Yes, we will. He opened her door and stood aside. Goodnight,Eve.
Good night. She went inside and closed the door. The room was country comfortable with a canopy bed with a rust and cream quilt, simple pine furniture. The only thing in it that interested her was the telephone on the end table. She sat down on the bed and dialed Joe Quinns number.
Hello, he answered sleepily.
Joe, Eve.
His voice lost all trace of drowsiness. Is every-thing okay?
Fine. Im sorry to wake you, but I just wanted to tell you where I am and give you my phone number here. She rattled off the number printed on the ex-tension. Got it?
Got it. Where the hell are you?
Barrett House. Logans place in Virginia.
And this couldnt wait until morning?
Probably. But I wanted you to know. I feelhellip; disconnected.
You sound uneasy as the devil. You took the job?
Why else would I be here?
And whats scaring you?
Im not scared.
The hell youre not. You havent called me in the middle of the night since Bonnie
Im not afraid. I just wanted you to know. She had a thought. Logan has a driver, Gil Price. He used to be in the Air Force Military Police.
You want me to check him out?
Ihellip; think so.
No problem.
And youll watch out for my mother while Im gone?
Sure, you know I will. Ill ask Diane to go over and have coffee with her tomorrow afternoon.
Thanks, Joe. Go back to sleep.
Yeah, sure. He paused. I dont like this. Be careful, Eve.
Theres nothing to be careful about. Bye.
She hung up the phone and stood. Shed take a shower, wash her hair, and then get to bed. She really shouldnt have woken up Joe, but hearing a familiar voice made her feel better. Everything about this place was low-key and unthreatening, including lik-able Gil Price, but she was still on edge. She couldnt tell how much was authentic and how much had been layered on to disarm her, and she didnt like being so isolated.
But now she had a link to the outside world.
Joe would be her safety net while she was walking this tightrope.
Eve? Diane Quinn rolled over in bed and propped her head on her hand. Is everything all right?
Joe nodded. I think so. I dont know. She took a job that may not be Forget it. Probably nothing to worry about.
But Joe would worry, Diane thought. He always worried about Eve.
He lay back down and pulled up the covers. Go by and visit her mother tomorrow, will you?
Sure. She turned out the light and cuddled closer. Whatever you say. Now go back to sleep.
I will.
He wouldnt go back to sleep. Hed lie there in the darkness thinking and worrying about Eve. Smother the resentment. She had a good marriage. Joe had in- herited enough money from his parents to give them a comfortable lifestyle even without his salary. He was thoughtful, generous, and great in bed. Shed known when she married him that he and Eve were a package deal. It hadnt taken her long to realize the bond between Joe and Eve was too strong to break. They were so close, sometimes they finished each others sentences.
But that bond wasnt sexual. Not yet. Maybe never. That part of him was still hers.
So smother the envy and resentment. Be Eves friend, be Joes wife.
Because she was bitterly aware she couldnt be one without being the other.
She called Joe Quinn thirty minutes ago. Gil set a sheet of paper on the desk in front of Logan. Heres a transcript Mark made of the conversation.
Logan smiled faintly as he glanced through the text. I dont believe she trusts us, Gil.
Smart lady. Gil threw himself into the easy chair across the room and draped a leg over the arm. Now, Im not surprised she doesnt trust you. Youre pretty transparent, but it takes someone ultrapercep-tive to suspect me.
Its not your acting ability, its those damn freckles. He frowned. Ive been trying to contact Scott Maren in Jordan. Any calls?
No calls. Then he snapped his fingers. Except from your lawyer, Novak.
He can wait.
Do you want Mark to foul up the connection if she tries to call again?
He shook his head. Shed only use her digital. She still might if she knows the phone in her room is bugged.
Whatever you say. He paused. When do we go for it?
Soon.
He lifted a brow. You wouldnt be holding out on me, would you?
I have to make sure everythings right. Timwicks been too close on my tail.
You can trust me, John.
I said Im waiting.
All right, you closemouthed bastard. Gil stood up and strolled toward the door. But I dont like going in blind.
You wont.
Ill take that as a promise. Get some sleep.
I will.
When the door closed behind Gil, Logan glanced down at the transcript again and then tossed it to one side. Joe Quinn. He couldnt afford to underestimate the detective. Eve had inspired intense loyalty in Quinn. Loyalty and friendship and what else? he wondered. Quinn was married, but that didnt matter.
Hell, it wasnt any of his business if it didnt in-terfere with what he needed Eve to do. Besides, he had enough to worry about.
Scott Maren was wandering around Jordan and might be taken down at any minute.
Timwick might have seen through Logan and drawn conclusions. Those conclusions would frighten him enough to give the order to secure his position.
Logan couldnt wait to get hold of Maren.
He pulled out his personal phone book and flipped it open to the back page. There were only three names and telephone numbers on the page.
Dora Bentz.
James Cadro.
Scott Maren.
Bentzs and Cadros telephones might be bugged, but he should still call and verify they were all right. Then hed send someone to pick them up.
He reached for the telephone and dialed the first phone number.
Dora Bentz.
The phone was ringing.
Fiske finished tying the womans legs to the bedposts and pushed her nightgown up above her waist.
She was in her fifties, but she had damn nice legs. Too bad about that pouchy belly. She should have worked out, he thought. Situps would have taken care of that pouch. He did two hundred situps a day and his own belly was iron hard.
He got a broom out of the kitchen closet and came back to the bed.
The phone was still ringing. Persistent.
He shoved the broom up the woman. The killing had to look like a sex crime, but he wouldnt risk ejacu-lating inside her. Semen was evidence. Many serial killers had trouble ejaculating anyway, and the broom was a nice touch. It spelled out woman hatred and home desecration.
Anything else?
Six deep, savage wounds on her breasts, duct tape over her mouth, the open windowhellip;
No, it was a clean job.
Hed have liked to stay awhile and admire his handiwork, but the phone hadnt stopped ringing.
Whoever was on the other end might get worried and call the police.
One more check. He walked to the head of the bed and gazed down at her.
She stared back at him, her eyes as wide open, her expression as terrified as when hed plunged the knife into her heart.
He took out the envelope with the photographs and the typewritten list Timwick had given him at the airport. He liked lists; they kept the world in order.
Three photographs. Three names. Three addresses.
He crossed Dora Bentzs name off the list.
The phone was still ringing as he left her apart-ment.
No answer.
It was three-thirty in the morning. There should have been an answer.
Logan slowly replaced the receiver.
It didnt have to mean anything. Dora Bentz had married children who lived in Buffalo, New York. She could be visiting them. She could be on vacation anywhere.
Or she could be dead.
Timwick could be moving quickly to tie up all the loose ends.
Shit,
