The Killing Game

THREE

"Nice." Sandra’s gaze traveled over the cottage and then down to the boat dock. "I like this, Joe."

"Then why didn’t you come here all the times I invited you?" Joe started unloading luggage from the trunk.

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"You know I’m city born and bred." Sandra drew a deep breath. "But I could tolerate this. Eve should have told me about that beautiful view of the lake."

"I did," Eve said. "You wouldn’t have any of it."

"Well, it is pretty isolated. Aren’t there any other houses on the lake?”

“No, Joe bought the lake and surrounding acreage and won’t sell any of it." Sandra grinned at Joe. "How unfriendly of you."

"I like privacy when I’m up here." He closed the trunk. "I get enough of people when I’m in the city. I kept the title in the name of my trust and no one knows I own this place. Not even the department." He smiled at Eve. "Except a few chosen friends."

"Well, at least, the cottage looks nice and friendly," Sandra said. Eve had always liked the A-frame. It was small and cozy and had plenty of windows that welcomed the sun and the outdoors. "Come on in and see the inside."

"I have to get back to the city. Ron worries when I don’t show up for dinner.”

“You could call him."

Sandra shook her head. "Hey, I’m not stupid. I don’t want him getting used to eating alone. I’ll call you tomorrow and we’ll talk then." She gave Eve a long hug. "Welcome home, baby. I’ve missed you." She stepped back and looked at Joe. "Do you need a lift back to town?"

"I have a Jeep up here. I’ll use that. Thanks, Sandra."

"No problem." Sandra got back in the driver’s seat and started the car. "See you soon."

Eve watched the car disappear down the gravel road, then helped Joe carry the luggage up the porch steps.

"You know, I don’t get it." He shook his head. "You two haven’t seen each other for over a year, and she goes off to dinner with her boyfriend and it’s okay with you?"

"You don’t have to get it. We understand each other." No one who had not been there during her hellish childhood would be able to empathize. The scars were still there and they would never go away, but she and Sandra had built on them and forged a bond they could live with.

"Mom has never had a stable relationship before. She has a right to protect it. She’s really hooked, isn’t she?"

"Yep." He unlocked the door. "But she doesn’t appear to mind.”

“No." Eve paused. "It will seem strange not to have Diane here.”

“Why? You came here before I was married. Diane never really liked this place.

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She preferred civilization."

She glanced around and remembered how Joe’s retriever had always bounded up to greet her.

"Where’s George? Is he in the city apartment?"

"No, Diane has him. I’m never home. He’s better off with her."

“That must have been hard."

"Yeah, it was. I love that dog." He opened the door and gestured to a corner of the room.

"Good God." Video cameras, a computer, a worktable and pedestal. "Where did you get all this?"

"I raided your lab in town and brought out all the equipment the insurance company replaced after it was trashed last year. I think I got everything.”

“I think you did too." She went inside. "You seem to have met all my needs.”

“My goal in life," he said lightly. "I stocked the house with food too. It’s chilly in here." He crossed to the fireplace and knelt before the logs. "I’ll light the fire before I leave."

"You’re not staying?"

He shook his head. "Reporters are looking for you. It will be hard to trace the cabin but not impossible. I have to find a way to cast out a few red herrings." He paused. "And I’m going to tell Sandra not to come up here until you’ve finished the job. She might be followed. If you want to catch up on everything, do it on the telephone. Okay?"

"Okay." He had mentioned everything except what was most important. "And when do I get the skull?"

"Tomorrow. It’s still at Georgia State with Dr. Comden, the anthropologist who did the report.

I’ll get a release from the department, pick it up tomorrow morning, and bring the skull with me in the afternoon. If there’s any change of plan, I’ll call you." He moved toward the door. "In the meantime, try to get some sleep. You didn’t doze more than an hour on the flight over."

"Okay." She added deliberately, "But first I’m going to call Logan and tell him we’ve arrived safely."

"He won’t expect it."

"But he’ll appreciate it. I’m not going to shut him out of my life just because we’re not together anymore. He deserves more than that."

