Quicksand

THIRTEEN

MIGUEL SPREAD HIS MAP ON the polished oak table in the coffee shop. "This is the map I purchased from my guide, Bubba Garfield, with a great deal of Montalvo's money. He made it himself and he assured me that it was the finest one I could get."

"Like BlackJack Calahan sold you the finest bottle of wine in Bloomburg?" Eve asked.

"That's a bitter blow." Miguel grimaced. "But this is different. I know about maps. And I made sure Bubba was a little intimidated by me. The swamp is approximately seven hundred square miles and is thirty-eight miles long and twenty-five miles at its widest. It's principally a wildlife refuge, but that wouldn't have bothered Kistle. He would probably have enjoyed breaking the rules. There are seventy islands that are greater than twenty acres." He pointed to the green spots in the middle of the swamp. "These are the islands they call lands. There are twenty-two that have names. But there are smaller ones that are considered too unimportant to deserve recognizing on a map. Bubba indicated those with an X." He pulled a photo out of his jacket pocket and put it in front of Eve. "This is the photo that was on the bulletin board."

It was a color photo of an almost barren island, with the only vegetation being a stand of swamp oaks and pond cypresses. Floating in the tea-colored waters of the swamp surrounding it were thousands of water lilies.

"Is there anything unusual about this island?" Joe asked.

Miguel shook his head. "Except maybe the way the lilies are growing in that T shape in the water."

"Are we sure this photo is the one Kistle left?" Montalvo asked.

"Oh, yes." He reached in his pocket and drew out a yellow Post-it note. "This was taped to it."

A child's blue satin hair ribbon.

Eve touched it gingerly. "Another one?" She tried to ignore the horror she felt staring at it. "This can't belong to her. He must have bought it at Target."

"It got his message across." Megan was gazing compulsively at the ribbon. "That's all he wanted to do."

"Why don't you touch it?" Joe asked. "Maybe it will tell you something."

"Leave her alone, Joe," Eve said.

Megan deliberately reached out and touched the ribbon. "It tells me that Kistle is a son of a bitch and that you're one cynical bastard. Back off."

Joe smiled. "What a shallow observation. You'll have to do better than that."

"I'll work on it." Her gaze shifted to Miguel. "What else? Can you ask this Bubba if he can remember any island that has that kind of floating foliage surrounding it?"

He nodded. "I'll get right on it." He looked at Montalvo. "This can be ugly. There are trees all over the place where a man could climb and be waiting for anyone passing in a boat below. Providing he doesn't object to cohabiting with coral snakes and other nasty, slimy creatures."

"I don't believe Kistle would care," Eve said. "He'd feel right at home with them. But where would he be able to stash Laura Ann?"

"That's the question," Joe said. "On this island? What about it, Dr. Blair? Do you have any thoughts on the subject?"

"I won't know until we get there. Maybe not then." She looked him in the eye. "No promises. When do we leave?"

"Dark. It will be safer." Joe turned to Miguel. "In the meantime, I want to go with you to see this Bubba Garfield and then go into the swamp and get the feel of it. Montalvo, you bring Eve, Megan, and Phillip Blair. I'll meet you at the dock at seven."

Miguel looked at Montalvo. "Colonel?"

Montalvo thought about it and then nodded slowly. "Go ahead. I don't need to get the feel of that swamp. One swamp is pretty much like another, and I practically lived in one while I was searching for my wife."

"I'm glad to have your permission." Joe got to his feet. "You've rented the motorboats, Miguel?"

Miguel nodded. "At the dock at the north entrance."

Joe headed for the door. "I'll see you at seven, Eve. Come on, Miguel."

Eve checked her watch after Joe and Miguel had left the coffee shop. "It's two thirty-five." It seemed a long time until seven. She turned to Megan. "What are you going to do?"

"Go have late lunch with Phillip. Then go to his room and try to rest." She finished her coffee and stood up. "And then try to keep myself from getting back in my car and heading back to Atlanta."

"You won't do that," Eve said.

"No, I probably won't." She moved toward the door. "Though your Joe Quinn is making it seem like Mecca right now." She glanced over her shoulder. "If you need a place to crash for a few hours, come up to Phillip's room."

