foot.'
Okay, be sensible. Dom had set up the elaborate ploy because he wanted her to make contact with Jane MacGuire. He probably wouldn’t make a move until she’d—
Probably? God, was she risking a child’s life on probabilities? He could be at that house on Luther Street right then. 'I want to go tonight.'
'It would be better—' Mark began.
She cut him off. 'I just want to make sure everything’s okay there. I won’t go inside and wake everyone up.'
Mark shrugged and started the car. 'Whatever you say.'
The house on Luther Street was small and gray paint was peeling from the porch steps. But the rest of the house appeared neat and well cared for. Cheerful fake greenery hung from plastic baskets on the porch.
'Satisfied?' Mark asked.
The street was deserted. No cars cruising, no one stirring. Eve wasn’t satisfied, but she felt a little better. 'I guess so.'
'Good. Then I’ll drive you and Joe to his apartment and come back to watch the house.'
'No. I’ll stay here.'
'I was expecting that.' Joe reached for his phone. 'I’ll call for an unmarked car to park out here tonight and have the officer go in immediately if he sees anything out of the ordinary. Okay?'
'I’ll stay here too,' Mark said.
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She looked at the two of them, undecided. And then she opened the car door. 'Okay, we’ll be back at eight in the morning. If you hear or see anything, you call us.'
'You’re going to walk? Let me run you home.”
“We’ll get a taxi.'
'In this neighborhood?'
'So we’ll walk until we get to where we can find one. I don’t want you leaving here.'
Mark looked at Joe. 'Will you please tell her she shouldn’t be wandering this neighborhood? It’s too dangerous.'
'Jane MacGuire wanders around this neighborhood every day of her life,' Eve pointed out. 'She manages to survive.' Just as Eve had survived all those years ago.
Jesus, it was all coming back to her.
“The car will be here in five minutes.' Joe had finished his call and he and Eve got out of the car.
'Don’t worry, I’ll take care of Eve,' he told Mark. 'Or maybe I’ll let her take care of me. This is her turf.'
'We’ll be back at eight in the morning.' Eve started down the street. Nothing really changed around here. The grass growing in the cracks in the sidewalk, the dirty words chalked on the pavement.
'And how do we get back to civilization from here?' Joe asked as he fell in beside her.
'This is civilization, rich boy,' Eve said. 'The real wilds are four blocks south. You’ll notice I’m heading north.'
'And where did you live?'
'South. You’re a cop. You must be familiar with this area.'
'Not on foot. They shoot at cops in this part of town… when they’re not killing each other.'
'They. The mysterious ‘they.’ We’re not all criminals down here. We have to live and survive just like anyone else. Why the hell do you—'
'Hold it. You know damn well who I was talking about. Why are you jumping on me?'
He was right. 'Sorry. Forget it.'
'I don’t think we’d better forget it. You were talking as if you were still living in one of those houses on Luther Street.'
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'I was never lucky enough to live on Luther Street. I told you, this is uptown.”
“You know what I mean.'
She did know. 'I haven’t been down here since we moved out after Bonnie was born. I didn’t think I’d react like this.'
'Like what?'
'I was feeling like the kid I was all those years ago.' She smiled ruefully. 'I was on the attack.'
'That’s how Barbara Eisley described Jane MacGuire.”
