Blood Game

FIVE

JOE FLASHED HIS BADGE AT the police officer on guard duty at the Allatoona crime scene. “We’re just going to have a look around. We won’t be long.” He nodded for Megan to go ahead. “I see the TV trucks are still here.”

The officer nodded. “They’re hoping to shoot some more footage of Senator Norris. It was like a circus here a few hours ago. They were on him like bees after honey.”

Not a good simile. There had been nothing honey-sweet about Ed Norris. His bitterness had been machete-sharp. Who could blame him?

He caught up with Megan. He pointed to the chalked outline. “That’s where we found her.”

“I don’t think that’s where he killed her,” Megan said. “It feels . . . wrong.”

“Why? Do you hear anything?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. It just isn’t right. Where did you see her?”

“In those trees. It was dusk.”

Now it was dark, and the shadows of the trees made the darkness seem heavy, forbidding.

“Sad. She’s so sad,” Megan murmured. “She’s beginning to understand.”

Joe turned to look at her. “Echoes?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know. Something different.” She moved toward the trees. “I think that’s where she died. Not there by the lake. Is that possible?”

“Yes, we’ll know when we get the forensic report.” He followed her into the darkness.

He could feel the tension beginning to grip him. Stupid. He was looking straight ahead, afraid to gaze to the right or left. Afraid of what he’d see.

“It’s suspected of being a ritual killing,” he said. “The bastard could have killed her here, stripped her, and carried her out to the bank for his ceremony.”

“I think that’s what probably happened.” Megan’s gaze was traveling around the woods. “There’s . . . fear here.”

“Then why can’t you hear her?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I don’t want to hear her. Or it could be I’m still numb from listening to the children on that island in the swamp. Perhaps they’re getting in the way.”

“That’s a lot of ‘maybes.’ “

“It’s the best I can do.” She glanced at him. “You asked me to come here, but I’m not helping much, am I?”

“No. I wanted you to hear her. I wanted you to give me some wise revelation that would prove I’m not completely bananas.” He shrugged. “But you did the next best thing. She hasn’t made an appearance. You may have scared her off. That’s pretty valuable too.”

“Then may we leave now? This sadness is overpowering.”

“I guess we might as well.” He gave another glance around, then started to turn to go. “To tell you the truth, I have to admit I’m relieved that—”

“ Don’t you dare leave me.”

“Oh, shit.”

Blond hair, red collegiate sweatshirt, blue eyes blazing at him. Nancy Jo Norris stood at the edge of the trees, blocking their path.

“What is it?” Megan was gazing at Joe’s face.

“The resident spirit of the wood.” He had to be flip because he was feeling that same sense of panic he’d felt before. “You don’t see her?”

“No.” Her gaze was following Joe’s to the place where Nancy Jo stood. “Nothing.”

“Stop ignoring me,” Nancy Jo said. “Of course she can’t see me. No one can see me. Not even Daddy. I tried and tried to talk to him, and he didn’t hear me, didn’t see me. I reached out and touched him, tried to hug him, and he didn’t even feel it.” She was blinking back tears. “He was hurting and I wanted to help him but he couldn’t feel me.”

“I can’t solve your problem, Nancy Jo,” Joe said. “I don’t know anything about this.” He turned to Megan. “Do something.”

She shook her head. “She’s your ghost. I can’t even hear her echoes. You’ll have to deal with her.”

Nancy Jo was glaring at Megan. “Is she some kind of ghost hunter? Is that why you brought her?” she asked bitterly. “I used to watch TV shows about ghost hunters. My roommate, Chelsea, and I used to make fun of them.”

“So did I,” Joe said. “I’m not laughing now.”

“Neither am I,” Nancy Jo said. “I don’t care if she’s a ghost hunter or not. I wish she could see me. I’m so lonely.”

“Why are you still here? Isn’t there some light or something you should be walking toward?” Damn he sounded stupid. But how the hell did you talk to a ghost?

“I don’t know. They keep telling me I have to leave, that I’ll be fine once I go.”

“Who are ‘they’?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t listen to them. I have to stay here. It shouldn’t have happened. I wanted to live. He had no right to take it from me.” She shuddered. “Do you know what he did? He drank my blood. My blood is in him, feeding him. I can’t stand the thought of that. It makes me angry. He shouldn’t be alive when I’m dead.”

