Blood Game

SEVEN

“LOOK, I KNOW IT’S EARLY but I’m just acting as an intermediary, and he wants to see you right away,” Megan said, when Eve picked up the phone.

“Who wants to see me?” Eve punched up the volume on her phone as she sat up in bed and glanced at the clock: 5:40 A.M. “And why should he need an intermediary?”

“Seth Caleb. Renata says he’s a distant relation and that he may know something about those goblets. He saw the fax with the goblet and immediately flew in from Edinburgh. He called me at eleven last night and asked, no, told me to call you and tell you that he was going to come to see you. He wanted to make sure that you knew he was here to help and not one of the media.”

“We’ll be glad to talk to anyone who can tell us anything about Jelak.”

“I thought you would. But Caleb impressed me as being a little . . . I just thought I’d warn you. Renata said that he was a law unto himself and would have come whether we wanted him or not.”

“You’ve warned me.” She glanced at Joe, who was sitting up and listening. “And when should we expect him?”

“Seven.” She paused. “And he said to tell Joe Quinn that he should check the west side of the lake about two miles away from the cottage.”

She stiffened. “What?”

“He said the rain would have washed out most of Jelak’s tire prints, but there might be something he could use.”

“You’re saying Jelak was in a car parked outside the cottage last night? We had the police scour all the immediate area after we found that goblet.”

“Caleb said the car was set way back from the lake and well hidden.”

“If Caleb knew that, then he must have been out by the lake last night too.”

“Presumably. For a rainy night, those woods must have been pretty crowded.” Megan added, “That’s all I know. But evidently he figured it was a strong enough card to get your attention.”

Eve threw back the covers. “Oh, it got our attention.”

Joe was already out of bed and throwing on his clothes.

“What else can you tell me about Seth Caleb?” Eve asked. “Does Renata trust him?”

Megan hesitated. “I think she trusts his motives. I’m not sure that she’d trust his way of handling the situation. I’d say treat him as an unknown factor.”

“Great. That’s all we need.” Eve got out of bed. “I can hardly wait to meet him. Thanks for calling, Megan. I’ll let you know just what kind of unknown factor he turns out to be.”

“Do that,” Megan hesitated. “Is Joe all right?”

“Joe is fine. He’s working hard and nary a glimpse of Nancy Jo. I’ll call you later.” She hung up and said to Joe, who was ready to walk out the door, “Did you hear? Two miles away on the west bank. The car was far back, away from the lake.”

Joe nodded. “I’m on my way.”

And she’d be right behind him, Eve thought. Two miles was much too close for comfort, and the idea of Jelak hovering out there like a vulture was frightening.

Five minutes later she was walking out the door.

“Joe told me that we’re going to have a visitor.” Jane got up from the swing. “And that we might have had one last night.”

“What are you doing up?”

“I wanted to talk to Joe before he left this morning.” She started down the steps. “And I was having trouble sleeping.”

“Why did you want to talk to him?”

“It’s not important now. The situation has resolved itself.” She looked out at the path. “Do you think he was staking you out or that he followed me home?”

“I have no idea. Perhaps both.” She started down the steps. “Maybe this Seth Caleb will be able to tell us.”

________

“HE WAS HERE.” JOE WAS KNEELING beside a deep rut in the ground when they reached him. “Whether it was Jelak remains to be seen. But the car had some weight to it. It was big.”

“But you won’t be able to get an impression?” Eve asked. “The print’s almost washed out.”

“But there’s a better one in the brush that was partially protected by the trees. I have a chance of getting a decent one.” He shook his head. “When he drove out of here, he was in a hell of a hurry. There are skid marks all over the place.”

“Panic?” Jane asked.

“Maybe.” Joe got to his feet and reached for his phone. “But why? Our guys who are watching the cottage were nowhere near here. I wish to hell they had been. He was too damn close. I’m going to have the area searched again and then have all the cars checked for bugs. We might as well go back to meet this Caleb and try to get some answers. I’m going to phone and get a team out here to check those tire prints and try to identify the car.”

“It’s a Lincoln Town Car built in the nineties. Jelak always likes the luxury models.”

Eve whirled to see that the man who had spoken was standing only a few yards away from them. She hadn’t even heard him approach.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Seth Caleb. I believe you were expecting me.” He smiled. “I knew you’d be out here checking my story. I thought that I’d come to meet you.” He studied Eve. “You must be Eve Duncan. Yes, I can see why Jelak would target you. Even if you hadn’t killed his host, you’re a prime piece.”

