“And you’ve seen him before?”
Eve moistened her lips. “A long time ago. And only a couple times. He’s John Gallo’s uncle.”
“What?”
“Ted Danner is Gallo’s uncle. He was the reason John Gallo came to Atlanta. I would never have met Gallo, never had Bonnie, if it hadn’t been for Ted Danner.” She looked down at the sketch. “He was an ex-Ranger who had been injured in the Army. He had been sent down to the Veterans’ Hospital in Atlanta from Milwaukee so that he could go to a specialist there. I remember that he could hardly walk.”
“Then they must have performed a miracle,” Catherine said dryly. “He moved like an Olympic athlete at that bayou this morning. Providing the athlete had all the instincts of a serial killer.”
Eve shook her head in bewilderment. “I don’t understand it. I liked Ted Danner. I felt sorry for him. Gallo told me that he was the only good thing in his life. Gallo grew up in the slums, as I did, and his parents abused him terribly. His uncle was the only bright spot in a pretty lousy life. He took him away on trips, interceded between him and his parents, taught him everything he knew about being a Ranger. That’s why Gallo wanted to go into the service.”
“And ended up in that prison in North Korea.” She shook her head. “Look, this doesn’t seem like it could be the same man. Could you be mistaken? You said you only saw him a couple times.”
“That’s right, the first time I saw him was when he came to see me months after John Gallo had left me and joined the Army. The other time was after Bonnie was born.” Could she be mistaken? She had been only sixteen, and when you were young, you saw everything and everyone differently. A pregnant sixteen-year-old who was just trying to survive those months and get on with her life.
“There’s a man downstairs who wants to talk to you,” her neighbor, Rosa, said, when Eve opened the door. “I left him on my bench in the yard. Nice man. He said he’d come upstairs, but he has a bad back.”
“Who is he? Salesman?”
“I don’t think so.” Rosa frowned. “He doesn’t have that slick look. I didn’t get his name. He sort of reminds me of someone.”
“That’s a help.” She came out on the landing and started down the steps. “Look, Rosa, you were supposed to be studying with me this morning and not sitting with your baby on that bench.”
“But he needs the sunshine.”
“And you need your GED. And you’re going to get it. I want you here tomorrow morning.”
“Okay.” She made a face as she leaned over the railing and called, “You didn’t use to be so bossy. Your baby is going to come out of you cracking a whip.”
Eve grinned as she opened the front door. “I’ll take the chance. That will be two of us to nag you.”
She was still smiling as she turned to the man sitting on the bench. “Hello, I’m Eve Duncan. What can-” She inhaled sharply.
He sort of reminds me of someone.
He was a thin man in his late forties or early fifties, with thinning gray-brown hair and olive skin and dark eyes.
John Gallo’s eyes.
“How do you do? I’m Ted Danner.” The man got to his feet with an effort. “I’m sorry to make you come down. I just couldn’t face those flights of stairs. John may have told you that I have back problems.”
“You’re his uncle Ted.” She moistened her lips, trying to recover from the shock. “Yes, he said you injured it while you were in the service.”
“I thought he’d tell you about me. We’re very close.” He smiled gently. “He’s like my own son. He’s a good boy.”
“Why are you here?”
“He asked me to come.”
Another shock. “What?”
“Well, actually, he asked me to keep an eye on you when he left for basic training. He said that I shouldn’t approach you, that you’d resent it.”
“But you’re here.”
“I tried to keep myself from coming. But I had to talk to you.” He looked at the front of her maternity smock. “I saw you on the street three weeks ago, and I was… surprised. How far are you along?”
“Eight months.”
“And it’s John’s child?”
“No, it’s my child.”
“But John fathered him?”
She nodded. “But you don’t have to worry. I’m not going to claim him as the father.” She paused. “I prefer he not know. You should agree to that. John said you were eager that he have a career in the military. A baby would just get in his way.” Her lips tightened. “Don’t tell him.”
Ted Danner shook his head. “You poor child. You’re so alone.”
“The hell I am. I’m doing fine. Don’t tell him.”
“I don’t have a choice at the moment. I can’t write to him. I don’t know where he is.”
She stared at him, stunned. “What?”
“Right after basic and Ranger training, he was sent overseas. I heard from him from Tokyo right after he arrived, then nothing.”
“That doesn’t make sense. You have to be able to trace him. You’re military yourself.”
“Unless he volunteered for a special mission. John’s smart and ambitious, and that would be a way for him to rise through the ranks.”
“Just what you’d do,” she said dully.
“That’s what I’ve been telling myself.” He shook his head. “It’s different when it’s someone else doing it.” His voice was husky. “I love that boy.”
She could see that he did. His eyes were moist, and his last words had been unsteady. “But you don’t know anything for certain. He could be fine.”
Ted nodded. “I’ve dropped from the radar any number of times, and here I am with nothing but a bad back. I’ve been doing a lot of praying lately.” He stood up. “I thought you should know in case you wanted to do a little praying, too.”
She was so stunned that she didn’t know how she felt. It was hard for her to believe that the John Gallo she had known could be in any danger. “I’m sure that he’ll be all right.”
Ted Danner nodded. “I thought you should know. But don’t worry too much. It wouldn’t be good for you.” He started down the walk toward the gate. “If I can do anything for you, let me know. It’s the least I can do. John would want me to stand by you.”
“You have your own problems. Your nephew would want you to take care of yourself.”
“You’re a good girl, Eve,” he said quietly. “I can see why John cared about you.”
She watched him walk stiffly down the street. Poor guy, he was really worried, and John was obviously all he had. But he was jumping the gun. She couldn’t believe that John Gallo was dead just because he was temporarily missing. He was so young and strong and tough. Men like him weren’t easily killed.
But perhaps, even though she couldn’t believe he was truly in danger, she should still pray for the father of her child.
* * * 
