Quinn

CHAPTER 14

St. Joseph’s Hospital

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

JOE WAS WALKING DOWN THE hospital corridor when Eve got off the elevator at his floor the next morning.

She smiled with an effort. “Busy already? Have you had breakfast yet?”

He shook his head. “They’ll bring it soon. I thought I’d take a walk to help increase my stamina.”

She wasn’t sure how to take that. “I expected Jane to be here.”

“She was here when I woke. I sent her down to Administration to start the paperwork going to get me out of here.” He met her gaze. “When she said you wouldn’t be able to see me until later today. But here you are. What happened, Eve?”

“Nothing to make you leap out of that bed and start worrying.”

“I’m not leaping. I’m not that far along yet. But I’m getting there.” He steadily met her gaze. “And you’ve been beside me every waking moment since I’ve been in this place. I’ve told you to go back to the hotel any number of times, and you wouldn’t go. Now suddenly Jane tells me that you have something to do that will keep you away? It doesn’t compute, Eve.”

Eve made a face. “And I should have known that Jane’s too honest to make you believe that everything was just fine.”

“She tried, but she’s clear as glass around the people she loves.” He smiled. “Like you, Eve.”

“That’s not so bad.” She took his hand. “Except when I want to keep you safe, dammit. Did Jane tell you anything?”

“Only that you were going up to Gallo’s property. I figured I’d get everything else out of her on our way there. She said she wouldn’t let me go alone.”

She shook her head. “No, of course she wouldn’t. She didn’t like it that I made her stay here and try to stall you until I was sure what was happening up there.”

“And what is happening?” Joe’s hand tightened on hers. “I’m trying to hold on to my patience, but I’m having a tough time of it. Do you know how much I’ve hated being stuck in this damn hospital while Catherine was going after Gallo?”

Eve had realized that every day lately. She had been surprised that he had not been more impatient. It was not like Joe. “You’ve been very good about not complaining until it was time for your release.”

“What good would it do? I have to be as strong as possible before I go after Gallo. Has Catherine found him?”

“Yes.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“He’s convinced her that he didn’t kill Bonnie.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” She shook her head. “Or maybe she’s convinced herself. I can’t put it all together. All she’d tell me was that she’d fought to believe what I’d told her was true, but that it didn’t work for her.”

“So why are you here instead of up there in the woods trying to shake some sense into her?”

“Because I called her when I was on the road, and she wasn’t at the property. It sounded like an airport. ”

“So you came back here.” He added, “To save Jane and face the music.”

She nodded. “I was expecting you to be angry.”

“Not angry. Impatient, frustrated, confused.” He shrugged. “It will take some time for me to muster any anger in connection with you. I came too close to losing you. Which puts everything else definitely in perspective.” He suddenly chuckled. “Though being human, I’m sure it will come back to me with full force.”

“I’m sure, too.” Her lips twisted. “And I come in here, and you’re walking the halls and building up stamina. Not very reassuring.”

“I can’t have you taking me for granted.” His tone was absent. “Which airport? Did you hear any flight being called?”

“No, just the Homeland Security bag announcement. And a flight arrival from Miami. ”

“What time was it?”

“Three forty in the morning. It had to be either Milwaukee or Chicago. They didn’t have time to get from Gallo’s property to any other airport. When Catherine called me previously, she told me she was still at the property.”

“Have you checked with both airports to see if there was a flight at that time?”

“Not yet. I thought I’d let you do it.” She smiled faintly. “It will keep you busy for a little while and give you a little more rest before you take the big plunge. I’m going to try to ration your energy.”

He tilted his head. “You’re not going to try to stop me?”

“I’ve bought more time than I thought I’d be able to manage-thanks to Catherine.” Her lips tightened. “I can’t understand how she could-”

“Yes, you can. Catherine and I were wondering the same thing about you a month ago. Gallo is very convincing.” He was frowning. “But Catherine didn’t have the same history with Gallo as you did, and she’s smart as hell. It’s a puzzle. What argument did she use?”

“She said that he didn’t do it. She told me to start with that and work back.”

“That’s all?”

“Something about Gallo trying to take his life.”

“Killers sometimes do commit suicide.”

“That’s not what she meant.” She bit her lower lip. “I was so sure, Joe. But all I can think of now was how tormented Gallo was in those days when we were together. I could feel how much he loved Bonnie. Was I wrong to believe Paul Black?”

