“No, they let me leave yesterday. That man, Venable, told the people at the hospital that they could release me into his care. He must be a good guy.”
“Venable?” Joe repeated warily. He wasn’t sure that he liked this. “Yeah, sometimes.”
“I told him I wanted to call you and tell you that I have to come and help right away.” Ben’s voice was desperate. “He thought that was a good idea. Where are you, Joe? Mr. Venable didn’t know.”
And Joe would just as soon he didn’t know anything more than Joe wanted to tell him. He had learned his lesson in Colorado, when Venable could have gotten Eve killed when he’d tried to control the situation to suit himself. It was clear Venable was trying to manipulate Ben to get what he wanted, he thought grimly. “Is Venable there with you, Ben?”
“No, we’re at a motel. He’s in the next room. He said that he’d help me come to you if you’ll tell me where you are.”
“Look, I know you want to help, but by the time you get here, we’ll already have Eve safe.” God, he hoped he was telling the truth. “We’re close, Ben. She’s going to be okay. Stay where you are, and I’ll have Eve call you as soon as she can.”
“No, why are you telling me that? Bonnie says she’s not safe. She says he gets angry with Eve, and she almost died last night.”
Joe couldn’t breathe. He felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach. “What are you talking about, Ben?” Keep calm, fight through the fear. “Talk slowly and clearly. You had another dream about Bonnie? When?”
“A little while ago. That’s why I have to get to you. Bonnie said you have to get her away from him right away.”
“I know that, dammit. What do you think I’m—” He tried to temper the harshness of his voice. “What else did she tell you? Eve hasn’t been hurt yet?”
“I don’t think so. Sometimes I think Bonnie doesn’t tell me everything she knows. But Eve is still alive, Joe. She was asleep, not dead. Like that princess in the fairy tale. Bonnie said Eve even joked about it to her. A sleeping princess in a cottage not a castle and not a garden of thornbushes but a graveyard of driftwood.”
He frowned. “What is all this nonsense? You’re not making sense.”
“I think Bonnie was trying to tell me where Eve is now. She didn’t know exactly. She could only see what Eve was seeing, what Eve knew about the place.”
“A graveyard of driftwood to keep everyone away from sleeping beauty?”
“He gave Eve something to keep her asleep,” Ben said simply. “Bonnie was afraid she’d never wake up.”
Joe muttered a curse. “Anything else? Did Bonnie tell you anything else, Ben?”
“You’re scared, aren’t you, Joe? I’m scared, too.”
Joe closed his eyes. God, yes, he was scared. “Yeah, I’m afraid for her. You’ve got to think hard and tell me everything about your dream.”
“It wasn’t very long. Bonnie said that she had to fight to get through, that someone…” He thought for a moment. “Kevin was keeping her from reaching anyone close to Eve. I’m the only one…”
“Anything else?”
He was silent, thinking. “Only that it was Kevin’s castle, I mean cottage, where Eve is now. Is that enough? I repeated everything she told me just like she wanted. Can we find her now?”
Garden of thorns, graveyard of driftwood, a cottage belonging to a man dead for the last five years. Pitifully slim clues given to a special boy from a spirit from beyond. He should be in hopeless despair.
He was not in despair. He would not let that happen. He was desperate, but he was reaching out to grasp this fragile straw that Ben was handing him. “We’ll find her. I just have to think and put all this together. You did good, Ben.”
“Then let me come to help you find her. I won’t get in the way.”
“I’m on my way to Seattle. That’s a long way from you. I can’t wait for you to get here. Bonnie wouldn’t want me to wait, would she? She was worried, or she wouldn’t have come to you. She’d want me to find Eve as soon as I can.”
Ben’s silence was troubled. “No, you can’t wait. Eve almost died. I’ll find my own way. Maybe Bonnie will help me.”
“Ben, stay where you are. I don’t want you to—” It was no use arguing with the boy. He would do what he thought was right. “Take care, Ben. Keep in touch.” He hung up.
His stomach was tied up in knots.
Eve almost died.