He shrugged. "I’m not going to argue with you. Just don’t let him upset you. You need to rest."

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"I’ll rest."

"I mean it. Neither one of us knows how you’re going to react when you see that kid’s skull.

Exhaustion won’t help. I don’t want you going to pieces."

"I won’t go to pieces."

"Get some sleep," he repeated. The door shut behind him.

She went to the window and watched him stride around the cabin toward the garage, where he kept the Jeep. A few minutes later it appeared in the driveway and then disappeared from view down the road.

She was alone.

The sunlight suddenly seemed weaker, colder, as it touched the lake. On the far bank, pine trees cast shadows that blended and formed a dark blanket. She shivered, then moved over to the blazing fire and held out her hands. The warmth was welcome, chasing away the chill that had attacked her.

Imagination. Everything was as it was before Mom and Joe had left. She just wasn’t accustomed to being alone any longer. On the island she had seldom been by herself. Even when she was working, Logan was never more than five minutes away. Face it. The chill hadn’t come from loneliness but from dread and eagerness. She was no more sure than Joe of how she would react to having that skull in her hands. If she would be able to close out the horror and be totally professional.

Of course she could. She owed it to Bonnie.

Or whoever the little girl might be. She mustn’t think of her as Bonnie, or her hands and mind might play tricks on her. She had to view the skull with total detachment.

But when had she ever been able to do that? she wondered ruefully. Every reconstruction concerning a lost child was heart-wrenching, leaving her emotionally drained by the time she finished. But she had to control all emotion this time. It was absolutely necessary not to let herself fall into that dark pit.

Keep busy. Don’t think about what awaited her. She reached for the telephone and dialed Logan’s digital number. No answer. The call went to his voice mail.

"Hi, Logan, just calling to tell you that I’m at Joe’s cottage. I’m fine and I’m going to get the skull tomorrow. I hope everything’s well with you. Take care." She hung up.

Not being able to touch base with Logan made her feel even more isolated. That safe, sane life with Logan seemed so far away already and was growing more distant with every second.

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For God’s sake, snap out of it. She’d go for a walk along the lake and tire herself so that she’d sleep.

All the clothes in her suitcases were tropical, so she went into Joe’s bedroom and found jeans and flannel shirt. She put on her own tennis shoes and grabbed Joe’s windbreaker. A moment later she was out the door and going down the steps.

She was alone.

Dom watched Eve Duncan stride briskly down the path to the lake. Her hands were in the jacket pockets and there was a faint frown on her face.

She was taller than he remembered but appeared very fragile in the oversize jacket. She wasn’t fragile. He could see that in the way she moved, the set of her chin.

Strength was often more of the spirit than the body. He’d had kills that should have succumbed immediately but had fought ferociously. She would be such a one.

All that subterfuge at the airport had been interesting, but he had been a stalker too long to be taken in by it. He had learned a long time ago that you had to keep one step ahead if you were going to reap your reward.

And that reward was almost in his grasp. Now that he knew Eve Duncan’s whereabouts, he could put the game in play.

GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY "Good morning, Joe. Could I talk to you a minute?"

Joe stiffened as he recognized the tall man straightening away from a wall of the Science Building. "I’m not answering any questions, Mark."

Mark Grunard smiled engagingly. "I said talk, not question. Though if you really feel you need to open up and—

"What are you doing here?"

"It wasn’t difficult to figure out that you’d come here to pick up the skull. I’m only glad my fellow journalists are too busy trying to track down Eve Duncan. Now I have you all to myself."

Joe silently cursed the Atlanta PD for releasing the whereabouts of the skeleton. "The hell you do. No story, Mark."

"Do you mind if I walk you down the hall to Dr. Comden’s office? I’ll take off the minute we reach the lab. I have a proposition for you."

"What are you up to, Mark?"

"Something beneficial to both of us." He fell into step with Joe. "Will you listen?" Joe studied The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02

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him. Mark Grunard had always impressed him as being both honest and smart. "I’ll listen."

"You came for the kid?" Dr. Phil Comden rose to his feet and shook Joe’s hand.