“You said Gallo believed him, too.”

“And Catherine said just because Black thought he was telling the truth was no sign it was the truth.” Eve shook her head. “I wanted to help Gallo. But I may have pushed him over the edge.”

“Stop it,” Joe said roughly. “Gallo can take care of himself. And now, evidently Catherine is watching out for him, too. And I’ve never understood why you’ve always believed he loved Bonnie.”

Because she’d never told him. The relationship between Joe and Gallo had been too strained. But she had to tell him now. “Because… Bonnie comes… to him, too.”

“Shit.” Joe muttered a curse. “He could be lying to you.”

She had tried to tell herself that lately. “He told me things… that song about the horses that she loved so much. I don’t think he was lying, Joe.”

Joe gazed at her for a moment. “Then what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know. But would that mean that Bonnie loved him, too?” She shook her head. “And if that was true, how could she love him if he was the one who killed her? None of it makes sense.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” Joe shook his head. “Never mind. I know why. I was jealous as hell, and you didn’t want me to think that even Bonnie was against me.” He met her eyes. “Maybe the question should be why are you telling me now?”

“Because you told me that you know Bonnie now, that she brought you back. For years, no matter how we tried to overcome it, she’s been between us. But something changed.” She whispered, “I don’t want to close you out of any part of my life. And she’s such a big part, Joe.”

He was silent, gazing down at their joined hands. “That’s damn obvious. And spreading into all kinds of directions and little nooks. I never thought that she’d take me to John Gallo.”

She waited, feeling the tension grip her.

“But you have to hand it to the kid. She’s always throwing down a challenge.” He looked up and met her eyes. “So I think we have to ride with her.”

Relief surged through her. “And Catherine.”

“And Catherine.” He took the pad and pencil from the table beside him. “She may be wrong. Gallo may be the premier con man of the millennium. But I don’t want you hurting for the bastard if there’s a mistake. We might as well check it out. I’ll call Milwaukee airport. You phone O’Hare. It will help if we can figure out where they’re going.” He reached for his phone. “And then we’ll do what Catherine said and start putting together a scenario of ‘what if it wasn’t Gallo.’”

JOE WATCHED EVE IN THE hall talking to Jane, and he didn’t envy her. They had chosen to keep Jane from going with them when they went after Catherine, and Eve had volunteered to break it to her.

Eve had wanted to protect him from the inevitable explosion. She had been protecting him constantly in big ways and small since he had come out of the coma. Ordinarily, it would have frustrated him, but in this instance, he welcomed it. He needed to think, and no one could reason logically when Jane was upset. She would be hurt as well as angry, and it was terribly hard to hurt someone you loved.

He got to his feet and moved across to the window and looked down at the hospital parking lot.

Okay, Catherine had said to assume Gallo wasn’t guilty and figure it out from there.

But he didn’t want to assume Gallo wasn’t guilty. He was still having problems with the antagonism he felt toward him. Jealousy? Maybe. He had always been possessive of Eve, and he didn’t like the idea of any other man in her life, past or present. Or maybe it was the fact that Gallo had endangered Eve since the moment he had come back into her life. Either way, the antagonism was present, and he had to deal with it.

So deal with it. Use intelligence, not emotion. He was an investigator. That was his chosen profession and he did it damn well. This could be the most important case he’d ever been given.

Is it Bonnie? This was a strange twist in the path that he’d been on since he’d come back with her from death’s door. Strange or not, he could only do what he could, be what he was. Think. Concentrate. Look over the possibilities and see how the puzzle pieces would fit in different scenarios.

Deal with it.

He was still standing at the window forty-five minutes later when Eve came back into the room.

“Jane wants to see you. I couldn’t talk her out of it.”

“You shouldn’t have tried.” He turned to face her. “She has a right to vent her emotions on both of us.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, she’ll be easy on me. She’ll only try persuasion. She’s been almost as protective of me as you.”

“And it’s been annoying you.” She grimaced. “I can’t help it, Joe.”

“I know. It will take a little time.” He paused. “If it will make you feel better, I’m feeling very strong. Sometimes stronger than I’ve ever felt before. There are moments when I’m not so good, but then I feel a kind of… surge. I can get through this, Eve.”

She took step closer and laid her head on his chest. “And you won’t take stupid chances?”