Stop thinking about Ben’s words. Move forward.
But one thing to do first.
He dialed Venable. “I assume you bugged Ben’s phone?”
“Would I do that to a fine boy like Ben Hudson?” He paused. “What do you expect. You’ve all shut me out. Even Catherine offers me only crumbs about what she’s up to. I have to take what I can get.” He added dryly, “Though that hogwash Ben was spewing wasn’t worth the planting of a very fine piece of electronic equipment.” His tone roughened. “I won’t have roadblocks put in my way, Quinn. The risk is too great. This isn’t only about Eve. I want Zander. He may be the only bargaining chip I have to get Doane and the location of those nukes.”
“I’ll get your damn bombs. And I’ll throw Doane’s body at your feet as soon as I get my hands on him. But I won’t have you dangling Ben on your string to force me to play the game your way. He’s a good kid, and he’s trying to help.”
“Yeah, dreams and ghosts and all that crap,” Venable said. “I can offer you a hell of a lot more help. I sent a team from Homeland Security into Seattle as soon as Catherine told me she was heading there. I also sent a team to Chicago to back any play there. Just keep me informed, dammit.”
“If I can do it without risking Eve. Otherwise, I’ll handle it myself.” He listened to Venable curse. “And I don’t care if you think Ben’s words were crap or not. Pretend you believe him and see if you can unearth any records about a cottage outside Seattle that Kevin may have purchased five years ago.”
“The information is probably buried, and it could be a waste of my time.” He paused. “We could make a deal.”
“I’ve told you how it’s going to be. You’ll do it because you’re scrambling for any clue to lead you to Doane.” He changed the subject. “Now, Ben is going to try to get up here. That’s okay as long as someone is looking out for him. That means you, Venable. You’ll be heading up here anyway now that you know Catherine and Zander are in this area. You take good care of Ben, or I’ll make you pay, Venable.”
Silence. “Threats? We used to be on the same side.”
“Not if your side considers Eve expendable.” He didn’t wait for an answer. He hung up.
He drew a deep breath. Don’t think, don’t feel, just move forward efficiently and at top speed. He dialed Gallo’s cell.
Gallo answered on the second ring. He said warily, “I take it that Catherine contacted you, too? I assure you that I don’t like the idea of our working together any more than you do.”
“I agree, but I’ll accept it because I may need you.”
“What?”
“It depends if you can swallow what Venable calls Ben’s hogwash,” Joe said curtly. “If you can’t, I don’t want you.”
Gallo was silent as moment. “Ben Hudson? What hogwash?”
“He dreamed of Bonnie, and she told him a few things. She was scared for Eve, but she couldn’t reach the people closest to her. She said Kevin was keeping her away.” He paused. “Well, simpleminded hogwash, Gallo?”
“Because he dreamed of Bonnie?” he asked quietly. “Then call me simpleminded, too, Quinn. I was in a North Korean prison for years, and I dreamed of Bonnie. I didn’t even know she was my child. I had no idea Eve was even pregnant when I left to go into the Army. All I know was that when I was on the point of death from starvation and torture, a little girl with red hair came down into that darkness and kept me alive. Yes, I believe that Bonnie could come to Ben. Do you?”
“Yes, I didn’t for a long time, years. I had to learn to suspend disbelief.” He
cleared his throat. “And Bonnie’s let me keep Eve through all these years, so I have no trouble believing she wants us to find her. Though as far as clues go, she didn’t give us a hell of a lot.” He tried to think of Ben’s exact words. “Bonnie said Eve was joking about her being sleeping beauty but instead of a castle it was a cottage, and instead of a garden of thornbushes, it was a graveyard of driftwood.”
“That’s all?”
“Something about its being Kevin’s place.”
“A cottage and driftwood and a connection with Doane’s son,” Gallo said. “It was more than we had before.”
“That’s what I thought.” He paused. “But we have to move fast to find it. Doane gave Eve an overdose and almost killed her. That’s why I called you. As Catherine said, two can cover more ground than one. And I’m calling Kendra and telling her to check those letters and the journal for any reference that might lead to answers.”