“You make me sound like a slice of meat.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I was referring to a game piece.” He inclined his head. “And you’re definitely worth his attention. Intelligence, sophistication, and experience. How could he resist?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Megan had said that she’d gotten the impression that he might be abrasive, but there was nothing abrasive about this man, in Eve’s opinion. He was dark and sleek and cool, and that smile was charged with megawattage. High cheekbones, a faint indentation in his chin, threads of gray at his temples, full, beautifully shaped lips. He had a slight accent. Scottish? Italian? She couldn’t determine the origin. “Yes. Megan called to tell us that you’d be here.” She met his gaze. “She didn’t tell us what you were doing out here last night, Mr. Caleb.”

“I preferred to do it myself.” His glance shifted to Joe. “You’re Joe Quinn?”

“I’m Quinn,” Joe said. “And I’m about to ask those questions and a hell of a lot more.”

Caleb nodded. “But you’re probably blaming yourself for not realizing that Jelak was so close to her. I think he changed locations frequently and made sure he was far out of range. He probably has a trunkful of electronic equipment to keep tabs. I’d bet that he was in these woods for at least a week or two.”

Eve shook her head. “We know he was in Alabama a few days ago.”

“False trail. Alabama is a quick trip. Jelak has been setting you up since he knew that he might lose Kistle.”

“The goblet of blood in the refrigerator,” Jane said. “That was part of the setup?”

“A gesture of bravado. To show that he could do it.” Seth gazed at her for a moment. “I’m surprised he hasn’t made a more meaningful gesture.”

He meant Jane, Eve realized with a chill. Jane’s blood, Jane’s life. “We take care of our own.” She whirled on her heel. “Come back to the cottage. We have some talking to do. I want to know everything you know, Caleb.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t intend to let you help me.” He gave a mocking glance at Joe. “You have certain advantages that I don’t. The police usually do have a slight edge.”

“We’re more interested in you helping us,” Joe said coldly.

“Oh, I will. Never doubt it. I’ll keep Jelak away from you.” He smiled. “I know this demon, and he knows me.”

“ ‘Demon’?” Jane asked. “Monster, maybe. Not demon.”

“We are what we think we are,” Seth said as he followed Eve down the path. “Haven’t you discovered that yet?”

“MAY I HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE?” Seth Caleb asked as he entered the cottage. “I’ve been up all night, and I could use the caffeine.”

“Why were you up all night?” Eve went to the coffeemaker and turned it on. “Megan says you called her late last night, but that was obviously after you’d lost Jelak.”

“I had some other calls to make checking what we knew about Jelak’s background before he came back to the States. I don’t know everything yet, but I’m close.” He glanced around the cottage. “Cozy.” His gaze fell on the pedestal that held the skull on which Eve was working. “For the most part.”

“Before Jelak came back to the States?” Joe asked. “What are you talking about?”

“I first ran across Jelak in Fiero, a small town outside Venice, Italy. That was over ten years ago.” He looked at Jane, who had dropped down on the couch. “He’d just killed a girl about your age and was on the run. Her name was Maria Givano. She was young, beautiful, and full of life. He was still experimenting at that time and wasn’t sure how much blood he’d require to help him become what he thought was his destiny.” His tone was without expression. “So he kept her in a cellar for three days, keeping her alive, but slowly draining her of blood. When she died, he left her there and moved on to another town.” He added. “Another woman. A little older, more experienced. Youth could feed him, but that wasn’t what he was looking for in the long run. He was discovering that there was an element in a more mature, intelligent woman’s blood that could enrich him. As I said, he was experimenting.”

“What the hell do you mean?” Joe asked. “Feed him? You make him sound like a vampire.”

“Do I?” He smiled crookedly. “As I said, you are what you think you are.”

Eve turned to look at him. “You’re saying that Jelak thinks he’s a vampire?”

“Oh, yes. Well, he’s not quite reached that exalted state, but he’s working on it,” Caleb said. “You must have suspected as much.”

“Not really. It’s too weird.” Eve remembered the joking reference she and Jane had made to vampires and Béla Lugosi when they had first found the goblet. “Joe said that Nancy Jo Norris’s murder was a ritual killing, but that doesn’t mean—Why would he think he was a vampire?”

He shrugged. “Maybe he liked the idea. From what I could find out about his early years, he would have embraced the concept. Power. Death. Darkness. Everything incorporated in one entity.” He added, “I think he went to Italy to find his roots and he would have twisted those roots to be anything he wanted them to be.”