“Sorry I didn’t have much on my report." He moved toward the door at the end of the corridor.

"I read that Eve Duncan is doing the reconstruction."

"Yes."

"You know facial reconstruction won’t stand up in a court of law. You should wait for the DNA."

"It’s going to take too long."

"I guess so." He led Joe into the lab toward a bank of drawers similar to ones used in morgues.

"You just want the skull?"

"Yes, you can return the rest of the skeleton to the Pathology Department.”

“She thinks this is her kid?"

"She thinks there’s a possibility."

"Bummer." He reached for the drawer handle and pulled it open. "You know when you’re working on one of these kids you can’t help but think about how they— shit!"

Joe pushed him aside and looked down into the drawer.

Eve answered the phone on the first ring.

"It’s gone," Joe said harshly.

"What?"

"The skeleton’s gone."

She went rigid with shock. "How could that be?"

"How the hell do I know? Dr. Comden says the skeleton was in the drawer last night when he left the lab. It wasn’t there at noon today."

She tried to think. "Could the Pathology Department have picked it up?”

“Dr. Comden would have had to sign the release."

"Maybe there was some foul-up and they picked it up without getting—”

“I called Basil. No one was authorized to pick up the skeleton." She was dazed. "Someone has to—"

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"I’m trying to find out where the snafu is. I just didn’t want you to wait around for me to bring it to you. I’ll call you when I know something."

"She’s… lost again?"

"I’ll find her." He paused. "It could be a macabre joke. You know how college kids can be."

"You think one of the students stole the skeleton?”

“That’s what Dr. Comden’s guessing." She closed her eyes. "Oh, my God."

"We’ll get it back, Eve. I’m questioning everyone who was near the lab last night and today."

"Okay," she said numbly.

"I’ll call you when I know something," he repeated, then hung up. Eve put down the receiver.

She mustn’t get upset. Joe would find the skeleton. Dr.

Comden was probably right. It must be some kid who thought it hilarious to pull such a prank and—

The phone rang. Joe again? "Hello."

"She was a pretty little girl, wasn’t she?”

“What?"

"You must have been very proud of your Bonnie." She froze. "Who is this?"

“I had trouble remembering her. There have been so many. But I should have remembered her all along. She was special. She fought for her life. Do you know that children very seldom struggle? They just accept. That’s why I seldom choose them anymore. It’s like killing a bird."

"Who is this?"

"They flutter and then go quiet. Bonnie wasn’t like that.”

“You lying son of a bitch," she said hoarsely. "What kind of sicko are you?”

“Not the usual kind, I assure you. Not like Fraser. Though I do have an ego, I never take credit for someone else’s kills."

She felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach. "Fraser did kill my daughter.”

“Did he? Then why didn’t he tell you where her body was? Where all the bodies were?"

"Because he was cruel.”

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“Because he didn’t know."

"He knew. He just wanted to make us suffer."

"That’s true. But he also wanted to increase his notoriety by confessing to kills he had no business claiming. At first I was irritated, and then amused. I even spoke to him in jail. I’d left a message saying I was a newspaper reporter and he wasn’t going to let that chance go by. When he called me back, I gave him a few more details to feed the police."

"He was caught in the act of killing Teddy Simes."

"I didn’t say he was totally blameless. Actually, he had legitimate claim to the Simes boy and four others. But the others were mine." He paused. "Including little Bonnie Duncan."

She was shaking so badly, she could scarcely hold the receiver. She had to control herself. It was a crank call. Some pervert who wanted to hurt her. She’d gotten a few similar calls during Fraser’s trial. But this man sounded so calm, so sure, almost indifferent. Make him talk. Make him prove he was lying. "You said you don’t like to kill children."

"I was experimenting at that point. I was trying to see if they were worthwhile pursuing on a regular basis. Bonnie almost convinced me of it, but the next two were a terrible disappointment."

"Why—are you—calling me?"

"Because we have a bond, don’t we? We have Bonnie.”

“You lying bastard."

