Chasing the Night - Iris Johansen [26]
“This has shaken you.” Eve asked quietly, “Do you still want me to save those progressions for you?”
“Of course. I want you to print all of them out and let me look at them and get used to each one. Yes, it hurts. But maybe it won’t after a little while. I don’t think that it will.” She looked at Eve. “I had a dream, a memory. You’re bringing that memory to life. It’s like…birth.”
“A midwife, I’m not,” Eve said. “I’m just a professional doing my job. If I do a good job, then we’ll both be happy.” She looked away from Catherine. “Now quit slacking and get to work. Actually, you’re doing a pretty good job with those bones. I couldn’t do better.”
“That’s a rare compliment. It takes concentration and patience. I’ve developed both of those qualities over the years. I told you I’d be good at this.”
“You are. Now let’s both get busy. I want to at least start this progression before Joe gets home. I want to have dinner with him. I get caught up in my work too often, and it’s not healthy for our relationship. Would you like to join us?”
Catherine shook her head. “I don’t want to intrude any more than I have already. Your Joe Quinn would not appreciate it.”
“You’re probably right. He’s not unreasonable, but he’s stubborn. Sometimes it takes time for him to come around.”
“I’ve heard a lot about him from Venable. The SEALs, the FBI, and he’s supposed to be a straight shooter. I think I could like him.” She shrugged. “If I ever got the chance…”
“I saw Catherine sitting outside her tent down by the lake,” Joe said as he came into the cottage. “She was reading something and pretty deep into it. I don’t think she even heard me drive up.”
“I’d bet she was aware of everything going on around her. She’s sharp, Joe.” Eve glanced at him. His brown hair was tousled, and there were a few dark drops on his khaki jacket. “Has the rain started? It’s supposed to be a downpour.”
“It’s only sprinkling, but the wind is up.” He took off his jacket. “I thought you’d be working late again.”
“Maybe after dinner. I wanted to spend some time with you.”
“I’m flattered,” he said. “And?”
He knew her so well. “I wanted to give Catherine time to get away by herself. She had an upsetting call from Venable today.”
“News about her son?”
“Not directly. But she was definitely distracted when you drove up. Venable e-mailed her the Rakovac surveillance file.” She went to the oven and pulled out the casserole. “Get out the rolls, will you?”
He didn’t move. “That report on Rakovac I requested came in this afternoon. He’s a very nasty customer.”
“I knew that from the moment Catherine told me about his kidnapping Luke. He would have had to be a monster. I didn’t need an official report.” She smiled at him over her shoulder. “Though I’m very interested in what you’ve found out.”
“That’s right, you believe everything Catherine tells you,” he said dryly as he got the rolls out of the bread drawer and put them on a plate. “I shouldn’t expect anything else. You’re thinking with your emotions where she’s concerned.”
“No, where Luke’s concerned.” She put the casserole on the table. “But I don’t think that she could lie to me if it was anything pertaining to her son. I’d know if it was the truth.”
“That bond again,” Joe said.
“Yes, I won’t deny it. It wouldn’t be honest, and I’m always honest with you, Joe.”
“It’s a dangerous bond, Eve.” He sat down in his chair at the table. “It doesn’t surprise me that Rakovac has been torturing Catherine for nine years. He’s slightly unhinged, and he’s become an expert at inflicting pain. He grew up in the Georgian town of Tiflis and joined the fighting against the Ossetians when he was only twelve. Not that he was into the cause itself. It was an opportunity to make contacts and pull himself out of the poverty into which he was born. He was involved in several ambushes and massacres. Some involving women and children. There’s a story about him burying a mother and four children alive because the father wouldn’t give him information. At nineteen, he went to Moscow and established himself