“Look, if it will help, I’ll promise you that I’ll catch that bastard.”

“I don’t believe you. You just want me to go away. I won’t go away.”

“I’m a cop. It’s my job to find who killed you. It doesn’t matter if you go away or not. I’ll still get the job done.”

She studied his face. “I don’t think you’re lying to me. But I have to be sure that he doesn’t live. He stole my blood. He stole my life.”

“I can’t do more than give you my word. Go off and do what ‘they’ say and let me get to work.”

“You’re pissed at me.”

“Hell, yes. I feel sorry for you, I want to help you, but you’re making my life damn miserable. Yes, I’m pissed at you.”

“I guess that’s better than being afraid of me. People are supposed to be afraid of ghosts.”

“I had a few moments.”

“That’s too bad.” She added defiantly, “But since you seem to be the only one who can see or hear me, you’re stuck with me.”

“The hell I am.”

“You have to help me.” Her voice vibrated with intensity. “I can’t do it by myself. I would if I could.” She hesitated, then said, “My father is angry. If you don’t find this monster, Daddy is going to do it himself. How do I know that he won’t kill my father too?”

What could he say to that? Joe thought in frustration. He could argue that she should leave revenge to him, but what about protecting the one you love? He could understand that motivation with all his mind and heart. Shielding and caring for Eve had been the rule that had driven him all these years. He was becoming more involved with Nancy Jo with every word she spoke.

Involved with a ghost? What was he thinking? “ ‘If’? I will find him, and your father will stay out of the picture.”

“I hope so.”

“I’m going now.” He held up his hand as she started to speak. “I can’t stay here having séances with you. I have a job to do.”

“But I want to help you. I need to do it.”

“Then tell me who did this. Do you have a name?”

She shook her head. “He said he was my savior. He said I should be grateful. He kept saying ‘Gift to Gift.’ “

“What did he look like?”

She didn’t answer.

“What did he—”

“I’m trying to remember. I was so scared . . . Gray eyes, short, close-cut dark hair. White at the temples. A Roman nose, sort of hooked.”

“Tall. Short?”

“Medium. But he was burly, strong, biceps like a weight lifter.”

“Car?”

“I only caught a glimpse of it after I woke up. It was parked at the edge of the woods.” She frowned, thinking. “It was a big car. Light-colored. I think it might have been a Lincoln Town Car.”

“New? Old?”

“Old. I don’t think the new Lincolns are that big.” She shook her head. “I only had a glimpse.” She closed her eyes. “And I was so scared.”

“I can see that you were. But you’re doing well.”

“Thank you.” Her lids opened, and she tried to smile. “After all, I have to please you. You appear to be the only game in town.”

Joe again felt that strong surge of sympathy. She wasn’t much younger than his Jane. He wanted to reach out and—Hell, he couldn’t even do that.

I’m so lonely, she had said.

“I’m going to leave now. I’ll come back if I have any more questions.”

She nodded. “I don’t know if I can come to you. I don’t know how it works. I’m going to have to experiment.” She looked at Megan. “She’s not afraid of me. You can bring her with you if you like.”

“That’s up to her. I thought she might help.” He started to turn away, then said, “The knife. Was there anything different about it?”

“The knife . . .” Her teeth sank into her lower lip. “I’m afraid to—”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to remember.”

“Yes, I do. My heart was beating so hard. I was trying to get out of the ropes. He held up the knife and showed it to me. He said ‘Gift to Gift.’ Then he sliced across—Blood. I’m bleeding. He has a cup, and he’s pressing it to my throat. What’s he—”

“Enough,” Joe said curtly. “You’ve said enough.”

“No, you want to know what it looked like. But it’s hard to get past the pain.” She was breathing hard. “It’s a dagger. It looks . . . black in the shadows. The handle has some kind of carving. A man with a knife. A man with a goblet. Or maybe I’m getting mixed up. My blood is . . . I’m getting weaker . . .”

“Stop it, Nancy Jo. Enough.”

She nodded jerkily. “Too much. Go away. I don’t want you to see me this way. I don’t want anyone to know how scared he made me. I think he liked it.”