"Or, rather, I have Bonnie. I’m looking at her right now. She was much prettier when I put her in the ground. It’s sad that we all end up as a collection of bones.”

“You’re… looking at her?"

"I remember her walking toward me across the park at the school picnic. She was eating a strawberry ice cream cone and her red hair was shining in the sunlight. There was so much life in her. I couldn’t resist."

Darkness. Don’t faint.

"You have that same spark. I can tell. Only you’re so much stronger.”

“I’m going to hang up now."

"Yes, you sound a bit under the weather. Shock can do that. But I’m sure you’ll recover soon. I’ll be in touch."

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"Damn you. Why?"

He was silent for a moment. "Because it’s necessary, Eve. After this little chat, I’m even more convinced than I was before. I need you. I can feel your emotion like a tidal wave. It’s…

exhilarating."

"I won’t answer the phone."

“Yes, you will. Because there’s always a chance you might get her back.”

“You’re lying. If you killed those other children, why did you bury only Bonnie with all those adults?"

"I’m sure I must have buried more than they found. I vaguely recall at least two other children.

Let’s see… two boys. Older than Bonnie. Ten or twelve."

"Only one child’s skeleton was found."

"Then they missed the others. Tell them to try in the gorge itself. The mud slide must have washed them over."

The line went dead.

Eve slid down the wall to the floor. Cold. Ice cold. Oh, God. Oh, God.

She had to do something. She couldn’t just sit there in horror.

Joe. She could call Joe.

She dialed his digital number with a shaking hand. "Come back," she said when he answered.

"Come back.”

“Eve?"

"Come—back, Joe.”

“What the hell’s wrong?"

There was something else she should tell him. "Talladega. Tell them—to look in the gorge—

itself. Two—little boys." She hung up and leaned against the wall. Don’t think about it. Wrap the numbness around you until Joe gets here.

Don’t faint. Don’t let out the scream building inside you. Just wait until Joe comes.

She was still sitting on the floor when Joe arrived an hour later.

He was across the room in four strides, kneeling beside her. "Are you hurt?” The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02

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“No."

"Then why the hell did you scare me to death?" he said roughly. He carried her to the couch. "I nearly had a heart attack. Christ, you’re cold."

"Shock. He said—I was in shock."

He was rubbing her left hand, warming it. "Who said you were in shock?”

“Phone call. I thought it was a crank. Like one of those calls I got after Bonnie—"

She had to stop for a minute. "But it wasn’t a crank. Did you call Talladega?"

"Yes." He took her other hand and began massaging it. "Talk to me.”

“He said he had Bonnie’s bones." The numbness was wearing off and she was beginning to shake. "He said she wasn’t as pretty as when he—”

“Take it easy." Joe grabbed the throw from a chair and tucked it around her. He crossed to the kitchenette and began making instant coffee. "Just take deep breaths. Okay?"

"Okay." She closed her eyes. Breathe deep. Ride out the pain. Ride out the horror. In. Out. Let it go or it will rip you open.

"Open your eyes." Joe was sitting on the couch beside her. "Drink this." Coffee. Hot. Too sweet.

He watched her drink half the cup. "Better?" She nodded jerkily.

"Now talk to me. Slowly. Don’t force it. If you have to stop, do it." She had to stop three times before she finished. When she finally fell silent, he just sat there for a moment. "Is that all?

Have you told me everything?"

"Isn’t that enough?" she asked unevenly.

“Hell, yes." He nodded at the cup. "Drink the rest.”

“It’s cold."

"I’ll get you another." He got up and strode back to the kitchenette. "He killed Bonnie, Joe."

"It could have been a crank call." She shook her head. "He killed her."

"You’re not yourself. Give yourself some time to think it over.”

“I don’t need time. He knew about the ice cream." He looked up at her. "The ice cream?"

"He said she was eating a strawberry ice cream cone that day in the park.” The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02

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“That detail has never been released to the press," Joe murmured. "Fraser knew it. He told the police that Bonnie had been eating a strawberry ice cream cone."

"He also described what she was wearing.”

“He could have found out that by reading the papers.”