“Good move. Spread the word. I’ll call Catherine and let her know to call Jane or Margaret. I’m at a Starbucks in Everton, Washington. How close are you?”
“About twenty minutes.”
“I’ll stay here. But be quicker than twenty minutes if you can do it.” He hung up.
Those last sentences had sounded remarkably like orders, Joe thought with annoyance. Gallo was instinctively trying to take control. It was just what Joe had been wary about.
Screw it.
He’d take any chance he had to take to bring this nightmare to a close as quickly as possible.
Eve almost died.
Keep her alive for me, Bonnie.
And while you’re at it, I’d appreciate it you’d keep a rein on your father. God knows, I don’t need trouble from Gallo.
Seattle, Washington
“EVE’S DEFINITELY HERE IN SEATTLE?” Catherine’s voice was tense. “It sounds like it from that driftwood description. I thought the chances were excellent, but there was always the possibility Doane had laid a false trail, Gallo. It’s good to have confirmation.”
“Venable wasn’t so accepting,” Gallo said dryly. “He thought the source was suspect.” He paused. “Do you?”
Catherine hesitated. “Bonnie? Let’s just say that I may not have met your little ghost-girl, Gallo, but Eve believes in her, you and Joe believe in her. I grew up in Hong Kong, where spirits are a part of the culture. I’m willing to take your word that I should take a chance on her.” She quickly changed the subject. “A graveyard of driftwood? Couldn’t Ben pin her down to more than that?”
“Catherine, I haven’t the faintest doubt that you would make the attempt to third-degree even a ghost, but Ben has the simplicity of a child, and he worships Bonnie.” She could hear the amusement in his voice. “We’ll have to work it out for ourselves. Quinn and I are both moving forward, and he’s put Kendra on it.” He was silent a moment. “I can’t do anything else since you won’t trust me enough to let me come to you. Has Zander been able to get a clue to where Doane might be hiding out?”
“No.” She could feel his tension and impatience growing, and she didn’t want to struggle against Gallo just then. “I have to go. I’ll call you if I learn anything more.” She turned off the speaker as she hung up. Stang was driving the car, and she turned to Zander, who was sitting beside her in the backseat. “You could trust Gallo. He could be helpful, Zander.”
“My dear Catherine, I trust no one.” He smiled. “Not even you. And I doubt if Gallo would prove as amusing to me as you’ve turned out to be.” He tilted his head. “Of course, he might amuse you. I believe I caught a strong hint of electricity between you. But neither of you really have time to indulge yourselves at the present time.”
“Cut the crap,” she said impatiently. “You heard him. He called about Eve.”
“And sleeping beauty and a graveyard of driftwood.” His tone was objective. “And Bonnie. I was fascinated by your reply to Gallo’s question about whether you believed in her. It was all quite interesting and reasonable, but Gallo wasn’t here to see your expression.”
She gazed at him warily.
“You were dancing around answering him. Why? Were you lying or just not telling the entire truth?”
“I wasn’t lying.” Dammit, his gaze was fixed curiously on her, and she was already familiar with that curiosity. He wouldn’t give up. “Okay, I’m hardheaded, and it’s difficult for me to admit that I believe in Bonnie.” She moistened her lips before she said reluctantly, “But I saw her.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You heard me, I saw her. We were in that canyon where she was buried. I came out of the forest, and I saw her with Eve.”
“Imagination?”
“I saw her. She was there, then she was gone. I never mentioned it to Eve, but I think she knew.” She lifted her gaze to Zander’s face. “I don’t go around hobnobbing with ghosts, but Bonnie was as real as you are to me.”
“Indeed?”
“Don’t give me that supercilious bullshit. According to you, you’re Bonnie’s grandfather. If anyone was able to see her, it should have been you.” Her stare became challenging. “Have you seen Bonnie, Zander?”
His smile never wavered. “Perhaps.”
She hadn’t really expected an answer. No one was more guarded than Zander. “Which means?”
