Mark Grunard drove them to a Motel 6 near Elijay, Georgia. He arranged for a single room for himself and a double for Eve and Jane.
'As you ordered.' He handed Eve a key. 'I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thanks, Mark.'
'For what? I’d like to say I’m doing everything to save the kid, but I’m really interested only in the story.'
'Thanks anyway.'
She pushed Jane into the room and locked the door. 'Bathroom. Wash up.' Jesus, it was cold.
She turned up the thermostat. 'You can sleep in your underclothes tonight. I’ll get you something else to wear tomorrow.'
Jane yawned. 'Okay.'
She called Joe’s digital number as soon as she was sure Jane was asleep in the twin bed next to her.
'Joe?'
'Where the hell are you?'
'I’m fine. And I have Jane MacGuire. She’s safe.'
'I’ve been hunting all over the city for you. Sandra wouldn’t tell me a damn thing.'
'Are the police bothering her?”
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“Of course they are. What do you think?”
“Help her, Joe.'
'As much as I can. She’s not the one they want. Where are you?' She didn’t answer the question. 'I just called to tell you there may be usable evidence in the alley off Luther Street.
Dom left a message in blood on a cardboard box and a child’s finger bone on the ground.'
'Whose bone?'
Bonnie.
Close it out. Don’t think about Bonnie.
'I don’t know. And I don’t know who the blood belongs to either.”
“I do. The security guard at the welfare house you busted her out of.”
“Christ.' She shivered as she realized Dom might have already been preparing to go after Jane.
'How long has he been dead?'
'We don’t know yet. It was cold tonight. Time of death can be hard to determine when the body’s been exposed to low temperatures. The last time anyone saw him was about eight-fifteen.'
So his death could have occurred in the early evening, hours before she appeared on the scene.
The eerie feeling she’d had as she had stood beneath Jane’s window could have been imagination.
'Which makes you both a kidnapper and a suspect in a murder,' Joe said. 'Murder?'
'You were at the scene. Though I don’t believe anyone’s going to seriously believe you’re a murderer.'
'That’s comforting.'
'But you’ll be considered at least a material witness, and you’ll be wanted for questioning. And then there’s the kidnapping. There’s an APB on you.”
“You know why I had to get Jane out of there. Dom told me if I didn’t, he’d go in after her.'
'I thought as much.' His voice was without expression. 'It would have been nice if you’d called me and talked it over.'
God, he was angry. 'I had to do it myself.'
'Did you? If I recall, I’m involved up to my neck. Why did you decide to cross me off your list?'
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'You know why. I had to get Jane away even if I broke the law. You’re a cop, Joe.”
“You think that would have stopped me from helping! I’d have done it for you, dammit.'
'I know.' She swallowed to ease the tightness of her throat. 'I couldn’t allow it.”
“You couldn’t allow—' He had to stop to temper his tone. 'Who the hell gave you the right to make my decisions for me?'
'I took the right.'
'And you shut me out.”
