if they do, the license plates on this car couldnt be traced to me.
If they even reached the road, Eve thought as they plowed over one more shrub.
Its okay. Gils gaze was fixed on her face. I had heavy-duty tires and a new engine put on this baby. Its not as decrepit as it looks.
Hows your shoulder? she asked.
Okay. He smiled slyly. But my spirits would be a hell of a lot better if it wasnt John doing the driving again.
No one in the tunnel. Kenner was climbing back up the ladder into the pantry. It leads to the woods. Ive sent two men to reconnoiter.
If Logan arranged a bolt hole, he would have ar-ranged transport. Fiske moved out of the pantry. Ill scout the area from above in the helicopter. Stay here and burn the place to the ground. Nothings cleaner than fire.
Kenner shrugged. Okay. Then Ill set an explosion.
Idiot. It was a good thing Fiske was in charge now. No explosion. Thats not clean. Set a fire. No gasoline. Make it look like bad wiring.
That will take time.
Taking time is worth it to keep a job clean. He headed toward the helicopter. See to it.
He had been in the air ten minutes when he flipped open his cell phone and dialed Timwick. No one was at the house. Were scouting the area, but no progress so far.
Son of a bitch.
We may still find him. If we dont, Im going to need a list of locations Logan might go to.
Youll get them.
And Ive ordered the place burned to the ground to destroy any evidence.
Good. Actually, I was going to tell you to do that anyway. It was part of the contingency plan I was given. Timwick paused. One more thing. I need a body in those ruins.
What?
A mans body burned beyond recognition.
Who?
Anyone. As long as the height is close to Logans. Get back to me when its done.
Fiske pressed the end button and put his cellular away. It was the first time Timwick had indicated he was actually taking orders and not just consulting with his cohorts. Interesting that they wanted Logan to appear dead. He wondered just what
He suddenly grinned, then turned to the pilot. Get back to the house right away.
The adrenaline and pleasure were pumping through him as he thought of Timwicks words.
Anyone. As long as the height is close to Logans.
Kenner.
Were going south, Eve said. Is it too much to hope youre taking me home to Atlanta?
Yes. Were going to North Carolina, to a house on the shore there. Logan glanced over his shoulder from the drivers seat. If you think this through, youll realize you dont want to bring trouble down on your mother by going home.
No, she didnt want to do that, she thought wearily. She was caught in a whirlpool of deceit and death and Mom had to be kept clear. And just what are we going to do in North Carolina?
We have to have a base, Gil said. The house in North Carolina is right by the beach, in a prime tourist area. Our neighbors will be people on vaca-tion, and they wont care about newcomers.
You have it all planned out. Eve smiled crookedly. You were that sure it was Chadbourne?
Pretty sure. You can see I had to make plans based on the assumption.
I cant see much of anything right now except that youve used me without a scrap of conscience. You deliberately caught me in a trap so that I would have no choice but to try to expose Chadbournes death.
Yes. Logan met her gaze in the rearview mirror. Deliberately. '
She looked out the window at the flowing traffic. Bastard.
Right.
Could you dial one of my country stations on the radio, John? Gil asked plaintively. I need soothing. Im a sick man and all this tension isnt good for me.
In your dreams, Logan said.
Eve turned to Gil. And youre not a good ol country boy turned chauffeur, are you?
Sure I am. He shrugged. But I also did a stint with the Secret Service under the last admin-istration and another six months with the Chadbourne administration. I was pretty sick of dealing with Timwicks little regime and wanted to get as far away as I could from Washington. I thought a nice, peaceful job on the Seventeen Mile Drive was just the ticket. He grimaced. It didnt work out as Id planned, but you might say that my few contacts in convenient places have increased my value to John.
And Margaret?