“ ‘Roots’?” Jane grimaced. “Why go to Italy? Why not Transylvania? Isn’t that supposed to be vampire home ground?”

“So all the melodramas tell us. As a matter of fact, he did go there first. Then to Spain, and finally Italy.” Caleb crossed the room and held out his hand for the cup of coffee Eve had poured. “It seemed that he preferred the Latin version of bloodsucker.”

“This is too wild,” Jane said. “You can’t expect us to believe you.”

“I can’t blame you if you don’t.” He looked down into his cup. “But you have to accept what I’m telling you if you want to bring him to his knees.”

“I don’t want to bring him to his knees,” Joe said. “I want to put him behind bars and throw away the key.”

“Then I hope I get him before you do.” Caleb’s smiled without mirth. “Because I do want him on his knees. It’s the best possible position for me to cut the son of a bitch’s head off. Let’s see how fast he bleeds to death.”

Eve felt a ripple of shock go through her as she stared at him. Cold ferocity. He meant every word. “That sounds very personal.”

“Does it?” He lifted his cup to his lips. “I guess that’s because that’s what it is to me. I followed Jelak halfway across Europe before I lost him. He left a trail of blood behind him everywhere he went. He preferred women’s blood, but he’d take children if circumstances prevented him from getting the nectar of choice.”

“Why were you following him?” Jane asked. “Are you some kind of policeman?”

“Hell, no.” Seth glanced challengingly at Joe. “Ask him. I think he has my measure. Don’t you, Quinn?”

Joe nodded slowly. “You don’t give a damn about legalities. You’re an outlaw. All you want to do is kill.”

“You can’t say I tried to hide it.” Caleb smiled recklessly. “And I think you’d just as soon kill Jelak as jail him. You’re something of an outlaw yourself, Quinn.”

“ ‘Outlaw’ is a little too vague for me,” Eve said. “Just what do you do, Caleb?”

“I have private means, but I occasionally help the Devanez family out with problems. I have certain skills that they find useful.”

“What kind of skills?”

“I’m a hunter.” He paused. “Like you, Quinn. Only I’m not bound by pesky rules and laws.”

“Why?” Eve asked Caleb. “Why is it personal?”

He didn’t speak for a moment. “I was very fond of Maria Givano. She was barely alive when I found her in that cellar. She told me what he’d done, what he’d said, how he’d left her when he’d had enough.” His lips tightened. “And then she died. Yes, it’s damn personal with me.”

“I can see how it would be,” Jane said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“Not as sorry as I am. Nor as sorry as he’ll be.” Caleb finished his coffee in two swallows. “Now can we get down to the business of finding him?”

“I’m already working on it,” Joe said. “I don’t need you.”

“Yes, you do.” He glanced at Eve, then at Jane. “You need to keep them safe. He wants Eve Duncan, but he’ll take the girl to show he can do it. And to draw Eve to him.”

“And how do you intend to prevent that from happening?”

“He’ll be more cautious if I’m around. He has a certain respect for me.” He glanced at Joe. “But, of course, you could say screw caution and just use them as bait.”

“No, I don’t think that we’ll do that,” Joe said.

“I didn’t think that was an option.”

“You’re damn right it’s not.”

“Respect?” Eve had fastened on that word. “Those tire marks indicated panic rather than respect. Why was he trying so desperately to get away from you?”

He shrugged. “As I said, we know each other very well.” He turned back to Joe. “He’ll be making a move very soon. He’ll be angry with himself for running and want to prove his strength.”

“What kind of move?”

“Blood. That’s always primary for Jelak.” He paused. “If he feels a lack, then he goes back to the well.”

“Any well in particular?”

“The victim of choice isn’t always possible. Then he goes after whatever he can get.”

“Like Nancy Jo Norris?” Jane asked.

He nodded. “From what I’ve heard, she was probably a random. He saw her and thought she might do as a fill-in.”

“So he slit her throat,” Joe said harshly. “She was only nineteen, dammit.”

“And Maria Givano was twenty.” Caleb studied him. “You’re angry. I wouldn’t think a detective would be quite so involved. Why?”

“You mean your friend Renata Wilger didn’t tell you why I’m involved?” Joe asked sarcastically.

“No, Renata prefers to keep me at a distance unless it’s family business.”

“I wonder why,” Eve murmured.

“I can be . . . difficult.” Caleb added to Joe, “But then I imagine you can be too.”

