Eve

CHAPTER 8

Lake Cottage

Atlanta, Georgia

Present day

“EVE.” IT WAS CATHERINE KNOCKING on the door. “Answer me. We have to talk. You’re making me feel guilty as hell. I did what I thought best. How the hell did I know you were going to go into a tailspin like this?”

Guilty? Catherine should not feel guilty because Eve had responded like an idiot. No, like that sixteen-year-old girl she had been when she’d given birth to Bonnie. She had run into her room and tried to hide in the darkness, in the only safe haven she’d ever known. For heaven’s sake, she was a mature woman who had gone through hell and returned. She could handle anything that came her way.

Except the accusation that Catherine had made. Because if Catherine was right, then her whole life and everything she believed was upside down.

But Catherine was wrong. She had to be wrong.

“Eve.”

“Coming.” Eve got heavily to her feet and moved toward the door. It was fully dark, and she flipped on the light as she unlocked the door. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was a little… surprised.” She grimaced. “Understatement.”

Catherine came into the room and closed the door. “Why do you think I hesitated to talk to you? I knew it wasn’t going to be a welcome development.” She went over to the kitchen. “Let me get you a cup of coffee. I could use one, too.”

“Stop coddling me, Catherine. As I said, I haven’t thought about John Gallo since Bonnie was born. It was just a shock having you bring up his name in connection with her death.” She paused. “Even though I knew it had to be a mistake.”

“It’s no mistake.”

“John Gallo was killed while he was in the Army.”

Catherine shook her head. “No, he was still alive at least six months ago.”

“Catherine, I saw the official death notification.”

“And since when does that guarantee anything? I’ve been in the CIA for years, and most of the time nothing ends up what I think it’s going to be. It’s a twisted world, Eve.”

“John Gallo was nineteen, and he wasn’t a CIA agent. He was just a kid right out of basic who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“A very lethal kid. A month after he was in basic training, they tapped him for Ranger training. That’s what he was doing in Asia. He was a natural. He’d not only been trained by his uncle, but he had an aptitude that was remarkable.” She paused. “That was why they sent him to North Korea on a special mission. A hush-hush assignment that was very politically incorrect. He and two other Rangers parachuted into the country to spy on a fledgling nuclear facility. Strictly against the diplomatic policy at the time. The government had promised North Korea that they would not violate their borders in any way. They had orders to bring back photos and any other information they could gather.”

“Where he died.”

“No, where he was betrayed and captured by the North Koreans. The other two Rangers were killed, and he was thrown into prison. He was there for six years before he managed to escape.”

“And the government covered it up?” Eve shook her head dazedly. “No, that didn’t happen. It’s too bizarre. That notification nearly broke his uncle.”

“It’s true nevertheless.”

“It has to be someone else. You’ve got the wrong information. How did you dig this up anyway?”

“I called in favors. I checked every agency and source I had available, then I made Venable check all of his. Someone did a massive cover-up of everything concerning John Gallo. Even though I was able to break through the curtain, I barely managed to skim the tip of the iceberg.” She paused. “But he was out of that North Korean prison before Bonnie was kidnapped. And he was seen in Atlanta about that time.”

“No.” Her voice was shaking. “He didn’t know anything about Bonnie. He would have no reason to hurt her.”

“But would he have had reason to hurt you? That’s what a lot of family killings are all about.”

“He would have had to hate me. He didn’t hate me.”

“How do you know how his mind was twisted in that prison? He was tortured, solitary confinement, starvation. Six years of that kind of treatment could unbalance anyone. He was in a mental hospital in Tokyo for months after he escaped.”

She closed her eyes. “Dear God, you’re scaring me, Catherine.”

“Why? I didn’t go to all this trouble just to hand you a name and go on my way. We can find him. I’ll find him for you, Eve.”

“I don’t want it to be him.” She opened her eyes. “I’ve always thought Bonnie’s killer was some faceless monster. That’s easier to accept than his being someone I know.” She made a helpless gesture. “Know? Someone I went to bed with. Someone who gave me my Bonnie.” She shook her head in wonder. “And then took her away? How can I believe that?”

