Eve - Iris Johansen [122]
And Eve had no doubt he meant every word he said.
Gallo glanced at Eve and shrugged. “It seems we have no choice at present.”
“Where are you now?” Black asked.
“I’m not a fool, Black. Send Queen down the south path around the lake. I’ll come to him somewhere along that stretch. If I see you following him, then Queen will have a long walk for nothing.”
“He’ll be alone. I’m saving my energy for the big push. But don’t make the mistake of trying to follow him back to me. I’ll let you know when he arrives here.” He hung up.
“Is he lying about keeping Cara alive?” Eve asked.
John shook his head. “There’s no way to be sure, but it’s consistent with what we know about Black. He wants it all. She’d still be valuable to him if he thought he could use her as bait for a trap.”
But John had been right. The choice had been too slim to take a chance on refusing Black.
“He made me feel helpless.” She took out her phone. “But we’re not helpless. He doesn’t know about Catherine. That’s an ace in the hole. There has to be a way of getting around this. I’m calling Catherine.” She dialed quickly. “She said she might be able to find him with that gadget. Let’s give her an opportunity.”
Catherine answered almost immediately. “I’m about four miles from the property. Trouble?”
“Black just contacted us. He’s sending Queen to pick up the ledger, then he’ll have plans later that include John and me. We can’t do anything about Queen, but Cara Clark should be safe for a while even after he picks up the ledger. He has plans for her, and they’re probably as diabolical as he is. Lord, I hope she’ll be safe. But we have to know where Black is on the property fast.”
“I’ll find him. Don’t do anything until I do.”
“No promises. Judy’s little girl won’t stand a chance unless we play this right. Just line up that high-tech phone gadget and locate Black. We’ll take it from there.”
“I’ll call you when I know something.” She hung up.
Eve turned to John. “It will give us an edge if she’s able to track him. I’m just praying that she can.”
John shrugged. “Gadgets can be fluky. I’d rather trust old-fashioned scouting.”
“Catherine is smart. We’ve got to give her a chance.”
“If she blows it, and Black catches her, then the kid is dead.”
Eve knew that was true, but the actual voicing of it sent panic soaring through her. “She won’t blow it. She’s a professional. And she cares about that kid, dammit.”
John didn’t answer as he turned away. “I’m going to scout around the immediate perimeter and make sure we’re secure. Stay here and keep your hand on your weapon.” He disappeared into the shrubbery.
Eve leaned back against the huge oak tree and stared after him into the darkness. She couldn’t blame him for being doubtful. Catherine was only one person, and even the most skilled professional would have difficulty in the situation in which Eve had tossed her. Eve just had to trust her.
But she had problems with trust, and Catherine had only appeared in her life recently.
Before Catherine, she had let only Joe come close to her.
Joe.
A pang of aching loneliness swept through her. She had tried to push thoughts of him away, but they were suddenly all around her. She wanted desperately to see him, touch him. She wouldn’t feel such panic if Joe were here. He was a rock, a north star to guide her.
God knows she needed that steady north star in these woods.
Don’t be selfish, she thought in disgust. What she needed didn’t matter. It was right that she had made sure Joe