“You bet your ass I can,” Joe said. “And I’m not hearing everything that I—” His phone rang and he glanced down. “The precinct.” He picked up. “Quinn.”

Eve stiffened as she watched his expression. Grim. Very grim.

“I’ll be right there.” Joe hung up and turned to Caleb. “I believe we may have your fill-in. A woman was found in Piedmont Park an hour ago. Throat slit. Naked. All the earmarks of a ritual murder.”

“Who?” Eve whispered.

“We don’t know yet. She’s brunette, in her twenties.” He headed for the bedroom. “I’ve got to shower and get over there.”

“I’ll go with you,” Caleb said.

“You will not. This is my case. Stay out of it.”

“I might be able to help.”

Joe looked back over his shoulder. “And you might get in my way. I don’t trust you worth a damn. I’ve got enough problems without having to worry about Megan Blair’s weird pack of relations.”

The door closed behind him.

“I may have a few problems with your Joe Quinn,” Caleb murmured. “He appears a little resistant.”

Jane snorted. “You don’t want to have problems with Joe. He’ll take you down, Caleb.”

“Will he?” He tilted his head. “Interesting. But I don’t have time to explore those possibilities.” He turned to Eve. “If you can persuade him, you might try to do it. I’m your best chance of getting Jelak before he damages anyone close to you.”

“Joe will use you if he thinks you can help,” Eve said. “And nothing I can say will alter that. He does what he thinks is right.” She paused. “He might have been more likely to accept your help if you’d had a chance to fill in Jelak’s background a little more.”

He smiled. “Or maybe not. He seems very much opposed to associating with weirdos like me.”

“He has his reasons. And are you a weirdo?” Eve asked.

He was silent a moment. “I have my moments.” His smile faded. “But I’m no danger to you. Unless you get in my way.”

“That’s not very comforting.”

“I’m not here to comfort you. I’m here to kill Jelak. Of course, that may be a comfort to you too.”

“And why did you think you might be able to help Joe at that crime scene?”

“I can feel Jelak when I’m close to him.”

Eve’s brows lifted. “Really?”

“Oh, yes.” He suddenly whirled toward Jane. “You believe me, don’t you?”

“I believe that it might be possible,” Jane said warily. “Actually, that’s only a step beyond primitive instinct. A lot of people have . . . feelings.”

He smiled. “Like you?”

She didn’t answer. “How certain are you that you’d know if Jelak was near?”

“Absolutely. As long as there aren’t too many people around to cause interference. I have problems in the middle of cities and with apartment buildings.” He shook his head. “But I’m not going to argue with your Joe about letting me come. I doubt if Jelak would be lingering about in Piedmont Park. He’s not the usual serial killer, who needs the kick of watching his victim found. He got his kick when he took the blood.”

“Kick?” Eve asked. “What do you mean?”

“He thinks that the blood of a fresh kill makes him stronger, jump-starts his energy quotient.” He shrugged. “This kill probably had little effect on him. It was more for show, and he’ll be hungry for something more substantial.”

Jane grimaced. “You make him sound like a cannibal.”

“There are similarities. Cannibals also devour their victims to absorb their strengths.”

Eve stiffened. “Is that what he’s doing? He thinks that the blood he takes will transfer the strength of those poor victims to him?”

He nodded. “That’s why he tries to be selective. Every kill is a step that moves him a little closer to the end of the game. But if the victim is particularly strong or intelligent, then it’s a giant step.”

“Game?” Eve repeated. “This is a game to him?”

“Of course. The quintessential game. The one that started in Fiero all those years ago and won’t be over until he reaches what he considers his zenith.” His lips tightened. “Or I kill the son of a bitch.”

“You evidently haven’t managed to do that in the last ten years,” Jane said dryly. “I want to know more about—”

“I’m out of here.” Joe was shrugging into his jacket as he came out of the bedroom. “I’ll call you when I know something, Eve.” He glanced at Seth Caleb. “Don’t disappear, Caleb. Before I see you again, I’m going to know everything there is to know about your background. I’m not through with you.”

“No, you’re not,” Caleb said. “You have no idea how far you are from being through with me. I’ll give my cell-phone number to Eve.” He headed for the door. “In the meantime, I’ll make a few calls myself and try to pin down where Jelak might be likely to show up next.” He smiled. “And I’ll be more generous than you about sharing information.”

“I’ll share when you prove that you can give me more than a bunch of vampire crap,” Joe said as he headed for the door. “Jelak is a murderer, nuts maybe, but not anything more.” He opened the door. “If you can give me any details about how we can use that particular craziness to catch him, then we’ll talk again.”