“I didn’t say it was a sure bet,” Catherine said. “I said that it was a strong possibility.”

“It’s one I can’t cope with.” Her voice was shaking. “I swore I’d always protect Bonnie, and it was terrible when she was taken. It was my duty to make sure she was safe and I failed her. But if it was someone I knew, then it’s even worse. Maybe I could have sensed it, done something to-”

“You’re not thinking straight,” Catherine said. “You didn’t even know he was alive.”

“I still can’t accept that he is.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “You’re right. I’m not able to put anything in perspective right now. I have to think…”

“First, you have to believe me when I say that everything I’ve told you is true. I wouldn’t have brought all of this down on you if I hadn’t been certain.” Catherine handed her a cup of coffee. “Then you have to tell me what you want me to do about it.”

“I believe that you think it’s true.” Eve lifted the cup to her lips. “But the investigation surrounding Bonnie was extensive. I told them who Bonnie’s father was. Wouldn’t they have found out that John Gallo wasn’t dead?”

“I’m sure they checked. I told you, massive cover-up. The Army didn’t want anyone to know John Gallo was alive.”

“Why?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t found that out yet. It had to be something more than an illicit special ops mission if they were willing to protect him from a high-profile murder investigation.”

She shivered. “They suspected he might have killed Bonnie and they’d still protect him? A man who would kill a child? No one would do anything that horrible.”

“I’ve seen dirtier cover-ups.”

Anger was suddenly searing through Eve. “No you haven’t,” she said fiercely. “There’s nothing more horrible than Bonnie’s death or the man who caused it.”

“Sorry. You’re right.” She studied Eve’s face. “You’re ready to go out and kill someone yourself. That’s good. I’d rather have you on the warpath than in pain. Now drink your coffee, and let’s find a way to get to the bottom of this.”

She took a swallow of coffee. It was hot and strong and helped to relieve the chill. “You say John Gallo was seen here in Atlanta about the time Bonnie was kidnapped. How do you know?”

“There was a written notation in one of the Army Intelligence files on Gallo by an informant who mentioned that Gallo was here during that period.”

“And who was this witness?”

“Paul Black.”

Eve stiffened. “What?”

Catherine nodded. “The man your friend Montalvo told you was a prime suspect in your daughter’s murder. He gave you three names. Two didn’t pan out, and you were preparing to go after the third. Paul Black.”

Shock after shock. “And he was testifying against John Gallo? What was their connection?”

Catherine shrugged. “Another blank. But I’ll find out.”

“No, I’ll find out.” Eve took another drink of coffee and put the cup down with a click on the bar. “Because I’m going after Gallo and making him tell me everything that happened when he came to Atlanta that month.” Her eyes narrowed on Catherine’s face. “And you knew that would be my reaction. You wouldn’t leave me up in the air for long. You’ve got an idea where John Gallo is right now?”

Catherine nodded. “I should know very soon. I squeezed someone in Army Intelligence, and he’s going to see if he can give me a lead. It’s a Colonel Queen, and he didn’t like it one bit that I’d managed to unearth all of this.” She hesitated. “But are you sure that you want to do this yourself? Is it going to be difficult for you? I wasn’t sure how you felt about John Gallo.”

Neither was Eve. It had always been a complex relationship and, now that she knew there might be a possibility of his involvement in Bonnie’s death, that complexity had deadly overtones. “Do you mean am I going to be sentimental about dealing with him? It was sex all the way. He kept me dizzy the entire time we were together.” She smiled coldly. “No, I won’t hesitate just because I was a teenage kid who couldn’t control her hormones. And if I find out he killed my Bonnie, I’ll cut his heart out.”

Catherine blinked. “Well, that certainly defines the situation. It’s hard for me to picture you like that. I’ve never had that experience.”

Eve knew that to be true. Catherine was the widow of a May-December marriage. She had been seventeen when she married her sixty-two-year-old mentor. “I can’t picture myself like that any longer, either. That girl doesn’t exist anymore.”

“I just hope that Joe realizes that she doesn’t,” Catherine said.

Joe.

