“So am I,” he said dryly. “And how am I supposed to help?”
“You were going to try to locate Elena’s car. Have you done it?”
“Yes. I’ve been on the phone twice with the local police.”
“Could you call them now and go up the chain of command to try to get someone to find her car right away?”
“I could ask them, but I have no proof to show real grounds for the pressure.”
“Kidnapping. Tell them that you suspect that she kidnapped Cara, and you’re trying to verify.”
&
nbsp; “She’s supposed to be the kid’s aunt.”
“Which you can say was based on forged documents.”
“And they’ll have my ass when they find out I’m lying.”
“It could be true. We don’t know why she was with Cara. We don’t know anything.”
“Your mysterious source didn’t tell you?” he asked sarcastically.
She didn’t answer. “Will you do it?”
“You haven’t given me a good reason.”
“Walsh is after Elena. She’s going to die if we don’t find her before Walsh does.”
He was silent. “So Walsh is directly involved and on the move? That has a certain substance. I’ll give Carmel PD a call and phone you. Are you still at the hotel in San Francisco?”
“I won’t be by the time you get back to me. I’ll be on my way to Carmel.”
“Then I’ll see you there. I’m staying at the Radisson.”
“In Carmel?” she asked, startled.
“I started driving down there after the last time you called me. Things were happening, and I figured that was the place to be. You were getting close.”
“Not close enough. Cara Delaney slipped away.”
“Closer than I’ve been before. This time I’ll get him,” he said grimly. “Is Margaret still with you?”
“Yes.”
“Leave her in San Francisco. She’ll get in the way.”
“No. Call me when you find out anything.” She hung up.
The news that Nalchek was in Carmel had come as a surprise. She supposed it shouldn’t have been a shock. She couldn’t expect the sheriff to stay in the background while she was asking for help. She had known from the beginning that he was a dominant personality. But she was uneasy knowing he had not bothered to tell her he was coming to Carmel. He had just quietly and efficiently complied with her every request and compiled all the information she had gathered for his own investigation. Then he had positioned himself where he might be able to use it for his own advantage.
Nothing wrong with that. She and Joe had not been overgenerous about sharing their information, either. It had not been easy to explain Jenny.
Easy?
Impossible.
And Margaret’s distrust of Nalchek had influenced her whether she wanted to admit it or not. He must sense that reaction, as well.
But that distrust hadn’t stopped her from calling him for help again. Just be careful, strike a fine balance, and let him help her.
And hope that help included finding Elena Delaney.
CHAPTER
14
PACIFIC HIGHWAY
TWO HOURS LATER
“Are you going to tell me what this is all about?” Margaret asked quietly. “You tumble me out of my bed in the middle of the night and whisk me back here with the briefest explanation possible.”
“I was wondering if I should even bring you,” Eve said. “I think I did it because Nalchek told me not to. And because I found myself making excuses for him. I want to believe him, Margaret. You, on the other hand, have doubts. I needed the balance.”
“That’s clear,” Margaret said. “Maybe. But how did you find out that Elena didn’t pick up Cara?”
She didn’t answer.
“Ah, the anonymous source again? That must have driven Nalchek crazy.”
“He wasn’t happy.”
“I can see that he wouldn’t be.” She didn’t speak for a few minutes. “Sources he can’t identify will upset him. I’m the prime example.” She grimaced. “Sometimes I wish I could pull up a mysterious but entirely understandable and plausible ‘source’ myself every now and then. But it never works for me.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Nothing. Can’t you tell? I’m being diplomatic. I’ve got pretty good instincts, and I know all kinds of strange things happen in this world. I think I knew when you had no trouble accepting what I am. I just want you to know you don’t have to make any explanations to me. I’m not going to ask you any questions, and I’ll accept what you say without delving.”
Eve didn’t know what to say. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. So does your ‘source’ think that Elena is—”
Eve’s phone rang. “Nalchek.” She hit the speaker. “We’re almost there, Nalchek. Are you at your hotel?”
“No. I’m at highway marker fourteen Pacific Highway. Meet me there.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t have to ask the local police to look for that car. They’d already found it.” He hung up.
* * *
“My God.” Eve pulled over to the side of the road and jumped out of her car. She ran to the edge of the cliff and looked down the steep slope.
The dark blue Camaro was a twisted hunk of metal on the rocks below. It must have been on fire because it was still black and smoking. She could see the forensic teams trying to make their way carefully around the rough terrain to do their investigation.