"Thank you." Eve watched her leave before saying to Montalvo, "She's being more tolerant than I would. After all, I invited her and Joe is giving her a hard time."

"So did you. Quinn had to stand by and watch those other psychic publicity-seekers tear you apart. It must have been rough on him too. He's only trying to protect you by poking holes in her so-called powers."

"You're defending him. Does that mean you think he's right? You were there, Montalvo. You helped dig up that little boy."

"Is he right? I don't know. It was a weird thing that seemed to be happening to her. I don't know how she knew the boy was buried there." He shrugged. "And I've seen some strange things happen in the jungle. Did I really see them or did I only dream them?"

She looked away from him. "Dream? About what?"

"Comrades who had died beside me. My wife, Nalia. As a sane realist, I prefer to think they were dreams." He took a drink of his coffee. "The dreams of Nalia ended when I put her to rest. Maybe that's all she wanted. I miss those dreams."

"I can see how you would."

She could feel his gaze on her face. "Look at me, Eve."

She forced herself to meet his gaze.

"You too?" he asked softly.

She wouldn't talk to him about dreams of Bonnie if she couldn't talk about them to Joe. "I'm glad if you think your wife is at peace now."

He nodded. "But I'm not at peace. I'm alive and I have to find a life again."

"Well, you can't take mine. I have Joe."

He was silent a moment. "And does your Joe have 'dreams' of Bonnie?"

"How could he? He never knew her."

"Yet he's lived with you for a long time. It must seem as if he does."

She shook her head. "Someone told me once that's not the way it works. Your mind has to be totally open to be able to accept anything that… unusual."

"Really? Now who told you that?"

Bonnie.

She shrugged. "I don't remember."

"Megan? It would seem the kind of thing with which she'd be familiar."

"I don't remember."

"And what would trigger that openness? Sorrow? Desperation? Or maybe a psychic sensitivity like Megan's?"

"I don't want to talk about this any longer, Montalvo."

"I know. But it's interesting to find another bridge that we've gone over together. We seem to find new ones all the time, don't we?"

Yes, they did, and it was the last thing she wanted. "The only sensitivity we have to be concerned with is Megan's ability as a Listener." She finished her coffee and set down the cup. "And you're not even sure that she has that talent."

"I'm willing to be convinced. Quinn is not." He smiled. "Can't you see how compatible we are?"

"No. And I won't talk about it any longer."

"You should talk about it. Oh, not to give me any advantage. But I believe you've allowed yourself to feel a little guilty about feeling something for me." His smile faded. "We're trained to believe we should cling to one person only. Yet there are so many people who pass in and out of our lives. Good people, worthy people, interesting people. Most of them stay for a little while and then move on. Some of them find a place with us and, if we let them, they enrich us. Don't close yourself off from the rest of the world, Eve. If you find someone who can make you understand a little more, laugh every now and then, give you a new experience, then never feel guilty. You'll just have more to give back to those who are closest to you."

She didn't speak for a moment. "Good heavens, a philosopher. I wouldn't have thought it of you, Montalvo."

"I do think occasionally." He was smiling again. "I truly believe what I said, but I understand why Quinn is trying to keep you to himself. I'd do the same. Philosophy is all very well, but men tend to lean closer to the Neanderthal than Aristotle."

"And your philosophy also leans closer to polygamy than monogamy," she said dryly.

"Not really. I wasn't talking about sex. But it would be a miracle if you went through life and didn't find someone besides Quinn who attracted you. Maybe for only a moment or an hour. It's a natural chemical reaction and nothing to be ashamed of. Life is all a matter of choice. You have your code and you decide what to take and what to give. And the only way to lose is to close yourself away and ignore."

She couldn't look away from him. The moment was too intimate, dammit. She had thought she knew him well, but she was learning more every moment. He said they were alike, but he was a thousand times more open and accepting than she was. Perhaps she would not have withdrawn if Bonnie had lived, but her life was closed and she did ignore almost everything but her work. What would it be like to open her world and reach out to touch and feel and experience?

She stood up. "I've already made my choice. It's Joe. And I'm an old-fashioned monogamist. Therefore, any reaching out would have to include him. I'll see you later, Montalvo."