“He knew about the birthmark on her back."

Eve rubbed her aching temples. Joe was right. That was why they had been so sure that Fraser had killed her. Why had she been so sure? "He said he tricked Fraser into calling him back by saying he was a newspaper reporter and then fed him details. Is that possible?"

Joe thought about it. "It’s possible. Fraser was giving interviews to anyone who would listen. It drove his defense attorney crazy. And no one would have known the substance of their conversation since Georgia has a law against taping without permission. Why would they have even tried to tape it? Fraser had already confessed to the murders. It was going to be an open-and-shut case."

"None of the bodies he’d said he’d buried had been found.”

“That wasn’t as important to them as it was to you."

God, she knew that. It had been like beating her head against a wall to get them to keep on searching after the confession. "It should have been."

Joe nodded. "But they had enough to send Fraser to the electric chair. Open and shut."

"And the ice cream…"

"A lot of time has passed. The vendor might have told any number of people.”

“The police told him not to discuss it."

Joe shrugged. "For some people the case was closed when Fraser was executed.”

“Okay, the vendor could have told someone. But what if he didn’t? What if Fraser didn’t kill her?"

"Eve…"

"What if that bastard who called me killed her? He stole her from the lab. Why would he do that, unless he—

"Shh." Joe brought her the fresh cup of coffee and sat down beside her again. "I don’t know the answer to any of those questions. I’m just playing devil’s advocate so we can strike a sane balance."

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"Why should we be sane? That son of a bitch who killed her can’t be sane. You should have heard him. He loved hurting me. He kept hammering away at me until he drew blood."

"Okay, let’s talk about him. What about his voice? Young? Old?”

“I couldn’t tell. He sounded like he was talking from the bottom of a well.”

“Mechanical distorter," Joe said. "What about phrasing? Accent. Vocabulary?

Slang?"

She tried to remember. It was difficult to separate the manner from the words that had caused her so much pain. "No accent. He seemed… well spoken. I think he’s educated." She shook her head wearily. "I don’t know. I wasn’t trying to analyze anything from the moment he mentioned Bonnie. I’ll try to do better next time."

"If there is a next time."

"There will be a next time. He was exhilarated. He said so. Why would he call me once and just leave it at that?" She started to take a sip of coffee, then stopped. "You have an unlisted number here. How did he get it?"

Joe shook his head. "I’m more concerned that he found you.”

“Guesswork?"

"Possibly." He paused. "We have to consider that he still may be some kid at the university playing a nasty joke on you."

She shook her head.

"Okay, then there’s the possibility that he was the murderer of those people at Talladega. But he didn’t kill Bonnie and wants to take credit for it as he accused Fraser of doing."

"He knew about the ice cream."

"Or he’s one of those people who confess to every murder and had nothing to do with any of them."

"We’ll know soon enough about that one," Eve whispered. "If they find those boys at Talladega."

"They’re searching now. I called Robert Spiro the minute I hung up from you.”

“Who’s Robert Spiro?"

"An agent with the FBI Behavioral Science Unit. He’s part of the team handling Talladega. Good The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02

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man."

"You know him?"

"He was at the Bureau when I was there. He moved to the Profiling Unit a year after I resigned.

He’ll call me if they find anything."

"No." She set down her cup and tossed the throw aside. "I need to go to Talladega."

"You need to rest."

"Bullshit. If they missed those bodies before, I’m not going to let them make the mistake again." She stood up. Jesus, her legs felt weak. They’d get better. Walk. "Can I take the Jeep?"

"If you take me with it." Joe put on his jacket. "And if you wait until I make enough coffee to fill a thermos. It’s cold outside. This isn’t Tahiti."

"And you’re afraid I’m still in shock."

He headed for the kitchenette. "No, you’re almost back to normal." She didn’t feel normal. She was still shaking inside and felt as if her every nerve was exposed and raw. Joe probably knew it and was tactfully ignoring it. She had to ignore it too. Just do one thing at a time. First, find out if that bastard had told her lies about Talladega. If he had lied about Talladega, then he could have lied about Bonnie.