He chuckled. “Not too stupid.” He took a step back. “Now give me fifteen minutes, then I’ll face our tigress, Jane. Let’s go over those notes about the flights leaving from O’Hare and Milwaukee. I think I know who Gallo and Catherine are going after. I just want to verify by the destination.”

Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

“NOT VERY PREPOSSESSING,” Catherine said as she looked up at the small two-story apartment building that looked more like a motel. “When I think of Georgetown, I think foreign diplomats and money.”

“That’s probably why he wanted an address in Georgetown. Even though he was short of cash most of the time, he needed to put up a front.” He was climbing the steps to the second level. “Apartment 26?”

“Yes.”

He stopped before the door. “Locked. And probably an alarm shared by the other apartment dwellers.” He leaned back against the jamb and crossed his arms across his chest. “Take care of it, Catherine.”

“How do you know I can?”

“I watched you on camera when you and Quinn were storming my house in Utah. You were obviously an expert. I was impressed. My alarm system was state-of-the-art. This will be a piece of cake for you.”

“You’re giving me orders again.” She was starting back down the stairs. “And I don’t think you’re an amateur, Gallo.”

“I’m not. But you’ll be faster. I’ll open the lock by the time you get back. Okay?”

She didn’t answer as she hurried down the steps and around the back of the apartment units. She would just as soon deactivate the alarm herself. She was accustomed to working alone, and Gallo was a little too domineering for her taste. His attitude was probably natural since he, too, was used to working alone. They would have to learn to keep pace with each other. She remembered that she’d had no real problem with working with Joe Quinn. But Joe had been her friend, and she’d respected him and felt comfortable with him.

There was no comfort about working with Gallo. She might respect his abilities, but there was a constant awareness that aroused an emotion that was close to antagonism whenever she was with him.

An antagonism caused by that physical disturbance that she couldn’t suppress or diminish.

She might not be able to suppress it, but she blocked it when she had a job to do.

Take out the alarms.

Piece of cake as Gallo had said. She was climbing the stairs four minutes later. The door was cracked open, and no Gallo.

She glided silently into the apartment and shut the door. She was instantly assaulted by darkness and the pungent smell of pepperoni.

“No other alarms in here,” Gallo said from across the room. He was going through the drawers of a desk, his LED flashlight piercing the darkness. “Very messy. Jacobs was either a complete slob or he was in a big hurry.” He took the Rolodex from the desk and stuffed it into his pocket. “No convenient receipts for airline tickets. I don’t see any credit-card receipts either.”

Catherine went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “German beer. A California wine.” She opened the bag on the second shelf. “And some kind of pasta in marinara sauce. He has international tastes as far as food is concerned.”

Gallo was heading for the bedroom. “I’ll go through the drawers of the bedside table. You check the bathroom.”

The heavy scent of a citrus aftershave coming from a bottle on the sink… No toothbrush. A half-used lemon soap left in a green soap dish. Catherine picked up the aftershave and held it up to read the name. “Italian. Naples.”

“Nothing here but a pack of prophylactics,” Gallo said from the bedroom. “It’s nice to know the bastard practices safe sex. We’re not finding out much more than that. Anything else?”

“No.”

“Then let’s get out of here and start going through this Rolodex.” He was heading for the front door. “If he traveled out of the country frequently, then he probably had a travel agent. When you’re uneasy or afraid, then you tend to go to ground in the place that you feel most comfortable.”

“And you can’t be comfortable unless you visit a place with some degree of frequency.” She closed the front door behind her and followed him toward the steps. “So we check and see where-” She suddenly halted on the top step. “Was this too easy, Gallo?” Her gaze was wandering around the parking lot. “I know we’re both thinking of Jacobs as a second banana to Nate Queen, but it makes me uneasy that we don’t know how he thinks, which way he’ll jump. I don’t like invisible men.”

“I have a general idea how he’ll react.” Gallo looked soberly up at her from the bottom step. “And I’m not underestimating him, Catherine. He’s a cornered rat, and he’s not going to like me going after him. He’s always resented me. He likes everything neat and able to be managed and manipulated, and I stepped outside the box.” He turned and started toward the car. “But I wouldn’t worry too much. I became an expert at killing rats in that Korean prison where Queen and Jacobs sent me.”

“GALLO AND CATHERINE LING just left your apartment,” Nixon said when Jacobs answered the phone. “They weren’t in there for more than thirty minutes. They didn’t carry out any boxes or anything big.”