“He probably did. Most serial killers enjoy a feeling of power.”

“So clinical. You’re going by the book. Generic-case types. Well, he wasn’t generic,” she said fiercely. “He was a monster who drank my blood. Go away and don’t come back until you’ve found him.”

“Right. Whatever you say.” He wheeled and strode toward the edge of the woods.

“CONVERSATI ON OVER?” MEGAN was hurrying to catch up with him. “Are you going to tell me what it was about? I only heard your side.”

“She’s lonely. She wants to keep her father from being a victim if he goes after her killer. She wants revenge against the bastard who slit her throat, and then drank her blood.” He was walking fast, carefully not looking back at the woods. “And for a dead girl, she seems very much alive and very human. She’s not tough like Jane, but I kept thinking that if Jane hadn’t grown up on the streets, she might have turned out like Nancy Jo. Same determination, same affectionate nature.”

Megan was silent until they reached the car. “Then you’re convinced that she’s not a figment of your imagination?”

“Hell, no. I don’t know if I’ll ever be certain. But I’m operating on that assumption since I can’t do anything else. I made my decision that I refuse to believe I’m crazy and that leaves only the option to accept and use this damn thing that’s happened to me.”

“You’re quite a man, Joe Quinn,” Megan said quietly. “I don’t believe many people would handle all that’s happened to you this well.” She paused. “I’m sorry, Joe. I tried my best not to hurt anyone.”

“Your best wasn’t good enough.” He opened the car door for her. “But I’m going to let you make amends. I don’t know a tinker’s damn about this spook business.” He shook his head. “Who the hell does know anything? Does our friend, Renata?”

“When I called her, she said she’d look into it and get back to me.”

“Then she’d better get back to you quick. I have questions to ask.”

“You may have to find out the answers yourself. After all, you’re the one who can talk to them.”

“I’m not going to go along with that. Nancy Jo didn’t seem to know much more than I do.” He got into the driver’s seat and started the car. “And one of the questions is why you didn’t hear any echoes.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Megan said. “Echoes come from empty spaces. Maybe there would be no echoes if the spirit hadn’t passed on and left the place where the death had occurred. Nancy Jo is refusing to go anywhere, so she leaves no lingering echo.”

Joe was silent a moment. “What about Bonnie? You said that you heard no echoes from Bonnie on that island. Could she have been killed on that island, and you didn’t hear an echo because she refused to pass on?”

“It’s possible. I hope so. Then I wouldn’t feel guilty about not doing what Eve will probably ask me to do.” She looked at him. “You’re going to have to talk to Eve about seeing Bonnie.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “But not yet. Bonnie is the center of Eve’s world. Hell, every day revolves around her. I’ve got to get a handle on this mess before I bring her into the picture. That could open a whole new can of worms.”

Megan nodded. “I can understand how you’d hesitate. I’d be very careful the way I let Eve know I’d seen her daughter.” She glanced back out the window. “I’ll help you get all the information you need. I’ll come when you call me. But Eve’s my friend, and I won’t let you keep this from her for long. She’s worried, and it’s not fair.”

“I didn’t expect anything else.” His tone hardened. “But you owe me, Megan. You let me do it my way.”

“I’ll try. But you’d better start breaking it to her about Nancy Jo right away.”

“Then find me information so that I don’t sound like a complete idiot,” Joe said sarcastically. “I think you’ll agree that she’d be a little worried if she thought I was going around the bend.”

“I’ll call Renata again when I get home.”

“And I’ll tell you everything that Nancy Jo told me about her death. I’ll even sketch out a rough picture of the cup that her killer used in his ritual. You can fax it to your friend, Renata, in Munich.”

She nodded. “I don’t know if that will help, but it can’t hurt.” She paused, then repeated, “Tell Eve about Bonnie, Joe.”

“I’ll do what I think best. And since you seem to want your own way in this, you can make one more call while I’m driving back to the lake. You call Eve and prepare the way for me. Tell her that, thanks to you, I have a new soul mate in Nancy Jo Norris.”

FROM THE PORCH, EVE WATCHED Joe park the car and walk up the driveway. Dawn was just beginning to pearl the skies, and she couldn’t see his expression, but he was moving quickly, his strides full of leashed emotion.