“She couldn’t have survived that,” Margaret whispered beside her.
That’s what Eve had been thinking. “We have to find out.” She was gazing around the area, looking for Nalchek. She spotted him a few seconds later, talking to a tech holding a clipboard several yards down the slope. “Nalchek!” She half ran half slid toward him down the steep slope.
He caught her as she would have slid past him. He muttered a curse. “Be careful. All we need is another victim in the mix. I would have come to you.”
She was gazing down at the blackened, smoking car. “Another victim? Elena Delaney was in that car?”
“They can’t get close enough to determine that,” he said. “But they should know soon. It’s almost a foregone conclusion. They’ve searched the slope and rocks, and she wasn’t thrown from the car.”
“They’re sure it was her car?” Margaret said as she came to stand beside them.
“They found the license plate. It was blown over on those rocks when the gas tank exploded. Half-melted but readable.” He looked back at Eve. “It looks as if Walsh found her.”
Eve nodded as she looked down at that charred wreckage. She felt a wrenching pity. She knew little about Elena Delaney, but she had risked her life to save that little girl. She didn’t deserve to have that monster do this to her. “Terrible.”
He nodded. “But the question is, did this happen before or after he found her?”
“What?”
“Did he fake this accident after he found out what he wanted to know from her? Or did she go off the road while she was in a panic, trying to get away from him?”
She shook her head. “I’m afraid I’m not thinking too clearly. My first thought was that Walsh did it.”
“And probably the right one. I’m so frustrated, I’m grasping at straws. I don’t want him to get what he wanted.” He said through clenched teeth, “I wanted him.”
So had Eve.
This can’t happen again, Jenny had said. It’s all wrong.
But it was happening, and Eve hadn’t been able to stop it.
She looked back down at the wreckage. “We should know soon enough if he managed to chalk up another victim.”
“She won’t be down there in that car,” Margaret said quietly.
Eve’s gaze flew to her face. “What?”
“I think that Nalchek is probably right, and he faked the accident to stall us.”
“Why do you think that?”
She lifted her gaze to the sky and pointed. “Because they’re flying over that hill on the other side of the road.”
Eve’s gaze followed Margaret’s.
Vultures. Black vultures wheeling in wide circles in the sky.
“Shit!” Nalchek whirled to face Margaret. “Could they be sensing death or injury in that car?”
“Not likely. They have extraordinary smell, but that car was burning, and smoke would have masked the death scent.” She looked back at the vultures across the road. “They think that their meal is up there somewhere.”
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“Shit!” Nalchek started running up the slope at top speed.
Eve and Margaret were right behind him.
“She’s dead?” Eve asked. “Is that why—”
“She may not be dead yet,” Margaret said. “But it must be close. Actually, they think she’s alive. Movement. That’s why they’re still just hovering. They won’t go in until they believe there’s no fight left in the victim. That’s the way they prefer it.”
“Then we have a chance of saving her.” They had reached the road, but Nalchek was already on the other side and entering the woods. Eve ran after him. “There’s a chance.”
“Eve…” Margaret was running after her. “Don’t get your hopes up. Those vultures smell it.”
Smell death.
Eve ignored her and tried to catch up to Nalchek. He was glancing on either side of the trail as he climbed the hill.
No sign.
He reached the top of the hill.
He stopped, gazing at something below him.
Eve had a cold, sinking feeling.
It didn’t have to be bad.
But Nalchek was just standing there.
She caught up to him. “Do you see—”
A small, slender woman was lying crumpled near the bottom of the hill. She looked like the description they had of Elena Delaney. Midthirties, brown hair with a pink streak …
Or was that blood?
Her white T-shirt was soaked in blood.
She looked … broken.
White bones were sticking out of those thin arms. And her neck was at an odd angle.
“Why are we just standing here,” Eve said unevenly. “Margaret said she could be alive.”
“That fall alone should have finished her,” Nalchek said.
“But maybe it didn’t. We have to try.” She started slipping and sliding down the hill. “We’ve got to help her.”
She heard them behind her but didn’t wait for them. She reached Elena and knelt beside her. She checked the pulse in her throat. Faint beat. Very faint.
“She’s alive. Call 911 and get an ambulance up here.”
“Right.” Nalchek pulled out his phone and started dialing. “Those are knife wounds all over her torso. I doubt if—” He broke off and started speaking into his phone.
Try to stop the blood, Eve thought.
Where could she start? Which one of those knife wounds had done the most damage?