Eve had been so whiplashed by her feelings about Catherine’s news, which had blown her away, that she had not thought of how it would affect Joe. She could only hope it wouldn’t be a springboard to more tension between them. Catherine was right; she had never spoken to Joe about John Gallo because he was already far in her past when she and Joe had met. Their love affair had become a passionate relationship that had gone on for years, with no other interest for either of them.

Except for Bonnie. She had always been there between them.

And John Gallo was Bonnie’s father.

“You’re going to tell Joe about Gallo?” Catherine asked.

“Of course I am. How could I do anything else? Joe has been searching for Bonnie as long as I have.”

“Just inquiring.” Catherine paused. “Would you like me to tell Joe? After all, I’m the one who opened this can of worms.”

“I’ll do it.”

“But you don’t want to do it.” Catherine’s shrewd gaze was fixed on Eve’s expression. “I’m going to go and break the news to him. You’ll have enough aftershocks from that quarter to deal with once you pull yourself together.”

“I’m okay now.”

“You’re angry at the moment. That’s keeping all the other emotions at bay.” She headed for the door. “You can’t stay mad forever.”

“Yes, I can. If I find out that Gallo had anything to do with Bonnie’s death.”

She smiled. “I know how you feel. Hold on to it. You may need it.” She opened the door. “I’ll check with Venable and see if he’s heard anything, then go and talk to Joe.”

The door closed behind her.

Hold on to it. Hold on to the anger. She would have no problem doing that. She had thought she was done with John Gallo, but he had erupted back in her life in the most painful way possible.

All right, sit here and think back. Try to find any reason why John would commit such a terrible crime.

How could she do that when she didn’t really know him?

She had to know something that would make this madness clear. Catherine had said that there were precedents for a father killing his child. Eve knew that to be true from her own professional experiences.

Start at that point and analyze.

JOE WAS STANDING ON THE TOP step of the porch, gazing out at the lake, when Catherine went in search of him.

“Hello, Catherine.” He turned to face her. “Venable wants you to call him. He couldn’t reach you.”

“I’ll call him back later.”

“Do that.” He met her eyes. “Now what’s the story with Eve?”

Catherine should have known that Joe would sense something. Joe Quinn had the sharpest instincts and the keenest intelligence of anyone she had ever met. She had worked with any number of CIA agents over the years, and she would have jettisoned them in a heartbeat for a partner like Joe.

And perhaps not only in the field.

She remembered the first time she had become aware that she was attracted to Joe. They had been down by the lake, and a storm had been coming up. The wind had been blowing his brown hair, and his tea-colored eyes were glittering recklessly. She had looked at him and thought he was like the storm, full of danger and power and yet with the maturity to be able to leash his lightning. She had not been conscious of being physically aware of a man since her husband had died, and it had come as a shock.

But she had rejected the thought immediately. Eve was her friend, and she wouldn’t violate that trust. Besides, she had known from the instant she had met him here at the cottage weeks ago that there was only one partner he would accept in his life.

Eve was his center. Catherine would be content to be his friend as well as Eve’s, and she had already started to lay the foundation.

“Why do you think there’s a story?” She came over and stood beside him at the rail. “What a suspicious man you are, Joe.”

“Body language. I saw the two of you standing here on the porch over an hour ago. Pure tension. I was tempted to come and interrupt you, but I decided Eve wouldn’t like me barging in if I wasn’t invited to begin with. So I’ve been waiting. I don’t have to tell you that I wasn’t waiting patiently. It’s not one of my virtues.” He smiled recklessly. “Hell, I’m much better at the barging part, followed immediately by investigation and disposal.”

“I remember.” And her latest memory was of Joe in the Ivanova marshes in Russia, aiming at a gas tank and blowing up the car that was pursuing them. Damn, he had been good. Hell, he had been magnificent. “But you restrained yourself this time. Could it be that you’re acquiring diplomacy?”

“No way.” His smile faded. “I just know Eve. We have to walk very carefully around each other every now and then.”

“When it concerns Bonnie.”

He looked out at the lake. “Bonnie rules our lives. The moment she was taken, she stopped being Eve’s daughter and became her obsession.”

“I know that. Can you blame her?”