But what if he was telling the truth?

They reached Talladega Falls after midnight, but the searchlights and lanterns dotting the surrounding cliffs made it seem like day.

"Want to wait here?" Joe asked as he got out of the Jeep. She was staring up at a cliff. "Is that where they found them?”

“The first skeleton was discovered on the next ridge, the rest up there. The child was found nearest the gorge." He didn’t look at her. "It’s just a hole in the ground.

There’s nothing there now."

But a little girl had been buried at that spot all these years. A little girl who might be Bonnie. "I have to see it."

"I thought you would."

"Then why did you ask if I wanted to wait here?" She got out of the car and started walking.

"My protective instinct." He turned on his flashlight and followed her. "I should know better."

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"Yes." There had been a frost earlier in the evening, and the earth crunched beneath her feet.

Was she walking in the footsteps of the murderer as he carried his victims to their graves?

She could hear the roar of the falls. Then, as she reached the top, she saw it pouring in a long, silver stream across the gorge. Brace yourself. Don’t turn your head. Not yet.

"To your left," Joe said quietly.

She drew a deep breath and tore her gaze from the falls. She saw yellow tape and then… the grave.

Small. So small.

"Okay?" Joe was holding her elbow. No, she wasn’t okay. "She was buried here?"

"We think so. This is where she was found, and we’re pretty certain the mud slide just uncovered her."

"She was here all along. All this time…”

“It may not be Bonnie."

"I know that," she said dully. "Stop reminding me, Joe.”

“I have to remind you. You have to remind yourself." The pain was too strong. Block it out. "It’s beautiful here."

"Very beautiful. The sheriff says the Indians called the falls the ‘place of tumbling moonlight’."

"He didn’t bury them in this place because it’s beautiful," she said shakily. "He wanted to hide them where they’d never be found and brought home to the people who loved them."

"Don’t you think you’ve been here long enough?”

“Give me a minute more."

"Whatever you need."

"God, I hope he didn’t hurt her," she whispered. "I hope it was over quickly.”

“That’s enough." Joe turned her away from the grave. "Sorry, I thought I could stand it, but I can’t. I’ve got to take you away from—"

"Stop right where you are and don’t move a muscle."

A tall, thin man was walking toward them along the edge of the cliff. He was holding a flashlight in one hand and a revolver in the other. "Identify yourself.” The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02

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“Spiro?" Joe stepped in front of Eve. "Joe Quinn."

"What are you doing up here?" Robert Spiro demanded. "It’s a good way to get shot. We’ve got this area staked out."

"The FBI? I thought you were here in an advisory capacity."

"We were, but we’ve taken over the investigation. Sheriff Bosworth didn’t argue. He wanted out."

"You think the murderer is going to come back? Is that why you’re staking out the graves?" Eve asked.

Spiro glanced at her. "And who are you?"

“Eve Duncan, this is Agent Robert Spiro," Joe said.

"Oh, how do you do, Ms. Duncan." Spiro shoved the gun in his underarm holster and lifted the lantern higher to look at her. "Sorry to scare you, but Quinn should have let me know you were coming."

Spiro was in his late forties with deep-set dark eyes and brown hair that sharply receded from a broad forehead. Lines bracketed both sides of his mouth, and the expression on his face was more world-weary than anything Eve had ever seen. She repeated, "You think he’s going to come back? I know it’s not uncommon for a serial murderer to return to the grave of his victims."

"Yeah, even the very smart ones can’t resist that last thrill." He turned to Joe. "We haven’t found anything yet. You’re sure this is a solid tip?"

"It’s solid," Joe said. "Are you stopping to wait until daylight?”

“No. Sheriff Bosworth said his men know the gorge like the backs of their hands."

He looked at Eve. "It’s cold near these falls. You need to get out of here."

"I’ll wait until you find the boys."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. It may be a long time." To Joe he said, "I need to talk to you about that ‘solid’ tip. Care to take a walk?"

"I won’t leave Eve alone."