“But they probably found my Rolodex,” Jacobs said through set teeth. Dammit, he should have grabbed it when he’d left yesterday morning. He’d known he’d have to go on the run soon, but he’d been trying to raise a stake to see him through. When he’d gotten word that his superiors had issued orders for him to be picked up for questioning he’d been thrown into a panic. He’d only grabbed his clothes and spare stash of cash and split. “Why the hell didn’t you go in after it?”

“That’s not what you paid me for,” Nixon said. “I don’t know anything about alarms. I’m clean with the local police. I don’t want anything on my record. I watched. I reported. If you’d given me the go-ahead, I would have taken care of them.” He paused. “I’ll still do it. I’m right behind them on the freeway. All you have to do is make an electronic transfer into my bank account.”

But I don’t have the money to make that transfer, Jacobs thought in frustration. His hand clenched on the phone. He and Queen had used Nixon before, and he was the best man for a job like this. He was almost as good as Paul Black had been with none of the bizarre freakiness Black had always exhibited.

He would rid himself of Gallo once and for all. And then he’d have a chance of being safe. He was not afraid of either Army Intelligence or any other law-enforcement body. He’d be able to survive. The world was crooked, and he knew where all the bodies were buried.

But Gallo was different. He’d seen how crazy the bastard could be. He wouldn’t stop. He’d keep on until hell froze over, until he had Jacobs in his sights. Those yokel cops had said Black had killed Queen, but it was probably Gallo’s doing. Jacobs had told Queen any number of times that it was dangerous trying to manipulate Gallo. Something about him caused a cold knot to form in Jacobs’s stomach. He hated being afraid. He hated the arrogant macho bastards who’d tried to beat him down and crush him all his life.

But he’d shown them that it was brains, not brawn, that mattered. He’d plugged along and kept quiet and let them all show off how smart they thought they were. But it was Queen who had been killed. It was Gallo who was on the run.

Except, now, Jacobs was on the run, too.

“Make up your mind,” Nixon said. “Do I get the money?”

“I’m thinking about it. I can’t decide without studying all the consequences.”

“My time is valuable. I can take care of Gallo and the woman tonight and move on to my next job. Yes or no?”

“I should be able to make a decision within the next two days. Just stay close to them.” He hung up.

He mustn’t let Nixon know he was weak in any way. But Jacobs knew he’d have to find a way to rid himself of Gallo and the woman. He couldn’t dangle Nixon for more than the two days for which he’d bargained. He had to move and move-

His phone dinged to signal an arriving e-mail.

It could be the confirmation on his hotel room at the casino. They’d better confirm his reservations. He’d given them enough of his business.

It wasn’t the hotel.

I warned you, Jacobs. I warned you both. Did you think I’d forgotten? Did you think I wouldn’t find out what was going on?

You’re a dead man.

No signature. Jacobs didn’t need a signature.

SHIT. SHIT. Shit.

His heart was beating so hard, he felt dizzy.

You’re a dead man.

He had thought that his luck couldn’t get any worse when he’d found out that Gallo and the woman were on his trail.

This was worse. This was deadly.

He felt so scared, he was sick to his stomach.

He had to get control of himself. He could get out of this. He’d made up his mind that he had to disappear anyway. It was just reinforced by that damn e-mail. He would tell Nixon to take care of Gallo, and that bitch, and that would rid himself of one threat. Then he would run and hide and not surface until he thought it was safe.

But to do both of those things, he’d have to have money.

Money was always possible, always just around the next bend in the road. He’d pick a place that had always been special for him.

His luck was due to change. It always did.

And this time he was sure he’d score big enough to set him up for life.

Then he’d have the money to give Nixon.

Then he’d be able to squash Gallo and Catherine Ling as if they were vermin. Then he’d be able to keep that bastard from finding and killing him.

Just as soon as his luck changed.

“WE’RE BEING FOLLOWED,” Catherine said quietly. “Three cars back, far left lane.”

Gallo nodded. “Gray Mercedes.”

“And he knows what he’s doing. Slow down. I’m going to try to get his plate number.”

Gallo slowed, but it took her three attempts to get the number on the front of the Mercedes. The person tailing them was sliding in and out of traffic like an eel. “Very slick. Jacobs?”

“No, Jacobs wouldn’t be doing his own dirty work. Not unless he was forced into it.” He glanced at the mirror. “But he would have a large number of lethal personnel to call on to do the job. It wouldn’t be anyone from Army Intelligence. Jacobs has blown that cover.”

