Eve - Iris Johansen [93]
“My door is always open for you, Eve.”
“And you gave me that key. How did you know I wouldn’t turn it over to Queen?”
“I had to take the chance. I knew Queen would take advantage of what I’d done to make his move. You had to be protected. Has he contacted you yet?”
“No.”
“He will. He didn’t find what he wanted at the house, and he’ll start exploring possibilities.”
“He made me angry.” She paused. “He burned your house.”
“Hanks told me. Judy managed to get out everything that was valuable from the office.”
“Senseless. Queen wanted to hurt you.” She paused. “Did he do it?”
“Yes.” He didn’t speak for a moment. “Stupid. I knew with my head that it was just a shell made out of brick and wood. I knew it could be taken away from me like everything else. I was prepared for it. But I’d never really had a home, even as a kid. I guess I wanted one. Funny. I suppose it sort of crept in when I wasn’t looking. Primitive instinct. We’re all savages once you tear away the trappings.”
“It was a lovely place.”
“It’s gone. Don’t think about it.”
“Is that your philosophy? I don’t think so. Bonnie is gone. You’re still thinking about her.”
“That’s different.”
Yes, everything about Bonnie and her life and death were different and special. “Did Paul Black kill her?”
He didn’t answer immediately. “I believe he did.”
“Do you know where he is?”
“No, but I know how to bring him to me.”
Her hand tightened on the phone until the knuckles turned white. “Then tell me where you are. I have to be with you.”
He didn’t speak.
“I’m not going to plead with you. But I swear I’ll give that key to Queen. Maybe he knows something about Black that he didn’t tell Catherine. And I’ll let Queen use me as bait to try to get you. I don’t think you’d want me to do that.”
“You’d be crazy to deal with him,” John said roughly. “Your just having that key will tell him that you know too much. That was your insurance policy.”
“He’s an Army Intelligence agent. He might have you targeted, but I’m a private citizen. He’d have a difficult time trying to harass me.”
“I’m not talking about harassment.” His breath expelled with exasperation. “I’ll say you’re not pleading. Back off, Eve. This isn’t a good move.”
“I can’t back off. Tell me how to reach you.” She had to persuade him. “I have a right, John. No one has a better right than I do to catch that bastard. You know it, and I know it. Isn’t that the real reason you made contact with me? You say we’re all savages. Maybe that primitive instinct told you that this was something we had to do together.”
He was still silent, and Eve wasn’t sure that she’d made an impact.
Then he said, “Take the Delta flight to Milwaukee this afternoon. When you get in, call me, and I’ll come and get you. Queen will probably have someone following you. He won’t stop you because he’ll hope you’re leading him to me.”
“And I will be.”
“I’ll take care of that when you get here. Be careful.” He hung up.
It was done.
Eve hung up and stared out at the lake.
“We’re going to find you, Bonnie,” she whispered. “This is the time, isn’t it? This is how you wanted it.” Why was that certainty growing within her? She could be fooling herself because she wanted it so much, and the search had gone on so long. She was taking a chance on John Gallo. Joe and Catherine were right that he was the ultimate wild card.
And she had taken a chance on him once before, and it had changed her life. He had given her Bonnie.
Stop questioning. The decision was made.
She got to her feet and moved toward the door. She would make her airline reservations, write a note to Joe, and try to get a couple hours’ sleep.
She went to her worktable and covered the reconstruction she’d started on Dale. “Just a little interruption,” she whispered. “You’ve waited a long time. Wait just a little longer.” He was her job, her duty. This was the part of her life that had been born