“I had a hallucination when I was down in that mine shaft in Colorado. Of course, I was in shock from pain, and it was natural that I see a red-haired little girl telling me I had to save her mother. I’d had Eve and her daughter thoroughly researched, and if I was to have a hallucination, it was entirely logical.”
“If it was a hallucination, why did you say ‘perhaps’?”
“Because of my time with the monks in Tibet. They taught me that nothing was certain.” He shrugged. “And this conversation is beginning to bore me. I’m sure that any granddaughter who has my genes would be exceptionally intelligent, but the idea of banking a search for Eve on those few words isn’t reasonable. Nor is there time to pursue a thread that flimsy. I prefer to go in another direction.”
“For instance?”
“I’ll let you know when I do.” He was no longer smiling. “Or maybe not. You just wander along on your path toward that mysterious driftwood graveyard. It’s a little too whimsical for me.”
“I’m not going to wander anywhere that’s more than a shout away from you. I haven’t changed my mind about your being the ace that could lead me to Doane.” Her brows rose. “Are you still trying to get rid of me?”
He was silent a moment, staring at her. “I find myself oddly reluctant at the thought of your getting in my way when I have to take care of Doane. It would probably be fatal, and I’m not accustomed to not being able to ignore that aspect of the job.”
“I’m touched,” Catherine murmured. “You’d actually be sorry if you had to remove me if I got in your way? Don’t worry, I’ll try to keep myself alive to avoid causing you any serious mental distress.” She suddenly chuckled. “And I won’t flatter myself that I’m at the root of that distress. It’s because I’m Eve’s friend, isn’t it?”
“Ridiculous.”
“I don’t think so. I’m not sure what you feel about Eve and how much it’s affecting your actions, but there’s some kind of cause and effect involved.”
“You don’t believe it’s your charm and endearing personality?” he asked with silken menace. “I don’t appreciate your thinking that I’m transparent enough for you to read me. It annoys me.”
She smothered the sudden ripple of fear. Being with Zander was like walking a tightrope. Most of the time, she felt fairly confident, but then he’d show his teeth, and the chill would come. Don’t let him see it. “I can’t read you. But you and Eve came together while she was on the run from Doane in the mountains. You couldn’t be with her for even the shortest time without realizing how special she is. She’d make her mark on you.” She forced herself to look him directly in the eye. “And Doane may be your target, but he’s not the reason
you’re on the hunt. It’s Eve.”
“Really?”
“Really. You’ve gone to extraordinary lengths to assure that Doane wouldn’t kill her.”
“Extraordinary? Not likely.”
“Extraordinary,” she repeated. “For you, Zander. You’re probably in denial and perhaps don’t realize your motivation, but you want Eve to live.”
“Because she’s my daughter?” he asked mockingly.
“I don’t know. You’d have to tell me.” Her lips twisted. “And I’m not about to force that issue. I’m already in enough trouble with you.”
“And you’re clearly terrified,” he said sarcastically.
“I’m afraid of you,” she said bluntly. “You’re intimidating as hell, and I have to work my way through it. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t do it. You have to respect me, or you’d leave me behind in your dust.” She paused. “And I believe you do have your own plan to get Doane. I don’t want to be left out of it. I won’t get in your way, and you can count on me to watch your back.”
“And protect me?”
“I know that you didn’t like that.” She grinned. “Stang nearly had a heart attack.” Her smile faded. “But it’s what I have to do. You’re the prize, Zander.”
“I’ve no quarrel with that statement. It’s quite true.”
“And prizes have to be given a certain security.”
“Only if it’s a prize that’s being distributed by someone else. No one has the power to control this particular prize.” He tapped his chest. “Not you, not Quinn, not Venable. No one. I won’t be traded, bartered, or held hostage. Don’t try it, Catherine.”
“Not if I can see any other way,” Catherine said quietly. “Eve wouldn’t thank me for it. That’s why I was glad that Gallo called and gave us that info about the driftwood. I’m looking for any way out.” She grimaced. “So stop threatening me, and let’s see what we can do to find that son of a bitch that doesn’t require me giving Doane your head on a platter.”