She turned back to the worktable. “Thank you, Detective Quinn.”
Her only answer was the slamming of the bedroom door.
“When he cools down, I could ask him to let you sleep on the couch,” Eve offered.
Catherine shook her head. “I’m lucky that he’s being as generous as he is. I won’t push my luck.” She sat back down on her stool. “I’ve found three pieces that I think fit together.” She picked up a tiny sliver of bone. “And I believe this one may be part of the nasal area…” She looked up at Eve across the table. “Is it too early for me to ask how you’re doing on the progression?”
“Much too early.”
“May I ask about the procedure?”
Eve shrugged. “I work differently from most other forensic artists. Particularly when children are involved. I can’t just dive in and combine all the changes that happen year by year and go to the final product. I have to do a complete progression at several growth stages and gradually build them to the present age. It’s more work, and Venable’s techs would probably say it’s unnecessary. But maybe it’s because I’m not as experienced as they are. It’s necessary for me.” She met Catherine’s gaze. “So if you have any objections, voice them now, and we’ll stop.”
“No objections. Only one request.”
“What request?”
“Will you save every stage progression you do of Luke for me?” She tried to smile, but her lips were trembling. “I want to see how he grew, how he changed. It will be like having a collection of school photos of him.” Her smile faded. “School photos. Such an ordinary thing. It wouldn’t have been ordinary to me, Eve.”
“No, I can see it wouldn’t,” Eve said gently. “I’ll save them and print them out for you. I won’t be doing every year, but you’ll be able to grasp the changes.”
“Thank you.” She looked down at the bones again. “I was just curious. I’ll let you work now.”
Curious and desperately reaching out for memories of which she’d been cheated, Eve thought.
Catherine changed the subject. “You know, this Cindy puzzle is every bit as difficult as I thought it was going to be.” She grimaced as she looked back at the skull on her screen. “And I don’t think it would help if I’d worked with skulls and bones for years as you have. It’s just hit-or-miss.”
Eve nodded. “Which is why I agreed to let you try your luck. You have the same determination and motivation that I have. It’s not based on the same foundation, but the result could be identical. I hope it will be.”
Catherine was frowning, her tongue touching her upper lip as she tried another fragment of bone. “I hope so, too…”
Eve knew that Joe was not asleep when she took off her terry robe and slipped into bed.
“It’s almost two in the morning,” he said gruffly. “She’s a demanding bitch, isn’t she?”
“You know better than that.” She cuddled closer to him. She loved the feel of him. Everything about Joe was warm and strong and hard. “No one pushes me but me. I wanted to get through the first transition to age three.”
“Did you do it?”
“Yes. Actually, it was easier for me than for Catherine. She’s going to have severe eyestrain from working on Cindy tonight. But she managed to get the shards of the upper-right cheekbone in place.”
“I can’t say I feel sorry for her.”
“I know. I don’t blame you. What she did was arrogant and done with all the finesse of a bulldozer.”
“I won’t say she was without finesse. It takes a certain amount of cleverness to be able to manage all the details of pulling the right strings at the precinct not only to set up a false crime scene, but arrange for me specifically to be called in for it.”
“She’s experienced. After all, she’s CIA.”
“And if there weren’t a kid involved, you’d have kicked her out.”
“Yes. I found I couldn’t do it.”
“Because she made you bleed, then gave you a bandage of hope to soothe the wound. I told you she was clever.” He pulled her closer. “But there wasn’t any way I could take that hope away from either of you. That’s why I didn’t toss her ass in the lake.” His lips brushed her temple. “But it’s still an option I’m leaving open.”
“Me, too.” But that option was gradually fading into the shadows the more she worked with Catherine Ling. “But I think she’d swim to the surface and be back on our porch an hour later. She’s going to do anything she has to do to get her son back.” She whispered, “I have to help her, Joe. I’ll show you the photo of Luke tomorrow. I’ve never seen a sweeter, more beautiful child. So full of life. The more I work on the progression, the closer I feel to him.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.”
She knew what he meant. It was a valid concern. She had told Catherine that she would only do the progression, and then go back to her own work. But she was being pulled deeper into Catherine’s emotions, Catherine’s obsession.
“She only asked me to show her what Luke looks like now. That’s not so much.”
“And I’ll be right here to make sure that she doesn’t try to persuade you to do anything else.” He kissed her hard. “Don’t close me away from you. I felt like an outsider when I came in tonight and saw the two of you working together. I could almost see the bond that was meshing, forming between you. I was jealous. And it scared the hell out of me. Because I can’t fight it. I haven’t lost a child. I can sympathize, but not empathize. I’m already working my way through your feelings for Bonnie. I’m not ready to deal with another lost child, whether he’s dead or alive.”
“I’m not asking you to deal with Luke.”
“No, but it will happen if you become involved. I can’t do anything else. After all these years, you should know that by now.”
Yes, she knew it. They had been together since the week that her Bonnie was kidnapped, and he had been her salvation, pushing back the darkness. Since that nightmare period, they’d had a relationship as stormy as it was loving. At times she hadn’t been sure it would survive. “Joe, if you-”
He kissed her again, smothering the words she had been about to speak. “No, I don’t want to argue. I’ve had my say. I just want you to know how I feel.”
“Duly noted.” Her hands slid around him, and her nails bit teasingly into the back of his neck. “I like the way you feel. Emotionally…” She ran her tongue over his lower lip. “Physically.” She pushed him over and climbed on top of him. “Sexually. Oh, yes, most definitely sexually.”
He inhaled sharply as her hands moved over him. “Are you trying to distract me?”
“Hell, yes. You’re being too intense. I’m dealing with enough intensity. Am I succeeding?”
He smiled as his hands closed on her breasts. “Without a shadow of a doubt.”
Venable called Eve just after noon the following afternoon. “How is your collaboration with my pet she-wolf coming along?”
“Very well. And I don’t have time to talk to you unless you have something to contribute.” She gazed at Catherine. “Would you like to speak to Catherine?”
“No, I’d just like you to give her a message. Tell her that I kept my word. The Rakovac file should be on her e-mail.”
“Tell her yourself. You may be fond of secrets and playing people against each other, but I like things out in the open. I’m putting you on speaker.” She turned to Catherine as she pressed the button. “Venable says you have a document on your e-mail.”
Catherine tensed. “The file, Venable?”
“I told you I’d get it for you,” Venable said sourly. “And I put my ass on the line with the director to keep my word. He was having second thoughts.”
“The entire file?”
“Surveillance on Rakovac from the week that your son was taken.” He paused. “You’re not going to be pleased. I told you at the time that we had no visual confirmation on Luke. I didn’t lie to you.”
“But he had to have some contact with him. I heard him crying on that first call. Rakovac mentioned things that he did in other calls.”