"Don't run away." He stood up and threw some bills on the table. "If you're uncomfortable, I'll talk about anything you like. It's a long time until we have to go into that swamp. You don't want to be alone and neither do I." He took her elbow. "Let's go for a walk and see if we can find a souvenir store."

He had turned off that charismatic intimacy as if it had never existed. Relief surged through her. He was right. She wanted the time to pass like lightning, and company would help. "Why a souvenir store?"

"I want to buy a T-shirt with an alligator on it for Miguel. It may remind him to keep his hands out of that swamp water tonight."

THE SUN WAS GOING DOWN and casting a weird golden light over the swamp as Montalvo, Eve, Megan, and Phillip walked from their car down to the dock.

Megan shivered. "It looks like something from a macabre fantasy movie."

"Swamps can be beautiful," Montalvo said. "But, yes, they're always eerie."

"Dammit, I don't want to stay on this blasted dock," Phillip said. "I want to be in that boat with you, Megan. You might need me."

"I always need you," Megan said gently. "But I can't let you go, Phillip."

"It will be safer if I'm the one closest to you. You know that's true."

Eve frowned, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

Megan didn't answer her. "No, Phillip, it will be okay. I've told them how it has to be." Megan smiled. "Now stay here and hold down the fort. Will you do that for me?"

"I seem to have no choice," Phillip said. "It's a mistake, Megan."

"I know. The whole thing is a mistake. None of us have a choice." She looked at Eve. "When is Kistle going to call you?"

"I don't know. It could be anytime now." She saw Joe and Miguel standing beside two motorboats near the end of the dock. Joe was looking down at a map and she could sense the intensity that radiated from him. "Let's hope Bubba was able to supply some information about that island."

Then Joe looked up and she unconsciously stiffened. Intensity? Oh, yes. She had thought she had seen his reckless intensity at Clayborne Forest, but this was even a cut above. He was in warrior mode.

"Did you find out anything?" she asked.

"Not much." Joe pointed to an area in the south. "Miguel's guide said that he vaguely remembers a water lily bed resembling that kind of T-shape near an island about here. But there's an island to the north that had a grove of cypresses that resembles the one in the photo. So we might as well flip a coin." He shrugged. "But the clue is probably bogus anyway. We all know he's leading us into a trap. It's just pointing us in the direction where he's waiting." He glanced at Megan. "So finding a grave where she might hear her voices isn't that important. He may not even be near there."

"And then he might," Eve said. "And if he's planning on killing Laura Ann, then he might take her to the same place where he took other kills. He's very careful, very thorough. Look at all the preparations he made for disposing of Bobby Joe. He's familiar with that particular area and he probably hasn't had time to scope out any other places in this godforsaken place. He's been moving fast since he left Clayborne Forest."

He shrugged. "I was just trying to eliminate a useless member of our little party."

"Thank you," Megan said sarcastically. "I appreciate your concern."

"And I'm probably more useless than Megan will be," Eve said. "Except I'm the bait and that may have value." She looked out over the tea-colored water at the trees that were wreathed now in a bloodred glow from the setting sun. He was in there somewhere. He was waiting. She could feel him.

Call me, bastard.

Let me know that little girl is alive.

"ARE YOU ENJOYING THE BOAT ride, Laura Ann?" Kistle asked as he dipped his oar into the water. "It's beginning to get dark. See all the shadows. That cypress tree looks like a monster, doesn't it? With its roots spreading like an octopus beneath the water." He felt the excitement building as he looked around him. It had been a long time since he'd been to this swamp. What pleasure he had experienced here. The fear, the blood, the power… "There are all kinds of monsters here. There's an alligator hiding near that island waiting to be fed. Perhaps I'll decide to feed you to him."

Laura Ann tried to keep from sobbing. He always smiled when she cried. He liked it.

"You see how the water is moving, shivering? Some say that's the peat masses on the floor of the swamp trembling. But I know better. Even the water knows about the monsters."

She wouldn't look at the water. She was afraid she'd see what he wanted her to see. She stared straight at him.