"Charlie!" Spiro called over his shoulder, and a man with a flashlight appeared. "Joe Quinn, Eve Duncan, this is Agent Charles Cather. Take Ms. Duncan to her car and stay with her until Quinn comes back, Charlie."

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Charles Cather nodded. "Come with me, Ms. Duncan."

"I won’t be long, Eve." Joe turned to Spiro. "If we’re going to walk, let’s go to the command center."

"Whatever." Spiro started back along the cliff edge.

Eve watched them. They were closing her out and she was tempted to go after them.

"Ms. Duncan?" Charles Cather said politely. "You’ll be more comfortable in your car. You must be cold."

She looked down at the grave. Yes, she was cold. Cold and tired and empty. The sight of that grave had nearly torn her apart, and she needed a little time to recover. Besides, Joe would not let her be closed out for long. She started down the cliff. "Come on, I have some hot coffee in the Jeep."

"Could I have another cup?" Charlie Cather leaned back in the passenger seat. "I’m really feeling this cold. Spiro says I need to toughen up, but I tell him it’s from living in South Georgia all my life."

She poured him more coffee. "Where in South Georgia?”

“Valdosta. Do you know it?"

"I’ve never been through there, but I’ve heard about the university. Have you ever gone to Pensacola? I used to take my daughter there on vacation."

"Every spring break. Nice beach."

"Yes. Where’s Agent Spiro from?"

"New Jersey, I think. He doesn’t talk much." He grimaced. "Well, not to me. I’m new at the Bureau, and Spiro’s been there forever."

"Joe seems to respect him."

"Oh, so do I. Spiro’s a great agent.”

“But you don’t like him?"

"I didn’t say that." He hesitated. "Spiro’s done profiling for nearly a decade. It does something to a man."

"What?"

“It… burns him out. Profilers usually socialize only with other profilers. I guess when you’re a The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02

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man who stares at monsters every day, it’s hard to talk to someone who doesn’t do that too."

"You’re not a profiler?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. They just accepted me into the unit and I’m still training. I’m here to tote and carry for Spiro." He took a sip of coffee and then said quietly, "I’ve seen your picture in the paper."

"Have you?"

"I’m sorry if that’s your little girl they found up there."

"I’ve known for a long time that there was no hope. I just want to bring Bonnie home so I can lay her to rest."

He nodded. "My dad was MIA in Vietnam and they’ve never found the body. Even when I was a kid I used to worry about where he was. It didn’t seem right that he was lost there."

"No, it doesn’t." She glanced away from him. "And my daughter wasn’t in a war."

"No? Seems like there are wars everywhere. You can’t even send a kid to school without worrying if one of his classmates has an attack rifle. Somebody has to stop it. That’s why I joined the FBI."

She smiled. "Charlie, I do believe you’re one of the good guys." He made a face. "I sounded pretty hokey, didn’t I? Sorry. I know I’m green as grass compared to Spiro. Sometimes I get the feeling he thinks I’m still in kindergarten. Demoralizing as hell."

Eve could see how it would be. She supposed a person aged quickly in a job like Spiro’s. "Are you married, Charlie?"

He nodded. "Last year. Martha Ann." A sudden smile illuminated his face. "She’s pregnant."

"Congratulations."

"We should have been sensible and waited. But we both wanted kids.We’ll make out."

"I’m sure you will." She was feeling better. Life wasn’t all graves and monsters. There were people like Charlie and Martha Ann and the baby on its way. "Want some more coffee?"

"I’ve almost emptied your thermos. I’d better not—”

“Open the window."

It was Joe, his face pressed against the fogged glass. She rolled down the window.

"They found them," Joe said. "At least they found bones. They’re bringing them up to the The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02

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command center now."

She got out of the jeep. "Children?”

“I don’t know."

"Two?"

"There are two skulls.”

“Intact?"

Joe nodded.

"Then I’ll be able to tell. Take me there.”

“Can I talk you out of it?"

She was already climbing the cliff. "Take me there."

The stretcher was rigged on a pulley and Eve watched as it was hoisted up slowly.

On the stretcher were two blanket-wrapped bundles.