As she must leash her own emotions. She was confused and scared and feeling completely inadequate to handle this development. But she had to find a way to help him and not let her emotions get in the way.

He stopped on the top step and looked at her. “What a hell of a mess. Do you want to cut and run?”

“No.” She went into his arms and buried her face on his chest. “Did you cut and run anytime during all these years with me? We just have to find a way to get through this.”

“Preferably without putting me in the booby hatch. That must have occurred to you.”

“It did not.” Her arms tightened around him. “I didn’t really believe Megan’s facilitating stuff until she told me that it had happened to you. But you’re a rock. I’ve never known anyone as strong and steady as you are. If you tell me that you saw Nancy Jo Norris, then you did.”

“I saw her. I talked to her.” He pushed her away and gazed down at her. “Now look at me and let me see your face.”

She stared him in the eye. “You’re not going to see anything but love and trust. You’re a rock.”

He gazed at her for a long moment. “My God, you’re making me believe it.”

“Good. Because now I can tell you how pissed I am that you didn’t tell me what was bothering you before this.”

“I had reasons.”

“Not good enough. You wouldn’t have been in that swamp searching for Henry Kistle if it hadn’t been for me. Megan would never have touched you. Whatever happens to you, happens to me too. You should have let me share.”

“I don’t think sharing is going to be an option in this case. Megan couldn’t see or hear Nancy Jo.”

“Then I’ll find another way to help you.” She kissed him. “Just don’t close me out again. It scared me.”

“I hate to damage my reputation as a rock, but I’ve been a little upset myself.” He buried his face in her hair, and said hoarsely, “Lord, I’m lucky.”

“Yes, you are.” She hugged him again. “You have me and Jane . . .” She deliberately made her tone lighter. “And a brand-new soul mate.” She stepped back and drew him toward the door. “But I have to admit I hope you don’t widen those acquaintances to any great extent. It could be very confusing.” She glanced at him as they entered the house. “Now do you want to try to get some sleep, or are you too wired?”

“Sleep.” He slid his arm around her waist. “I want to hold you and tell you about Nancy Jo. I’ll share what I can.” He was walking with her toward their bedroom. “I know that Megan has convinced you that she has this gift, but this is different. I’m still amazed that you’d accept the idea so readily.”

Because she had lived with the spirit of her Bonnie for years, she thought. Dream or ghost, there had never been a doubt that spirit existed. Should she tell Joe that was her reason?

No, Joe had begun to feel resentment toward Bonnie during these last years and wanted Eve to give up the search. How could she bring up Bonnie now and tell him she hadn’t trusted him enough to share those visions with him? She had just told him he should have shared his problems with her. Later. After they had fought their way through Joe’s battle.

“Not exactly readily. But if you say it’s so, then I believe you.” She frowned, thinking about it. “But I’m wondering if the reason you saw Nancy Jo is that her killer has some connection with you . . . us. You said the goblets were similar. The one Jane found in the refrigerator had to be some kind of threat.”

“Or a calling card.”

“Pretty macabre calling card.”

“His whole modus operandi is macabre,” Joe said.

“So do you think that you’re only going to see victims of killers with whom you have contact?”

An undecipherable expression flitted across his face. “I don’t think it’s going to be that easy.”

“Why not?”

“That pool is too narrow. I’m not that lucky.”

“How can you be—”

“Drop it,” he said curtly. “I can’t be sure of anything, so stop speculating. Maybe when Megan pulls one of her psychic buddies out of her hat, then I’ll know more.”

Eve shrugged. “I’m just trying to put the pieces together. It seemed reasonable.” She made a face. “As reasonable as anything else. It’s an entirely new ball game, isn’t it?”

“There may be new rules, but I’m going with standard operating procedure. I have a killer I have to catch, and I’m going to do what I always do. It’s the only way I can keep it together.” He glanced at her. “I’m trying to track down Jelak’s steps. It’s too close a coincidence that he shows up at the same time that we find this goblet in the refrigerator.”

“You think it was Jelak who killed Nancy Jo?”

“As I said, I have problems with coincidence.”

“So do I,” Eve said. “Montalvo said that his investigators are trying to find out more about him.”