“No, but I did after a while. God knows we did our best to find her. I couldn’t see why she wouldn’t let go. I loved her, I ached for her pain, but I needed for that pain to stop.” He glanced down at her. “I’ve never told anyone that before. But you guessed, didn’t you?”

She nodded. “I care about Eve. I’m concerned about her happiness. You make her happy, Joe.”

He shrugged. “Sometimes.”

“Do you still resent her fixation on Bonnie?”

“Resent isn’t the right word. There are times when I love Bonnie and want to find her as much as Eve. But I never knew her, so it’s harder for me. I want Eve as well as Bonnie to be at peace and it’s like a constant open wound. So I hurt, and I get tired and angry.” He grimaced. “But it comes and goes. Other times, I try not to trigger anything that might upset the balance.”

“Like not barging in where Eve doesn’t want you? In this case, you don’t know that’s true.”

“Don’t I?” He smiled tightly. “Then tell me I’m wrong, Catherine. Then tell me why we’re here talking about Eve and Bonnie. Tell me why you turned your phone off so that even Venable couldn’t reach you. You’re a professional, Catherine. You’d have to have a pretty good reason. And then, instead of calling him back immediately, you decided to stay out here and chat with me. Am I that fascinating?”

Yes, he was. The combination of tough spirit and brilliant brain was totally fascinating. “I suppose you’ll do. But no, that’s not the reason I’m out here.”

He leaned back against the rail and crossed his arms across his chest. “So I repeat, what’s the story, Catherine?”

“CATHERINE’S GONE,” JOE SAID when he came into the cottage thirty minutes later. “She said to tell you that she’d call you.”

His voice was quiet, too quiet. Eve’s gaze flew to his face.

No expression. That wasn’t good.

“She told me she’d get back to me as soon as possible.” Eve turned to the kitchen bar. “We still have steak from the barbecue. Would you like a sandwich?” Cripes, that was a dumb thing to ask. It just went to show how nervous she was feeling. This was Joe. She had nothing to be nervous about. Just try to get him to open up about it. She turned back to face him. “Catherine told you about John Gallo. How do you feel about it?”

“Initial reaction? Relief. A chance to get the son of a bitch who killed Bonnie.”

She was feeling relief, too, that his initial reaction had been so uncomplicated. “Yes, he could be the one.”

“Second reaction. I bristled. You didn’t want to talk to me about it, or you wouldn’t have sent Catherine.”

“I didn’t send her. I was going to do it.”

“But you didn’t want to do it.”

She wasn’t going to deny it. “I felt awkward, and I had to come to terms with it myself. She said she understood.”

“Yes, Catherine would understand. The two of you are a lot alike. But you didn’t think I’d understand. Third reaction. Curiosity and a touch of suspicion. Why not, Eve? Why would the possibility of John Gallo being Bonnie’s murderer make you not trust me after all these years?”

“I do trust you. What are you talking about? I’ve never trusted anyone as I do you.”

“Not even John Gallo?”

She gazed at him in disbelief. “I never trusted him. That wasn’t what our relationship was all about.”

“And what was it about?”

“Just sex.”

“And that’s supposed to fill me with confidence? You’d never have a sexual relationship with someone you didn’t trust.”

She didn’t answer. What could she say? The Eve Joe knew wasn’t the one who had been with Gallo.

But Joe’s gaze was on her face, and he could always read her. “Or could you?”

“Evidently I could when I was sixteen.” She drew a deep breath. “But that doesn’t matter. That’s not what this is about, is it? John Gallo may have killed Bonnie. I have to find him.”

“We have to find him. Together.” He met her gaze. “Nothing has changed. Or has it?”

“What the hell do you mean?” Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Do you think I wanted him to come back into my life? I thought I was going to be going after Paul Black and now John’s back and there’s some connection. And you’re acting weird as hell and as if you’re blaming me for-”

“I feel weird as hell.” He had taken three steps, and he reached out and grabbed her shoulders. “And I’m not blaming you for anything. I’m just trying to keep control while I sort this out. You didn’t expect this? What do you think about me? Bonnie is still everything to you. What about her father?”

“What about him? He may be a monster, he may be my daughter’s murderer.” She shrugged off his grip and took a step back. “Do you think that I’m thinking about anything but that?”

