Pandora's Daughter

back tears. 'Edmund bet me that you'd develop the talent in the next few years.' She swallowed. 'I told him he was crazy and that if you hadn't shown signs by now it was going to skip a generation.'

'I wish it had.'

She nodded jerkily. 'But then you wouldn't be able to tell me about Edmund, would you? When was it?'

'Three days ago. In his trailer outside Paris.'

Renata was silent again. 'Was it… bad for him?'

She wouldn't lie to her. 'Horrible.'

'My God,' She stopped on the path and closed her eyes. 'I knew it. But I had to hear it.'

'He was very brave and he was determined that no one else be hurt by Molino.'

'He was such a fool. He'd agreed that even if there was even a hint of someone coming after him that he'd go on the run. But he didn't do it. When he came to see me three months ago, he said that it was just a feeling and it wasn't as if he could see the future. He laughed about it.'

'But he felt uneasy enough to give you the Ledger.' Yes.

'Will you give it to me? I promise I'll keep it from Molino.'

She stared at her in astonishment. 'Hell, no. Edmund died for that Ledger and he gave it to me for safekeeping. I'll never give it up.' Her voice was vibrating with determination and passion. 'Who do you think you are? You don't know anything.'

'I'm trying to learn, Renata. Teach me.'

'I don't have time. Just stay away from me. You're bad news.'

'I can't stay away from you. I have to get Molino and he wants the Ledger. Grady says that Molino always stays in hiding and we have to draw him out. The Ledger may be the only way we can stop him.'

'Then you'd better find another way. I won't risk the Ledger.'

'It won't be a risk. We'd never let it-'

'No,' Renata said curtly. 'Back off.'

Megan shook her head. 'Okay, don't give us the Ledger. But don't run away from us. We'll protect you. God knows, we don't want anything to happen to you too.'

Renata's lips twisted. 'Because you're afraid then you'll never find the Ledger.'

Anger suddenly flared in Megan. 'Damn you. Is it too much for you to believe that I don't want you dead? Edmund must have cared about you. He prayed for you. He made me care about you. They tortured him, they did terrible things to him, and then killed him. I won't let anything else be taken from him. He wanted you to live and by God, you're going to live. If you run, I'll follow. If you hide, I'll find you.'

Renata was staring at her in surprise. 'I didn't mean that-Well, maybe I did.' She lifted her chin defiantly. 'But I have reason to doubt you. You're a stranger to me.'

'Except what you read in the Ledger.'

'That was bare bones. Edmund couldn't get a detailed profile on everyone. There are too many.'

'Then I'll fill in the blanks. Because you've got to know me. You've got to trust me.' She started walking again. 'I won't let it be any other way. I don't want you to panic and dart away from me if there's any lingering suspicion. What do you know about Neal Grady?'

'I know he's been trying to find members of the family for a long time. He was CIA and he has a talent. Edmund thought it might be a good idea to approach him before he located any of us. He said that he thought he could talk to Grady. He liked what he'd found out about him.'

'But he didn't do it.'

She shrugged. 'We're careful. We don't do anything on impulse. Edmund was going to give it another six months before he made a move.'

What a tragedy, Megan thought. The two men had been gradually moving toward each other. If Grady had been two days earlier finding him, if Edmund had not been so cautious, that horror in the trailer might not have happened. 'But he didn't have six months,' Megan said. 'How I wish he'd contacted Grady.'

'He had to be sure. Grady wasn't the only one after us.' Her lips tightened. 'And it was through your mother that Molino found out that we even existed. That Tribunal Report on the family would never have meant anything to him if it hadn't been connected to Sarah.'

'Do you expect me to apologize?' Megan asked. 'Forget it. My mother never even knew about the Devanez family. She was just trying to survive and keep Molino's filthy hands off those helpless kids. And she went through hell doing it. So don't try to give me a guilt trip about your precious Ledger.'

Renata was silent for a moment and then said slowly, 'It is precious.' She smiled faintly. 'But so are children. And, you're right, I may have been trying to give you a guilt trip. I'm feeling defensive.'

'No one is attacking you. You don't have to defend yourself.'

'Yes, I do,' she said simply. 'It's a way of life with me.'

Lately it had become a way of life for Megan too. She was beginning to feel a kinship with Renata Wilger. The woman was impulsive, distrustful, and from what Harley had said, violent, but she had cared about Edmund and she was willing to fight to keep his Ledger from being found. That last statement had possessed a poignancy that had touched Megan. 'Then guard yourself from Molino. You're among friends here.'

'Am I?' Renata looked away from her. 'Do you trust Grady?'

'Yes.'

'And Harley?'

'Yes. Though I don't know him as well.'

'I don't trust any of you. So you might as well stop pushing me.:

Megan shook her head. 'That's not going to fly. You will trust me. All right, we'll start at step one. You can't trust someone you don't know. You said you know only the bare bones about me? I don't like confiding in strangers. I'm a private person and it hurts me. But you're going to know as much about me as if you were my sister.' She drew a deep breath. 'And I have to start with my mother. She was kind and funny and she always made me feel safe. That was important to her but I didn't realize why until I…'

'GOOD GOD, THEY'VE BEEN TALKING for over an hour.' Grady's gaze was on Megan and Renata, who were now sitting on a park bench several yards ahead of them. 'What the devil are they saying?'

'I wouldn't presume to guess,' Harley said. 'And I'm completely without curiosity.' He gave him a sly glance. 'But I'm sure it's driving you crazy. You have to be in control and it's very hard when you're shoved out of the picture. However, I'd bet that Renata Wilger is proving to be a hard nut to crack. Megan is probably doing well to keep her from running off. I'm surprised she's being this patient.'

Grady wasn't surprised. Megan was volatile in some areas, but she could be completely focused. 'She wants the Ledger and Renata is the key. She's not going to let her walk away. What do we know about her background?'

'Father and mother both dead. Her father was German and her mother was a U.S. citizen. She spent most of her childhood in Boston with her mother. No brothers or sisters. She's been pretty much alone since she was thirteen except for a distant cousin, Mark Altman, who took her in for the holidays when the schools were closed. She's evidently on the genius level and got all the scholarships going. She received her doctorate in finance from Harvard two years ago and took a job with a brokerage firm, with whom she's been interning since she was sixteen. She's totally focused and been on the fast track with them.' He paused. 'It's going to be rough on her if she has to abandon the job and go on the run.'

'It will be worse if Molino gets his hands on her,' Grady said. 'What about this cousin? Can Molino use him to get to her?'

'He'd have a hard time. Mark Altman was an agent for the Mossad, the Israeli secret service, before he retired.' He shook his head ruefully. 'And I have an idea he taught our Renata a good many things books couldn't teach her. She's a lethal little scorpion.'

'I imagine those lessons could be the most valuable she'll ever learn. Was her father Jewish?'

'Yes. His grandparents were in the concentration camp at Auschwitz and most of the family immigrated to Israel after the war. He stayed in Munich but remained close to the family in Israel.'

'Any family connection with Edmund Gillem?'

'Not as far as I know. Give me a break. I haven't had a chance to do any in-depth probes.' His gaze went back to the two women. 'But Megan may be doing it for me.'