“Another killer like Paul Black?”

“That’s my guess. Jacobs set up someone to protect his back. He knew that he’d be on the run.” He pulled off the freeway. “And this might not be so bad…”

She nodded. “Whoever is following us would probably know where Jacobs is hiding.”

He smiled. “Two minds with a single thought.”

They did think along the same lines, she thought. It was perfectly natural when they had been trained in the same violent schools of engagement. She had discovered that truth when she had been hunting him through the forests. “Then we need to gather him in and squeeze him for information. Pull over to that Holiday Inn, and let’s let him find us.”

“If he wants to find us,” he murmured. “I might have to go find him.”

“We’ll see.” The gray Mercedes was not coming after them, Catherine noticed. Yes, he was as good as she’d thought. It would have been foolish for him to do anything as obvious as driving into the parking lot. He would come back later, check out their room locations, and perhaps position himself for an attack. “In the meantime, while you check in, I’ll try to verify his license plate.”

“Probably a rental.”

“It will be a start.” She got out of the car and glanced at the side mirror. A streak of silver-gray Mercedes shot by the motel entrance. Come a little closer. We’re waiting for you. “Let’s get inside and work on it.”

“EDWARD HUMPHREY.” Catherine looked up as Gallo came in the adjoining door from his bedroom. “Avis Rental. Residence is in Detroit, Michigan. Venable is contacting the FBI and trying to dig deeper. It’s not unusual for a suspect to use the same pseudonym any number of times. There may be a way we can sift it and come up with the right identity.”

“Or not.” He strolled over to the window and pulled back the drape to look down into the motel parking lot. “It may be better to do a little probing ourselves.”

“Is he down there yet?”

“No.” He let the drape fall back in place. “But it’s still early. He may want to give us time to get settled.” He dropped down in the beige easy chair beside the window. “I’ll be the one to go for him. Okay?”

“No, it’s not okay. How do I know that you’d do a better job than me? We’ll discuss it later.” She wearily rubbed her temple. “But right now, I’m going to take a shower and change my clothes. I still smell of earth and bark and shrubbery.”

“And rotting leaves.” He smiled slightly. “What a shame. I’ve grown to like it.”

“Which only proves how weird you are.” She got to her feet and moved toward the bathroom. “Call me if you need me.”

“Oh, I will. You’ll be the first to know.”

She inhaled sharply as she looked back over her shoulder. Sensuality. Intense and unexpected. Everything had been pragmatic and commonplace. Yet suddenly there was this searing awareness.

Don’t address it. Ignore it.

She quickly closed the bathroom door behind her. Ignore it? Her body was responding the same way it had when she’d watched him wading out of the lake and coming toward her.

She threw off her clothes and stepped into the warm shower. A few minutes later, she was soaping her hair and body. The clean white tile surrounding her was completely different from the primitive lake and forest. No comparison.

Except for the way her breasts were swelling as she thought about Gallo. Except for how her skin felt flushed and silky… and ready to touch.

She had thought that she had overcome the sexual magnetism that had so shaken her. She had coolly separated her emotional and physical feelings from logic, instinct, and reasoning. Had she just been fooling herself?

No, she wouldn’t accept that she would deceive herself just to get what she wanted. The desire might still be there, but it wasn’t what had caused her to embark on this search for Jacobs.

But it could get in the way, dammit.

And Gallo wasn’t going to try to tamp it down or walk away from it.

She stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel from the rack.

That was okay. She’d do whatever she thought was right for her and let Gallo please himself. She was only responsible for her own path. Catherine had never asked anyone for help except Eve. But there had been no question that she would ask Eve to help her find Luke. Her son was Catherine’s life, and she’d been willing to sell her soul to find him.

And she hadn’t called Luke for the last three days, she realized. It had been toward the end of the hunt, and she’d been completely obsessed with capturing Gallo. Which was another reason why she should distance herself from him. Nothing should keep her concentration from her son. They had not been together for nine years; she owed him all her attention.

She threw on a pair of black pants and white T-shirt and was toweling her hair dry as she opened the door.

Gallo was still lounging in the easy chair, his legs stretched out before him. “Now you smell of lavender. Pleasant, but I miss the-”

“Rotten leaves,” she inserted. “I wish I’d never told you about them.”