Joe stared at her for a moment and shook his head. “No, I’m being an ass.” He turned and dropped down on the couch. “She’s the only one who is really important to you. The rest of us are just hovering on the sidelines.” He held up his hand as she opened her lips to protest. “You can’t help it. We both know it’s true. I accept it. Gallo’s appearance on the scene just threw me for a loop. I’ve become accustomed to playing second fiddle to Bonnie. I won’t do it for anyone else.”

“It’s not true.” But it was clear that his reaction had been as volatile as Catherine had predicted. “You’re always front and center. Dammit, I love you, Joe Quinn.”

He didn’t respond directly. “Why does Catherine think that Gallo could be the killer?”

“Insanity. He had very bad treatment from the North Koreans, and she said it might have twisted him.”

“It’s possible. What else?”

“There have been many cases where a father has gone off his rocker and killed members of the family, including children.”

“And?”

“The fact that he was seen here in the city the month of Bonnie’s disappearance and made no attempt to contact me.” She said quickly, “But that isn’t an automatic red flag. His uncle may not have even told him about Bonnie after he escaped. It’s possible he wouldn’t have wanted to upset him if he was already subpar mentally as well as physically. As for not contacting me, seven years had passed, and our relationship was very brief.”

“But productive. Anything else?”

“I’ve been going over anything about John that I knew and might have a bearing. He could be very violent. He told me once that he enjoyed it.”

“So do I on occasion.”

“His background might have contributed to making him unstable. He was abused as a child. Many serial killers have that in common.”

“Are we considering him a serial killer? As far as we know, Bonnie may have been his only victim.”

“I don’t know what he’s become. I’m confused and angry and just trying to make some sense out of this.” She added, “That’s all I know right now. Is the third degree over?”

He nodded. “I had to know everything you know.” He took out his phone. “Because I’m not going to wait for Catherine. I’m calling Venable back myself, then FBI at Langley to see if I can pull some information out of them.”

“Catherine will get back to us soon.”

“No doubt. But I’d rather do it on my own.” He gazed at her as he dialed Venable’s number. “One way or the other, I want this over. And I’m not trusting Catherine to keep me in the loop.”

“What are you talking about? Catherine and you are so much alike that you could almost finish each other’s sentences. You’re two warriors looking for a battle. I’m the one who could be left out in the cold.”

“Not this time. Catherine is your friend and trying to pay a debt. She knows this is going to be difficult for you, and she’ll try to make it easier.”

“By leaving you out?”

He nodded, his lips tightening. “It’s already starting. I can see it coming. But it’s not going to happen. I’m going to find John Gallo or Paul Black or both and find which one killed Bonnie.” He began to speak into the phone. “Venable. Joe Quinn. We have some talking to do, and I want straight answers.”

Eve stood listening for a moment, then turned and went out on the porch. She didn’t know if Joe would be able to get what he wanted from Venable, but she was willing to step back and let him try.

Not that she had any choice. Joe in this mood was not pliable. He would travel his own path through hell or high water.

Was he right about her trying to close him out? Joe knew her so well that he sometimes knew what she was thinking before she was aware of it. From the moment she had heard about John Gallo, she had felt a shock and rejection. If John was the murderer, then Eve had brought him into their lives. She was directly responsible for all the hell and torment Joe had experienced in the past years of searching for Bonnie and her killer. She had no right to expose him to more danger because of a man who was part of her past before Joe had come into her life.

She gazed out at the moonlight on the lake. Beautiful and clean and safe. Just like her life with Joe. But the waters were placid, and her relationship with Joe seldom was. Comfortable at times, but the undercurrents of passion and turbulence were always just under the surface.

So different from what she had known with John Gallo. Joe didn’t know that girl, and she couldn’t explain her to him. By the time she had met Joe, she had experienced childbirth, motherhood, and the most terrible tragedy a woman could survive. It had burned out all traces of that girl she had been.

Burn.

“ You burn, Eve. ”

She should have forgotten those words John had spoken. Why hadn’t she? She was sure that he had only the most fleeting memories of her.

Unless Catherine was right, and he had twisted their relationship into the beginning of a horror story.