"You’re trying to keep the bodies separated?" she asked Spiro. "As far as we can. I wouldn’t bet on the bones not being mixed up. It looked like the mud slide washed them down."

The stretcher reached the top of the cliff and was settled on the ground. Spiro knelt beside it and opened one blanket. "What do you think?"

"Give me some more light." She knelt next to him. So many bones. Splintered. Broken. Like the bones of an animal after carnivores had—

Get a grip. Do your job. The skull.

She took it in her hands and examined it. No teeth. Joe had told her the other skulls didn’t have teeth. Ignore the horrifying image of the murderer pulling them. Concentrate. "It’s a child.

Preteen male. Caucasian."

"You’re sure?" Spiro asked.

"No. Anthropology isn’t my specialty, but I’d bet on it. I’ve done hundreds of reconstructions on children this age." She gently put the skull down and opened the other blanket. It held fewer bones and the skull was staring up at her.

Bring me home.

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Lost. So many lost ones.

"Anything wrong?" Spiro asked. "Leave her alone, Spiro," Joe said.

Could anything be more wrong than a world that could destroy children? "No, nothing’s wrong.

I was just studying it." She picked up the skull. "Another male. Preteen Caucasian. Maybe a little older than the other." She put the skull down and got to her feet. "You’ll have to get a forensic anthropologist to confirm." She turned to Joe. "I’m ready to leave now."

"Hallelujah."

"Wait," Spiro said. "Joe told me about the telephone call. I need to talk to you.”

“Then come to my cottage to see her." Joe was already pushing Eve down the cliff.

"We’re out of here."

"I want to see her now."

Joe looked back over his shoulder. "Don’t push it," he said softly. "I won’t have it, Spiro."

Spiro hesitated and then shrugged. "I guess it can wait. God knows, I have enough to do here."

Eve settled into the passenger seat. "You didn’t have to make an issue of it. I could have talked to him."

"Yeah, I know." He stomped on the accelerator. "And you could have stayed up on that ridge, staring at those bones. Or gone back to look at that little girl’s grave. How about leaping over tall buildings in a single bound? You don’t need any more punishment to prove you’re Super-woman."

She leaned back on the headrest. God, she felt tired. "I’m not trying to prove anything."

He was silent a moment. "I know. It would be easier if you were.”

“He told me the truth. There were two other children up there. He could have been telling the truth about Bonnie."

"One truth doesn’t guarantee another.”

“But it makes what he told me more plausible." Another silence. "Yes."

"And if it’s true, then he’s been out there all along. Walking, breathing, enjoying life. When Fraser was executed, at least I had the comfort of knowing Bonnie’s murderer had been punished. But it was all a lie.”

“You’re jumping to conclusions."

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But she had a terrible feeling she wasn’t. "There were two preteen boys Fraser admitted to killing. John Devon and Billy Thompkins."

"Yes, I remember."

"We have to identify only one of them to form a link between Fraser and the caller. I want you to persuade Spiro to give me one of those skulls to reconstruct."

"There may be some red tape. The FBI has their own way of doing things.”

“You know Spiro. You were in the FBI. You can get him to cut through the tape.”

“I’ll try."

"Do it." She smiled mirthlessly. "Or you’ll find another skeleton missing. If I can’t have Bonnie, I will have one of those boys."

"You’re already thinking of her as Bonnie.”

“I have to call her something."

"There was another missing girl of about the same age on Fraser’s kill list.”

“Doreen Parker." She closed her eyes. "Damn you, Joe."

"You want it too much. I won’t have you taking that kind of fall if it’s not true.”

“Just get me a skull."

He muttered a frustrated curse. "I’ll get it for you. Spiro should be grateful for any help on this case."

"Then let him be grateful. We’re going to need him. He knows about monsters.”

“So do you."

Only one monster. The one who had dominated her life since Bonnie had disappeared. She had called the monster Fraser and now she found that might not even be its name. "I don’t know enough. But I’m going to have to learn."

"You’re so sure he’s going to contact you again?"

"He’ll call me." She smiled bitterly. "As he said, we have a bond."

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