“My, my, you weren’t listening. I never said he was a vampire,” Caleb said. “Just a wannabe.”

“Whatever.” The next moment, Joe was going down the porch steps.

Caleb reached in his jacket and handed Eve a card. “My cell number. Call me if you need me.”

“I won’t need you.”

“You can never tell. Or if you want to talk or ask me more questions. I’m entirely open to you.”

She stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head. There was no telling what was behind that bland expression that seemed to hide a thousand secrets. “There’s nothing open about you, Caleb.”

He smiled. “You’re right, of course. But I’d make the effort for you.” He turned. “Good day, ladies. I’m sure I’ll see you soon.”

EVE TURNED TO JANE AS CALEB left the cottage. “What do you think?”

“About Caleb?” Jane was silent a moment. “He’s a powerhouse. He tries to keep it under wraps, but every now and then we get a glimpse.”

“Joe doesn’t think he’s keeping it under wraps.” Eve paused. “Joe might have been more receptive if Megan hadn’t been involved. He’s been very tolerant about a lot of things, but pulling this vampire hunter into the mix is a little tough on him.”

“Van Helsing Caleb isn’t,” Jane said. “And he keeps insisting that Jelak isn’t a vampire.” She shivered. “But this blood stuff gives me the creeps. That poor woman in Piedmont Park. She probably didn’t know what—” She broke off, her eyes widening. “Piedmont Park. Oh, my God.”

Eve’s gaze flew to her face. “What?”

“Patty’s house is across the street from Piedmont Park.”

Eve went rigid. Dear God, please no. “It’s a big area, Jane.”

“She’s dark-haired and in her twenties. Isn’t that the description of the victim?” She moistened her lips. “I had dinner with Patty last night. I went to her house. What if I led him to her?”

She didn’t know what to answer. It could have happened. “Call her.”

“I’m doing it.” Jane was already dialing her cell. “Answer,” she murmured. “Answer me, Patty.” She hung up. “Dammit, it went to voice mail.” She jumped to her feet. “I’m going over there.”

Eve nodded. “I’ll go with you. What about the home phone?”

Jane was dialing as she walked out the door. “Disconnected.”

Not good, Eve thought. She’d had the faintest hope until then. But Patty’s grandfather was an invalid. Why would the main phone be disconnected? “Let’s go.”

THEY SAW THE FIRST SIGNS of police activity four blocks from Patty’s house. Squad cars and a forensic van were parked near the trees several hundred yards from the entrance. Small crowds of curiosity seekers were hovering, edging closer.

“Joe should be there by now,” Eve said. “Maybe I should call him. Maybe it’s not Patty.”

“He would have just gotten there. He might not know yet. And we’re almost at her house,” Jane said. “She didn’t answer the phone. I want to see for myself.”

Patty’s house was a small cottage with cheerful geraniums in pots hanging on the wraparound porch. The garage door was open, and Eve could glimpse a disassembled car just inside.

“That’s the car Patty is working on,” Jane said as she parked. “She’s teaching herself how to install new brakes. With the new cars, it’s hard to do without special factory equipment. She said that she—” Jane stopped and took a deep breath. “I’m yammering. I’m scared, Eve.”

“Me too.” Eve got out of the car. “Come on. Let’s just do it.” She climbed the steps. “Ring the bell.”

“I don’t have to.” Jane’s gaze was fixed on the door. “It’s ajar.”

A slender crack of light was issuing from the edge of the door.

“Oh, shit,” Eve whispered. She slowly reached out and pushed the door wider.

“Patty!”

It was a scream that almost shook the rafters of the house.

“What the hell?” Jane threw the door open and ran into the hall. Eve was right behind her.

“Jane?”

They whirled around to see Patty standing in the doorway behind them, a bewildered look on her face. “What are you doing here?”

Relief soared through Eve. Thank God.

“Patty!” Another shrieking yell.

Patty grimaced. “Excuse me. I have to see what he wants. You’d think he’d be able to wait. I’ve only been in the backyard for a few minutes or so.” She hurried past them toward the back of the house. “I’m coming, Granddad. Do you need something?”

“You wouldn’t care if I did.” The man’s voice was whining. “You’d leave me here to rot.”

“You know that’s not true.” Patty had disappeared into the room. “What do you want?”

“My juice needs refilling. And you know I don’t like to be left alone.”

“I’ll get it for you right away.”

