Countdown - Iris Johansen [83]
“Because you remember what he did to you.”
His eyes opened and he shook his head. “I don’t want to remember. Hurts.”
“If you don’t let yourself remember, if you don’t tell us where we can find Reilly, then there will be other people who are hurt and killed. It will be your fault.”
“Hurts.” He stood up. “I have to get back to my garden. Good-bye.”
With a feeling of helplessness, she watched him walk away. Had she even made a dent? She called after him. “I’m not finished with the sketch. Meet me here at five.”
He didn’t answer as he disappeared into the stable.
Would he come?
“You upset him.” MacDuff was walking toward her from the stable. “You were supposed to help him, not stir him up.”
“It will help him to remember that bastard Reilly. You must think so too. You told me yourself that you tried to get information out of him about Reilly.”
“And failed.”
“Maybe it was too soon.”
“And maybe the wounds are so deep that he’d bleed to death if he started probing them.”
“People are going to die, dammit.”
“I’m trusting Trevor to find Reilly before that.”
“But maybe it would only take a few words from Jock.”
“He may not even know where Reilly’s located. I tried everything when I first found him, including hypnosis. But it sent him into a tailspin. I’d think that would be one of the first mental blocks Reilly would instill.”
“What if he does know?” She snapped the sketchbook shut. “What if he can point the way and we don’t try to prod him to do it?” She met his gaze. “For a moment I saw something in Jock’s expression— I think he could be changing, maybe . . . coming back.” She made a frustrated gesture. “Hell, I’m not going to hurt him. Why are you so against me trying?”
“Because he may not be ready to come back.” His gaze shifted to the stable. “I’ve been aware of those moments too. It’s like the sun coming out on a cloudy day. But what if he does come back before he’s ready? For God’s sake, he’s a killer who makes Rambo look like a kindergarten kid. He’s a time bomb ready to go off.”
“He loves you. You could control him.”
“Could I? I’m glad you’re so confident.” He studied her expression. “And ruthless. I should have known. Women are always the deadlier of the species.”
“Trite. Very trite. I’m not ruthless. Or maybe I am. All I know is that I won’t let those bastards hurt my people.” She turned away. “You and Trevor aren’t playing on the same field I am. Are you going to stop me from talking to Jock?”
He didn’t answer for a moment and then said slowly, “No, I’ll let you have your try. Be careful. If you set him off, it won’t be pretty.”
She’d be careful, she thought as she went back toward the castle. Not only for her own safety, but for the sanity of that poor tormented boy. Everything she heard about Reilly made her angry and sick. She had thought Grozak was horrible, but he was matched by that thug who twisted minds and wills and traded in mass destruction.
Damn you, Reilly.
You don’t approve of what I’m doing,” Mario said when she walked in to his studio five minutes later. “It’s necessary, Jane. I’m helpless with these people. It has to change.”
“I’m not going to argue with you.” She sat down in her corner chair. “I can understand how you feel. I just don’t want you to go out thinking you’re capable when you’re not. It takes a long time to become proficient at weapons and martial arts. You’re not going to have that time. Things are moving too fast.”
“I can start. It may help. You’re not going to convince me. Sometimes I have a very hard head.” He suddenly grinned. “As MacDuff found out. I believe I caught him off guard.”
She smiled back at him. “I believe you did too.” She’d had her say and it obviously was falling on deaf ears. Drop it and maybe come back to it later. Not that she had any confidence it would do any good. “How’s the translation going?”
“Slowly.” He looked down at the sheet of paper in front of him. “I’ve been abstracted.”
“I can understand that. And yet it may