“I’m not. It fascinated me learning about Hu Chang and your Hong Kong connection. I studied your dossier before I met you, but it’s the details that create the 3-D image.” He added, “I ordered sandwiches and coffee from room service. Would you like anything else?”

She shook her head as she took out her phone. “I’ll eat later. I have to call my son.”

“It’s nearly ten. He won’t be asleep?”

“He’s a night owl. I don’t try to force him into a neat little cubbyhole. He lived a rough life while he was away from me. I’m just grateful he’s doing as well as he is.” She was dialing as she spoke. “And that he lets me stay in his life.”

“Would you like me to give you a little privacy?”

“Why? I’m not ashamed of our relationship. It is what it is. We’re working our way through it.” She spoke into the phone as Luke picked up. “Hi, how are you doing? Are you reading?”

“No, I was having Kelly teach me about how she does her patterns.” He paused. “I don’t understand it. I don’t think I’m dumb, but she sees things that I don’t see.”

“You’re not alone. Kelly is extraordinary. Her professors say that she’s another Einstein. She can start at the beginning of a theory or puzzle and forecast exactly where it’s going to go.”

“I know all that.” Luke’s voice was slow, thoughtful. “But she says that if I go back and tell her all about the years that I was away from you, she’ll draft a pattern that will help me see things clearly.” He added haltingly, “And if I understand it, then I’ll be able to forget it.”

Catherine had known that Kelly was going to try to help Luke in that way. It was the next best thing to psychological therapy, and Catherine would be eternally grateful if it worked. “Maybe not forget it, but it may help you to let it go. Sometimes, bad things help you to grow, and you wouldn’t want to give up the growth. That would mean you’d gone through it for nothing. I don’t think Kelly would want you to do that. She’s gone through some rough times herself.”

“She told me her father was murdered. She saw it.”

“And she’s trying to learn from it. So maybe she’s the right person to talk to you about all of this.” She paused. “Unless you want to talk to me. You know I’m here for you, Luke.”

“I know.”

But he still couldn’t talk to her, she thought in pain. No matter how much she loved him, she was part of the problem. She cleared her throat and changed the subject. “How are your studies going?”

“Okay. I finished Midsummer Night’s Dream . But I didn’t care much for it. I’ve started Julius Caesar, and I understand that better.”

“Yes, I can see you appreciating Julius Caesar. ” Ambition and murder and revenge. Luke would comprehend all of those nuances of character from his own experience. “ Midsummer Night’s Dream would have a little too much whimsy for you.”

“Maybe I’ll go back to it later and read it again if you want me to.”

“I don’t want you to read it to please me. It doesn’t matter.”

“I… want to… please you.”

“That’s good, I want to please you, too. But let’s work on kindness and understanding instead of trying to shape each other’s tastes.”

“Okay.” Another pause. “Are you… well?”

“I’m fine. I should be able to get home soon.”

“I’d like… I know Kelly wants to see you.” He added, “Do you want to talk to her, should I go get her?”

“No, don’t bother her. Tell her I can’t wait to see her and give her my best. I’ll let you go now. I just wanted to check in and make sure you were all happy. I love you. Good-bye, Luke.”

“Good-bye.” He hesitated. “I want you to be happy, too, Catherine.” He hung up.

Someday, he would say he loved her. Someday it would happen.

“You said you were working your way through it,” Gallo said quietly. “It appears that sometimes it’s straight uphill.”

“You think that I mind that?” She swallowed hard to rid herself of the tightness of her throat. “We’re doing fine. Do you know what he went through? Every day that Luke was held by that son of a bitch, Rakovac, he was told that I was to blame. Every time he was whipped or thrown into a solitary cell, it was all my fault. It’s a miracle that he managed to realize that I wasn’t to blame. But there have to be residual effects from all that brainwashing. He can’t trust me even if he wants to.”

“What a bastard,” Gallo said grimly. “He’s dead, I assume?”

“Yes,” she said. “Slow and painful.”

“Good, then I won’t have to offer to do it for you.” He was studying her face. “You had to deal with finding him alone? Your husband?”

“He was murdered the night my son was kidnapped.”

“So you had to handle it by yourself. You might have had to do that anyway. He was in his sixties, right?”

“Yes, but I don’t know why people keep bringing that up,” she said impatiently. “Terry was a good man and great father. That’s all that matters.”

“If that was all that mattered to you.”

“Venable turned me over to him after I was recruited, and Terry taught me everything he knew about being an agent. We were good together.”