Patty reappeared in the hall carrying a carafe. She crossed her finger over her lips for silence and motioned them to come with her. “Sorry about that,” she said, when they’d reached the kitchen. “He’s not in the greatest mood. I didn’t want to expose you to that waspy tongue of his.”

“Why do you put up with it, Patty?” Jane asked.

“I owe him. He wasn’t always like this. When I was a kid, I remember him as being . . .” She made a face. “Well, he was never sweet, but he took me in after my parents broke up, and he did the best he could. It was only when he got sick that it got bad.” She went to the sink and rinsed out the carafe. “You don’t want to hear this. Why did you come to see me?”

“We just wanted to make sure you were all right,” Eve said. “You weren’t answering your cell phone.”

“I didn’t have it. Granddad pitched a fit when he heard me talking on it last night, and I had to give it to him to pacify him.”

“Why was he angry?”

She grinned over her shoulder. “I was talking to Charlie Brand. He called me and asked me to dinner tomorrow night.”

“Charlie?” Jane smiled. “Good. I knew he liked you.”

“And I like him. We talked about fifteen minutes before Granddad pulled the plug.”

“You shouldn’t have let him take your phone,” Eve said. “He had no right.”

She shrugged. “It’s easier to let him have his way. It makes him feel as if he still has power. One of the sad things about getting old and sick is that everyone seems to have power but you. I usually just let him keep it for a little while, then pick it up on one of my trips into his room.”

“You’re more patient than I’d be,” Jane said. “He still has it?”

“I didn’t need it. It was storming, and Granddad wanted me to sit with him. We had a blackout last night. We must have lost power.”

“Is that why your house phone wasn’t working?”

“Probably. I was out in back when you came, trying to check the ground line from the pole.” She frowned. “It looks sort of funny. I have to get a better look at it as soon as I get Granddad settled again.”

“Leave it to the power company,” Eve said.

“I’ll be careful. I just want to make sure it’s not some simple connection that I could do myself.”

“Patty!”

“Coming,” she called. “I’d better get his juice back to him.”

“We’ll go,” Jane said. “We just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Then she nodded. “Oh, all those police cars down the street. I was wondering. Something nasty?”

“Something very nasty,” Jane said. “Promise that you’ll take your phone back from your grandfather so that you can reach us.”

“Sure.”

“And keep your doors locked and be very careful.”

Patty gave a low whistle. “It must be pretty ugly. It has to have something to do with the reason Charlie was tagging you last night.”

“Right.” She paused. “I was afraid I might have pulled you into it. That bastard could have seen you with me.”

“And that would make me a target?”

“We don’t know,” Eve said. “But we have to assume it’s a possibility.”

“So you ran to my rescue.” She suddenly smiled. “Next time, could you send Charlie? I might as well get something out of this.”

Jane chuckled. “I’ll ask Joe to pull some strings.” Her smile faded. “If your grandfather will let him come around. Are you going out to dinner with Charlie?”

“Hell, yes. I pick my battles. I know you think I’m a wimp, but I take what I need.”

“That doesn’t appear to be very much,” Jane said dryly.

“My choice, Jane,” Patty said quietly. “In the end, we all have to decide what we’re willing to give up for payback. We all have parents or grandparents or children who will need us. Agonizing decisions sometimes. You have to weigh the memories and the debt against what’s being taken from you.”

“Yes, your choice.” Jane gave her a quick hug. “But it wouldn’t hurt to let someone help. Call me if you need me.”

“Only if you promise to send Charlie.” She made a shooing motion. “Now get out of here. Granddad can’t walk very far, but if he gets mad enough, he’ll stomp in here and give us all hell.”

“We’re going,” Eve said. “Good-bye, Patty. Be careful.”

“Within reason. I can take care of myself. Granddad does a good enough job of keeping me a prisoner without my helping it along.” She was heading for the fridge. “Bye. Give Toby a hug for me.”

Jane didn’t speak until they had reached the car. “Damn, I was scared.” She frowned. “I wish she was more frightened. She didn’t seem too worried. She thinks she can handle anything.”

“If she can handle that old man, she may be right.” They were passing the entrance to the park. “There are two media trucks there now. All hell will probably be breaking loose anytime now.”

“It already broke loose.” Jane was silent a moment. “Can we get surveillance for Patty?”

“We’ll try. We have to show cause. Once the media publishes details, I’m sure everyone in this neighborhood is going to want police protection.” She smiled. “But Patty had a good idea. Why don’t you call Charlie Brand? I’m sure he’d volunteer.”