down Jacobs, so had Danner followed and stalked them, waiting for his chance. He had watched, listened, finding out what he could about her. He had thought that perhaps she could be spared, that she was only a temptress that John was using for pleasure. Then later, when she’d been stalking him at the bayou, he’d known that she had to be destroyed.
He cradled his torn, broken hand. He’d have to change bandages soon. He had taught John how to throw that knife with deadly accuracy at the cabin in Wisconsin, when John was only a boy. They had laughed and made bets, and for a little while, Ted had felt whole again.
Not John’s fault. It was the demon.
It was Delilah.
HE WAS GONE.
Father Barnabas stood on the top step and gazed out in frustration at the empty street.
He should have been quicker. He should have sensed how close Ted Danner was to breaking and running. He had been concentrating on how to tear through the wall around Danner and reaching him and had not realized how tightly the man was balanced.
And he knew how dangerous Danner could be when he was upset like this. Before he had been able to control him and he had thought that when Danner had come to him pleading for help with the child, he could lure him back to him. What had set him off this time?
Well, he wasn’t about to find out anytime soon unless he was able to give him what he wanted. He had become the enemy to Danner. He had felt the vibrations, the guilt, the searing rage that was fueling the man. He had been bracing himself for possible attack.
Danner was changing, becoming dangerous. Could he control him? Control was of the utmost importance with Danner.
He could do it. He had done it before through the years. All it took was perseverance and subtle manipulation. Danner regarded him as the only light to overcome the darkness that was trying to take over his soul.
As long as he kept thinking that was true, the control would be rock solid.
“THIS IS A FAR CRY from a VA hospital,” Eve said as Gallo pulled into the parking lot of the San Antonio Medical Center. It was a small brick-and-glass building that appeared sleek, modern, and affluent. The lot was occupied by a BMW, a gray Lexus, and a small red sports car. The neighborhood in which the medical center was located had the same air of prosperity as those luxury vehicles. “It seems Dr. Temple has moved up in the world.”
“Or down,” Gallo said grimly. “It depends on who you ask. I’ve met a couple of doctors who take care of servicemen and there are none better.”
“Everyone has a right to improve their lot in life,” she said as she got out of the car. “It’s the capitalist system.”
“You defend it, but how much do you charge for your forensic reconstructions?”
“Enough to make a living.” She waited for him at the plate-glass door. “I’m no martyr, John. I can’t be-”
“Excuse me.” A tall, tanned man in his early fifties had come out of the door. He was dressed in white shorts and T-shirt and gave Eve a dazzling smile. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” He jumped into the red sports car and the next minute had roared out of the parking lot.
“Dr. Temple. I couldn’t reach-” A blond woman in a nurse’s uniform had run out of the building and was staring in exasperation at the sports car disappearing down the block. “Dammit to hell.”
“That was Dr. Temple?” Gallo asked. “We need to see him.” He glanced at the badge on her uniform. “Ms. Dawbler.”
“Stand in line,” the nurse said sourly. “He’s booked solid for the rest of the day.” Then she forced a smile. “He had an emergency, and I’ve had to cancel everything for the afternoon. I couldn’t reach his noon appointment, and I was trying to tell him before he left. If you’ll come inside, I’ll try to set you up for tomorrow.”
“Emergency?” Eve repeated. “He didn’t look as if he were rushing off to the hospital.”
“I can’t help how it looked,” she said shortly. “Dr. Temple told me it was an emergency. Would you like to make an appointment or not?”
“He had a golf bag in that sports car,” Gallo said. “Does he play at a local country club?”
She started to nod, then repeated, “It was an emergency. Excuse me, I have to go back inside and phone him.” She turned and went back into the medical center.
“What a charming man,” Eve murmured ironically. “It’s a beautiful day, and he ditches all his patients and takes off.” She headed back to the car. “But I have no intention of waiting around to see him tomorrow. I’ll check out all the country clubs in this general area on the computer, then start calling. I’d bet it’s not too far from the medical center. He impressed me as a man who wouldn’t want business to interfere with pleasure.”
Twenty minutes later, she turned to Gallo and handed him the number she’d scrawled on a notepad. “Diaz Country Club. It’s near the river. About a fifteen-minute drive.”
“Right.” Gallo started the car. “You did the search. Now I’ll do the interrogation. Okay?”
“I’ll see when we get there.” She was thinking of what Gallo had told her. “When did Temple leave his job at the VA hospital?”
“Three months after he signed the death certificate for my uncle.”
“What a coincidence. How convenient. And then he came here and settled down in the lap of luxury.”
“A payoff? Look, my uncle had no money. He couldn’t have even had treatment if it weren’t paid for by the government.”
“But Nate Queen and Thomas Jacobs had money to burn with all the drugs and smuggling they were doing. And Ted Danner had some connection to them, or he wouldn’t have killed Jacobs.” She glanced at him. “So we have to look for that connection, John.”
He shook his head. “Uncle Ted wouldn’t have-” He stopped. “Okay, I’m in denial. But it doesn’t make sense.”
It didn’t make sense to Eve either. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t true. “Then prove me wrong. Heaven knows that I feel like I’m walking through a maze. I’m just trying to follow the trail and hope I get a break.”
“DR. TEMPLE?” EVE ASKED. “Could we have a moment?”
“No, can’t you see I’m busy?” Lawrence Temple frowned as he glanced up at Gallo and Eve, who had pulled up in a golf cart next to where he was teeing off. He looked down at his ball again. “Who told you where to find me?” Then he glanced back at Eve. “Didn’t I see you at my office?”
“Barely. You were in a hurry.”
“Make an appointment.”
“I don’t think so,” Gallo said. “We’re in a hurry. Answer our questions and we won’t bother you again. I want to know about a patient, Ted Danner, you had at the Atlanta VA Medical Center shortly before you came here.”
Temple stiffened warily. “I don’t have time for past history. Please leave, or I’ll call security.”
“That might not be a good idea. Falsifying a death certificate is a criminal offense. Your new patients might not appreciate being treated by a doctor who might be picked up by the police at any time.”
Bingo, Eve thought. Temple had turned a little pale beneath that golden tan.
But he recovered quickly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’d caution you not to risk a lawsuit by this nonsense. I know how to protect myself.”
“I imagine you do,” Gallo said softly. “But I have no intention of bothering with bringing you up on charges. I don’t have the time. I think we’ll just go to my car and have a discussion. Then, if I like your answers, I’ll let you walk away.”
Temple moistened his lips. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Who are you anyway?”