And, if that had happened, she could not let Joe be caught up in that horror story.

EVE RECEIVED A CALL FROM Catherine an hour later.

“I heard from Venable,” Catherine said. “He’s been able to confirm the story about John Gallo’s being alive. He has a source who says that Gallo’s records were buried so deep that no one could dig them up in the next hundred years.” She paused. “And that at one time there was a contract put out on him.”

“By whom?”

“Military.”

“My God, the same people who sent him into North Korea put out a contract on him because of what he found.”

“That’s the way it looks.”

“What the hell happened to him there?”

“It’s what happened after he got out of that prison that we’ve got to know about. I got my call from Nate Queen at Army Intelligence, and I’m hoping that he’ll prove Venable wrong about how deep we have to dig to find out where Gallo is right now.”

“What did he tell you?”

“The word is that Gallo moves around a lot but that he may be located in Utah.”

“Where?”

“Somewhere in the mountains.”

“That’s damn vague.”

“It’s more than we had an hour ago.”

“What about Paul Black?”

“No mention of him other than that one statement. Not in connection with Gallo.”

“It’s crazy. Paul Black was a suspect himself, and yet it seems as if he’s a witness against John. Then you tell me that Black faded away in the investigation as if he’d never existed?”

“That’s what I’m telling you. I’m still probing.”

“Then I need to be doing some probing myself. I’ll call Luis Montalvo and see what else I can find out about Paul Black. He gave me the name as a possible suspect. He may know more than what was in the original report he gave me.”

“Montalvo?”

“Montalvo used to be an arms dealer in Colombia. I did a forensic reconstruction job for him, and in return he hired investigators to try to find leads to Bonnie’s killer.”

“It sounds like a devil’s bargain. Can you trust him?”

“Sometimes our association is a bit strained, but, yes, I can trust him.”

“Then by all means probe to your heart’s content.” She paused. “How is Joe?”

“How do you think? You’re the one who insisted on talking to-” She wasn’t being fair. Catherine had been trying to take away the burden from her. She was just so on edge about Joe’s reaction that sharpness had come out of nowhere. “And I’m grateful. But Joe didn’t particularly appreciate it.”

“I noticed. After I laid everything out for him, he got very quiet. It was clear I wasn’t wanted, so I made my exit.” She paused. “But I don’t believe he was quiet with you, was he?”

“That’s the way it started. It didn’t stay that way. Before it was over, he was on the phone with Venable getting his own update and making sure that he wasn’t being closed out.”

“Smart. Joe has great instincts.”

“I don’t want to close him out.”

“But you’re going to do it. It’s only a matter of time. He could see it coming, and so could I.”

She didn’t deny it. “I can’t risk Joe. Not this time. Not with John Gallo.”

“Because he was close to you, and you have some idea that closeness may have put all this madness into motion? That closeness is the very reason Joe will see that he’s involved. He’s taking this very personally. I knew he would.”

“Well, I’m taking this personally, too. How the hell could I help it? Bonnie’s my daughter, and John Gallo was my-”

“Lover?” Catherine asked softly.

“No, we weren’t lovers. That implies an emotion other than sexual. We were two kids whose hormones were so charged we couldn’t control them.”

“And that’s all?”

“He was a lot of firsts. He was my first sexual experience, the first who taught my body pleasure, the first for whom I was willing to postpone my ambitions and enjoy the moment.” She paused. “And the first and only man to give me a child.”

Catherine gave a low whistle. “That’s a pretty impressive list. Do me a favor and don’t go over that list with Joe.”

“But it all has one common denominator. Sex. I have so much more with Joe.”

“But he’s a guy. He may have a brilliant mind, but I’d bet sex is as important to him as it was to that kid, John Gallo. Particularly a possessive man like Joe, who is absolutely nuts about you. Those ‘firsts’ may blow him away.”

Eve wasn’t going to argue. Joe was mature and sophisticated on most planes, but their relationship had a potential for moving him toward much more basic responses. “Just find John Gallo. Maybe we’ll be able to get to him before Joe goes into high gear and tries to wrap it up himself.”

“As soon as I hear myself.” Catherine hung up the phone.