And that meant he had to bite the bullet and call Montalvo.
SIX
“I JUST TALKED TO QUINN,” Montalvo said, when Eve picked up the phone. “I was going to call him anyway but it was gratifying that he made the first move.”
“I don’t know why. It doesn’t mean anything except that he wants to solve this case.”
“And wanted it enough to come to me for help. I’m not saying that it flattered my ego. I’m saying that the antagonism can’t be quite as strong as it used to be if he could bring himself to do it. It bodes well for our being able to work together.” He chuckled. “The first step in our burgeoning friendship.”
“The circumstances are different right now. I wouldn’t count on anything when we manage to catch this killer.”
“I never count on anything. I just work at making it happen.”
“Is that what you called to tell me?”
“No, I called to share what I told Quinn.”
“Joe will tell me.”
“But I want to do it first. I don’t want you to have to wait.”
“That’s not the way to feed a burgeoning friendship.”
“I have to strike a balance. Do you want to know or not?”
“Of course I want to know. What did you find out about Jelak?”
“It’s sketchy right now. I’ve been trying to build a picture but so far all we have is based on credit-card information. We’ve traced the trail back to Illinois.” He paused. “He checked into a motel outside Bloomburg three weeks ago.”
She stiffened. “Bloomburg? That’s where we got on the track of Henry Kistle. You say he was there?”
“According to Visa.”
“Kistle and Jelak? Is there some kind of connection between them? Did Kistle stay there?”
“No, he rented a flat in town. We can’t be sure, but so far there doesn’t appear to be any contact between them.”
“Then why was he there? There must have been a reason.” She was trying to work it out. “I suppose they could have been partners. They left Atlanta about the same time after Bonnie’s death.”
“But I had in-depth reports on Kistle. There was no mention of Jelak in any of them.”
“But you weren’t looking for any mention of Jelak. Why would you? Why would he suddenly pop up in Bloomburg if he didn’t have some kind of history with Kistle?”
“If I knew that, I wouldn’t still be digging, and Quinn would be looking upon me as if I were a brother.”
“Brother Cain, maybe.”
“Very good.” Montalvo laughed. “But I don’t mind the comparison. That was a very interesting relationship.” He added, “But Jelak had one other credit charge in Bloomburg than the motel. He took out a weekly membership at Gold’s Gym. But he only went there twice.”
“A gym?”
“I thought it a little peculiar too. Particularly since one of the times he went there was when we were all in town trying to hunt down Kistle.”
Peculiar and chilling, she thought. The idea of Jelak’s calmly going about his life to that extent, probably only miles from where she had stayed, without her having any idea of his presence. She had been totally focused on Henry Kistle, having no clue that there was another, maybe even greater, threat standing in the shadows. “And you told Joe this?”
“Every bit. But I was only a few steps ahead of him. He told me he was getting an order to trace back Jelak’s credit info as far back as he’d held the card. He should be receiving a report anytime.” He paused. “I asked to see the report. After all, turnabout is fair play. To my surprise, Quinn agreed. I suppose I thought he’d want to close me out.”
“Not with Jelak. He’s too close.”
“How close, Eve?” he asked softly. “What aren’t you telling me?”
She hesitated. But, as he’d said, turnabout was fair play. “You heard about the murder of Nancy Jo Norris? There was an object left here at the cottage that was meant to be a threat. It was connected to the girl’s murder. Why would her killer be targeting me? The coincidence was too strong when we knew that Jelak was in the area.”
He gave a low whistle. “Much too strong.” He was silent a moment. “And I don’t like it that he was near your cottage. I’m going to send Miguel out to keep an eye on it.”
“I don’t need Miguel. I have a police car parked practically right outside my door. And I have Joe.”
“Who is busy trying to find Jelak,” Montalvo said. “I’ll think about it. I may still send Miguel. If you won’t let me come?”
“No.”
“I didn’t think so. I’ll call you when I know anything else.” He hung up.
