'The hell I’m not. I’d have to be dead before I’d wait to see that murderer’s face.' She tried to The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02
Page 259 of 286
steady her hands as she took the envelope. Disappointment surged through her as she drew out the photo. 'No.'
A third of the photograph was gone. The third with Kevin Baldridge sitting on the porch steps.
Two lives lost. All for nothing.
Spiro was cursing. 'Why couldn’t it have been the other half that was torn?”
“Murphy’s Law,' Joe said. 'This is just a print, Eve. Can you do anything?'
She tried to think. 'Maybe. Sung might have made copies. Or his work might have been saved on his computer.'
Joe looked at Spiro. 'Get us permission to go into that lab on Blue Mountain Drive.'
Spiro nodded. 'Meet me there in two hours.”
“We’ll be there,' Eve said.
'Come on.' Joe tried to wrap an arm around Eve’s waist. 'Let’s go home.”
“I don’t need your help.' She pushed his hand away and started to walk. Put one foot in front of the other. Don’t look at him. Keep control or you’ll disintegrate into a million pieces. 'I’ll see you back at the house.'
'I’m going with you. For God’s sake, you just took a knock on the head.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not capable of—'
'I’m not letting you drive.'
'And what are you supposed to do with your car? Just leave it here?”
“Screw the car.' He opened the car door for her.
'No, I don’t—'
'Need my help,' he finished for her. 'But you’re still not driving. Now get in.'
He whirled to face her as soon as they walked into the living room. 'What the hell is wrong with you?'
'Nothing’s wrong with me.' Except she felt as if she were going to explode any minute. She wanted to scream and pound on him. Damn him. Damn him. Damn him.
'The hell there’s not. You’re shaking like a malaria victim.'
The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02
Page 260 of 286
'I’m fine.' She couldn’t hold on much longer. 'Go wash your face,' she snapped. 'You have oil all over it. All over your hands and that—'
'I’m sorry it offends you.'
'It does offend me.' A single light in the wreckage and then the world exploding. 'I hate it.'
'You don’t have to bite my head off.'
'Yes, I do.' She turned away, her back rigid. 'Go away.”
“Turn around. I want to see your face.'
She didn’t move. 'Go wash up. We have to go to that lab and see if we can get another print.'
'You shouldn’t go anywhere in your condition.”
“There’s nothing wrong with me.'
'Then look at me.'
'I don’t want to look at you. I want to go and look at that photograph. It’s important, dammit.'
'Do you think I don’t know that? But there’s something else happening here, and it may be more important to me than any picture.'
The room seemed to be tilting, exploding beneath her feet. Like the car had exploded.
Hold on. Don’t break down. What had they been talking about? The photograph. 'It couldn’t be more important. Two men died because of that photograph.'
'And I’m sorry as hell, but I’m not to blame.' He spun her around to face him. 'I did everything I could to help —'
'I know you did. Crawling into that— Stupid, idiotic—‘ The floodgates broke and tears were again running down her cheeks. 'Charlie was already dead, dammit.'
'I didn’t know that.'
'You could have died.'
“I didn’t die.'
'Not for lack of trying.”