“I was planning on calling him later in the day.”

She gazed at him in surprise. “You were?”

“Not willingly. But that murdering bastard invaded my home. That goblet was a direct threat. I’ll use anyone who can help me get him.” He opened the bedroom door. “Even Montalvo.”

Munich, Germany

“MARK, COME OVER HERE AND look at this.” Renata Wilger took the fax off the machine as her cousin crossed the office toward her. “I think I’ve seen it before.” She handed him the drawing of the goblet. “Fiero?”

Mark examined the fax closely. “Fiero,” he confirmed. “Megan sent it?”

“It’s in connection to another problem.” She took the fax back. “Which I don’t think is going to turn out to be as big a problem as this will be.

“At least we have a tentative location.” She glanced at Mark. “I’m going to call Seth Caleb and tell him.” She made a face. “I’m not looking forward to it.”

“You can handle him.”

“Because he lets me handle him. I’d be curious to see how he’d react if you weren’t around. He respects you because you’re an ex–Israeli agent and thinks of you as a fellow hunter.”

“Yet you’re the one who hires him to do the hunting.” Mark smiled. “And he respects you too. He told me once that there’s always room in the world for firebrands. They make life interesting.”

“Really?” She was always conscious of a cool wariness when she spoke to Caleb. That was fine with her. She had no desire to get any closer to him. She wondered if anyone ventured into that territory. Somehow she doubted it. “It probably wasn’t a compliment. With Caleb, you can never tell if there’s an edge.” It shouldn’t matter. It was her job to deal with all kinds of people to keep the family safe. Caleb was just another wild card who had to be made aware he couldn’t have things all his own way. She crossed to the desk and picked up her phone.

She dialed Seth Caleb and got his voice mail. “Renata Wilger. I’m sending you a photo attachment on your phone. Call me back.” She hung up.

She leaned back against the edge of the desk and waited.

Two minutes later her phone rang.

She smiled as she checked the ID. Seth Caleb. She picked up the call.

The question came sharp as a dagger. “Where?”

MEGAN’S CELL PHONE RANG AT four that afternoon. Renata.

“Did you find someone who can help Joe Quinn?” Megan asked when she picked up. “I feel so damn helpless. I did this, Renata.”

“Yes, you did. But you didn’t do it deliberately so stop obsessing about it.”

That was typical of Renata—blunt, crisp, and to the point. “You’re the one who should be able to dig up someone with that same psychic talent. Help me.”

“I’m working on it.” She paused. “But right now I’m more interested in that fax you sent me with the drawing of the goblet. How accurate is it?”

“As accurate as I could make it without seeing the goblet myself. Joe Quinn is a detective and has a trained eye. It’s probably pretty close. Why?”

“I showed it to my cousin Mark. He was very interested, and we thought we recognized it. I got on the phone and made a call. We’re going to send someone to Atlanta to do a more in-depth investigation.”

“Because of the goblet? I don’t care about the goblet. I want someone here to give me some insight into how to do something that will make sense of this albatross I’ve hung around Joe’s neck.”

“This may be more important. At least, more urgent to us. We think he may have done injury to one of the family members. The man we’re sending is Seth Caleb, and I told him to contact you. He may or may not do it. The bastard usually does as he likes.”

“I don’t care what he does. I want answers, Renata.”

“You’ll get them. But this is important. You know we can’t let anyone hurt the family. It could cause unpleasant chain reactions among the others. They already feel like victims and it’s sometimes hard to keep them from striking back. You should understand. You’re part of the family, too, Megan.”

“The only thing the family has done for me is give me a talent that’s made my life a nightmare. Is this Seth Caleb an agent or some kind of peacekeeper?”

“ ‘Peace’? No way. He doesn’t know the meaning of the word.”

“Then why are you sending him?”

“Because he’d come even if we didn’t send him. The moment he heard about the goblet, he told us he was going. But he’s smart and experienced, and that may be enough to keep us out of trouble.” She didn’t wait for Megan to reply. “I’ll phone you as soon as I find out anything else that may interest you.” She hung up.

Anything else? Renata had told her nothing that had interested her, Megan thought in frustration. She didn’t want this Caleb to explode on a situation that was already tense and bewildering. All she wanted was to be able to handle the problems she had now.