“As partners or as husband and wife?”

“Both. I wasn’t some romantic kid who didn’t know what was important. We had a good, solid marriage and had a beautiful child together. I couldn’t ask for anything more.” She defiantly met his gaze. “So it wasn’t anything like what you had with Eve. She said it was crazy and pure sex and nothing else. But in the end, it wasn’t about what you were together, it was about the child you had.”

“And was that what it was about with you and your husband? Your child, Luke?”

She was silent a moment. “I don’t know. We were together for such a short time. Terry wanted a child right away, and that was okay with me. But then, after Luke was born, my son was everything. I guess children change everything.”

“Yes.”

“You agree with me, but you never knew Bonnie,” she said. “I can’t believe all that ghost business, you know. You had me going for a little while, but I’m too hardheaded to really think that could happen.”

“Hardheaded.” He repeated the words reflectively. “What would happen if you’d lost your Luke, and he’d suddenly ‘returned’ to you? What if he was so real to you that all your doubts were crashing down around you? Would you reject him? Or would you let down the barriers and invite him back into your world?”

She shied away from even thinking about Luke taken from her in that most final way. Yet she’d had to face that possibility for the entire nine years of Luke’s captivity. It was clever of Gallo to bring the comparison with Luke into her rejection of the concept of the spirit Bonnie. “I don’t know what I’d do.” No, that wasn’t honest. “I can’t imagine a situation like that, but if it existed, I’d never shut Luke away from me even if it meant being locked up in the booby hatch.”

“The defense rests.”

“But the situation doesn’t exist, and what you and Eve are experiencing could be a hallucinogenic product of the emotional trauma that you’ve both suffered. Understandable, but with no basis in reality.”

“That sounds very slick,” Gallo said. “And not at all in keeping with what I’ve learned about you.”

“No, I’m not slick.” She wearily shook her head. “The opposite. I’m just trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together, and I’m coming up short.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He pulled Jacobs’s Rolodex out of his jacket pocket. “We’ll try to put this puzzle together instead.”

She came toward him and watched as he flipped the pages of the Rolodex. “Anything?”

“Nate Queen’s address and phone. Several officers’ names who probably worked at Army Intelligence.” He flipped to the T. “No travel agency. I was hoping to save some time, but no luck. Evidently, he makes his own travel arrangements.” He flipped to C. He gave a low whistle. “An entire list of casinos.” His finger ran down the list. “Las Vegas, San Juan, Lima, Rio, New Orleans, Mobile, Rome, St. Louis, Monte Carlo…” He flipped the page. “And another entire page. Jacobs evidently traveled the world to satisfy his addiction.”

“Too many choices. No indication where he might have gone? No preferences?”

Gallo shook his head, still flipping pages. He reached a list of letters with telephone numbers beside them. “M. S. J. N. It seems that he didn’t want to be careless with these particular names.” He handed her the Rolodex. “Why don’t you give these numbers to Venable and see what he can come up with.”

She nodded and started dialing her phone. “No H for Humphrey.”

“Surprise. Surprise.” There was a knock on the door, and he stood up and moved to answer it. “That should be our food.” He checked the security view before opening the door. “I can use that coffee…”

Two hours later, Venable called back, and Catherine scribbled down the information.

She hung up and turned to Gallo. “He couldn’t trace the S, but they were able to pull up info on the others. Juan Martinez, hit man for the San Juan Mafia, Edward Nixon, no gang association but suspect in three murders in the U.S. and two in London, Randy Jason, former Army Ranger now suspected of two killings for hire in Jacksonville, Florida.”

“Martinez is Hispanic?”

She nodded. “And the name Humphrey doesn’t sound in the least Hispanic. It would catch attention and be remembered if Martinez didn’t look the part. So the gray Mercedes is probably Jason or Nixon.”

“Unless Jacobs found another errand boy.” Gallo went to the window again. “Still no Mercedes. Maybe he’s not ready to move yet.” He turned to face her. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep. I’ll stand watch.”

“We’ll take turns. Three hours. Leave the connecting door open.” She sat down on the bed. “My internal clock is pretty good. Will you need me to wake you?”

“I believe I can manage.” His lips turned up at the corners as he turned out the light and headed toward the door. “I can always use my phone alarm. But if I fall down on the job, by all means shake me.”

“And then you’d probably grab me and break my neck.” She pulled the sheet over her and closed her eyes. “I’ll be careful…”