"I'm getting tired of you not talking to me. There's no one around now, so I'm going to take your gag off. If you scream, I'll throw you off the boat and let the monsters have you." He leaned forward and cut the ropes binding her wrists and then ripped the tape off her mouth. "Did that hurt? An alligator's teeth can rip and hurt much more."

Her mouth was swollen and stinging. Don't let him know. "Didn't hurt," she said defiantly. "And I don't think there are any monsters in this swamp. You're a liar."

"Yes, I am," he said. "And you're very smart to realize it. I'd only throw you to the alligators as a last resort. Because I'm the only real monster in this place and I want to spend a long time ripping and tearing at you."

Don't cry. Don't cry. "The police will get you and burn you up in one of those electric chairs. Or that lady will come and help me."

"Eve. Yes, she'll come and try to help you." He took out his phone. "And it's about time I called her and told her how safe and happy you are. I'm sure she'll want to speak to you. But, little bitch that you are, you aren't going to reflect the mood I wanted to show her." He dialed quickly. "Here I am, Eve. I was just telling Laura Ann about the monsters that live here in the swamp. She thinks you're the knight who can come and slay them. I'm waiting for you to come and try." He listened for a moment and then handed the phone to Laura Ann. "Like you, she thinks I'm liar. Talk to her."

"Hello."

"Listen, baby, I know you're in a scary place, but try not to be afraid of it. He's the one you have to be afraid of," Eve said. "I don't know how long it's going to be before we find you, but we will do it."

"He says he wants to hurt me."

"And that means he needs time to do it. You'll be safe for a little while. But if you find any way, get away from him. He's worse than anything in that swamp, Laura Ann. We'll find you."

"He's a bad man," she said fiercely. "I wish I could push him off the boat and let the alligators eat him."

Kistle took the phone away from her. "Charming, isn't she? She's going to be a real pleasure. Now I have to take her to Bonnie's haven. I'm sure that your little girl is lonely, aren't you?" He hung up. "What a vicious little girl you are." He picked up the paddle again. "You've been a real disappointment to me, but I'm sure that will change."

Get away from him.

He's worse than the swamp.

He hadn't tied her up again. Maybe she'd get a chance soon.

But she could see a black alligator slide away from the island and into the water.

Don't cry.

"SHE'S STILL ALIVE." EVE hung up the phone. "But I think the only thing that's keeping him from killing her is that she's annoying him. He's not used to defiance and it's infuriating him. He wants to break her slowly."

"As he did Bobby Joe." Megan's lips tightened. "You were right, he's worse than anything else she'd face in that swamp."

"Except drowning, quicksand, snakes, and alligators," Miguel enumerated. "She's only a little girl, Eve."

"What was I supposed to tell her?" Eve asked fiercely. "If we corner him, he'll kill her. There's no question about that. Even if we get too close, he might do it. She's safer anywhere than with him."

"You did the right thing," Joe said. "Shut up, Miguel." He moved toward the boat. "Let's get moving. Eve, you and Megan come with me. Montalvo, you and Miguel take the other boat. I'll head north and you head south to the other spot Garfield indicated. Call if you see anything that looks like that island. Okay?"

"I'm glad you asked for assent," Montalvo said dryly. "I was beginning to get a little pissed at all those orders." He turned and headed for the other boat. "But it's intelligent to split up. If you get into trouble, call me."

Megan gave Phillip a quick hug. "I'll be back before you know it," she whispered. "It will be fine, Phillip."

"The hell it will. Take care of yourself." Phillip looked at Joe and said coldly, "And you take care of her. I don't give a damn if you believe her or not. She's risking more than any of you by going after Kistle. She deserves your support."

"She'll get it," Joe said curtly. "As long as she doesn't get in my way." He jumped in the boat. "Let's get going. I want to make a little headway before we lose daylight entirely."

THEY WERE ONLY A FEW MILES into the swamp when full darkness fell.

The blackness was smothering. It was like being buried alive. No, even though she was blind, she could still use her other senses. The sounds and smell of the swamp were all around her. Night-bird calls, the rustling of snakes, the smell of decayed vegetation. Eve struggled for breath, her heart beating hard. "Should we turn on the flashlights?"