Okay, look at it from a positive angle. If Nancy Jo’s killer was found, then she might disappear, and one facet of Joe’s problem might vanish with her. Maybe this Seth Caleb was a bright shining light that would make everything better.

Only Renata had not made him sound like a bright shining light. More like a loose cannon.

She could only hope.

“WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?”

Joe turned to see Ed Norris striding out of the captain’s office. The senator’s eyes were swollen and rimmed, and he looked as if he hadn’t slept. He probably hadn’t, Joe thought. You didn’t sleep when you were going through all the fires of hell. “Good afternoon, Senator.”

“Do you always wander in at two in the afternoon?” Norris demanded. “Well, you’d better change your ways while you’re on my daughter’s case. I want you here by eight in the morning and working a full day.”

“I’ll work as long as it takes to get the job done,” Joe said. “I don’t always punch a time clock.”

“Convenient.”

Joe was trying to hold on to his patience. He felt sorry for the poor bastard. “Sometimes.”

“Not on Nancy Jo’s case.”

To hell with patience. “Look, I wasn’t here this morning because I went back to the crime scene last night and didn’t get home until dawn. I don’t know why I’m telling you because I don’t give a damn what you think. I answer to the captain, and she won’t cave because a senator starts pressuring.” He added, “And it would help us if you’d stay away from Allatoona. You can’t do anything but stir up the media and get in the way.”

“I had to go there. I needed—” His lips compressed with pain. “But those reporters were all over me. I suppose if I’d thought, I would have known they—But I didn’t think.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t seem to be doing a good job of that lately. Except about Nancy Jo. I can’t seem to think of anything else but her.” His expression darkened. “And that son of a bitch who killed her. I have to get him, Quinn.”

“Let me do my job. She wouldn’t want you to be involved.”

“Involved. I am involved. How can I—” He stopped. “Have you found out anything more?”

“We think that she may have been taken at a parking garage at Perimeter Mall. I’ve sent someone to ask questions of the attendants and check security video cameras.”

“Why Perimeter Mall?”

“We’ve checked with her roommate, Chelsea Burke, and she told us that your daughter was going shopping there. Her roommate was planning on going with her, but she had an exam the next day.”

“If she’d gone with Nancy Jo, he might not have been able to grab her . . . Such a little thing to make a difference.”

Joe nodded. “Such a little thing.” He started to turn away.

“Wait.” Norris was silent for a moment. “I have to be kept in the loop. I’ll make it worth your while if you come to me first with any break in the case.”

So that he could go after the bastard himself. Nancy Jo had been right on the money.

“I’m sure the captain will keep you informed on the investigation,” Joe said. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to make some calls.”

“If you change your mind . . . Why did you go out to Allatoona again? Did you think you missed something?”

“No, I didn’t miss anything.” He paused. “But I have a hunch she was killed in the trees, not on the bank. I asked forensics to check it out. We should know in a few hours.”

“Why would you think that? You may be wasting time. He could be getting away while we ‘check’ out your hunches.”

“Or we could take a step closer,” Joe said. “I’m trusting my instincts. I’ll let you know if I’m right.”

He could feel Norris’s gaze on his back as he walked away from him. This case was going to be a headache in more ways than the obvious. Norris was going to be on his ass every minute of the day, and how much of what Nancy Jo had told Joe could he attribute to “instinct”? If he’d been forced to tell Norris that he had asked that the security tapes at the parking garage be scanned for a large light-colored Lincoln, he would have had a hell of a time explaining.

Well, he would just have to dance around the truth and try to avoid Norris as much as possible. It wouldn’t be easy considering the fact that Norris was hurting and angry and wanted to be in on every detail of the investigation. He couldn’t blame him. Joe would have felt the same in his shoes. Nancy Jo was definitely right in worrying about her father.

Damn, that last thought about Nancy Jo had come out of nowhere and been perfectly natural. As if he was accepting her as a living, thinking force.

He quickly edged away from that realization. Instead, he had to concentrate on the case, on the man who had killed Nancy Jo, try to find a link between Jelak and the killing.

And that meant he had to bite the bullet and call Montalvo.