Chasing the Night - Iris Johansen [72]
“You’re going to do it?” Catherine said.
“That’s why I came, isn’t it? The boy is four or five years old. I can’t determine exactly how long he was buried here because of the marsh preservation, but that could be correct, too.”
“He lied. It’s not Luke.”
“I hope you’re right. But it could be Luke. Are you going to walk away and never be sure? I’m not. Joe, get my case.”
“You’re going to take his skull,” Catherine said. She drew a deep breath. “Okay, what can I do to help you?”
“Nothing,” Joe said. He pulled Eve to her feet. “Go to the car. Both of you. Yeah, I know. You want to be professional and do your job. And Catherine wants to prove that she can take it and help you. Well, it’s bullshit. You can’t be careful about taking that kid’s head. We don’t have time. I’m the only one who won’t agonize over doing what has to be done.” He took her lantern and case. “Now get the hell out of here. I don’t want you remembering how I did it.”
She hesitated.
“Go.” He turned back to the skeleton. “And take Catherine with you. I don’t want her stabbing me in the back when she sees what I have to do to this poor kid.”
Oh, no, he was so tough. He wouldn’t agonize the way she and Catherine would.
The hell he wouldn’t.
But he was right, she’d take too long because she couldn’t bear to be rough. She took Catherine’s arm and pulled her toward the road. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I have my orders. I have to protect Joe’s back.”
Catherine didn’t argue. She gazed straight ahead and never looked back as they hurried toward the car that had just come to a halt a hundred yards from the grave site.
Kelsov stuck his head out of the window. “Hurry. We may be in trouble. Where’s Quinn?”
“Right behind us.” Catherine jumped into the backseat. “He won’t be long. He had to—He won’t be long.”
Kelsov was cursing. “We can’t wait. I’ll give him two more minutes.”
“You’ll give him as long as it takes,” Eve said. “We won’t leave him. If you do, I’ll personally hunt you down and castrate you.”
The glance he gave her was not pleasant. “So much for your caring, gentle expert, Catherine.”
“Joe has the skull, Kelsov,” Catherine said. “What’s wrong?” Her gaze was on the trees. “Someone’s coming? I don’t see any lights.”
“They’re either on foot or driving without lights, but they’re here. I know these marshes.” He nodded toward the southwest. “They’re coming from that direction.”
“How do you know?”
“The birds. You can always tell by the birds. Right before I reached the car, I heard them screeching and then the sound of their wings as they took off.” His gaze was raking the trees. “The birds in this area haven’t been panicked yet. When they are, we’ll be in real trouble.”
It made sense to Eve. She wasn’t about to try to find any other more innocent reason for the disturbance in the swamp. Not tonight. She reached for the door handle. “I’ll go get Joe.”
“Wait.” Catherine was gazing beyond her. “He’s coming.”
The next moment Joe was diving into the passenger seat. He threw Eve’s forensic case on the floor. “Move! Something’s wrong out there.”
Kelsov gunned the car and it jumped forward. “The birds.”
Joe nodded as he rolled down the window. “Southwest.”
He would be on the same wavelength as Kelsov both in instinct and experience, Eve thought.
Joe went still. “No, not southwest anymore. Listen.”
Screeching.
A flapping of wings.
Here.
Chapter
12
The first bullet hit the rear window thirty seconds later.
“Down!”
But Catherine had already pulled Eve to the floor and was reaching in her backpack for her gun. “Not on foot.” She was looking over her shoulder at the tan Volvo racing after them. “How many in the car, Joe?”
“Six,” Joe was taking aim. He fired. “Five.”
Another bullet splintered the driver’s mirrors and ricocheted into the roof of the car.
Catherine was rolling down the window. She tossed off a quick shot before ducking back down. “Four, Joe?”
“Four,” he confirmed. He stiffened. “Move, Kelsov. I don’t like this. I think they’ve got—Shit.”
Eve’s gaze flew to the rear window. “My God.”
A