"Only if you want to be a target." Joe pitched them goggles. "Infrared night glasses. There's a full moon and we'll only need them while we're under this canopy of trees. Put them on. If you see something, tell me."

Eve handed a pair of goggles to Megan and put on a pair herself. "Are we almost there?"

"Close. Maybe a mile or two. Negotiating these waterways is slow going. In a few minutes I'm going to cut the motor and use the paddle."

Because it would be quieter, Eve thought, and Kistle would not hear them coming. "He'll probably have night glasses too, won't he?"

"Yes. He'll have all the equipment that will give him an advantage."

Even with the glasses it was still dark, but she could see the creatures of the night as red phantom shadows. That was almost as frightening as the stygian blackness.

She suddenly realized that Megan had not spoken for a long time and turned to look at her. "How are you doing?"

"I've done better." Her voice was uneven. She tapped the glasses. "These help."

Joe glanced back at her. "No psychic vibrations? I'm disappointed. I could use a little help right now."

"So could I." She gazed at him. "This isn't a good place. It reminds me of a cave near where I grew up. Too much has happened here. I'm having trouble keeping the voices away."

"Voices?" Eve whispered.

"Nothing to do with Kistle. At least, I don't think so." Megan looked down at the water. "A man drowned about a mile back. He had a heart attack and fell off the boat. His wife was with him and she jumped in after him and tried to revive him, but it was too late. His name was Ray Ebert. She kept screaming over and over. 'Ray Ebert, you breathe. Do you hear me? Ray, you come back to me.' " She looked back at Joe. "Of course, you probably think I had time this afternoon at the motel to research tragedies at the swamp."

"It's possible."

"Think what you like. I don't care." She shivered as an alligator slid down into the water from a sandbar they were passing. "I never thought much about alligators before tonight. A teenager lost his leg to one near here. His buddy dared him to go into the water and he did. The alligator was under the lily pads not five yards away."

"He didn't die?" Eve asked.

"Not here." Megan's lips tightened. "So maybe I will be able to hear Laura Ann if she's scared enough. God, I hope so."

Joe stared at her thoughtfully, but for once there was no sarcasm forthcoming. He turned off the motor and picked up a paddle. "So do we all."

"AH, HERE WE ARE, LAURA ANN." Kistle moored the boat behind a pond cypress and jumped out onto firm ground. "Come along. We have places to go, people to see. Isn't that from Dr. Seuss? Children love him, don't they? Well, answer me. I don't like to be ignored."

"Dr. Seuss is for kids," Laura Ann said. "I gave all my Dr. Seuss books to my little cousin last year."

"How kind. But there are parts of his books that I enjoy. What about the one about the empty pants? Wouldn't that strike terror in a little child's heart?"

"No. It was silly."

"How brave you are." He knelt on the ground and pulled her down beside him. "Now look over there. Do you see all those trees and bushes that seem to be growing out of the water across the way?"

"Yes."

"Behind all those trees is an island like this one. No one can tell it's there. It's my own secret place. I can stand on the bank over there and see everything that happens on this island and no one can see me. Do you know why I'm telling you all this?"

"I don't care," she said defiantly.

"I think you'll care. Because on one of these islands you're going to die. You'll have to guess which one. Perhaps you're kneeling on it right now. It's hard for children to realize the horror of death. How can I bring it home to you…? Do you miss your mama? You'll never see her again."

Mama!

"I think that got through to you, bitch," he murmured. "Are you afraid at last?"

She had always been afraid. "Someone will come and get me."

"I'm going to let them try." He got to his feet. "I'm leaving you here. You can scream if you like. It will just draw them to you."

Hope surged through her. "You're going away?"

"Only for a little while." He smiled. "I'll be back. I wouldn't miss playing with you. It may be the highlight of my year." He gave her a flashlight. "Here, a light to keep you company and show Eve the way to you. Be sure to keep it on." He headed back to the boat. "Don't move too close to the water. I've seen a few alligators basking in the sun on this bank. I wouldn't want to waste you."

Laura Ann watched him paddle away until he disappeared into the darkness.

She was alone.

He was gone.

And Eve would be here soon to get her. She had promised. All she had to do was sit here and wait. She turned on the flashlight.