Catherine could see that Jane would be angry as well as worried to death. “She didn’t impress me as someone who would take foolish chances. I agree that the situation may-”
“The situation may be pure hell. I’ve got a gut feeling that it probably will be. Joe almost lost his life. If we’re heading for the end of the search, Jane’s not going to be caught up in any of it,” Eve said fiercely. “I’ll call you when we reach New Orleans.” She hung up.
Catherine slowly pressed the disconnect.
Bonnie, again.
Catherine seemed to be the only one who was not being affected by that small seven-year-old child who had died those many years ago.
Joe, whom Catherine respected as a friend and professional, was evidently accepting the same bizarre concept as Eve and Gallo. Bonnie, returned from the dead. Bonnie, the ghost, the beloved spirit.
“Catherine?” Gallo had opened the connecting door, his gaze searching her expression. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” She glanced at her watch. “Sorry. I haven’t called Venable yet. But I can do it on the way to the airport.” She threw her suitcase on the bed and started tossing items of clothing into it. “This won’t take me long.”
He leaned against the doorjamb. “I asked if you were all right.”
She nodded jerkily. “That was Eve on the phone. She said she and Joe would see us in New Orleans.”
He went still. “You told her?”
“She said she wasn’t going to call the police.” She looked up from her packing. “She’s going to give us a chance. Though she still has her doubts.”
“I can imagine.”
Because he still had his own doubts and was fighting desperately to put them aside. Catherine had a few doubts herself, dammit, but she wouldn’t give up either faith or determination. If she was the only one driving this show, then so be it.
“Joe is on our side.” She fastened the suitcase. “Sort of. Maybe. I guess we take what we can get. When are our airline reservations?”
“In another three hours. I could have gotten a connection through Atlanta a little earlier, but it would have only been arriving an hour before the nonstop.”
“An hour isn’t going to make a difference.” She picked up her suitcase. “Let’s go.”
BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE nine hours. The entire Gulf Coast was fogged in, and their Delta flight had a six-hour delay. They didn’t arrive in New Orleans until close to noon. It was still damp and foggy when the plane landed at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, and the forecast was for more heavy fog later in the day.
“Where do we go from here?” Catherine asked as she retrieved her bag. “Where’s this casino? A high-rise off Bourbon Street or a riverboat on the river?”
“Neither, it’s outside the city. The Cadalon is across the Mississippi and has a very exclusive clientele of jet- setters and high rollers. We’ll register at the hotel as man and wife. We’ll use the Brookman name I used on the airline ticket.” He checked his watch. “It’s a little early for play, but in a few hours the casino should be humming. We should wait until after midnight to make a play. Though probably Jacobs is at the tables right now. He’s going to be very focused.”
“You should know a lot about casinos. You made a great deal of money from them, didn’t you?”
He nodded. “I taught myself card counting in prison. It’s the most valuable lesson I learned in that rathole.”
“It’s going to be difficult extricating him from a crowded casino. Have you thought about a plan for taking him?”
“A tentative plan.” He smiled as he opened the door for her. “But I’m sure that you have one that’s not at all tentative. You were very quiet on the plane.”
She shrugged. “Simplicity is best. We find out in what room he’s playing. I go in and pretend to greet him. He falls unconscious, and we are very upset. He’s obviously ill, and we have to get him to a hospital. We take him away from the casino. End of scene.”
“Yes, very simple,” Gallo said dryly. “Up to the time that he falls unconscious. That might get a little complicated. One of your friend Hu Chang’s magic potions? Hypodermic?”
She nodded. “It will keep him out for at least twenty minutes. That should give us time to get him away from the casino.”
Gallo opened the passenger door of the rental car for her. “Unless the casino manager wants to handle his transfer to the hospital himself to prevent liability issues.”
“That’s why I allowed twenty minutes. Otherwise, we could have Jacobs out of there in seven. I’ve had Venable send me a dossier on the manager of the casino. I’ll study it and see how I can get around him.” She looked at him as she got into the car. “Or I’ll let you handle it. I’d judge you’re very good at manipulating people to suit yourself. I’ll do everything else. You get us out of that casino before Jacobs wakes up.”
“I’ll work on it.” He got into the driver’s seat and started the car. “Anything else?”
“Yes.” She took out a slip of paper from her notebook. “Stop at this address on the way out of town. Neither of us has suitable clothes for that kind of casino. It’s a boutique that will supply me with a gown that will make me look as if I belong in a casino frequented by the jet set. I told Venable to arrange for a tux for you, too. It won’t be designer, but it will be okay. I’m the one who all the attention will be focused on.”
“You don’t need a designer gown to garner attention. You walk into a room, and every man will do a double take.”
“That is true,” she said calmly. “Do you expect me to pretend modesty? That would be foolish. Good looks can be a valuable weapon. They can also be a handicap if you want to fade into the background. Either way, you have to accept what you are and make the most of it.”
“I gladly accept what you are,” he said softly. “I celebrate it.”
Sensuality.
She looked away from him, feeling the familiar rush of heat. How many men had hit on her through the years? Why was Gallo different? She didn’t know, but she’d better learn to handle his effect on her.
“You’d better not celebrate anything until we get Jacobs,” she said flatly. “And I know you like the way I look. I’d have to be blind if I wasn’t aware that I turn you on. But it doesn’t mean anything. Looks don’t matter.”
“Looks don’t matter. Age doesn’t matter. What does matter, Catherine?”
“Kindness. Love. Fighting for what you believe and the people you believe in.” She paused. “And, again, knowing who you are.”
“Admirable,” he said quietly. “We’re alike on many levels. I’m just a bit more shallow and far more attuned to the physical. I’m afraid I can’t get over that particular barrier.” He paused. “And I believe you may be having a few problems in that area, too. It’s been there since the first time we came together, and you’ve been trying to ignore it. But it keeps coming back, doesn’t it, Catherine?”
“Yes.” She wouldn’t lie to him. That would be a defeat in itself. “But I’ll find a way to not let it get in my way. That’s not why we’re together.”
“No, we’re together so that you can help Eve and bring me along for the ride.” He was looking straight ahead. “And I’m trying to stop being an ungrateful son of a bitch and forget how you looked in all your rotting-leaves glory. I have to warn you-it’s not working too well.” He gestured to a street up ahead. “I think that’s where the address you gave me should be. Do you want me to wait or go inside with you? I have some calls to make to set up my part of our exit plan.”
She felt a little of her tension leaving her. His voice was much more crisp, and it was obviously the end of the intimacy that had caused the tension. She was grateful to ignore anything connected to that intimacy at the moment. Honesty and boldness were fine, but she had to regroup and step back from Gallo. “I’ll go in alone.” When the car pulled to the curb in front of the elegant stone house, she opened the door. “If they need you to be measured for your tux, I’ll give you a call. My fitting shouldn’t take long. I’m a standard size and Venable knows my
